Home

When you think of home, where do you think of? Most of you probably either think of where you live right now or your parents' house or town. For me, that answer has become complicated.

I didn't spend my childhood moving around, unlike most of my military neighbors. I was born in Fairfax and my family has been in Northern Virginia ever since, moving into the same house they/we live in now when I finished preschool. But the majority of the last seven years since high school has been elsewhere. Most has been in Farmville. On top of that, I'm pretty certain that over the last four years I have spent more time in China than at 'home.' So I hope you understand when I say that the answer has become complicated. I feel really weird referring to my mom's house as 'my' house. Yes, it's where I grew up and where I can always come back to, but I haven't really lived there for years. And I have no part in owning it.

Home isn't what it used to be. It used to be the only place I had a connection to. Now it's scattered. Scattered amongst people and places. To help explain this I'm going to borrow a poem written by my friend Rebecca:

In Tribute

This is a tribute to all the MK's and TCK's. To everyone who has struggled with the knowledge that no matter where you go you'll always be missing a time, a place, a friend, a memory.

There are no goodbyes, only see-you-laters
But sometimes later seems to take forever
Seems like it will never arrive

There are no true farewells, only til-we-meet-agains
But meeting again can be even harder
When there's parting at the end

There are no permanent partings, only temporary leaves
But even temporary can be tough
And the parted friends will grieve

Because with every place you come to
There's a place you leave behind
And for every friend you meet
There's another in your mind

Now I'm about to add another place and more people to the list. I think that's definitely playing a role in why I've suddenly gotten nervous. Many people seem to be under the impression that moving around all the time doesn't bother me. That's not true. While I do love exploring, meeting new people, and seeing new places, I also long to have a place to call my own, to sink my roots into and call home with a consistent group of people around me. The time for that just hasn't happened yet, so I have to remind myself that I'll never be truly home until the day I meet Jesus. And in the meanwhile, I'm following the Lord's leading. If He wants me in another city or country right now, then that's the way it is and it'll be better than anything I can dream up for myself.

"But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives..."
-Philippians 3:20

"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.
There is more than enough room in my Father's home.
If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
When everything is ready, I will come and get you,
so that you will always be with me where I am."
-John 14:1-3

With a citizenship in heaven, it doesn't matter if I buy a house and take up permanent residence, never having to move my stuff again, something will still be off. And that will be the imperfection in the world, waiting to be redeemed. Waiting for restoration. Waiting for the return of the King who brings completion.

"... we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.
For the things we see now will soon be gone,
but the things we cannot see will last forever."
-2 Corinthians 4:18

"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down
(that is, when we die and leave this earthly body),
we will have a house in heaven,
an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.
We grow weary in our present bodies,
and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing...
we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord."
-2 Corinthians 5:1-2, 6

We'll never be truly at home until that happens, so there's really no point in wasting time longing for a permanent residence here. Not that a permanent residence is a bad thing. It just doesn't complete you or me and longing for it distracts us from the present. C. S. Lewis puts it this way in The Screwtape Letters (keep in mind this is from the point of view of an experienced demon writing advice to his novice demon nephew, so for example, the Enemy = God):

"It is far better to make them live in the Future... thought about the Future inflames hope and fear. Also, it is unknown to them, so that in making them think about it we make them think of unrealities. In a word, the Future is, of all things, the thing least like eternity. It is the most completely temporal part of time - for the Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays... Hence the encouragement we have given to all those schemes of thought such as Creative Evolution, Scientific Humanism, or Communism, which fix men's affections on the Future, on the very core of temporality. Hence nearly all vices are rooted in the future. Gratitude looks to the past and love to the present; fear, avarice, lust and ambition look ahead... To be sure, the Enemy wants men to think of the Future too - just so much as is necessary for the now planning the acts of justice or charity which will probably be their duty tomorrow. The duty of planning the morrow's work is today's duty; though its material is borrowed from the future, the duty, like all duties, is in the Present. This is now straw splitting. He does not want men to give the Future their hearts, to place their treasure in it. We do. His ideal is a man who, having worked all day for the good of posterity (if that is his vocation), washes his mind of the whole subject, commits the issue to Heaven, and returns at once to the patience or gratitude demanded by the moment that is passing over him. But we want a man hag-ridden by the Future - haunted by visions of an imminent heaven or hell upon earth - ready to break the Enemy's commands in the present if by so doing we make him think he can attain the one or avert the other... We want a whole race perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow's end, never honest, nor kind, nor happy now, but always using as mere fuel wherewith to heap the altar of the future every real gift which is offered them in the Present."
-p. 76-78

