Wednesday, January 25, 2006

enough with the reruns already


I'M SO FRUSTRATED with the WB and Gilmore Girls lately - what's with the toying of the fans' emotions - with MY emotions? i think tonight's events qualify for entertaining the thought of suing the WB for my extensive emotional damage. hey - don't you think leslie feist should do the soundtrack to gilmore girls? me too!... ok back to the point: they were rolling reruns during the entire holiday season AND I PUT UP WITH IT... but this time they are going waaaaaay too far.

last night we all watched last weeks 'fresh' - but taped - episode of GG on the bedside vcr (it's really the only VCR we have in the room, so there's no real point in identifying it as the bedside one... but there are two dvd players and so in the situation that we were using a disc it would have been an appropriate detail) so that we would be ready for the 'fresh' episode tuesday night... tuesday night comes... 7:55 my alarm sounds... we stroll down to the Darling Pavilion rec room... the tv is always reserved tuesday nights @ 8pm for gg... we attempt to make ourselves comfortable in the most uncomfortable chairs/couches i've ever expierenced... we endure the preview advertisment for supernatural - what a dumb show - and then prepare ourselves when the man with the deep and mysterious voice says "and now a fresh episode of Gilmore Girls" ONLY to begin watching the same footage of a previous aired episode of the same season. WHAT IS GOING ON?? at least let us know about the rerun so that we aren't set up for a huge GIGANTUAN (jy-GAN-choo-wahn) dissapointent... dissapointment of monumental proportion - no lie - its up there with the movie The Beach, my passport expiration, HIU's support of its athletic programs, late pizza deliveries, getting ripped off by the university bookstore...

... but only a few channel flips away were we saved by American Idol ... yeah right.



TOMORROW/today (3am) is our first day BACK -that is, spring semester classes begin @ HIU. On Mondays/Wednesdays I do not start until 12:10p and Tuesdays/Thursdays: 10:45a.. and then, of course, I have fridays off. sweet deal - hopefully it will be conducive to maintaing a respectable GPA. oh, and NO night classes YAY... 7-10 on monday night was just not my thai noodle soup - (ok maybe that's a stretch - but some people say "cup of tea" and "bag of chips", yeah?). speaking of reruns, i hope this semester isn't a rerun of the last one =).



TUESDAY I actually fulfilled my ENTIRE 2do list!! I think this is a first, or at least it's been a awhile.... the list was pretty extensive too. Some of the biggies were 1. turning in my food receipts to the business office (since the cafeteria was closed while I was required to be at HIU for softball training we were reimbursed up to $15 a day for comida), 2. buying the last three used textbooks on my list, 3. getting my passport pictures done, 4. applying to renew my passport, 5. finish my chicago support letter and address the envelopes...

the chicago eagles supplied us with a 'sample appeal letter' but it was so impersonal and not my style so i had to create a remix - for IRS purposes we had to include certain information, im confident that you can spot it out - even though I tried to disguise it... the following was my attempt to appease them while being a little more personal AND to give you a little more information about what's happening this summer and what's currently going on right now... the following, if you choose to read, was written for everyone, including YOU:


Dear Friends and Family:

I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve Christ through the Chicago Eagles Academy this summer. The Eagles are the Midwest division of Missionary Athletes International (MAI), a non-profit, interdenominational sports ministry. Their goal is to share the message of Jesus Christ through the environment of soccer by their commitment to training athletes, such as myself, in the disciplines of sports ministry.

At the conclusion of my spring semester here at HIU I will be leaving for Chicago where I will participate in clinic ministry and camp outreaches. These events are conducive to sharing God’s love with the inner-city children and building relationships through teaching the fundamentals of soccer. In June we depart for a mission trip to Germany where we will be involved in outreaches and compete in matches that are effective for fellowship and witness. This will be my first overseas experience, which is incredibly exciting (not to mention that the World Cup is also hosted this summer in Germany). What is more exciting, though, are the tools that I will be equipped with to continue God’s work upon my return to the HIU soccer program and to Orange County where I will further my education at California State University Fullerton in the Fall.

As a participant in the Eagles Academy, I will need to raise $3,400 to cover my expenses and an additional $1000 to go toward a ministry stipend. I would be honored if you would consider partnering with me in this dynamic summer mission project through a financial contribution.

Some of you may already know: my fellow teammate/roommate, Jessica Sandoval, and a good friend from the HIU Men’s team, Andy Plascencia, are also serving through the Chicago Eagles Academy this summer. Both the HIU men’s and women’s soccer teams competed in the NCCAA tournament in Florida this past season. Each player was to raise $600 in one week and, arguably miraculous, each raised enough for themselves and another. Fundraising can be incredibly stressful, especially under short notice, but it was worth the 3rd place title. Also, Traveling with the team was an incredible experience and the fellowship was amazing.

Just like our longing to compete in the national tournament, the anticipation for our mission trip is what drives our current fundraising efforts. Together we have brainstormed and planned effective events to raise funds over the next several months with the help of HIU students and staff, Soccer Central, Papa John’s, Bank of America and others. This past winter I have been coaching the La Mirada High School junior varsity girl’s soccer team. LM is like family to me and not only is the experience beneficial to my future work in Chicago and Germany, but all compensation will go directly to my mission fund. This will allow me to rely less on your financial support and more on your spiritual support.

If you are interested in contributing financially, checks should be made payable to: Missionary Athletes International or MAI, and please include my Academy ID# 61W23 on the memo part of your check. You will receive an acknowledgment letter for your donation and a tax-deductible receipt. It may interest you to know that MAI is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

Also, I am in need of your prayers! If you wish to be a part of my prayer team, please indicate this on the enclosed response form and include your email address so that I can keep in touch with you. If you want to be kept up to date I will be regularly posting about the mission trip throughout the summer at nicolecollins.blogspot.com. I invite you to check it out this summer and read up on the work that is being done for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

God has provided me with such loving friends and family, and I thank you for taking the time to consider my request. I love you all and God bless.

For His Glory,

Nicole Collins

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds cool, I'm in, but what address do I send the money too?

Nicole said...

thanks!!

MAI
PO Box 1889
La Mirada, CA 90637-9914

Who is this? I can send you an actual letter - chances are I already am =).