Back in Seattle Again, Back in The Saddle Again ...

And we're back. Last week involved a brief interlude with Colorado, which was probably the most fantastic and much needed thing in my life. I was privileged enough to go on an intern retreat alongside other interns from around the country who are a part of the Ascent network. We went to Boulder, CO and then on to Breckenridge for some time to debrief the first half of our internships, and just discuss with one another what we are experiencing, what we are enjoying and what we are frustrated about. It was so good - to simply be around people who understand much of what I'm going through is a blessing. It was also extra fun because I was able to reconnect with a few I haven't seen in a while - interns from Cali and Texas, and also just hanging with the UMin interns, what a blast! Nothing like deep convos, inner tubing and a new nalgene to recharge your batteries and get you goin' in time for the holidays!

Speaking of the holidays, how did they get here already? Talk about a mad-dash for holiday shopping. Yikes. And can I just say, that I hate useless gifts? Or at least thoughtless ones? Really I hate giving thoughtless gifts. Like candles and soap, or junk that can be knicknacks which is equivalent to useless. I like gifts that have potential, or purpose, or practicallity. Basically any gift that can be described with the letter 'p'. I just like giving something meaningful. But then you run the risk of giving a gift to someone thinking it's the perfect thing, and on receiving it they have a kind of 'oh' look on their face with a shelled out thank you that pierces your gift giving soul. But hey, what's showing love if there's no risk involved?

Oh, and holiday seasoning for the soul - I love running into the people I've been meaning to see. Thank you Jesus. Catching up with people is both a favorite and a sadness, because I love sitting with people and hearing about their lives and discussing the process of growing up, but the sadness is it means that I don't get to see these people alllll the time. Which stinks. Nothing like a lack of community to help you see how much you appreciate it when you have it.

Now, please pay attention to the sky. This morning it was gorgeous, in that contemplative kind of way. It made me think about humanity. Is that strange? Okay here goes - Seattle is to overcast as Disneyland is to magical. They come hand in hand. So you can guess, it was pretty cloudy today. But in an especially brilliant way this morning - the Sun was just pushing it's way to be seen through the clouds. And it made me think about us. About how we each have a certain personality, we are who we are. And a lot of times, we are trying to be seen through the clouds - through the things in our lives that seem to be in the way, or seem to muddle the brilliance of our true selves. And how theologically, God has given us this brilliant soul, that Jesus' words about being the light of the world can be seen in us in the same way the sun is seen in the sky. We have blue sky days, there is no question of the warmth and light the Lord provides. On the cloudy days, people might question our light, but it is there - behind the heartache and the frustrations, behind the things that cloud our lives, still shining brightly, and can still be seen fully by the people who travel far enough beyond the clouds to see us - I guess that analogy turns my best friends into airplanes, but hey, that's pretty cool. I'd be an airplane. The only thing is I think sometimes people forget themselves among the clouds, and muddle in the muck and smog rather than wait for the wind to clear the skies and refresh the air. We forget the brilliant radiance that Christ has promised and instilled within us. Don't forget that. And here, take a look at something that cannot fully represent what the morning looked like, but is still a god attempt.
New music update: I don't know how I end up finding more music all the time. I'd say it's a gift if it didn't mean I'd be spending more money, which it always does. Anyway, Jon Foreman, the lead singer of Switchfoot has released some new EP's which are absolutely fantastic, more reminiscent of his 'Let That Be Enough' off of New Way to Be Human. Check them out.

Now friends, I must stop spending money immediately. Fortunately, I think I got all the gifts I needed to get for this season. And as a female at the age of 22, I hereby state it is about time I started budgeting my money. Lord, guide me.

Your promise holds just like an anchor to my soul

Home again home again jiggity jig. I've been home basically every week since Thanksgiving. Even though it's really only been about two weeks since. Which means I came home ... once? I'm really not sure that it even counts, but here we go ...

