I turned 30! Lessons from a wiser me :)

I'm 30! 

My friends helping me count to 30

So I had this 30 before I'm 30 list. It is essentially a list of 30 things I wanted to do before I turned 30 - a bucket list with a time frame. I created it when I was 28 and a few months old and have edited it a few times over the months I've been working toward these goals. I will include the list below but wanted to point out a couple lessons I learned from this experience first. 

1. Being a goal oriented person, I loved having this list. It was well received by the people in my life who championed it, and sometimes even helped me accomplish some of the goals (thank you!). But there was a shadow side to the list. I created it with the idea that I wanted to celebrate getting older - despite my circumstances. I freely admit that I created the list in hopes of avoiding the sadness of my life not being what I envisioned when I was little. Most children think 30 is old. And I just assumed I'd be a mother, wife and home owner as a 30 year old. I created these goals partly as a distraction from the missing elements in my life. This was the shadow side - I can hide behind goals instead of sitting with the realities before me. The lesson in this for me was this - I need to be grateful for what I have and not focus on what I don't have. 
2. Another lesson I learned from having this list involves flexibility in goal setting. I had a few goals that were something that wasn't actually important to me. I needed to start pursuing the goal to know I didn't want it anymore. 
• For example - I wanted to go to Africa before I was 30 but I wanted to go to help people less fortunate than me. As I tried to understand more about justice, my influence and how I can be "helpful" I realized doing a short term mission trip as a white person would be more about me wanting to feel good and not about the people I could help. So I took this off the list as I continued to think about social justice. Going to Africa is still on my bucket list though :) 
• For example - I had  a goal to pursue my Licensed Professional Counselor credential. As I started investigating that decision, it was going to cost me more in time and money that I was willing to invest and when I thought about my career and what I wanted it to involve, I intentionally removed this goal from my 30 before 30. 

So now, here is the final iteration of my 30 things I did before I turned 30 (in no particular order)

1. Advocate for something -> I raised money for clean water access in Rwanda
2. Go to Well of Mercy retreat center -> I went in June of this year and wrote about it 
3. Get paid to do a training MBTI or Strengths -> Thanks Heidi for hiring me to do some team building!
4. Scrapbook Crusade year -> It is complete! Come visit and I'll show you.
5. Be a counselor to missionaries -> I got to go in July 2012 
6. Pay off my car -> Just did last month!
7. Visit Kate Schultz in CO -> Saw her in July
8. Visit Lauren and family in MO -> Saw her in September 2012
9. Read 1 book per month  -> I'm on Goodreads
10. Go to an amusement park -> Did this twice!
11. Paint a canvas, not copying a picture -> Put my life motto on a canvas and hung it in my room
12. Consolidate online presence, create organized email! -> Love me some labels
13. Get enough race Tshirts to make a blanket -> did several races and plan to make the blanket before I turn 31

14. Be a mentor to someone each year - leader in church -> I've been a confirmation mentor and am now preparing to become an elder in my church
15. Find a mentor -> I now meet for dinner with a couple different women who mentor me
16. Teach a class -> I have taught BUS 105 twice for freshmen
17. Go to a Christian leader conference -> I attended Passion 2013 and Justice Conference 2013
18. Take advantage of the free grad classes at UNCG, don't stop learning -> I took 2 classes in the master of liberal studies program - Age of Revolutions and Global Human Rights
19. Apply for an international work opportunity -> I was accepted to present at an international education conference in Istanbul Turkey but decided not to attend due to some budget issues and timing
20. Lose 15 pounds -> did it in 2013
21. Visit new cities and countries -> Visited Philadelphia, Boston, Geneva
22. Get involved in Human Trafficking Efforts -> Attended the World Relief Gala to raise money for fighting human trafficking in NC
23. Sponsor a child in Africa through World Vision - Started this after seeing Girl Rising for a girl in Malawi
24. Continue to try new things -> I rode in a helicopter the other day and try to order new foods when I go out to eat :)

25. Live out my motto, reflect on examples -> Here's the reflection from 2012 and I hope to continue this tradition.
26. Tour NC wineries -> My boyfriend planned a day for us to see 3 NC wineries and taste wine. It was so much fun!

