A Hurried (and belated) Update

Hey Everyone!

Thank you so much for your patience with me over the past few weeks.  I haven't been posting because I've been super busy with my internship, but that's definitely a good thing!  I really love the organization I'm with as well as the work I'm doing.  :)

For those of you who don't know... I'm working with a consulting firm that specializes in leadership development.  Basically, they get called into a various companies when a leader is having a difficult time connecting with his/her subordinates and efficiency and moral is suffering.  The consultants will then facilitate training workshops, team building exercises, and coaching sessions, and provide feedback to managers and employees.  They customize a sustainable solution that will allow everything to run optimally.  It's pretty cool, and the best part is that they let me be a part of everything they do!

Whether it's sitting in on meetings and interviews, researching new leadership approaches, editing proposals, finding and "mastering" new programs, or running (very basic) statistical analyses, they invite me to be a part of everything.  I love that!  Also, whenever I ask if I can be in on something, I'm always surprised by how open they are.  As long as it's appropriate and the clients agree—I'm in!  I'm already learning a lot, and I know there's so much more for me to figure out :D

In addition to my internship, other things in Philly are also going well.  I've been trying to take advantage of living here by experiencing as many different things as possible.   I've gotten to go to a lot of places including the zoo, the orchestra, the Liberty Bell, and the art museum. I've also gotten to try THE MOST amazing food!  I love that every time I walk to work, I pass half a dozen coffee shops, seven different ethnic restaurants, four chains, at least ten dessert shops and convenience stores, and so many nail salons and boutiques.  I really love the diversity and convenience of living in a city!

My goal for the next good-weather weekend we have is to spend an entire day in Chinatown.  I want to buy random food, shop at the underground market, go into little shops, and (maybe) even revive my broken Chinese :D  It will be awesome and I can't wait!

I can't believe I've already been in Philly for six weeks... time really does fly!  Only eight weeks left...yikes! This is crazy!  I want to stay in Philly forever :)

Rebekah

Coffee Shops and Thoughts on Submission

May I just start this post by stating once again how much I love Philly???  Haha it’s amazing.  I woke up at 5 this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I got up, went to the gym, came home and showered/changed, and now I’m sitting in this fantastic little coffee shop that’s like half a block from my apartment.  It’s called Cake and the Beanstalk, and it’s literally the cutest café around!  They have this little sunroom that is filled with several mismatched tables and chairs that are all painted in different ways… one chair has a scene from Charlottes’ Web on it.  Others have Where the Wild Things Are, Goodnight Moon, and other really cute scenes or sayings.  The atmosphere here is so fun and relaxing!  Also, there’s a table with a bucket of legos.  Yeah, I KNOW! Haha I have definitely spent my fair share of time playing with those…. #noguilt:)

Another great thing about Philly is that it is now the city in which I am employed!  (Technically speaking anyway… I’m an unpaid intern, but that’s ok!  Let me rephrase that: I’M AN UNPAID INTERN!!! Haha I’m super pumped.)  I’ll be working in a consulting firm that specializes in effective leadership training and research.  I don’t know all that I’ll have the opportunity to do, but I’ll be sure to post updates as I know more. I start on Monday :D

Speaking of starting new things.  It’s time for me to start the next Spiritual discipline in my Big Challenge.  Before I tell you what I will be focusing on though, here’s how submission went in January:

January was very eye opening for me.  Not particularly in a good way, but it revealed a myth that I had been feeding to myself, which is really good to know.  I had always thought that the reason I got behind in/stopped doing Bible study was because I was so busy that I literally didn't have time for it.  However, after being home on Christmas break and then in Philly where (while I was busy with house hunting and interviews) I had a pretty substantial amount of free time, I noticed that I was committing roughly the same amount of time to Bible study that I was when I was at school and hardly had time to breathe.  That was definitely sobering to realize that it wasn't necessarily business but actually laziness/lack of initiative that kept me from developing my relationship with God.

After realizing this, I spent a few days sulking and just basically throwing my hands in the air and proclaiming that I didn't care.  Shortly after that however, I saw how stupid I was being.  I knew that I was certainly not ok with putting my relationship with God on the back burner.  I had never actually stopped doing my Bible study or prayer time (except for those few days), but my heart hadn't been in it.  

