First Day of Classes

Tomorrow is my first day of classes of my sophomore year here at Purdue University. Their isn't much of a difference between this year and last, but this time, all of my course numbers start with a number 2 instead of a number 1.

This weekend, I have not had a whole lot of time to recharge.  I spent several hours on Saturday working through some relationship issues with a friend of mine.  On Sunday, I was helping out in the nursery for the first church service and then went to the next church service with a few people that I had invited to come with me, as it was their first Sunday on campus.  I definitely enjoyed worshiping next to people that I have grown up with and have become close to over the years.  One of my friends snapped this picture of the worship.

After the small crowd at church during the summer, it was pretty cool to see the crowd of people again, as everyone is back on campus and no one is distracted with schoolwork yet.  The sanctuary was full and the overflow area downstairs was packed as well (they have the service on monitors downstairs). After the second service, we all had pizza together.

In the afternoon on Sunday, I had another event to attend that took another 2 hours of my day.  Now it is late Sunday and I am headed into this new school year with a full heart.  I pray that God will continue to reveal his path for me this year and that He will teach me to love all of those around me.

Mark 12:29-33

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Rainy and Refreshing Roadtrips

I've been a bit busy, so this blog is a summary in pictures of my last weekend.

I recently went on a trip with a couple of really good friends of mine, Emma and Jamie.  It started around the time of a sunset, as we all had to meet up after we got off of work or got done with our regular workweek lives.  Emma had planned this and had decided to make it more of a surprise trip for us.  We had some pretty heavy rain on our way to where we were staying that night, but we got through, and the clouds and sky are always pretty if you ask me. 

On our first fantastic stop, we enjoyed a video tour of the Jelly Belly warehouse and ate some delicious jelly beans.  We weren't allowed to take pictures during the tour, but they had a cute sign.

We then proceeded to Mars Cheese Castle where we bought some Wisconsin cheese and made some lunch in the minivan.  Wisconsin cheese is delicious.  

On our way to the next location, it rained a lot.  This is a picture of my window that I thought looked pretty cool.  Of course, our next location was to our campsite, so we were all hopeful that it would stop raining soon.

We only had to sit in the van for a little while before the weather cleared up and we got to see this gorgeous view as we trekked around the campgrounds after the tent was set up.

 The campgrounds had an amphitheater, so Jamie and Emma put on a play for me.  Jamie has a stick in her hand, by the way.

Later that night, we overheard some women talking about a church service on Sunday morning at the amphitheater.  We ended up going to church with a little group from a local church that happened to be camping in the same campgrounds as us!

 We climbed 2 observation towers and were amazed when we reached the top of the second one.  It was pretty cool to see this weather happening so far away.  I was amazed at the contrast that you could see from that distance.  It made me think of about the fact that God is with you, even when you can't see Him working and don't feel Him.  The people that were stuck in that storm were probably not all that happy about having to get wet in order to do anything outside.  Children in the storm may have felt trapped inside.  But the sun was still there.  It was still warming the earth around them just like it has been for a very long time.  They just couldn't see it.  

And on a good note for the three of us, it didn't rain on us for the remainder of the trip.

On Sunday, we headed to the National Mustard Museum.  I had no idea there were so many kinds of mustard, but there are!  Some of them are weirder than others, like Cranberry Mustard or Chocolate Mustard.  

Next to the Mustard Museum was a cute, local diner so we grabbed lunch from there before heading back to Indiana to plunge back into our 'normal' lives.  The diner had some pretty delicious looking carrot cake, but was known best for it's pie, which was delicious!

One last picture of all three of us together at the campgrounds!

On the way back to Indiana I just kept thinking about how grateful I am to have these awesome friends.  These women of God have continuously pulled me back to God through my various highs and lows.  This trip was super refreshing for me.  From laughing at our ridiculous level of silliness together to singing Psalms with made up melodies while sitting on a hill overlooking gorgeous views of God's creation, I am more than happy that these girls decided to get together with me this weekend.  This weekend-long expedition has finished but my friendship with these amazing people has only begun!  

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo 

Growth

The top picture was taken by my mom while the bottom picture was a picture that I found somewhere on the internet when I decided that I wanted to sketch that day.  Both of the sketches were drawn by me.

This weekend, I took the time to clean out my room at my parent's house so that moving into my apartment this weekend could be as efficient as possible.  While cleaning out my desk at my parent's house, I ran into a couple of sketches that I had done previously.  I was amazed at the different skill level represented between the two sketches.  Both of them are far from perfect and I can definitely see areas where they could be improved, but you can also see that one is done by a better artist.  The one of the bottom has better shading and is less choppy.  Her nose is still a bit crooked, and her eyes aren't drawn right on the line, but in the top one, her forehead is drawn too small and the pencil strokes are much more individual rather than united.  In the top one, the sketch is drawn with her face too wide.  The texture of the top girl's shirt are drawn too dramatically, so they appear more as stripes than as wrinkles.

