Grace and Fellowship Abound

Howdy yall! I’m in my third week here in the DR. It’s been crazy sometimes, good sometimes, and crazy good sometimes. Last week, we hosted Grace Bible from Dallas, TX. This week, we are hosting Fellowship Round Rock (from Round Rock, TX – just outside of Austin). My mind is all over the place. I’m leaving in less than an hour to meet up with the crew, but I have some free time right now, so I thought I would update this blog. So here goes…

God gave me Gabrielle as my mentor during my time with her. I have gotten to meet with her three times now (officially, but I see her around several times per week). She’s a teacher at Makarios for the Pre-K3 group (for the 3-yr old cuties). She’s been a huge encouragement and we connect very deeply. We have shared our testimonies and talked about life down here, family, ways to pray for each other. She challenged me most recently to write out a brief testimony and gospel presentation in Spanish to practice and have on-hand so that I can always be prepared to share. I’m excited to prep that!

We (the interns) got to have our first moto trips to the school. (Although, now that I’m writing this, I’m a pro.) My first moto experience was a bit scary, especially with all of the bumps in the road, but I loosened up halfway there and enjoyed the adventure….with my hands clasped tightly to the seat.

I have gotten to meet a lot of the staff at the school. They encourage me so much because they are so passionate about what they do! Most of them are Dominican. They sang the Makarios school song for us, which (now that I’ve heard it a couple times) always makes me get up and dance. It’s a lot of fun!

We also started our Bible study of James with Margaret and Doug and the other interns, which is proving to be a huge blessing as well as a very unifying and edifying experience for all of us.

We got to spend a day at the beach, which was a good break. Kelly got her entire head braided into cornrows. It was really cool. She kept them in for a couple weeks and just took them out the other day. While at the ocean, I got something in my eye and my eye hurt for several days, but it doesn’t anymore. Also, speaking of beach time, I’ve been getting a lot of sun. If my tanning rate continues progressing at the same rate, I will be darker than the Dominicans by the end of the summer. I also realized that pineapple is a great addition to chicken salad ß free advice for you. And I started reading Blue Like Jazz while at the beach, which I have now completed. It made me think a lot, especially about my ability to make a difference with my individual life and how I need to fight against my self-centeredness.

The Grace Bible group was a blast overall. They were a genuine, great group in general with plenty of spunk and humor. It was my pleasure to lead them in different activities, VBS, community visits, and construction projects. And I was blessed to learn from them, be challenged, and have deep conversations. And we got to have a water day with the little kids in which we filled up two swimming pools in the back yard and got a slip-n-slide out. They didn’t understand the concept of a slip-n-slide at first, but it was humorous and fun.

I got a freaky spider bite that kept growing and bubbling up with fluid, but now it’s basically gone and just have some skin discoloration.

A few of the other interns and I took a moto trip to a cheap restaurant called Balin in the next town over, Montellano. Balin is the name of the guy whose restaurant it is. He runs it with his wife and two sons. His sons are learning English and are surprisingly good. I enjoy the hot dogs and tacos there ($1 each)….they are unlike anything American haha but they are great with the Balin hot sauce. On our way, we had to find motos to take us. Kelly and I found this guy named Cleui (it took me forever to figure out how to say it right), and he has proven to be the best moto chofer around. I actually got to have some good conversations with him recently on trips to the school and church. I found out that he is 23, not a Christian, but he attends a church here and likes the people but hasn’t committed yet. I’m excited to see what God does with him during our time here. He’s a super sweet guy, and I’m hoping he can come hang out with us interns sometime. He wouldn’t join us at Balin our last time there because he “needed to go home and shave first.” They take going out really seriously here….even just to go to the grocery store, people shower and dress up. I try to have just enough swagger to not draw too much attention to myself….it’s a hard balance, as an American girl here usually draws attention regardless.

I have gotten to meet a lot more people in the neighborhood recently, which is always fun and encouraging. They are so welcoming and open. I love it here. I think I might live here forever ßthis is fair warning. The other day, Kelly and I were walking some kids home from playing at the house. It was about a five minute walk, but it ended up taking us a beautiful hour because we talked with the kids’ grandparents for a while and played around more with the kids, then stopped and talked / prayed with Sylvia and Miguelina’s aunt on our walk back. Sylvia and Miguelina are very special to Margaret and Doug. They take care of them a lot because they are orphans and the aunt is not very capable.

I also met this gal named Michelle who is also living in Los Ciruelos, but with the peace corps. She’s really cool and doesn’t get out much. She’s hoping to come to church with us this week.

At church, I met this lady named Theresa. She’s super sweet and gave me a cough drop….they basically eat them like candy here, but I actually needed a cough drop that day.

Lucia, the cleaning lady, has a son named Abrahm who comes here to the Mak house to clean too, and he has a great singing voice. So Lucia got him to sing Happy Birthday to my dad last week. That made my day. He’s sweeping and singing in the room with me as I type this.

We got to check out a new beach for a couple hours this past weekend – Sosua. The water was clear and beautiful. We (the interns) went out snorkeling and saw a bunch of fish.

Yesterday, there was a girl here from Fellowship who wasn’t feeling well. She thought she was going to throw up and was struggling with anxiety, so she stayed back from the construction work. I was able to pray with her and bring her water. I was surprised to see her later in the day, and she thanked me for praying for her and said she felt much better after that. Praise God!

I got to lead my first Zumba class for the Makarios ladies this past Friday, which was a blast. All of the Tamarindo community kids watched through the fence haha. It was one of my favorite Zumba classes to date, despite being 90 degrees. There’s so much energy here! After the hour of Zumba, Kelly and I hiked up Mt. Isabelle for 3.5 hrs. And we didn’t get sore!

OK that’s all for now because I have to go work but there’s more to come soon! And pictures! Love you all and thanks for the support and prayers.

The hills are alive....with the sound of roosters.

6/10/15

The journey begins……on my first flight, a guy elbowed me in his sleep on the plane to Austin. But that wasn’t as bad as having my personal space invaded on my second flight. I was sitting in between two men who insisted on touching me the whole time, even after my several attempts to move away.

It was a great time getting to know the other interns this past weekend on the retreat. I got to watch the sunset at Mt. Bonnell in Austin with Iesha and Brian. It was so beautiful. I was glad Jacob (one of the other interns) had suggested it. However, I got 13 mosquito bites from that excursion. Also, I’ve found that my bug spray makes me smell like a walking citronella candle, but Kelly (another intern) likes the smell, so I’m glad it’s not off-putting to everyone.

I was kind of nervous about meeting the other interns….facebook stalking only gives so much information. When the interns arrived at the Highland house rental property (generously donated by Brian’s dad for the weekend), the awkward introductions ensued. But now, I feel like I have seven new friends. Chad, another one of the interns, is actually from Cedarville too, which was unexpectedly cool. He and Emily and Anna are staying in Austin for the summer at the Makarios headquarters, and Kelly, Jacob, Cole, Win, and I are NOW in the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

During the Austin orientation, we went on a scavenger hunt ending at Whole Foods for our burrito dinner. Then we had more of a formal introduction and received our job descriptions as we picnicked in the grass. I will be a group host, focusing on building fellowship, preparing meals, and supplying for the needs of groups who come one week at a time. I will also help some with the soccer camp, look into the feasibility of alternate energy sources for the school, and lead Zumba for the Makarios staff ladies on Fridays. Jacob is also a group host, and he seems to be an encouraging person to be around, so I’m looking forward to working together.

