So long, 2011!

It is still 2011 here in Kansas. After several gorgeous days of sunny, 60 degree weather a cold front has just blown through and winds are gusting around 40 mph. Tonight on the last night of 2011 I am just reflecting over the past year. I just came from my dad's house, where I ate a great dinner with my dad, Marilyn, and three of her grandchildren, who are all teenagers. I asked how old they are. Then they asked me my age, probably thinking I was 20 or something, because I talk like it and still dress like it. I said, "25" and felt like I was lying. But I'm not.

I just don't feel 25. Aren't a lot of 25 year olds different? Most of them seem to have a job, wear grown up clothes, maybe are married, and might have a kid or three. And they probably have nice highlights in their hair. I feel like a fraudulent 25 years old. I still have no clue what I want to do when I grow up, I'm quite content to be single, I've never tasted alcohol, and I still leap down all the stairs when coming downstairs. I pay my rent and buy gas for my car, but beyond that, I don't think I qualify as a proper 25 year old.

Anyway, this past year as a 24 and 25 year old has been probably one of the most challenging and colorful years of my life (to borrow words from my Chinese friends). When I think about 2011, I think about the desert, to be honest. This past year I have made so many mistakes and taken a lot of wrong turns. But the amazing thing is that I don't walk through the desert alone! Jesus has always waited for me with open arms.

And there were a lot of non-deserty experiences in 2011 that I can focus on:
-Thriving in grad school despite the desire to give up!
-Going to fancy parties with Congressmen and ambassadors in D.C.
-Beginning to like running.
-Growing in so many relationships with friends and family.
-Learning to be more authentic.
-Reading through the New Testament.
-Trusting in God more and more each day.
-Realizing that anxiety has been replaced by peace in my heart.

Thanks for the memories, 2011! And hello, 2012!

In closing here are just a few pictures from the past several days at home. I was blessed to have two little sisters under my tutelage. :)

Andrea and Christina, who stayed with us for 10 days.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

International game night at Kathy's!

Homecoming

Wow, where has life gone? A week ago I was taking finals in Bloomington and now I've returned home to the prairie. It feels like this December has been full of little adventures, trials, and triumphs.

During my last days of the semester in Btown, I had a marvelous time finishing up tons of huge papers and exams, which is nothing new or interesting. Thankfully I finished well, and didn't get sick or fall apart at the very end.

One of the best events was the Christmas party Cindy and I hosted for some of our closest international students friends. We baked gingerbread cookies from scratch and even played "Christmas Bingo," which Cindy and I designed quite cleverly. It was refreshing to be laughing and baking and talking with our friends who don't really know much about the holiday.

In that last week our Chinese study of the Word also completed discussing "Who is Jesus?" It was a really challenging Bible study, and I just pray that everyone continues to have open hearts and minds!

I returned back home to Topeka a few days ago, and then pretty much immediately went to central Kansas to visit a friend. It's like an entirely different culture there! Topeka does not seem to be representative of the state. We did some fun, crazy activities, like visiting one of the "8 Wonders of Kansas"--the Underground Salt Museum and seeing the world's longest grain elevator (.5 miles) in Hutchinson. There seemed to be a barn or grain elevator every direction you turned.

The Salt Museum was probably the most exciting. It is part of a salt mine that has been in operation since the 1920s, and is still functioning! Apparently they have enough salt down there to mine for another 25,000 years... We had to wear hard hats, and they gave us air canisters to wear on our hips, in case there is a fire or carbon monoxide is released down there. And "down there" was 650 feet below the ground, or about 65 stories. We got into a freight elevator and slowly descended down the shaft, which took about 2 minutes in total pitch black darkness. The darkness was so profound that I had to close my eyes.

Once we got out of the lift, it was quite well-lit in the mine, which was miles long and wide. It was sort of like a miniature city down there. Much of what enters the mine never leaves. For example, we could see rusty vehicles and trash from the 1950s on the ground, which is very well preserved in the environment. Other things are also well preserved there. A storage company has an underground vault there to protect documents and artifacts from disasters. We could see tons of cases of films, which Hollywood companies had sent there to protect forever. You could also see lots of movie costumes, which were also preserved underground.

After about 3 hours wandering around, my mouth could start tasting the salt in the air. It was a really neat experience, but I was so thankful when we got above ground and stood out literally on the prairie. The Kansas sky, sunshine, and miles of flat, gold-colored land stretched out before us was one of the most beautiful sights in the world I think!

Now I've returned north to Topeka, the state capital. After spending the weekend a good 200 miles away, you could start of understand why a lot of Kansans feel disconnected with the capital. The people in much of the rest of the state are extremely independent. Most of the economy is tied to agriculture. And I think the people have to also be resilient to live out there in the middle of nowhere, on the wild, wind-swept prairie, which seems bigger than the ocean!

It's rather nice to be back in civilization, but I know I also need to keep busy the next couple of weeks. It's been raining a lot today, which I don't remember happening that much here. For example, when I got home, I shook off my umbrella and realized I didn't know where to put it. Where have I put my wet umbrella in the past? I recall rarely using an umbrella, especially since if it did rain here, it was normally during crazy thunderstorms that swept through at night. After all those thoughts went through my mind, I decided on the garage as a good resting place for my umbrella. It's nice to be home!

Christmas cookie bakers in our apartment from Vietnam and China!

Helen, a spectacular cookie decorator.

Our Christmas party bunch.

An awesome statue in Wichita.

Dusk in the middle of Kansas.

Miles of memories

I have never had such a long drought of words for this blog, it seems. Most every single one of my brain cells seems dedicated to surviving the last 2 weeks of this semester. I could go on and on about the tons of papers, projects, presentations, finals, and work assignments I'm having to complete, but that's not very interesting at all. So I'll refrain and see where my thoughts take me.

Now what can I talk about? Hmmm... Finally, finally I'm reading "Crazy Love," by Francis Chan. I remember watching or listening to some of his sermons in China, where my teammates first introduced me to him. An amazing book! Again, if my brain cells weren't so fried, I could maybe share something insightful from the book. Maybe next blog post!

I've decided that one of the best sounds on earth is listening to the train that plows through the middle of the night very near to our apartment. There is always something comforting and constant about the rhythmic sounds of it steadily progressing down the tracks. Some of my favorite/most interesting moments in life have been on a train:

-In college my sister Andrea and I took Amtrak all the way from Topeka, KS to Rochester, NY--an impressive 28 hour journey sitting up the whole time. The trip commenced at about 3:30 a.m. in the little shack of a train station in Topeka. We boarded the train, which had come from who-knows-where. The entire train was sleeping, but the conductor began singing, "Chicago! Chicagoooo!" when he asked us where our transfer was. Then the train journeyed slowly through Kansas City, the most remote parts of Missouri and Iowa, and into Chicago. The train stopped at tiny little outposts on the prairie to mostly pick up Amish people and retired folks. It was extremely adventuresome. After switching trains in Chicago, we headed northeast through Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. We had a great time seeing "Americana" close up.