I started praying earnestly again and really focusing in on what I was reading for the day.  I want to start being more intentional in my study/prayer time... maybe read my way through a devotional or something.  So while I was supposed to be practicing submission, I don't know if I actually did or not.  God didn't let me down though.  If all I learned was that I can't blame my schedule for my lack of time spent with God and that I need to fight to make it a part of my day whether I'm busy or not, than I'm really glad to have learned that.  I need to keep my focus on God though and maybe have a much more tangible thing to guide my time with Him, especially now that I'm trying to really and honestly get into the swing of things.  

I think I will focus on the discipline of study this month (and maybe next month if need be).  I want to read my way through a devotional so that I can have a physical goal to meet every day.  I think that would be helpful.  I also want to deepen my understanding of God's love, commands, and promises because I feel like I disregard them far too easily sometimes.  I want them to become so precious to me that I can't bear to not spend time soaking them in every day.  I don't know if that is possible, but I like to think that it is.  

I would very much appreciate your prayers and encouragement as I focus on the discipline of study.  Even though I no longer believe that the sole cause of my slacking was due to business, I know that that does play a part in it.  As I noted at the beginning of this post, I’m starting my internship on Monday.  I’m really excited about that, but I know that it will be way too easy to slip back into my old habits.  I don’t want that to happen, so I am asking/giving you all permission to check up on me if you would like :) I would really appreciate it, and trust me, I won’t take it as nagging.

Also, if anyone knows a really good Beth Moore study, I would love to start one soon.  I’ve never done a Beth Moore study, but I was at a conference where she spoke last year, and I think I would learn a lot from her perspective!   

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your support.  Hopefully I will have some awesome things to share next month! 

Rebekah

            

Something New...TPC!

It’s been an exciting month since I last posted! 

Because I’m spending this semester studying off-campus in Philadelphia, I got an extra week at home (which was fantastic!), and then I got to start on my latest adventure.  You know… life itself really is an adventure!  You just have to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and really live, taking advantage of each new opportunity as it becomes available.  It’s awesome. 

Ok, I’m going to make a conscious effort to step away from my soapbox before I jump up there and make this post a very long rabbit trail about “life’s great adventure” or whatever.  Haha you’re welcome by the way ;)

So, for anybody who doesn’t know, I’m studying at The Philadelphia Center (TPC) this semester.  This program is absolutely FANTASTIC in that it focuses almost exclusively on experiential learning.  (Anyone who knows me knows that I love nothing more than experiencing new and exciting aspects of life—hence the soapbox a few paragraphs ago.)

I arrived at TPC on Saturday January 11 and had one “leisure” week in a hotel in Center City (downtown Philly).  In this week the other students and I literally got a crash course in how to establish yourself in a new city.  In that first week, we had a brief (and very experiential) orientation to the program.  This orientation consisted of walking around the city, learning the basics of navigating SEPTA (the public transportation system), and house hunting. 

Yes…you definitely read that correctly!  On our second day in the city, the fabulous faculty and staff at the Center gave us each a sheet of paper listing the houses and apartments that students had rented in the past, and other listings that were willing to do short term leases.  Obviously it’s easy to see why TPC has been described as real life with a safety net!  With this trusty list in hand, I and the other TPC students set out to tour this new city and find the place that we would call home for the next fifteen weeks.  In addition to finding a place to live, we also had to find roommates.  Luckily, I was blessed with two fantastic roommates whom I have very much enjoyed living with and getting to know! 

After several days of trecking around Philadelphia in rain, sunshine, and bitterly cold wind, my roommates and I had signed our lease and had rolled, carried, and pushed our luggage over from the hotel.  We moved into a fantastic little two-bedroom apartment in the “gayborhood.”  We’ve got two bathrooms, a kitchen, washer/dryer, and lots and LOTS of stairs leading up to our place!  It’s a great workout if nothing else :D

(I also got to experience first hand how satisfying it is to pull a large box on a dolly behind you as you walk through the downtown area of a major city.  I got a lot of inquisitive as well as incredulous looks… and here I thought people in the city would be more used to seeing people doing strange things!  I guess even city people see something new occasionally!  I was honored to give them that experience) ;) 

This wrapped up our very first, very full week in Philly!