27. Continue blogging -> exhibit A.
28. Get next job in career -> I started as Associate Director December 1.

29. Kiss in the rain -> This happened, just trust me.
30. Fall in love -> This happened too with a boy who shares my birthday!  

Reconciliation with self

Recently, in two seemingly different contexts, I've been struck by the idea of reconciliation.

The first instance was in reading When Helping Hurts in preparation for a book club night at my church. I still haven't finished this book but even in the first part the authors conceptualize poverty in a way that is still transforming my views. They point out that as a result of the fall, we are in a state of poverty in 4 ways and are in need of reconciliation in all those ways.

Reconciliation is needed in our relationships with 

God, ourselves, others, and the rest of creation. 

Therefore, our approach to those who are materially poor should be more of an "us" approach rather than a "provider-receiver" relationship. Pretty profound shift in my thinking about how to help others. I have to have a stronger grasp on how I need reconciled in one of these four areas (or all of them!) as I work WITH the materially poor and realize they can help me just as much, in different ways. 

The second instance in which I explored reconciliation was this past weekend when I went to Well of Mercy for a 24 hour retreat. I learned of this retreat center a few years ago when some friends from my church went. It is a sweet place run by nuns in the order Sisters of Mercy and only about an hour away from Winston-Salem. 

This place is sacred space and I went as a personal challenge to engage with God in silence and prayer as part of my 30 before I'm 30 list. Once I got there I learned one of their main purposes is for people to have space to reconcile with themselves. It's actually listed in the guide that talking with others is discouraged and it is an atmosphere of "working silence" where people are actively listening to God and even to their own hearts. I can't say what happens for everyone who goes to the Well, but my time there was glorious and restorative. 

I turned down a gravel road according to my GPS that would take me to the well. I had to slow to only 20mph and still turned up dust in my wake. There were only 2 more turns and past some grazing horses before I saw the sign saying I'd arrived. I pulled in and walked to the only building on the premises. I was greeted by a sturdy and strong hug meant to truly welcome me. This woman was expecting me and and I almost cried at how wonderful that felt. I was given the tour and told where my room was - no key needed and just leave your check in the bowl at the front before you leave. Wow they are trusting. This actually helped set the tone for the entire retreat - one of trusting silence and acceptance. Two sweet docile dogs slowly look up our way as we walk past the hammocks and rocking chairs to see my room. Then it was time for lunch. So shortly after showing up I saw all the other guests at the Well for that day. Without needing to be told the norms, I stood in a circle expectantly with everyone else until 2 middle aged roundish women with short curly hair - one blond and one brown -  had us hold hands and led a prayer before we ate. The food was delicious and the conversation was minimal. Everything seemed to go slower there, but not in a frustrating way, more like in an intentional and respectful way. I excused myself when I was done and settled into my room. 

One of the many hammocks I spent quality time in

I was only going to be there 24 hours so I wanted to make the most of my time and set out on a trail behind the houses, along a creek. The prayer path takes about 45 minutes to walk straight through but I didn't get more than about 5 minutes before coming upon a hammock that I just had to sit in. It overlooked the water and was just a perfect setting to thank God for my time and the opportunity to be with Him in His creation. 

I went to the well out of a desire to stretch my spiritual life and not out of a specific need or crisis. This turned out not to matter, crisis or not, giving myself time to listen to God is transformative. I took my journal with me on my walk/hike and paused to reflect, confess and record what I felt like God was saying to me. It was such a special experience - just me and my God - that I don't want to write it all in a blog post. It seems too sacred and personal for that. I did want to reflect on it to say that I'm very glad I went and want to incorporate this into my self-care my whole life long. It's something worth saving a vacation day and money to do. 