For the next nine months London is home. Eventually I'll have to make a decision about next year. Perhaps I'll be settling down. Perhaps not. There are a world of possibilities, but I can't fix my hopes and happiness on future treasures or homes that may or may not happen. I can, however, know that I have a God that will never abandoned me, is with me wherever I go, and has given me this wonderful opportunity for a new adventure that I can enjoy in the present.

"Now listen, daughter, don't miss a word:
forget your country, put your home behind you.
Be here - the king is wild for you.
Since he's your lord, adore him."
-Psalms 45:10-12

Pre-London Adventures: Aug 22-25

Monday: Completed a four mile run. First run since being sick so that was exciting! Waited all day for my loan documents to arrive. They never came. Worked on the room all day. Threw a bunch of stuff out and bagged up stuff for Goodwill. Called UPS because when I set the pickup up online it said it would be here by the end of Monday. I had only been given a collection number and they couldn't track it without a tracking number. They said UCL probably had the tracking number, but by that time it was 1am there so I couldn't call. I had planned on leaving early Tuesday morning so that I could visit the Bantons and then stay at David's sister Nikki's house in Connecticut. Without the documents this wasn't happening. Hoped they would show up in the morning so that I could still leave and be able to see people. Skyped with AG missionaries in Kyrgyzstan.

Tuesday: Waited all day again and couldn't leave the house. It STILL never came. Talked to Kristyn on the phone in the morning since she moved to CO. Good time of catching up and discussing the current predicament. So glad for friends like her. Older and wiser and known me for a long time! Embraced the possibility of having to change my plane ticket. If I had to delay departure for two weeks, then there would definitely be a reason for it even if I never knew what it was. Maybe something still needed to be done.

Kept working on room. And the earth shook!! I was in my room sorting things when it happened. First thought: Bobby's bass is up too loud (his room shares a wall with mine). Second thought: Quantico is blowing something up. Third thought: Quantico is crashing a helicopter into my house. Fourth thought (as things fell): This is an earthquake!! We got down the stairs and out of the house just as it was ending. The whole neighborhood was out there just as flabbergasted as we were and were asking if it was Quantico or an earthquake. It was actually quite disorienting. It was more freaky than scary. My hands were shaking for several minutes afterwards though I think because it's just not something you expect around here! I had been in one other earthquake, but it was with the Longwood hockey team out in San Francisco and it wasn't as strong (though I was in an elevator so that was interesting). It was also more of a one jolt and a quick settle than a continuous, building rumble. Strange!!

When the documents didn't arrive by late evening I figured I was staying, forgoing the visa appointment, and decided to go sleepover at Kelly's house since she was recovering from getting her wisdom teeth out and I had baked gluten free brownies for her. As I'm leaving mom decides I should still go to NYC. Figured going and maybe getting it was better than not going at all. Especially after I called and tried to move my ticket and was unable to. After much debate, I ended up packing, gathering the documentation, and going to bed.

Wednesday: After four hours of sleep, I got up at 3am to beat DC and Baltimore rush hour. Left Kelly's brownies in her mailbox :) Thankful mom had readied the coffee pot the night before. Left at 3:45. Five hours later I was in line for the Lincoln Tunnel toll. An hour after that I was actually in the city and on 3rd Ave, where the consulate is, looking for parking. At 10am I entered the consulate, 21 minutes early. Whew!! And, yes, that is 21 and not 20 haha the appointment was for 10:21! They were really friendly and hardly blinked when I said the loan papers from UCL hadn't been delivered yet when asked about them. The lady just took what I had and told me to pick the visa up at 4pm! Crazy!!

So then I was faced with what to do until 4pm. I decided to walk to the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art. I had wanted to go there for a long time!! Certainly as a history major it is a must-see! And it did not disappoint! AWESOME. My favorite parts were the Egyptian, Medieval, and Italian Renaissance exhibits. Surprise, surprise, the Asian area wasn't my favorite! I think after seeing so much of that stuff IN Asia and having just come from there I was particularly fascinated in seeing other things. Plus, of course, the Met is particularly known for it's Egyptian exhibit! They do a really good job there. If you haven't been, you should go!