So basically, I LOVE Relient K and Switchfoot. They are fantastic. And believe it or not the were on tour TOGETHER this fall. I know, what are the chances. As luck would have it, they came to Everett. Is that luck? Probably not, because I'm a ridiculously long distance away. But I ran a proposal by Bill and Claire back in ... September? Asking if it would be okay, as long as I was prepared for the INN on Tuesday, since the concert was on a Monday ... so permission granted. Now, find a ride ... My friend Vince at InterVarsity wanted to go too, and we found Sarah who works on staff in with IV in Moscow and she has a car! Success! The only thing standing in our way now was ... a Sunday BLIZZARD?? Yes. At about 2pm, the weather went crazy. Could not see the house across the street. The power went out around town. My socks got wet. A blizzard.

But did God want us to go to that concert? Apparently yes. Rain Sunday night, clear roads on Monday. We got there just in time to see Relient K, and then Switchfoot. And stayed the night at my house, and left at 8am the next morning. Wow. Home is so close and yet so far away.




So we're back in time for the Holiday INN! I got a chance to play with the worship team, which was a lot of fun, playing guitar and singing. I've always wanted to do it, I just never felt good enough for it. What a joy. And after, we had pictures with Santa! You know, to celebrate Christmas. I guess we could have tried pictures with Jesus, but that doesn't sound quite right ... since we shouldn't borrow babies for pictures anyway ... well, maybe next year.


And continuing on, I cannot believe that the semester is basically over. How time flies! If that's the truth then I must be having fun. No, truly I am having the time of my life. It's gone so fast that sometimes I feel like I'm not really comprehending all that I am learning. And part of me feels like I'll understand it all in time, but part of me feels that I might forget it if I don't consider it now. So here I come, Journal! I love these students, they are full of surprises and challenges and joy.

And one more song for the road - Sandra McCracken, who wrote 'Thy Mercy', also wrote this song 'Rock of Ages (When The Day Seems Long)' which I have just been thinking about and loving. Annie Alldredge sang it last year at the INN, and I fell in love with it at first ... hear? Check it out, I've pasted the lyrics below. Now on to Colorado, nothing like a good intern retreat to help me figure all of this out!

Rock of Ages, when the day seems long
From this labor and this heartache I have come
The skies will wear out, but You remain the same
Rock of Ages, I praise Your name.

Rock of Ages, You have brought me near
You have poured out Your life-blood, Your love,
Your tears To make this stone heart come alive again
Rock of Ages, forgive my sin

Rock of Ages, when in want or rest
My desperate need for such a Savior I confess
Pull these idols out from my heart embrace
Rock of Ages, I need Your grace

Rock of Ages, broken, scorned for me
Who am I that You would die to make me free?
To give me glory, You took the death and pain
Rock of Ages, my offering

Rock of Ages, "It is done," You cried
The curtain's torn and I see justice satisfied
Now write Your mercy here on my heart and hands
Rock of Ages, in faith I stand

Rock of Ages, my great hope secure
Your promise holds just like an anchor to my soul
Bind your children with cords of love and grace
Rock of Ages, we give You praise

Chorus:

Rock of Ages, Rock of Ages
Bind your children til' your kingdom comes
Rock of Ages, Your will be done

Words by Sandra McCracken

Mind stretching, body numbing ...

First off - it says Nov 30th which is when I started writing it, but now it's the 1st, so pretend it says the 1st.

Okay, sorry for the break in updates - last week held the Thanksgiving holiday, and due to Cougar tradition the entire week has no school. Therefore I traveled home for the holidays (as will happen again shortly ...) for about a week. It was fantastic. Allison, one of our students, stayed at my house a couple days which was a blast. Again, visiting home often seems more draining than restorative for my sleeping schedule, but psychologically and emotionally it was invigorating.