We had a game night and played Jenga, bananagrams, and catchphrase to have fun and get to know the Austin staff and Makarios summer interns. It was exhausting but funny. We had a rule that whenever you got out in the game, you had to say something interesting about yourself. I talked about scuba diving with Grandma last year.

During the Austin retreat, Kelly stayed the weekend with me at Iesha and Brian’s.

*As I was writing this, I was flying over the Everglades.*

We went to church at Austin Stone, which is a large network of churches in Austin. We went to the St. John’s branch. They serve Dominican Joe coffee, which is Dominican Republic coffee that supports the Makarios ministry. Then we had orientation in the Makarios office, which was in the same building as the church service. Kelly said the building (a community center) was built over an empty lot filled with drug needles…a great image of restoration.

Sharla, a Cedarville graduate and the founder of Makarios, told us about the history of Makarios and how it all began eleven years ago.

Jamie, another Makarios staff member, gave a lot of encouragement to us to serve God in our daily tasks and thoughts. It reminded me of Camp Loucon and our talks there about how everything we do should be worship.

Austin is known for food trucks, so we got lunch from a taco truck near the church.

We also got to go putt putting, take a trip to Dominican Joe’s coffee shop, eat P. Terry’s burgers and fries, and have a prayer time before the end of the retreat.

While we were at Dominican Joe’s, we got our prayer partner assignments. Mine is Emily, one of the interns working in Austin for the summer. She is more of the charismatic/prophetic type, of the mentality that I am often cautious of for theological reasons, mostly because of my opinions about speaking in tongues. But I kid you not, when this girl was talking to me, praying for me, and speaking over me, it broke me in a beautiful way and was exactly what I needed to hear. I had asked for prayer about my emotions and blamed my hormones. She challenged me on it and made me realize that the enemy had been attacking me with feelings of inadequacy, negativity, and fear. She redirected my thoughts to truth and reminded me that I am just a vessel for God and that He loves me and cares and won’t put me in a circumstance and expect something out of me that I’m incapable of. I’m super excited to stay in touch with her this summer and share our experiences and prayers. Also, I made an interesting connection with her because she and Anna go to church with my friend Jaret who I co-oped with!

After the Austin retreat, Kelly and I got to bed around 10:30pm and woke up at 3:15am for our early flight. It was cool how, although we all bought our plane tickets individually, we ended up on the same flights down!

*As I write this, I’m in the Miami airport and it’s almost 11am. Despite my Tex-Mex breakfast tacos at 5am, I’m hungry once again….I’m so EXCITED, especially to meet Margaret and the Makarios kids!*

IN THE DR…

We arrived June 8 with a welcome at the airport by a Mariachi-type band playing before the customs area. Once we got our bags, we were greeted by Margaret, Doug, Lorie, and her sons.

Now that we are FINALLY here, we have been going through another orientation down here with the Becks (Doug/”Paco” and Margaret). We have visited a couple different communities so far. The kids always want a “caballito,” which is a horsey-back ride. We typically oblige. It has been interesting learning about the history of the communities, success stories of individual kids who have grown into hard-working, Christ-centered adults from their experience with Makarios. There are a lot of places in the communities that smell like urine and garbage. There is trash service available here, but it’s usually more than they can afford, so the trash just ends up on the side of the paths.

We have gotten to try out some different food places down here. At one of the places, there was sushi for the equivalent of $3 in US money. I asked Margaret if she trusted the sushi there, and she gave me the go-ahead, so I got a spicy tuna roll for dinner the other night. I had a headache, and the sushi was a bad idea. I got nauseated pretty badly. After dinner, we took a trip to La Sirena (“the mermaid”), which is like their Walmart. I wasn’t feeling well, so Margaret and Kelly and I just got a few items and came back to the Mak house early. It was perfect timing when we got back because I needed to run upstairs and barf. Goodbye sushi.

We have met several of the Makarios staff now and several community members as well. One of the staff members we met is Benjamin. He’s a Dominican who used to be sponsored by Compassion International and later worked with Compassion. He said he could definitely pull some strings for me to be able to see my Compassion child Angelica earlier, so that’s promising. The email Compassion sent me told me it takes eight weeks of notification beforehand.

The animal life is flourishing here. There are cows in the yard next door. I plan to frolic with them in the very near future. There are also a lot of chickens and roosters. The roosters make their presence known. Today that occurred at 5am.

I’m excited to take the public transportation for the first time Friday on the moto. They are basically guys riding motorcycles who charge you to ride on the back and take you places. They also have carritos (Toyota Corolla cabs) and guaguas (vans) to ride in.

I’ve seen God a lot here so far. I’ve especially seen him in Kelly, my roommate. She’s so self-sacrificial and joyful. I have also seen God in how Margaret and Kelly were so helpful to me when I wasn’t feeling well (the night of the sushi upchucking). I also saw God recently in Margaret when she got so emotional about her friend Miranda going back to the states after serving here for a couple years. The bond they have is definitely from the Lord. Margaret also showed Christ to me in how she held a neighborhood girl accountable to make good choices during her free time this summer. I’ve seen God a lot in the kids here as well. In both of the communities we have visited, kids always run up to us, give us flowers, hold our hands, and ask us for “caballito” rides. One of the girls couldn’t find a bloomed flower to give me so she picked a bud for me and pealed back the green bud to reveal pink petals. She also found some beads and an “estrella” (a broken piece of plastic that kind of looked like a star). It made my heart melt.

We’ve also had some hardships here, but nothing unbearable. For several hours, we didn’t have water at the house from the faucets. So I wasn’t able to shower when I would have wanted to, but at least we still had drinking water from the botellones (giant water jugs). I have gotten over 50 mosquito bites, but now that I’m taking a B vitamin supplement, I think that’s helping. The heat makes me not feel as motivated to work hard, but I’m glad it’s so warm and beautiful here. I’m trying to focus more on loving others and being more self-sacrificial and gracious, which is easier than otherwise with such a great mission family here with me. The wifi is super flakey, so that has been kind of annoying, especially with trying to get information about my dad’s surgery recently. But I’m glad to be disconnected from electronics as much as I am.