I've estimated that I walked about 10 miles that day. And then at 4, I got my visa!!! God is good!!!! Then I grabbed a Starbucks since I had been up for like forever at that point, fought rush hour traffic, and crashed at Nikki's house in CT. I didn't realize Connecticut is so hilly! It was really weird. Like narrow, winding, hilly country roads in the 'suburbs.' Nikki's house has a creek running right behind it. Sleeping with the window open listening to it was really relaxing. Her friend's dog was staying at her house and was very sweet. So weird how I like dogs now. But they can't lick my face! It hasn't gone that far!!

Thursday: See the Bantons Day!! Drove 1.5 hours to where they're staying. Grabbed coffee at Dunkin' Donuts on my way out. Fun fact: CT has a DD on every corner instead of a Starbucks. Forgot that you have to specify black coffee there because they put the cream and sugar in for you. "A medium coffee, please." "Regluar?" "Yes, regular." Then I got the coffee and it was white. Oh, well. I had Gil coffee later! Spent the morning with Lindsay, Emma, and Adi. We went to a local store where they could do a craft and play with various toys. Emma was obsessed with 'cooking' and Adi just wanted to play a musical 'recital.' Then we went to the post office and drove by their potential house before heading back to their current residence. At one point when we were discussing where we were going to go, Emma said we should go to the mall. Lindsay said, "She's seen a mall before, Emma." Emma, "But she's never seen a CONNECTICUT mall." And she calls ME silly!

After lunch we all went to the Dairy Bar. It's this really, really amazing ice cream place run by the UConn. They use fresh milk from their own dairy to make the ice cream. While I was still eating my ice cream, Laura texted me that she was jealous I was at the Dairy Bar. For a freaky second I thought her spy/stealth skills had gone to the next level because I couldn't remember texting or posting anything about being there. But then I remembered Gil has a phone, too, and asked if he had posted anything about it and he had. Mystery solved!



After the Dairy Bar, we stopped in the UConn stables to see the horses and then headed back to their place for coffee, chatting, and coloring. I had one or both of Emma and Adi holding my hand or sitting next to me the whole time. On multiple occasions I carried both of them because they both wanted to 'hold' me. It was sweet. And it was really, really great to spend time with Gil and Lindsay and get a peek into their new life. Students were just beginning to show up for move in when I left. I can't wait to hear about the new fruit to be produced there!!

I headed out at 4pm. There was traffic soon after and it got really bad once I got into New York, despite crossing the Hudson on the Tappan Zee Bridge instead of the Lincoln Tunnel. I ended up getting off of the highway and taking Route 9 into New Jersey to the turnpike. As the sun set on the NJ Turnpike, I realized that it had been just the morning before that the sun had risen on the Turnpike, but it felt like so much more time had passed! It was amusing how the NJ and DE Turnpikes shouted hurricane warnings on their marquees. I would have hoped people knew by then and would be still going in that direction because they HAD to! I was very thankful to have been traveling south though because nearly the whole way the northbound lanes were backed up. Brief hold up at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge as it was lowered and on 95 in VA when roadwork narrowed it to one lane briefly, but really not a bad trip. Arrived home around 12:15am.

Pre-London Adventures: Aug 15-21

Left Farmville Monday after a very nice Sunday at the Hertzler's and week at Michelle's. I will miss all of them! Got one last workout in on campus (I'll miss John and the gym, too! UCL better have a good gym!!) and spent the night at my friend Sarah's apartment in Richmond so that we could have some hangout time. We went to Chipotle and talked so long that they closed. In the morning I drove straight to the British Consulate in Alexandria for my biometrics appointment (fingerprints and photo) and then went home to my mom's house in Stafford.

Wednesday my sister Becky called me because she realized she had never asked anyone to pick her up from the airport the next day and was wondering if I could schedule my return from Farmville as to coincide with her pickup in Richmond (We both needed to be back by the weekend for our older sister's wedding). I informed her that I had already returned but that I could still come get her and where was she anyway?? Salt Lake City. O...k...? What time I ask? Midnight. Are you serious?? Yes. Oh joy. I hadn't been up that late since coming back from China. Jet lag was gone, but it had put me on an early bird schedule.