A lot of people have asked me how I have become reached my current skill level at sketching, and my response is always the same.  I practiced.  This was abundantly clear to me while I looked through my old artwork this weekend.  I have some pretty terrible sketches that I did when I was younger.  The thing is, if I had never drawn those terrible ones, I would never have been able to draw the better ones.  If I had given up and been frustrated with my inability to draw more than sticks with circles to represent a tree when I was 5, I would never have been able to paint a tree on my wall when I was 16.  

This is applicable to many areas of life.  I was not naturally good at very much when I came out of the womb.  I could do the normal baby things pretty well, like sleeping, eating, and pooping.  I was not born with an inherent knowledge of Calculus or how to sketch people.  But I did work at those skills.  I practiced.  I pursued that knowledge.  I ran after them, wanting to become good at them and become one of the best at those things.

I also have to make a very intentional effort to follow God.  Just as I was not born with an inherent knowledge of math, I was not born with natural wisdom.  God is teaching it to me every day as I make an effort to learn what it means to be wise.  I have to work for it.  God is pursuing me, and all I have to do is turn around and ignore the distractions in my life.  I am learning what it means to live a life of faith.  

"Persistently perfect practice procures perfect progress."~Mark Marshall

Only through consistently continuing on this journey of faith will I become better at following God.  Only by the grace of God will I be able to continue on this journey of hope and growth in my spiritual life.  

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever! Amen

2 Peter 2:18

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Serene Recklessness

The following was written throughout the day on Sunday as I had time between things:

Today I woke up early and sat on the roof as I watched the sun rise over Popocatepetl and enjoyed the cold stillness until the Zaragoza's 2 St. Bernards pushed their noses into my space, effectively getting slobber and dirt on my clothes.  Both dogs eventually settled down enough for me to finish my morning reading and then I went down to the Zaragozas' house for cereal before my friends drove me to the airport.

This past week and a half have been intense and amazing.  For me, the hardest part about mission trips to Mexico with Fishers of Men has been leaving. Even though I know that when it is God's will I will see them all again, I never know when that will be.  In this aspect, this trip is not different.  Leaving was the hardest thing that I had to do during the entire duration.

But this trip is different in that I am experiencing more peace.  Without me telling the new people working with me on this E.M.M.C. that I would be back or that doing medical missions south of the border was my call from God, they were all asking me when I was coming back.  They would tell me that they were looking forward to working with me again.  I do not understand God.  I do not know how his timing will look on this earth, but I know that it will be perfect.  I do not know why God is calling me to serve in Mexico.  There are parts of my life in the U.S. that I do not want to give up, but I know and trust that God will show me how to do so.  It may look reckless or crazy, but in my soul, I can feel God's serenity.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:3

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Forgetting

A few months ago, I made a decision to make a trip to Mexico this summer.  If you want to read about that decision, click here.  When I made the decision to follow God and head to Mexico, I knew that I was going struggle to be able to pay for my week and a half trip from my own budget.  I also knew that it was God who was leading me there this summer, and that God would provide.  I knew that in my heart.

But even though I have seen him provide many times, I was still nervous.  I talked to a few people about how excited I was to do this, which I would have done even if I hadn't been worried about funds.  Now, a few days before I fly out, I am seeing God at work.  I am seeing him provide through people who love me, the church.  I am amazed and in awe about God's provision.  Despite the fact that I have seen Him provide countless times before, I am still surprised.  I am glad that I am in awe of God.  I am disappointed in myself, that I am just as forgetful as the Israelites, walking through the desert to the Promised Land.  I knew that God would somehow provide, but yet I am still surprised.

Today, I attended a church service where the Bible reference for the sermon was Psalm 23.  I was reminded of God's infallible provision and humbled in my lack of trust and my ability to forget every other time that God has provided for me and for those I care about.

After the service, I was surrounded by people who prayed for me and for safe travels in the next couple of weeks.  They also prayed that God would work through me while I am there.  I know that a lot of these same people will continue praying for me while I am there.  God is working through these people already.  These people are reminding me how mighty God is.  These people are showing me how infallible and ceaseless the grace and mercy that God gives is.  These people are showing me God's love.

It is illogical, and it is awesome.

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

Deuteronomy 4:9

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo

Sidenote:  As I cannot guarantee internet access or time to write a blog for the next two weeks, any of my adventure stories from Mexico may have to wait until I have both of those things in conjunction.

Comfort

I asked someone what to blog about and they told me to blog about tea.  I then decided to research the history of tea, as I felt that it would probably be an interesting topic.

I found that we really don't know how tea was invented, but one of the common legends is that some herbs or leaves blew into a pot of water accidentally.  Honestly, I did not think that the origins of tea were the most interesting part.  The development of brewing tea as a ritual was fascinating.  You see, tea drinking became a similar to religious ceremonies.  When someone drank tea it was to be a quiet and peaceful drink.  It was a drink to have when you wanted to be in a meditative sort of mood.  There was a specific way to brew tea and a specific place where you were to drink the tea.

