Running to Stand Still

U2 worded it well when they wrote "running to stand still". No really. That's how I feel. This past couple weeks have been a blur of activity. I can't even remember that many specifics as it's all just flown by. Let's just start with the weekend.

Saturday was commencement. Let's be honest here. I am thrilled that I will, Lord willing, NEVER be working Liberty's commencement service again. With that, I've fully discovered my absolute need for a full weekend. With my Saturday gone, I was exhaaauuusted on Saturday night. I came home in a daze and slept for two hours. Without energy to make a meal, I picked up some food and a movie thus spending my Saturday night singing along to High School Musical 3. Am I too old for this? Perhaps. :)

Sunday was a crazy busy social day! I spoke at a Sunday School at Thomas Road on Sunday morning then went over to the Verstraete household for lunch/taking pictures of cute kids/figuring out how to make a ginger glaze/getting repeatedly wished "Happy Mother's Day!" by a 5 year old/having a blast. My pregnant friend Brooke was in town so I HAD to go see her and that baby belly! It was great to catch up with her and feel little Ryland moving around. After that, I headed over to Amy and Derek's for HOMEMADE RAVIOLI. This is a big deal. Allow me to explain. Amy is Italian and her family makes incredible homemade Italian food for big family events, specifically Palm Sunday. I have casually (incessantly?) suggested that I would want some of this and have hinted (strongly) that it'd be awesome to go home with her for one of these events. All to no avail. Alas, this past Palm Sunday, they saved enough homemade ravioli for me to have some! At last!! It was melt in your mouth delicious and reminded me of when I was in Italy last year. Mmm.

With my weekend being packed, I started off this week exhausted and it's yet to calm down. Luckily, tonight I have NO plans. Here's MY plan:
-Go home.
-Get in sweats.
-Write ALL of my "thank you" cards that I'm ridiculously behind on.
-Make some more support letter envelope deals.
-Clean my room. This would be hours worth of organizing so I'm just hoping to make a small dent.

Most likely, I'll cook dinner which I haven't done in what seems like forever. I've really missed cooking. My basil plant is feeling sorely neglected. After that, I'll tackle my "thank you"cards while watching American Idol. Anything above this will involve me patting myself on the back as I did more than anticipated.

I'm currently toying with the idea of going to New Hampshire in a couple weekends. There's a church to speak at and some good friends to see. There's also cheap tickets! It'll make things a little extra crazy hence my debate. We'll see!

These upcoming days and weeks are all going to fly by and I know it. I'm trying to spend time with as many people as possible. Get as much done as I can. Cherish each and every moment that I can. Sigh. It makes me want to hold onto each day. To freeze time and make every second go slower. At the same time, every single day I have gotten more excited to get over to Uganda! I can't believe that it's all actually happening! That God has given me the honor to go over and be a part of changing Uganda for His sake! That I will be given the privilege to be a part of these hurting kids lives! I can't believe it. God is so good to me!

Cra-zay.

Wow, so my incredible trend of writing consistently went down in the drain. Dangit. I'll try better. Promise. Let's go back to training week. I flew out to Colorado and spent a week of training at WorldVenture. It was such a great time! We trained from about 8:30-5 each day. I learned so much about WorldVenture as an organization, how things work, what to do, etc. plus so many things that helped me grow personally but also as a missionary. Amazing. It was great to meet all of these people that have helped me so much along the way! It was also incredibly encouraging to hear how exciting the entire staff was about Hope Alive! and the whole field that I'm going to. I kept hearing what an incredible team that is there and it made me THAT much more excited and anxious to meet everyone there!

The one bad thing about training? I woke up the first morning...opened the shades...and saw inches of SNOW. Ridiculous, people. Ri-stinking-diculous.

One of the best parts of being in Colorado was the time that I got to spend with my aunt and uncle! They live about 40 minutes or so away from WorldVenture so I spent both weekends with them. What a blast! The time with them was filled with lots of laughter. Oh, and my oh-so-patient uncle taught me how to drive a manual. With Uganda being a former British colony, they only have manual cars and drive on the other side of the road. Ugh. Knowing that I HAVE to learn, I became my uncle's student. It went better than expected but I have a long way to go. Feel free to add that one to your prayer list. For those that would like to see what I'll be dealing with traffic wise in Kampala, feel free to check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXaQ8lhyqkQ 

Make you want to pray for me more? Good. I'm going to need it.

Since coming back from Colorado, I feel like I've been sprinting and getting nowhere. Currently, I'm absolutely exhausted. This weekend will give no break to that. Also, it is at this point that my date that I had intended on leaving will not happen. I expected to be more disappointed but knowing how insane things are right now, I need more time to get everything done. God knew. His timing IS perfect, right? :) I'm hoping to leave SOON still! I have this hope that the last of it will just FLY in and I can go from there. 