Next up, in week two of the program, we started classes.  I have one class on Monday nights—Abnormal Psych, and one class on Wednesday morning—Urban, Political, and Social Problems.  As with everything else at TPC, the classes are as experiential as possible.  In my Abnormal Psych class, we do a lot of role-playing in addition to the readings.  It’s definitely a lot easier to remember details about various disorders when either you or your classmates have acted it out!  Likewise, in my Urban class, we take a lot of field trips to talk to people who are in the situations that we’re reading about. I really like this because if we’re going to be discussing poverty, why not walk outside and get the perspective of someone who is experiencing homelessness, or someone who has dedicated their life to assisting those in poverty?  It’s so much more enriching than merely reading a textbook and taking notes on a lecture.

Also in week two, we began our search for internships!  (At TPC, we take two four-credit classes throughout the semester, and work a 32 hour a week internship with some organization in our field.)  The first step in the process of finding our internship was spent with several days of pouring over many of the 800+ placement files that they have in TPC.  Each file is for a different company or organization that has either had a TPC intern in the past, or has expressed interest in having one in the future.  We each came up with a list of our top six choices, which the staff at TPC then took and started working their magic on.  They emailed and called each of these supervisors on our behalf.  This is yet another aspect of the safety net that is TPC.  Even though we personally had no credibility as potential interns, we had the good name of TPC and their students that had preceded us in these organizations.  As a result, potential supervisors were generally very willing to give us interviews! 

On a side note, there’s nothing cooler than walking into the Center everyday and seeing your new friends all decked out in their most professional ensembles and seeing how nervous/excited they are to go out and meet their potential future employers.  It’s inspiring, you know?  It reminds us that we’re all in the same position, and it built a sense of community very quickly!  I’ve known these people for just a few weeks, but because of all we’ve been through, I feel very close to many of them already.  I feel like I’ve known them for years :)

Currently, I have had four interviews, and I potentially have two more at the beginning of next week. I’ve interviewed at everything from a consulting firm, to a non-profit activist group working for economic rights of the homeless population.  I’ve had the privilege of meeting some of the most inspirational and motivated people in Philadelphia.  Honestly, I think the reason I haven’t locked in on an internship yet is because I want to keep meeting people and learning about how various organizations are operated!  But don’t worry (Mom) I’m making lots of good contacts, and have at least one offer, so I will work soon!  Don’t worry… :P

That pretty much brings me up to today.  It’s Saturday again, the beginning of my fourth week in Philly, and I’m sitting in a fantastic coffee shop down the street from my apartment, sipping an almond joy latte, and typing away on my laptop.  This is a happy place.  I feel very content.  If this is the way the semester starts, I’m so excited to see how it progresses over the next 12 weeks!  I feel so fortunate to be apart of this program.  I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to go back to campus life where each day is filled with classes and each night with homework and stolen moments for froyo runs with your besties.  I much prefer my “real world with a safety net.”  I love the freedom of a city, and the responsibility that comes from being a young professional in said city.  I feel like I’m expected to carry myself in a mature way here, as opposed to people constantly thinking that I need to loosen up at school.  I almost feel more myself here, and I like that :)

I’ll close for now and post again soon about how January went with submission in the Big Challenge.  Thanks for your support, your prayers, and your letters!  I really appreciate everything, and I look forward to sharing more of my adventures with you in the near future!

Much love from Philly,

Rebekah 

New Year, New Challenge

It’s the first day of the New Year!  I’m pretty excited about all the things that this year will hold, specifically studying in Philly, celebrating my sisters graduation from college and my grandparents 50th year of marriage, being the maid of honor in my friends wedding, living in my own apartment for the first time, being in Holland (MI) over the summer, starting my senior year at school, and other things along those lines.  I’ve got to tell you though, one of the things that I’m most excited about in this new year is growing in my faith and learning to meet with God in new, more rich ways.   

            I certainly have not been perfect in my practice of this Big Challenge so far.  Quite the contrary actually!  I’ve known for a long time that I struggle with being faithful in keeping up with a lot of things: exercise regiments, plans to study x amount of hours a day, writing in my journal every day… basically anything that I can’t ever finish is a struggle for me.  I run out of steam when the process is literally never ending.  I was talking to my Grandma about this yesterday, and we joked about starting the “Haters of Eating Less and Exercising More Club” (HELEMC) … yeah, we’re going to have to work on the name haha but the point is, it’s so hard to stay true to the plan of eating less and exercising more, especially when it is intended to be a lifestyle change rather than a diet.  It really sucks!  The same is true with spiritual disciplines in that they are also “a lifestyle and not a diet.”  It has been said that the Christian faith is a marathon not a sprint, and that’s true.  Paul talks about the need to press on until we finish the race, but it’s really hard to press on indefinitely.  If I’ve learned anything from the first month and a half of this challenge, it’s that my own strength runs out pretty quickly!  I’m learning that I need to rely on God in order to make it through each day. 

