Of query letters, glasses, and trusting God

I sent in a query letter and a sample of my book to an agent last Monday. Which means that it's probably ON HER DESK RIGHT NOW AND SHE'S GOING TO READ IT AND AHHHHH. Sorry. I've been known to occasionally be disproportionately enthusiastic. I just can't help imagining what it would be like for an agent to actually say yes.

Because I'm neurotic and can't stop myself, I've been editing my book like an insane person ever since sending in the query letter. I know that, in theory, you're supposed to have polished a draft to perfection before sending it in, but I don't think that a book is really ever ready until printing. So I've been adding in scenes, cutting out others, and improving the dialogue throughout. Guys. I am so excited about this one. I think it actually stands a chance to get published. Maybe. We'll see, I guess.
This week, I found out that not only am I going to Burundi this summer, but I am also going to go to Guatemala! (Insert happy dance.) God is so awesome. I still don't know how it's going to work out, but that's part of the wonder of it all. It's sort of the same with living on campus. A girl from my Core and I are about 98% sure we're going to live in one of the dorms together next year for the specific purpose of reaching out to the community. At first, I was really hesitant because, as much as I wanted to do it, I had no idea where the money would come from. But I still could really sense God calling me there. I don't really know where the money will come from yet, but if God wants us there then he will provide for us somehow.
Yesterday I got my new glasses in the mail. I was sort of worried because I picked them out in a bad mood due to my yellow fever injection and blurry vision from my eye exam. But they're amazingly nerdy and cute. They're a little crooked, though, and I have to somehow find a way to get to Costco so that they don't drive me crazy.
Oh, and I found out that I'm going to be a conversation partner with an exchange student on campus. Which is awesome and everything, except that it falls on One Day without Shoes (you may remember my post about it last year). So basically I have two choices: 1) give my convo buddy an interesting first impression of Americans and college life in general, or 2) just wear shoes like a Normal Person. Guess which option I'm leaning toward?
Yup. That one.

God, The Fault in Our Stars and other bits of awesome.

I'd been wanting to read John Green's newest novel, The Fault in Our Stars, since it came out, but I am still clueless about how the Bellingham library works and I can't exactly afford to buy books. However, the other day I suddenly remembered that my lovely grandmother had given me an Amazon gift card for Christmas, and I immediately ordered the book. (Well, as soon as logging into Amazon, of course.) I started reading it last night when it arrived, and I finished it tonight. I think that I'd forgotten how much I loved reading. College--and writing on my own book quite extensively--had just drained me of energy for reading, but the more I think about the more I realize that's an awful mindset. I will always have to do something, and if I want to just wait for time to do the things that matter then I will never end up doing them.
Anyway. On to the book...
It was absolutely phenomenal. I've always loved John Green's works, but this is, from my opinion, his best. It is profound and funny, but also heartbreaking and real. It's one of those books that you pick up and in fifteen pages you already know it's going to be one of your favorites. So, yeah. You should read it, library or no. (Side note: for the first time ever while reading a novel, since I'm woefully unconnected with pop culture, I understood all of the allusions and felt extremely nerdy and extremely proud at the same time. DFTBA.)

[Insert awkward segue here], and, so, I'm pretty much in awe of what God has been doing in my life lately. I think that that for the majority of my life, I experienced little bursts of spirituality that honestly never really amounted to much other than contented complacency. I wanted to share my faith all the time, become hardcore, and fall completely in love with Jesus, but it never exactly happened.Well, things are different now. I don't know if I can adequately put into words what God has been doing in my heart (or if I'm truly hardcore--what does that even mean, anyway? I don't have abs made of steel), but it's quite terrifying and great. I think one of the most striking things that I've been learning, though, is that you might have your first big "surrender" when you accept Christ and all that, but the surrendering doesn't really stop there. You have to do it all the time because you forget that first time so easily.
I've also broken my little comfort bubble and asked people spiritual questions for Discipleship Class and gone conversational evangelizing. Yes, I'm rather incredulous as well.

God is kind of awesome.

