Often, I forget that "the ordinary" is also incredible. Since I posted last, I've come home from Bolivia, spent the summer working at an urban farm in Harrisburg while living at my parent's farm, and moved back to Messiah College for my final year. I joined a new ResLife staff, completed 2 half marathons, deepened friendships, and enjoyed cooking for myself, my roommate, and many other friends. In general, I've really been enjoying my senior year. Although classes require work, I really do love learning, and I find the topics interesting.
The semester came to a close, and now I have had a few days to reflect. My most recent journey has been a short one physically, as I came home for Christmas break. Home is a mile away from where it used to be, but still within the same incredibly tight-knit community and family. I have spent at least 2 hours each of the past 4 days out on the pond, ice skating with various friends and family. These moments of life are precious. My nearly 5 year old niece is absolutely enchanting, and slips across the ice in her double-bladed skates. I love being with her, and observing her constant curiosity about the world.
To be honest, sometimes it feels strange to be home. I'm not the same as the young girl who grew up here. I have changed since I've been at college. I believe a lot of that change is positive, but I have to figure out how the "new me" interfaces with this place I call home and these people that form my community.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Love... what about it?
So tonight our team devotional was about love. How does that play out in a cross cultural situation? How do I demonstrate love to people around me when I don´t know them or much about where they come from? One way, a very significant one, is to listen to their stories. And to remember, as I am listening, that God has created their story in a very specific and creative way, and he has great designs for their life. I love to hear how He is working in so many lives...
How is he working in mine? In so many ways, although I haven´t yet found specific words or stories to demonstrate the depth of what he is teaching me. I feel like a lot of it is subconscious this time. I feel very comfortable here, in this beautiful country of Bolivia. Other than missing people, especially my family, I really could go on living here indefinitely.
Being here in Cochabamba has been a marvelous experience. Praise Jesus that Josiah, the eldest Lindquist son, is rapidly improving after his surgery a week ago. Continue to pray for rapid recovery.
John, Emily, and I have been getting to know each other really well this past week, and have especially enjoyed our British team member: Ed. We have great fun laughing at one another´s idioms, and learning about Bolivian culture through his eyes. He is a wonderful man of God who was willing to leave his beloved wife and daughter for a week to fill in here as our supervisor due to the extra "excitement" within the Lindquist family. Other members of our research team include Chris Putnam, a Messiah alum, and Jose (or Pepe), our jefe (boss). He is wonderful- keeps us on track, does a great job of representing FH well within the community, and keeps us laughing at lunch. A random fact about him is that he likes to top his favorite bolivian dish of potatoes, meat, etc. with his special salsa- a concoction of ketchup, mayonaise, oil, salt, mustard, and... COCA COLA!!! That´s right... he didn´t ask Emily and I for a nutritional analysis of that one!
Every day this week we have collected between 42 and 62 boxes of 5 vials of water each from various sources in the periurban community of Uspha Uspha. These sources include 50 gallon drums outside of homes, from drinking water, and directly from the filter that we are studying. Each of these vials must be placed on a shelf where we wait anxiously to see if it changes color, indicating the presence of fecal bacteria. Let´s just say that when we empty these vials in preparation for the following day, we have a fan running and all possible windows and doors are open! We have been learning about doing chemistry outside the lab, in the real world.
Pray that we will continue to show love to those around us...
Thanks to every one of you who has taken time to read this. I'm heading off to bed now!
How is he working in mine? In so many ways, although I haven´t yet found specific words or stories to demonstrate the depth of what he is teaching me. I feel like a lot of it is subconscious this time. I feel very comfortable here, in this beautiful country of Bolivia. Other than missing people, especially my family, I really could go on living here indefinitely.
Being here in Cochabamba has been a marvelous experience. Praise Jesus that Josiah, the eldest Lindquist son, is rapidly improving after his surgery a week ago. Continue to pray for rapid recovery.
