a day in the life.

i have a wonderful roomie...and we have a lot of fun.

just your typical mode of transportation.

home sweet home.

i get to do life with this really incredible family.

first day of school!

buildings on buildings on buildings on buildings on buildings.

7 AM gameday kickoff, war eagle to that.

just a normal rainy day at the library.

i'm making the coolest friends...and learning to drive them side-saddle...

sometimes we do insanity in this sketchy parking deck...as in most everyday.

big city night life. 

what would i even do without them?

a day of dance aerobics with my new friends...in a whole new language.

after a little scooter crash we got to learn a lot about socialized medicine. fortunately our patient is alive and well!

nature never ceases to reveal the Lord's majesty.

just an average weekend of exploring.

the struggle is real.

this has been our favorite phrase since we've arrived. living in a new culture with little understanding of anything and severely limited language skills proves for interesting experiences daily. thus, "the struggle is real" seems to explain our lives quite often. some of the struggles are emotional, some are just plain confusing, and some end up being hilarious.  the struggle was very real when a group of my friends and i decided to ride a random amusement park ride plopped down in the middle of our town square. we affectionately referred to it as "the spinning ride of death" before we got on. little did we know this name would come too close to accurately describing our fate... five of us hopped on and got hardcore strapped in--we had bars across us, waist straps, and even two foot straps. as we loaded up, a crowd of at least fifty asians gathered to watch us crazy americans experience this ride. before we knew it we were happily spinning through the air, questioning if we would see our dinners again, and uncontrollably laughing!! the funny thing about the ride is you rarely know if you're going up or down because as the ax arm rotates, the entire bench of seats spins any and every way. it's a mess but hilarious. the weird thing about rides over here in EA is they should last absolutely no more than two minutes but generally go on for at least ten. joyfully spinning until... we had been spinning and laughing for less than two minutes when we suddenly heard a loud BANG, CRACK, CLUNK...what??? one of my friends who has already spent a year here started shouting to the operator to immediately stop as we were all screaming. simultaneously to the treacherous sounds we felt the entire ride shift left and drop out of bracket. the struggle was SO real. due to our velocity and fierce speed, it took a few more turns around and clanking down until we slowed to a near stop. meanwhile the entire crowd was gasping. we had one friend on the ground who was able to document this crazy experience. fortunately we made it off and didn't slingshot off anywhere. the ride...clearly not supposed to be angled a foot down. the quick fix for this gear separation and bracket splitting was a mere handheld wrench and screw driver...the ride was closed for a few days, but we're pretty sure not many repairs went into it. i guess that's what we get for trusting an amusement park ride that was probably pawned from america in about 1970...the struggle was real, but we are extra thankful for trusted protection. it certainly gave us a wild memory, some hearty laughs, and enough wisdom to never ride it again... mr fix-it.

abundance and grace.

these are words the Lord has been speaking over me the past month. again and again He has refreshed me with reminders of His presence and provision. initial transitions are usually incredibly tough for me, but in this season i've found such confidence and assurance that this is the Lord's very best for me...and in that i rest. as i mentioned in my last post, this is a place where i've been learning a lot about my weaknesses. 2 corinthians 3:5 has been really resonated: "not that we are adequate in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our adequacy is from God". this adequacy has been full of grace and so abundant.

community. this is a word our church culture tosses around to describe many things; however, i think i am learning what it truly means in a whole new way over here. when doing life in a foreign country with only ten other people, you get to know each other extremely well. although it gets real quick, it has been the biggest blessing. i have a group of people surrounding me who daily press into the Lord, spur me on towards Him, and love me as i learn. not only are we classmates or merely friends, we have become a family. a haphazard, hilarious, and happy asian family. we get to pray for and with one another, we've started doing insanity together each day, we eat every meal together, and we just do life moment-by-moment together. i am so thankful for the diverse personalities and perspectives of each person i'm surrounded by. i am thankful for the grace they extend to me and how they teach me to give myself the grace the Lord offers us. i am thankful for life abundant in true community.

