Overview 2000-2003 : How I got to where I was

When I graduated from high school, I had many thoughts about what I could do and much fewer thoughts about what I would actually do. Throughout grades 10-12, I considered many options…some I considered on a far more serious level than others.

The first serious consideration (that I remember) was nursing. Calgary (Mount Royal College, I believe). That thought lasted through the end of grade 10 and a lot of grade 11. Then I heard that nursing is a very physical job (and how can someone under both 5’ and 100lbs do that?). I also realized that A LOT of my friends were going into nursing, and I wanted to do something different. And, I didn’t like the idea of shift work. There went that idea.

My next thought, since I was really enjoying my maths and sciences, was pharmacy! The pay is good. The work sounded like fun. I wouldn’t be in school FOREVER (five years). There was a high demand for pharmacy and I was pretty much guaranteed a job once I was finished school. It sounded perfect. This idea I explored in more depth, since I was already in grade 12 and needing to make a decision. I even went to U of A and visited the school of Pharmacy. I applied for scholarships there and was guaranteed student housing and a few thousand dollars in scholarships if I applied by a certain date. But this didn’t quite feel right, so the deadline passed and I was again wondering what I should do.

As I prayed about this, I felt that a year of Bible school was what I should do after grad. I wasn’t sure where, but I knew two things. I wanted to get out of province and was DEFINITELY not going to Saskatoon. I looked at schools on the west coast. I looked at schools on the east coast. I looked at schools all over Canada and the US. And the two that caught my attention were Millar College of the Bible in Pambrun SK, and Bethany College in Hepburn SK. I applied to both and had no idea which one to choose. After praying about this and feeling no clear direction, I laid out my fleece. Whichever school contacted me first would be the one I would attend.

Guess which one won?

I went to Bethany College starting in fall of 2003. It was a great first year. Exactly what I hoped for when I thought of living in dorm and attending a Bible College! Well, there were some disappointments/things to get used to. For the first time in my life, I had a curfew. For the first time, I wasn’t trusted to do what I wanted, when I wanted. For the first time, I wasn’t allowed to watch tv or movies whenever I wanted. I did get pretty frustrated at times…I was an adult, afterall. But despite the confines of rules, I did make some great friends and had some good times.

- surfing party on a cold winter’s day
- Christmas banquet
- Spanish classes
- Corn dog parties
- nail painting parties (ventilation in dorm rooms is not what it sometimes should be…also evident during men’s open dorm)
- jumping off the girl’s dorm balcony right before an important soccer tournament

Yup, sometimes I do miss those times…but I’ll just take the memories that I have and enjoy them. And continue to make new memories with my favourite Bethany souvenir…yes, folks, I did meet my spouse at Bethany. (though I don’t have the t-shirt to prove it :( )