LONG TERM GOALS include Traveling(I would like to experience different cultures and other parts of the world.) I am working towards getting a Bachelor of Arts with an English major and maybe a French minor and have just completed my sophomore year at St.Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, which is 1 hour and 15 minutes away from my home in Truro. After graduating from a Christian school in 1993, I attended Bible school for 2 years at The Atlantic School of the Kingdom in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia. After that, I spent 2 years taking 4 English courses at the Nova Scotia Teachers' College in Truro and 2 English courses taught in Truro but offered through St.Mary's University. Then I took some courses at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College; 2 courses in Science, an Intro to Sociology course, and an Introduction to French course. In January-June 1999, before coming to St.FX, I took Intro to Psych(Natural Science),Intro to Psych(Social Science), Intro to Pre-Confederation History of the Maritimes,Intro to Post-Confederation History of the Maritimes by correspondence from Mt.St.Vincent University. This year at St.FX, I took Intro To Christianity, History of Western Civilization, Intro to Shakespeare, and Intro to French.

I think I would really like to Teach either grades 3-6 or High School English(probably in a Christian school,but maybe in a public school if God leads me in that direction) First, though, I want to receive my Bachelor of Arts and spend a year or two teaching English as a second language. I am hoping to become bilingual in French and have a basic grasp of as many other languages as possibe. I have just recently returned from a 5 week French immersion course at the University of St.Anne's in Churchpoint (Point De L'Èglise), Nova Scotia. I went on a bursary from the Nova Scotia government. This is a very intensive and effective course because there are lots of opportunities to interact in French through classes, workshops, and activities. For 5 weeks, you cannot speak English(or any other language but French), listen to English music/English TV, or even surf the Web or read an English book in public. By the end, I was thinking in French, even when alone. The immersion environment really worked well, my French improved rapidly, and I made lots of great friends whom I hope I see next year. Gaelic, which is offered at St.FX, is another language that interests me. Not only does it relate to my mostly British heritage but also because, like English, it is a Germanic language influenced by Latin. The fact that I already know some French has probably familiarized me with at least some aspects of Gaelic because of the common influence. I don't know German, but at least with a Germanic language I stay within the home family from which English came. So the idea is to expand my language base while sticking with something not totally foreign to my current language experience. I would like to take some Asian or Middle Eastern language, but since they aren't offered at St.FX I guess I'll have to wait till I have the chance to really travel. P.S.-I'm a Christian.I'll tell you more about what that means a little later on.

Personally,I grew up attending Christian schools,and have not esperienced a public school environment.For this reason, I'm not really sure if I would feel up to the challenges of a secular school environment.I do know some Christian teachers who are called to work in the public system and have really enjoyed it.Some of them have a great chance to reach their students with the power of God's love,which is really great.But they have to be careful what they say about God so as not to be seen as pushy-depending on the particular school.

I am sure there are advantages and disadvantages to both the Christian schools. For example,in areas where Christian schools are not funded by government money,they tend to be alot smaller and perhaps not have access to the same equipment/technology as the public schools in the same area.Christian schools provide opportunities for children to learn Christian values and about the Bible in the classroom-a great support for Christian parents.Because class sizes are smaller,the teacher has more individual time to spend with his or her students and the discipline is often better as well.Unfortunately,some Christian schools do not have the resources necessary to help students with disabilities,especially severe ones.The variety of courses offered in a Christian school is often not the same as in a public school. As you can see,there is alot to consider.Keeping God's will first is the most important thing.He will guide our choices if we ask him to.

TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE is another thing I might like to pursue in the future.Short-term MISSIONS is another possibility.STUDENT EXCHANGES projects of some kind in another part of the world sometime in the future also interest me. In December '98, I received the provincial government grant that I applied for and received is helping me attend St.Francis Xavier University. I'd like to thank everyone who remembered me in their prayers concerning this grant, because God has heard you. I have had to be persistent in applying for it for about 3 frustrating years, but patience, persistence, and trust in God has quite literally "paid off". His timing is always perfect. I've been learning that I really can trust Him with all that I have and all that I am. He will never fail us when we put our trust in Him. please do so!

NOW---:)>FEATURING TRURO,MY HOME TOWN AND CURRENT(so far only)PLACE OF RESIDENCE!!!:)>

Truro is a fair sized town with lots of churches but this does not mean we have alot of real Christians here.You see,I have personally found there is a big difference between being RELIGIOUS-a good person,believing in God,etc.-and being a CHRISTIAN.More on this later.

Because anyone driving across Nova Scotia usually has to pass through it at some point,Truro,is sometimes called "The Hub of Nova Scotia".It is located about 1 hour from Halifax,the capital of our province. We have friendly people and many attractions for tourists,including a Historical Society which boasts GENEALOGY records of many families native to our area.The internationally known Nova Scotia Agricultural College is here,as well as the Nova Scotia Community College.Truro is also home to the very beautiful Victoria Park,in which beautiful,untouched, scenic areas of forest can be enjoyed on a walk and where kids can play on the playground.

If you would like to know more,check out some of my links(which I trust are all working!) ARAVIS "Aravis" is a nickname I have given myself. It is the name of the Tarkaan princess who runs away with her talking horse, Hwin, in the book The Horse and His Boy by C.S.Lewis. I have always loved horses, so this book has been one of my favorites since I read it when I was 10. I chose this nickname because I like the sound and because I identify with this character's adventurous spirit.