Tomorrow is Liberty's commencement. It'll be the last commencement that I've planned and I can't wait to never do it again. :) Tomorrow is also a day full of heart wrenching goodbye's. There will be many at graduation alone. After that, I'll be heading down to Greensboro to meet my dear dear friend Laura. We'll be meeting in the middle to have dinner, catch up, and say our goodbyes. Ugh, I'm tearing up even thinking about it. It's hard enough knowing that I won't meet her little baby boy when he comes in August. Sigh. This is just the beginning of my goodbye's. Whew. This is going to be rough. Life as I've known it for the past seven years is coming to a close. I'm at the edge of a new crazy life!

I have this odd feeling that the whirlwind is just beginning...

Donde!?

I know what you're thinking: "two posts in a row!? what more could I want!?". No clue, there's probably nothing better than this. So why am I writing two days in a row? Because my plane takes off at 4:30. It's currently 4:24 and there's no plane in site. I'm antsy. I know that my layover is short in Atlanta and that will be my dinner break. I'll be honest, I'm pumped about getting a gyro from Great Wraps. YUM.

There's some random people in bright vests outside the window. I'm hoping that means a plane is on its way, preferably one that's going to take me to Atlanta.

So, PRAY that my flight is still somewhat on time. Pray that I get there safely. Pray that God will just rock my world at training. Pray that the rest of my funds FLY in so that I can head to Uganda ASAP. I just can't wait to get there! :)

My stomach just growled at the prospect of the gyro. Mmm. And I think I hear a plane in the distance. Good thing since it's 4:28 now. Oh, Delta, help a sista out!

To Do

Tonight's a busy one and it's already almost 10. Dangit. I had dinner at my favorite Korean family's house so my stomach is happily full of yummy food. Unfortunately, I'm way behind on what I need to be doing. Alright, here's part of my list:

1. Pack for Denver. I'll be leaving TOMORROW for training at WorldVenture. Can't wait! I'll spend Friday-Sunday with my aunt and uncle and then head to headquarters. That sounds so serious: "headquarters". I'm like a secret spy.

2. Paint my nails with nail strengthener. They got pansy weak with the acrylic on them. (check)

3. Address and stamp my thank you cards.

4. Pay some bills.

5. Wash some clothes. (check)

4. Change my profile picture on facebook. I've had that one up for what seems like forever. (almost check)

5. Organize the madness of my room. This might have to wait until I return.

6. Figure out how I'm going to get everything that I need to done tomorrow before I board that plane.

Whew. Ok, here I go! Pray that I'm teachable at training and that I learn tons!

(Check me out! I just wrote TWO posts in ONE week. I'm trying to be more consistent. Aren't you proud of me!? Let's see if I can keep this up...)

A Great Weekend

Real quick update to say that this past weekend was just amazing and exactly what I needed. This whole process has been a huge rollercoaster of ups and downs with last week being a huge down of disappointments and discouragements. A breaking point was reached and God broke me of a lot. It was all much needed but difficult. It's all a process that I'm still going through.

On Saturday, my traveling Southern translator friend Mary and I traversed to Virginia Beach. We ended up arriving later then expected (don't follow just any sign to Virginia Beach...) so we had a late lunch/early dinner at this incredible restaurant a few blocks from the beach. We then walked down to the beach and happily strolled for awhile down the shore. The water was ridiculously cold so we didn't venture in. After that, we walked the boardwalk in search of the best salt water taffy one could find. It was a harder search than anticipated. After buying some that looked mediocore (which were deemed "crappy taffy"), we found the motherload of amazing fresh incredible taffy. Four pounds of taffy between the two of us later, we headed back to the car to traverse to the McFarland's. After changing and de-grossifying ourselves, we all went out to dinner and had great conversation. They both showed us such love and care. It was truly a refreshing time. The next morning we headed to church, with a quick stop at 7-11 for my caffienne addiction. I've always wanted to go to a black church and on Sunday, I got my wish. Mary and I were, I think, one of about five white people and I LOVED it. I felt like I was back in Africa, only there was AC and it wasn't as formal. I have never felt so welcomed in a church in my life. I should have counted how many hugs I received. If I lived remotely near, I would totally attend there. Mary and I kept commenting to each other how much we were just loving the service and the people. Talk about refreshing! It was a two hour service that felt like 30 minutes. A group of us headed to lunch afterwards and it was a great time! Heading back to Lynchburg, we reflected on the love of this part of the body of Christ. God knew that I needed this weekend to refresh and be encouraged. Whew. It was so great!

This Friday, I will fly to Denver! I'll spend the weekend with my aunt and uncle and then head to Littleton for training at WorldVenture. I cannot wait to meet everyone that has helped me so much on this crazy journey!

Soo...want some taffy? I got plenty to share.

