A GRAND (Rapids) Old Time

Carson doesn't appear in this post at all, though he was around. 

Recently, Carson had a conference in Grand Rapids. He's gone to this particular conference several times, including Valentine's Day of this year and around Halloween last year. He always talks about how I'd like Grand Rapids, but since he's in meetings for the event from 9-9 every day, I've never really wanted to join him. I mean, sure, there's the free hotel thing, but even my deep love for watching random TV in hotels has a limit, and four days of that and only that is just past that point. 

But this spring and summer, not one but THREE close friends of mine from college moved to the Grand Rapids area. Two college roommates and one Reilly Building housemate. 

Now I want to go to Grand Rapids. Obviously. 

So we drove over there (it took us 4.5 hours. Not bad.), I dropped Carson off at his hotel, and drove to where Rachel and John are living, about 30 minutes away from the city. I spent Thursday evening-Saturday morning with them. During that time, Rachel and I had our first Pumpkin Spice Lattes of the season (sure, we both make 800 of them a day, but we didn't want to taste them until it felt like fall). We shopped a little, caught up, had a little Lindsay-feels-sorry-for-herself-because-she-has-poison-oak Blizzard pick-me-up, and had a grand time. Get it? GRAND Rapids? Nevermind. 

Forgive the double chin. That's why more sorry-for-myself Blizzards aren't in my near future.

The morning I left Rachel and John to go back to the city, I had to scrape the car for ice. Just when I think Cleveland weather is the worst... 

I went to Carson's hotel, threw my stuff in the room, and rested until it was time to meet Erica and Molly for a day of exploration. We meandered, walking around the streets before we remembered that we aren't very good at meandering without a plan. So then we had lunch and drove around. 

We ended up at the mall, because Molly had decided that her hair was too long and due for a cut. Here's a before picture of us. In the spirit of full disclosure, this was taken just outside of a public restroom. We ooze class. 

The before and after shots. Yes we returned to the bathroom just for a picture. Yes, we got funny looks. Yes, her hair is adorable and YES, I was tempted to cut mine a few inches shorter when I saw how cute her cut was. 

Hair chopped off, we decided that a drive around the city was a good idea.

"The Joke" - you know how "A blonde, a brunette and a redhead walked into a bar?" Well, look at us, we're basically THAT joke. So we sometimes call ourselves that (mostly me). 

We ended up exploring the hotel. Here's the link.

We concluded our day together with dinner. Unlike the dinners we had in college, this one did not consist of canned peas, fried eggs and popcorn. It was also considerably more expensive. 

I spent the evening watching the random TV I enjoy so much until Carson came back at 11 or so. After he met up with John for breakfast the next morning, we jumped in the car and went back to Cleveland, where we still haven't had to scrape ice off our car. Yet. 

It's Official!

My diploma came in the mail the day after Thanksgiving! 

I walked in May, but since I did my internship over the summer, I technically didn't graduate until the end of July... and yes, that was a few months ago but I guess there was paperwork that needed to be filed.

Either way, it's official! 

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Studies... and it only took me five years to get it!

That Time I Gave My Testimony

This is a post that got "lost in the archives". I saved it as a draft sometime last fall, when I was enrolled in an evangelism and discipleship class at Moody. This was a class that challenged the way I looked at the Gospel and shared my own story. 

For one of my class assignments, I had to write out my testimony.

Now, I consider myself something of a pro in writing out my testimony. How I came to know Jesus, how I've grown, and what God's doing now. I've written this out a lot and had the assignment done in about five minutes.

Then I got to class.

"Who wants to be the first one?" the professor queries.

"The first for what?" we ask, checking our syllabus.

The first to give our testimonies in front of the class, of course. OF COURSE.

Anytime this happens in a class, be it give a speech, make a presentation or sometimes even answering a question out loud in class, I want to leave. Or throw up. Or quit school.

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten this far just to quit over a three minute testimony. Eventually I spoke (I was not the first, but I wasn't the last either - someone told me once that people always remember the first and the last so I try to go somewhere in the middle since I really stink at speaking). I took long awkward pauses to figure out what I would say, my face was hot and probably red. I giggled and said "um". I am every speech teacher's nightmare, but thankfully, I wasn't being graded on my presentation. I hope.