-That same summer I took my first Chinese train, which was in every way different from an American train--much more chaotic and fun. It was a grueling journey on an ancient train from Beijing to Ningxia province, which lasted an entire 24 hours. It was my first experience with hard sleeper cars, each filled with at least 60 talkative, friendly, smoking, interesting people. I remember waking up on the third or top bunk, with a little boy hovering right in my face as he perched precariously on the rack intended for luggage. He was giggling, "Meiguoren, Meiguoren," (American).

-On that same trip, I also rode on a slow train through Ningxia province on the hard seats. I remember walking through cars and cars filled with peasants and farmers, most of them Muslim Hui people, trying to find a seat. At that time Ningxia was the poorest place in China, and might still be. They all lived on less than a 50 cents a day probably, and had never ever seen a foreigner. I remember finally wedging myself onto a seat, with the windows wide open in the middle of the desert! It was mesmerizing, to be surrounded by the poorest of the poor in the expansive desert and dried up creek beds, where the only signs of color was in the fields of sunflowers or thick, black smoke from powerplants.

-Later when I returned to China for 2 years, I had numerous other opportunities to take the train. It was always an adventure--the rush to get to the train with thousands of other people, praying not to get trampled, having little conversations in my very poor, broken Chinese, eating snacks with random strangers, having policemen check up on us, holding tiny babies, singing songs, reading books, looking at the endless landscape of people hunched over rice paddies and plowing fields with water buffalo, watching little children running alongside the train...

I guess trains for me represent adventure and new sights. Whenever I hear the lonely whistle of an Indiana Railroad freight train at night, I think about hopping on it, just to enjoy the journey and the view.

Here's a short collection of some of my train journey pictures throughout the years. Pictures can describe everything much better than words!

A shiny Amtrak train, America (2006)

Train through Ningxia, China (2006)

Ningxia (2006)

Hui Muslims in Ningxia (2006)

Beijing West train station (2009?)

A Chinese train station waiting room (2009)

Train in Jiangxi Province--that's me walking along the platform! (2010)

Typical view from a train in southern China (2009)

Thanksgivingness

Suddenly I'm all blogged out! I feel like I don't have much to say that's worthwhile. It's crunch time for school, and I'll be finished with the semester in less than 3 weeks now! It was a gloriously wonderful Thanksgiving break last week, especially because I had been going nonstop with classes and work for 13 straight weeks by that point and was on the verge of falling apart! So I enjoyed being with my family and am incredibly thankful for so much.

I was reading in my devotional about thankfulness: "To protect your thankfulness, you must remember that you reside in a fallen world, where blessings and sorrows intermingle freely. A constant focus on adversity defeats many Christians. They walk through a day that is brimming with beauty and brightness, seeing only the grayness of their thoughts. Neglecting the practice of giving thanks has darkened their minds. But we can walk through the darkest day with joy in our hearts because we know that the light of His presence is still shining us..."

Thanks for reading, faithful readers! I'm thankful for you!

Thankful for Andrea's awesome apple pie baking skills

Thankful for precious family members

Purpose-driven life

I have officially been writing this blog for over 3 years and roughly 360 posts! Since I was stalling on starting homework tonight, I started browsing through some of my old posts when I first arrived in China. I was transported right back to the chaotic streets of Nanchang and the energetic classrooms of Blue Sky. Now I've totally forgotten about my homework and feel even less motivation to start on it. So I decided I'd write another blog post to add to the epic amount I've already written over the past 3 years. And did you know that when I went to China I had just turned 22?

Writing about life in America just can never quite measure up to all the adventures, trials, and joys of China. But one joy I'm thankful for lately are my three Chinese friends who are studying the Word with me! We had our first official study last weekend, and I recalled all my memories of studying the Word in China with dear friends. I made sure to be an attentive host by serving tea and snacks. Then we dove right in to discussing the character of God. They asked some amazing questions and had some super interesting observations. That study was definitely the highlight of my weekend! After dinner we went to eat BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, which are only $5 and they loved them. Please think of them and their hearts, especially as we continue to study together. The Father has certainly given me a lot of purpose lately, especially in relationships and reaching out to internationals...

Life and school seems to be running a million miles an hour, but today I paused to reflect on my dear Grandma's birthday! She would have been 98 years old today! I still miss her dearly, and think about how she passed away while I was in China, 6,000 miles on the opposite side of the world. Her faith and optimism were always such an encouragement. Hopefully she would still be proud of me! :)

Oh, and my mom and sister come to visit in just a couple of days!

November blues

It is a very crisp, windy November evening. When I left work around 5 today, the sun was already setting, and little snowflakes were plummeting from the gray sky. I can't help but mourn a bit when colder weather sets in. I was born in the summer, and I think I will always be a summery person. The 110 degree heat in Kansas or in Nanchang, China never bothered me as much as the below-freezing winter. When the end of fall rolls around, I just feel like hibernating and becoming a recluse.

But, alas, I cannot and will not hibernate or become a recluse--there's too much to do and too many people to see. Maybe if I stay super occupied, soon it will be April before I know it. Here are a few random things going that you can be thinking of:

-I'm beginning to host a weekly Bible study at my house for several Chinese friends who are not believers, but want to know more about the Word. Please be lifting this time up!

-There are only a few very short weeks left until the end of this semester! I want to be diligent with my studies and projects, while still dedicating lots of time to other people.

-Many of my wonderful friends are finding awesome jobs already, and it's difficult for me to celebrate with them and not envious. Please think of my heart and that I will fully trust God for my future.

What a beautiful sight on campus and what a beautiful Creator we have!

Welcome, November

How can it be November already? How can stores already be decorated for Christmas? How can all my overwhelming class projects be due so soon?

I know a lot has happened in the past week, although now I can't remember hardly a thing...

I suppose it all started last week when I got to hang out at the public radio station for work. My supervisor was a guest on the "Noon Edition" of WFIU, and I helped him with his research! I was very pleased with my diligent efforts on trying to understand why Bloomington's poverty rate is so high. At one point I wanted to grab the mic and talk, but only because I've been on Chinese television in front of tens of millions of people. Being on a radio station in front of maybe a couple thousand people is a piece of cake! But I was quietly locked away in the control room where I could only watch all the interesting behind-the-scenes work. For example, callers can ask the guests questions. One guy was put through to the show before they had properly vetted him. You could tell he couldn't speak very good English, and he didn't realize he was on a radio show:

Radio host man: "Go ahead, caller, what is your question for our guests today?"

