MEET C4: Nadine Varty

She’s one of the primary reasons why I stayed at Albright, even after being unsure of my acceptance months into freshmen year. After meeting her through a women’s bible study group, she’s gone from an accepting friend with open arms to my roommate for the past two years.

Meet Nadine Varty.

One of the first and greatest memories that I share with Nadine occurred during a Friday night in Freshmen year. We both decided to attend on of the Domino Players’ productions that night and cap off our experience with the “classic” girly sleepover. After the show, we headed off to Wawa to get some snacks (I specifically remember grabbing some ice-cream) and lost track of time as we chatted into the night’s hours about our families, friends, and college experience. I remember waking up at noon the next morning (and Nadine explaining how that’s fairly common because of the lack of light that shines through the slit in the Walton basement window.) Since then, we’ve been attached at the hip. We’ve done all sorts of things from studying scripture together, praying for each other, supporting each other at events, staying in touch over the summer (and during Nadine’s study aboard to Scotland), and now, spending each day together as roommates!

Nadine Varty is certainly one special young woman. Grounded in her faith, she is one that has inspired my walk with Jesus. Nadine's life has been no "cake-walk," yet her struggles have only helped her grow stronger. Her love and mercy for others has opened my eyes to change my attitudes and treatment of others. Nadine’s stories of hope and joy gravitate me when I’m overwhelmed or overburdened. She is one who is always willing to help, listen, offer advice, and put herself before others. There has never been a time where I couldn’t feel comfortable turning to Nadine for a few comforting moments.

Some additional favorite characteristics that I love about Nadine include her sense of humor, kind-spirit, good intentions, dedication, levels of commitment, understanding of self, and priority of family and friends. Nadine’s joy for life shows her constant stride to learn about her identity in God, always thirsting for more and thoroughly enjoying those special moments of “God time” that she gets to share with her creator.

Nadine Varty, thank you for being such a wonderful best friend. You’ve helped me to understand the importance of friendship and the priority it holds in my life. You’ve been one of the greatest encouragers and a friend who’s always cheered for me. Nadine, it’s been such a joy to watch you grow over the past three and a half years, and looking back on my college experience, I look as our friendship as a fairy-tale. I know that our time together here is the just the start of a friendship that will carry us into Heaven.

Thank you for being all that a best friend can be.

I love you. :)

IMPORTANT POST: HELP!

It has recently been brought to my attention that there is a family in need of some community help! Jim and Sue Umstead, lifelong Perkiomen residents, are being forced to sell their family's farmhouse on nearly 10 acres to build a community park! Ironically, there are plenty of parks already located near the area; Plank Road Park, the Township Building playground/park, the fire-station's open fields, the basketball courts/fields at Cranberry, and Perkiomen Valley School Districts' fields and parks. Jim and Sue are members of our Christ's Church of the Valley family, and in response to this unfair treatment, we are joining together to challenge the township.

If you are interested in reading more information about this story or how you can help, please redirect yourself to the link below. There's still time to make a difference!

Keep on pressin' on!

http://www.helpoutyourneighbor.com/

MEET C4: Ms. Teira "T" Jeffcoat

I call her "T."

T for Teira.

She is one of the most gorgeous young women I know. In fact, I frequently tell her that she should be a model! Her beauty, however, is more captivating than any physical feature can offer. Teira Jeffcoat has the inner-beauty of a young woman chasing fast after God's own heart.

I remember meeting Teira two years ago at our campus' Christian Fellowship (ACF). In fact, it was the first meeting in which Teira and I sat down to talk. Since that first get-together, I remember bumping into Teira in the Mohn residence hall when she would be reading her Bible late at night on the third floor. Frequently, her and I would meet on the ground floor to read together, pray together, and chat about each other's lives.

While Teira was still a freshmen, my friend Nadine and I (to be featured in the next post) sought her out as a roommate for "C4." We wanted her to become a part of a friendship that would carry us into our finals years of college-and beyond.

Having T as a roommate has been one of the greatest blessings for my personal growth and walk with Jesus. We frequently find ourselves stumbling into "serious conversations" with each other-conversations about faith, about what we're reading, about our fellowship, our actions, ourselves, boys, courting, self-confidence, etc., etc., etc. We can find ourselves talking for hours. When we're not chatting, T's great company for watching movies, shopping, and "craftying." She's always got the greatest fashion advice (especially when she saves my life by telling me my legs are blue because of blue jean dye), her "jokes" can have you laughing for hours, and her smile is one of true happiness.

T is a one-in-a-million type of friend; someone whom you can only find few and far between, someone who is enthusiastic, caring, and genuine. Some of the characteristics that I admire most about T are her patience, discipline, great listening skills, mercy, enthusiasm, loyalty, and compassion for others. She's intelligent, trust-worthy, and dedicated to her commitments.

What I love most about T, however, is her unique sense of individuality that she carries for herself. Teira Jeffcoat is a woman defining herself by the love God carries for her. She's confident, yet humble; outgoing, yet striving for independence; she's sassy, and yet sensitive. Teira Jeffcoat knows who she is and isn't scared to show herself to the world. Even if she would argue about that compliment with me, she can't argue the fact that she strives each day to better understand herself through scripture, prayer, and a hard, fast sprint towards God's open arms for her.

Teira Jeffcoat, you're an inspiration. I hope that one day my daughter will transform into a beautiful woman just like yourself. You know your priorities and you're committed to what matters most to you. From you I've learned the fruit that comes when understanding one's self through God's perspective, and have strived to pursue such fruit myself. I'll always remember you-not only as a roommate, a legacy of C4, but most important, as a sister of Christ.