It occurred to me after I had finished that there has never been a time when I've been good at speaking. More often than not, I can write something in five minutes that sounds rather put together. In contrast, I could get up and say that very same thing and sound like a babbling idiot.

And that's when I realized that my days of speaking in public are not over the moment I receive my diploma. I will be enduring this humiliation until the day I die.

God has used this thing more than any other to make me trust Him. I nearly blacked out the first time I gave my testimony in Ukraine. I have read stories of other poor speakers in the Bible over and over for encouragement. I've memorized Philippians 4:6-7 unintentionally, just by reading it so many times in one day. God has used this thing in my life to do things that are small for others but huge for me - I've led crafts in Ukraine, shared in many churches, passed a speech class with an A, passed a preaching class with an A, led Bible studies, taught Sunday School, and given a toast at a wedding. Yes, these are normal things. Small things. To you.


To me, this is evidence that God has worked in this area. Kicking and screaming (figuratively), I have opened my mouth in front of others for my own edification if not for theirs. This thing is something that God continually uses to grow me and to remind me of how far I've come. Baby steps, if not leaps and bounds.

It's going to be in my life for quite some time. I don't think I'll be addressing the world or on live television... but who knows? All I know is that now I realize that this is something that God has used to remind me that He is Lord of my life. It has shown me that I need Him and that without Him, I'd be blacking out in classrooms everywhere. And failing speech. And most importantly not experiencing the growth that He can give when we rely on the Lord.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  
II Corinthians 12:9

That Place

Seven years ago, I boarded a plane for the very first time. It was the longest travel time ever taken (thanks to bad weather and cancelled flights), but resulted in a wonderful trip. 

That trip was to Ukraine, and the very first day that I was there, bouncing down a bumpy road to a little village, I was sold. I wanted to come back already, and I hadn't even left. 

For some reason, God has brought me back there a total of five times, which I can't believe even now. Each time has felt like the last, but for whatever reason, part of my heart is there and I guess I just can't stay gone. 

Year one - a wheatfield on the way to Borkiv (our first camp) with the lovely Kristine. July 2005.

And the last time I was there... January 2009.

It's been three years since I've been back, and I really didn't think I'd be going to Ukraine again. 

But here I am. 

Why am I going? 

My degree is in Intercultural Ministries. Because I'm in the World Missions department at Moody, my internship has to be overseas for at least six weeks. I was originally planning on teaching English in Asia, but then an opportunity to do my internship in Ukraine came up, and I knew it was God. I'm sure I'd love Asia (I really liked China), but Ukraine had my heart first. 

So for the next six weeks, that's where I'll be. I plan to post as often as I can while I'm away and give updates on things that are going on over there, but wanted to give a heads up. 

Pray for my flights over there and for reliance to be on the Lord during this trip. Pray also for Carson, who won't be joining me. He'll be working extra hours and gearing up for our move. 

See you in July!

Graduation

Graduation weekend began with my parents' arrival, but you'll hear more about that in a different post. 

On Friday morning, we had a graduation rehearsal. Dad came with me and took pictures, 

Here we are lining up.

I practiced receiving my diploma (took a screenshot from a video Dad took)

 Graduation Brunch

Moody Bible Institute Spokane Class of 2012 

(our biggest class yet... and you were going to say something about how small it was, weren't you?)

 Everyone who's been at Moody-Spokane at least four years...

Graduation Day

All the Intercultural grads

Naomi and I

Getting ready...

The chaos of lining up

Second-year roommate... one of my favorite professors

   

With our Campus Dean, Dr. Lewis

Rach!

Jamilla

And then... THIS HAPPENED... my most embarrassing moment. My shoe fell off while I was going up the stairs. Plus side - I got the most applause. Minus - I carried my shoe under my arm while I received the diploma.

But I still graduated

Yay!

Afterwards, there was plenty of talk of my little incident, and also plenty of pictures. My face hurt.

All the family that came - wow!

Blonde, Brunette, Redhead

Josie (my last-summer roommate) and I 

Tomato Street for lunch afterward.

This is exactly what happened...

I was exhausted and took a nap after lunch, but we had a picnic at Comstock Park that evening. 

Everyone who stuck it out to the end... there were a few more than this :) 

But the point of this post is... I'm DONE! SO thrilled about that!