Safety concerns for Southeast Asia

I’ve come to realize that there are handful of family and friends that have legitimate concerns about my upcoming trip to Southeast Asia. First of all, thank you; thank you for caring so much that I feel the need to write this in the first place! I wanted to help you better understand the nature of my trip, and hopefully relieve some of your fears. 

SE Asia Trip with WorldSERVE

As some of you know, I am going overseas again with Simpson University in May! I have the opportunity to lead 5 students to Southeast Asia where we will be partnering with a unique mission organization. (Due to the location/ministry, I can't name the country.) We will spend three weeks living with local Muslim families in villages, learning about their culture and language and how to naturally talk with them about the good news of Christ. I am really looking forward to serving on this team as a leader, because I have a passion for homestays and cultural immersion after my experience in Uganda. I am excited to get to share with my team all the ups and downs that will come with living with a host family, all the while getting to participate in ministry!

Bitterroot, Bitterfruit

Over the past few months, I've been struggling with bitterness and judging others. This isn't something I've struggled with quite the same before, so I didn't recognize it right away. But by the time I did, it had taken a strong grasp on my heart.

As I've thought about why this has happened in my life, I realize it's because I've been living a life on my own, without seeking after God's presence. I judge because I do not love. I do not love because I do not dwell in His presence. I am not getting filled with Him, so the overflow of my heart is far from love.

I sat in an interview yesterday and it hit me full force. I wanted to cry in the interview, get up out of my seat and hug her, asking for forgiveness. I have allowed the bitterness in my heart to slowly cover my eyes in darkness and block out the light. I have not been seeing people as God sees them, but rather how my human heart wants to see them. It's been hurting, not only me, but my brothers and sisters.

Each person is unique and beautiful in their own God-designed way, and I want my eyes to be uncovered to see this beauty again. I don't want to see people out of my eyes, but out of eyes filled with Christ's love.

Dorothy Day

I've been inactive on here for quite some time... life kind of overwhelmed me. I plan on writing a bit to explain my past year at school, but for now, I have this to share!

I'm beginning to read a book for my internship class called "Dorothy Day Selected Writings". I've not even left the preface and introduction yet, but there are already things I've loved. Here are a few snippets:

"Going to confession is hard. Writing a book is hard because you are 'giving yourself away.' But if you love, you want to give yourself.

Uganda on my mind

I really don't want to post this, because it's vulnerable and talks about feelings and if you know me at all you know I don't like doing that very much. But maybe it will resonate with someone else. If it does, I'd love to know. If it doesn't, no need to say or do anything. I just had to get this off my chest and hope that it can be helpful to someone else.
Gah I hate emotions sometimes.

It always goes back to Uganda.

It's radical to me that in the time that's passed--just a year, but I've done a lot in the past year-- I still cannot shake Uganda from my mind. I don't actually want to shake it from my mind, though. But it's more than just on my mind, it's on my heart. Something will trigger a memory of an experience or a person, and the rest of my night is shot. I can't do anything productive because I'm filled with sorrow over missing everything about Uganda, the good and the bad.

Don't judge a person until you've walked a mile in their shoes

"Study hard what interests you the most in the most undiscipined, irreverent and original manner possible." -Richard P. Feynman

I was homeless for 24 hours. And then I walked back to campus, back into the dorms, changed, and it was over.
I only experienced a brief glipse into the life of a homeless person this weekend; but my perspectives have been radically changed because of it. (P.S. I love the word radical.)

Two friends and I voluntarily went homeless for the weekend to try and gain a better perspective into the realities here in Redding. We took no money with us; I brought a small backpack with a water bottle, extra sweatshirt, journal, my I.D., and a cell phone for safety.  I'll try and share a few relevant stories to the insights that I've gained. Although to be honest, I'm struggling with how to even write what I'm feeling.

A road map would be nice

I just had a realization about how weird I am. (Ok, not the first realization, and there are many other ways in which I am weird besides this...)
Hear me out.
Most people find peace in knowing exactly what they're doing in life. That is the "college dream", to have a plan for after school and be confident in it. But I just realized that I am the exact opposite. I realized that the reason I hate when people ask me what I plan on doing after school isn't because maybe I have no idea, but because I don't want to give the idea that there is one thing in life I'm after, and only one thing. On the contratry, there are so many things I feel 'called' to do, in which I whole-heartedly believe in some way, shape, or form I will fulfill these things on my heart.
Instead of wishing I could just figure out what it is I truly want to do, I am excited to see how these passions will blossom in different times in my life.
I will say, though, that I wouldn't mind a road map that just pointed out for me what I am to do first, and which will lead to my next thing, and so on and so on.
But I sure as heck don't envision myself just doing one thing for the rest of my life!