In Missouri

While walking in a bunch of California Red Woods, my friend Keeley looked at me and said," Some days it just feels good to be alive." On Tuesday night my friend Lindsey and I went to watch the Sporting Kansas City vs. New York Red Bull game. After the intense draw, fans were invited to sit on the field and watch team USA on the jumbotrons of Sporting Park. As I sat in the center of the field, I noticed that everyone in California (where the game was being played) was shivering. As I was explaining that the lack of humidity in CA allows for the evenings to be cooler, I felt the muggy humidity of Misouri, (well Kansas technically) and I thought it just feels good to be alive. As I wait for a new placement, I like to just take in the feeling of being. I don't know how much of the summer I will spend in Missouri, but I am enjoyinhg the feeling of just being here, for now anyway. I am looking forward to moving to a new place, the new challenges, and new people I will meet, but today I am just enjoying the humidity and the feeling of just living.

RESPECT

Recently I had the privelage of attending an awards assembly at the elementary school that my nephews attend. They both got awards for good attnedance, then the teachers gave out an award for the most respectful student in each class. Ethan got the award for his class, and Landen got the award for his class. I was so proud of them I almost cried. My nephews are so cool.

Do You Know What Is Awesome?

-reading children's literature
-reading literature written and marketed for young adults
-my sun tanned hands
-the paint job on my toenails
-watching Ethan playing with dinosaurs
-sliding down a huge slide at a park with Owen
-Listening to Landen sing "Everything is Awesome"
-Being asked to teach rec at VBS
-having time with friends
-thinking about the how many more friends I will have
-my bed & pillow
-walking home from the bus stop with my nephews
So do you know what is awesome?
EVERYTHING

Rain

Something I missed while I was in California was rain/thunder storms. Yesterday I was all set to go to a high school soccer game when a pop up shower popped up. It looked like the storm was going to cancel the game. Not literally, of course, but it did seem like the game would have to be postponed because of the storm. Then, the clouds cleared up and the rain stopped. The game still happened and it was awesome. We lost, but it was still fun to watch the girls play. Sometimes the rain does not cancel our plans, but it looks like they might. It reminds me of the inspirational quote I saw on a middle school wall, "obstacles are what you see when you lose sight of your goals."

God in the Large House

I have wanted to write something with that title since my days working at Mexico Cinema III. Anyway God is in the large house because that is what theatre the movie God's Not Dead was playing in yesterday when I went to see it. Having spent years working at the Cinema, I know that the credits are the most important part of the movie for multiple reasons. First, everyone who did something for the production of that movie has their name listed in the credits. Second, the credits give the theater crew time to quickly give the house a once over before the next show starts. This time I noticed that the credits dedicated the movie to campus ministries that went to court fighting for their right to express their faith. As both a participant in campus ministries and a leader in campus ministries, I was surprised by the number of campus ministries that were listed. I was instantly thankful that I had never had to defend my right to express my faith. That movie basically displays that missionaries are the smartest and happiest people on earth. And while everyone does not practice Christianity or even their faith expression same way, one thing I completely agree with is that God's NOT Dead.

Transition News

Transition News:  My placement site has asked that I be reassigned.  Not because they don’t like me, but because they consider this a mismatch between the internally focused person they want to fill this position and my gifts and skills not to mention my focus on the missionary program.  So I will be in Missouri for 8 weeks give or take 4.  In those weeks I will have an amazing time.  I don’t know how long I will be home, but I will make the most of it.  I am going to spend so much time with my nephews and other family members, I will go to high school girls’ soccer games, I will go to a Sporting KC game, I will visit my sister in West Plains, MO, I will hold Flint, and will watch Paw Patrol with my O-zone.   

However, I will miss my friends that I have made here.  One of my new friends asked me if I was angry that I had to leave. She asked if I was angry at the way things worked out.  I told her no, and at this time would like to quote Imagine Dragons song Every Night, which expresses my feelings, “If you can find a reason/ let me know/I won’t blame you/ I’ll just turn and go,” and that is what I am doing. 

About 10 months after having my femur nailed, the orthopedic surgeon said that I no longer had to come in for checkups, and that I could walk out of his office and forget that had ever happened. Of course I couldn’t forget.  I have always remembered about my femur, just like I will always remember my time living in California.

Something very important that I have learned comes from the wisdom of a friend, or maybe the inquisitiveness of that friend.  One evening she asked me, “Are you an introvert or an extravert?”  I choked back a laugh as I thought why would anybody ever even consider the possibility of me being an extravert.  

As she defended her question, I realized that she was right, I had never acted shy or introverted around the people who are now my closest friends in Davis.  I went out of my comfort zone, on to a learning edge, to make friends in Davis.  Usually I am brutally shy, but I think that being open right from the get go is a way to build community. 

I have learned that it is important to not be shy.  I am not seeking approval from any one.  It is ok to be an introvert, and ultimately I am, but like most things, I need to claim my United Methodist-ness and be a person of the extreme middle.  I am shy and introverted but I should lean towards extroversion and not being so shy, because I can’t build community when I am not involved myself. 

Grow

I am a US-2 missionary for the United Methodist Church. I do not take my position lightly, neither do the other people who have that title, or who have had the title of being a US-2 missionary.  One of the values of our program is growth.  I looked back at my time so far in California and I have noticed that I have grown.  I am not at all the person who went to interview, training or showed up in California.      

What I see as my biggest area of growth is social holiness.  As I have mentioned before, I always thought that social holiness should take a backseat to personal piety. Now that I understand true social holiness, I see that the two have to balance each other out. 

I have noticed that in this geographical region there are few mega churches, few churches built to support the thousands of Sunday morning worshippers. With church attendance dwindling, these Californians have really figured this ecumenical thing out. 

I was reading a bunch of vital stats from last year in Missouri.  One question asked how many young adults were involved in a group that was for the purpose of intentional faith development.  My local United Methodist Church answered 1.  That 1 was me.  In California I might still be the one United Methodist between the ages of 20 and 30 involved in intentional faith development, but with the ecumenical values I know the handful of Lutherans, the Episcopalians, and Presbyterians, who are also in my shoes.  Hearing about the lives and calls of people who are older than me is infinitely valuable, but living the discernment and journey with others who have calls and are my age is just awesome on a whole new level.      

I have also grown in personal holiness.  When I first came to my placement site, I was not really sure where God was.  I knew Jesus was with me, and already here, but my welcome to this place was not what I had thought it would be.   

I guess I was sort of waiting for someone to quote that song by Phillip Phillips, you know, “Just know you’re not alone, we are going to make this place your home.”  No one ever said that to me.  Even though I couldn’t see it then, I know now that God was right here with me the time.