That’s actually an answer to prayer in itself because I am a very self-reliant, proud person.  I know that’s really not good (to say the least) so in the past few weeks I’ve constantly been praying that God would show me my weaknesses and how much I need him.  I’ve also been praying specifically that God would renew my desire for him, and give me a real need to spend time with him every day.  I’ve been amazed by the ways that God has been faithful to me in this!  Whether he quickens my heart while I read about the desperation of others to draw near to him, as in the Left Behind series, or see how God speaks to people in the Touched By An Angel series, I’m always left wanting that for myself.  That desire has transitioned into a need that I myself have to meet with God every day.  As a result of this, my Bible study has become so much more than an opportunity to cross something off my list.  It has become a source of inspiration and understanding instead. 

For the month of December, I had decided to focus on the spiritual discipline of meditation.  I wanted to learn to soak in God’s words instead of just rushing through them.  I had many high and low points with the practice of this over the past 31 days, but through it all I’ve learned a lot too.  I’ve learned that rather then just sitting somewhere and thinking about a Bible verse, in order to really process God’s words, I need to write about it.  That’s where my journal comes in :) It’s funny because at first, it was really easy for me to ignore the idea to journal about some things that God was showing me, but as the month went on, the Holy Spirit became more insistent to the point that I have felt that I literally MUST write things down or I’d burst!  Journaling has been so fruitful for me… I love it!

I want to share last night’s journal entry with you, at least parts of it anyway.  So here it is:

“…I was a bit sad when I came to bed tonight.  In about five days Deborah and Sarah fly back to school and a few days after that, I fly to Philly for my scary, potentially life-changing internship.  More then that though, this is Deborah’s last Christmas break/our last “guaranteed” family Christmas. 

            I was a little depressed that it’s almost “over,” however God has been really amazing lately with meeting me in my Bible study.  Today, right after I was thinking about “the end of life as I know it” (yes, I have a tendency to be melodramatic), I randomly turned to Isaiah 43 and read from the passage where God says:

      See, I am doing a new thing, now it springs up, do you not perceive it?

I was left thinking, in the words of my sister Joanna, I see what you did there God! Haha I realize that God is telling me that even though things are changing, even though we’re moving into uncharted territory, we’re still family and God is still in control.  He is doing a new thing, and like everything he does, it will be beautiful.  I just have to keep trusting him and moving forward.   I have to let go of the way things have always been so that I can see and perceive this new thing when it springs up.  I don’t want to be left clinging to the phantom of the past when God is giving me the opportunity to be a part of the exciting future that he has planned.”

As you can see, even in the little things, God has been meeting with me and changing my perspective.  I think that’s what meditation is all about.  It’s not just thinking deeply about some words that God has spoken in the past.  Rather, it’s about hearing him speak in the present and letting his words transform the way we see and react to the things that are happening in our world. 

Hearing God’s voice is a lot more complex than I thought it would be, especially considering that I thought all I had to do was sit down with my eyes closed and wait.  This month has shown me that it’s bigger than that.  God speaks to me through Scripture and then shows me an opportunity to apply it.  That’s meditation to me because in order to apply something, you have to think about what it means, how it impacts you and others, and the possible outcomes of thinking/acting in that way.  The phrase used to describe meditation in the dictionary is ‘to ponder something.’  I think that’s what I’m doing, and I really like it! 

            So, even though my practice of meditation this month has not been the most consistent, I’ve really learned a lot.  Meditation (and journaling) will definitely be something that I take to Philly with me!  I’ve learned that I can’t/don’t want to go through life without turning to God, sitting at his feet, and hearing what he might say to me.

Btw, I’ve decided to focus on submission in January.  I think this will be beneficial because I need to submit my time, finances, and habits to God, but in addition to that, I need to submit my internship and time in Philly to whatever purposes God has for me.  Pray for me as often as you think of it.  I have a feeling that this spiritual discipline will be harder to practice than I think it will be.   

Praying God’s blessing on you in 2014!

Rebekah 

Compelling.  An InterVarsity conference I've gone to for the past three years.  Each year I leave with convictions about ways that I want to strengthen my faith and make it more real and tangible in my life. My intentions were never followed by action following freshman year, never bore the desired fruit sophomore year, and this year...well let's just say I'm hoping that the saying "third times the charm" is applicable here!