Mysterious caller: "Ummmm, hello?"

Radio host man: "Yes, we can hear you very well. What is your question?"

Mysterious caller: "Hello? Ummmm.... is Travis there?"

(Everyone slowly realized that Mysterious Caller had the wrong number.)

Radio host man tries to recover: "Eh, sorry, must be a bad connection."

So everything seems to be interesting these days, especially when I try to keep an adventuresome spirit. It was honestly another super challenging week, especially getting rejected from yet another job and having difficult conversations with people. But I was reading in my devotional to try and re-frame setbacks as opportunities. That is indeed my goal.

In other news, my dad and wife, Marilyn, are currently visiting! It's been fun to show them around our fair little city and eat at good restaurants. Today I took them to nearby quaint Nashville, Indiana, where we got to walk around and look at never-ending antique and knick-knack shops.

There's not a whole lot else to share, but so far November is a fascinating month...

With my dad on a beautiful November afternoon!

Giant, awkward ice-cream cone in Nashville! I couldn't finish eating the whole thing...

Being in Nashville is like being in a Hallmark card or something.

Fresh trails of adventure

I don't mean to always be a Johnny Raincloud, but it just seems like difficult things have been happening in life lately. Things that sort of hurt, and make you feel rejected and raw, even though I have so much to be thankful for and am quite content. Lately I feel like I have been spending much more time in the Father's presence, and am growing other ways spiritually, mentally, and as a well-rounded person. Maybe I'll just let what I wrote in my journal a few minutes ago speak for itself:

"This day started out well, but then wasn't so great by the afternoon. I found out two of my close school friends got jobs at the consulting firm I interviewed for, but I didn't. So I feel pretty disappointed about that... Then a few minutes later I discovered that I didn't pass the Foreign Service exam, which was probably even more disappointing, because you can only take the exam once a year. I missed the cutoff by only 5 points. I think I feel down also because I thought I was well qualified for both jobs and did well in my interviews... So, Lord, I'm going to be honest. I am sad and disappointed. I feel rejected and like a loser--sort of like when John broke up with me.

BUT, I know you have promised to work all things for my good. Maybe later I'll learn why I didn't get offered those jobs and I'll grasp the bigger picture. Maybe in your divine wisdom and grace you were saving me for something better. Maybe you were sparing me from a lot of grief and turmoil later. Maybe you didn't want me to work in a stressful consulting job where I wouldn't have time for people or you. Maybe you didn't want me to live in a place like Azerbaijan where I'd be isolated and cut off from community. Whatever your reasons, Lord, I choose to respect them and trust in your plans. I will follow your leading and not my own dreams or plans. Lord, replace my sadness and disappointment with a thankful and glad heart."

After I closed my journal, I read my devotional and Bible, where I also heard words of truth. In the devotional, it was like God was speaking to me:

"I, the Creator of the Universe, am the most creative Being imaginable. I will not leave you circling in deeply rutted paths. Instead, I will lead you along fresh trails of adventure, revealing to you things you did not know. Stay in communication with Me. Follow my guiding presence."

And then in Psalm 32:8:

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."

So, I'm heavy-hearted that those two jobs didn't work out. I automatically think about how challenging and interesting they would have been. And then I think about how I'm sure I'll end up jobless, homeless, bored stiff, and all alone in life. The very chilly, gray day and cold I'm battling sure don't help things! Yes, I'm sad, but no, this isn't the end of life. I will move forward and keep going and continue growing. God indeed has "fresh trails of adventure" in store for me now and in the future.

When I got home from work today, I was reminded of what is most important in life, like people. Last weekend I took my Chinese neighbors with me to an international fall party with folks from church. Here is a picture of Bingjing's happy pumpkin he carved. He put it outside in between our doors, so I can see it and smile when I come home.

Bingjing and his friendly pumpkin.

Mirrors and glass

Earlier this morning, I woke up with watery eyes and a crisp, sore throat. Sickness had finally found me. I had definitely worn myself out over the past week and have been running on empty. Despite feeling crummy, I still forced myself to head over to the gym. My body was tired, but it was even more tired of sitting all day long for a million days. The gym was pretty empty at 9 a.m. this Saturday morning on the campus of a huge party school.

One of the disorienting things about this huge workout area is the abundance of mirrors. They are literally everywhere; sometimes I can't even find the exit out, because all I see are mirrors. I managed to find a treadmill, though, in front of one of the few windows overlooking campus. It was a beautiful view--all the old stately buildings and gorgeous trees were just reflecting the first rays of morning sunshine. Next to me were other girls who planted themselves on the treadmills with huge ceiling to floor mirrors right in front of them. Most of the glamorous people who grace the gym tend to only look at themselves while they work out. It made me think of how much they're missing! If they look outside themselves, they can discover a bigger, more life-giving picture--the bold, beautiful, and broken world out there, and God's redeeming work.

This theme seemed to carry over into my quiet time, when I brought all my sadness and frustrations to the Lord. Yesterday I seemed to reach the end of my rope, and was almost crazy with helplessness and despair. So when I was spending time with God today, I had a vision of all my sins shattered like glass on the ground. I wanted to pick up the glass and make something whole of it, but my hands only got raw and bloody by the sharp, jagged pieces. Then Jesus said that He will pick up the pieces for me; I can't do it. I can't make myself whole again, only He can. He didn't sweep the sin and brokenness entirely away, because they were still a part of me and my story. Instead, He picked up all the pieces and made a beautiful glass sculpture out of it. I couldn't really see clearly what it looked like, but the sculpture was of a person--the woman God had intended me to be. The glass reflected the light like a rainbow with a million different colors. He desires for other people and me to see that sculpture and the beauty that was made out of brokenness, but the point isn't to see ME. Instead, the light radiating from the glass points to His glory and His goodness and His faithfulness and His provision and His peace and His love and His sovereignty.

Little Miss Sunshine

Today I was telling a friend about some of the neat things happening in life lately, mostly in relationships and interactions with people. He saw a mug the other day of "Little Miss Sunshine," and said it reminded him of me.

That was a really encouraging comment to hear. I've been praying that I can be a light and encouragement to people, especially when people seem easily despaired these days.

One of the chances I had to be a light yesterday was at an event through work at the American Legion post for veterans who are homeless or on the verge of homelessness. When I got there in the rain, I wasn't feeling that thrilled. I had my glasses on, and felt tired after being in classes all morning.

For a while I sat at an information table with a guy about my age who seemed a little too interested. I prayed for an opportunity to do something useful. At that point the Legion started putting out fried chicken and lots of warm, yummy, unhealthy food for everyone to have lunch. I saw several veterans get their plates and sit down at a table very quietly, like they didn't want to impose on people.

