the worst that can happen is adventure.

This is the phrase that has been on my mind a lot lately.  My roommate in college used to say it all the time, and I've adopted it as well.  Its a way to keep the glass "half full". When bad stuff starts to happen as we move about our lives, at least we'll have a fun story to tell afterwards!  Some less than ideal things have happened on this adventure I'm on in the past week...

As I write this, I am sitting in a large arena-type conference center in Germany. It is being transformed from a massive empty space to a backstage area full of people working, the main stage complete with audio visual wonders, and a giant dining area with rows and rows and rows of tables.

I left Carlisle with OMNIvision, the group doing the stage and audio/visual setup for the conference, around 1pm on Sunday.  By 5:30pm we were on a ferry bound for the Netherlands, and by 10pm we were well on our way into the English Channel.  And I was on my way to my first overnight stay on the water. (adventure!)  We arrived in the Netherlands at 8:30am Monday morning, and were back on the bus and on our way to Germany by 9:30.  The goal was to arrive at the stie by 5 or 6pm, but were stuck in traffic for hours (adventure?!?) due a car engulfed in flames on the autobahn, and were delayed...and didn't arrive until 10pm.

Now I've been sleeping on an air mattress on the floor, have survived a few sleepless nights because of being too cold (adventure?) and soon this giant conference center will be overrun with thousands of teens.  They arrive on Saturday, and tomorrow will begin the round of deadlines to produce their daily newsletter in TWELVE different languages! That's the reason why I'm here...should be an adventure!

I leave on August 6th (it was the 7th, but my flight got cancelled and moved...more adventure?) to go to Moldova for their "River Adventure" outreach.  We will be building a raft and floating down the river, Huck Finn style (adventure!).  We'll be visiting villages along the way and running activities for the children.  I don't know much more about it at this point...adventure?

So, pray for me these next few weeks.  This week especially pray for me as I battle fatigue and "roughing it", as well as giving my all in tight deadlines.  Pray for the teens, that they will encounter God in a real and powerful way this week.  I know as a teen, this type of event was really special and helped me grow as a teen.  I hope other teens feel the same way!

The iBus..what we rode down it...complete with computers and missing AC!

some of the trusses going up in the main stage

rocking the boat.

Sometimes, when everything seems to be going so well, things happen to rock the boat.  It's smooth sailing, and suddenly a storm comes and you wonder if you will see the other side of it.

I've got two more months here, and then I will be on my way back home.  I'll be there for a few months, trying to raise the support and get a visa to come back.  But that's not the point of this post.  While I've been looking forward to going home and seeing my family, I am ok with the amount of time I have left here.  I have things to finish up, places to go, people to see, and I'm looking forward to all of that.  I've been happy stay here for two more months: until yesterday.

Yesterday was when the storm came.  It is already calming down, but it seriously rocked the boat and made me wish I was back home already.  It made me wish that I wasn't separated from the people I love the most by an ocean.  It made me wish I had money for a plane ticket (or a TARDIS, I'm not picky) and could drop everything and run to see the people I love.  It made me wish that I was not here.

My Dad was supposed to have a surgery that was pretty routine, just supposed to last for a half hour or so, to clean out his sinuses.  Four hours later the doctor came out and told my mom his airways had collapsed and they had to do an emergency tracheotomy. He is doing better now, still with a trach and still in ICU, but stable and the doctor wants to attempt the surgery again tomorrow.

I was just so shocked: this was not supposed to happen.  He was not supposed to almost die.  The surgery was supposed to happen quickly to fix a problem, not cause more problems.  The storm was so sudden and came out of nowhere, and I am so far away, that yesterday was hard to handle.

When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves... (Matt 8:23-24)


Being fishermen, I'm sure they knew that storms could brew up at any time, but they probably didn't know there was going to be a storm that day.  They just followed Jesus.  When the storm came, out of nowhere, they were afraid. But Jesus was with them.  He calmed the wind and the waves with just a few words, and quicker than it began, the storm was gone.


I guess the point of all this is, that I know Jesus is with me.  I know He is with my family, and He holds us in the palm of His hand.  People are praying, and God is moving. Every time I worry, I try and turn it to prayer. I try not to waste energy worrying about things that I cannot change.


So, if you remember us, could you lift us up in prayer?  The waves are still a little choppy.

London

Last Thursday some friends and I went to London for the weekend.  It was GREAT to finally visit England's capital city!  We had great weather, and happened to be in the right places at the right times.  We saw a lot, but there is so much more to go back and explore (especially at the National Gallery!) Enjoy a few of my favo(u)rite pictures of the weekend.

The hustle and bustle of city life

Trafalgar Square, a great people-watching place!

changing of the guard at the horseguards parade

Big Ben (the clock, not the tower!) and a glimpse of the London Eye

The sights the better weather were a treat, but once again I'm glad I don't live in a big city.  I couldn't handle the crowds, the traffic, the stuffy tube (underground), or the cost of living every day of my life!