One night I was working in the dean's office when suddenly, I heard this LOUD noise that sounded like an alarm. I was so confused! I searched the office to see if it was a phone but had no luck. I checked the door alarm, but it wasn't that either. Stumped, I asked one of the students in the lobby what the noise was and they told me "Oh, it's just a cicada. It's probably outside the door" to which I replied "A ci... what?" They chuckled and explained to me that it was a big green bug that sometimes made noises like the one we were hearing. I'm not overly fond of bugs, especially big ones, so this news was not what I was wanting to hear. I opened the door and poked my head outside, but it was quieter out there, which meant the cicada was in my office. I gathered a couple of the girls and we went through the office, trying to find the intruder. We eventually found the noisy guest and transferred him outside where he belonged. 

Since being here I have encountered praying mantises, snakes, spiders, cockroaches, and several other creatures that I'm not overly fond of, and I've dealt with more bug bites than I ever have in my life. I was originally supposed to go to Peru this year before COVID hit and was expecting to deal with creepy creatures down there but didn't expect I would still have to deal with them in Virginia. Sadly I was wrong. 

The creepy creatures have been a challenge for me as I can't just scream and run out of my room when I see a creepy spider, or I'll freak all the girls out. (They like bugs about as much as I do). However, God has been helping me overcome my fear, and my experience with the creatures here is just a reminder that sometimes we must deal with things we don't like in life. Whether it's a small thing or a big thing, God can help us overcome it to enable us to do His work in the world.