This year I took the Conformed to His Likeness track.  It's all about spiritual disciplines and how to use them to exercise your faith.  I went into the track with little to no understanding about these disciplines, and was amazed by all that I learned!

For example, I didn't really know what the point of meditation was.  I thought that it was the act of trying to push literally EVERYTHING from your mind.  As a female and a type A personality, I knew this would be a losing battle before I began.  I also was never able to understand what the point of fasting was.  I thought people used it as a gimmick to get what they wanted.  Kind of like a "hey God, so I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but I haven't eaten for a few days, and I was wondering if you could please pay extra special attention to what I'm asking for....because, you know, I'm not eating for you!"  That just never sat well with me, and now I know that my perception of fasting couldn't have been further from the truth.

Before we left Compelling, we were given the opportunity to participate in the "Big Challenge", which is a year long application of the 12 spiritual disciplines that we studied at the conference.  Each month is dedicated to one of the 12 disciplines: meditation, prayer, fasting, study, confession, worship, guidance, celebration, simplicity, solitude, submission, and service.  I decided that even though it will be difficult and I'm sure I will miss days along the way, I want to do it.  I want to grow in my faith, and I want to start now.  It's long overdue.

Because I don't want to catch myself trying do this challenge in my own strength, I've decided to start with the discipline of prayer.  I want to focus on God right from the start, and make sure that I'm depending on Him for strength, motivation, and direction over the course of this challenge.  I'm not sure exactly how I will be practicing this discipline beyond just...praying, so studying up on it will be the first step.

I will most likely post at the end of each month and talk about which discipline I did, what I experienced (challenges and triumphs), and how I observed God working over the course of that discipline.  Please pray for me when you think of it.  I know that I will need all the prayer power I can get over the course of this challenge!

So, here we are—November 11, 2013—day one of the Big Challenge.  Here I go :)

Rebekah

Jesus, please guide me as I start this challenge.  Please prepare me to learn more about you, and meet with me daily as I learn how to glorify you in the way that I practice my faith.  Thank you for the opportunity, and thank you for those who have committed to keeping me encouraged and accountable along the way.  Thank you for loving me and wanting to meet with me.  Amen.

Conclusions and Lessons Learned

 All right everyone, thanks for hanging in there with me as I haphazardly conveyed some of my China adventures!  I’ll never forget the people I met, the things I saw, or the things I learned.  It wouldn’t have been possible for me to go to China and experience these things were it not for those of you who supported me both financially and prayerfully.  I learned so much from my time in China, and I know that it has changed the way I look at our work as ambassadors forever. 

Perhaps the lesson that struck a chord hardest with me is what Dad showed me about being a laborer in his vineyard.  He taught me that he is always at work, sometimes in the places and ways that I least expect, and that he offers me the chance to join in with the work he is doing. He showed me that part of my job is to be intentional about watching for the opportunities that he creates and to be ready to act when those opportunities present themselves. 

I went into this summer wrongfully assuming that *I would be responsible for reaching people with the message.  I thought that Dad had been at work to get me there and that the rest was up to me.  Perhaps I thought that this was how I would repay Him for his faithfulness, by “proving” to him that I could be effective and successful in doing his work.  I see now how completely wrong and prideful my assumption was.  In this, my last blog post about China, I want to share with you one particular instance in which Dad proved himself to be faithful not only to me, but also to our family in China.  (I’m going to be using a lot of jargon in this entry because I don’t want to get anyone in trouble by what I write here.)

The lesson that I want to share with you revolves around my friendship with “Tina”, a sophomore studying at the University we were at.  We met after one of our events when we randomly began chatting, of all things, about American food.  Pizza was a favorite for both of us. :)  I didn’t think much about our conversation at the time, I had no idea that Dad had been dramatically working in her heart, filling her with questions about him and revealing to her the beauty of his unconditional love. 

A day or two after we met, I got a text from Tina asking if I wanted to join her for lunch that day.  She said that she knew a place that sold American style pizza, and she wanted to ask me some questions about college life in America.  It sounded like fun, and I didn’t have any plans yet, so I agreed to meet with her.  We had a great time chatting together, so we started hanging out more and became fast friends. Needless to say, I was pretty excited, and began wondering what Dad had planned for our friendship.

