Coming to LeTU

So, I've told about where I went to church, where I lived, and other random things, I'll try now to explain why I applied to LeTourneau University in the first place.

I think best in chronological order, so let me start with the very first thing that ended up having a great influence on me: my parents' call. Several years before I was born, my Mom and Dad felt God calling them to the mission field. In preparation for this, they went to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for Bible training. From Chicago, they moved to Elizabethton, TN, where Moody Aviation was at the time. My Dad thought God was calling him to be a missionary pilot, but after failing his second class medical, it became clear God had other plans. When I came into the family, we were still in a"transition" period. My Dad was between jobs and my parents' next step was still uncertain. While in Elizabethton (as I alluded in my first post), I came in contact with many of my family's missionary friends, most of whom had attended Moody Aviation as well. Even my earliest memories are crowded with missionaries and their stories.
Probably the deep, down, psychological reason I originally wanted to be a missionary is because my parents always did. Even after moving to North Carolina, my parents didn't forget their longing to serve God in another country. The year I was seven, my parents tried once more to go to the mission field, this time with AEF (now part of SIM). But even when the pastor of our church at the time was called and left for Zambia with his family, my family remained. Not that my family has ever become secluded from our missionary friends, quite the contrary. The forever highlight of receiving mail was getting to the mailbox and finding newsletters from our friends in the various corners of the globe. My brothers and I used to run to the mailbox to see who would get to open the letters first and add the cool stamps to our collections. We also live about ten minutes from a major interstate and it is always our pleasure to host friends for a meal or an over night stay.
When I was in eighth grade I discovered the joy of airplanes. I had liked airplanes beginning with my first flight when I was about four, but had not seen any connection between them and my life. That is to say, I saw no connection until I realized that women do things in aviation too, besides being airline stewardesses. The thought that I could in fact do something with airplanes blew me away. I have always considered airplanes as tools, not toys, unlike my other passion, animals, which I still struggle in justifying the use of in everyday life. While on a mission trip to Charleston, SC, I heard God call. This was not the first time I felt God pointing me toward missions, but it was the first time I realized I might be able to go with an airplane. From that summer up through my senior year of high school, I tried my best to learn all I could about airplanes in missions and what I would need to do in preparing myself to go as a missionary with aviation related skills. When I found out Moody was moving and changing their aviation department significantly, I began looking for other options. I looked at all the major aviation schools in the country that had both piloting and maintenance. The first school I was accepted to was LeTourneau and I was eligible for a major scholarship. When I came in February, I had a tremendous peace about being here. I really can't explain it, but after that weekend I knew that whether or not I got the scholarship, I was in fact meant to come to LeTourneau University.
So those who know me are probably asking by now, why aren't you an aviation major?!? Well, that's a different story for some other time. Right now all I can say is, I'm here and hopefully this explained why I came.