Alma Mater

You know how people say you never know how much you love or appreciate something until you don't have it anymore?

This is so completely true for me I can't explain it. I appreciated and loved attending CIU, but more than ever now that I am gone I truly am sad to be leaving that part of my life behind. I feel so blessed to have been able to go to such a wonderful school where the training was well-rounded, grounded in "knowing and making Him known", and within a community of students and faculty who were truly learning to live out the Christian life. I miss the community at CIU. As I ST at Heritage, I feel a strong bond and community within the school, and it makes me so thankful to have had that same experience at CIU. I miss chapel, I miss class, I miss the sunny afternoons, I miss the professors, I miss my job, I miss the city, I miss many things about Columbia.

All this to say, I am going to be one proud graduate of CIU and I love telling people about where I attended, and hopefully I will be able to send some students that way over time. I look forward so much to being back in Columbia, even for a short while, in May. I have so many lectures that come back to me, projects I did, conversations with faculty/staff/students, and chapel messages that encourage me to press on and keep my eyes focused on Jesus when all the world around me is buzzing by.

Columbia, CIU, I miss you. Thank you for being my Alma Mater and teaching me the one thing that matters in life, loving the Lord, and loving others.