 Not long after this, Tina and I were at lunch again, and she randomly (and quite bluntly) asked me if I talked to Dad every time before I ate.  I told her that I did, and she was surprised.  (We weren’t allowed to initiate any conversations like this, but our leaders had been teaching us how to intentionally guide conversations in this direction and trust that Dad would open the necessary doors, allowing us to witness.)   Because she was initiating the conversation, I got to share with her why I did this and why it was important to me.  JC tells us not to worry about what to say when the time comes because he will tell us what to say.  He certainly did that in this situation! 

After we had talked about this for a while, I asked Tina if I could talk to Dad (yarp) over our food the next time we ate together, and she said yes!  Encouraged by her openness, I then asked her if she would like to come back to my room and look at my Book for a while.  Again, she said yes! Slowly but surely, Dad was letting me join in with the work that he had started in Tina’s heart.  I realized that he had likely begun this work before I had even heard about this trip.  It was very humbling to realize this, but it was also exciting!

We went back to my room and looked at my favorite passage in Isaiah, and Tina seemed to enjoy it very much.  I think that Dad was preparing me though, because somehow I knew that she would not be quite so open the next time we met up.  This proved to be true because the next time we ate together, when I asked if I could yarp over our food, Tina said no.  Additionally we only chatted about surface level things that day.  I was slightly disappointed, but I knew that Dad wasn’t finished yet.

My team and I continued to yarp for Tina, and the next time we went out to lunch things gained momentum so quickly that I was lucky to keep up with where Dad was leading us!  Here’s an excerpt from my journal from June 26:

I got to meet with Tina for lunch today, and guess what, she straight up asked me to yarp for our food!  She was surprised that my yarp was so simple haha she said she was expecting it to be a lot more long and formal.  After this, she asked if we would have time before our afternoon event to go back to my room and look at my Book!  I swear it’s just what JC meant when he said that one sows and the other harvests, one does the hard work and the other reaps the fruit of that work.  I have only had to be available for Tina, she is so close to becoming family, and I can take no credit whatsoever!  Someone has been telling her about Dad long before I got here, and now I get to help bring her even closer.  I absolutely love that and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  :)

I don’t know exactly how, but when we opened my Book later, we ended up in the book of Judges.  We were reading about Deborah, and I think it was significant because it talked a lot about Dad being loving and forgiving and giving his people second chances, even when they messed up horribly.  We connected it to how Dad gives us second chances today no matter how badly we mess up.  I remember flipping to other passages in the Book that talk about these things, and Tina asked me if I knew everything about the Book.  Haha I could only laugh and tell her that I still have a lot to learn.  I told her that Dad often uses the same passages to speak different things to us, even if we’ve read that particular passage hundreds of times.  I told her that because of this we can never learn absolutely everything about the Book.  She sat pondering that for a moment, and I asked her what she was thinking about.  She told me that she was close to wanting JC, but she still had some questions.  I told her that I and the other members of the team would love to answer any questions that she had. 

We left for our Open House soon after that, and she asked some of my leaders questions afterwards!  Omg I really want to see her become part of our family!! We’ve been yarping for her and I honestly think that’s all we can do now. 

***

I ended up talking to Tina several more times after I wrote this journal entry.  I asked her at one point if she wanted to yarp and ask JC to come into her heart, and she said that she did want to do that just not yet.  She said she wanted to go home and talk to her mom about everything she had learned before she made that commitment.  At first I felt worried that something would happen before she made the decision to yarp, but Dad reminded me that he loved her so much more than I ever could and that he was more then capable of protecting her until his perfect time came.  I’ve learned that it’s usually a good idea to trust Dad about things like this haha I’ve been yarping that Dad would protect her and give her a sense of urgency and continue to beckon her with his love.  (You can yarp about this too!)  So far I haven’t heard anything else about Tina, but I trust that Dad is still faithfully working in her heart and in her life.  After all, “He who begins a good work… will continue it on until completion,” right? :D

Throughout my time with Tina, I learned that it is Dad (not me!) who does absolutely all the work in saving people.  All he asks me to do is intentionally look for opportunities that he is orchestrating, and be available to join in the work that he is doing.  I was humbled time and again through my interactions with Tina that I literally did nothing besides show up.  She had initiated our first meeting.  She had asked me about my yarp habits. She had asked to come to my room and see my Book, and she asked me to tell her stories about JC both from the Good Book and also from my own life.  Tina initiated everything with me, while Dad was initiating everything with Tina.  I was merely yarping endlessly in my head (and out loud when the opportunity presented itself) and holding on for dear life as Dad and Tina took me on the most exciting and rewarding ride of my life.  I had merely been available.  See, Dad had provided me with the opportunity to go to China, and also with the opportunities for Tina and I to get to know each other.  Additionally, He provided me with direction as I floundered for answers for Tina’s questions.  He did everything, and *that’s what he taught me this summer.

