Nineteen in the East.

I was starting to feel like a Rob Bell Nooma video series with all my one-word titles alluding to a deeper message, so I had to stop with that for now. So last week, as a brand new 19-year-old I decided to head East. -- or as some would argue, central. But who really cares about the maritimes... I think it's East. Either way-- to Hamilton and then later Quebec. I got to see Niagra falls (cross that one off the bucket list!) and then I spent some time at Redeemer University. I knew I was going to have a good time but my time in Ontario definatly blew my expectations! So much so that today I went to the bank and opened up an account so that I can start saving to go to Redeemer in September. So far the responses I've had when presenting my wonderful new plan to people have been: "What's wrong with Edmonton?", "Oh, ... really?", or "But... that'd be starting a whole new life." Or along those lines for the most part. I guess it doesn't really make a lot of sense if you're not in my shoes. There's nothing wrong with life here, or what I have now. In fact, there is a lot of good things that I am thankful for. But at the same time I have this inner unrest that I feel like won't be solved by continuing to do what makes the most "sense." So I suppose I am doing just the opposite. I am fully intending to spend too much money in order to get a Christian education (which may hinder my future resume) and put valuable friendships on hold (or on... long distance) and miss my family because well... because I think I will be happy. I think if I heard someone else say that I would think they were an idiot. But I loved Redeemer. I haven't felt that at home since... well, since Capernwray. I made friends in A WEEK (a flipping week) that I miss tons already. It seems worth it to me. Ten years from now, when all my student debt is payed off, I probably won't care about the extra few thousand dollars that I would have wasted anyways, but I will look back and see a rich college experience. I don't want the next four years to be full of stress, with no friends at school and taking the ETS (yes, I hate Edmonton Transit) everyday for an hour in the -40 winter. So I might talk and talk and talk about this whole Redeemer thing and then get a smack upside the head from God telling me he has bigger plans, but for now I think this is what he's showing me.  Believe me, I have never been drawn to Hamilton, Ontario before but I woke up one day and thought... maybe I should go to Redeemer. I'm going to talk to the counsellor when I'm there. So I did. And I talked to Hannah. And she got me even more stoked. So the next few months might bring a lot of change. But I can't wait.