ONE WEEK DOWN! MANY TO GO

So, I completed my first week as an Intern in the Office of State Representative Eric Johnson in the 82nd Texas Legislature.
How was it, you may ask??????????? It was pretty much everything I hoped it would be.

Here are the silly things I am excited about!
1. Having my OWN desk! Lol, I love it. But bringing a picture might be doing the most cuz Its not that big, and I REALLY want to make sure its SUPER Organized all the time. Those who know me know, that is a challenge.
2. Dressing up! I do like being Business Professional all the time. Its probably gonna get old, but until then, I am LOVING IT. Forces me to take myself seriously, but not TOO seriously, never that.

Cant think of anything else right now. My job entails many things from checking the mail and answering the phone to helping with constituent correspondence, reading up on Bills proposed to the Legislature. a.k.a. All potential new laws for the Citizens of Texas. I will discover more as we go.

Learned so many things this week that I could have NEVER learned in a classroom or a textbook. Example:Introducing myself. I think I met and introduced myself to over 50people this week,and My name is ___________ evolved so much from AYO, to my full first name to my ful first and last name to a few variations of it. At one point I thought to myself, you are TERRIBLY inconsistent! So I finally decided I'll be Ayo Shittu. May not sound important, but IT IS, at least to me.

Another thing I learned this week was to always be thankful. As I ride the bus down Congress Avenue and begin seeing the Capitol on the Horizon, I get really thankful that the Lord saw it fit to grant me my heart's desire when I let him know I wanted to be here. So, everytime I get caught up in what could have been I am reminded to be thankful and think of where I COULD BE.

On that note PURSUE HOLINESS
EAT 'EM UP KATS

AND Goooooooo TEXAS

Prettty cool, huh?

Letter from God!

My daughter, My son

My cherished one, do you want supernatural strength and energy? I hope so, for it is what I have already given you and long for you to recognize. As My child, you are called to walk in the supernatural, to elevate your mind to things above and not on earthly things. You citizenship is elevated in heaven protected and secure. You are a whole new being...one who is loved and seated with Me already. Live now as if you are already there, as unblemished brides of my Church.

My instructions for you this day are these; inhale my sweetness! Inhale the very essence of who I am. Love me with your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Keep your heart, soul, mind and strength pure and holy, that you may be kept safe. Make the sacrifice. I promise you it will be worthwhile. I know you need help, which is why I have give you my Spirit to guide you and my Word for you to hide in your heart, do not shun my grace.

I am ever present with you no matter what you may be experiencing or feeling. NO matter what you have done. I am present in all your trouble (PS 46:1) I am not bound by your emotions or situations. I am your ever adoring and loving father who delights in you every moment of your life (1 John 3:1). I enjoy your times of quiet rest. Your times of respite are very precious to ME and enable Me to speak in ways I otherwise could not. Nothing will ever separate you from my love again (Romans 8:38-39)but your choices may separate you from my wisdom. I want to show you great and marvelous things (Jeremiah 33:3). If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me (Deuteronomy 4:29).

TO BE CONTINUED

ALL MOVED IN

SO, If you read a few blogs ago, I spoke of applying for more internships because I didnt get one I wanted. I learned SO MUCH through that process, One of which being- Rejection SUCKS!

No, seriously! BUT, Now I will be working an Internship in the OFfice of a STate Rep from Dallas. NOw, without getting into strenously boring details, THis internship will be me doing the EXACT SAME THING I got rejected for, except with no $$ which is COOL, because my FATHER who provided me with this AMAZING opportunity will see me through this $170 to live off a month deal. Father, again, meaning the ONE who knew me before my parents were even born.

I just moved into my apartment in Austin, TX.

I am so eternally grateful, because i WANTED THIS SO BAD! And prayed often about it this summer, and fall semester. And God is giving me what I want in the way that BEST brings him Glory......''HE IS TIGHT LIKE THAT!!!!!!!

So, I will be keeping you all updated as I live and thrive in a NEW city, make new friends and see what the Lord has in store for me.... I CANT WAIT

THE HOUND OF HEAVEN- Francis Thompson

The Hound of Heaven



I fled Him down the nights and down the days
I fled Him down the arches of the years
I fled Him down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind, and in the midst of tears
I hid from him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped and shot precipitated
Adown titanic glooms of chasme d hears
From those strong feet that followed, followed after
But with unhurrying chase and unperturbe d pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat, and a Voice beat,
More instant than the feet:
All things betray thee who betrayest me

The poem is MUCH longer, its pretty MIND BLOWING. You should look it up! OF COURSE I didnt write it, Francis Thompson (1859-1907) did

The Amazing thing about God is that

He does NOT work the way we expect him to. LOL, It keeps things very interesting.

