Groundhog's Day

So, does anyone know if the groundhog saw it's shadow? Not that it really matters to me, but as there's been a lot of snow on that side of the world, I imagine you guys would appreciate the end of winter.

February is bringing with it a lot of adventures. Field trip is two weeks from now. Two weeks later I am going out of town for a personal trip. Two weeks after that, we are having a music festival with a school coming here. Two weeks later, long weekend. Then three weeks later, the Easter Cantata, followed the next weekend by the final concerts. My final concerts at the school. Carnegie Hall might be having some representatives come during this time, too.

A lot going on this semester.

I am doing a lot of work beyond just my normal work.

Working on enjoying my time here before I go anywhere.

Tired. Love you all, and I'll write more later!

Silence

My computer has been trashed since returning to the mountain top. Someone came over and looked at it, and told me how much it might cost, and I was not excited. However, I sent it down to be looked at and, hopefully, fixed. That was around the fifth. I just found out I should be getting it back on Monday.

It means my house has been insanely boring. I have my music playing all the time, and I've been reading. No internet. The new phone helps for the weekend when I need a quick check of e-mail, but I haven't used it more than probably 10 minutes in a single day. All my internet is finished at school and when I get home, just dinner, reading and sleeping.

The stillness that comes without having a computer has been nice. I debated getting it fixed at times. But, now it's already fixed and on the way back. Let's see how much I can keep this up.

Just saying I'm still around. Just not around the internet much.

Love you all!

Biggest Faith Trial?

I was asked today what my biggest faith trial was that I've been through...

My answer was "right now..."

And I didn't mean that literally about this month, but about the process I am undergoing. God has called me back to school, and that means leaving relationships I have established, my first home, my job, my vacations, and what has become, as one person called it, my comfort zone. So much more than coming here, it is testing me and my faith to go back. It is a new adventure, and one I am excited to begin, but that excitement is nothing compared to what I feel leading up to my departure. I know that five months from now, my house will be basically empty, and I will be getting ready to head out. It will be very different than coming over here. Coming here was a gradual sort of thing, and naturally expected (as a big change, not necessarily this in particular) after college. But now it's different.

This is where God stretches me. This is where I will see Him work. I have to rest on Him as I head back and work out both my 'vacation' and the next stage of my life.

He is good and I trust Him. That's all there is to it.

Wow.

I don't really write enough about what goes on over here, lol. Right now it is 12:15 in the afternoon and power is still on. In the course of writing this, I expect it will turn off because, well, our power outages are from 12-2 everyday and sometimes they forget to turn it off until a little later. That's one of the joys of living here.

Another is what I'm about to embark upon. I have some things to do before I head out of town for a few weeks, so I have to get some things done. I have three things to do in town. That's it.

However, you should know that the main school gate is at a place where 7 roads meet (including the school's entrance road). We'll count clockwise from the gate, with the school's road being number 1. I live on road 2. I have to recharge my cell phone on road 3, go to the ATM on road 4, and go the store on road 5. Thankfully I don't have to go to roads 6 and 7 today. There's not really a lot down those two. Then I will come back up road 2 for lunch and then head back to school for some work. So, basically, I'm about to go on a scavenger hunt and hope everything is where I need it to be today.

All to head out tomorrow. I can't wait to get off the mountain. We had two nice days of sun, and then yesterday, the sun ran away again. It has gotten really cold again. At least I'm all packed and just need to finalize a few things and I'm ready to go.

I'll see you all again in the new year!

Summer 2011

So, next summer is going to be significantly long. I will have about 2.5 months to "transition" back to the states, and already my calendar is filling up. My schedule is largely dictated by a few monumental events happening in the lives of some of my family.

First, my youngest brother is graduating from high school. :-)

Two weeks after that, my oldest two nieces are graduating from high school. Followed immediately by a family reunion that I am greatly looking forward to.

Around the second round of graduations, I will be spending time playing with my new niece or nephew, as well as a new cousin!

(In between those graduations, I'm pretty sure I'm road tripping it up from NC, up to Chicago, seeing some friends, going to a wedding, and then cutting across Canada to get me to NY.)

My family will take what is an annual vacation that I unfortunately missed last year. That should be a good time up in the mountains and is always enjoyable. There's a chance some of my other family will be joining us up there, so that will make it even better.

Then, I'm considering working a summer camp just to make some money and reunite with friends of mine and enjoy some time around there.

Then I have a little while to relax (with lots of visiting happening) and then a family reunion for the maternal side. Another thing I am looking forward to as I have missed the last three.

After that I will head back down south and hopefully work some and get ready for school to start.

And that is my whirlwind of a summer.

However, I am also trying to add something else into it.

I will be spending most of those 2.5 months reconnecting with people I haven't seen in at least two years, traveling around and visiting other people, and somehow trying to get used to being stateside again.

Basically, I know I will be overwhelmed after a bit of this. So, what I'm trying to do is add in a very quiet get away at some point towards the end of July or at the beginning of August. A place where I will be able to go and retreat. Relax and process. I know that even after my last visit to the states (that was only 6 weeks in length), that I was beyond overwhelmed. A lot of people to see, and a lot of things to do. I know it will only be worse with the fact that I will then be LIVING back there. I will need a retreat. A place to withdraw to.

Currently, that means I'm looking at cruises (aka: get on a boat and not have to worry about cooking or cleaning or ANYTHING for a week). I've really narrowed it down to two options that really appeal to me and sometimes have really good deals. One to Bermuda, or one to Alaska. Both are interesting places I've not been before, but also offer a chance to just relax and enjoy the surroundings.