On to the bigger and better - today is World AIDS Day. December 1st. Actually the 20th anniversary of the holiday since the issue of HIV/AIDS was first recognized globally. As some of you may know, last year the UW hosted an event amongst its students sponsored by World Vision's Acting on AIDS (a college advocacy challenge). The event was orchestrated to present the visual representation of the 6,000 children who lose a parent to AIDS every day - this was pulled off by 5% of the student body sporting bright orange 'ORPHAN' t-shirts. 2,000 students representing orphans - It was powerful. Needless to say, I'm a little antsy to put together that type of event again. That being said, a few months ago I was checking the Acting on AIDS website only to find the 6,000 challenge - a challenge to re-create that visual using pictures of children affected by AIDS, to raise $6,000 per campus, and to get 6,000 signatures on the 6,000 Challenge Petition (to get congress' attention, increase the amount of aid spent in the Global AIDS Bill, and to make sure that 10% of the budget goes directly to orphans and other vulnerable children).

So, yesterday.

It took quite a bit of planning to finally get to yesterday, but we did it. We used a spot on campus that apparently has never officially hosted an event before - it's called the 'hello walk', a high traffic area in which traditionally you're supposed to say 'hello!' to everyone you pass. It also has good lawn space, important for placing stakes. Thursday night we assembled the 600 children's pictures that World Vision provides you with (each picture to represent 10 children) on kebab stakes and made some signs to place on the trees and such. This morning we arrived around 8am to set it up, and I don't believe at that point it was snowing, but there was definitely snow left on the ground when we arrived. So we staked along the main pathways in the area, set up our table and our signs, and began to engage the passers by. I should mention that this was really able to happen because the INN partnered with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and also with the AFA (African Friendship Association). I don't think there is any way I could have pulled it off on my own.

We made cable 8 news, got 262 signatures, raised about $75 (substantial for coming from the pockets of college students ... dining cards really screw over fundraising), froze our feet to numbness, and felt really good about the whole thing. Yes, it was snowing the entire time. Yes, I could not feel my feet for most of it. Yes it was worth it - to engage in conversation with people about the issue, to give students the opportunity to encourage other students to think about the issue, to know that most of the students who signed were intentional about knowing what they were signing, and that we could be a presence on our campus that causes some people to think about what's going on in the world outside of Pullman. Priceless.

And now the snow has started and has yet to stop. It's been going strong for at least the past 3 hours. I like this sitting in doors thing. It isn't freezing which is a plus. I tried to video some of it for you to see, but I found out my cords don't actually connect to the computer in order to let me transfer video, so that stinks. I'm gonna go figure that out ...

Bloom Where You're Planted.

My refrigerator spoke to me on Wednesday morning. Not verbally, or through my stomach, but by using magnets. Really just one magnet. Bloom where you're planted. As I stood there eating the apple scone the oven was communicating to me with, I couldn't help but be struck by the enormity of that statement. It is simple yet profound, it is profound and in no way simple. Bloom where you're planted.

Let's really think about it for a minute: Bloom where you're planted. We can say this is relevant to me now in my current position (or anyone in their current position) to be present where I'm present. To make the most of my situation while I have the time to make the most of it. I'm only here for a year! I don't want to regret not doing something I had the chance to do. Funny - I was just watching the 1st episode of Heroes (yeah, now I've got the 1st season on hand, don't expect to see me for a while ...) and Milo's character was making a statement to the effect of 'did you ever feel like you were meant to do something extraordinary?' and I honestly feel like that sometimes. And I can't ignore it. I don't think it means I can fly or anything, but we are each capable of unimaginable things (well, really, imaginable things, but you have to have no boundaries or else you'd consider them unimaginable), and if we put our minds to it we really can change the world.

Another image that comes to mind with my plant analogy is that of a seed. That in order for something to grow and bloom, it has to be planted somewhere. It has to be nurtured and fed nutrients, it has to get energy and sustenance and can't just be blown by the wind. You have to be planted somewhere. You have to make some roots in order to really grow, or at least to grow healthy and strong. Where are your roots? Where are you getting your energy? Where are you turning to for life? And is it truly giving you life?

Bloom where you're planted. A cool thing about seeds too, is that if you just find a seed randomly and without it's package or labeling, you don't know what you're gonna get once you plant it. And granted, different flowers grow in different environments, but isn't it cool when you see that out-of-place flower growing among the regular crop? Kind of a diamond in the rough ...
Bloom where you're planted.

