Claiming Territory

It was Thanksgiving Day. November 23rd, 2006. I woke up bright and early, had devotion, and dashed to the kitchen to prepare some delicious food for our Thanksgiving lunch. Soon, I was joined by two of my siblings. We chatted, cracked jokes, laughed so loud that our laughter could be heard by the neighbors close by. In a few hours, the table was set with a giant baked turkey, fried rice, corn bread, chicken, and more. Shortly, big sis arrived with the most delicious cinnamon flavored pumpkin pie, turkey dressing, and her signature Chinese fried rice. Mom came out from her room, obviously tired from her 12 hour shift the day before at the hospital. She inspected the table as we gathered around the table hungry and ready to munch... "Wow! This is awesome! Well done! Let's pray." Mom raised a chorus and we sang with our hearts filled with joy as we surrounded the dining table, completely grateful for family, victories of 2006, and moments like this. This moment meant everything to me. I bowed my head and reflected on the year: all the peaks and valley experiences. 2006 was a challenging year, but through it all, God had been faithful! Mum said a prayer of thanks and then we began to enjoy the meal together as a family. However, I couldn't ignore the knots in my stomach; my GRE exam was coming up in five days and I was getting extremely nervous. Truthfully, I did not feel prepared. I had only studied for almost a month, but I was still hopeful that I would get a passing score.

The exam day was finally here. November 28, 2006. It was like deja vu all over again. I stood in front of Thompson Prometric Centre and looked at the building for a few minutes and whispered... "God, I never want to visit this place again, Please give me the grace to pass this exam, Amen." I stepped into the building, checked-in and in a few moments, I was sitting in front of a computer about to take the 4-hour long GRE exam. I said a quick prayer and began the exam. It was nerve-wrecking! Four hours later, I was done with the exam and as soon as I clicked "Submit Exam", lo and behold, the scores appeared on the screen. As soon as I added up the scores and saw that there was only a 30 point increment from the last attempt, I froze and just sat there with a million thoughts going through my mind. How will I get admitted into College of Charleston with these scores? When will I finally pass this exam?!! I thought. "God please touch the heart of everyone who will make decisions regarding my admission into College of Charleston." I whispered a little prayer, packed up my stuff, and walked out of the exam center. When I got home that day, I sat in front of my computer reluctant to send an email to Ms. Heather (not her real name) about my GRE scores. Ms. Heather was the director of graduate admission at the College of Charleston. A lovely lady who was so pleasant and positive each time I spoke with her on the phone about the graduate admission process. I finally mustered the courage and sent Ms. Heather the email about my scores and told her to expect the official scores to be sent directly to the school soon. Two days later, Ms. Heather replied. She told me that we would need to discuss the scores as they did not meet the cut-off point required for the program. She promised to talk it over with the Director of the Computer Science department and get back to me. Even with the low GRE scores, I still believed in the God who makes all things possible. I replied back to Ms. Heather and told her that I was disappointed in my scores and the fact that I did not meet the cut-off point. I asked her if I could be admitted on probational basis while I prepared to retake the GRE exam, and get officially admitted when I meet the cut-off point, she said, "Of course!  I'll get back to you on that." Ms. Heather was truly an angel during my graduate admission process. She was God-sent! She called the Director of the Computer Science program and discussed ways that that they could help me get into the program. When there were initial pushbacks by the department, she told them, "All I see on her undergraduate transcript are A's and B's. She is really smart, give her a chance!" It's amazing how God used Ms. Heather to speak on my behalf. They had enough reasons to send me a rejection letter and move on to the next application. But God stepped in and granted me favor before Ms. Heather.

After several discussions on my case between the Graduate Admissions Office and the Computer Science department, the Computer Science department decided to grant me provisional admission as a non-degree-seeking student for Spring 2007 with a few conditions. I was required to take some core Computer Science undergraduate courses since I didn't have a Computer Science background, I was also required to retake the GRE exam and meet the cut-off point before I would be considered as a degree-seeking student. I was told that coming in as a non-degree-seeking student did not guarantee being officially admitted into the graduate program later. I was also asked to expect a letter soon with these conditions clearly stated. I knew this was nothing but the hand of God at work. I couldn't contain my joy. This was the opportunity I needed. I knew that God had begun this good work, and He was going to perfect it and cause me to eventually get admitted as a degree-seeking student.

