And They're Off...

Today is day 4...and four letters have been written. The most recent letters are headed to Houghton, NY where I spent 4 wonderful years. Though I'm not going to take the time at this moment to provide details on who these letters are heading to, perhaps I will give more info at a later date. In the meantime, I'll continue my attempts to write letters full of beautiful, up-lifting words.

What a Blessing!

As I wrote my first two notes of encouragement, I simply couldn't help but be blessed as I thought of the wonderful memories of precious time spent with these two amazing women. In realizing that one letter is headed south to North Carolina and the other will be shipped across the Atlantic to Tanzania, I've realized how truly amazing it is that God has encouraged and built me up through the lives of two very special women who live far from me. In time spent with each of these godly friends, I have grown. In conversations with them, I have been blessed.

The letter heading south to North Carolina is on its way to my sweet sister-in-law, Erin. She recently returned home from Afghanistan after spending most of the fall and winter serving at Bagram Air Force Base. Though I don't have the opportunity to see her nearly as much as I would like, I have been blessed in knowing her. I love the way that she so obviously makes my brother happy like I've never seen him before. I appreciate the selflessness that she shows in serving our country despite the fact that it takes a toll on her life and separates her from her husband. I am thankful for her creativity, her thoughtfulness, and her passion for life. I am hopeful that in the future I'll be able to spend a lot more time with Erin and learn more about her dreams and passions for life. I am so thankful to finally have a sister after all these years...and what a sweet one I have. :)

Letter number two will be on its way to Tanzania in the very near future. Its final destination is the hands of my wonderful friend, Linda. Three years ago at this very moment, I was in Tanzania for a semester loving every single moment. Linda and her husband, Eli were there with me as part of Houghton's staff. While Eli taught classes about ornithology and biology, Linda taught lessons about life as she lived hers. Although she didn't stand up in front of the classroom and teach in a formal setting, she taught by example. She demonstrated the love and grace of Christ through her words and actions as she sought to be a friend and mentor to the students, a encouraging, wonderful wife to Eli, and a nurturing mother to one-year-old Ezra. During my time in Tanzania, I often spent evenings with Linda as she fed Ezra dinner and prepared him for bed. When I returned to Houghton the following fall, I was blessed once again to spend time with the family as I babysat for Ezra on a regular basis. The more time I spent with Linda, the more she blessed me. Memories of afternoons and evenings spent at the house on the hill are a continual encouragement to me even now. I was blessed to be able to stay up at the house with Linda and Ezra for a time while Eli was away in West Africa and I had the distinct privilege of reading bedtime stories and spending time with Ez on some of the more difficult nights when Eli was in Tanzania last semester while Linda stayed home with Ezra and their newborn daughter. My time spent with Linda has encouraged me and uplifted me in so many ways. I am beyond thankful for her authenticity, encouragement, and devotion to God and her family.

While I began this post not intending to give descriptions of the wonderful women who will be receiving letters, I'm glad that I have. It has allowed me to reflect more fully on the difference that they have made in my life and the encouragement that they have been to me and so many others. I will continue to pray for Erin and Linda in the next several weeks and beyond.

God, I thank you for the way that you have used Erin and Linda as an encouragement in my life. I am so thankful for the godly influence that they have had on me. I pray that you would bless them in amazing ways today and always. I pray that you would guide and protect them. Please place your hand on Erin and provide healing for the vertigo that she has been facing over the last several months. Give her peace and allow her to rest in you. I pray that you would bless Linda, Eli, Ezra, and Indi as they spend this semester serving you and the students in Tanzania. I pray that you would continue to bless others through their testimony. May they be encouraged. Please provide Linda with the support that she needs as she acts once again as a wife, mother, and friend in Tanzania. I know that it is not always an easy road, but I pray that you would keep them healthy and encouraged as they bless those that they interact with on a daily basis. Thank you once again for the tremendous blessing that both Erin and Linda have been to me.

Letter-Writing

Today is day 2 of my attempt to hand-write letters of encouragement to those I love and to those who have made a difference in my life. I began yesterday as planned, but after re-reading the letter that I wrote, I've decided to start again. I still wrote a letter yesterday...and will write another letter to a different person today, but I'm going to change up the first one and then send it. :) I'm still excited to see where this adventure of letter writing will take me and I'm certain that God is planning to teach me quite a lot! Happy Thursday!!

Relentless ACTS: Letters of Encouragement

Prior to my time at Houghton, I knew little of lent and had not spent much time thinking about it. During my freshman year, I spent a week in Buffalo working with refugee students in an after school program. While I was there, I stayed with a Houghton grad who had chosen to give up her mornings for lent. I was a bit confused at first, but quickly realized that she intended to rise early each morning to devote her time to prayer. In order to make this sacrifice, she chose to go to bed early on nights when we were having fun. She chose to acknowledge her alarm the first time it went off and dedicated her quiet mornings to the Lord.

In the past few years I have given up things like Facebook and dessert for lent. But as I was thinking and praying about this season this year, I stumbled upon the World Vision ACTS website as they were promoting the idea of sacrifice this season. As I continued to think and pray it became clear to me what I should do this year for lent. Rather than give up something like Facebook or dessert, I have decided to commit each day to write (and mail) a handwritten letter of encouragement to a different person. Over the next 6 weeks, I will write 40 letters of encouragement. As I write each letter, I will pray for God's blessing and strength over each recipient. I am also hoping to create a collage of photos of each recipient to serve as an additional reminder for continued prayer. My hope is that God would renew my heart and allow this experience to be an encouragement to others.

I'm looking forward to all that I will learn over the next six weeks. I am confident that God will use this experience in ways that I cannot predict. Now my job is simply to step out in faith trusting that He will accomplish His purposes through me as I walk in obedience.

Not the life I dreamed of

In the past two (almost three) months that I have spent time at the Children's School of Rochester, it has truly become a place that I love more and more each day. As I continue to interact with students from all across the globe, I am reminded of the amazing ways that God orchestrates our lives. Who knew that my experiences in Thailand nearly 8 years ago would prepare me for the students that I interact with on an almost daily basis? Or that my time studying the history and culture of the Balkans during EMW would enable me to understand the background of my students from Bosnia? And that my time spent in Tanzania would equip me to build relationships with students who were born into refugee camps in the same country? Eight years ago, I would have told you that I was going to spend the rest of my life as a missionary in Thailand. Six years ago, I probably would have said the same thing. And yet, here I am today, in Rochester, New York. I'm not on the other side of the world serving. I haven't even left the continent since I studied in Tanzania in 2009. But I feel fully alive in the same way that I do when I'm serving overseas. I feel enthusiastic, joyful, and passionate about the work that I am doing. Although I'm still piecing jobs together, it seems that every single day, God provides more and more opportunities for me to fully utilize the gifts, interests, experiences, and passions that he has given me.

So maybe I don't live in Chiang Mai as my seventeen-year-old self insisted that I would. Maybe I'm not a physician's assistant working in medical missions as I once thought I would be. Maybe I am the teacher that I never thought I would be. And maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. I'm living the life that I never could have dreamed because of an amazing God who truly knows the desires and dreams of my heart more than I ever could.