Despite not going into detail in all the truths I was reminded of in my time at the Well, I do have some other anecdotal snippets to share from my time - 

1. The sheets smell just like at my grandma's house, which caught me by surprise and was such a sweet and tender association.
2. I got to go walking in nature, completely alone, with my morning coffee, and even got to talking out loud in the woods - with nobody around. I realized living in a city I don't have much opportunity to do that (and to still be safe and sane).
3. One of the dogs, Hunter, met me at one section of trail and led me through the woods for about 20 minutes before running off. It was surreal how he stayed with me and even guided me when I was at a fork in the path. I would have figured it out, but Hunter wanted to be my guide and nudged me the other direction. 
4. One of the sisters of Mercy who lives there reminded me of my great aunt and my Catholic roots, which was fun to incorporate into my adult faith journey. 
5. It is very quiet all around the Well (rightly so) and I thought I'd want my headphones to play a worship song at some point, but in fact - twice songs popped into my head and were a sweet prayer to Jesus. I even sang out loud in the woods. If you know me, you know I can't sing, so this was a comedic moment to share with God. 
6. They offer massages there but I opted not to use my time in that way. So when I got back to WS I decided to get a haircut, which for me is just as luxurious. Here's my new summer 'do :) 

So reconciliation with self got to be more important to me than I thought. I tend to give myself too much credit for being "self aware" and end up cutting God off from some of what he wants to say. Being at Well of Mercy gave me the space to hear from God and be restored in my soul. Hallelujah. 

An Examination of Justice pt. 3

The speakers are up! Now you can see what I experienced at the Justice Conference

http://thejusticeconference.com/videos2013.html 

Definitely take time to hear from Brenda Salter McNeil - big takeaway -
"Examine your theology and foundation for your thoughts. What you believe about God determines what you think about people."

And Gary Haugen from International Justice Mission - big takeaway -
"Live well loved and let others experience a love that will not let go. A love that conquers monotony, a love that overcomes fear."

An Examination of Justice pt 2

There’s a famous saying, “It’s not enough to pull the drowning people out of a raging stream, you have to walk back upstream and see who’s throwing them in in the first place.”

This was a key metaphor for some of the talks I heard at the Justice Conference. It’s about going to the source of the injustice and engaging in changing the entire system. It’s certainly not the only way to develop a theology of justice, but it does have much to teach us. 

I attended a panel of people who represented minority groups in America. They were well-spoken and hard hitting men who weren’t afraid to engage in the conversation of justice. They honed in on an aspect I hadn’t thought about specifically before. 

Reconciliation

Definition --> To reconcile: to make (oneself or another) no longer opposed, usually considered in terms of reconciling to God – getting right with Him through prayer and forgiveness as described in the Bible. I usually think of 1John 1:9 which says “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

I was rereading this section of scripture and noticed that immediately following the section on how we can get right with God, John’s letter builds to the often quoted love scripture which states

 

The same thing happens in Ephesians, written by Paul. In Ephesians 2:14-16 Paul explains how Christ reconciled by the Jew and the Gentile to Himself through the cross. Then in chapter 4, describes unity in the body of believers and how each of us as a part. 4:15-16 states, “Instead we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfect. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is health and growing and full of love.”

The panelists made 3 big points regarding reconciliation:

1. Reconcile the past in the present
2. Reconcile others to Jesus
3. Reconcile others to ourselves

This was a whole new level of the definition of both reconciliation and justice for me, which I am still absorbing. This puts the onus on us! It changes things. We aren’t helping others only to do the will of God – instead, the act of bring about reconciliation, of pursuing justice, is making ourselves like those we serve.  

True Confession Time: 

As a white woman I realize (and continue to realize) a lot of the privilege I have simply because of our country’s history and to whom I was born. As a Christian I see how the foot of the cross is level for all to come before it.  This makes me ache with compassion for those who have been ostracized in our culture. It makes me angry that I can only relate so much to those I wish to love well. It frustrates me that the barriers in the Triad of NC seem so high I don’t know how to get around them because I live in my own Christian bubble of a reality. As an ideal I want a more diverse lifestyle, but as a practice I’m not doing anything about it. This is one of the biggest challenges I came back from the Justice Conference with and still haven’t figured out where to go with it. 

To end, see this video from a recently deceased activist who was scheduled to speak as part of this panel. His words on a multicultural church both challenge and encourage me. 

Richard Twiss on creating a multicultural church

An Examination of Justice pt. 1

Have you ever defined "justice"? It's difficult to do. I just googled the word and, unfortunately, the first thing that came up was the girls’ clothing store. The US Dept. of Justice also showed up. Google couldn't really help me nail down this abstract idea.

