Support Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

As my college career slowly comes to an end, I have had a calling to overseas missions. I have been praying and asking for the Lord’s direction in this matter. I know that I am to share Christ’s merciful and unfailing love with everyone around me. However, I felt especially led towards a ministry with children and teens. I am excited to say that I have been given the opportunity to serve as an intern with Mission to the World to do just that. This internship is to Gateshead Presbyterian Church in Gateshead, England from the end of May to the end of July.

I have had the opportunity to work with youth groups in the past, locally and on mission’s trips. I normally lead a small group for the girls, and we study God’s word while getting to know one another. I have been given the chance to do something very similar to this while in Gateshead. I will be getting to know the girls whom attend Gateshead Presbyterian; we will discuss Scripture, and put our hands to work. I will be encouraging their endeavors with arts and crafts, and exploring the Bible further. I am blessed to be able to do this, and I would like to ask for your support through prayer.

During this time I will need constant prayer, for the girls, the church I will be going to, and for myself. I ask that you consider praying for me as I prepare to make this trip. I want to do what is God’s will, and I pray that God would prepare the hearts of the girls with whom I will be in contact.

I will also be raising support so that I will be able to go England and live there for two months. MTW is estimating that I will need about $7,000; this includes travel, lodging, food and ministry supplies. I cannot do this on my own, and I hope that you will prayerfully consider supporting me by becoming a part of my team both prayerfully and financially. Attached is a pledge form. Please send your tax deductible gift to Mission to the World PO BOX 116284 Atlanta, GA 30368-6284. I am so happy to have this opportunity and be able to share it with you. I hope that you will consider supporting this ministry in any way you can. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

In Christ,

Melissa Duncan

You can donate by going to MTW's website and clicking on donations (I have directly linked it)...and typing in my account number: 11862

Bragging Rights are for the Silly People

I just have to say that feeling accomplished is not a feeling I have very often. As I often say, I have been keeping it average since 1989. I don't try to out do myself. Just get by, and no one will be disappointed. This may sound sad to you, but I have been entirely happy for...all of my life. Some people would say too happy at times. I think those people are ridiculous, in a very rude way.

Let me just tell you though, I have been on top of it. By it, I mean life. Yeah, I have been on top of life. I mean, obviously I couldn't get any of what I have done, done without constantly praying. I must give credit where credit is due. And if I am going to do that, I really have to give credit to my family and friends for being so awfully kind, understanding, encouraging, and ever so slightly rude to me. Have you ever noticed that when people are rude with some love...it gets things done? Or at least it does in my world.

Lemme just tell you about the things I have been doing: Got the Internship to Gateshead Presbyterian, applied for my passport, got a planner (and listed, AND am actually using the planner and the lists - I almost don't know what to do with myself), started a new Bible study, ordered my text books (well, all but one - I don't feel like paying $70.00 for a book, ironically enough it is for my Psychology of Learning class), ordered fun books (I haven't done that in a very long time), got taught how to knit by Bekah (and I must say, it's rather fun), I made my little sister some of Joy the Baker's Shrimp and Grits, they were pretty dang delicious, if I do say so myself. I also made her my own recipe of some AMAZING Tiramisu. I don't mind bragging when I know it really was that good. And to top it all off, I just ordered my ticket to see The Civil Wars .

I also feel pretty cool for linking all of those things. I know you probably won't click them, but I was cool enough to do it.

Now to go pay my car insurance and get an inspection ticker. I am just too goal oriented for words...today. I don't promise this for the rest of my life....remember the average thing from above. I actually like that reputation.

Oh, and this is the second time this month that I have updated my blog. WHOO! Be proud, my friends!!