So I decided exactly what I could do! I grabbed my own plate of fried chicken and carried it over to some old, crusty looking veterans. One was a huge black guy who had just gotten his haircut at the event, and the other guys still hadn't had their hair cut in probably forever. They looked a little surprised that I would sit with them, but I was more surprised that other people weren't sitting with the veterans.

I'm pretty sure I sat there for over an hour and learned a ton about them. I couldn't help but notice their torn clothes, dirty fingers, missing teeth, and sort of unpleasant smell about them. We were sitting so close, and one guy would lightly pat my arm whenever he laughed. My white sweater probably wasn't too happy, but I was extremely content. It was like I could truly feel Jesus' presence there. I mostly just listened to these men, and was struck at how sharp and witty they were.

They told me about their favorite books, where they hang out when it's cold, memories from their childhood, and how they have to move from one food kitchen to another for each meal. One guy, "Charlie," commented how he enjoyed this meal, because he didn't feel like a burden, and he could enjoy his food without feeling rushed. Charlie and I had a good conversation about South America and the meaning of "happiness." He said he was pretty happy, but also he was pretty sure he'd die in the woods someday.

When it was time for me to go, I had to practically tear myself away from the small group that had gathered at our table. I'm pretty sure I'll probably see them around again. It was just an honor to be able to eat and talk with them. They were so extremely kind, and probably just wanted people to talk to them like they're real people, which they certainly are...

In other news, I've been interviewing for jobs and going to fancy dinners. Here's my sophisticated look from a dinner last night. Because it's blurry, you probably can't see the pinstripes on the pants or pretty ruffles around the neck. Gosh, ruffles really don't matter in life, especially after hanging out with my homeless friends. But hopefully I can continue to be a light no matter what situation I might be in--with well-off or down-trodden folks, because Christ loves them all so much!

The executive look.

Hello, midterms

First, I just want to say that I'm thankful for a lot of great activities, conversations, and events that have occurred over the past several days. The Father has been very patient and gracious even when I haven't been.

Here are some of the neat things that have been happening, plus some prayer requests. I'm sorry my blog post sounds like a 6 year-old wrote it, because my brain is currently feeling like mashed potatoes!

-I'm still attending Chinese church, and it is always amazing to observe the believers lead worship and studies. It is also extremely amazing to observe non-believers coming closer to knowing the truth. Although I don't understand too much of what is going on, I help with rides and answering some questions about the Bible when they ask me for my perspective.

-I found out I have a job interview for a spectacular company in D.C. The interview is this Friday at 2 p.m. (Eastern time). Please pray that I will represent my skills and character well, and that it will work out how God plans.

-The weekend was filled with hours upon hours of painful, but productive homework. I also took advantage of the perfect weather by going on a long bike ride into the countryside with a friend. Saturday night several of my friends and I also attended a ballet, and then our InterVarsity group of women had a meal and hymn sing together. It was just an incredibly blessed weekend!

-This past Sunday I became an official member of my church after a four week process, which included classes and meeting with elders of the church. I'm really thrilled to have made that commitment to such a strong and active fellowship, although I won't be here too much longer.

-It's been difficult lately to not be anxious. I'm trying to cast all my cares on Him, but it's challenging when the world (and school) tells you that those are cares you should shoulder all the time, even if they are crushing you...

Here's just some pictures for your enjoyment:

My bike couldn't quite reach the speed limit.

Looking quite fallish.

Going to the ballet with Cindy and friends. The taco truck didn't come with us.

Hymn sing with the ladies!

Refining fire

I sound like a broken record I'm sure, but life just flies by! Each week goes by so quickly, but it seems like there are thousands of classes, events, and conversations packed into the span of 7 days. Each week is also filled with its unique challenges, triumphs, and adventures. Each week I am reminded how completely inadequate I am on my own, but how Christ is more than enough for all of those inadequacies! He continues to refine me, which can be painful, but extremely necessary. How is that the older you get, the more conscious you are of your sin?

I was reminded of his refining fire last night at a bonfire with my friends from the Chinese fellowship. We drove out east to Lake Monroe just as the sun was about to set. I was surprised to see everyone decked out in super hip hiking/bonfiring/outdoorsy/adventuring clothes. In typical Chinese fashion, though, we didn't really know where you could actually have a bonfire, because nobody had really checked into it. So we finally found a spot on the shore of the lake. And in un-Chinese fashion, people had come fully prepared with firewood, smore-making material, hotdogs, and plenty of extremely expensive cameras to document the whole experience.

Overall, it was such a wonderful evening with fun friends, and I remembered to revel in the Father's creativity, especially as the dusk faded to darkness. One of my friends there who isn't a believer, even exclaimed to me, "God is a marvelous artist!" I agree! I was surrounded by warm laughter, countless bright stars sprinkled across the sky, and the knowledge that God has our lives in His hands.

Have a beautiful October, and don't forget to marvel in His handiwork--people and nature!

P.S. I'm taking a big State Department exam Monday morning and afternoon. Please remember me in your thoughts!

Dear Helen. She had never seen leaves turn different colors before.

At Lake Monroe with some of my friends!

Several Ph.D. students trying to light the fire.

Success!

Perfect love

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out all fear..." 1 John 4:18

This is a verse that has seemed to pop into my mind over the last several months when I least expect it. I don't think I have a complete grasp on what it means entirely, but I usually remember this verse in situations where anxiety and fear tries to win--sometimes that's in conversations with other people, thoughts about the future, or in reading the news, etc.

FEAR has cropped up in my mind this past week in various situations:

-Sitting in class listening to people stress out about finding a job soon.
-Worrying that I will only continue to struggle through my millionth economics class.
-Listening to people at work talk about how they need to make themselves "indispensable" so they don't lose their jobs.
-Reading an article entitled the "lost generation" about how my generation may be labeled that because of the huge, unprecedented unemployment and underemployment rates in our age group.
-Strangers being surprised I'm not married or dating.
-Contemplating what on earth I should do when I graduate in a few months.

But, I then have been quickly reminded how there is no place for fear, especially when we have such an awesome, sovereign God who has always taken care of us.

So there have also been various situations this past week where LOVE has won:

-Being able to consistently encourage my fellow classmates and make them laugh.
-Enjoying His glorious creativity on runs and bike rides in absolutely gorgeous weather.
-Leading an English conversation group at church, and helping international students understand some difficult idioms.
-Humbling myself and asking my classmates for help on confusing and overwhelming homework and projects.
-Attending ballet class and recalling the joy God has given me for dance.
-Enjoying an opera performance with several of my close girlfriends.
-Remembering how I'm saved by His grace alone!

