What Stays and What Goes?

        My time in Lithuania has left me changed. These years have transformed many parts of my life and have left others entirly alone. In preparation for the inevitable reverse culture shock movement coming my way in a couple of months, I started making a list of the things I want to take back to California with me and the things I am planning to leave behind...

1. Continue walking to the grocery store. Its good exercise, a good break from the day, a chance to enjoy the outdoors, and you buy less because you have to carry it all home.
2. Continue cooking the majority of my meals. I have learned how to cook for myself and more importantly how to recreate many restaurant food favorites in a healthier and cheaper fashion! Knowing every ingredient that goes into my food has allowed me to completely avoid any negative side effects from my food allergies.
3. Continue starting each morning with 30 mins of exercise. Workouts never happen after work, and this way I feel more alert and upbeat in the mornings!
4. Continue learning new languages. Being exposed to many different languages these past two years has inspired me to commit to learning more languages. Russian, French, Spanish, & German.
5. Continue Graduate school. I love my grad school program and am almost half way done!
6. Continue traveling. Being back in the states doesn't mean I have to stop exploring God's world, there are so many places I still ahve left to see and experience.
7. Continue leading women's Bible studies. I have discovered that journeying through life's trials and joys with women is one of my main joys in life. God has given me a passion for women's ministries and I want to continue exploring that.
8. Continue drinking tea. I have become a major tea drinker and I greatly admire the slowing effect sipping a cup of tea has on my constantly busy schedule. 
9. Continue living on a budget that is below my means. I have been stretch financially over my time in Lithuania and I have discovered that I can live on a lot less than I previously thought I could. I want to continue living on less and giving more away. 
10. Continue heavily relying on God to solve my problems. When time zones prevent you from calling your parents, sister, or best friend, you have no where else to turn with your problems but to God in prayer. God has now become my number one confidant and I hope it stays that way.
11. Continue making friendships with unlikely candidates. I have discovered that I can find common ground with most people I come across, friends are everywhere just waiting to be made!
12. Continue eating fresh, and shopping at local markets. I love eating seasonaly, thats the way nature intended it. 
13. Continue community with International people. My heart for International people will not fade anytime soon.
14. Continue meetings with mentors. I find great growth in meeting with Christian women who are a wiser and usually older than I am.
15. Continue seeing out health. I am on a journey of health and I must stay consistent in my prayer for healing.
16. Continue drinking green smoothies. YUM.
17. Continue spending money on experiences rather than possessions. Who needs things when you can have memories and stories of adventure!?
18. Start spending more time in the sun and outdoors! I miss the sun so much.
19. Start paying my student loans back. FINALLY, I am excited to have a job that will allow me to start doing this again. 
20. Start spending more quality time with my good friends. I never realized how deeply connected to my core group of friends I was until we were all scattered accross the globe with no plans of reconnecting in sight. Luckily thats all about to change!
21. Start attending a church! I have not been able to find an English speaking church here in Lithuania so I committed to watching Saddleback Church online for the last two years. I am eager to be a part of a congregation again!
22. Start practicing the art of waiting on God. Amen to that. 
23. Start speaking only words of life. My mouth is my most powerful tool and weapon. May I develop the wisdom to only use it to promote life. 
24. Start making time for people that make time for me. Don't go chasin people who aren't chasin you. The ones that make the effort are the ones to keep around. 

24 points is very fitting since this is my 24th year, I think I'll just focus on these for now...

The Beginning.

       The last time I posted an update to this blog was in November of 2015. I know why it has taken me so long to update but you might not, and I feel that I owe you an explanation of what has been going on with me lately. The last time I posted a blog update I was about to go on a Fall Break trip to Ireland with a good friend from LCC. School breaks usually come at a much needed time in the year and this one was no different. I needed time to think over the concerning thoughts that only God could have been putting on my heart. These thoughts were so drastic and different from my own plans. It took me some time to start praying about them and even longer to share my thoughts out loud with others. God was making me uncomfortable, he was stirring my thoughts, emotions, and plans and the only time I feel this way is when he is calling me to move.
 
      After one year at LCC International University, I had made a plan to stay for two more years making my time in Lithuania a total of three years. I was planning to start my Masters program in my second year and complete it by the end of my third with LCC's support. I was also eager to learn from my superiors and hopeful that I might get the chance to work in the Director of Community life position at some future point. Why was God calling me to move? I thought we had already worked out a plan!

    After some time away from Lithuania and campus I was able to clear my head and dedicate myself to prayer on this ever-present issue. God increased my uncomfortably and started to introduce situations into my life that caused me to make some decisions for my future serving Him. I wanted to be obedient but I was caught off guard by all of these thoughts and feelings. After more time spent in prayer and receiving support from unexpected sources, my prayers were answered and I had discovered my new direction.

     It was hard for me to announce that I would be leaving LCC after this school year. God had called me out and now he was calling me home. I was looking forward to the career possibilities that staying at LCC might offer me, but God's plans are always better than my own. After I informed my supervisors of this choice I had to decide when and how I would break the news to my students. This was not an easy time for me. Through the pain of leaving a place I once felt so called to I have been reminded that I am not an irreplaceable person, I am simply a servant working to complete God's will for my life. I am praying that the right people will come to LCC next year to fill all of the vacancies that have been created by God's calls to move.