Africa

Remember when I told you guys that I'm going to Africa this summer? Well, it's really, really happening, and I've started sending out letters. I'm posting my letter on here, so feel free to read it if you want to find out about my trip!

~~

Happy New Year! I can hardly believe that Christmas has already past and I’ve already started my second quarter at college. Last quarter, I became involved with Campus Christian Fellowship and joined a few clubs.  I also felt the Lord’s calling to apply for a Jesus Film mission trip to Burundi, Africa. Ever since the Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) US Staff Conference, I’ve had this incomprehensible urge to go to Africa, so I took one of Jesus Film trip brochures. Although finances were tight and I was uncertain of my future, I was convinced that God wanted me to apply.

About a month later, during Thanksgiving break, I received my acceptance email. I am going to Africa. Every time I say those words, this giant rush of joy and excitement runs through me.  I have no doubt that God has wanted me to go all along, and I am exited to see him working through me and the rest of my team in Burundi.

Burundi is a small African country surrounded by Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. My team and I will travel to several rural villages there and put on showings of the Jesus Film in the native languages. Burundi has three official languages—French, Rundi, and Swahili—plus countless other dialects. I’m currently learning a bit of French, but we will have translators to help us communicate with the people. Some of the people we will reach will never have heard the gospel before, and I get to share that with them!

As excited as I am about Burundi, I cannot go alone. This trip will cost about $4000, more than I have in my bank account. I hope that you will pray about supporting me both spiritually and financially. A gift of $50, $100, $300—or however much you feel led to give—would help tremendously on my journey. Although you might not be able to go to Burundi personally, helping to send me there will transform lives.  

If you choose to send a check, please make it out to Cru and send it to my dorm address.

Thanks so much!

Oda a mis gafas

I wrote a poem in Spanish and thought I'd post it on here (but no, it does not have a translation, so you'll just have to become bilingual to comprehend my genius).

Oda a mis gafas

Los suéteres se desgastan,

el ambiente eventualmente destruye los pantalones,

y los zapatos no duran para siempre,

pero cada día me pongo las gafas.

Amigos fieles, siempre me ayudan.

Sus montas rectangulares abrazan a sus lentes.

Sus ventanas claras me dan pasamiento al mundo de color.

He perdido el arte de ver.

Paso por las gotas de agua en las hojas de los árboles,

los arcos irises por encima de mi cabeza,

las sonrisas tímidas en las bocas de los desconocidos, 

y los nubes sonrojos.

Mis ojos escogen mirar a las calles, las fechas, y los informes.

No quieren recordar su ceguera,

pero siempre están allí mis gafas.

Amigos sabios, esperan silenciosamente

el momento de recordar.

Tristes sin lágrimas, no dicen nada

mientras camino rápidamente a la clase.

Sienten sin movimiento en mi nariz

cuando cruzo la calle hablando por teléfono.

No me piden nada.

Anticipan que los me ponga

y pare por ver brevemente,

que observe las gotas de agua y los nubes,

y que mire la lluvia con ojos fascinados.

Mis gafas, guías leales, me enseñan silenciosamente

a ver.

If you're a student in college...

If you're a student in college, someone is bound to ask you what you're studying.

When you answer this question, they will ask you what you want do with your degree.

This impromptu interview will remind you that you really should be studying, so you will quickly dismiss yourself and hit the books.

Doing your math homework will remind you that you really don't like math, so you will go buy a snack instead.

As you buy your breakfast cookie at exactly 3:27 p.m., you will remember that you were supposed to call your mother before your breakfast.

When you make the call, you will see a clipping of job advertisements on the cork board.

The advertisements will remind you that you really need some work experience.

Your need of work experience will remind you that you really have no idea for what field you need it.

This quandary will remind you that you that you really need to declare a major.

And when you declare your major, someone is bound to ask you what you plan to do with it.

(Modeled after If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.)

I seem to be very fond of parodies lately. For my Honors assignment, I had the idea of writing a poem instead of a standard essay, and my prof approved. It is a parody of Dante's Inferno from Muhammad's perspective, written in iambic pentameter and (almost) terza rima. It has been quite fun to write, but more than a little painstaking. This song has helped a lot, though. Heh, heh.