Saturday smores

It is Sunday evening and I'm sitting at my desk in front of my window, listening to the rain pound against the roof. I know we need the rain, but it always makes me a little melancholy. It sort of matches my mood at the moment, though. I have been busy every single second of this weekend and now I feel a little worn out and tired. I attempted to solve 50 intense economic problems, wrote a 7 page urban planning paper, prepared for a presentation, attended a group meeting, worked at the farmer's market, and read for several classes.

The highlight of this weekend, however, was our GFM hiking excursion. About 20 people showed up for hiking and dinner on a grill at McCormick's Creek State Park, which is only about 15 miles from here. It was a gorgeous late summer day, and we all just had a great time walking and talking and eating. I invited one of our Chinese neighbors, too, and he was excited to go on his first "American" hiking expedition.

I loved seeing things through his perspective and getting to talk to him a lot more. He thought the scenery was still very natural, and he was perplexed how there didn't seem to be a leader of the group, but we all just went with the flow. He and I had some great conversations about the truth and culture. We also got to teach him how to make his first smore, which was a delight!

Although classes and work can often be frustrating, it's moments like roasting a marshmallow over burning coals in the middle of the woods that can put everything into perspective.

Exploring an old quarry at McCormick's Creek.

Bingjing roasting his first marshmallow!

Cindy and Bingjing putting the smore together.

Anniversaries

This weekend has been full of anniversaries, some of them small, some of them momentous and life-changing. I remember my mom saying on the first anniversary of 9/11 that each September 11th will probably always be difficult. So on this 10th anniversary of 9/11, I reflect on life 10 years ago and then life today 10 years later.

September 8th, 2001
I vividly remember this day, because it was one of the last ballets I danced in. I had just returned from a summer of dancing at American Ballet Theater's summer intensive program and had grown a lot, especially as a dancer. My friend Katelynn and I were cast as soloists in the "Ballet in the Park," which was danced outside in the thick Kansas heat and humidity. One of the lead dancers in that ballet was inspired just a few days later to join the military because of 9/11. He was killed while serving in Iraq in 2003.

I had once planned on being a professional dancer, but that dream faded pretty quickly after that day. I'm not sure what happened--I think 9/11 made us all grow up pretty quickly and I wanted to do something more meaningful with my life. So 10 years later I found myself in the midst of several international students at an English conversation class at church helping them with basic idioms and sayings. In the past 10 years, God has brought the nations to the U.S., especially American campuses, where many of these international students are open and free to hear truth for maybe the first time in their lives.

September 9th, 2001
On this day 10 years ago my life would forever change, and hopefully there was a ripple effect from that decision that has affected other people's lives, too. Two days before 9/11 I was baptized at Lake Shawnee in Topeka, KS. I had just turned 15 years old and started 10th grade at Cair Paravel-Latin School. My life was wide ahead of me, and I was beginning to understand some of the passions God placed on my heart, which included knowing Christ and helping others know Him. So on another muggy late summer evening in Kansas, I was baptized in front of a small group of people. Little did I know how much God would continue to refine my faith and constantly pursue me every moment after that.

Since then I have lived in numerous different places, been a part of numerous different churches and fellowships, met numerous different people, and been challenged in my faith in numerous different ways. Although I have wandered at times, He is always there to bring me home. The greatest joy, peace, and satisfaction I have ever experienced in life is through my faith in Christ. Even when the world became a pretty scary place to a teenager soon after that day when I was baptized in 2001, I knew I didn't have to live life in fear. I've experienced true freedom and a feeling of "safety" when I have poured myself into others for the sake of the Gospel and followed Him literally to the ends of the earth.

And on this particular day in 2011, I sat with 100 other people at the Bloomington Chinese Christian Church (BCCC). As everyone sang "Amazing Grace" in Chinese, I was reminded how God is continually redeeming all the broken hearts and people through his amazing grace, which transcends all nationalities and languages.

September 10th, 2001
I really don't remember what I was doing on this day 10 years ago, but I know that I went to school, hung out with friends, and most likely went to ballet class afterward. It was probably the last day of normalcy I'd feel as a teenager.

And 10 years later, my roommate Cindy and I had an "apartment-warming" party to invite various friends and neighbors--American, Indian, Chinese, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, and atheist-- over for a potluck dinner. We tried to be as welcoming and hospitable as possible to these old and new friends as we continue to try and live as Jesus would, while enjoying their wonderful company (and food)!

September 11th, 2001
On this Tuesday morning in 2001 I was in government class--my favorite. Since I was 10 I had poured over every story in the newspaper at breakfast and even kept my own "current events" journal while every other girl my age had a boring diary. :) I still remember the school uniform I was wearing that day--a navy white polo shirt and plaid skirt.

So as we settled into our seats one girl mentioned that she heard on the radio a plane had flown into the World Trade Center in New York City. None of us had cell phones or any other way to have heard this news. I also had never heard of the World Trade Center, despite my faithful reading of Topeka's little newspaper. Our teacher flipped on the chunky television in the corner so we could watch the news. We immediately saw a burning tower and were just as confused as the newscasters who were trying to make sense of it. Everyone thought it must have been an accident.

Then not too many minutes later we watched live as a second plane flew into the other tower. I remember feeling chills as everyone realized this wasn't right and it wasn't an accident. Slowly other teachers and students from other classes began to come into our classroom to watch the other events unfold--the unbelievable collapse of the towers and reports of other plane crashes elsewhere. We were all stunned and certainly aware that the world as we knew it was changing dramatically.

Over the following weeks, months, and years, many aspects of life were defined by 9/11 in some way or another: Each family in our neighborhood flew their American flags every day for nearly a year. I ended up writing for that same hometown newspaper, which included stories about fellow peers joining the military out of their sense of duty and patriotism. I was a founding member of our county's "Young Republicans" club and sat in the 10th row of a visit to our city by President Bush. I became disenchanted by politics, and realized that only the Gospel could truly transform hearts and lives. I attended the funeral of that aforementioned ballet dancer killed in Iraq. I stood in the makeshift memorial inside the Pentagon and near the craters where the World Trade Center towers once stood. I remember seeing soldiers with automatic weapons and humvees in D.C. I also traveled to and lived in different cities and countries, where we knew we had to be constantly alert, because there was this "war on terror" America waged. In China I was keenly aware that not only was I an ambassador for Christ, but also America in many ways. It was there living in a closed, undemocratic country that I could appreciate the amazing freedoms America still enjoys and protects...

And now as a 25 year-old grad student, I am once again back in the Midwest sitting in government classes, all while pondering the future. The past 10 years have been intermingled with wars and victories, loss and love, and brokenness and redemption. How could a decade hold so much? Today as I remember those brave lives lost on 9/11, I can't help but think, what will the world and life look like 10 years from now?

We remember...

We move on...with friends in my tiny apartment I share with Cindy (and Steve the fish!)