I've been interested in what people call "Social Justice" for a while. I can't pinpoint what started it for me, but it was during graduate school in 2008 and has continued since. This usually brings to mind non-profits who work to help those who can't help themselves, advocacy (another word hard to define), or going abroad to help people in a third world country. I wanted to expand it and really figure out where the rubber meets the road in this thing called justice.

Many of you know I have a 30before30 list that expires Dec. 14, 2013. One of my items is "attend a conference that isn't work related." I blogged in January about Passion 2013 and that helped me check this item off my list, but in addition, I signed up for the Justice Conference a while back. I've been looking forward to it for a while because I wanted to be in a space and time to examine this ideal and learn from people who have explored this way more than me!

This conference was last weekend and I’m still processing all I heard to bring it down to a manageable level. This is the first in a series of posts on justice as I reflect on the speakers, organizations and thoughts I experienced as I journeyed to Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Love, to engage in a long conversation with Christian thought leaders regarding this topic.

The Justice Conference was started by one of the key speakers and here is a brief overview of what we experienced: The Justice Conference is a two-day annual event to promote dialogue around justice related issues, featuring internationally acclaimed speakers igniting a conversation around the theology of justice - an understanding of God should compel love for others and engagement in justice. The Justice Conference has developed into a movement of students, teachers, business people, parents, artists, social entrepreneurs, pastors, advocates and academics all of whom are discovering the paradox that true life is found when we give our lives away on behalf of others.

I went on my own, and on my own behalf to simply absorb and begin to engage in this increasingly interesting and compelling part of my walk in Christ.

Start with this thought provoking video from one of the artists (spoken word) Micah Bornes.

Is Justice Worth It?

Passion 2013

Passion as defined by Dictionary.com - any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate 

 Passion as defined by the 268 Generation - "for your name and renown are the desire of our souls" from Isaiah 26:8

This New Year's I went to Passion at the Georgia Dome with 60,000 other people, 90% who are between the ages of 18-25.  I attended along with students from my local church's college ministry. There we gathered together in worship and heard teaching from authors and pastors including Francis Chan, John Piper and Beth Moore. It was Biblical training with some of the leaders in this nation. 

We worshiped with Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and Kristian Stanfill. It was candy to the ears for all worship leaders, a glimpse of heaven (albeit a white, college-aged heaven), and a time to boldly declare the truths of God. The first night we were requested to yell as loud as possible in order to get those in neighboring Atlanta to wonder what's going on and listen in. Then we continued praising God and declaring his Truths for anyone who could hear. The worship was a sweet gift to God's people and I pray God smiled as he heard it. 

In addition to the worship and teaching Passion presented an opportunity for students to get involved in fighting injustice. This was my favorite part of the conference. I was older than the target audience, and tired quickly of being herded like cattle everywhere I went. But I was a sponge when they spoke of justice. As I've grown and experienced more in my Christian life I am convinced that we are compelled to fight injustice. So as we heard from the president of International Justice Mission, a girl rescued from a life of forced prostitution and  a man who requested we demand products not made by slaves, indentured servants or child laborers - I was all ears! 

All 60,000 of us were challenged with raising money to help established social justice organizations to further what they do and to bring an end to slavery worldwide. According to the State Department there are approximately 27 million slaves in the world today. See what CNN said about this conference here. See tweet below to see how we did :)

 
As I attended, absorbed and contemplated all that happened at Passion I felt the need to pray. As someone who has been in multiple ministries, churches, etc. and seen conferences (I did help plan them for a year) of many kinds, I felt several times at Passion a criticism and judgement sneaking into my attitude. Do we need laser lights? Do we have to scream every time a song ends? Do I have to keep standing? Does it mean I love God less because I want to sit? I don't think so, but I do think I've aged out of the target audience and that I need to do a heart-check on my pride in having "been there and done that." It happens often that a mountain-top awe-inspiring kind of atmosphere like Passion causes people to come back and make changes to their lives, but it fades soon after the excitement and feelings they experienced are buffered with everyday life. So my prayer is that Passion really be the movement it calls itself (rather than a conference), and that the Dictionary.com definition not be what it was to these students - a fleeting emotion but rather a new positioning for their lives.