Daylight Savings, Can I Make a Withdrawl?

What a week. End. The week wasn't as exciting as the weekend. Let's just be honest. Let's take a look ...
Part of my job here at the INN at WSU is to get students involved in social justice issues, which I am more than stoked to do. But that also involves the matter of finding good opportunities to serve and be in community, as well as advertise it with a college appeal. We found an organization in Spokane called the House of Charity which puts on a cool experience called 'Urban Plunge'. Basically the House of Charity is a homeless shelter that provides meals, a place to sleep, and bottom line, an accepting community space for the homeless. Urban Plunge is a program started by Jerry Schwab, to help educate people on the issue of homelessness as well as immerse them in it. We decided to come and participate last weekend, and had about 9 students come out with us - it was absolutely fantastic. First of all I greatly appreciate the opportunity to join an organization which is already established and well put together to educate and engage people on the issue. Secondly, this was a trip that was for the most part much unlike any City Dive/Urban project I have ever been a part of. Friday night we had a intro chat with Jerry about human development and what can happen in different stages to effect people differently. We then took a walk around downtown Spokane, to see all the different housing areas for low-income people/homeless, as well as the ritz and flash that always accompanies a downtown area, usually within a few blocks of obviously impoverished neighborhoods. The thing that was really different from previous trips I've done in the city, was that on Saturday we spent most of our time in relationship with the homeless. Talking with them. Listening to them. Spending time with them. Often in life if we feel like we need to help out people that are less fortunate than ourselves, we have to do it with money, or with physical labor services. And we also want to feel a sense of accomplishment, so that we have a solid answer to the question of "What did you DO?" When really, the best thing we can do is to be guests in the home of these people. To listen to them and ask them about themselves, a pleasure we ourselves enjoy and a pleasure they may not be used to having. It was so neat to be in conversation with these people and realize hey, they are real people. They are intelligent, and most have faced times and hardships that I wouldn't even dream of. What a great weekend experience. Plus it was a little less than 24hrs, so it wasn't even asking a lot from our college students.

Which I must say something about right now ... the students that came with us on this trip don't really fall into this category, but why is there always the mentality of 'I'm not gonna sign up because I'm going to wait for something better' or 'Maybe ...' I mean HONESTLY, how do you get students to realize they're only shooting themselves in the foot? I have to, week after week, be a walking advertisement for an amazing and beautiful way that students can get away from school for a second, see some other issues that affect the world, put their materialism in perspective, perhaps change their lives, and all with time to spare for homework (which they probably won't even work on ANYWAY ...). Why? Why can't there be more who are thinking, 'Hey, I'm going to take a chance and try to see what God sees in this place' - get away from the 'What's In It For Me?' mentality that Gaffney talked about last spring, and think, what is it I can be a part of, learn from, and how can I get away from myself?!? Not to say those people don't exist, they are just the absurd minority. There are SO many issues facing our world today, so many opportunities to change the world, and we'd rather 'hold out for something better', rather than do something now, joining a movement, maybe creating a movement. And we can even take classes in school to better prepare us for what can be capable of doing. College degrees can be tickets to the world. So yes, study. Yes, take some time for homework, but realize that the time you spend at parties, playing video games, waiting for someone to call you - could be used another way. Remember that the money you spend on coffee, other beverages that will remain nameless, again video games, that new sweater or pair of shoes, could benefit the starving and illiterate.

Okay moving off my soapbox. But before I do, Irresistible Revolution, read it for sure. As for the rest of the weekend, I love that I'm comfortable enough now to call up people and see if they want to watch a movie. So I visited Jen, we watched Fever Pitch, and then I went and played games at Allison's with Kenta and Matt, and it was fabulous. And thank you daylight savings, thank you, for that extra hour. So that at 2am it was really only 1am and I could continue to play a game of wii baseball and still get enough sleep.