I'm still exploring my options, but a cruise really appeals to me as a chance to sit in the middle of the vastness of creation and marvel at all that surrounds us. I remember from the last cruise I went on (and the only one I've been on) how much fun it was to meet people and learn their stories and get to know them over the course of a few days. I am yearning to go on a cruise and I have no idea why. I think I'm just craving seeing somewhere new. Doing something different.

Alas. All conjecture at this point. If you're interested in helping me have a vacation next summer, let me know, and I'll let you know how you can help me reach it. :-) I'm thinking Christmas presents and birthday presents... just let me know, and I'll get you some information.

I miss you all. I'll try to write once more before I head out for this vacation. But if not, enjoy Christmas and New Year's and the new beginnings that come with both of those holidays.

Thanksgiving

Well, I will write the typical "What am I thankful for" entry... Enjoy!!

- I am thankful for my friend BP. He brings the smiles when he comes around and I love it.

- I am thankful for a principal whose office I can walk in to almost any time and discuss issues with... I don't know if I will ever have another employer as awesome as he.

- I am sooooooo thankful for my aquaguard and having clean water to drink.

- I am thankful for import stores.

- I am thankful to my fabulous colleagues who may irk me almost all the time, but are wonderful and have been a blessing to work with.

- I am thankful for the gifts I have been given in my life. I often cannot see them, but I know they are there.

- I am thankful for a child who sees me and smiles, runs up to me and gives me a hug. The kids who see me walk into a house and run up to me yelling my name. The kids who see me and know it's safe to talk to me and that I'll listen.

- I am thankful for the students who find the time in their day to come to my office and annoy me. Because if they didn't do that, they wouldn't feel comfortable with me.

- I am thankful for a community that surrounds each other with massive amounts of love. A community that cares for one another. A community that shares.

- I am thankful for my friends. The friends who call me up just to hang out. The ones who call me when they need to talk. The friends who tell me when I'm wrong. And the friends who are there just to listen when I need to work things through.

- I am thankful to have a wonderful secretary who keeps my work life running smoothly and often helps me stay sane in the personal side of things, too... I love her...

- I am thankful for living in a place where fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available and are cheap.

- I am thankful for electricity.

- I am thankful for the friends who have become more than friends.

- I am thankful for the world being my oyster. I don't know what that means, but people say that. I know I can do anything. God will lead me through it.

- I am thankful for my family. For all our faults and challenges, I miss them dearly. I especially miss my siblings and hope they know how much I love them.

- I am thankful for overwhelming love. To love so many people that your heart hurts is a glorious pain.

- I am thankful for my church families... I am so blessed to have 4 that I feel at home in. 5 if you count Primal in NZ. I am so thankful they are around me and pray for me and are wonderfully seeking God's will for them.

- I am thankful for God. I am thankful He saw fit to create me. I am thankful for His redemptive blood, shed on the cross. I am thankful He came to earth for my soul. That no matter what else happens in the world, He cared enough to send His son to endure the ultimate pain. That it's not a matter of "if" someone loves me that much, but that HE DOES!

These and so many other things... God is amazing.

I am so blessed.

Interesting thoughts...

These are just some interesting thoughts or questions that have come up in the past few days as I've read different blogs and just explored the internet and my mind...

1) I have met very few (foreign) m's in my life. Why is that? I've been involved in church my entire life, and I actually don't think we've had an m* come to my church... Why is that? What has happened in c'hurch culture that people aren't connected to m's?

2) I had to move overseas to meet m's. Some are independents and some are with an agency. There are benefits and challenges to both. In the end, it's up to each person. There is no right or wrong way to get onto the field.

3) There are less and less people on the field, and more and more are having funding issues. We should take a cue from David. In his last days on earth he gave all of his earthly possessions to be used in the building of house of the L'ord on Mount Moriah. Following his example, the people also gave freely of their possessions. Why don't we do that? Why are we so selfish? As David says, everything we have comes from G'od, so why don't we give it back to Him? It's never really ours to begin with.

4) In general, people misunderstand the purpose and process of being an m*. When someone is on the field, it is important to understand what exactly their m'inistry is. For some, it is e'vangelistic, others are outreach, others are relational... it will look different depending on the culture, the goal, and the service.

5) Europe is historically C'hristian, but few people in Europe actually practice or believe any more. This area is just as much a field as a third world country. They need the same prayers and funds as other fields. Maybe more. The cost of living is higher, and 'civilized' cultures like to believe they don't need G'od.

6) The standard of living of an m* will vary based on where they live, but it is almost always safe to assume they do not live in a hut. Most times they will match the culture around them in status. This may seem "posh" to people funding them, but remember, they're people, too. Just because they have been called to a life of service, doesn't always mean a life of poverty, as well. It means living among another culture and trying to establish relationships and teach people about a love they have never known the likes of.

7) M's, no matter how long they've been on the field, need encouragement and pray continuously. Hopefully prayer is an everyday part of your life, and it's just a matter of adding another sentence to your prayer. Use names if you know any. I have plenty if you'd like to pray specifically for people. Or just pick a particular type of m'inistry you are interested in and pray in general for those working in that area. Or pick a country. There are numerous ways to p'ray.

8) M's need support. They need a foundation at 'home' that is willing to fill in the gap on behalf of them. People who are willing to share about their work when they can't be there to do it themself (which is often when they are full time on the field...maybe once every few years). People behind them that are passionate about their work on the field.

9) People can't forget about m's. We can't let our family (our C'hristian family) forget that we have brothers and sisters all over the world. The less we talk about the work going on all over the world, the sooner the generations forget, and the less support (of all forms) comes in. In order to keep doing the work we are called to do as C'hristians, we can't forget!!! We can't!

I'll stop there for tonight. A lot has been said here. As you can see, I've been thinking a lot. Hope it's gotten you thinking.