Brain Leakage

Greetings friends.

I write to you nearly halfway through the fall semester of my junior year. Isn't it crazy to see how time flies. I'm sure most of you would have stories like "I remember when she was a young whippersnapper. Look at her now!" Yep. Its true. Many of you remember my younger years. Oh, memories. Sigh.

Let's start my update with academics. Classes are going well. I feel quite proud of my frog animation which you can see in the post just below this. The plan to have foam-core frogs jump around campus is still a go, and we are nearing the stage when we can begin to build them. I think that comes next week. Stay tuned for pictures and hopefully the animation :)

I am realizing that I am just not cut out for the 3D world. In my 3D animation class, I cannot seem to find a way to get my creative juices to leak out into my 3D models. The interface is not something that comes intuitively to me. That being said, my models are coming out a little basic, meeting requirements, but without frills. Maybe I'll post a picture of my 3D snowman when its done (assuming I'm not too embarrassed to show it...haha) This was a similar problem that I faced last semester in my 3D design class. I was incapable of making cubes that were both mathematically accurate and aesthetically pleasing. Least common denominator: 3D. I guess this girl has found her artistic achilles' heel. I guess I can't be good at everything. Haha.

My Storyboard class remains among my favorites. Keep checking out my comic journal for the class by clicking the link: http://www.darahcj.blogspot.com/

We have just finished a couple of weeks of very interesting chapel series on campus. Last week we had a Huntington alumna and her friend present their film on human trafficking, which as the film showed, is occurring both domestically and abroad. The talk was challenging, to see how girls even within the US are being kidnapped for use as sexual slaves and prostitutes. It was disgusting and heartbreaking. Their film "Branded" which was named for the dehumanizing practice where pimps brand their prostitutes to show ownership. They presented statistics that show that there are more women in sexual slavery today than there were plantation slaves in the US in the 18th and 19th centuries. It created a lot of discussion, but we felt a little hopeless, not knowing how we can help out, other than our prayers. The issue is being exposed, and this is making a difference, including creating rescue centers in areas like Phoenix where this is a growing problem. This was encouraging, and I continue to think of these women and girls.

This week, our speaker was a man by the name of Craig Gross. He is the founder of the website XXXChurch.com As a young pastor, Craig saw a problem with pornography, both within the church as well as in the mainstream culture. Before long people were noticing this radical ministry, and he and his team started getting invited to porn shows. They set up with their Bibles and just stood around and talked to people. They were open and told them they were pastors and that they loved the Lord, and believe it or not, people came over to their booth and talked to them. They brought Bibles, and quickly ran out. They weren't picketing outside, they were helping on the inside, getting to know the people and loving them the way Jesus loves them. I was inspired by this, not that I think I will end up helping out with XXXChurch or handing out Bibles at the porn shows, but I was inspired by a ministry that loves on people. He has met a lot of interesting people and has talked on a lot of topics. He is good friends with the man who started "To Write Love on Her Arms" which is an organization that was born out of an experience where the founder of that organization, Jamie, went to a concert with some of his friends and met this girl that was high on drugs. She went to the bathroom and came back with wounds, having cut herself. Jamie and his friends took her to a treatment facility and they said they couldn't take her in with open wounds and that they would have to bring her back in a few days. So for the next 5 days, Jamie and his friends took care of this girl, fed her and talked to her and listened to her story. When she cut herself, she carved a degrading word that someone had told her when she was younger. Jamie asked her if he could write a story about her. She agreed and he posted the story. The rest is history, Jamie started "To Write Love on Her Arms" as a non-profit that has resources for people who are depressed, suicidal and who are involved in self-injury. One of Craig's big points is that you don't have to be in a Billy Graham type ministry to make a difference, just show up. Be willing to be used by God to reach the unreachable. Learn to love like Jesus and share that with those who don't know what love is. Fix bikes for kids, adopt a compassion child. Just do something. And to that I say, Amen. As you can see, I get a lot out of chapel. :)

So, I recently got hired at the Eddie Bauer store in Fort Wayne. This is a little bittersweet for me. Its good for me to be earning money again, but I feel like the commute and the hours may not be the best fit for my schedule. Because of this, I am going to be applying at some places in Huntington to try to alleviate some of those troubles, while still earning money. If you guys would pray for me, that would be great.

Well, that's all the time we have, until next time, I'm Darah, and this is WILD AMERICA. Haha, bye guys.