Thursday I continued work on cleaning out my room. It has basically become storage over the last seven years with only a path to the bed since I left for Longwood. And not all of the stuff is mine, mind you. It was a convenient place for people to put things they didn't want in THEIR room under the pretense that maybe I wanted it! But in order to store my things that I've actually been using in Farmville, I need to clean it out. In the evening, I went to my nephew Nick's preseason football game at the high school. This is his junior year. I feel old. I also spent a good portion of the day dealing with visa issues. I thought I was going to express my application to the NYC consulate after getting my biometrics done (apparently the visas aren't issued in DC) but was told by the school that the e-mail confirmation UCL sent me saying they would accept my Federal loan wasn't enough. Instead I would need the original documents... that were in London. So I had to arrange for UPS to pick them up and express them to me by Monday and scheduled an in person visa appointment at the NYC consulate for Wednesday.

Later I left to pick Becky up at Richmond International. My friend Jessie rode along so that we could catch up. She had returned from a mission trip to Jamaica so I got to hear all about it. I hadn't been feeling all that great for several days, but as we drove, particularly on the way back, I started feeling really bad. Becky took over driving. I must have had the flu. That night I spent several hours on the bathroom floor and then didn't move from the couch all day Friday. Missed Katherine's (niece) first birthday party that night.

Saturday I felt a lot better, but still didn't feel like eating. Went to Ann Marie and David's wedding at their house. My cousin-in-law, Stephen, performed the ceremony in their backyard and then the close family on both sides hung out all afternoon for BBQ. I didn't eat it, but had a great time catching up with Stephen about his latest missions. That night I was fed up with not eating and finally had a bit of an appetite. I went the whole nine yards and ate a piece of the cheesecake my mom had gotten for the wedding (gluten free with a fudge crust instead of graham crackers!). It was delicious. And my body agreed.

Sunday I went to Mount Ararat for the first time since Christmas, I think! Man that church has turned into it's own mini city! It was nice to catch up with people. Sad that the Raffertys had moved to Colorado. Pastor Todd connected me on Facebook with someone he knows in London. Went to Dad's grave. It's funny how you can know something in your head, but actually coming face to face with it can still be so powerful. Lazy afternoon still recovering from being sick. Got sick of sitting though and walked three miles. That felt good. Decided I would have to try running in the morning.

Annette's Blog

I'm going to return Annette's favor and refer you to her blog (Annie's Gleanings on my sidebar). It's basically an archive containing years of wisdom. On Sunday she put up a post titled "Testing." It's amazing and speaks directly to my life right now. I haven't known what to post for a few days because I'm still digesting it. If my previous post of "Waking Up" spoke to you, then you should definitely read it. I love how she hadn't read "Waking Up" until right after she posted it and realized how the posts were related. I've been to the hills. Maybe you have, too. Or maybe you need to go. As for me, I think I'm figuring out how to come back out of them. Thank you, Annette, for helping clarify my situation.

Waking Up

Yesterday this came up back to back on my Facebook news feed:

Nady: "Preocuparse es como mecerse en una silla de abuelita, te mantiene ocupado pero no te lleva a ningun lado! J.M."

Rebekah: "Worry is like rocking in a rocking chair all day. It keeps you busy but gets you nowhere. -Joyce Meyer"

I did a double take (for those of you who don't speak Spanish, they mean the same thing!). Nady is a XA missionary in Nicaragua. Rebekah is my cousin in Tennessee. They don't know each other. (I even checked out 'shared friends' to make sure!) I commented something to this effect on their posts and Nady replied, "God speaks!" I guess so! But it didn't come together for me until this morning.

In the less than a week that I've been back I've had plenty of time to worry. Particularly in the last couple days. I don't feel like it's been an overwhelming worry but just enough to be slowly creeping in on me and taking over my mind. "What if I messed something up and my loan and/or visa fails?" "What if UCL doesn't come through on housing?" "What if I'm missing something and I don't know it?" "What if London is still rioting when I get there?" "What if my undergrad was a fluke and I'm actually not a good student?"

The temptation to go stir crazy is there. I've always been busy. Life has been full-throttle. My mom has said on multiple occasions that I like to "burn the candle at both ends." I've never had the problem of what to do with down time because it didn't exist. Then all of a sudden this summer I've had a ton of it. My job contract was up at the beginning of May and I couldn't renew because I'd be leaving for school at the end of August. And right now particularly I have no idea what to do with myself! I've been trying to think of ways to make myself busy!