I'm 23 now, and C.S.Lewis is still one of my favorite authors.The Narnia chronicles are some of my all-time favorite books, because partly because they symbolize many things in the Kingdom of God.They include, in reading order:The Magician's Nephew;The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe;The Horse and His Boy;Prince Caspian;The Voyage of the Dawn Treader;The Silver Chair;and The Last Battle. C.S.Lewis was a born again Christian,like me.

A Christian is someone who has invited Jesus Christ into his or her life as Lord and Savior. He has the power to forgive you of your sins, but you have to ask Him to. The cross of Jesus Christ bridges the gap our sins have made between each one of us and God.In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Edmund betrays his brother and sisters,as well as his own conscience, by joining the side of the Witch.Just as the Witch lured him into her clutches with candy, the Devil lures us into his clutches by making sin sweet for the moment. This makes us enemies of God, just as Edmund's sin made him an enemy of the Great Lion, Aslan.

The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death, eternal punishment in hell. But Jesus loved us so much that He took the wages of our sins upon Himself at the Cross.Even while we were still sinners, He died for us. Edmund was almost killed by the witch.She would have had a right to do so,too, because, as she said, "Every traitor belongs to me." No one can serve two masters, Jesus said. We have to choose to serve either God or the Devil.Not asking Christ to forgive our sins means we have chosen to serve the Devil and miss out on Heaven.Romans says "The strength of sin is the law." We know what is right, but we do not do it. Therefore, we have all betrayed our Creator by our behavior, and stand guilty before Him.

Aslan, the strong,mighty,and innocent Lion died instead of Edmund, then came back to life. When he had risen from the dead, the Stone Table on which he died cracked into two pieces. This is a picture of what Jesus did for us.He gave up His innocent life and shed His Blood on the Cross, just as Aslan shed his at the Stone Table. The law of God requires that all treachery, or sin, must be paid for with blood, else we remain the Devil's prisoners. Jesus paid that price.

What the Witch, or the Devil didn't know was that there is a higher, more powerful, more wonderful law, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which can set us free from the law of sin and death. When Aslan came back to life, he told the girls that there was a deeper magic that even the Witch, cunning as she was, didn't know about. The Law also stated that if a willing victim, who had done no wrong, died in the place of a traitor, the Stone Table would crack and death itself would start working backwards.

When you ask Jesus to forgive your sins and be your Lord, you will find that sin no longer has dominion over you.Life just keeps getting better and better.You still have problems,but the same power that raised Jesus back to life lives within you to help you. God sends His Holy Spirit to live inside of you and give you new strength.

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death." "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."(I John 1:9)."If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away, behold, all things are new."

"Keep back nothing.Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours.Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead.Look for yourself,and you will find in the long run only hatred,loneliness,despair,ruin,and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him,and with Him everything else thrown in."-Mere Christianity,C.S.Lewis.

It is essential that you read the Bible to help you get to know Jesus better. Start with John or Romans and use a version you understand. The NIV(New International Version) or NKJV(New King James Version) is good, and I really like Eugene Peterson's The Message as well.The Message is actually a paraphrase of the New Testament and parts of the Old Testament.Its purpose is to put the Bible in very ordinary,everyday,down-to-earth language.The Gospel accounts read like a novel. Tell everyone you can about Jesus and what He has done for you in as many ways as possible.Get together with others who love Him for fun, fellowship, and encouragement. Find a church that teaches the Bible and join in.This will help you grow strong in our faith.

Reading good Christian books will also help you grow strong in your faith. C.S.Lewis wrote many books on spiritual topics. One good one for both Christians and non-Christians is Mere Christianity This book helps you understand what Christianity and living for God is all about, without getting distracted by side issues which divide Christians against their own spiritual brothers and sisters.It is very deep, but also very good, and well worth reading because it is so well thought out. I highly recommend it for both yourself and your friends.Great witnessing tool for intellectuals. "Surprised by Joy", C.S.Lewis's autobiography, tells the story of his own conversion from atheism to Christianity.

I have not yet read all of C.S.Lewis's works because there are simply too many of them. Other books by C.S.Lewis include "The Abolition of Man";"The Business of Heaven";"Christian Reflections";"Christian Reunion";"Daily Readings with C.S.Lewis";"The Dark Tower";"Fern-Seed and Elephants";"First and Second Things";"The Four Loves";"God in the Dock";"The Great Divorce";"Letters";"Letters to Children";"Miracles";"Of This and Other Worlds";"The Pilgrem's Regress";"Prayer:Letters to Malcolm";"Present Concerns";"The Problem of Pain";"Reflections on the Psalms";"The Screwtape Letters";"Screwtape Proposes a Toast";"Till We Have Faces";"Timeless at Heart";and "All My Road Before Me (Diaries 1922-26)".

C.S.Lewis was greatly influenced by George MacDonald and J.R.R.Tolkien, both Christian writers of fantasy as well. George MacDonald wrote, among other books, "The Princess and the Goblin", "The Princess and Curdie", and "At the Back of the North Wind".J.R.R.Tolkien is remembered for his Lord of the Rings trilogy. Both of these authors are also favorites of mine, and they,like C.S.Lewis,were British.Mariann Russell is quoted as saying that "Lewis,Tolkien,and Williams shared a belief that the thrill of adventure could be related to the romantic experience which in its turn could be related to Christian theology."

A good Christian writer of fantasy in more modern times is John White,(a Canadian,by the way!)who wrote the Tower of Geburah and the other Archives of Anthropos,a series similar to the Narnia books.Many Christian book stores will carry these.Madeleine L'Engle,the Canadian author who wrote A Wrinkle in Time,is also a Christian.