John, Emily, and I have been getting to know each other really well this past week, and have especially enjoyed our British team member: Ed. We have great fun laughing at one another´s idioms, and learning about Bolivian culture through his eyes. He is a wonderful man of God who was willing to leave his beloved wife and daughter for a week to fill in here as our supervisor due to the extra "excitement" within the Lindquist family. Other members of our research team include Chris Putnam, a Messiah alum, and Jose (or Pepe), our jefe (boss). He is wonderful- keeps us on track, does a great job of representing FH well within the community, and keeps us laughing at lunch. A random fact about him is that he likes to top his favorite bolivian dish of potatoes, meat, etc. with his special salsa- a concoction of ketchup, mayonaise, oil, salt, mustard, and... COCA COLA!!! That´s right... he didn´t ask Emily and I for a nutritional analysis of that one!
Every day this week we have collected between 42 and 62 boxes of 5 vials of water each from various sources in the periurban community of Uspha Uspha. These sources include 50 gallon drums outside of homes, from drinking water, and directly from the filter that we are studying. Each of these vials must be placed on a shelf where we wait anxiously to see if it changes color, indicating the presence of fecal bacteria. Let´s just say that when we empty these vials in preparation for the following day, we have a fan running and all possible windows and doors are open! We have been learning about doing chemistry outside the lab, in the real world.
Pray that we will continue to show love to those around us...
Thanks to every one of you who has taken time to read this. I'm heading off to bed now!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
A Fantastic Week
A few simple sentences can never explain a cross cultural experience. There are too many moments of learning, too many wonderful people that I have met.
To share a quick highlight: meeting my sponsored child, Ayde. She is 11 years old, and SUCH a sweetheart. I sat in her courtyard, watched her show off her wool spinning skills on a drop spindle, looked through her school notebooks, showed her pictures of my family, and was invited into the house for a great conversation with her mother and the rest of the family. The following day I was able to join her family out in the field to harvest potatoes for a part of the afternoon.
My Spanish skills were put to a lot of use, and my vocabulary has definitely expanded. The landscape around Rodeo is GORGEOUS. We got some mountain climbing in!
I am here in Sucre for a few days, and will be in La Paz for Saturday and Sunday, until I leave for Cochabamba. Please pray for the Lindquist family, as they just found out that their son has a brain tumor. Surgery is happening here in Bolivia tonight at 8:00. All of your prayers are very much coveted. To reduce the strain on the family John, Emily, and I will be staying at a guest house rather than with the Lindquists, but will still be interacting with them. Pray that we can be a blessing to them in this time of great sorrow.
I will write more as I get the chance. Thanks for all of your prayers!
To share a quick highlight: meeting my sponsored child, Ayde. She is 11 years old, and SUCH a sweetheart. I sat in her courtyard, watched her show off her wool spinning skills on a drop spindle, looked through her school notebooks, showed her pictures of my family, and was invited into the house for a great conversation with her mother and the rest of the family. The following day I was able to join her family out in the field to harvest potatoes for a part of the afternoon.
My Spanish skills were put to a lot of use, and my vocabulary has definitely expanded. The landscape around Rodeo is GORGEOUS. We got some mountain climbing in!
I am here in Sucre for a few days, and will be in La Paz for Saturday and Sunday, until I leave for Cochabamba. Please pray for the Lindquist family, as they just found out that their son has a brain tumor. Surgery is happening here in Bolivia tonight at 8:00. All of your prayers are very much coveted. To reduce the strain on the family John, Emily, and I will be staying at a guest house rather than with the Lindquists, but will still be interacting with them. Pray that we can be a blessing to them in this time of great sorrow.
I will write more as I get the chance. Thanks for all of your prayers!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Here I Am!
I am currently in Sucre, leaving for Rodeo early tomorrow morning.
We had a great orientation at the FH Sucre office today, and I am very excited to fall in love with the children of Rodeo...
Travel was fairly uneventful, and although the high altitude was definitely felt, it hasn´t caused any serious problems thus far.
Thanks, my friends.
We had a great orientation at the FH Sucre office today, and I am very excited to fall in love with the children of Rodeo...
Travel was fairly uneventful, and although the high altitude was definitely felt, it hasn´t caused any serious problems thus far.
Thanks, my friends.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Me Voy!
In just a few minutes, I will be leaving my home and traveling south. I didn't budget enough time to write... so this is just to let you know that I will be gone for the next four weeks. I hope to blog some while I am there, and I will definitely post pictures and such when I return. Pray for a heart that is open, and hands that are constantly willing to serve. Thank you for your support!