"So don't worry about these things, saying 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."
-Matthew 6:31-34

"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."
-Matthew 11:28-30

This summer has been good for me. It's forced me to slow down. It's taken me out of the world of competitiveness and into the world of relearning how to have fun. It's allowed me to notice more of the little things. It's taken me out of town and into the middle of no where. I like the middle of no where. I missed it while I was gone! It's going to be really weird spending a school year in the heart of London! Who would've thought this city/suburbia girl would come to find the prospect of leaving 'her' country roads daunting?? Oh Farmville, what have you done to me?!

"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and also trust in me."
-John 14:1

I fell asleep at eight last night and could've gotten up at four but forced myself to at least stay in bed until after five. I give up on not getting up early. I like the solitude of the predawn and the quiet excitement of a sunrise. The peace and stillness in the air walking Maddy this morning was amazing. She had a lot of energy, so we went all the way to the lake.

I sat on a floating dock for awhile, still enjoying the calm and remnants of early morning air, watching the reflection of the trees in the water. It occurred to me that the less I moved the less the water moved and the clearer the reflection became. That's when God spoke. "Each of those ripples is a worry. And each of them distorts my image, your reflection of me. It's only when you stop moving that the details can come into focus."

"Be still, and know that I am God!"
-Psalm 46:10

Wow, and here I've been trying to think of ways to move more! I don't really think of myself as a worry wart, but being still and not busy doesn't exactly come naturally to me. Within this last week I've become obsessed with Needtobreathe's song "Slumber." Here's a verse:

"Days; they force you back under those covers,
lazy mornings; they multiply,
glory's waiting outside your windows.
Wake on up from your slumber, baby open up your eyes. "

I think for me it's the slumber of busyness that I'm waking up from. It's blinded me from the simple things in life. For so long everything has been performance driven and over the top competitive. The world of scholarships and championships. Everything I did was directly correlated in some way towards being the best at something and everything. Whether on the sports field, in the classroom, or at work, I had to be perfect. There was no excuse to get scored on, get a 98 instead of 100, or not be stronger/faster than the athletes I was training. Thinking about it all now makes my head spin! I think I've been in detox this summer!

I'm waking up to how you can play sports competitively, yet just for fun. I'm waking up to how a day can be considered 'good,' yet not 'productive.' I'm waking up to how you can have a lazy morning, yet not feel guilty. I'm waking up to how you should work hard, yet not hinge your life on results. I hope I keep waking up and don't get sucked back in when school starts. I hope the light will reflect clearly off of me.

"I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid."
-John 14:27

English Camp 2011: Return

After three days of travel amounting to four flights, two bus rides, a handful of taxis, and the Hong Kong airport express train, I arrived in DC around 7pm yesterday. Now after sweet, sweet sleep and a run, I'm happily stuffed with pumpkin pancakes and freshly brewed coffee!

Not really sure where to begin with this post. I think I'm still processing things. This morning's run was glorious. FRESH air and BLUE sky. I woke up at 6am, when the sun was still low in the sky and a crispness was still in the air, thankful that I had managed to sleep until after the sunrise began. Not bad for the first night back.

"The sun rises like an athlete EAGER TO RUN the race." -Psalm 19:5

Originally I thought that maybe I should take a day of complete rest today, but after sitting for so long traveling I was itching to stretch my legs. Immediately when I stepped out the door I was struck by the smell of grass and soil. I could hear the distant, roaring hum of I-95, yet my immediate surroundings consisted of bird song and chirping crickets. Setting out on my run, I enjoyed a feeling of anonymity. I was just another person out for an early morning run. Nothing special. Nothing weird. Nothing to be stared at. After running, I was so giddy that I had to get on my knees and stick my face into the grass of my mom's front yard. If suburbia seems so incredibly fresh and clean to me right now, I wonder what Farmville is going to feel like Sunday!

"For you have been called to live in FREEDOM, my brothers and sisters..." -Galations 5:13

Something else refreshing is the ability to speak freely. I was so thankful to arrive in Hong Kong Wednesday evening, meet up with Tracy, and speak about what God is doing in our lives without the use of code! It was awkward at first, but slowly the burden lifted and I finally felt like I could adequately express myself. What a great blessing we have to be able to speak the name of Jesus and heavenly things both freely and openly. We don't have to meet in secret or refer to him generally as "he," "the boss," or "our father." We don't have to feel out whether or not someone is a spy from the government sent to report on us before we open up to them.