The fun part is that I now get to take what I learned abroad and apply it to my campus!  Strange as it may sound, I had never really considered the possibility that there might be Tina’s at Hope College.  I thought that everyone there had heard about JC and had already decided where they stood.  I thought that I could encourage those who said yes, but that it was my job to respect the decisions of those who had chosen to opt out.  I now see that while I do need to be respectful of their choice, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have the responsibility to be intentional in building relationships with them. Dad is working in their hearts just as he was working in Tina’s, and they are likely just as hungry to hear about him as she was.  Just like in China, Dad is already doing all the hard work.  All he is asking me to do is be ready to join in.

Matthew 28:18-20

Then JC came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the HS, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Now that, my friends, is loving for real :D Thanks for supporting me this summer so I could learn this lesson—the true message behind the Great Commission. Don’t forget that our Father has also called you to be a part of his work!  Don’t worry though; you’ll never be working alone!  He’s the kind of boss that likes to be right in the middle of all the nitty gritty stuff, so like he said, he will be with you always. Hopefully you won’t need to go all the way to China to learn this lesson like I did :)

Be blessed, and go make disciples!

Rebekah

Much Ado About Nothing

 Adapted from my journal, June 24, 2013

Just got back from the morning market with Aki’a, Grace, Zach, Rebecca, and TaylorAnn!  I love the market so much.  Let me paint a picture of it for you:

It’s early morning, and you’re walking down the street toward the market, when you begin to hear the low hum of many conversations occurring simultaneously.  The humming grows louder as you draw nearer.  You hear several sharp, high voices cut through the general murmur, and you realize that these voices are calling out prices and wares in a language you vaguely understand, but don’t connect immediately in your brain.  You round a corner, and see rows and rows of people, carts, animals, and cars trying to navigate a single street.  Beyond the fruit and vegetable vendors, you see dead animals being chopped up and sold by the leg, pound, ounce, whatever.  Your surprised eyes take in the chaos that continues far down the street, and you begin to feel overwhelmed.  Slowly, you notice that the longer you stare at the scene in front of you, the more your brain is able to process it.  You observe that the vendors line both sides of the street and form a line down the middle.  If you tilt your head and cross your eyes a little bit, you see that it resembles two aisles in the grocery store, only with people and carts instead of shelves dividing the food.  The people calling out are the signs that inform the shopper what they are selling and how much it will cost per pound.  The animals that are weaving in and out of the shoppers and vendors are like the small children that want to sample everything and take it home with them—even though they are repeatedly told to stop asking for a taste of everything you pass.  The meat being chopped up is the butcher along the side aisle.  You realize that the drone of conversation is nothing more than the sound of shoppers discussing amongst themselves which recipe this ingredient will complete, how that fruit will serve as the perfect snack for their kids when they come home from school, and what from their list they still need to purchase before their weeks shopping is completed.   Yes, the morning market is just another day at the grocery store.  Can you see why I love it?  It reminds me of home :) 

Being at the morning market just makes me feel like I know what I’m doing in this country.  Ironically, it also shows me just how much I still have to learn about the language and culture of China!  It seems that the more I learn, the more I have TO learn haha, but I guess if it got easier I would get bored.  One way that the morning market is different from a grocery store in the States is that once you buy something from one vendor, you can eat it while you walk to the next vendor.  Just like at the farmers market.  I bought some yak yogurt (yeah… basically everything that we would get from a cow, they get from a yak! It’s basically the same, but I don’t think the consistency of yak milk is as smooth as the consistency of cows milk.  This made the yak yogurt have a kind of… cheesy aftertaste, but it was still delicious.) from a lady in the middle of the street.  It was pretty tasty, although scraping butter off the top of my yogurt was a new experience.  I also bought a crunchy-crepe-egg-wrap thing from a vendor.  IT’S SO GOOD! And guess what they call it here??  A Chinese burger! Haha I love it. 

