The light in the darkness...

Hello, wonderful friends and family! :D

Just a quick hello to you, for it is wayyyyy past my bedtime! But if I don't take a moment to update you on my life this past week, I will not have time at all to do so until next Sunday! This week I have run-outs with Symphonic Choir Wednesday through Saturday! I'm SO excited! We're singing the Brahms Requiem with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center! I think I'm a little more excited than the normal person because a) It's in the Kimmel Center! I saw Josh and Karen sing there for State Chorus when I was in 8th grade! And now I get to be the one onstage! How COOL! and b) The Brahms always makes me cherish the sweet and short time we had with Mr. Dearing. Especially the 4th movement, where the text is based off Psalm 84, "how lovely is Thy dwelling place" ... That hits closer to home for me than anyone else because my last semester in choir with him, we did the Raminsch "How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place," with that awesome organist he was so giddy about and I was the soprano soloist. Not gonna lie - it chokes me up every time. I can't wait to sing this Requiem for him this weekend... with one of the most amazing orchestras among 160 other amazing vocalists who have been rehearsing this with me day in and day out for the past month and a half... it will be such a bittersweet moment. <3

Not too much else is going on around here! Just TONS of homework and practicing and not enough time to get it all done! LOL! HOWEVER! One of the most exciting things EVER! ... I ordered my very first tickets to go see a show at the Metropolitan Opera for this month with my friends Carola and Rebekah! I'm SO excited! :D :D :D Plus, we're staying with one of my friends from undergrad who lives in the city - hello, that adds even more to my excitement! :)

I had no power for a time this weekend thanks to the snowstorm yesterday... New Jersey and I really aren't getting off on the right foot here. I've been here 2 months and have been without power twice already. YUCK!

When I came home from church this evening, I was so happy to see this:

A single solitary light on in my room - what an image!! Especially since I was dreading having to spend another night without electricity... It was also such a reminder of how it doesn't matter how dark it may seem in my life, that darkness means not a thing to the Lord, for He is the light in the darkness that will see me through! Whatever you're going through, He is able to bring good from evil. I so needed that this evening, and was filled with such an amazing message along those lines at worship tonight. Last night was the topper on the cake, so to say, as I had a not so pretty verbal encounter with one of the sisters I'm renting from. And of course, I called my mother sobbing, because I've just absolutely reached my limit here with the way that they treat me and the like. Praise the Lord, He has provided me with another place to move to, just a short few weeks away, but I was certain last night that I was not going to make it even one more day in this horrid home. Then I went to church tonight, and was completely amazed at how it felt like Nate was speaking directly to me. I love those sermons! Simply put, it was the reminder that God is with us. He will not abandon us. He is faithful and we are not alone. Nate said something to this effect in his message tonight, "When I'm not sure, God is sure. When I'm in darkness, it's not dark for God! You are going to slip up, you're going to struggle, but God is BIGGER! Throw yourself on the Cross and Resurrection, on His grace and mercy, and let Him save you and work in you!" Wow. What a crazy awesome reminder. I'm not sure really of anything right now. But what I am sure of is that God is bigger than everything that I'm going through, and that He will never abandon me - after all, He sent His Son to die for me so that I may live in and with Him. How could I ever think for a second that He would not be with me? I may be stumbling in the darkness right now, but if I cling to Christ, He will be the light that will shine brighter than it all, seeing me through as He walks with me. I won't cling to any other, but I will cling to You, Jesus. <3

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us").

- Matthew 1:22-23

This has been my song of the week: Hillsong - Take Heart

All our troubles and all our tears, God our Hope - He has overcome. All our failures and all our fear, God our Love - He has overcome. All our heartache and all our pain, God our Healer - He has overcome. All our burdens and all our shame, God our Freedom - He has overcome. ♥

A group of us at dinner after Sunday night worship! From the left: Pastor Tim (who coincidentally is a trained opera singer!), Rebekah, Nicholas, JP, and me. :)

Yummm.... enjoying my Fudge Truffle Cupcake from House of Cupcakes after an amazing voice lesson!

Had to find a new home for Snaggle Tooth, so my friends Karisa and Sara adopted him!

I was having fun in the snow. :)