By faith, I started searching for apartments in Charleston. At this point, I still did not receive the conditional acceptance letter yet. I found a lovely 3-bedroom apartment online with two other roommates and planned a trip to Charleston immediately. I remember my mother's reaction when I told her I was planning to go apartment hunting in Charleston. "Have you received the acceptance letter from the school yet?" "No", I replied. "Do you have money for rent, and tuition?" "The Lord will provide!" I replied. Mum had concerns, but she was very supportive. Few days later, my mum, my sisters, and I headed to Charleston, a two hour drive from Columbia. As soon as we arrived Charleston, I began to pray in my spirit on our way to the apartment. As soon as I stepped foot in Charleston, I began to silently make some decrees... "God, you said in your word that wherever the soles of my feet tread, it belongs to me. I claim every opportunity, open door, and success you have prepared for me in this land. Bring people into my life who will help me at every stage of my Charleston journey. It shall be well with me in every way in Charleston, Amen." My sisters and mum had no idea that the trip to Charleston involved more than just apartment hunting. It was an opportunity for me to claim my territory and speak into existence all the blessings that God had in store for me in Charleston. 

To be continued... 

The Revelations

I remember it vividly. It was October 31st, 2006. I was sitting by a desktop computer in a bedroom. Suddenly, I heard an uproar outside and immediately I ran outside and saw a crowd of people running towards the same direction. I ran along with them without knowing why they were running, or where they were running to. We kept running until we reached what looked like a university compound and soon we arrived at a building. The building seemed really ancient and it was not painted. It looked like an administration building. The crowd ran inside the building, and as soon as I ran in, the doors were closed and no one else was allowed in. We then waited in a room to meet the president of the university to interview us. Then I woke up. I prayed and wrote the dream down in my prayer journal.

This revelation came a day before I applied to College of Charleston for graduate school admission. What I didn't know at the time was that God was showing me a particular building at College of Charleston even before I applied for admission so that in due time, I would know for sure that this was the school that God had pre-ordained for me to attend. Right from the time I received direction from God that the next step was graduate school, I had spent time praying daily for God's direction for my life. I prayed daily for God to direct my steps to the right school, and that He shouldn't allow me to make a move to any place that wasn't His will for me.

November 3rd, 2006 - two days after I applied for admission to College of Charleston, I had another revelation. I saw myself in what looked like my apartment - a new apartment that I had just moved into. In that apartment, I saw a friend Luke (not his real name). Luke told me that he was sent from the College of Charleston Graduate Admissions Office to find out about my immigration status. I told Luke my immigration status and then Luke asked me what I wanted him to tell the Graduate Admissions Team about me. "Tell them that I am very intelligent." I replied. Luke then said that he would relay that to them and also add more great attributes about me. Then I thought, wow, this is my angel sent to speak on my behalf and get me admitted into College of Charleston! Afterwards, Luke began to clean my apartment thoroughly. Then I woke up, prayed, and wrote down the dream in my prayer journal. I wrote down these exact words on my prayer journal as I reflected on the dream: "I think God has already chosen someone in the admissions office at College of Charleston whom I am going to find favor with. He or she will speak positively about my application and push it till I am admitted in Jesus' name, Amen!" Later in my story, you will read about the person whom God used to speak on my behalf and help me get admitted into College of Charleston.

These two revelations from God were significant to my graduate school journey. Later in my story, you will read about the turbulent times that came during my graduate school program, but because God had confirmed through these dreams that it was His will for me to attend College of Charleston, I was so tenacious during that time. My faith was so strong in the face of adversity. A few people told me to quit, but I kept on going. Having that knowledge that God was with me and that I was in His will made me have a crazy kind of faith that I could look at situations that looked like a red sea before me and command them in the name of Jesus to divide and then kept on going. I stared at situations that seemed like mountains, and told my mountains that they will melt in the name of Jesus and kept on going. I saw people in that land who looked like giants before me ready to devour, but I also saw the God in me Who is greater than any giant, and soon my giants began to diminish before me. There were many seasons where I was alone with no friends, no family, but God became closer than anyone could ever be. I had no other choice but to hold unto him so tight because I needed Him so desperately in Charleston. God became more than a friend - He was my guide every step of the way.