So long, summer

Hope you all had a wonderfully restful Labor Day weekend! My weekend was very restful, but probably too much so. I did get to hang out with lots of different friends. One dear friend said, "Laura, I'm personally glad you're single again so I can see you much more often!"

So I'm getting to hang out with lots of neat folks. Friday after working most of the day I went with my Chinese friend to "Chinese church" at the church I attend. It was a fairly small group of Chinese believers, but the largest gathering of them I have ever seen--in China that many believers meeting together would cause a stir and probably trouble.

Anyway, I immediately felt at home and could even follow some of the worship and the super brief message, which were all in Chinese. At one point the new people were to introduce themselves to the congregation. Usually I get all flustered if I try and speak in Chinese to anyone. But somehow I had the courage in Chinese to introduce myself, that I was a student, that my Chinese is so poor, and that I was glad to meet everyone. And I was intelligible! It kind of all just poured out of me and I automatically made 50 new friends.

After the service we split into Bible study groups. My friend and I joined the English one, which had about 10 Chinese people in it. It was amazing to be sitting in America studying the Bible again with Chinese folks. The strange thing was that we freely met in a building and there were enough Bibles for everyone! There were even some extra Bibles. Unheard of... All in all the evening lasted about 3 hours. Nobody wanted to leave! So I think I will try to attend every Friday.

In other news, it's getting much chillier here. Fall is just around the corner, and that always makes me sad. I love the warm/hot weather and plentiful sunshine. I thrive on sunshine, and I deteriorate in gray, cold weather. I don't think I have enough meat on my bones or good enough blood circulation for the cold. And summer clothes are much cuter than winter ones by a long shot. When I'm old I'll definitely have to move to a tropical climate...

There's not really any rhyme or reason to this post, but even in this new fall season, God remains the same, and there are still many things to look forward to!

Don't Waste Your Life

Our grad program here is "only" 2 years (it feels a million times longer!), but I'm already ready to graduate in May. Hopefully I'll get more into the swing of things as the semester goes along.

In the midst of starting new classes I finished reading the book, "Don't Waste Your Life," by John Piper. I was reminded about focusing on the awesome privilege of knowing God, being glad in Him, and helping others also know and be glad in Him. Why is it always a perpetually never-ending lesson to remember that life is so much bigger than my own little self-centered world? Pouring myself into other people reaps contentment, which I'm rediscovering.

There were quite a few highlights from this past week as I've thrown myself back into classes, work at city hall, and relationships with other people:

-I was sitting in my urban planning class silently fuming because it seems not challenging at all and pretty pointless. Then I discovered a fellow classmate from Jiangxi province! Most Chinese people I meet here come from the huge coastal cities and not rather "backwater" places like Jiangxi. She said she had a lot of friends attend Blue Sky, where I taught in China. Her name is "Yan" and she was incredibly surprised and thrilled I had lived there. I was also incredibly surprised and thrilled to meet her, and we commenced to discuss all the familiar things from there.

-I received a sweet note in the mail from my adopted family I lived with this summer. In the note they said "We all still have an empty spot in our hearts that only your space can fill." Weep, weep! Who knew we'd all come to care for each other so much? And I miss them--almost as much as my real family. I especially miss their home-cooked meals! Now I have to try and rustle up meals on my own. Rough life!

-Although I complain a bit about being back in school, this is a tremendous blessing and opportunity to study! I should be thankful for all that I'm learning, especially in the neat people I continually meet and for all the reunions I had this week with dear, sweet friends.

-Last night I helped out with an English conversation class at church for international students. I was immediately transported back to my days of "English corner" in China. This was a much more tame version compared to the afternoons at Blue Sky where I was surrounded on average by at least 25 eager beavers who mostly came to stare at the foreigner. The majority of the participants in this particular class are married Chinese couples, and I am already in love with all of them! Now tonight I get to go to Chinese church and I'm bringing one of my good Chinese friends.

For some reason I still feel like my heart is hurting, but I know God is a great healer and redeemer! I'm thankful that He is faithful in redirecting me back toward meaningful pursuits and the knowledge that only He can fulfill. We have an awesome God deserving of praise. Have a blessed and restful Labor Day weekend!

A fresh start

So apparently classes are starting tomorrow? I've been so busy the past several days settling back into Bloomington life, mostly in a social way. When I first got back I felt sort of down and not too excited. But lots of friends have started returning, and I've also met a lot of new people, so I'm feeling much more upbeat and positive.

I'm starting to recall why I really enjoyed this place and the people-- the abundance of international students, meeting our international neighbors, walking to get ice-cream, going to church and seeing lots of familiar faces, having interesting conversations with people from all walks of life, the mild weather, and the beautiful scenery.

This year I hope to be more involved with our GFM chapter and I also signed up to help in English conversation classes at our church for internationals. These are some of my passions--mostly helping international students or those in need--and I've really missed them! So hopefully God will help me structure my time, work, and studying well so that I can serve well in some of these ways without getting overloaded.

I also got excited about international students when my good old China buddy, Kelsey, came to visit me yesterday. She lives in a different part of Indiana, and is very active with ministering to internationals, immigrants, and refugees. We had an awesome time reminiscing about our Siberian adventure to Reborn's hometown in Xinjiang, and just laughed about everything in general. I was so blessed to be able to see her again!

I'm praying that this year I'll really be able to pour out my energy and life to helping others know God and be glad in Him. And if I pass all my classes that would be cool too. :)

Reunion with my Russian twin, Kelsey!

Jiffy Treet, the best ice cream for $1.92.

Flash back to 2010: Kelsey, Reborn, and me in -30 degree weather in the most northwestern part of China

School sweet school

Left home in Topeka early this morning for what turned out to be a pretty long day. I thought it would be a lot faster to fly to Indiana, but the 9 hour drive would have been almost quicker! I'm thankful to get here safely. For America, it was quite an adventure:

-My neighbors had a flight today, too, so I drove the hour and a half to the Kansas City airport with them.
-I waited at the airport about 3 hours before my flight and read a good book.
-At about lunch time I got on the plane. It was packed to the brim with tons of overweight white guys; many of them were attending a John Deere conference in Indiana. There also weren't enough seats for everyone on the plane, so we got rid of some passengers.
-Flew only about an hour to Indianapolis, where we commenced to circle the airport several times.
-Landed and went to take a shuttle to Bloomington, but all the shuttles were full.
-Befriended some undergrads from England and Texas who looked lost.
-Finally got on a bus after lots of Chinese students kept getting in front of us, since lines don't exist in China.
-Rode the bus for an hour to Bloomington and finally staggered off to wait for the city bus, which was 30 minutes late.
-Jumped on a city bus and sat in traffic as tons of freshmen are moving into their dorms.
-Just got home!