In my mind I was certain that the T.A. would be nice enough to bump me up to a B in the Lab, and coupled with a B in History of War and Violence in America, I would pull out with a 3.78 GPA. And be alright with it,

SINCE, my goal freshman yr was to graduate with no less that 3.75 GPA.

As God would have it. She did NOT bump me up to a B in the lab (which is a ONE HOUR CLASS) hence not affecting my GPA by much!

THE MIRACLE though was I got an A in the History class. AN A Y'ALL! And it might sound like, Well, OKAY, sure you sound like a smart cookie, I bet you get A's all the time


WELL, sometimes I do!

BUT this class was an Honors Class, and the thing about Honors classes is they ALWAYS make me feel slightly SUB PAR. And this class was NO exception
I still cant differentiate a B-52 aircraft from..... whichever other one there are.

SOOOOOOOO Yea, It was ONLY through the favor of God which is ABSOLUTELY upon me, thats I got an A in the class bringing my GPA to a BEAUTIFUL 3.80.

Theme of the Story is: HIS WAYS ARE NOT OUR WAYS and this is a GOOD THING

HOW IN THE WORLD DID I END UP WITH A C??

Okay, SO of course by the end of reading this you're gonna think Im OVERREACTING, but who cares, beacause I dont like not making the grades that I WANT! lol, lemme explain.

For my last science requirement, I enrolled in Contemporary Biology against my better judgement (I strongly dislike the sciences). Anyway, I enrolled in an 8a.m. LAb (1hr credit) so I can have my days the way I want them, AND it was pretty challenging getting used to waking up and walking to class on some days when the weather was YUCK, or i stayed up too late.

ANYWAY, as a result of a few tardies and missed PreQuizzes, a B on the FInal and a bunch of raggedy grades, I have a C in this class. And part of the reason this is o upsetting is that, It really is NOT A BIG DEAL, but I wanted to say I made A's and a few B's in college, NOT ever have to mention the other letters!

THIS IS SAD!

And now Im done venting.

LET GO OF ME!

Im gonna be RANDOM right now!

You know something that really grinds my gears! People who give extended hugs. Like there should be a rule about not letting a hug last over 10seconds!

Okay, like I see you, Im walking to class or bible study or wherever, and you go, HEY AYO, and we decide to share a hug, this does NOT mean I want to walk away smelling like you body spray, aftershave, flowery scent, perfume or deodorant.... SMH

Im not actually venting against a specific scenario, but at some point you have to LET GO OF ME!

I am certain that I am not alone in this opinion.

Only time when in MY opinion long hugs are appropriate, is if it is meant to comfort, like if someone tells you they just lost a family member, friend, loved one, or a relationship just ended, or they just failed a test.

ANYWAY thats it!
If you didnt know , NOW you KNOW!

WHAT IF?

Some of the things I think about?
What if my parents had stayed Muslim?
What if my Dad never purchased a Visa Lottery ticket?
What If my parents never decided to take the opportunity and move to America?
What If I never went to Dicovery Camp in 2005 as an Intern?
What if I never gave my heart to Jesus?
What If I never became a BEARKAT?
What If I never applied to work at KAA u know?
What I never joined ASA?
What If my mother never had TJ?
What if
What If

What IF???


Well, thank God I never have to experience a life with the absense of the events listed up what have all significantly changed my life.

Thank YOU LORD! FOR
JeREMIAH 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.


Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

WHo am i?????

SLIGHT IDENTITY CRISIS:

Not really.

But I remember 7 YEARS AGO! Feels like just yesterday, when I Moved to America.

I mean, Living Nigeria till I was 13yrs old, if you had asked what it means to be Nigerian, I woulda been like, um, I UNNO.

But when you live in an extremely Heterogeneous society, it forces you to identify yourself one way or another. In high school a decision had to be made, Be the MAMA Africa type person who randomly wears Nigerian clothes and speaks "NIGERIAN" (that cracks me up so much, like American and Mexican are also languages, smh @ignorant people)
OR

EVOLVE: Be the OVERLY americanized Nigerian and reINVENT myself.

Well, being the RANDOMO that I am, I flirted with both options and chose the third option. DO BOTH!
MAintain my Nigerian Identity (soon as I discover what that means) AND Adapt into the new environment that I reside in.

I also had to learn that my TRUE identity canNOT come from an ethnic group or nationality rather my Father, and Im not speaking of Mr Shittu, Rather, the Creator of the UNiverse.


Anyway, Its been 7yrs now, and people RANDOMLY realize I have an accent, or that I dont have an accent, or that I have a british accent. I can effectively communicate the Nigerian "story" and identity before any group of people. But SOMETIMES i cant help feeling that maybe I am too americanized, which is alway dependent on who I am around.

OH well. I still enjoy eating JOllof rice SOMEtimes. I mostly like cooking CHicken, and Pasta dishes. So, unless I specifically tell you Im cooking Nigerian food, Im prolly not!