To be continued...

Crazy Faith

I greeted the staff of Panera Bread café as I walked in early in the morning - November 1st 2006. I was undoubtedly their first customer of the day. I headed to the back section of the café and picked the most comfortable spot, set my laptop on the table, and pulled out my GRE prep materials. Panera Bread café had become my favorite coffee shop; I visited the coffee shop every single day they were open. They had free Internet, free unlimited coffee refills, and you guessed it - Bread!! LOL. It was almost a week since I resumed preparations for the GRE exams and researching graduate schools. I was making quite a bit of progress on my GRE prep. I had a list of potential graduate schools, but was reluctant to apply to the schools on my list for various reasons - location, admission requirements, program of study, etc. Today was the graduate school application deadline for most colleges for the Spring semester, and so it was crucial to submit an application that day. 

"Good morning ma'am! What can I get for you?" A waiter approached me with a menu. I browsed the menu briefly and then told the waiter, "French Baguette please with some butter... and hot chocolate, thanks!" The waiter acknowledged my order, collected the menu and left while I inhaled the sweet smell of warm freshly baked bread coming from the bakery. Yum! I returned to my GRE studies and when my order arrived, it was a perfect time to let my brain take a break while I savored all the goodness of the French baguette and hot chocolate. I logged into my computer and continued my graduate school research. One college came to mind - College of Charleston; a friend had recently graduated from this college so I decided to check out their website. Everything I read about the school was great - feasible application requirements, perfect Computer Science program and course offerings, great location, proximity to beaches and waterfront parks - I loved everything about this school! Luckily, that day was the application deadline, so I quickly applied for graduate school admission. I submitted applications to other graduate schools as well to increase my chances of receiving an admission letter.

In less than a week, I had submitted all my supporting documents except my GRE scores, and my official transcript. That week, I went to Benedict College to request for my official undergraduate transcript to be sent to the graduate schools I had applied to. I went to the Enrollment Management office and spoke to a student account manager and was denied my transcript release due to my outstanding tuition balance. I knew that the only person who would be able to authorize my transcript release was the college president, so I decided to go to the president's office immediately and petition for my transcript release. I arrived at the president's office reception moments later. I walked up to the administrative assistant and asked if I could see the president. She asked if I had an appointment and I told her that I didn't. She asked why I needed to see the president and then I explained my situation. The admin then told me that the president would be busy for an extended time and would not be able to see me. "It's okay, I'll wait till he is available." I told the admin and then sat down and picked a magazine. Two hours passed, and I was still waiting. Occasionally, the admin would check to see if I was still waiting. Three and a half hours later, I was still waiting. When the admin saw my persistence, she knew I would wait for eight hours or more until the president came out. "Miss?" She called "I will go check and see if the president is available." She went to the president's office in the back and few minutes later, I was asked to go in and see the president. 

The president of Benedict College gave me a warm smile and motioned for me to have a seat as I entered his office. I greeted him and introduced myself and then made my request. The president looked up my account on his computer and told me I had quite a substantial balance that I needed to clear. He asked me if I was willing to pay at least $2,000 upfront, and I told him I unfortunately did not have that amount and then I began to cry. "Do you have a parent I can call?" The president asked. "Yes Sir! My mother." I responded. In a few minutes, I dialed my mother's number on the president's desk phone and when my mother heard me sobbing in the background, it broke her heart. "What's wrong?" She asked. I explained everything to her and she began to encourage me. "Everything will be okay, don't cry!" My mum tried to console me. The president jumped in and introduced himself to my mother and they had a lengthy conversation and then made payment arrangements. After my mother hung up, the president then informed me that my mother had made payment arrangements and that the school was going to release only one transcript. I am eternally grateful to my mother for her love and sacrifice.

I left Benedict College that day happy about my transcript release. My official undergraduate transcript was sent to College of Charleston few days later. Although I couldn't send official transcripts to the other graduate schools to increase my chances of graduate admission, I had faith that my steps were ordered by the Lord, and that if I was only going to send a completed application to just one graduate school, then that had to be the right school for me according to God's will.

To be continued...