Merry Christmas!

Hello, and a merry Christmas to you all! I can still hardly believe that Christmas has already come and gone. Ever since coming home from college, I've been working just about nonstop in a major department store. It's been a blessing to have the job and the OCD part of me has enjoyed folding and refolding all the clothes in my department, but I'm not sure how I feel about the grown-up part to it all. I work from either 11-7 or 9-5. The long shifts drain me of creativity and energy, and I haven't been able to write on my novel hardly at all. Nevertheless, before work started I almost finished it and now have just a chapter to go. I'm currently reveling in a few days off of work, and I plan to use this time to finish my book and to write a support letter for...wait for it...AFRICA! Yes, you read that correctly, I am one hundred percent for-sure going. I just have to raise a ton of money since I'm a broke college kid, so this could get interesting. I'm seeing a lot of lemonade stands in my not-so-distant future.
This Christmas, I had the brilliant idea of recording a CD of improv piano for my friends and family. However, as I continued recording, I decided to put the CD on the internet. Completely ridiculously, I now have an album for sale on bandcamp and a couple songs for free on noisetrade. Keep in mind that all of this happened in a matter of days, since this is improv piano and one can't exactly polish and practice improvised songs. So this is pretty much my insane life. I don't want to accidentally get rich or famous, though, so up until July all proceeds (if there ever are any) will go towards my Africa trip. Huzzah!
Anyways, it is two days after Christmas so if you'll excuse me, I'm off to play with the best Christmas present ever, my TARDIS and Doctor Who action figures. (Jealous?)

My brain is a hostage.

I must confess that I have quit a cappella club. I really did try to like it, since I adore singing, but I just couldn't do it. Instead, I've been going to Scottish country dancing club. I have yet to master the skip-change (the central step in Scottish country dancing), which makes for an interesting evening of Rosemary holding my hand and proclaiming in a British accent, HOP- two-three, HOP-two-three. Despite the embarrassment, it's really quite fun. Since I'm an idiot and raised my hand when she asked the everyone who had been to club night in class, I actually got to perform one of the dances for the class's enrichment today.
My novel is also coming along really well. I'm at 49,321 words, which is pretty impressive (50,000 words is the NaNoWriMo goal), considering that all my professors assigned huge projects, essays, and readings due around the same time. Of course. The problem is that I can barely make myself focus on the aforementioned work. My characters have taken my head hostage, refusing to let it think about anything else or do anything productive other than writing them. I have never written any characters as fleshed-out and real as these, and they genuinely haunt my head. When telling a friend about this "problem," she said something about the book not being real and I stared at her for a second. I'd actually forgotten that the entire story and characters only existed in my head (and in my computer, of course).
They are so real to me that, when I had to write something painful for my MC, I had to buy myself chocolate as an incentive. I've stared at people crossing campus that look remotely like my characters. I've broken down crying about the story and laughed out loud while crafting a joke. A difficulty (and blessing, sometimes) about being a writer is the intense capacity to feel. I feel everything my characters do, whether it be depression, rapturous bliss, or fury. It's wonderful and awful at the same time. Ah, well. The life of an artist.
On a different note, since I love causes but have next to no money, I was quite euphoric when I discovered GoodSearch today via NaNoWriMo. Basically, it's just a search engine that donates money to the cause of your choice for every Web search you make (and it's free!). Oh dear. I sound like an infomercial, don't I? Anyways, you should definitely check it out if you're, like me, broke but wanting to help out a cause!
Well, I'm off to write on my novel...I mean, work on my essays. Heh, heh. Oh! Before I go, I must bestow some wonderful news upon you. Instead of a cappella club, I went to a readers' meeting for my school's literary journal called Jeopardy! today. I think I'm going to be a reader, which basically means that I'll read submissions, vote on them, and critique them a bit for the magazine which sounds a lot more amazing to me than singing for an hour (sorry, a cappella. I promise I still love you! Will you accept my humble offer of vegan brownies and black licorice?).