11 January 2012

This is for the 9th, 10th and 11th of January. Each day I thought about what I have been grateful for, but am struggling to figure out what time of day is the best to write these down. Do I write at the end of the day, or first thing the next morning for the day before? I guess I've got the rest of the year to figure it out!

25. Marie Mossner (the 9th was her birthday!)

26. Thai peanut sauce in a jar

27. receiving good news from afar

28. vegan friendly restaurants

29. chats with elizabeth

30. ginger peach tea

31. surviving and enjoying my new dance class

32. skyping with 2 great women and planning for ways that our CA community can enter into worship together

33. arranging a new mentoring opportunity

Year of Gratitude, Grace and Joy

I've recently seen a few people joining in the challenge of spending the year focusing on gratitude, grace and joy. I feel as though, this is a wise challenge for me to join in. The goal is to write or photograph 3 things each day for which I am grateful, have brought me joy or are gifts of grace. As it is now the 8th, I have a few days to catch up on.

1. Celebrating New Years at our church space with friends above Puerta del Sol

2. Brunch with friends.

3. Fresh squeezed orange juice.

4. Sunshine on a January day.

5. A healthy relationship with my parents.

6. Laura from Romania who cleans our church locale.

7. Al, Elizabeth, Jay and Carolyn - I know that is technically 4, but I wanted to list their names instead of just say, my team.

8. Time to relax and watch silly movies.

9. Skype to talk with family and friends.

10. Falafel at Maoz.

11. Picking up a Christmas/birthday package from the post office, even though you do have to walk past about 3 other post offices to get to the one where you can pick up packages.

12. A Better exchange rate.

13. The receptionist at my dance school saying that they've missed seeing me and am glad I'm starting classes again.

14. 10% discount at Starbucks and free wifi access.

15. Cabalgata del Reyes on TV, Dr. Pepper and roscon with Tep.

16. Family time with the Crulls.

17. Love from a 5 year old.

18. Finding Wally and his friends with Chris.

19. Curry with my bestie!

20. Talking about seeking and finding God with good friends at a fun new bar.

21. Starting the year in prayer with my church family.

22. Finding more than 3 things a day to be grateful for.

23. Candy canes.

24. Motivation to blog after 3 years.

Breathing Eden's Air

Take a moment to breathe Eden's air.
How I long to taste something so sweet and so crisp.
Filled with holiness and perfection.
Giving life to it's fullest.
Inhale.
Exhale.
To breathe Eden's air is to breathe in the presence.
Taste and see.
It is good.
It is now and not yet.
The not yet will be even sweeter.
How I long to taste the air of Eden yet to come.

Solitude, Silence, and Prayer

Disciplines worth exploring! This is a picture I took at the Cathedral here in Madrid. It makes me think of these things. May you find the time to be in His presence!

Changes

Sometimes I really like changes. New seasons, new clothes, living in a different place, rearranging my room or house, meeting new people. Right now I am in the midst of too many changes to really appreciate them or even want them.

-Everyone on my team is in transition, therefore, I am in transition.
-Lots of friends have left Spain and lots of new people have arrived.
-I'm attempting to get into a new Spanish class.
-My community group is different.
-My schedule has changed.
-The economy is changing, thus so is my support.
-One roommate moved out, another is here for just one more month, and hopefully one will be returning soon.
-My visa process.

Last month I was in the US for a few weeks and I think the fact that I am facing all of these changes really hit me because it felt so comfortable there. I was able to meet up with friends like I used to. I knew how everything worked and could understand everything around me. I realized how crazy my life in Spain really is. When it was time for me to return to Madrid, I was excited, but also not ready to jump back onto the moving train that is my life here. I miss the normalcy of the US and my life there. But, I'm choosing to trust that God has me here for a reason and all of these constant changes will only draw me closer to Him and mature me more.

Amidst my changes I follow the One who never changes! Thank you Lord!

1 Thessalonians 5:24 "The one who calls you is faithful..."
Malachi 3:6 "I the LORD do not change..."
James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Psalm 23

Yesterday I went to a half day silent prayer retreat. It was wonderful and refreshing!!! Thank you Daphne for leading that. During the morning, there were three different times of silence and each time there was a different question or idea to meditate on and pray about. The theme for the day was Psalm 23. During one of the times of solitude and silence a suggestion was to write out Psalm 23 in our own words and make it personal. For David, it made sense to write about God as a shepherd, for me it makes more sense to write about God as a backpacking guide. Here is my version of Psalm 23:

The Lord is my guide.
I don't have to worry about anything.
He's in charge.
He finds the soft grass and tells me to rest.
He leads me to the springs of pure water.
He gives me comfort.
He takes me down paths that only He can see.
How great He is!
Even though He leads me along the side of a narrow cliff,
I am not afraid because He is always beside me on the outside edge.
His walking stick is used to protect me and keep me safe.
I'm comforted.
He has prepared a feast for me
but allowed all the lies, which are my enemies, to attend.
He sits beside me and annoints me with the truth.
My heart overflows.
As we (He and I) continue on this journey;
Goodness
Joy
Love
Mercy
Chase after me forever.
I will never stray from His side.
And I will always find my home in Him.

Photo found on flickr by: buckforester

August What???

How on earth did it already become 20 August? I left almost a month ago for Connect, our annual staff conference for Christian Associates (CA). Since then I was at the conference until the 2nd of August, helped Kelly move out on the 3rd, cleaned the house from the 4th until the 6th (it's hard to move fast when it is over 100 degrees), then I have had guests staying with me since then. From the 7th until the 13th my friend Kerri from France was here (so were Adam and Tasha but they didn't stay with me - shout out "Buster Brown") and then someone checking out CA came on the 13th and she leaves tomorrow. Then on Friday my roommate Shani returns. So needless to say, I haven't had a ton of time to write on here. I'm actually getting ready for a trip back to the US as well. Unfortunately when I applied for my residency this past year, it did not go through because of a huge miscommunication, so now I have to start all over and reapply for my visa again. I will be returning the US on Thursday 28 August until Thursday 18 September. While I'm not looking forward to having to pay for the plane ticket and reapplying for my visa and then residency, I am looking forward to some down time and time with family and friends. There is a lot that God has been teaching me lately about himself and myself. I need time to process it. Hopefully I'll be able to share some of that with you all soon. I'm not sure if I'll be able to write again before I head to the US (in a week), but I'll try, and if not, I'll see you on the other side of the ocean.