Things I have learned this year

As the school year comes to an end, I begin thinking of what things I have learned that year and what great memories have been made.

This year we ended up winning MACS for volleyball. It was a blast! We had so much fun and you could tell by the smiles on our faces. We had the best fans in the whole world! We had everyone in the gym cheering for us, except for the team that we were playing against. In fact, one person who went to the other school even converted to cheering for us, probably because his cousin was on our team, but still. =) My sister, Jessica, and Kassie (practically my sister) cut classes and drove all the way from Northland just to watch us. And our previous coach, Allyson Burggraff, flew all the way from NC to watch us. So basically we won the first place, biggest fan section , and the team who had the fan who traveled the farthest.

This year we also had the opportunity in Biology to dissect many, many, many different creatures. That was a lot of fun, yet it was a little disgusting. I mean would you really want to dissect a cat with hair all over it's body, or a baby pig that reminded you of Wilbur. But then it was really cool to dissect a cow's heart and a cow's eyes. Did you know that when you come across a deer at night and it gives you the deer in the headlights look, the blue or greenish look of the eyes is from the light reflecting off of the tapetum lucidom in the back of it's eye? We also got to dissect a rabbit, crayfish, fish, worm, frog, sheep's brain, shark, rat, chicken, and a cow's lungs. Oh, and the chicken dissection was super fun because Marta's mom laid the egg.

In our Bible Study we have been learning about the book of Jonah. Through this study we have learned how to take a portion of scripture and really study it and figure out what it is truly talking about so you can apply it to your life. After all, knowledge without application is useless. Through this we have also grown closer together. However, one of my favorite parts of the Bible Study is the very last thing we do, prayer requests. We take time to truly listen to everyone's prayer requests. This is the time where we can spill our hearts out to each other and know that these girls will honestly pray for us about those different things. It is amazing to see how much each of these girls care, and how each of them want to serve God and honor Him in everything they say and do.

Before each game in basketball, Coach Boldt would give us a little devotional. He also would tell us some John Wooden quotes. It is just amazing to have a coach who really loves the Lord and wants to see his players have a good relationship with the Lord, also. This year I also had the opportunity to lead a Bible Study for the team. This was a really good opportunity for me to really step up as a leader, and I think that I learned more leading it than everyone else. It was amazing to see how we really grew as a team this year and "held the rope." And the coolest part of this basketball season was that one of the Coaches from another team sent my principal an email saying how she really appreciated our team's attitude both on and off the court. She also liked how she saw us talking to the team who beat us and having fun with them. Its amazing how big of a testimony your team could have.


There are so many more things that I have learned this year, but I don't want to write a book. =)

Sports

As you know, I love to play sports. But my favorite part of playing sports is not the sport itself, but the people I play with. I love both my team and my coaches. They are such a great help and encouragement to me.

I have learned so many things from my coaches over the past few years. One thing I learned from my dad, while he was coaching park and rec soccer, was to have fun. When you are having fun, you have a better attitude and you will most likely play harder.

I have also learned many things from Coach Boldt. This year our team verse was Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. I really like how each year we have a different goal and a different focus, and this year was about our relationship with the Lord and loving Him the most. We also had this saying called "Hold The Rope." This was talking about our relationship with the other players on the team. Would we be willing to hold onto the rope for each of the players on our team if they were falling off the empire state building, even if our hands were bleeding? That was a great challenge to us all. I know that everyone on the team would hold the rope for me, and I would definitely hold the rope for them. This year was a great season for us all. We all grew in our relationship with each other, became better as a team, and grew in our relationship with the Lord. In fact, this basketball season I had the privilege to lead a Bible Study. This was a great experience for me, learning the different aspects of being a leader. I think leading it you learn more than the people you are teaching.

I have also learned many things from Coach Burggraff. The first thing I learned from her was to not give up. You cannot say I can't, it is "I am currently struggling with." I love this phrase, and I use it with my little Awana girls. I also have a hard time controlling myself from correcting people when anyone says I can't. "Bring the Rain" was also a phrase we took on that year. That year we really focused on making sure that our attitude and how we played was honoring to God, and that whether we won or lost we praised God and gave Him ALL the glory. She helped me have confidence in my abilities and was a great encouragement to me.

This year with Coach Lindsey and Coach Sue, we also grew as a team. This year we adapted the phrase "All things through Christ," Just thinking of this made us happier. Then we also said "Push 1 push 1", this really pumped us up and made us excited.

I am really curious to what this next years seasons will entail, and what new things I will learn.

My Story

Hey, some of you may know me, but some of you may not. My name is Janae Jorgensen and I am currently a Sophomore in High School. There are 7 people in my family. I am the eldest twin and the 4th child. I was saved when I was 5 years old and baptized when I was 7. I have gone to Owatonna Christian School all of my life and have enjoyed getting to know everyone in my class. I have played soccer since I was in kindergarten, and I have played both volleyball and basketball since I was in 6th grade. And I love to sing! You can even ask anyone who knows me and they would agree. Even though I love doing all of these things, they are not what motivates me to get up every morning. I eagerly look forward to spending time with the Lord each morning and each night. I get my strength, wisdom, and encouragement to get through every day from the Lord.