Flexibility is the Name of the Game

i’m a planner by nature…i like structure and order in my life. occasionally i don’t mind spontaneity but as a general rule of thumb i like my plans. although i have made it a point to try and not stress out as much when life doesn’t go my way. BUT when you agree to go on a mission trip, do yourself a favor and throw out any ideas of structure and order. now i know that is a LOT easier said than done especially for those of you who thrive on organization and planning but you will have a much more enjoyable experience if you choose to remain flexible. because despite the absolute best efforts at scheduling, there will just not be such a thing as a typical day. and frankly, you are kind of there there on a mission trip. as in ministering to others and sharing Jesus with them.  you are supposed to be pouring your life into those around you not worrying about the next “thing” on the schedule. my youth pastor likes to say that you may be the only Jesus the people around you may EVER see. even the best of analysts can’t predict the impact you may have on someone…you never know just how far five minutes with someone will go.  stop going through life worrying about the next “event” in your life and just invest in the lives of others. spend time with them in actual conversation face to face. yeah technology has it’s perks, but nothing will ever replace the simple joy of sharing life with each other. next time your schedule doesnt go as planned, try not to worry and look for a way to maybe turn it around as an opportunity to spend time with someone around you. i can promise you will never regret it 🙂

Actions Speak Louder than Words

i’ve always enjoyed learning new languages. i dont really know why, i just do. i decided on my first day in Moldova that Romanian is a beautiful language and i would’ve given anything to be able to understand what the people around me where saying. but i had forgotten to pack Rosetta Stone so i just had to make do. early on into the week, we began to realize that no matter what language we spoke, kids are still kids. they want to play all day, be loved, and give love in return. i tried to learn little phrases throughout the week but mostly all i could do was smile and nod praying i wasn’t agreeing for them to jump off the roof. sometimes they would bring me a completed craft wanting to show it off and as i smiled my approval their precious faces would light up with joy as they ran off to show someone else. by the end of the week i wanted so badly to bring them all home with me but i couldn’t figure out how to get them in my bag…my group of kids were mainly 7 and 8 year olds which of course made them even MORE precious than they already were.  friday night ( i know i’m jumping ahead but oh well) i was sitting outside waiting for the service to start and the girls in my group started gathering around me until there were at least four of them in my lap. no one was talking…i was just sitting there rocking them and stroking their hair. it was one of the most peaceful moments of the entire week and so adorable. i was already in love with them but this was the icing on the cake and it made me realize that sometimes the best moments in life don’t require any words. simply being there for those you love is enough 🙂

Trying to get camp rolling…

you would think that after being up for over 24 hours, we would sleep late. i mean that just sounds logical right? but if the sun comes up at 4:30 in the morning…well sleeping in after 6 a.m. is pretty much impossible. but in some ways, it was good because the camp was peaceful and this was the last time it would be that way until saturday 🙂 slowly, the camp began to come to life as the workers stumbled out of their rooms to try and prepare for the kids arrival later in the morning. we had our first team meeting that day as we united together as one whether American or Romanian or Russian it didn’t matter. we were there for one purpose and one purpose only: to love the children and show them the love of Christ through our lives. they started to sing a song in Romanian and while we didnt understand the words at first we recognized the tune. it was blessed be the name of the Lord which of course most of us knew. two languages, one song, one God to praise…it was one of the coolest moments of the week. no matter where you go, God is still God and He can be praised in any language! anyway, i’m getting carried away here…must focus. i think it was around 11 when the kids began to arrive. we were still meeting as a matter of fact so i could only see them from a distance. but what i could see broke my heart. yes the kids were smiling but it was the fact that 90% of them had ALL of their belongings in one or two grocery bags. i repeat ALL of their belongings…it struck me that we are so darn blessed and we go through our days not even bothering to thank God for all of the blessings He has given us. we are so focused on having more “stuff” that we forget to be thankful. i’m speaking to myself here as well because over the course of the week i had no cellphone, no facebook, no internet of any kind. it was me, my team, the kids, nature, and God. and strangely, that was enough. i felt content WITHOUT my “stuff.” yes i missed my friends and family…there were many things throughout the week that i wanted to share but had to wait until our return; however, it was also refreshing to just be able to sit back and relax. i got off on another tangent i know but thats how most of these posts will be because im just talented like that 🙂 we didn’t really have any responsibilities that day other than the worship service that evening. the kids were still a little shy that first night obviously because we were strange Americans they didnt know. but as the week progressed, the 40 minutes or so between dinner and service became a  hang out time with the kids. one of my favorite things to do every night as everyone prepared to go to bed was watch the stars come out every night. our room was on the second floor and there was a balcony that ran the length of the building. depending on the time of the day there would be a nice breeze blowing that helped cool off the days and evenings. the sun wouldn’t be completely gone until 10 p.m. so watching the stars began to twinkle was so cool. i would either stay on our balcony or go sit by the pool just to gaze at God’s wonderful handiwork. well i’ve given enough for you to digest this time so stay tuned because there is much more to come!