Dear Father,

Thank you for the students' energy and youthful excitement. Let it be a reminder to all of us. Jesus, thank you for igniting them ablaze in a desire to pursue justice and love mercy. Thank you for their passion. Now Jesus, as Passion (the conference) ends,

Take their energy and excitement >>>> Give them endurance

Take the spark of unity and the flame of worship >>>>Give them an all-consuming fire that leads to worship as a lifestyle

Take the 4 days of intense and in-your-face reminders of Jesus >>>> Give them a lifetime of worship in their decisions, actions and words

 give them endurance, turn that small flame into a sustaining all-consuming fire. 

Take their glimpse into the united church >>>> Give them a deep desire to seek unity in all believers and a hope deferred to heaven.  

God pour out your spirit on those students, all 60,000 of them and give them dedication to the causes that break your heart. Give them motivation from Your perfect love for them to change this world for the better. Let their enthusiasm and passion raise the bar for the rest of us as "adult" life can steal our joy.

In Jesus holy and precious name, Amen.

A Year with my Motto

So about a year ago I attended a seminar called Finding your Passion and Purpose at UNCG. One of the activities we completed was to create a motto for our lives. We spend 2 days doing self-reflection activities to help us discover our purpose. So this was the culmination of the 2 days. Our guidelines were to choose words that have meaning to us and for it to only be 7 words. Apparently there is some evidence to prove that 7 words is easy for us to remember. The result of that task was my motto which now appears in my signature line for any personal emails I send, and is referenced often. I thought it would be fun to look back over this past year of having this motto to see how it has been worked out in real life. So here ya go: 

  Live Intentionally. 

                                      Be For Others.

                                                                      Cultivate Peace. 

Live Intentionally: 

• I created a 30 before 30 list. and have been intentional about creating space in my life to do the things on the list (not always succeeding, because sometimes its easier to watch TV than to read a book a month...)
• This year I've heard several friends remark on my being intentional with them - seeking out time to spend with them or doing something specifically for them (again I am not sure I always succeed in this area, but that's what "they" say)
• I've paid more attention to how I am intentional. I really do have reasons for almost all the things I do. This year I've had some tough conversations with people who have questioned my intentions and I've had to evaluate them. This hasn't been fun, but actually very important. 
• I have noticed this year, since having a motto, that I do in fact live my life with intention in a way that some others don't. This can make my life more exciting sometimes, and more boring other times. But I noticed it most when I meet new people and they comment on something I do or say in a way that reminds me - oh yea, it's because I'm intentional...Ashley Porter knows what I'm talking about in this regard. :) 

Be for Others:

• I went to Greece to be a counselor for missionaries. So while Greece was awesome and traveling is one of the great joys in my life - I went to serve. I wanted to use my skills and education in counseling for the benefit of the body of Christ, and what better way than with those whose job titles are the body of Christ in motion. 
• I responded to a basic need for water by raising $1400 for Rwanda and a new project that gives clean water access to people living in Rulindo. This is exciting because as the project is completed we will get to receive updates on how the money was spent. I was able to get my network of friends and fellow advocates to be for others that we will most likely never get to meet. But we have changed their lives forever. 
• I am trying to simplify my life by getting rid of the superfluous stuff in my house. I've been to Goodwill more this year than any other. I have tried to find good ways of getting rid of stuff, and even paying more attention to what gets recycled and what doesn't.  So I hope I am able to be for others who buy the things I take to Goodwill.

Cultivate Peace:

• This year I think I've had the most trouble seeing this one in my life. Probably because cultivation can take a long time. I may be planting seeds of peace in small ways and won't know about them for a long time. I did put a cool bumper sticker on my car in hopes of helping - it says "Love > Fear" and goes wherever my car goes. So that's something lol.
• I hope I am able to cultivate peace through my work with the high school ministry at my church. I love those students and seek to show them God's love and grace in this world. I find a lot of my time is spent encouraging and reminding them that God's got this, hopefully in turn bringing about some of that "peace beyond understanding" that only God can provide. 