This just in…. Kelly (Kenny) and I (Juanita) went on a walk to a store (un colmado). We got a little lost on the way there and ended up outside a house of about 10 rambunctious kids. Most of them were loudly playing dominos, and the rest were watching and hoping to jump in on the next game. We interacted with them a little bit then we were disrupted by a scary dog fight. I think the kids were laughing at us because we got scared when that happened. Then I asked a girl where the colmado was, and she told us to follow her on her bike. She took us a couple blocks away to the colmado, which was super nice of her. Her name is Adriana. (I’m trying to remember names and hopefully interact with the same people throughout my time here.) Kelly and I got gatorades at the colmado. They were green, which was unusual to us - mango verde flavor! It was delicious. Then we walked back to the house, saying “hola” and “como esta” to many along the way. When we got to our street, we met a woman named An (not a typo) who was out on her porch. We talked with her for a good five to ten minutes. Kelly is a bit better at Spanish than I am, but I can surprisingly hold my own in a conversation. We talked with her about her kids. Her son Estephen comes to the Makarios house to play sometimes. And she also has a very cute shy 3 yr old daughter and an infant. She invited us in to see her baby, who was napping at the time, and my heart leapt for joy within me. When we went back out to the porch, I asked if there was anything we could pray for her about, and she said there wasn’t anything. She said she goes to a catholic church and believes in God but isn’t really into religion. I’m hoping to really form a relationship with her while I’m down here, and hopefully God will use me in her life in some capacity. She was playing music from inside the house, and I recognized Enrique Iglesias’ song “Bailando” when it came on because it is one of my Zumba songs. I asked her if she knew Zumba. She said she went to Zumba with her mom before and would like to practice it more. I showed her a couple steps to that song. She said if I ever led Zumba in Los Ciruelos (the name of our community), she would come. When I came back and told Margaret about our talk, she said I definitely should host a Zumba day at the Mak house for women in the community towards the end of my time there once I had formed relationships with a lot of the women in Los Ciruelos(!)

Dinner is on its way…….quinoa and chicken and beans for me, cheesy enchiladas for the other interns. Yum!

Side note to my dad…there are no poisonous snakes or spiders here J

Don't Mess With Texas

And so it begins…

On Tuesday, I was just a mere human. Now, I am a mere human in Austin, Texas! I have embarked on this grand adventure. After flying on the extremely looong (hehe, 30 minute) flight from Dayton to Chicago, being unintentionally elbowed by the sleeping man beside me, I arrived in Chicago. It was a really neat, artistic airport. I wish I could have spent more time exploring it, but I had to focus on the task at hand: travelling to Austin, TX for our orientation retreat at the Makarios headquarters. Makarios is the organization I am interning with for these next two months. It is a missions-based internship in the Dominican Republic, working with a school for impoverished students in an area of sugar cane plantations and 100 degree heat. A lot of the students’ parents came over from Haiti to work on the plantations, which affords them their humble, shack-dwelling lifestyle. It’s an understatement to say that I’m excited for this journey ahead! I don’t know exactly what my tasks will look like yet on a daily basis, but I’m looking forward to helping in the name of Christ in any capacity I can.

At the Dayton airport, about to embark on this journey

Chicago airport groovy walkway

So….Here I am! I made it! I arrived in Austin on Wednesday night (June 3) around 10pm and was warmly welcomed by Iesha, one of the Makarios employees I interviewed with, and her husband Brian. They picked me up in their large, black, very Texan pickup truck and took be to their adorable apartment in the heart of downtown Austin, near the state capitol and the University of Texas. They invited me in, showed me to the guest room, and made tea for me in the kitchen. I sipped the tea as we chatted about life stories. I enjoyed hearing their love story and about their ministry here in Austin. A lot of what they talked about reminded me of the book The One (by Ryan and Amanda Leak – I highly recommend it); both of their family mission statements are “Live generously.”….and before last month, I didn’t even know that families made mission statements.

I'm in Austin and have a bed!

Since I got here a couple days before the intern retreat starts, I have some free time to explore. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet up with my friend Zeeke, who is now a youth pastor at a church here in Austin. We walked around downtown, choosing a place to go to lunch. We eventually decided on Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar, which I highly recommend for anyone looking for a meal in Austin, TX. I got the shrimp po’ boy, which was delicious. Eating also got our parking validated, so that was a win-win. Then we went to the Hope Outdoor Gallery, which is an outdoor graffiti park. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and it was a breath of fresh air (contrary to the fumes normally associated with spray paint). We hiked to the top of the graffiti park and had a great view of the city.  There was also a guy there selling a homeless newspaper called The Challenger. Since I am familiar with similar programs in Cincinnati and Ann Arbor, I decided to support the guy and give him a couple bucks for the paper. However, now that I’ve read the publication, I think they would need to change a lot of things before I would support the paper again. The bad grammar I can get over, but it was also filled with foul language and stories celebrating drug use. You live and you learn I suppose.

Food at Perla's

Hope Outdoor Gallery

Once the retreat starts Saturday, I will be all-consumed by this trip (in a great way). On Monday, I will be in the Dominican Republic!!!! FYI, if you would like to keep in touch with me these next two months, I won’t have phone service, but I will have wifi. Aside from email / facebook, I highly recommend getting the Voxer app J ….Skype doesn’t work so well with the wifi there. 

Keep the prayers coming! And let me know of any prayer requests I can be praying for for you as well.

Kissing Kitsch Goodbye.

            Before this class, I didn’t know what “kitsch” was and had never actually heard the term before. However, once I was awakened to the idea of kitsch, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Thoughts of kitsch helped me to search for more meaning in my daily activities and relationships. Thank you, Belliveau, for opening my eyes to this idea.

            So, what is kitsch? According to the article, “Kitsch and the Modern Predicament,” by Roger Scruton, "Kitsch is pretense. […] Kitsch art is pretending to express something, and you, in accepting it, are pretending to feel" (3). The idea of kitsch applies to art, literature, and life in general. It’s the idea that pictures, being as mass-produced and effortless as they are today, carry with them much less meaning than the original paintings which took so long to make. Essentially, kitsch sucks away meaning and authenticity to leave behind only a make-believe, cheap substitute.

            I was crying at one point this semester after we had spoken about kitsch in class, I started thinking about why I cry – and why people in general cry. I came to the conclusion that sometimes words seem so befuddled by kitsch, and have thus lost meaning, to the extent that the only way to authentically describe our feelings is through tears. As a deep thinker, I often feel deeply as well; and, our English language, as vast as it is, doesn’t often do justice to what I’m really feeling. I find myself more likely to cry when I’m overcome with emotion and don’t know how to articulate it. I feel that if I attempt to use words, people won’t understand how deeply I have been impacted, regardless of my intonation or facial expressions.

Taking this idea a step further, I feel like our tears can lose meaning because of kitsch as well. It’s the same concept as the boy who cried wolf. If I cry often enough, people do not think my tears have any meaning. They might even feel manipulated by my tears, like I am intentionally trying to get them to sympathize with me by looking like a weepy buffoon. But the thought of that just makes me want to cry more, to be honest.

The idea of kitsch also applies to the news. It explains why people are so numbed to the pain of others in the world. Hearing about tragedies and suffering on the news has become commonplace – so overly “kitschified” – that drastic events no longer elicit a response. However, by recognizing that kitsch is the reason this has occurred makes me contemplate how life should be and how the pain of others should cause me to grieve and pray on their behalf. In that aspect, though kitsch can be depressing, I find hope in striving towards how life is supposed to be.

I also had the delightful joy of contemplating kitsch this semester with a male friend who I have starting a beautiful friendship with. He had this class last year and remembers the concept of kitsch well, so we had some great discussions about it. From talking to him, I realized that literally everything is tainted with kitsch because of our culture. We also discussed our fears that other people think of us as kitsch. I told him I didn’t think he was kitsch at all, and he said the same to me, but the words of one don’t rightly speak for the masses. Thinking about kitsch in the context of a dating relationship takes on a whole new meaning for me. There’s so much in our culture about relationships. We all know several other people in dating relationships to compare to, and, even more than that, romantic relationships are all over the media. It’s so difficult to know what to do and how to do it because of kitsch. How can we be authentic instead of being “just another Facebook relationship”?