Phew! So now I'm in my apartment alone until my roommate gets here tomorrow. I know I'll be more excited once my friends start arriving in town, but I'm honestly not looking forward to my job or classes, especially after this thrilling summer. Thanks as always for your thoughts!

Home sweet home

Life flies by so fast! Just last week I was wrapping up things at my summer internship. Now I'm 1200 miles away at home and seemingly in a whole different world. I can say the usual things about Kansas--it's beautiful, slow-paced, restful, a time warp...

After a crazy, tornado-like storm last night, I spent tonight mowing and edging the big, huge yard with Mom. There was such a nice breeze, the early evening sky stretched a million miles before us, and random friendly neighbors we've known for 20 years would come by every 3 seconds to chat. Is this place for real?

While I momentarily felt dejected and bored, I quickly snapped out of it. There are interesting friends and interesting things to do if you look for them. I think I just miss the routine of working and always being challenged every second of the day. That will probably change soon when I'm back in school wishing for less challenge.

I apologize for this very uninformative blog--a lot happened this summer, and I feel like everything's sort of soaking in now that I have more than 5 minutes to stop and think and rest and be. Kansas has always been a good place to be able to reflect, but sometimes I can reflect too much and drive myself crazy. I just need to keep my sights focused on God and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Hope you have an extremely blessed weekend wherever you may and whatever you may be doing!

A working girl retires

It is Monday morning and I'm sitting at a tiny wooden table in my new (but old) apartment in Bloomington, Indiana! Somehow I drove 630 miles in 10 hours by myself all day yesterday to arrive back at school.

It was very strange to gradually drive from fast-paced living by D.C. to the middle of America, where things are slow paced and much less polished. Who knew that people could drive a car other than a Land Rover or Mercedes? Apparently there are people in America who also drive Fords!

Anyway, I arrived at my little apartment I'm sharing with my friend Cindy this next year. It's a pretty tiny, sort of old place, but it's very cozy... and we are surrounded by Chinese neighbors! I think it will be a pretty good year. Maybe I can describe the place more once I get settled in. Today I have to move all of my stuff from another friend's apartment to this place. None of my friends have arrived and Cindy is out of town, so hopefully I can it all on my own. Thankfully I have a fold-up Ikea bed and other tiny, foldable things that should be fairly easy to chuck in my car and carry up rickety steps.

Overall, I had an extremely blessed summer that I wouldn't have traded for the world. Well, maybe I would have, but it was still a great experience. I learned an incredible amount, especially through interactions with so many different people. There are some things that I had to say goodbye to, but there are also so many things to look forward to.

Goodbye to:

-Way too comfortable suburban/rich people living.
-An awesome adopted family and dog.
-Going to work everyday and being productive.
-Making a living and some money.
-Being at the doorstep of D.C.
-The spectacular church I attended.

Hello to:

-New friendships and adventures.
-New classes and loads of projects and papers.
-Going back to work with the city during the school year.
-Job searching for graduation time.
-Heading up service and outreach with InterVarsity's graduate chapter.

Thanks for all your many, many prayers! Oh, and maybe I didn't mention it, but my wonderful mother is back from China! Thanks for your prayers for her too. I'll be heading home to Kansas tomorrow to hang out with her for a whole week.

Okay, I really better start moving stuff now. Maybe I'll be able to recruit some Chinese neighbors to help me?

A working girl counts her blessings

My time here in Virginia is quickly drawing to a close. Tonight I took a walk with the gorgeous sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop. The temperature was almost cool, and I could just bask in God's glorious creativity and unfailing love. I was also able to reflect on some of the amazing blessings I've had this summer. My measly expectations for a humdrum summer were blown way out of the water! Here are some the major things I'm thankful for this summer:

-A challenging internship at a wonderful company
-Amazing, intelligent, and interesting coworkers and friends
-A great family that took me in and loved me
-Neat experiences on Capitol Hill for work and for fun
-Plenty of opportunities for hiking, biking, and playing tennis
-Well-rounded meals cooked by the aforementioned family
-Difficulties that helped me grow

And the list could probably go on and on! Here's just a couple of pictures to leave you with of some of these blessings:

The swanky building I worked in all summer.

Jim and Marion, my adopted parents, who are both extremely fun and generous.

A working girl speaks

Today was probably the most intense day of my internship experience so far. I feel a mix of relief and satisfaction about everything that happened. I know there were lots of people praying for me, and I could tell. So thank you!

My boss had made me practice my presentation several times yesterday, so I felt somewhat confident. But it's different presenting to my perpetually cheerful boss and in front of stern-faced executives. I wore the only suit and button-up shirt I own, which all felt extremely hot and heavy in the small room. I also had on a pair of new high-heels, which made my knees feel like they couldn't stop shaking (or maybe I was just nervous!)

Anyway, then I commenced to go through my presentation. I'm not the most articulate person, but I think I am somehow disarming with my charm or something, because people seem to be transfixed. Maybe they're just bored or curious about my Kansas accent. All the other presenters got grilled with extremely difficult questions, but with me they were almost ridiculously nice and easy-going.

I can only thank God for how things have turned out this summer! I really wasn't looking forward to moving out here, but now I wish I could stay a lot longer. I've learned such a tremendous amount, especially in analytical and interpersonal skills that I wouldn't trade for anything. I still have another week and a half, but it's certainly winding down. I'll keep you posted on any other developments. Thank you again for your prayers and encouragement!

A working girl reflects

I was talking with my baby sister the other day, who had some amazing stories to share about how God is moving powerfully in her life and the lives of her friends. It just made me stop and think: how have I seen God moving powerfully in my life and the lives of my friends lately?

It's easy to overlook the fact that God can change hearts and lives in America, just like in China. He does, but maybe often in different ways. It's also easy for me to get so absorbed in my own life. Andrea just started a blog called, "Becoming Less," (as in making less of herself and more of Christ). I half-seriously joked that my blog should be called, "Becoming More Full of Myself." I'm struggling right now in corporate America as a graduate student who is expected to be an advocate for promoting her own wants and desires. So far the Father has helped me resist, but it's getting more tempting, especially when you are surrounded by so many ambitious and successful people on a daily basis running in a circle. I just want to keep running toward the cross.

So I was hoping you could pray for some of these things, plus more that are on my heart:

-My baby Mom only has about 1 more week in China. Apparently all of their students are not being allowed to hang out with them outside of class (an order from the school), which sort of makes it a lot more difficult for relationship building.

-My baby sister will head back to Florida in about 2 weeks to continue the exciting work God has called her to do on the Embry-Riddle campus.

-My dear friend Reborn in China has been sharing about Him with her older sister, who is not a believer. They have been attending fellowship together, and her sister is beginning to see how these believers express love in such a different and unique way.