The Long Awaited Day!

generally fridays are pretty chill for me…at least for the summer. I’m off work by 2 p.m. and have the rest of the weekend to chilax. this friday was different because on this friday was the day i had been waiting for since January. I can’t even begin to tell you how many hours of prep and prayer went into this trip so the fact that it had actually arrived was pretty darn exciting. as we were driving to the airport, i kept telling myself “i’m going to moldova. i’m really going 6,000 miles away from home” but it just would not sink into my brain! going through security we learned that if your passport name and ticket name don’t match the guards won’t be very happy with you. jars of peanut butter are also not allowed to go in a carry-on bag…just saying. after sitting anxiously at the gate, we finally get to board the plane and at 6:15 p.m. we head to Germany to catch the connecting flight. some of us read for a while…some watched movies…not many got much sleep but it was a smooth flight into Frankfurt. once we got there, we realized that our boarding passes didnt go all the way to Chisinau so after getting new ones, going through security we all went in search of coffee and food. then they announced the boarding was changed to a different gate so obediently we trudge upstairs to wait. out of the nine team members, six promptly fell asleep in the waiting area. around boarding time we notice that no one is announcing the flight so David goes to check, runs upstairs and says “they are boarding downstairs. we have to go NOW.” you see there was only one flight into Moldova from Germany and one flight out. if you miss either one, you are in MAJOR trouble so you can understand our need to run. once safely aboard the flight we looked at each other and laughed because running in the airport was the EXACT thing we wanted to avoid but hey mission trips are all about flexibility right? including the time change it was a three hour flight to Moldova so we arrived around 5:30 local time and met up Pete as well as the local pastor Oleg. that night we ate dinner in Chisinau with the first team so we actually got to hear details from their week which really helped us prepare for our week. afterwards, we all went to the camp and hung out, met some of the staff. since the first team had to leave early the next morning, we said our goodbyes and tried to get some sleep because Sunday was when the week got cranked up. now you can see why i cant out the whole week in one blog because it took a small book just to write this! i hope this has whetted your appetite because there is TONS more to come!

it has been too long

dear readers, i am so very sorry it has been a month since my last post. my life has been absolutely NUTS. i go from day to day just trying to catch a breath (which generally doesn’t happen.) and then there was the flurry of activity getting ready for Moldova. i had an absolutely WONDERFUL time!!! watching God move in my life as well as the lives of those around me was so incredible i can’t even describe it all but i will do my best to try. since trying to cram it all into one post is impossible i will be doing a series of blogs on the entire trip because well after 10 days in a foreign country i have LOTS to tell!  🙂 i will do my best to get them all up as soon as possible and i hope you can get a glimpse of the trip! enjoy and God bless!

Don’t Worry…Be Happy!

I have always been a worrier by nature. I don’t really know why, but when something comes up my first inclination is to stress and worry until I have created problems that don’t even exist. Because I seem to always find myself in these situations (I know, I’m just THAT talented), I have decided that it is simply no longer worth my time and energy to constantly stress about my life. If you are always over thinking a situation, chances are you will miss something exciting going on right in front of you. Now you may be saying “well she just doesn’t understand how hard it really is to do that.” TRUST ME I know what I’m talking about and while it is easier said than done you have got to fight against the stress that is trying to control your life. Because you see when worry controls you not only is that a sin, you also make everyone else around you miserable. Philippians 4:6-7 says: “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your prayer requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Jesus is just WAITING for you to ask Him to take control of whatever has you tied up in knots. But you can’t just sit there and wait for Him to magically take care of the problem. You have to go to him and through prayer share your concerns with Him (don’t worry about being too honest with Him. He can handle it.) Now I’m not saying He will wave a wand and make the problem vanish. Sometimes the problems will still stay in our lives, but they are ALWAYS there for a reason. And I can guarantee you that if you sincerely ask for His help, He will give you strength like you’ve never had before to get through the day. You only have so many moments to spend with those around you…don’t waste them by worrying. Be happy!