Even in regards to communication in dating, kitsch can be a pitfall. My friend is currently dating a delightful young fellow, but sometimes she complains to me about how she wishes some things would change in their relationship. One of those things has to do with kitsch. You see, he will send her pictures sometimes, which makes her feel special, like she gets to be a part of his life wherever he happens to be. However, oftentimes, after he sends the picture to her, she finds it on his Facebook. There’s nothing wrong with what he’s doing, but his communication with her loses meaning once the picture is mass-produced for all to see online. I reminded her that intimacy fuels romance, so it makes sense that when he squelches the intimacy of that communication, she doesn’t feel as important. And it’s all because of kitsch.

            I’ve also been thinking about church services in regards to kitsch. It’s easy for me to assume that church is tainted by kitsch, so I don’t need to try to feel or think while I’m there. However, then I remind myself that’s exactly what the enemy wants me to think. What God wants me to do is to counteract any ounce of kitsch to find the meaning that He wants me to find from the service, apply it to my life, and make an impact for the Kingdom!

            I’ve also been thinking about Easter in relation to kitsch, since Easter was only a couple weeks ago. It is easier to accept the kitsch version of Easter that is often sold to us. With the kitsch version, we can know what happened but we don't have to internally feel the weight of the cost, the depth of the love poured out for us, or the beckoning of our hearts to respond. It's easier to focus on the Easter bunny - even on the risen Savior and eternity - than to truly recall, just for a moment, the sacrificial and intimately relational love of the Perfect Lamb. But when we do, when we transcend beyond the kitsch and allow God to direct our hearts to the authenticity of Good Friday, then Easter Sunday is more than beautiful - it's mind-blowing and life-changing. It means that my life has meaning, that I am special and loved, that my hope is rightly placed in the Lord, that I will indeed be with Him soon - in the presence of the best love. It means I can boldly and humbly serve in the confidence of God's promises. He won't stop at any cost for me. He won't withhold a blessing. His love covers me. 

            I’m about to embark on the journey of post-college life. I am starting to get emotional, thinking about not seeing my Cedarville friends, being afraid of living out my faith in the journey ahead, and daunted by the huge transition right in front of me. I realize that a lot of other people won’t understand my feelings. Even if they have gone through it before, they are detached from it now. Plus, so many people are posting about graduation on Facebook. The kitsch aspects of our culture just focus on what’s good about graduation: celebrating and moving on with life. However, I need to strive for authenticity even when I know that others expect the kitsch remarks that are easier to give. I need to resist the fear of expressing myself. People are craving to authentically feel, and joining in life together can lead to that. However, it takes trust, perseverance, humility, and vulnerability. Even if I deeply feel something, if I’m too afraid of what others may think of me or too prideful to be seen as emotional, whatever I say is going to come off as kitsch.

            To conclude, I want to talk about an interesting social phenomenon I became aware of a couple years ago. My friend was a student at Western Kentucky University, and she and her friends would hang out at the Christian Student Fellowship house. Every so often, someone would evoke “real talk.” For instance, someone would say something like, “Hey Mary Kate, real talk. How are things with you and God?” By saying “real talk,” they were acknowledging kitsch tendencies and saying that wasn’t what they wanted. Let’s seek real talk. Let’s seek authenticity.

The End is Near!

[Disclaimer: I haven't really proof-read this, and it's really late at night, so please don't judge any spelling/grammar errors as insults to my intelligence.]

Well, it's December 29 already...the end (of 2013) is near! It's been a crazy, awesome, adventurous, confusing, rewarding year. This year has been so full of LIFE that it makes me wonder what God has for next year. It seems this journey keeps exploding with more and more of the abundance He offers. I definitely have made mistakes this past year, but He has taught me from them. And I'm excited to keep learning and living and saying "YES" to wherever He calls me. And I pray the same for each of you reading this. 

Bear with me here, cuz this is gonna be a longer post...got three months to talk about here haha.

Since we last talked (my last post):

I went to a really cool worship night at U of M's campus with my friend Christine. However, before we actually went to it, I met her at her apartment complex. But before I went into her apartment, I was sitting in my car eating a taco (it was National Taco Day - thanks Dad for informing me). When I was done eating my taco, I noticed someone walking behind my car when I looked in the rear view mirror. She seemed unstable. When I looked at her closer, I noticed that her eyes kept closing. I thought she was about to pass out or was sleepwalking or something of that nature, so I got out of my car to see if I could help her. I asked her if everything was okay and told her why I was concerned. She nonchalantly told me with a smile that she was fine. Then I noticed she was smoking a joint. This was my first interaction with someone smoking pot, I realized, but I decided to take up the opportunity to talk to her because my friend was not going to be ready for a few minutes anyway. She told me her life in a nutshell, including the fact that her husband was about double her age and a professor at the university. She said she thought I was basically the same person as her and that I should come over and smoke pot with her and her husband and some other people sometime. I told her I wasn't into that kind of thing. She said she had just assumed I was because of the way I dressed. Evidently I dress like a pothead. Anyways, I gave her my number and told her about our church down the street that she seemed interested in. I still haven't heard from her, but I have prayed for her...seemed like she was going through a hard time. After that strange encounter, I went to the worship event with my friend and definitely felt God moving there. We had the humbling privilege of praying with a couple other girls who had just lost their friend that morning to brain cancer. It was for sure one of those "for such a time is this" kind of days. And one of my co-op friends (who I never would have expected to be into churchy kind of things) heard about the worship event from me. He didn't end up coming that night, but he came to church with me and a group of the other co-ops every week after that. And then God slapped me over the head and reminded me that he came for EVERYONE.

At work, I had a random encounter with a co-op friend who came by our facility to work on a project. I was talking to him during a lull in our work, and we got on the subject of exercising and being healthy. He said he drinks protein shakes. I told him that I, in general, thought those tasted nasty and that I tend to go for protein in chicken, quinoa, and beans. His surprised response was, "Oh, you eat meat? I thought you were nice." Then we had an interesting discussion about worldviews. He said all of the nice people he had met before me were vegetarians. However, his family is Muslim, so I think he's used to being around a different group of people. Funny thing though, I asked him if he was vegetarian, and he said no. I'm still planning on having a more faith-oriented discussion with him. He seemed really interested in my spirituality, so that's always encouraging when people notice that.

I also went on the Walk to End Alzheimer's in Ann Arbor. I heard that a group from Toyota was doing the walk, so my friend Netsanet and I signed up and Toyota sponsored us. We got sweet t-shirts and walked proudly for a great cause. My Mamaw had dementia (related to Alzheimer's) before she passed away, so it is an issue dear to me. Everyone we talked to at the walk had stories of a loved one with the disease. It definitely makes me look forward to the future though when there will be no more pain, suffering, disease. 

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." - Revelation 21:4

Photo op with my favorite animal during the Alzheimer's walk

By far the best movie I saw during the semester of Michigan shenanigans was GRAVITY. If you haven't seen it, please do. I can pretty much guarantee it will enhance your life. Although, some of the co-ops that don't enjoy thinking deeply about life would have rather watched Anchorman, but I think it still enhanced their life whether or not they realize it. You can't sit through that movie without thinking about the meaning of life and where you are going when you die. Sandra Bullock did a great job, I must say.

