December 27, 2021 – College Memories 1947
In the summer of 1947, was a season of conflicted decisions. At first, I thought about going to Phillips University, and then attended Boiling Springs Christian Camp. This changed the direction of my life.
There the mission’s speaker was J. Russell Morse, who went to Lisu Land, near Tibet. During this camp, I learned a new song, and led it. I didn’t understand the lyrics, but not the first part.
I have the joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. I learned soon that the SSS and FFF were, I want to see souls saved for Jesus…and I have the faith that fosters friendship. Down in my heart.
Russell asked if I would like to marry his son, Eugene. This is the way; I was introduced to the thought of missions. I learned about Midwest Christian College and chose to go there.I also attended Oklahoma City University, a few blocks away. I majored in Bible at Midwest and Music at OCU. They needed a drummer, and my usual question led me to accept. “How hard can it be?” I learned when the band director hastened to my side on Oklahoma City main street, yelling, ‘Get it on the right foot!’ What? I corrected the beat and enjoyed being a part of the band for a year or so.
At Midwest, I took the Bible classes, attended the weekly chapels, and practiced my voice lessons from OCU, from Vera Neilson in the chapel where there was a piano. The boys’ dorm was upstairs, and the boys let me know they didn’t appreciate listening to me – interrupted their studying or their naps.
One day I went to the auditorium at OCU, and the area was deserted. I remembered watching a ballet dancer, and the stage begged me to try ballet on the stage, it wasn’t long after that I began singing an aria from an unwritten opera, contrived on the spot. That brought back the memory of pretending as I did while growing up each time, I washed dishes.
On the same stage, I performed a Junior Recital. I remember one part that climbed to high C, and then came down in half steps. Mrs. Neilson said, I missed the last note. I hadn’t noticed.
Singing in the OCU choir delighted me. I grew up enjoying choir practices. The band director conducted the choir. One Christmas we sang the last part of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. All these voices joined into together in “Halleluiah, Halleluiah, Halleluiah. For the Lord God is Omnipotent…Halleluiah!” Then for conducting class, part of the passing score was based on conducting the OCU choir. What a thrill!
One minister told me I should take French. So, I did. I had a year of Latin in High School, and in college, the mounting of the numbers of vocabulary words. My parents spoke high and low German. The teacher told us that one girl in class was from Greece, and when she translated, she went from Greek to English to French. After the class was over, I decided that if I knew how to say ‘I love you’ in different languages, that was all I needed. Amo tu. Ich Liebe dich. Je t’aime. I love you. It was enough to know.
I remembered the frog. In biology class, the professor leaned toward the evolution theory. One day he gave each of us a dead frog and told us to dissect it. It was a hot summer day in Oklahoma City. I sat near a window, to enjoy the breeze. I began poking at the frog with the dissecting tool. It might have been alive! Suddenly I hit a nerve in a its leg, and it jumped out the window. I giggled. I ran out of the classroom and down a flight of steps to see if I could find my frog to finish…the assignment. I found it sooner that I thought I would and returned to the class.
Although I learned a bitter lesson and had to take biology again in the Dodge City Junior College, after having four children, to complete my degree, so that I could teach.
I learned many lessons in college by observing, and God gave me many experiences. And led me all the way.
One thing I learned, is we never stop learning, in school or out. At the age of 92, I am still learning…and want to know more about God and His Goodness. Words are not just words to our Lord.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-3,14.
In Heaven, we will continue learning about The Word and His Plan of Redemption of Glory.