We've got a lot of memories to build together.

Love, MJ

MEET C4

There's a saying that goes something like: "I came to college to find friends...but I came back with sisters."

I never thought that saying would hold so true-I don't have a sister and I'm not even in a sorority! Yet, the friendships that I've made with my beautiful roommates have proven truth beyond what I first believed about the above statement.

We call ourselves "C4."

You see, for the past two years, we've lived in the Albright on-campus apartments, known as the "Woods" for its somewhat-distant "woodsy" atmosphere away from main campus. We believe (only slightly biased, of course) that our apartment's number-C4-is the absolute most phenomenal location of the Woods. Closest to the "path" that winds to campus and the laundry room facility, we've got a prime balcony spot open to the other apartment complexes and some of the best neighbors around. We love our "C4" title and we flaunt it! We've got a HUGE homemade C4 banner, roommate pictures, and our own theme song!

In reality though, it's not the "C4" name that we love.

The reason why C4 has become such an affectionate name in my vocabulary is because of the wonderful women living in C4 that have become such an influential part of my life. These girls have become, as quoted, not only friends, but sisters, and someday, future bridesmaids.

I want to take the next few posts to introduce you to three young women who embody the splendor of true friendship. I hope that through this "C4 Series," you'll catch a glimpse at some of the most inspiring, Godly women I know. They've changed my life-and forever will be close to my heart. Nadine, Teira, and Sarah, this series is for you.

A Good Feeling

And I thought I was getting away from CCV with school!

Let me explain.

Really, what I mean is-that it's funny how God can prepare us for certain seasons in our lives by the experiences that He allows us to have.

You see, this entire summer, I worked with a staff that organized youth group services for both junior high and high school teenagers-about 150-200 of them to be exact. Each service was planned to the "T." From a welcome to worship to the message and a closing, each person involved had a role, knew their role, and as a team, we practiced our roles.

Last Sunday, August 31st, I said "goodbye" to my summer internship. However, what I quickly realized tonight-at my college's Intervarsity Christian Fellowship meeting-was that I'm NOT escaping the "oh-so familiar service format."

You see, for one of the FIRST TIMES EVER, "ACF" (Albright Christian Fellowship-Intervarsity Fellowship) held a meeting that contained ALL of the above elements-in an organized way! It was exciting to see God work as leaders set up the projector, ran through the powerpoint slides, hosted the night, presented the message, and teamed up to take "ownership" of sign-up lists and handouts! Best of all-as we promised our members-our meeting took no more than an hour-we were there from 8pm-9pm! I love being able to keep within the time allotment for the respect of the members that the organization cares for.

No, CCV style has yet to leave me. (Quite frankly, I don't think it EVER will.) I've learned a lot from my internship this summer-and I can't wait to continue to apply the things that I've learned to expand the ministry on Albright's campus.

God's got a crazy way of making things work.
What an encouraging night!

When is enough ENOUGH?

It is entirely too easy to allow one's self to become tied up in the phenomenon of doing.

As I was wrapping up my night tonight (yes, it's about 1am now-ignore the posting time, it's wrong), I was thinking about how I wish I didn't always find myself "doing work" until late-or early-hours into the morning.

I mean, one would think, that with only three classes and a handful of extra-curricular organizations that a young girl would NOT need to be up until 1am doing work!

I believe, my problem is, that I don't know when to stop. I could easily have stopped doing work when I returned from the gym this evening at 9:30pm. I could have easily decided to spend time with my roommates, watching TV, knowing that I have only one class at 1pm tomorrow and have plenty of time beforehand to complete work, yet-I made a different choice.

Instead, I chose to spend an hour or so working on the proposal of a senior thesis. I spent time sending emails, making phone calls, organizing my planner, reading for class, etc, etc, etc, until I find that I'm sitting here at 1am STILL wondering of what I can complete before I am too tired that I can only pass out when permitting my head to hit the pillow.

When is enough enough?

One of my frustrations about the school year is the notion of knowing that "there will always be more work that I can do." Whether it be readings, papers, preparing for tests, organizing my schedule, re-organizing my schedule-I always will have "busy work" that can consume my time-up to 1am and beyond! What I'm beginning to realize is that just because I'll always have work that can last me up until this late hour doesn't mean I have to try and fill those time slots with work. In fact, I'd prefer not too. (Isn't it ironic how we discover these realizations in our senior year?)

During orientation, I heard a speaker talk about the importance of time management. In her lecture, the speaker talked about "Joe," a football player who was perceived to "always be out" every evening. In fact, he was out so much that when he made the Dean's List his first semester, his friends asked him how he managed to hack the computer files to change his grades (disbelieving that he ever studied). To his friends' surprise, Joe shared how he spent the sporadic hours that he had in the morning and throughout his day to complete his work so that he could spend time hanging out with friends in the evening.

Brilliant.

I want to be just like Joe.

Knowing that this semester is one of the last chances that I have to truly work on the friendships that I've been blessed with here at Albright, I want to take as many opportunities as possible to meet my friends where they're at and share life with them. I don't want my evenings to be consumed with school-work, but with conversations and memories of individuals who matter far more greatly than do grades on a paper.

That's a harder reality to swallow than it is to type. You see, my aspiration to be like Joe isn't about the importance of time-management, it's about the reality of prioritizing work verses people.

Am I more passionate about serving my school-work?

Or am I more passionate about serving people?

I know my answer.

I pray that now, I can show it.

Watch out Joe, you're not the only one who plans to be out this semester while making the Dean's List. :)