I finally started the Mark Bible study at work I had been planning on. We got into chapter 5 of the book of Mark by the end of my term. There were five of us women involved. It started out only three though, so I was encouraged by the growth. And they plan to continue the study even though I won't be there anymore. I was so honored to be used by God in that way, and I was definitely blessed by each of those women. I feel like I have gained several mothers, but no worries because I mean it in a wonderful loving way rather than an annoyingly nagging way. And now that I think about it, I should have gotten a picture together with them, but I didn't think of that. So you will have to take me word for it that they exist. 

I ran my first 10K this fall. It was called the RunScreamRun. Can you guess why? Because we were running and screaming and running. That's why haha. It was Halloween themed, so my friend Netsanet and I decided to dress up for the haunted race. We went to Goodwill and found kimonos. Diversity comes in handy! Seriously, Canton, MI is one of the most diverse place I have ever lived - love it! Our friend Dan was a ninny and didn't dress up, but at least he was fun to run with. 

Nets and I nearing the finish

Me, Dan, and Netsanet after the race

The creepiest creepy thing I've ever seen

I recommend doing a haunted run if you are trying to improve your speed.

Full body shot of the creepster.

The run was held at Wiard's Orchard in Ypsilanti, MI.

Beautiful shot of part of the path....photo cred to Netsanet's friend for all of these.

Yes, that kid ran in that large outfit the whole 6.2 miles.

I was going for the Mulan look - Mike, don't insert your anti-feminism comments here.

That same weekend, my friend Jacob was visiting. Funny thing, all the places I took him in Ann Arbor were places that I hadn't yet been to. So it was exploration for both of us. We went to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, which I highly recommend, and ate grapes that we plucked for ourselves and explored some cool trails. We ate lunch at the notorious Zingerman's deli - delicious bbq! Then we went to the farmer's market across the street and picked up ingredients to make homemade chipotle-style burritos. One of the ingredients that wasn't on the list however was a hot chili pepper. However, a guy offered one to Jake, so he ate it. I think really he was just trying to show that he was as hardcore as I was for eating the habenero back in August. After his tongue was no longer on fire, we proceeded with the day's events of cooking for my cousins and taking them to Sky Zone. However, by mid-day, I had developed quite the painful blister on my toe from the RunScreamRun, so I didn't participate much in the trampoline park of Sky Zone. I won't go into the details of my blister, but it was the worst one of my life. So I wasn't the happiest camper (well, for a number of reasons), but I was really glad Jake was there watching the kiddos with me, and I know my cousin Kyle enjoyed the World of Warcraft discussions. Thanks for the visit, Jake!

At Frita Batidos restaurant

Looking poised in the botanical gardens

We found the violin wolfman outside the farmer's market!

Also this term....there was a bit of an incident at work. It's kind of humorous right now but was not so humorous at the time. So what happened was, I needed a large order of parts to come in for me to take to the supplier. I had been waiting all day. They were supposed to be there by noon (well, really they were supposed to be there the week prior, but anyway...). Of course, they didn't show up till around 3:30. So right when the shipment comes in, I get the guys in the back to load it up in the back of the Tundra for me. Then I right away book it to the supplier. Once I get on the highway, I turn up the country tunes and have a wonderful jam session with myself. I cherish times like that because they don't happen that often during the busy work day. Periodically, I was looking out the rear view mirror to keep an eye on the goods. I noticed that the plastic wrap that was starting to get wind trapped underneath it. A few moments later, I had lost three boxes of prototype car parts on the highway. I immediately pulled over on the left side of the highway (and chanted "God help me" over and over). (There was too much traffic to get to the right side of the highway.) I watched as the boxes got ran over and decided it was better for me to reorder some pieces of plastic than to risk my life playing frogger on the highway. Plus, the Tundra is such a big honkin truck, that I wasn't entirely out of traffic. So I got back on the road and took the nearest exit, examined the goods at a gas station, and took the rest of the parts to the supplier. When I got off work that day, it was after 7pm, which is pretty late for me. The next day was interesting too when I had to explain what happened to my manager and everyone else involved with reordering the parts. But it all worked out, so I can laugh at it now. But that was probably my most stressful day of work this whole term. Then I had some store-bought, high-sodium pad thai and watched the Avengers with a friend to make it better. 

That weekend made up for the stressful week though. I went to Cedar Point with a few other co-ops for the Halloween jazz there. I actually really enjoy standing in line for hours because it makes for great conversation. However, it was about 40 degrees that day and raining and we were not prepared for that kind of nonsense. So we ended up buying gloves and ponchos from the gift shop. Definitely a memorable day! And the next day, I got to meet up with several of my favorite man friends at Culver's on their way back to Cedarville from their weekend of dirt-biking! (Thanks Mike for organizing that!) I'm so glad that worked out. I'm always encouraged just by being around them, even if we are just talking about not showering for several days or whatever the conversation may be. 

Cedar Point kiddos! (Me, Albert, Kristi, Jason)

I started helping out with the youth group (Catalyst) at Grace Bible Church in Ann Arbor in October. One of my first events with them was a scavenger hunt ("Amazing Race") through the city of Ann Arbor. It was a really cool way to get to know them as well as the town. Plus it was just random and hilarious, so I enjoyed it. My favorite thing we had to do was Christmas carol at a random house...keep in mind, this is October.

For Halloween, we were allowed to dress up at work. Most people didn't take advantage of this, but.....you guys know me. I took the opportunity to wear the kimono again. Keep in mind that I work at a Japanese company (Toyota)....so it was a risk, but it was a risk I was willing to take despite jeopardizing political correctness. I didn't realize this meant I had to get my picture taken and sent out to the entire Toyota Technical Center. Word to the wise, that's what happens. 

Flaunting the kimono...and steel toes.

Theresa, me, and Kevin (aka Indiana Jones with a crystal skull)

Halloween night in Canton was a rainy mess. But you would be surprised how many children were willing to brave the rain in costumes for some free candy. I helped hand out the candy at the Belveal house with a friend of mine, which was so much fun! The best idea was to throw on a clear trash bag over the princess dresses and such so that the outfits were visible and the rain wasn't such a problem. 

[I'm realizing that this post is going to take a long time to read. But it also took a long time to write it, so please continue trucking along. It also took a long time to live it, so consider that.]

My friend Jaret found a groupon for a scuba certification course, so I jumped on that with him. The only setback was less time to train for my half marathon, but it was worth it. So for the first three weeks of November, I had scuba class every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 10pm. We got to go scuba diving at a local indoor pool, and we got to listen to a really funny man lecture about the Benz and such. I passed the final exam, so now I just have to actually do my open water dive to be certified. I decided it was better to not do that in the frigid November waters in Michigan, so I'm planning on spring break. Although, Jaret and I are both planning on coming back to Ann Arbor for a summer co-op term, so we will probs scuba together in the great lakes this summer. 

