Scripture Memory Box/ College Memories/ Paint Pens/ Snail Mail

I just had a hand to forehead moment.  Because I realized that my list with / slashes in the middle is like a list of hashtags.  And I pretty much despise hashtags.  All I can say to redeem myself is that at least my list has proper spacing. Anyway...

As promised, the box that the Valentine note was in:

Behold the Scripture Memory/Just plain ole' memory box.  It was a present from Ali, my small group leader. It was kind of a fad in the Christian college student circles back in the day (well, at least at my school...). Completely decorated with paint pens (also a college staple.  I have many a thing from that time in my life that was decorated with paint pen).  Those are sheep on the front, in case you were wondering. :)

Above is a view of the back.  There are also passages of Scripture on both sides, and Ali signed the bottom. :)

And this is a view of the inside.  Ali even wrote on the inside lid.  Chock full of Scripture memory cards and other goodies.  The colored things...rubber bands...around each day's cards (the last time I used the box, I had them divided into Scripture to review daily and Scripture to review each day of the week)...rubber bands that are all broken and brittle...because they are so old (yikes...but true).  The purple rock fell out and, while I wasn't surprised that it was there, I wasn't sure on what occasion I had received it and why I kept it (okay, let's face it, there is no need to ask the "why" question about reasons for keeping things.  I am a sentimental pack rat.  That is always the answer.)

But then as I looked through the box, I found this note card from Ali.  She was always giving us encouraging cards.  I'm pretty sure the rock came along with this particular card.

Like I said, she was always giving/sending cards.  #931...my campus box number.  We used to send cards to friends because you could do it for free through campus mail.  And the receiver still felt like she was getting precious snail mail!

The most encouraging thing about this box, to me, is that Campus Outreach (the ministry I was involved in during college) was such a huge blessing to my spiritual growth the first few years after I came to know Christ.  They taught me the foundations of my faith...prayer, Scripture memory, consistent time in the Word, and evangelism.  All foundations that I still rely on today.  And many of those verses that are in that box are verses that I can still quote today.  Now that I am older, it is so much harder to memorize and retain Scripture, but some foundational verses come from my college years and are verses I can still quote today.

This was one of the most fun walks down memory lane that I have had in a long time.  Because, to be honest, this box was tucked into another box that sits in a closet that I had forgotten I even had until a couple of months ago when I was looking for something else that I thought I had lost.