roommates. this word has many connotations from potluck freshmen year roomies to the very best of friends. i'm delighted to say the Lord has shown me abundance in giving me sweet Kathleen as my roommate. she is a delight to live with and teaches me much about following Him. her spirit is abandoned to His leading, she selflessly serves those around us with such grace, and she notices the small things in every situation. although a month ago we barely knew each other, we have become fast friends...i cannot imagine being here without her! truly abundance and grace in this provision.

food. as you know i might be one of world's pickiest eaters, yet i weirdly love a lot of the food here!! this is God's grace alone...you can ask my mom about my eating habits if you doubt this. i've enjoyed the majority of the foods we've tried with one exception: most things are doused in spice, as i live in the land of spicy food. one of my first phrases to learn is "without spice" so my mouth and stomach can endure the meal! before arriving i envisioned myself just getting by and dealing with the cuisine, instead i love what we get to eat...such abundance!

love from home. moving thousands of miles away from home is obviously extreme separation from everything comfortable. yet i'm daily grateful for the deep friendships i carry here with me. my friends and family (aka all of y'all) have made me feel incredibly well loved despite this distance. i've received countless emails and texts updating me on life there and intentionally asking about life here. i even got a package, and i haven't even been here a month...y'all are really spoiling me! God knows how each of us personally feels love, and He has shown me abundance and grace in showering me with love in this way.

adventures and exploring. i'm never one to love sitting still. i yearn to know new places and discover exciting things. life here has been no different in that each day is a bit of an adventure in itself. even to find the cafeteria requires some exploring! beyond our day-to-day campus time, i've enjoyed our trips into the heart of the city to complete passport and visa requirements, find bed linens, eat american food, and relax in some hot springs. what abundant adventure i couldn't even imagine! 

today i'm thankful for His grace which He is teaching me so much about and the abundant life He offers and invites me to partake in daily.

learning to be a child.

interestingly enough i've spent the past five years studying how children learn and the practices behind education. yet in the past three weeks i have been learning firsthand what it truly means to BE a child: a child of our Lord, a child of a new culture, a child of the nationals around me, a child of a new language. our culture typically strays from childlike postures, but i'm finding it might be the most advantageous position to assume.

moving thousands of miles away from home to a place where i barely know how to say hello leaves a lot of room for growth. i've always loved learning, but this learning curve has repeatedly left me feeling helpless. when i leave my apartment, i can't communicate with 99% of the people i encounter; if i want to bake banana bread, gesturing for sugar seems like an impossible task; when i ride the subway i struggle to pronounce even the pinyin spellings of the train stops. with everything around me changing, i seem to forget the simplest of things. i daily feel like i've lost control...but i'm quickly reminded that i am not meant to be in a place of control. i long for the comfort that this "semblance of control" i cling to brings, yet i'm learning that's not how life is meant to be lived at all. 

i've been brought to 2 corinthians 12:7-10 again and again in the past few weeks and am learning to be grateful for weakness. this is a place where my inadequacies are shown repeatedly. in praying for where the Lord would have me this year, i asked to be in the place where i would be sanctified most...little did i know how quickly that prayer would be answered. living in close community, my sin shows up real fast; it's something i can't really escape, yet i know it's such a good spot to be in. seeing my pride, my lack of love/grace, and my self-reliance bring me to a place of neediness--i am seeking to let that neediness drive me to the Gospel day by day. in that neediness, i am asking to look more like our Father each night when i go to sleep than when i awoke that morning. i'm ever grateful that His power emerges in this weakness.

as a child must fully surrender in trust to their parents, life in east asia requires my daily surrender to my Father. often my surrender comes with kicking and screaming as i fight for control and refuse to abide. as i'm brought to my knees, i long to yield unwaveringly as a child does. i know i have much to learn, so today i am thankful to be a child.