-My own heart is quite prone to wandering. I want to be obedient to the Father in all aspects of my life, but feel like I keep getting washed out to sea. I want to be joyfully obedient. Instead of asking "what if I obey?," I want to ask "What if I don't obey?"

Thanks as always for your thoughts and readership! Please let me know how I can be praying for you.

A working girl works stops to breathe

This is the first second I've had to sit down all alone and not be technically working. Monday I left for a Department of Energy conference in Pittsburgh. I felt a little out of place, but still found plenty of people to talk with and plenty of things to do. At night I only had about 5 whole hours to sleep. Now I'm a wee bit worn out! But I think I learned a lot and got to interact with fascinating folks.

When we got back from Pittsburgh last night we had to go straight to the British ambassador's house on the embassy compound for a little party. Wow, it was super fancy! Too bad I was almost half asleep through it all. His house is like straight out of a Jane Austen movie. It looks like it was built in the 1800s, with about a million gorgeous rooms, a huge garden, and pictures of the Queen everywhere. There are butlers and official looking servants everywhere. There was even a lady to take your hand towel after you washed your hands in the bathroom.

When we first went in we glided up a red carpeted staircase and into a ballroom, where the ambassador and his wife--Sir Nigel Sheinwald and Lady Sheinwald--received the guests.

After the fancy party, I got home quite late. I had to still get some groceries, walk the dog in the dark, and make dinner so I could get some sleep. Then today I woke up at 6:15 a.m. like usual and headed to work. I got to go into D.C. by myself for one of the last times (there's only about 2 weeks left of my internship!) So I tried to savor the long bus ride, the colorful people, the crowded Metro, and fancy luncheon at the Chamber of Commerce. The speaker at the event was the president of Shell Oil Company. He didn't seem too thrilled about the current state of affairs in the U.S. That's a common theme these days--nobody is happy with the Obama administration and everyone is unhappy about the economy.

Here are some blurry pictures from this week:

Bright lights of Pittsburgh

At Sir Sheinwald's digs

A working girl heads to Pittsburgh

Part of having a grown up job this summer is doing grown up things, like going to conferences. I have the opportunity to attend a workshop in Pittsburgh, of all places. So that's where I'll be for the next 3 days... I have no idea what to expect or what I'm doing, but at least it will be nice to get out of Dodge for a few days.

Like the rest of the country, it's been 100+ degrees here for about a week straight. It finally cooled down to about 95 today, but that means I haven't wanted to do a whole lot. The family I'm staying with is away to Italy the next two weeks, so it's my duty to keep things in order around here and make sure the dog is healthy and alive. Responsibilities! I've learned that you need to walk her first thing in the morning, or she will leave a nice little present in front of your bedroom door. :)

I did manage to see my friend Kelly again in Maryland. She grilled some awesome homemade Thai pizza and we watched my new favorite movie, "Mao's Last Dancer." Sigh... The movie was about two of my loves--ballet and China. I couldn't ask for anything more. It was about an amazing Chinese ballet dancer who defects to America and all the consequences that go along with that. It was almost worth getting lost on the way home. I ended up driving the entire loop around D.C. at night, because I got disoriented.

There's not too much more to report. I only have 3 more weeks of my internship and I want to keep using my time wisely. Happy Sunday!

A working girls turns a quarter century

My boss at work today: "Laura, you're not saying much. Are you okay?"

Me: "Yes, I'm just quieter now in my old age."

Yesterday at 7:34 p.m. on July 17th, baby Laura turned 25. Twenty-five. What a big number! People still ask if I'm in high school. How can I be in my mid-twenties? What is about turning 25 that makes you reevaluate your life and where you're heading? I'm supposed to be quite wise and have things figured out, right? Anyways, I'm thankful for another year and pray that I'll spend my days wisely for God and other people.

I did get to spend my birthday weekend up in Rochester with lots and lots of family members. The bigger event than my birthday was probably my oldest cousin JR coming with his serious girlfriend, Michelle. They are both two of the sweetest and most genuine people. They are both believers, and we're all hoping they get married!

Words can't describe how content I was being reunited with so many people, especially my baby sister. I was only there for about 2 full days, because Karen and I had a lot of driving to do, but there were plenty of fun activities and conversations. We played tennis, frisbee, ate great food, and just had lots of laughs. I'm learning to appreciate my family more in my old age... Several of us also Skyped with Mom in China. I hadn't talked to her in about 4 weeks, so it was wonderful seeing her cute face and hearing her cute voice!

JR and Michelle!! I want to move to Houston just so I can hang out with them.

Sisters!

A whole bunch of us.

A working girl becomes a capitalist

Did you know this is my 336th blog post? That's pretty intense. Thanks for sticking with me! I hope these posts are worth your read.

It is extremely hot here, probably like the majority of the country. I about melted on the pavement going on the long journey by bus, metro, and foot into D.C. today. At least I looked cute while I melted!

For lunch I sat on a shaded bench in Lafayette Park nestled in between the White House and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. I had a great view of the White House, people playing chess, police riding their bikes, and about half a dozen groups of different kinds of protesters. It was mostly fascinating to watch the protesters who all had various causes such as opposition to nuclear weapons and advocates of lifting the embargo on Cuba. Oh, America, you are so free! There aren't many places like this in the world where you have such amazing free speech rights.

In the afternoon I attended a big summit at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. I got to run a gauntlet of protesters in the front of the building protesting the speakers at the event. The primary theme of the meeting was improving the free market, while telling Washington to get out of the way. The back of the room was filled with media, and I met lots of interesting people. Another intern I met was working in government relations this summer at American Express. She is a student at a different university in Indiana and is also a native Kansan! It was like we were long lost friends...

And then this past weekend I tried to stay active. I went on an 18 mile bike ride with Jim and Marion and about half of the northern Virginia population on the W&OD trail. I also reunited with my IU friend, Jess, who is leaving for Indonesia on a Fulbright scholarship. We ate ribs at her aunt and uncle's house. They are all extremely athletic and adventuresome people. Her aunt, for example, once biked across America and lived in Switzerland, where she taught at an international school. One of her students was Elizabeth Taylor's daughter, who didn't have anywhere to be with at Christmas, so Jess's aunt spent the holiday with her at Elizabeth Taylor's empty Swiss chalet. What stories!

I also went to church yesterday like usual. It's a fairly large church, and it just struck me how strange it is that the police will help direct traffic going in and out of the church. In many countries the police will help arrest believers.

So all in all I've just been considering our blessings here in America. We have so much to be thankful for, yet many Americans are still angry, depressed, and discontent (and sometimes that includes me!)

With Jess, my favorite tall friend.

Jess and I walked all the way to Vienna in the dark!