While it's true that we are always free in Christ, there is something to be said about being free of government persecution. I had the chance to meet and work with some AG missionaries this time around and found out a missionary and his family I met at the first World Missions Summit had gotten kicked out of the country. They served in a particularly sensitive part of the country. Jail time was involved. They now serve in Eurasia.

There's something to be said about not having to rejoice and cringe when a student shouts out in class "About Jesus!" on the last day when posed with the question of "What did you learn at English Camp?" and you start to pray that it's not repeated in the wrong context.

"Let there be LIGHT in the darkness..." -2 Corinthians 4:6

I had the chance to meet up with old friends and to make new ones. Our time was spent encouraging those who believe, speaking truth to someone who had never heard, and very often simply being salt and light, an example, in the way we live.

"We now have this light SHINING in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." -2 Corinthians 4:7

It's not that we shine of our own goodness, but that we reflect the SON. When people recognize that there's something different about us by the way we live and not just the way we speak, that's when the light makes it easier to see and the salt gives a stronger taste. That's when people wonder at how much this group of foreigners who, for the most part, just met each other can love each other so much.

"I mean I love the place but it's kinda the middle of nowhere." -Rebecca

English Camp doesn't exactly take place in a developed area. We do bucket laundry, teach in non-air conditioned classrooms, watch roosters peck at trash on the street in the morning, ride in sanluns, marvel at all the non-car traffic and how it doesn't follow any rules and yet for the most part doesn't crash, get excited if something even remotely resembles ice cream, don't drink the water, carry our own toilet paper and always watch our step lest we fall into the squatty potty while showering.

This lays the groundwork for adventures and storytelling, but doesn't exactly create an environment where you always feel like giving 100%. It brings the temptation to focus on your own needs and discomforts rather than the needs of others.

"...And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's AMBASSADORS..." 
-2 Corinthians 5:18-20

"So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Therefore, whenever we have the OPPORTUNITY, we should do good to everyone..." -Galatians 6:9-10

I know I definitely get tired while I'm there and have to constantly remind myself that soon this opportunity will be gone and I won't be able to get it back. Some of these people I might see again, but most of them I probably will not. What impression am I going to leave with them? Am I investing myself in them or just going through the motions of camp? Am I using my free time to their benefit or to mine? Of course you can't let yourself burnout or you're of no use to anybody, but I think at camp that line has got to be pushed if you're going to do the most good possible in a short amount of time to feed hungry hearts.

"Sing a NEW SONG to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!" -Psalm 96:1

We had an interesting new song at English camp this year. Not new as in no one has ever sung it before, but new as in it, and nothing of its kind, has never been heard at English camp before. It was the worship song "All in All." And the interesting thing is that it was chosen by students. Class One sang it together at English Song Night (our closing event). When asked where they had heard it before they said "the Internet." When one of our team asked the girl who found it if she's a Christian she said, "Lots of people aren't in [this country]." Such a political answer.

Our leader decided that the chorus should be edited for them to sing it to avoid any controversy, but the verses were kept the same. And the whole class listened to the real thing over and over and over again to learn it! Such a blessing to see!

After camp, I traveled to another city to see friends I met while studying language there two years ago. I'm so glad they're doing well and that their fellowship is growing.

On my way home, I had a night to spend in Hong Kong. I spent it with Tracy, a Hong Kong native that was part of the 2009 English Camp team. It was great to catch up with her over amazing mango frozen yogurt and the night lights of Victoria Harbour. I'd missed seeing the lights on our way in this year because I was sick. It turned out that she was flying out of Hong Kong at nearly the same time as me the next morning for a mission trip to Cambodia, so we got to travel to the airport together in the morning! It was so awesome to be with her team as they prayed in the airport and to watch the fire in the eyes of the tiny little woman who is her pastor. They were speaking Cantonese, so I didn't understand them. Tracy was asked to introduce me. I don't know what she said, but they were all smiley and welcoming to me. It was a surreal moment to be returning from a mission and watching another team departing on one. Especially a team that comes from a people group many people send missionaries to. GLORIOUS.