I also took a couple homeless guys to dinner. Now, before you get your panties in a wad being all concerned for my safety, I will let you know that I took at least one other trusted co-op guy with me on both of these instances. And God was so in it! I am actually itching to do it again. The biggest thing I noticed is that homeless guys can TALK. I think they don't have people that sit down and actually listen to them often, so it was a blessing to be able to give that attention to them, as well as a warm meal. The one guy said it had been years since he had been in a restaurant. The conversations were definitely interesting. And I was humbled by the biblical knowledge and faith of one of the men, John. Everyone has a story, and you can learn something from every person. Just many times we don't listen. [Note to my male Cedarville friends....I will probably try to persuade you to do this with me next semester.]

Toyota hosted a "Lunch & Learn" lunch meeting called Managing Difficult Conversations. It sounded like a helpful session, so I went to it. Basically, what I heard was "how to manipulate people and conversations so things go your way." And most of what they said to do were things that are natural to do anyway if you have Love in your heart...just with a different (selfish) mentality. The Bible is definitely the best life coach out there (although, pastors and wonderful Jesus-loving counselor friends are helpful as well). 

This semester was full of many firsts.......some I wish didn't happen (read on), but nevertheless. One of my first-time experiences was going to CANADA! I went on this epic trip with several other co-op students. First, we went to Niagara Falls. Then we went to Toronto and shopped around the St. Lawrence Market and went to the top of the CN Tower. On the way back to Michigan, however, we got caught in a snow storm. This was not just any snow storm. This was an unexpected snow storm. One minute the roads were clear with a chance of flurries, and the next minute, the highway was covered in a solid layer of snow, causing me to spin out. I was driving three of us, and I was in the left lane when I started spinning. At first, we did a 180.......we were facing oncoming traffic with headlights coming right at us. I thought for sure it was the end of my life. I was at peace about it, but I still tried to get us to safety. We kept spinning, and I kept using my brakes. Miraculously - and I do not use that term lightly - we ended up on the right shoulder of the highway, facing the correct direction to drive, totally stopped, and totally safe. Netsanet was in the front with me, and we just kept saying over and over "THANK YOU GOD!" After my hands stopped trembling and I didn't feel the need to continue vomiting apologies to Nets and Cleveland, I got SLOWLY back on the highway. I was only going 40mph then, but the snow got worse and worse until literally it was a blizzard. I could only go 20mph at that point. It was practically zero visibility. One minute, we would be in the right-most lane, then ten seconds later I see the barrier wall 5 feet to my left. So we took the first exit we came to, and there was one hotel off that exit. We made it to the hotel and got one of the last spots in the parking lot. We used the computer inside to look up the weather. The snow was supposed to continue overnight without letting up. And there was NO way I was going back out on the roads in those conditions. So we asked for a room. They were booked because of the wedding going on in the hotel. But they let us sleep in the lobby on couches. When we woke up in the morning, there were about thirty people who had slept in the hotel lobby due to the storm. And then I realized that Canadians can be quite hospitable. They gave us free coffee AND helped shovel out my car from the two feet of snow it was buried under. Eventually, we made it home safe and sound. Stupid lake effect snow......no more driving through Canada in winter, especially with my front-wheel drive car.

Having fun with the light display near Niagara Falls

Me and the rest of the gang at the falls. I look like I don't belong, but I really do.
Scout's honor....even though I'm not a scout.

Good thing I remembered where I parked!

For Thanksgiving, I didn't have to travel as far as I usually do. My grandma always hosts Thanksgiving, and she only lives an hour-ish from my aunt and uncle's house...much better than the trip up from Kentucky. In the morning, my mom, Laurel, aunt, uncle, Kyle, Emma, and I ran the Turkey Trot 5K in Canton, then we went over to Grandma's for the rest of the day. It was a whirlwind after that. The Detroit Lions won the Thanksgiving Day football game for the first time in ten years! I played catch-up with the relatives - much "What Does the Fox Say?" talk with the Fox side of the family. Black Friday shopping in the morning was fun as usual, my favorite part being the breakfast afterwards with my mom's old high school friends and their daughters. From there, we drove down to Berlin, OH to explore Amish Country before my half marathon there. Leah and Eric met up with us for dinner at Pizza Hut (sorry Leah, yes, I did NEED pasta).

My Half Marathon was a fantastic, hilly, 30 degree mess. It definitely lived up to the hype. I finished in 2:18, which I thought was great for having all of those seemingly endless, steep hills. And I kept my goal of not walking! And the commemorative block of cheese they gave me at the end was lactose free, so I could eat it! My favorite part of the event was having my sister, mom, and grandma there supporting me. They even made signs! In fact, one of my Christmas presents from my mom is a frame with several pictures from the event.

After running 13.1 miles! (And raising $100 for ActiveWater)

Laurel, Grandma, Me, and Mom after the race

The next weekend, I went on a ski trip with the Belveals and my grandma up to Shanty Creek, MI. It was my first time skiing this year, and it was definitely a blast. It was great chill time too.....talking, eating, playing games with the cousins. Their cabin is a great retreat.

The view from the cabin

The next weekend, I desperately needed to see Layla. Layla is a wonderful friend I made of the summer when I went to the UP with Mike and the gang. She is a family friend of the Brittans. So I figured I could kill two birds with one stone by visiting the Brittans and Layla the same weekend in Kalamazoo. So we planned out a weekend visit. However, the roads were awful with snow everywhere. If it weren't my last chance to visit this semester, and I didn't so desperately with to talk to Layla, I probably wouldn't have gone. Plus, Mike wasn't even going to be there because he was out in Arizona doing mission work at a Native American reservation. But I went anyway (probably against my better judgment, with the roads as bad as they were), and had a wonderful and much-needed visit with Layla and the Brittans. We went to dinner and saw the Peter Pan play in downtown Kalamazoo. And Layla showed me the glassblowing shop. We had life-giving conversation. I enjoyed Layla's church on Sunday and lunch. Then I headed back to Canton that afternoon, so it was a short visit but definitely worth it. Although, hopefully the next time I hang with Mike's family, he can join in on the party.

Layla and me waiting for Peter Pan to start

Frolicking downtown in the snow and decorations before dinner

My final week of in Michigan went exceptionally well. In fact, I don't think I could have imagined it going any better. I got such a fantastic evaluation that even the co-op coordinator was impressed. Evidently, nobody usually ever get's 5's on the evaluations at Toyota. I accepted an offer to come back for the summer in chassis design. I gave my final presentation to the vice president of TTC nearly flawlessly. And the Belveals took me out for dinner on my last night! We went to Antonio's, which is a wonderful Italian place with great bread. And when we got home, they gave me a super sweet gift: a leather-bound 2014 planner with my name embossed and scripture for each day! I couldn't have thought of anything better - it was so perfect!

Then I came home for the break! My friend Albert lives in Florida, so he stayed at the house for a couple days on his way down and got to meet my family and bff Mary Kate! It was a great weekend of shopping, exercise, Mexican food, church, going to the Bengals game, and visiting with grandma.  

This year, for the Christmas Eve service, I got to serve communion, which was such an honor. Really, what Christmas is all about is symbolized perfectly in communion! And that way, I got to go to two services and see that many more people who I have missed during my escapades across the country (and the world) this year. We did our traditional Christmas stuff with mom at the house then my sisters and I went to dad's place in Lexington for the afternoon. We had a glorious feast, exchanged old stories, gave gifts, and watched a movie.

Leah, Dad, Me, and Laurel cheesin

The enthusiastic passengers, Leah and Eric

And......here's some random, fun stuff:

Mustache Day at Toyota for Mustache Movember!

Getting excited for next semester (Tuesdays and Thursdays will be a party)!!!!

This is adorable, so I had to share.

I also took a road trip with my mom and Laurel the past couple days! We went down to Paducah, KY to visit Aunt Lucy and the rest of the Quimby side of the family. Friday was my Great-Aunt Lucy's 89th birthday! She is such a sweet woman, and I definitely can see why my dad reveres her so much. Then for part dos of the road trip, we went to Nashville (original plan was Knoxville, but that was further than we thought)! I watched the UK vs. UofL game in a hotel gym while I got my workout in. Then we went to the Wildhorse Saloon for dinner, billiards, and plenty of country line dancing! I was glad I had gone there with Mary Kate before and knew that my mom and Laurel needed that experience. This morning, we went to church at Cross Point in Nashville, and it was so perfectly what I needed. My favorite part of the message was that we didn't need to be afraid to do what God is calling us to do because if He wants us to do it, He will enable it!

Inspiration for the everyday

FUTURE:

- After my mom comes back from skiing tomorrow, we plan to get pedicures (much needed after all of the running I've been doing). 

- My mom's bday is New Year's Eve! (Happy 49th, Mommy!)

- Planning on doing whatever New Year's stuff Laurel wants to do

- Going on a trip to Virginia with Laurel to visit Uncle George, Aunt Kim, and Grace

- Coming back to Cedarville (on my birthday) then classes start the following day. But I can sing Taylor Swift's 22 song all the time, so that will make any of my frustrations in the next year much better. 

Other things to look forward to: 

- Rooming with Katelynne - another engineering gal who will be in all of my classes :)

- Reuniting with friends at the ville!

- Figuring out summer plans (I know I said Toyota, but the Dominican Republic is a possibility)

- Spring break - visiting Susan in Mississippi, visiting Grace at Pensacola, Scuba certification in the Keys!

- Crying when some friends graduate in May

- BOLIVIA! Installing a well and sharing Jesus for a week this summer!

Hoping to:

- Join up with jail ministry again

- Take homeless people to dinner like I did in Ann Arbor (with a couple other dudes, no worries)

- Get back into Zumba

- Fall in love all over again with Jesus in a new way

- Stay in touch with family, Grace, Mary Kate, and co-op connections better

- Join a Bible study of friends (Lindsay?)

Mantra of 2014: Duck Feathers......In the words of my wise friend's mother, "Let it roll off like water on duck feathers."

Cruisin' and Bruisin'

Oh. My. Word. Time flies. So much to talk about! (With some pics this time)

Things are in general going really well. I've only had a couple emotional break-downs so far in the adjustment process, but I feel pretty leveled out now. And work was getting boring, but it's picking up and I keep gaining more responsibilities that make it interesting. I have to make an extra effort to keep things hush hush now though because I'm working in prototype development for Toyota and living with a Ford employee (my uncle).

Just to prepare your brain, here's the order of discussion points: ultimate frisbee, UK update, Emma's soccer game, She's the Man, church, middle eastern food, welcome lunch, barn party, hiking, sermon, art institute, software training, being sick, Ekiden run, pizza pasta, kayaking, half marathon training update, painting, church, Emma's birthday, and future plans.

Ok. Ready?

So this cat Jaret emailed all the co-ops, yes all 60 of us, and organized an ultimate frisbee gathering on a Tuesday after work. The only people that showed up were me and him. It was all the way out in Ann Arbor, about a half hour drive for me. But I like to go do fun things and run around. I enjoy ultimate even though I need to work on my catching/throwing frisbee abilities. So when we were waiting around for the other people that never came, we started off throwing frisbee. Then when I realized it was more like me playing fetch with him because I couldn't aim straight, we switched to football. We had a good time of fellowship and such, talking about church and living out our faith in the co-op scene. And after about half an hour when we decided nobody else was going to come, we left. Cool story, now go make me a sandwich? Sorry for the anticlimacticity (yes, I make up words) - remember, this is real life, not Hollywood.

I talked with this nice lady, Amy, from UK, and she gave me some more insight about transferring (still not finalized, but I still feel called to go). So now I'm in the process of getting syllabi from all of my engineering professors to see how my credits will transfer. Dr. Brown and Dr. Norman are the ones I'm still waiting on if anyone wants to go pressure them, much appreciated. On the upside, my Cedarville friend Joe Franklin's new girlfriend (woot woot!) goes to UK and will gladly hook me up with the scene in Lexington.

I went to one of my cousin Emma's soccer games a couple weeks ago. Turns out it's the only loss they've had so far this whole season. Perhaps I'm the opposite of a rabbit's foot when it comes to luck, because that's what it seems like lately. But it was great to be there and cheer her on as well as to have some chill time talking with my aunt on the sidelines and meeting a super nice soccer mom, my cousin's best friend Grace's mom.

I had Christine and Thomas over for dinner. They are fellow co-ops. It was my first solo attempt at grilling, and I was pleasantly surprised. Except I evidently burnt the table with part of a kabob....oops. We decided to watch a movie after dinner. And Thomas had never seen She's the Man, so Christine and I took that as a golden opportunity to get him to watch the beloved chick flick. Then Thomas left and Christine and I went hot tubbing and she stayed the night so we could carpool to church in the morning. Thomas has expressed interest in coming to church with us but he hasn't yet.

The church we went to that week was called North Ridge Church, which is the first megachurch I've ever been to. It was literally like a concert inside with the seating. And they had overflow parking across the street that people took shuttles to. Great service, and God is definitely moving there. But for a regular basis, Christine and I decided we would stick with Grace Bible Church in Ann Arbor.

After going to North Ridge, Christine and I checked out this cool Mediterranean food place called La Pita. It was absolutely delicious. I came home and was telling my aunt about it, and my aunt said that they stopped going there when it had closed down. Evidently it has new owners and a new name now, but it used to be run by a guy who was funding terrorists with the money from the restaurant, and he's currently running from the feds. But hey it was good food.

I had a "welcome lunch" at work a couple Fridays ago. All the engineers in my prototype development team and I went to Izakaya Sanpei in Canton. It's a really cute Japanese restaurant with delicious food. Thanks Toyota! And it was a good way to get to know the engineers away from their desks.

That night, I went to a barn party at Chelsea Fairgrounds, hosted by U of M Cru. The other co-ops that went were Jaret, Netsanet, and Christine. It "was a hot time in the old town" that night. Lots of square dancing and line dancing. I have never held that many guys hands in my entire life. And I carved a pumpkin with Netsanet's face in it. Sometimes I call her "Nets," whatever I feel like in the moment.

The next day, we went on a hike. But most people got lost trying to find the park we were going to hike at. So we waited around for quite a while for everyone to get there. In the mean time, we went in the nature center and looked at the turtles. And the guy working there came out and let us hold the turtles (Dad, I know you're reading this....set your phone down so you don't drop it) and the snakes. And he showed us the hawk they keep outside. It was a great day of nature. The hike was really good too. Not much compares to hiking, fresh air, and talking with new friends. Then we all played ninja (thanks to Camp Loucon I'm moderately skilled at this). I'm sure all the people that came to the park that day thought we were crazy, but it was great fun.