Monday, January 18, 2010
ONE moment of reflection
“Give me one pure and holy passion. Give me one magnificent obsession. Give me one glorious ambition for my life, to know and follow hard after You.”
May this song reflect the yearning of my heart. I don’t always feel that passion. I don’t always feel close to God, many times I feel far away. But then there is a moment when I come crying to his feet, where his forgiveness pours out. And I remember that he holds me, HE HOLDS ME. As a mother cuddles a baby close to herself, he wraps his arms tightly around me and never lets go. He teaches me lessons, gets me alone (see Jan 12 and 13 of My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers).
Today I chose to make use of the holiday and join the MLK service day that Messiah’s Agape Center organized. The day began with a tour of the city of Harrisburg- a city that I have lived within ½ hour of for my entire life but have never really explored. One fact that I found particularly interesting is that a significant portion of the city’s more affluent residents left after Hurricane Agnes wreaked havoc on the area in 1972. This left a great gap in the economy.
As we stood at the parking lot of the Civil War Museum (I honestly never even knew that this place existed!) and looked out over the city, I was struck with the memory of another time I looked out over a hill. When I stood at the top of the hill in Muyenga, Kampala, I was overwhelmed by the expansiveness of the city and the divide between the rich and the poor. And today I looked over Harrisburg with new eyes. Harrisburg, also, is a place of two extremes. There is a beautiful downtown, but homelessness is a very real problem.
Our session at lunch was directed at the needs of those who are marginalized due to disabilities. It was good to be reminded of the discrimination that they face- may I never be passive and ignore someone because they are different than I am!!!
This afternoon I was able to just hang out with precious kids at the Boys and Girls Club- we played air hockey (or some version thereof) and foosball and then played outside on the jungle gym. I even had to perform such antics as running around the playground 3 times, climbing the net 6 times, and doing 10 jumping jacks in order to get to the top level of the fort. Such amazing kids- I wish I lived among them and could more fully invest my life in theirs. God, teach me to live justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly wherever I am.
While I live here in Naugle 3B, I seek to invest in the lives of those living in community with me- both in proximity and also those people who live farther away but still are a significant part of my community.
Most of the time I just write these sort of things in my journal, but every once in a while I feel like getting my thoughts out in a public place- where people may or may not stumble upon them.
May this song reflect the yearning of my heart. I don’t always feel that passion. I don’t always feel close to God, many times I feel far away. But then there is a moment when I come crying to his feet, where his forgiveness pours out. And I remember that he holds me, HE HOLDS ME. As a mother cuddles a baby close to herself, he wraps his arms tightly around me and never lets go. He teaches me lessons, gets me alone (see Jan 12 and 13 of My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers).
Today I chose to make use of the holiday and join the MLK service day that Messiah’s Agape Center organized. The day began with a tour of the city of Harrisburg- a city that I have lived within ½ hour of for my entire life but have never really explored. One fact that I found particularly interesting is that a significant portion of the city’s more affluent residents left after Hurricane Agnes wreaked havoc on the area in 1972. This left a great gap in the economy.
As we stood at the parking lot of the Civil War Museum (I honestly never even knew that this place existed!) and looked out over the city, I was struck with the memory of another time I looked out over a hill. When I stood at the top of the hill in Muyenga, Kampala, I was overwhelmed by the expansiveness of the city and the divide between the rich and the poor. And today I looked over Harrisburg with new eyes. Harrisburg, also, is a place of two extremes. There is a beautiful downtown, but homelessness is a very real problem.
Our session at lunch was directed at the needs of those who are marginalized due to disabilities. It was good to be reminded of the discrimination that they face- may I never be passive and ignore someone because they are different than I am!!!
This afternoon I was able to just hang out with precious kids at the Boys and Girls Club- we played air hockey (or some version thereof) and foosball and then played outside on the jungle gym. I even had to perform such antics as running around the playground 3 times, climbing the net 6 times, and doing 10 jumping jacks in order to get to the top level of the fort. Such amazing kids- I wish I lived among them and could more fully invest my life in theirs. God, teach me to live justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly wherever I am.
