I was talking to a friend last night and decided that my new ice breaker is going to be "One time I ate ______." So no more awkward silences. They will now be filled with random comments about scorpions and dog meat named snowball. :)

I feel like God has shown me so much in the past year. I left Auburn and all of my friends a little over a year ago to come to my mom's and prepare to "travel the world" as so many say. Well, I know that I have still seen very little portions of it but I am so incredibly blessed to have had even that opportunity. It no longer seems awkward to introduce myself to a stranger and have a conversation with them. It's simply nice to be understood again; although, I can't lie, I loved trying to sort through all of the chinglish.

A tidbit about me.. children have stolen my heart. Kids of all ages. They're indescribably precious. Have you ever noticed that no matter what a child does, it's so much harder to get/stay mad at them than other adults. Children seem to have the world figured out in all of the simplest ways. It makes me sad to think of how much of that we forget as we get older. We should maybe listen to them a little bit more often.

Matthew 11:25-26
"At that time Jesus said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.'"

Real?

I was looking back through pictures of my time in China just now, and I found myself in a few pictures.. but I barely recognized me. I looked so different. And it took me a bit to figure out what it was that made me look that way, or what about these pictures looked different. And then it hit me. I looked.. real. No mask, no fear, no frustration. Just real.

"I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. 28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming." 1 John 2:26-28

As I looked through more, I felt like I could really SEE it.. the fact that God could use us the most in our weakness. The beginning of my time there, when I was wasn't trying to impress anyone (didn't know anyone to impress), but really just trying to relate without words at all, was when it seems like I could relate the best.

At a loss..

For the world I can't think of what to write about. I'm tired of being here, although I know I should be doing something. The question is what? I spoke about my time in China at my home group last week, and it went well other than my overactive use of the word "um." People are starting to think I'm crazy for talking about missing colder weather. I miss my bundles of jackets and scarves.

I was up at 2 AM this morning to go on a road trip with my dad. We went to Centerville and back, delivering logs. Admittedly, I had experienced a bit of nostalgia as we broke into Oxford and I saw all the city lights. I did enjoy the storm we drove through (moreso because I wasn't the one driving), but I enjoyed the fog afterwards even more. We made it to the other side of the storm about the time it started getting light enought to see outside and it reminded me so much of the last part of Pride and Prejudice. It was gorgeous. It was a fun trip. :)

Forgotten...

So yeah. I forgot about my blog for a while; although, I really have little new information for you. Being back in the States is... I don't really know how to describe it. Boring for the moment. I'm job searching (like probably 3/4 of the population here). I've applied to Shorter University in Rome, GA for this Fall. I am baby-sitting, pet-sitting, cleaning, and lots of little odd jobs to stay busy. I've also decided to spend time studying different cultures and languages while I'm out of school. I'm one of those strange people.. it bugs me not to have school work to do. :) I guess that makes me a bit of a geek?

Sigh. It's been a little difficult to readjust to things here, and I have my "China days" where I feel like doing nothing but concentrating on friends there and everything that happened during my time there. But it's going.. ok. I'm still learning, and growing. And Dad has used my life on the other side of the world to open doors to talk to others here that I never would have imagined. He's always faithful.

I apologize for neglecting my blog for soo long. :/ I guess it happens. Love ya'll!

Out and About

Today I went to the Fu Xing nursing home for probably the last time. I adore the people there. Three of the older gentlemen became family members!! PTL!! One of the little old ladies is reminds me quite a bit of one of my aunts. Both have/had Alzheimer's, and both are/were amazing. The last time I went to Fu Xing, the lady there thought I was her daughter, and in the midst of feeding her an orange, she stopped eating and made sure I had a bite as well before she would eat any more. She can't walk anymore, due to a pretty bad fall that injured her hip and ankle, and it's dampened her spirits a bit. Any pr's would be welcome. I'm so sad to be leaving these new friends. It was difficult to hear today that one of them has passed away in the past month, but he was in a lot of pain, and had accepted Dad, so I know he's in a better place. Dad has shown me so much through their precious lives, and holding hands and talking to them has made all the difference in the world to me, and I hope to some of them as well.

A New View

So I realized today after walking a few miles that my attitude has changed a bit in the past seven months. When I first arrived, I wasn't thrilled to even have to walk to the bus stop every morning, which is maybe a half mile at the very most. Today, a friend and I had lunch, and after discovering that she had no patients, we decided to take a walk. We walked at least a few miles, but it was really warm today (40s), and it felt incredible, so I didn't realize how far we'd walked until my friend commented on it. I felt like I could walk forever! Walking is not the only way in which my view of the world has changed, but it's certainly a noticeable one. I also have learned what it means to be patient (potty training tends to teach that), how much of a treat it is for some people to be able to come in to the city, and how beautiful and incredible Dad is in every aspect of our lives, as well as the fact that He has control over every situation.

I was walking a few days ago, looking for a certain bus. I had gotten off of one and was looking for my connecting one. Anyway, the directions I had written down for myself apparently weren't the best. I got lost. I took a turn, found a bus yard where my bus was parked and felt like jumping up and down.. until 20 minutes later when I finally asked someone and found out that the buses do not start or end there. :( So I was once again lost. I left the bus yard and continued down the road until I came to an intersection. I wanted to go straight until I found a bus. The "common sense" in me thought that if I started making turns, it would be harder to find the main road again. However, I felt a small little voice, just once, say "left". So after a few steps, I went back and turned left. At the first intersection I found the bus I was looking for. :) I have no doubt that the small voice was Dad. He's just good like that.

So incredibly blessed!

Today has been amazing. I guess it really started last night though. I received an email from a friend about plans for when I arrive Stateside (in roughly 3 1/2 wks), as well as having a second friend invite me to either a baseball or basketball game not long after I return. I can honestly say that it was a answer to pr to remember that I'm going to have people to talk to, and that I felt like I was walking on a cloud. I have been blessed with some of the most incredible friends in the world (although, I'm admittedly a bit biased)! =)

So I started talking about today and ended up at yesterday. Today... I taught English, learned about Chinese New Year, shared my week with an awesome accountability group, and went to a nursing home with a pretty awesome group of people! I haven't laughed as much as I have today in a LONG time. Smiles are contagious. It's official. My Father is the most amazing one I could ask for and I love HIM beyond compare!

38 sticks of level 3 "coffeeness" is the best way to start your day. Just sayin.










Adorable? I think so.