This concept is quite fascinating for me.  I love a good cup of hot tea when I am up late studying.  Holding a mug of tea can warm your hands.  It's also a nice drink to curl up with when you want to spend a cold day reading.  But while I was reading about the history of tea, I began to think about what people use to calm them down in modern society.  Some of us go to food to handle stress.  This is why we have the term "comfort food."  Some of us go to friends.  It's nice to have an ear to listen and a mouth to tell you that it isn't your fault.  Some of us go shopping.  Some of us choose to drink alcohol, consume tobacco, or use drugs.  Some of us exercise.  Some of us go to social media or the internet in general.  Still others go to self-help books, in the hope that we can somehow "fix" ourselves, and so won't become stressed.  These things are not necessarily bad, but it is important to be aware of what we go to first when we need help.  When we go to other things for help instead of going to God, we have made them into our idols.

There are obviously a multitude of ways to handle stress.   There are many things that we can use to comfort ourselves, including tea.  I enjoy a lot of things that I just listed in the above paragraph.  The thing is, that is not what God has asked me to do when I'm afraid and "stressed out."  He asks me to go to Him.  He tells me that I can find comfort in Him.  His Word reminds me that God's comfort is the only comfort that is everlasting and never-changing.  Tea can be taxed, overeating can cause obesity, and internet connection can be lost, but God's loving protection is a priceless gift in which we should abide.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46:1-3

Thoughts when I'm Awake at Ridiculous Hours

It's 4:43am and I am wide awake.  I have been awake for the last hour.  Life is funny sometimes.  God gave me a job with regular hours: 8-5, Mon.-Fri.  It's great.  Unlike many jobs available to college students, I have my evenings and weekends to do as I please.  On this night, or early morning, I've chosen to volunteer at the homeless shelter.

I took the last volunteer shift so stay up and watch the security cameras, so I have the privilege of the early wake up calls.  Some wake up as early as 3:50 to set out toward their low-paying jobs for the long day.  Tonight has been relatively quiet.  No drunken or sick vomiting, or drug addicts going through withdrawal, which are all things that I've observed and helped with here.

It has been raining off and on for the past hour, so I'm praying that it will stop soon for the sake of the guests who may be spending all day outside after they leave the shelter at 7am.

God gave me a job with regular hours and I decided that I would volunteer through some nights.  It's exhausting sometimes, when I spend the entire night awake to help out rather than just taking my shift.  But it's worth it.  I gain stories, both my own and listening to others'.  During this listening, I've tried to gain what knowledge and wisdom I can, even though my brain is never at its sharpest at 2:30am.  The thing is, the more education I receive, the more I realize that what they say about learning is true, "The most important lessons aren't learned in a classroom."  I'm learning that this summer, in the middle of the night at a homeless shelter.

I'm learning that some of the best stories are spoken in a homeless shelter.  Between the war veterans and the conspiracy theorists, you start to hear some pretty good stories when you're listening.  You hear about some of the lessons they've learned in life.  You hear about when they had a family, and you hear about their rough days when it just won't stop raining and they have no where to go.

I'm learning that alcohol and other drug addictions are very real and very perpetual.  It is not that I did not believe my health teacher in high school.  It's just different when you see it up close on a day to day basis.  While some of these people really are trying to work their way up from these circumstances, it's difficult to remove yourself from the environment surrounded by the abused substances when you have nowhere to go.  Many of these people no longer have control of their lives, these substances do.

Not only are addictions a perpetual cycle, so is homelessness in general.  It is very easy to become homeless and very hard to escape.  It's very easy for people to become hopeless as they spiral around in the cycle of finding a job, starting to save money, and then being laid-off and going right back to where they started.  A lot of the success stories that I've seen from the homeless shelter are from people who have been in the system and working their way out of it for years.  They chose the long, slow upward process rather than the quick downward spiral.

I'm learning what it really means to have the joy of the Lord and to be content in all circumstances.  Nothing is more humbling than asking a homeless man how his day was and receiving the response, "Very blessed."  This old man who walks with a cane, who is coming here for free soap and shampoo and access to a shower.  This old man who doesn't even have a friend or family member to ask if he can sleep on their couch.  He tells me that he is, "Very blessed."  If he is very blessed, then what am I?  I've seen poverty before, it's nothing new, but those impoverished people at least had a friend to lend a hand.  What does this man possess that he can say that he is "Very blessed?"  He must have something intangible, something beyond human understanding.  This old man, who walks with a cane and doesn't have a bed to sleep in, has Jesus.

I'm learning a lot this summer, which is pretty awesome considering I am not enrolled in a single course nor am I formally studying anything on a regular basis.  My class this summer is living life, and the lessons I'm being taught are invaluable.

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo