I'm back from Florida. It was so much fun to spend time with my familyl without stress. It was warm and relaxing, and I cannot tell you how much I needed a break from reality! That scared me, at first, to say because in a couple months there will be no breaks from reality for me...but I welcome that! I cannot wait to completely immerse myself into a different culture and experience the plans God has laid out for me thus far. Today's one of my good days! I freak out quite often, but my emotions about leaving change from day to day.
Today's a good day because of a gift I received over the weekend from one of my best friends Billy. It's always comforting to be reminded of how much your friends love you. The gift was perfect for me, which I should have expected because Billy is pretty much the male version of me. My worse fear is that over the next two years my friends will just have moved on without me. I'm just trusting that our friendships are based on much more than can be forgotten in two years. My plan is to come back and catch up with them over many cups of coffee and dinners.
I'm trying to get all my medical stuff updated over the next couple weeks so please pray that everything is A-okay with me! I feel fine...but you never know I guess! Best wishes!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Bill Clinton
First I just want to say...I leave for Romania 2 months from today!! AHH!! and Happy Birthday Andy! I miss you!
Now that's out of the way... last night I got to see our former President William (Bill) Jefferson Clinton at a rally for his wife Senator Hillary Clinton. I am not a Hillary supporter...but I respect her, and I admire Bill Clinton, minus the whole Lewinsky thing of course. Bill covered so many of the things I believe our country should be about last night, and it reminded me of how far away from the ideal our country has strayed in the past 8 years. He said one thing that really got me thinking. He said that we need a president that will restore the good-standing of America throughout the world. I like that. That is one of the primary reasons I've joined the Peace Corps. Sometimes people doubt my patriotism because I'm outspoken about what I believe is wrong...I love my country! It's a great place to live...Americans can be the most compassionate and generous people, but for some reason our "rep" has become one of imperialism and selfishness.
I'm done with my rant... just think about it. I had so much fun at the rally last night. It's just a historical moment in my life to see the democratic process at work and to see candidates I believe have the right ideas about what our country is and should be!
Now that's out of the way... last night I got to see our former President William (Bill) Jefferson Clinton at a rally for his wife Senator Hillary Clinton. I am not a Hillary supporter...but I respect her, and I admire Bill Clinton, minus the whole Lewinsky thing of course. Bill covered so many of the things I believe our country should be about last night, and it reminded me of how far away from the ideal our country has strayed in the past 8 years. He said one thing that really got me thinking. He said that we need a president that will restore the good-standing of America throughout the world. I like that. That is one of the primary reasons I've joined the Peace Corps. Sometimes people doubt my patriotism because I'm outspoken about what I believe is wrong...I love my country! It's a great place to live...Americans can be the most compassionate and generous people, but for some reason our "rep" has become one of imperialism and selfishness.
I'm done with my rant... just think about it. I had so much fun at the rally last night. It's just a historical moment in my life to see the democratic process at work and to see candidates I believe have the right ideas about what our country is and should be!
Monday, March 17, 2008
2 months & 2 days until I leave for Romania
On this Monday, St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to write a little of how I'm feeling.
Kay and Wes got hitched this past weekend. It was a wonderful celebration of their love for each other and God! To be quite honest, it was one of the hardest days for me I've experienced in a while. It was difficult for me to have a servant's heart and be self-less when I wanted so badly to be part of the wedding. By part of the wedding I'm really just talking about pictures of the bridal party; it was the only part of the day I really struggled with. I've had a rollercoaster of emotions about Kay's wedding because at first I was a bridesmaid, then I wasn't even going to be there, and then I ended up reading. I read a devotion during the ceremony and added a personal touch...it meant a lot that I got to be there let alone be a part of their special day! The rest was fun and festive! I hope that each of you is blessed with the kind of friends that I have.
My departure for Romania is getting closer everyday! I'm nervous, excited, anxious, sad, happy...and a bunch of other emotions all at once. Time is running out, and I have so many people I want to see before I leave. I know I can't possibly get to everyone so I'd like to let you all now that you mean a lot to me. Thank you for all the support. I'm not anymore special than the next person; I'm just trying to give a little back to the world, the country, the God that has given so much to me.
I'm leaving for Florida on Thursday...can't wait to be with my family and on the beach! I'll tell ya how the trip went when we get back!
Kay and Wes got hitched this past weekend. It was a wonderful celebration of their love for each other and God! To be quite honest, it was one of the hardest days for me I've experienced in a while. It was difficult for me to have a servant's heart and be self-less when I wanted so badly to be part of the wedding. By part of the wedding I'm really just talking about pictures of the bridal party; it was the only part of the day I really struggled with. I've had a rollercoaster of emotions about Kay's wedding because at first I was a bridesmaid, then I wasn't even going to be there, and then I ended up reading. I read a devotion during the ceremony and added a personal touch...it meant a lot that I got to be there let alone be a part of their special day! The rest was fun and festive! I hope that each of you is blessed with the kind of friends that I have.
My departure for Romania is getting closer everyday! I'm nervous, excited, anxious, sad, happy...and a bunch of other emotions all at once. Time is running out, and I have so many people I want to see before I leave. I know I can't possibly get to everyone so I'd like to let you all now that you mean a lot to me. Thank you for all the support. I'm not anymore special than the next person; I'm just trying to give a little back to the world, the country, the God that has given so much to me.
I'm leaving for Florida on Thursday...can't wait to be with my family and on the beach! I'll tell ya how the trip went when we get back!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Learning Romanian Update
Learning Romanian has proven to be as tough as I originally assumed it would be. My teacher, Sorin, tells me that I understand the theory but have trouble applying it. Big Surprise!! That is the story of my life. Understanding a theory has never been difficult to me...it's the putting theories into practice that gets me at first. However, I've been practicing because I WANT/NEED to learn Romanian. It really is a beautiful language, of the Romance variety, but I've recently discovered that I know nothing about linguistics. The most difficult part of learning the language is that I have no idea what the terminology behind many directions means...this may make me dumb, but until recently I never truly understood what inflection, diacritics, breve...meant. As a result of my newly discovered linguistic ingnorance, I've been humbled...this is a good thing.
Being humbled is something I'm in no short supply of lately. Yesterday alone, I was humbled and equally wrecked by Oprah's Big Give, conversations with friends searching for their purpose, young kids raising their hands because they want to know Christ, and the incredible progress of a young girl fighting to recover from a car accident. How great is our God?? (Chris Tomlin music playing in my head but you don't have to "Sing with me") I see these moments as Grace because it's as if God is speaking to me through these things. It's been repetitive over the last week...between church, conversations, my devotions, books, and nature. I've been hearing that by expressing my faith and beliefs I'm letting my light shine for others to develop and express their passions. Awesome! It reminds me of the quote by Marianne Williamson that Nelson Mandela used in his speech after being elected President of South Africa.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Being humbled is something I'm in no short supply of lately. Yesterday alone, I was humbled and equally wrecked by Oprah's Big Give, conversations with friends searching for their purpose, young kids raising their hands because they want to know Christ, and the incredible progress of a young girl fighting to recover from a car accident. How great is our God?? (Chris Tomlin music playing in my head but you don't have to "Sing with me") I see these moments as Grace because it's as if God is speaking to me through these things. It's been repetitive over the last week...between church, conversations, my devotions, books, and nature. I've been hearing that by expressing my faith and beliefs I'm letting my light shine for others to develop and express their passions. Awesome! It reminds me of the quote by Marianne Williamson that Nelson Mandela used in his speech after being elected President of South Africa.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
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