I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get back to America and there aren’t any street vendors anymore.  The best I can hope to do is find a hotdog stand, but it just doesn’t compare.  I wish street vendors didn’t break nearly every health code regulation in the book.  Maybe then they’d stand a chance at home!

(end of journal entry)

It’s a good thing that the food in China is so delicious.  Without it, I doubt that I would have been quite so energetic while climbing all these mountains!  So far, my team has climbed three mountains.  Two were just outside the city, and one was at Qing Hai Lake. 

RABBIT TRAIL!!!

Ok, so funny story.  My Chinese prof here at the University was teaching us about Qing Hai Lake. She was telling us how it was the largest fresh water lake in China, how the province was named after the lake, and how it was so far above sea level… lots of stuff right? So then she just stops and looks at us.  She tells us that the pronunciation of “lake” in Chinese is “hu” (sounds like an owl: hoo hoo).  Then she says, “knock knock!” we respond “Who’s there!” “Qing Hai” “Qing Hai who?”  Before the “who?” is even out of our mouths, we realize what she’s done, and we all begin to laugh uncontrollably!  I’m not usually a huge fan of puns, but when you understand them in another language, it just adds something special, you know?? Hahaha I still smile and/or laugh when I think of that knock knock joke.  It has become my favorite :D

End of rabbit trail :)

The mountains that we’ve climbed so far have been absolutely breathtaking (in more ways then one)!  They never look especially steep from the ground, but once you start climbing, you’re out of breath in just a few minutes!  It could have something to do with the high elevation, but I like to think that I’d be winded climbing up a mountain in the States as well!  Especially when you consider that Rebecca, Zach, and I literally sprinted up the side of the mountain!  Well, technically I only sprinted for like half of it because I felt like I was going to pass out and die.  I really didn’t feel like plunging over the side of the mountain because I, you know, kicked a poorly placed bucket or something.  In that moment on the mountain, the only thought going through my head was something along the lines of, “I (gasp, wheeze pant) am DYING! I (suck in air) refuse to die on a mountain!  I’m (heroic effort to breathe deeply) going to walk starting…..NOW!”  Haha aren’t I a champion? ;)

No matter how often I walked though, I always made it to the top, and I never once regretted my decision to continue the trek.  Seriously, when you climb up that high, you can’t help but marvel at God’s creation!  I mean, my God created those mountains.  He spoke them into being.  He walks on them.  He is SO MUCH MORE majestic than the most awe-inspiring mountain on Earth.  And what’s more, He’s bigger than them. All.  Put together.  I mean, for goodness sake, if He “holds the whole world in his hands” than those are some seriously huge hands!  Yet, He also made me.  He knit me together in my mothers womb.  My God creates details in big things, and details in small things.  He sees the big picture, as well as the thoughts and desires of my heart.  MY heart, one among billions currently beating.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, my God is a beast.  He’s the most awesome, most amazing, most mind-boggling…..thing EVER! He’s freaking GOD! Seriously, how does that ever cease to blow my mind??  Whew, when he tells me not to worry about tomorrow, I should seriously listen.  He doesn’t mess around!  And if he can create everything so perfectly, and so intricately, and so beautifully, I’m ridiculous for being reluctant to give everything to him. 

I love that God is showing me this right now, because this past week I’ve been so frustrated by trying to figure out what specific career I want to pursue when there are SO MANY different options.  I have no idea how I’m supposed to narrow it down or make wise decisions, however, as I just stated many times, God is totally in control.  He’s always been in control, and he always will be in control.  He has plans for me, and because I want what he wants for my life, I don’t have to worry.  His plans have a knack for becoming reality… in his time.  That’s as frustrating as heck sometimes, but at least it takes some of the pressure off.  God’s got me.  As long as I keep seeking him and diligently research how the desires he put in my heart line up to a career and what it will take to get into that career, I don’t have to worry.  So you know what, I won’t worry.  Life is smooth sailing when God is your captain. 

You know, I love sailing.  I’ve never steered a ship, but it’s so relaxing to just sit and enjoy the waves, the salt air, the wind, and the sun…  Similarly, God is inviting me to relax as he shows me bit by bit the life that he is preparing me for and directing me towards.

Aren’t you guys so glad that I have a blog so you can see how my thought processes work?  I mean, life just wouldn’t be as fulfilling for you if you didn’t understand how I could go from talking about climbing mountains to sailing a ship with a pit stop in trusting God with my future!  haha jk, but seriously, you’re welcome ;)

Rebekah