Cobbler Nights

Well, I’ve done it again. I know, it’s horrible. I really should consider looking before I step, especially when it is dark outside. Now I am sitting here with a swollen foot. Had I not been carrying a huge blanket, I may have been able to catch myself with something other than my knee and right foot. But seeing as I cannot change what has already been done, I suppose that I can sit here and catch up on my online shopping. Or perhaps I could read a book, but since my online shopping consists of me looking for new and exciting books, I suppose that I must find something else to do. Judy Garland is rather tempting me into watching one of her more famous films, in which she follows a Yellow Brick Road to find herself a wizard. However, I just don’t feel like doing those things. I should be purchasing my textbooks, and I really could use a new notebook or two, and pens. I think that I could even attempt to hobble out to my car to get my planner, that way I could plan out each day of my life until May. I am so nervous about May. I don’t know if you know yet (how silly of me, of course you do, but I am still going to say it), but I am going to Gateshead, England in May, to intern at a Presbyterian church there. I don’t know anything. I have no idea where I am going to live, how much money I will need, and I never have taken the time to learn their measurement system. I feel like vomiting.

For now though, just for now, I sit in contentment, listening to The Chronicles of Narnia radio drama and sipping Earl Grey, and wasting time playing some ridiculous game of cards on my computer. I am a professional Time-Waster, really I am.

Oh, Yawn. Ok, Now be Happy!

Well, here I sit in Psychology of Gender. Last day of classes. My excitement was stolen by failing my Statistics exam, but hey, my day will improve. This semester was possibly the fastest of my entire life. I think I enjoyed. I don't know, I cannot really tell at this point.

However, in much more happy news, I am now Mission to the World (MTW) intern! I have no idea where I am going yet, but I passed the application and interview processes! I am pretty proud of myself, I'm not gonna lie. More so, I know that God was totally in all of it because stuff like this doesn't normally happen so smoothly for me.

However, I still feel so blah, and I shouldn't.

I just hope that this feeling of "blah" goes away soon though. Finals have got me down, I don't even feel like crying anymore, just sitting and staring off in the distance until maybe something crazy happens.

I mean, crazy things have happened. I guess I just need to remove myself from this stupid rut.

Well, I Think You're Weird Too.

I just typed out a long ranty blog about the Male gender, then I felt it was too cliche and deleted it.

However, I feel bad for not updating this...so. Yeah.

I have nothing interesting to tell you.

You are wasting your time....just sitting there. Reading. Words.

I'm really sleepy. Sleep is such an odd thing. I think I'm always sleepy. I fall asleep at the stupidest times, like during movies. And TV shows. And while I'm reading. And while I'm being read to. And sometimes when I'm on the phone. I really need to work on this. Oh goodness, bedtime.

Your Fingers Hit the Ceiling, Now there's Glitter Everywhere

So, what's all this about?

I don't know. I'm sure you don't either. I know very few things for absolute truth. Those things that I know for sure, I hold onto very tightly.

I don't know though.

I wish I did.

What if I were French? Or made sense? Or what would happen if just once I got excited over something and did NOT make the most ridiculous sound you've ever hear?

I mean...these are things to ponder. These are not very interesting things to ponder, but they are ponderable nonetheless.

I get into stupid conversations, and I've been told I'm blunt. People seem to tolerate me still though, so I suppose that I'm not doing too poorly.

You know, I confuse myself quite a bit. I say things that I don't mean to, I say things that make less than no sense. I wonder if maybe I was slipped some drugs that completely damaged my brain. But really, my brain is probably my own fault. I wish it weren't so, but I think it is.

I'm really crazy, dears. It's true.

College made me this way. Society has ruined me.

Had they just let me live in the country with sheep and goats and chickens and pigs and cats and cows and vegetables and my Bible....

I may not be acting like this.

I have my Bible, so I am functioning.

But really, I feel like I could be a case study that you will be analyzing soon. I've just about cracked.

Gone mad.

But I can still pretend to dance, and pretend to do useful things. However, in reality I am just wondering what is going.

I know what is going on, but what is really going on?

Ok, this is getting way more than ridiculous. I'm off to bed. If I can remember where I put it.