Then we went out to dinner at this Egyptian restaurant called the Blue Nile in Ann Arbor. They don't use utensils to eat there. You scoop up the veggies and meat with the tortilla-like bread. So yummy. And then I drove K'Ehleyr home because she needed a ride. She's a cool girl, but I didn't really know her before that day, so it was a cool time to chat and get to know her better.

Church that weekend was great. It was a sermon about John the Baptist. They are in a series about doubts, so this sermon was aimed at the doubt people have of "If God is good and powerful, then why doesn't he save us from all the suffering in the world?" And we dove into the passage about when John the Baptist was in prison. Even though he had spent most of his life preaching about Jesus, he doubted when he was in prison. He sent his followers to Jesus to ask him if he was "the one that was to come" AKA the Messiah or if there was someone else. Jesus told them to go back and tell John about everything they saw and heard....the dead rising, the lame walking, the blind seeing. In essence, Jesus was saying, "I'm the Messiah. Look around you. And I'm doing great things here, totally capable of saving you." But then Jesus didn't save him. In fact, John the Baptist was beheaded. Evidently, it wasn't about John the Baptist. Jesus was involved in a greater plan. And it's not about us. Sometimes he does save us from suffering. But sometimes he doesn't. But he did something greater when he saved us on Calvary! So even when he doesn't send the cavalry, he still saves through Calvary. Boom. Good stuff. I needed a reminder that it's not about me.

Then Nets and Christine and this guy Josh and I went to the DIA (Detoit Institute of Art). Detroit recently went bankrupt, so there's rumor that the DIA might be selling off some of its pieces, so I'm glad we got to see it when we did. It's so huge and so fantastic. We were there for a few hours and we only made it about halfway through the place. I think my favorite area was the modern art area. I like to figure out what all the meanings are too, so the religious artwork was especially interesting and powerful to me. All day long, though, I sounded like a cartoon character because I barely had a voice. I was getting over my cold, and I had lost my voice the night before when I drove K'Ehleyr home.

Then I had software training from Monday to Thursday for four hours each morning out at the Saline location. And I work in Livonia, so it was a lot of cruisin around town last week. I definitely learned a lot in the training and hope I get to use what I learned. It was cool too because I got to eat lunch with the other co-ops that work out there, which is the majority of the other co-ops.

I babysat the kiddos last week while my aunt and uncle were at a banquet shindig. So I took Emma to her soccer practice and decided to stay and help out. Probably due to my experience at Camp Loucon, I was able to learn all the names of the girls on her team in the first five minutes that I was there. And it was a lot of fun. Those kids are so full of energy. And of course, soccer is the bomb diggity. I'm thinking someday I want to be a soccer coach for sure. It would have to be with young-ish kids though because I'm not incredibly skilled at soccer. But I know enough to coach and I think I would be good at it.

Friday was the Ekiden in Ann Arbor, which is a race based off of the one they have in Japan every year. We had 48 teams, at least one from each department. I was the anchor of our team. It's a relay race, and the first and last people run 1.4 miles, and the middle 6 run 0.7 miles. It was great fun. We definitely didn't lose and we definitely didn't win (dang five minute milers - no offense Dubie). It was cool to be on the same running team as our VP too. He was very encouraging and thanked us for running. It was also in partnership with an outreach called S.O.S., based in Ypsilanti. We donated 5,000 items, and Toyota donated an additional $5000. I'm trying to plan a volunteer outing for the co-ops to go there and help out. I saw on their website that they have tutoring programs for homeless children among other things, so I think it would be a good thing for us to do instead of our typical fun-hunting, money-wasting excursions.

Then for dinner that night, I made pizza pasta for the fam. Basically, baked pasta with pizza sauce, pepperoni, tomatoes, garlic, onions, and cheese. It was surprisingly really good, especially for not using a recipe. So I think I'm on my way to being a chef. Not sure what I will make this week, but I've set the bar high.

Saturday, I went kayaking with a bunch of the co-ops. We did double-kayaks because there had to be one person per kayak with rowing experience. Near the beginning of our route, there were a bunch of man-made rapids. On the fourth one, my kayak and another kayak were about to enter the rapid at the same time; so, in an effort to avoid a crash, Netsanet (my friend riding in the front of our kayak) and I paddled backwards to let them go first. But we ended up hitting some rocks and going down the rapid backwards, hitting more rocks on the way down, and capsizing out kayak. We weren't wearing helmets, but we were wearing life jackets. The water was shallow enough to stand in luckily though because my friend Nets is not confident in her swimming abilities. We ended up scraped and bruised, but it was memorable. And nothing serious. We got back in and were fine after that. We learned our lesson and tried not to be too close to other kayaks near the rapids.

Then we went to Chipotle. Fortunately, I brought spare clothes to change into. Netsanet was not as wise though, so she was a bit uncomfortable. I was so glad people wanted to go to Chipotle when I suggested it because I had been craving it for a while. I've never had a burrito there that I didn't like.

Then I came home and ran 8 miles. Half marathon training, for the win. Remember you can help my fundraising for Active water: https://activewater.myetap.org/fundraiser/Africa/individual.do?participationRef=3357.0.255731741

Then I came home and finished the painting I gave to my cousin for her 9th birthday. She's a figure skater. So I painted a girl figure skating on our Grandma's pond. It was the first picture I've completed for about 6 years. I'm hoping there's more where that came from.

Church was incredible again this past weekend. The fantastic usual pastor was out of town. So they had the director of the U of M Cru step in. God definitely spoke through him. And now I want to go read the book unChristian that he referenced in the sermon. One of the main things he said is that we are clay pots. We are cracked and fragile. But we need to be open about our cracks, because then our treasure inside our clay pots (God) shines through more brightly. His power is made perfect in weakness. We know we don't have our act perfectly together and never will, so we shouldn't try to fake it. We need to be real with each other.

Then we had the family birthday party for Emma. It was good stuff. Got to see the grandparents and catch up. And good times re-meeting my aunt and uncle's friends. But among all of the adults talking, I saw Emma being bored. I thought that wasn't cool since it was her birthday party. So I sat down with her and we played Guess Who :)

Yesterday, I had lunch with a coworker named Kristin. We went out to Thai Bistro. I had red curry, and it was the perfect amount of spiciness for me. And I think that was my first time eating eggplant and bamboo. And she had a really good apple salad. I have been so blessed with the people I have met up here. Kristin is definitely one I am thankful for. She is so kind and encouraging. It was great to sit down and connect with her and see pictures of her kids and talk about real life stuff instead of just work.

This morning, my Aunt Jen threw out her back. It usually gets better after a day when this has happened in the past. But instead, today I just got worse throughout the day. So please pray for her.

Stay posted.....here's a sneak peak of future plans: get involved with the church youth group, go to co-op soccer gathering (with my old mentor John's old co-op / now full-time engineer Laura), dinner with Rachael and Andy from Cedarville (Toyota connection with Andy working for a supplier up here), Walk to End Alzheimer's, Cedar Point trip with co-ops, RunScreamRun Halloween 10k, starting a Bible study at work