Going Away

My good friends, Tiffani & Constance, along with my gracious roomies, Kelley & Brian, gave me a fabulous going away bash last Friday night. I realized about half-way through the evening how blessed I was both to have such fantastic friends & to have them all surrounding me in one place! They took the time to hear what I'm headed towards with Medair in Uganda & also encouraged & prayed for me. I couldn't have asked for a better way to begin the week of "see-ya-laters".

I keep saying it feels so surreal - something I've looked forward to for so long is finally at my feet! Makes me realize how much I love my friends here - I'm going to miss you all dearly!

Brandi & I

Paul, Gary, Kimiko & Melanie

Brandi, me, Anne, Tiffani, & Laini

Jen, me, & Constance

Tif & I

I'm not the gift

Someone recently challenged me: often Christians get caught up in trying to be Jesus to the people around us but that may not be a complete picture of what Jesus asks of us. I think trying to love like Jesus did holds a lot of truth as we try to live out the model he provided for us when he walked this earth. However, that can sometimes create an us vs. them or even a sense of authority or superiority over others. I think we have to also consider this statement he made:

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to me...truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Well, hopefully we all hear him say this to us & not the opposite, but the point here is he is why we serve. He is the people we need to love & care for. My friend Michelle expressed this as well in her recent blog post. Here's a quote she added from Henri Nowen's book, Gracias that I found to profoundly state what I've been tossing around in my head and heart:

What then is it that we do receive in ministry? Is it the hidden insights and skills of those to whom we want to bear witness. Maybe so…but that can never be the true source of our own growth. Seeing how a person slowly becomes aware of his or her own capacities might make us happy for awhile but that is not enough for a grateful life. A grateful life is a life in which we come to see that the Lord himself is the gift. The mystery of ministry is that the Lord is to be found where we minister. That is what Jesus tells us when he says: ’Insofar as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” (Matt. 25) Our care for people thus becomes the way to meet the Lord. The more we give, help, support, guide counsel, and visit, the more we receive, not just similar gifts, but the Lord himself. To go to the poor is to go to the Lord. Living this truth in our daily life makes it possible to care for people without conditions, without hesitation, without suspicion, or without the need for immediate rewards. With this sacred knowledge, we can avoid becoming burned out.p. 20.

I hope to take these thoughts to heart as I live & love. I'm not the gift, Jesus is - both to me & to others.

Family Time

I returned this week from about 10 days with my family back in the midwest. We spent a week at Round Lake in Michigan where we relaxed & enjoyed our time together. I hadn't seen my niece & nephew since last October, so time with them was much needed before I head out. Ryan turned 10 that week, which we celebrated with a Harry Potter birthday cake & plenty of fun toys spread throughout the week. Madison will be 8 in October...sigh.

I love my family. Mom & Dad are so supportive, always have been, of my crazy adventures. I can only imagine the stress I give them as I jaunt around the world. But they continue to stand behind me & pray hard! Thanks, mom & dad!

There were tears, laughs, and the "see you laters" or "talk with you on skype" were hard but encouraging.

I keep wavering & discussing with friends - how long really is a year? How much will change? I hope I'll change & that we'll all grow over a year, but will it fly by or feel like forever? Because I hear both from people as I tell them I'm leaving...I imagine it will be both at specific times. Any thoughts from those out there who've moved away from friends & family?

Good times with Good friends

About two weekends ago, I took my last camping trip of the season. It was a girl's weekend with my good friends, Tiffani, Constance, and Jen. We had such a great time just laughing and eating really yummy food. Constance challenged Tif & I on some mountain biking trails that were actually quite fun for us beginners. We found a fantastic campsite at the summit of the pass and enjoyed a breath-taking view of the mountain vista & Fraser valley below.

Sigh...I'm going to miss my friends...trying to eek out as much quality time together as possible before my departure to Africa. More to come on that...














A Moose! He crossed the highway as we headed into Winter Park, my first sighting of one of these beauties.















Jen, Constance, Tif & I




















Our campsite

Uganda

Well, as I've been alluding to I need to tell you all a bit about what the future will hold for me. At the conculsion of my week with Medair's training, I was presented with a position in Uganda as an Office Manager. I was a bit overwhelmed right then with the intensity of the week, but they asked me to come to their briefing the following week since I was planning to still be in the area. This allowed me to find out more about the position & what they were looking for. I then took a few days to think it through & talk it over with Natalie while we were in Italy - I had been so engrossed in Medair for two weeks that I wanted to be sure that someone who knows me well could hear all that I had processed through. It was great to talk it all out & get Natalie's perspective. Yesterday I called Medair & accepted the position! So, I'm heading to Uganda for a year contract around August 18th. Wow, it is finally here! I have a lot more to find out, but wanted to give you that update for now! Thanks for everyone's encouragement and prayers!

I'm in Ireland now for a few days & will head back to the US on Tuesday. Drop me a line & I'd love to catch up and/or talk with you before I head out of the US again!

Some promised pictures...

Camilla, Carlotta, & Luciano Pasini

Camilla, Natalie & I in Garda - we took a little boat tour

Our current stomping grounds, Vernazza in la Cinque Terre

Vernazza - view from the sea

Corniglia, one town over from Vernazza. We hiked between the two this morning.

Another view of Corniglia

On to Italy

My time in Switzerland came to an end on Thursday night as I took a train from Lausanne through the alps to Milan, Italy. The views along the way were breathtaking & I'll have some pictures to share with you soon!

My adventures truly began in the Milan train station where I got a bit too confident in my ability to understand what's going on around me without knowing the language at all! Though none of the platform signs were changing, I thought I was surely where I needed to be & that everyone else standing around me was also waiting for the train to Verona. After some help for a nice American bystander who spoke English, I found out that I actually had my back to the train I was supposed to get on & while we figured that out, the train had left! So, the next train didn't leave until 12:30 Friday morning and I arrived in Verona finally at 2:30 in the morning! I was met by a very tired Camilla & our ride back to Mantova was quite the adventure as well...Camilla's not the best at directions!

So Natalie & I spent Friday & Saturday with Camilla & her family enjoying Mantova & Lake Garda (more great pics to come). Now, Natalie & I have arrived in Vernazza, within the famous Cinque Terre - absolutely fabulous here! We love it, have already took a dip in the Mediterranean and are looking forward to a hike tomorrow & more beautiful vistas.

Hope everyone is well at home. I'll update more about Medair possibilities in the next week or so. See you all soon!