Easter thoughts and more

I feel as though so much has happened that I'm debating on what all to include. Not to mention my mind feels so scattered and overwhelmed but I am just so overdue for an update! I'll try to tie everything together and hopefully it all makes sense. For your sake, I'm hoping so.

My parents came to town last Friday so it was great to spend Easter with them. They also helped pack up most of my earthly belongings that I have left here in Lynchburg. What is still here I am referencing as the "remnants", aka. what I'll need for the rest of my time here. 

Easter brought loads of thoughts going through my head. Due to the discussion at my small group on Monday and then discussing at another small group on Thursday to speak, these thoughts were rehashed over and over again in my mind. My pastor went over John 12 on Palm Sunday, taking a break from our study in Revelation. For some reason he didn't think going over the Mark of the Beast on Palm Sunday was good. Go figure. :) 

Here's my main one:

-John 12 is the first indication that Judas had some greed issues. It wasn't anything huge. He was just taking some money here and there. I mean, he was a good guy. He was a disciple which tells us that he was good enough to be chosen as one of the twelve. His little sin grew; grew so much that the offer of thirty pieces of silver caused him to betray Christ. Hidden sin causes a foothold for Satan that grows...and grows.

This weekend I'll be heading to Virginia Beach to speak at a church. The 24th I will be heading to Denver for my training at WorldVenture. I heard from Catharine, the head missionary in Uganda. She encouraged me in how they're anticipating my arrival. I am so anxious to get there! 

I'm definitely in need of prayer. I'm overwhelmed and stressing out. The uncertainties of life are hard. I have no control over anything and it's difficult. Obviously, it's all in His hands. It's just hard to hand it over.

Wait...it's April!?

For most, April 1st was a chance to fool everyone and laugh. I personally had a slight freak out session. Ok, so it wasn't so slight. With it being March, my expected departure date seemed oh-so-far away. I still had time to raise the funds, spend time with people one last time, etc. April!? It is now APRIL!? That realization came to me at work. Tears filled my eyes, I began to babble uncontrollably and wave my face to fan my fears away. I was obviously unsuccessful. My expected departure date is now best expressed in weeks instead of months. In 20 days, I will be flying to Denver for training at WorldVenture. We're talking in days now. Oh. My. Gosh. Freak. Out. I've been attempting not to panic which usually involves just not thinking about it. I have a feeling that's not quite the healthy response. Luckily, I have friends that are masters at calming me down...mainly by reminding me Who is in control. Most of my freak outs come from me trying to feel as though I'm in control of all this. We can see how well that's going, right? :) I've said it once and I guess I'll be saying it for the thousandth time, it is just awesome and incredible to see how God works through people. To know that I'm surrounded and supported by my family and friends and even absolute strangers means the world to me. How cool is the body of Christ!? It's led me to laughter and tears. It helps to melt my fears and insecurity of support raising to see how God truly does have all of this in His control. I'm still working at giving Him that control and not trying to take it on. 

PS: That's really hard. Really.

Today is a beeaautiful spring day in Lynchburg. Spring is, in fact, my favorite season. Winter is disappearing and buds are appearing everywhere. Flowers blossom and the sun shines. Love it! Oh, and I must tell you how my trip to Georgia went. Whew, what an adventure Mary and I had! We spend Friday night up to Saturday early evening with my great friend Jill. I'm hoping that it wasn't the last time that I'll get to spend with her before I go but I do know that I'll see her when she comes to visit me in Uganda!! THAT will be exciting! Jill, I'll make sure to scout out the nail salons for you in Kampala. :) After that, we headed south of Atlanta where we experienced an extremely generous church where my friend Bryan is the youth pastor. I ended up sharing my testimony (very last minute) to the youth group. It was a cool reminder to see how far God has taken me from an angry teenager who wanted nothing to do with God to a woman who is heading overseas for Him. Amazing, right? He does such miracles. I then was able to share with the church how they could be involved in His work in Uganda. Ah, public speaking. God uses the weak to show His strength, right? He proves that in me. 

Speaking of such...I've started reading in 1 Corinthians. It's been awhile since I've read this book and oh my word, there is just so much that He's been teaching me! Chapter three has especially taught me. Paul admonishes the Corinthians because they've started claiming that they are Paul's disciples instead of Christ's. Check it out: 

"For when one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another, 'I am of Apollos,' are you not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth." (3:4-7)

And what is Sarah? Sarah is a servant of the Lord who plants and waters but only HE causes growth. Pray that I continue to recognize my role in Him: a servant obeying His commands.

Tonight we're having an office party, the last one before I go! It's a tradition that we have each semester. It's potluck style and I just love it. I have been so blessed with this job for the past four years. We've always had awesome student workers and have become like a little family. It's going to be so weird to not have this all be my every day life anymore. Time to get that lasagna started! :)