   I will move back to California in May of 2016 and in the meantime I am focused on my students, my co-workers, and my teammates here at LCC. God has allowed me the amazing opportunity to step in as the Interim Director of Community Life for the months of March and April as our current director is away on her maternity leave. I am still in the midst of my graduate program and have started to apply for Student Development jobs back in California. I am eager to live closer to my family and friends, it took time being really really far away from them to realize who I am without them and how much closer to them I desire to be.

   I am thankful to serve a God who allows me to get uncomfortable in places when he needs me somewhere else. I am looking to him for direction at this time and am trusting that he is preparing the way for me back in California. The goodbyes on this end will be extremely hard but the promise of the airport hugs waiting for me at home will make it all worth it. Thank you for being a part of my Lithuanian journey these past two years. I look forward to sharing God's next steps for me with you soon.

So THANKFUL for so much...Two years ago God called me into action and a few months later I found myself serving at LCC International University in Klaipeda, Lithuania. God was faithful in His plans and provided me with great purpose here. In this time I have grown bounds, explored Europe, laughed hard, cried for myself and others, and befriended people who I'm positive God created for me to love. After months of prayer and reflection, I have again heard God's call to take the next step in my journey by transitioning back to the States this May. I am sincerely grateful to everyone for their prayerful support in my time of transition. LCC, thank you for being a cherished part of my story. "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans." Proverbs 16:3

 

Keep your JOY.

      God has been close to me lately. For the sole reason that I have needed Him. He has been teaching me and stretching me. The process has not been easy or all that enjoyable, but now that I have gained a little perspective I can see that I have grown. Anyone who knows me is aware that I am an emotional person, I feel everything very strongly and empathy is my number one strength. These are not bad things, they can even be assets in some cases but I was starting to see that my emotions were taking control of my life. 

      We all have trials, problems, and hard situations in our lives. Some that last for a week or two, and others that seem to have no expiration date. I too have dealt with these pains and if I paid any attention to them they would wreck me. I would find myself having the same conversations, or caught in the same scenarios, again letting my emotion get in the way of my logical thinking. It was hurting my relationships, and it was hurting me. Emotion is a beautiful thing that we should be grateful for, but it can also be used by the enemy as a tool to keep us weak. Like anything in life we must learn to discipline our emotion, and know when to use it. 

         Last week in bible study I was introduced to the idea of our own Personal Joy, that we can find in the strength of our Lord. As Christians we have the ability to be joyful everyday no matter the circumstances. If we find our strength, affirmation, and confirmation in the Lord nothing worldly should be able to effect us. HE is the only one that matters, HE is the only one that we should be working to impress. He is pleased with us no matter what, and that is a beautiful truth to remember. It's when we start worrying about pleasing others that we get into trouble. When we start caring about what others think of us we start living for ourselves and for those around us instead of focusing on the Father and His desires for our lives. 

       There are many situations in life that could get the best of me, overwhelm me, or threaten to make me cry. In those times I now have to stop and ask myself a few questions. Is this too big for God to handle? Am I fully relying on Him for my strength today? Am I going to let this situation steal my God given JOY? We can constantly walk through life in a state of contentment and joy if we stop letting the world and it's negativity get us down. When you find yourself starting to worry about people pleasing, over achieving, or perfectionism, remember that our only goal everyday when we wake up is to please the Lord, and just by loving Him we have already accomplished that!

Old Hollywood Event

  

        Jumping right back into work after a lovely fall break was a bit rough, but thankfully I had my wonderful resident assistants to rely on! The first week back we threw a huge event for our entire residence hall. My team had been planning and preparing for this night for over a month and I can proudly say that all of their hard work and creativity came together to produce a spectacular result! The event was called Old Hollywood and was held in the main academic building at LCC. Student came dressed up in Old Hollywood fashion, took pictures with friends, learned some historical dance moves, snacked on popcorn, played poker, and watched a Charlie Chaplin black and white movie! We had a great turn out and now are left with fun memories and of course many pictures :) 

Our photo booth background

Entrance into the theater

Popcorn cones!

The grand entrance

A group picture of my team and I :)

Irish Getaway

     Last week was LCC's Fall Break and in order to take full advantage of the time off my friend Ella and I found the cheapest flight offered that week and it just happened to be to Dublin! I have been working without break since about August so I was really looking forward to some time away to clear my head, see God's beauty, and learn about Irish culture! Those were really my only requirements for this trip, otherwise I had no big expectations and that turned out great! With no high goals for the trip I was able to have the best and most spontaneous experiences. I love visiting Western Europe because it always feels a bit like home. Dublin is a beautiful city full of rich culture and fascinating history. Ella and I went to some tourist-y places as well as some local places, and even made some Irish friends! We took free walking tours of the city and a day trip out into the countryside of Wicklow to see Glendalough an ancient monastic site, and Powerscourt a large estate house with beautiful gardens. 

    Dublin is full of creativity and that really inspired me. I was reminded of my creative side, and realized that I have been neglecting it lately. I was inspired to incorporate more creativity into my life after this visit. My daily work is more relational and administrative so I am working now on figuring out how I can schedule some life-giving art time into my daily routine. 

It is always surprising to me how much I miss Starbucks, I always make sure to get some chai when I find one!

The River Liffey

 Temple Bar District: 

Trinity College:

Glendalough Monastic Site:

 Powers Court Estate:

With our favorite tour guide

The Famine Memorial