B.F.F.L.’S

this past weekend i went up to greenville to see my best friend riley keigley for some much needed girl time. we met almost a year ago and have been inseparable ever since 🙂 you meet lots pf people going through life, but every now and then you find that person who knows you better than you know yourself. someone who you can only look at and immediately know their thoughts, someone who you share secrets with and they with you, someone who is with you in both the good AND bad times of life, someone who will always be there no matter what the time of day…well you get the idea 🙂 these are the people you keep in your life forever and the girl in these pictures is one of those people. we have so much fun together….whether it’s watching psych at two a.m. or simply staying up all night talking, i love her dearly and know without a doubt we will always be there for each other!

me and my BFF in downtown 🙂

oh yeah, we’re so cool!

downtown, coffee, and falls park 🙂

roadtrip!

she’s so cute 😉

 

Summer Thunderstorms

I used to hate thunderstorms when i was a kid. i would run to my parents room, jump on the bed, cover my ears, and scrunch my eyes shut to block out the thunder and lightning. well over the past couple of years i have gone to the other end of the spectrum and absolutely LOVE storms. i can’t even begin to describe how much i enjoy watching the lightning streak across the sky and the thunder crack. this afternoon as i was watching the storms roll across the sea, i was reminded of a verse in Psalms 19:1 that says: “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” well today the heavens did declare His glory…i was reminded of how little i truly am in the big scheme of things. How I am so undeserving of His grace and mercy…i’m not saying you should actually go out and stand in the lightning next time it storms. that would be incredibly stupid. simply sit still and watch the lightning as it flashes. listen to the thunder as it rolls across the sky. I’m always overwhelmed at the MANY ways He has blessed me in ways i never even thought possible. next time there’s a thunderstorm, sit quietly and send a little prayer heavenward thanking God for giving us just a itty bitty glimpse of His kingly power 🙂

Seaside Reflections

I don’t know about you, but my life is pretty hectic. Although I am getting a much needed break from school, I still have TONS of things I want to do. New music projects, catching up on sleep, hanging out with friends and family…the list goes on. When school is in session, my life seems to be on a non-stop roller coaster a lot of days but at the same time I love it. However, there are some occasional days where I just enjoy sitting and reflecting on life. Not only am I able to sort out my jumbled thoughts, these quiet days allow me to gain a new insight on myself as an individual. I also have two or three friends who I know I can always count on to listen and give me advice on whatever is going on in my life at the time. The past two weeks in particular have been completely INSANE. It would take hours to go into it all, but suffice it to say there have been a few restless nights of thought and prayer. Today it sort of all came to a head as I decided I couldn’t keep losing sleep night after night. So after some lengthy conversations with a couple of friends and a few quiet hours on the beach, I feel much better. I now know what I need to do, and what not to do in the upcoming days. I’ve always loved spending time on the beach, but after today the seaside has a new meaning for me and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for me this summer!

To Scream or not to Scream?

Any of my friends will tell you that i LOVE disney…i have yet to come up with any rhyme or reason as to why, i just do. I have DOZENS of songs, princess posters, pillows, can quote any movie, well you get the idea 😉 Now one of my favorite things to do is curl up with my good friends Riley and Claire and watch the High School Musical movies. I know all the songs, and i’m not gonna lie Zac Efron is pretty easy to look at. Well in the third movie (my personal favorite) life is not going well for our two highschool sweethearts and Troy (or Zac whichever you prefer) ends up at the school during a thunderstorm trying to make sense of everything that has happened. now also keep in mind these movies are musicals so if someone is in a scene my themselves you can deduce there is a song coming up. appropriately, the title of this song is Scream as Troy is very frustrated and confused on what to do next in with his life. I promise all of my rambling’s have a point so just bear with me. my point is don’t keep all your frustrations bottled up so that you reach the point where life simply seems unbearable. trust me, it’s NOT worth the hours of pain and stress it will cause you. Go ahead and scream…you will feel TONS better i assure you. so you’ll look a little silly for 30 seconds, but it sure beats feeling stressed for 30 days. If you don’t quite feel comfortable with screaming, find a friend you trust and just talk. you aren’t doing anyone a favor by holding everything in (and i’m talking to myself here too.) let it out so that you can move on and enjoy life. Every minute is precious, get out and enjoy what time you have been given!