 So I'm very thankful for my motto. I am grateful to God for making me someone who loves language and finding words that resonate with my soul and provide a "soul check" on how I'm living. I like having a motto that makes me question -  Is what I'm doing in a way that fits with how God made me and living into my motto - or do I need to realign myself with who I really am and who I want to be.

If you're still reading to the end of this self-reflection - thanks and enjoy this nostalgic take on the importance of a motto.

Status Update - on my list

I have a list. A "30 before I'm 30" list. And I'm currently 28, 10 months and 11 days old. Recently I took a look at my list. I am pretty aware of what I put, but I needed to just look over the whole list together. Here are some highlights thus far:

• Goal #14 - Blog weekly. Clearly the time between Sept. 16 and Oct. 11 is longer than a week. But I am blogging right now. 

• Goal #9 – Be a counselor for missionaries – Thanks to many of you, that happened this July when I served on the member care team for a missions conference.

• Goal #16 – got to an amusement park – Did that twice this summer. Kings Island with family and Carowinds with Kate. 

 

• Goal #13 - Visit my friend Lauren in MO. I got to visit her on frequent flier miles at the beginning of September. It was quite the cultural experience to go to the public library with a 2 year old...to a Zumba class. And it was great fun to reconnect with a friend while visiting a new place.

• Goal #6 – Get paid to train a team in the MBTI – Thanks to Heidi and her study abroad staff, I was their professional development training in September.

• Goal #15 - I said I would read 2 books a month. I'm actually do great with this one given that I've traveled some (which gave me time to read) and I've included audiobooks on my commute. I've even kept track of the books I read on Pinterest here:

It’s pretty cool to see the progress I’ve made so far. And I’m struck by how intertwined my goals are to the lives of the people around me. Relationships are such a critical part of my life and I am grateful for the life I’ve been blessed with.

Wine, Resumes, Margins and Metahpors - Oh My.

Do you ever stop to think about what you want to be like? Stop to mediate on what God has uniquely gifted you with? I hope so. When I do, I usually reflect and see things in my life that don't reinforce the "me I want to be" (thanks John Ortberg) Recently the word margin has been ringing in my ears as I scramble to increase my productivity in work and life. I need more margin but I also want to make good use of the life space I have.

I edit resumes all the time. I mean all the time! And I've come to have my preferences when it comes to formatting - .7 margins, 11pt font, no extra spaces after paragraphs, the black circle bullets, etc. These preferences have purpose - increase readability, attractiveness, inviting, clean and concise. In my conversations with students I find I have to help them reword, prioritize, and eliminate excess, unrelated or superfluous words.

Right now I need a life resume review :) I was told many years ago to "work smarter not harder" and have tried to hold to that ideal and create healthy work boundaries. So far, I think I've done this rather well. I have consistently maintained a social life while adjusting to my work life after college. I've even found myself helping others face this reality. I've made hard choices in how I spend my time. I've done it.

The thing I notice now is - while I have done it, it doesn't just stay done. I have to stay on guard by sneaky margins and misplaced punctuations.

Tonight I attended a talk from author Doc Hendley who is founder of Wine to Water, a nonprofit that provides clean drinking water to people all over the world. Tonight he spoke primarily to college freshmen who read his book as the summer read. It was a fun environment full of earnest and hope. The students had good questions and were engaged in what he had to say. He was clear that he's just a normal guy who chose to try something and it turned into this nonprofit that has helped thousands of people and perhaps even saved their lives. His passion is obvious and each time he quotes a statistic on access to clean water or the realities of not having it, I get choked up and have to bite my lower lip to keep from confusing all those around me who aren't getting emotional. Something just resonates within me and I know the Holy Spirit is doing something. I have wanted to go to Africa for a while and in the past year God has brought me more and more opportunities to explore others stories, learn more history, see films and read books regarding Africa. I even know some people who live there. When Doc spoke about his time in Darfur and Uganda, he had a few slides of photos. Each one I saw my stomach clenched and I just kept thinking - I need to go and see it. I just do.