"Love is the Fulfilling of the Law"

Wow, I just went over a month...I have neglected this poor little thing. Not that it matters much. I could say that I have been busy. And that would be mostly true, but I hate that excuse. It doesn't keep me from using it though. I just feel like such a flake when I say that silly phrase.

"Oh, I'm much too busy, Dears" ... "Do I have children? Well...no. Do I have a full time job? Well...no, but I do have school!" School? Really? Is that an excuse I should be making? I hate school with every fiber of my being. I am even studying something that I actually enjoy. I still feel that society has forced some sort of constraint on me. Telling me that since I am a strong woman, that I NEED to get my degree, and get a job that makes me lots of money. Is that what I want? Well, is it?? Has society asked me what I want? I know it's not all about me, of this I am well aware, however...it is my life. And Society could have been polite enough to see how I felt about all of this. The year is 2010, and apparently I live in a liberated time. Apparently I can do what I please. Except, that isn't true is it? It would be frowned upon if I got married, dropped out of school, and made biscuits for my husband.

I don't want to graduate from college. You heard me. Well, I guess at this point I do. I have made it this far, and I might as well finish. But what am I finishing? I am getting a degree in something I love, that being Psychology. But what do I do for half my classes? What have I done since freshman year? I have very purposefully ignored nearly every one of my professors. You wanna know why? Because they are unintelligent. I mean, fine; the ones teaching the math...they have the facts, but those are about the only ones that I haven't disagreed with (I cannot really disagree with something that I cannot seem to comprehend). But I ignore the others because many of them teach their opinion, and make things unnecessarily political.

But back to this whole "degree" thing. I still don't get why this makes me more eligible for a job, and really it doesn't. What have I learned? To sit in class, and spit back what the teacher wants to hear. I am spending so much money. So much time.

But here comes the question, how am I going to use this? As everyone knows, Psychology is essentially useless without some sort of graduate degree. And do I want to go into to MORE debt for that?! Society expects it. Society says that it's acceptable, and even good to do that. BUT I DO NOT WANT TO.

When people ask what I want to do when I graduate, I really don't have a good response. I know what I want. I want to spread the Gospel of the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone. I want to go places, and help people. But when I say it out loud, many times I just get blank stares, or worse...I get smirks. Oh, smirks. People smirk, thinking, yeah...she wants to do "big things" do "good" things. She wants to stand out. I hate saying that I want to be a missionary, because honestly I know that I am so disgustingly imperfect that I am afraid that I would fail miserably at the job that I set out to do. And then people would laugh instead of smirk. I wish I didn't care about the smirking people, but they do get to me.

I do love people, believe or not. I think that's why I am so drawn to Psychology. I want to know more about people. I want to grow relationships with people. I want to listen, I want to talk, I want to share the love that I know that I have been commanded to share.

I know that I will always have opposition, that's what makes life the way it is.

So here it is Society; I know that you don't care, just as long as I do what fits in your cage of freedom, but I really want you to know this...

I want to get married, cook, clean house, have some babies, wear aprons, and generally be a loving wife and mother. I would feel the most accomplished doing that.

However, I know that I am going to try and graduate. I am going to try and get a job to pay off the student loans that I took out to get a piece of paper saying that I know enough to make a few dollars above minimum wage. I am just tickled pink. But I have decided that I really am going to try to get involved in Missions. Obviously, I am called to share the Gospel where ever I am, but I am going to try and get on with a Missions board. Whether I get anywhere with that will greatly depend on whether or not they will accept me with my student loans. I would like to ask that whomever reads this will pray for me. Pray that God will show what I am supposed to do, and pray that I don't screw up...too bad.

It seems I am always ranting about society, constraints, hating college, and wanting to do something else. I know it is boring to hear. And believe it or not, I am not being as dramatic as I sound. I know I need to quit complaining and do something.

For now, I am going to sit on the couch with my snuggie, watch Say Anything, and think about making Monkey Bread.

And let you know just how much I despise Society. Oh, and Sigmund Freud...I don't love him so much either.