While I live here in Naugle 3B, I seek to invest in the lives of those living in community with me- both in proximity and also those people who live farther away but still are a significant part of my community.
Most of the time I just write these sort of things in my journal, but every once in a while I feel like getting my thoughts out in a public place- where people may or may not stumble upon them.
Support Letter for my upcoming International Journey- written awhile ago but just published now.
November 25, 2009
I would like to let you know about a journey that God is taking me on. In the past several years, I have pursued my interests in nutrition and international development through my academic studies and short-term trips. An opportunity has arisen that will allow me to continue this pursuit. For two weeks at the end of May 2010 I will be joining a team of 13 Messiah College students in partnership with Food for the Hungry (FH) to work in the village of Rodeo, Bolivia. FH is a Christian relief and developmental organization active in over 26 countries around the world. It is also the same organization that runs GoEd, a semester-long program in eastern Africa which I participated in during the spring of 2009.
Rodeo is a rural community about 34 miles from Sucre, the constitutional capital. It is high up in the Cordillera Oriental Mountains, and the native language is Quechua. The community struggles with domestic violence, alcoholism, lack of safe drinking water, insufficient sanitation, and poor nutrition. Our team will be developing a project based on our personal strengths to improve the community in one of these areas. I was able to observe the betterment of various Ethiopian communities as an FH Assistant Water Technician, and I hope to be a part of the same type of work in Bolivia.
My team meets weekly throughout the school year in preparation for our trip. My hope is to make maximal use of the cost of airfare, and spend an additional six weeks partnering with Food for the Hungry in some sort of ministry, although I do not yet know exactly what that will look like. I am excited to be able to spend more than two weeks in a country where I will be able to use my Spanish. Although Quechua is the main language in Rodeo, I will hopefully be able to communicate in Spanish during my additional 6 weeks.
Primarily I would like to ask for your prayer support in this endeavor. I could not go if I did not have such a strong support system of friends and family who partner with me through prayers and financial support. The monetary cost is $2,600 per participant for the 2 week trip. If you would like to support our team through financial giving, please go to http://www.messiah.edu/external_programs/agape/. Click the " Donate to Student Service and Missions Trips" button and follow the easy instructions. You don't have to create a profile. Messiah College would appreciate receiving these donations by April 1, 2010.
I would like to let you know about a journey that God is taking me on. In the past several years, I have pursued my interests in nutrition and international development through my academic studies and short-term trips. An opportunity has arisen that will allow me to continue this pursuit. For two weeks at the end of May 2010 I will be joining a team of 13 Messiah College students in partnership with Food for the Hungry (FH) to work in the village of Rodeo, Bolivia. FH is a Christian relief and developmental organization active in over 26 countries around the world. It is also the same organization that runs GoEd, a semester-long program in eastern Africa which I participated in during the spring of 2009.
Rodeo is a rural community about 34 miles from Sucre, the constitutional capital. It is high up in the Cordillera Oriental Mountains, and the native language is Quechua. The community struggles with domestic violence, alcoholism, lack of safe drinking water, insufficient sanitation, and poor nutrition. Our team will be developing a project based on our personal strengths to improve the community in one of these areas. I was able to observe the betterment of various Ethiopian communities as an FH Assistant Water Technician, and I hope to be a part of the same type of work in Bolivia.
My team meets weekly throughout the school year in preparation for our trip. My hope is to make maximal use of the cost of airfare, and spend an additional six weeks partnering with Food for the Hungry in some sort of ministry, although I do not yet know exactly what that will look like. I am excited to be able to spend more than two weeks in a country where I will be able to use my Spanish. Although Quechua is the main language in Rodeo, I will hopefully be able to communicate in Spanish during my additional 6 weeks.
Primarily I would like to ask for your prayer support in this endeavor. I could not go if I did not have such a strong support system of friends and family who partner with me through prayers and financial support. The monetary cost is $2,600 per participant for the 2 week trip. If you would like to support our team through financial giving, please go to http://www.messiah.edu/external_programs/agape/. Click the " Donate to Student Service and Missions Trips" button and follow the easy instructions. You don't have to create a profile. Messiah College would appreciate receiving these donations by April 1, 2010.
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