Right now I am in the in-between of 1. knowing I need more margin to give the Holy Spirit more room to move and 2. living in overdrive pursuing things that are important, but maybe not MOST important. Steven Covey always talked about "keeping first things first" and it's so much easier to say than to do. As soon as I want a break from being intentional, my priorities get skewed and my life gets rearranged into something not worth writing about. I want to go to Africa before I'm 30 (or at least have the money and the date arranged by then). I want to do it now because I think it's somehow part of my story. I've LOVED the travel God has brought to my life and every time I go someplace new I'm changed a little. I need more margin to allow room fro God to change me more into the "way I was made" (thanks Chris Tomlin).

Until next time. Oh and you can bet I'll be buying some wine from Wine to Water soon :)

Opa! Checked something off my list!

On my "30 before I'm 30" list I said I wanted to be a counselor for missionaries because I thought this would be a cool overlap of my interests and gifts. As of July 24 - CHECK! I did it! 

For an entire week in July I was in an island resort in Greece. And while it was a nice vacation, I wasn't there solely to improve my tan and eat feta cheese (both of which I did do though).

I was volunteering my time to serve as a counselor for missionaries that live and work in Europe. It's a pretty cool program called Member Care in which all the full time staff meet with someone to sort of check in with while they gather for a week to relax, reconnect with each other and rejuvenate before heading back to their homes in places like Macedonia, Scotland and Spain.

I mentioned back in March that I was headed to Greece. But now it's actually happened and it's been a blessing to be used by God in this unique way. God stretched me in Greece through my interactions with the missionaries. While I won't share all the details, I will share that God's faithfulness is evident in His people who are willing to leave their comfortable suburban lifestyles in the US and make a home in a European city where their kids learn multiple languages and it's normal to vacation to Greece. God's grace was evident in the woman who had just won her battle with cancer and used it as a way to open conversations about God in her city. God's goodness was demonstrated in how quickly and deeply missionary kids develop lifelong friendships with each other. It's like He knows they need people who understand being a third culture kid. God's joy showed up in our worship times and through the sweet conversations struck up by the pool or the Aegean Sea. It was a beautiful trip, in more ways than one.

I also got to do a guided tour of Corinth. I'll post about that separately, but many of the photos are from that day outing. I didn't take a ton of pictures at the conference because we were working and were in the same place everyday.

Sprout - to begin to grow

Spring is here. I saw it on I-40 last Wednesday. I saw it in the purple blooms all along the highway and even the calf walking with its mother in a pasture (seriously, it was cheesy but I truly saw these things in succession and said out loud - Spring is here.). Spring always brings about new life, in nature and a new sense of vitality in my life.

You know the time in the life of a flower when it's come forth from the ground, but not yet bloomed? That's where I am in terms of one of my goals (on my list of things to do before I'm 30 - be a counselor to missionaries). Through my roommate, Kate, and her family I learned about the International Mission Board annual meeting for their missionaries each summer. This summer it is in Athens, Greece July 17 – 24th. There will be over 500 families who are missionaries around Europe gathering for worship, fellowship, and renewal. I have been accepted to serve as a counselor on the Member Care Team and meet with individual missionaries to help them process their experiences – the good, bad, and ugly. 

As many of you know, I have a background in career counseling, ministry, and a deep passion to help others develop themselves to the glory of God. Back in 2007 when I was with Campus Crusade for Christ International, I had the opportunity to be part of the conference team running logistics for their European STINT (1-year missionaries) Mid-Year conference held in Spain. I was involved in organizing the schedule and witnessing all that God was doing in those teams. One of the greatest things I witnessed was the incorporation of counselors who met the STINT members individually. I got to speak with the counselors about their experiences and loved what I heard. They were helping people in such a great way. It was one of the confirming moments for me that I should pursue a degree in counseling. It also became one of the things I wanted to do in my own career, one day.

Since then, I’ve finished my degree and have my Nationally Certified Counselor credential. I now work with current college students and get to discuss with them what their goals are. Then I work with them to meet those goals. It is a rewarding career and one that has allowed me to really utilize the gifts God has given me.

Now I'm so excited to see how several things in my life and personality are overlapping in this experience. I now get to do one of the things I've wanted to do since I realized it existed in 2007. It amazes me to see examples of God's faithfulness and His provision for our desires. I pray I don't forget this realization when faced with other unmet desires (like wanting to be married already). God plants seeds so intricately we don't even know they are there until they start sprouting!