Cut and Paste

Half way through second semester. It feels extremely unreal-- as if I just left Colombia a couple of weeks ago. But no, eight weeks later and I'm wondering where the semester went.

This post will be fairly scattered, attempting to give a snapshot of various aspects of my life =). Think of it as cutting parts of my life apart and then pasting them all together in one blog post.

Life in America is still, well you know, life in America. I've definitely had highs and lows; I've watched my heart change and break and grow. In January I was really struggling with the fact that I was back in America-- my heart longed to be in Colombia, working with my hands and loving those who are visibly poor. February reminded me of all the ministry opportunities here: the poor in spirit. And now, now its March. God is moving and my heart skips a beat when I get a glimpse of his Spirit transforming lives.

I've been in limbo-land when it comes to Christian ministries on campus. Last semester I was involved with Cru, but for a variety of reasons I decided to look for another fellowship. After several weeks of traveling around, I've narrowed down my choice to the Navigators and InterVarsity. I've enjoyed both tremendously and have seriously been challenged in my faith through friendships I've developed there. My goal was to choose a ministry by the end of February, but that didn't happen. So maybe by the end of March?

 

Over spring break I'll be flying down to Florida to spend a week with my grandparents. I'm looking forward to this time with them, because I haven't seen them for a couple of months and rarely get more than a weekend with them when I do see them.

Summer 2011 is approaching and am I ever ready!

I'll be flying down to Colombia before the 20th of May and hope to be there until late August. I'm looking for jobs or internship opportunities with various ministries in Colombia.

Yesterday I found out that two of my friends, Deepika and Carina, will be coming to Colombia for a month this summer. Besides shrieking and giggling like crazy, I could not wipe the stupid smile off my face for a couple of hours. I'm so excited to spend this time with them and Natis in Colombia this summer.

Tyler will be coming down in July for a week or two. It will be amazing to have her see that entire sphere of my life that is so foreign to her. Chrissy will be coming if she gets a certain job in the next couple of weeks. Karissa (another good friend) might be coming as well.

Hahahaha. Needless to say, it will be quite the summer of visitors, but I am incredibly excited.

An Overview...

Winter clothing is quite excessive, I must admit... leggings, socks, pants, long sleeve shirt, fleece jacket, winter jacket, gloves, scarf, hat and boots. The end.

Going outside is an entire ordeal. I have to prepare myself to spend 10 minutes getting ready to walk out the door, making sure I am properly attired. And no, this doesn't involve a preoccupation with fashion; it's a survival mechanism. I used to consider myself an outdoors kind of person and now I'm beginning to reconsider.

Could it really be that I was enjoying tropical sun only two weeks ago? Have classes really been going on for almost two weeks? Ah, humans… creatures of habit. I’ve fallen into habits and routines that pertain to life here at U of Illinois. Class, friends, food, sleep, church, friends, class and when it’s convenient… sleep.

This post will mostly be an overview of my life and what I should be doing this semester.

ACADEMICS

I’m excited for what this semester holds. True to my nerdy self, I love all of my classes this semester. Below is the list of my classes:

- Arabic

- Portuguese

- Comparative politics of developing nations

- Civil society, NGOs and international social movements

- Comparative world literature: cross-cultural examination of love and death

- Modern Dance II

Yes, I am taking a dance class. And yes, I’m pretty bad at it. But it’s fun… I have to remember to just relax and laugh it off.

Everything else is quite fabulous, though… I’ve met some Colombians in my Portuguese class. It’s amusing to try and speak Portuguese with a Spanish accent. More than anything, though, I’ve really enjoyed meeting people who speak Spanish fluently. It’s refreshing.

SPIRITUAL

I’ve begun going to TCBC’s (my church) youth group. I believe I’ll be helping out as a middle school girls’ small group leader. I’m looking forward to the opportunities to speak into the lives of younger girls and encouraging them to run after God with all that they are.

At the end of last semester I began to feel disenchanted with Cru (Campus Crusade). For a variety of reasons, I decided to try out other Christian groups on campus this semester. I went to Navigators last week and will probably go for a couple more weeks. After that I’ll try out InterVarsity or Axiom (Campus Christian Ministries). I’m looking for a group where I truly feel the community of Christ and where I feel I can use my gifts best to serve others.

SERVICE

I’m thinking about joining a coed community service fraternity this semester. I miss doing service projects and I figured that I should start being intentional about finding those opportunities. I’m hoping to join this semester so that I can learn of the service opportunities in the area