progress thus far

I have always been sort of opposed to blogging. It seemed egotistical to me. Also I just don't like the idea of posting personal things on the internet. My thoughts have changed lately due to the fact that I just don't see my family very often, especially grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I want you all to know how God is working in my life because I desire mutual encouragement. This seems like the most practical way to do that! 

I think you all know that I was in Mexico last month. This two-week "stint" was incredibly inspiring for me. God revealed a lot to me about my life during that time, and I feel blessed to have a much clearer sense of direction, especially as I've begun my last semester of college! 

 I can't remember exactly how that saying goes; something like "hindsight is 20/20". I could not agree more. I remember my senior year of high school, how much I loved my life at home, going to Mars Hill every Sunday with my family; being involved in the children s ' ministry at the Bridge Street House of Prayer; my friends were amazing and I even loved my job waiting tables at Hunan Chinese Restaurant. I don't remember who I said this to, but I definitely remember saying:

Why am I leaving this place that I love, where I am surrounded by the people I love?

Likening myself to Abraham, I continued to feel a tug to go to North Park, even though it was literally the only school far from home that I was considering. I knew virtually nothing about it, and no clue what I wanted to study. I was not being awarded any huge scholarships at North Park, yet when I stepped onto this campus I knew: this was where I was supposed to be.

This neighborhood, for those of you who have not been here, is unattractive and at times dangerous, but North Park has an overpowering sense of tranquility. Over the years, even the neighborhood itself has become a refuge for me. Miles from downtown, my home is full of diversity and richness, languages and culture. We North Park students laugh at some of the slogans of North Park, but these values have become my own, and it is where God started planting roots in my mind and soul.

Certain events that have occurred over the past four years that were seemingly insignificant at the time are now making complete sense to me. The fact that I came to North Park in the first place, for instance, was seemingly random and frankly irresponsible, as well as my trip to Bolivia in 2008. I probably would not have continued studying Spanish had it not been for that trip. I would not have decided to study education had it not been for the fact that one summer I decided that I did not want to work at PVI and gotten a job at a pre-school. These decisions have had a great affect on me, and have helped me narrow down my plans for the future.

It's pretty amazing how God works; he can use a decision that we've made, maybe without the right intention, to better us. For example, I'm not ashamed to admit that a big reason that I decided to lead the trip to Mexico that I just went on was that I had just come home from my study abroad trip, and was just looking for the next easy way to go back. Although this was not necessarily a bad intention, it certainly was not the right motivation to go. I definitely became much more engaged with the trip specifically as we recruited and planned. Even still, the night before our flight out of Chicago I felt like I did not want to go, and could think only of how excited I was to come back to Chicago. God opened my eyes and my heart during this trip however and I know now that it was always his plan that I go to this remote mountain village in Mexico.

I visited my first graders today and showed them this picture, taken from the village we stayed in. The wondered what would happen if someone tried to jump into the cloud?
 

The best decisions that we make are the ones that are the hardest to make. Coming to North Park; leaving the country; moving to Florida; leaving our loved ones and our comfort zone behind: these are ways in which we can grow. 

I have some loose plans for what I want to do after college, which I will share in a later post. There will always be a lot left up in the air, because I want to leave room for God to speak. I don't know how long I should stay in Chicago. The place that was once my "promised land" is now comfortable. One of my professors once said:

Comfortable is good.  Go there to rest, but never stay. You can't grow if you are comfortable; rather, growth happens in the moments of discomfort.

Angelita and Elizabet. Sisters, and the two girls I cried while saying goodbye to

It's a little ridiculous how long it took me to write this post. I never have time to sit down and reflect! But it's been nice. I hope to post a couple times a week.. or maybe just once a week. I have a lot more I want to share, but I feel like this post is long enough. Here I go, into the blizzard. School is closed for the next couple of days, but apparently Jimmy Johns still thinks they can do business. Cold sandwich anyone?

Saludos, bediciones, y que los cuide Dios! chau!