It is Good. It Will Be a Long Time.

When a dear friend writes you and tells you she misses you and you realize you have not spoken in weeks and you used to know what she did for nearly 40 hours a week. It makes you remember where you are. Life is good here. I am loving it, soaking it in, but not so sure I have really taken in to account how long I will be here for. I know I went to college away, I used to be far from home but this is just a  kind of different awayness (Made this word up). My coworkers at my job before I moved here were kind enough to gift me a calender as a going away gift, on this calender each person wrote me a message on their birthday. So every month I have new notes, from different people. I love seeing what they wrote and knowing they were born that day, so I can wish them Happy Birthday. (Thank you Soley for giving me one of my most treasured heartfelt gifts I have ever been given). It is so encouraging. I so appreciate it.

Relationships are good. They are important and this is one of those things you learn when you do not have the ones that mean the most in front of you. I say all of this because I am so grateful to have people to miss. I know I am lucky because I have a calender that people thought was important to write a message on. Things like this make long days with kids seem really good and reminds me of how great god is... how much he desires us to have relationships, that matter, ones that we can run too. The once wise person who I do not know said, "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." I so felt that way leaving Colorado. I watched the Broncos game on my computer sunday night and saw the sunset on the game and tried not to shed a tear. That place holds and will forever hold a special place in my heart. As for Honduras I am learning very fast that this place too will be one that will hold a special place.

Today with our kids we spent the day at a waterpark/ somewhat scary pool with slides that look like they might break, dirty pool, tents that seem to barely hold up and nearly 300 people. It was a complete chaotic mess of kids, parents, toddlers, running like mad and we the teachers pretending to play babysitter. friend. lifeguard.. everything you can imagine. Oh and language barrier to top it all off. We are all sun burnt to the crisp but are home laughing about what was not at all surprising in Honduras. Why wouldn't this be a good idea? I mean what is 150 or so kids swimming screaming all at once without any order or lifeguard be an awesome day? Let me tell you if I were 8 years old today would have been one of the greatest days ever.... all my friends, a swimming pool, waterslides, lots of candy from a pinata, fried chicken french fries, coke... awesome day. But as an adult and teacher it was not the same. Gave me a few heart attacks but the day was good.. but in more than a few moments I was a little envious. I want to scream and play with not even a second thought. Children do that so well and we adults do not do it nearly enough.

I came across a blog recently of a girl that writes so elqquently, saying things so well and she wrote the below as she was heading home to England after living in the Middle East and reflecting on her journey following Jesus . I like the way she puts this and I thought I would share:

A couple of years ago, I had gotten to the point where I realized I had been playing tug of war with God, asking Him from the church pew, “What do I do? How do I get to the place I should be? How do I do what I need to do to be OK with you?

And then He showed me it wasn’t about me at all, what I have or don’t have. It was about His glory in the nations … and how everything else should slip through my fingers like Middle Eastern sand so that I can grab hold of Him and take Him to others. It’s about me knowing Him and making Him known … to everyone I meet in the United States, to every international person living in England who’s never heard the name of Jesus, to everyone in the world.

Some days I get a little too attached to my park, to my big green hills, to my Starbucks and my tea house … not that those things are bad. I’m here, for the moment. I want to seize every moment here, enjoy Him in it, use it to show Him to others.

But if He asked for me to turn that plane around, I shouldn’t hesitate. And I shouldn’t cower in my seat hoping He won’t ask.

I should offer.

God is good... So good to me. Still living life here. From my bed, sorting pictures done by my kids of their families. (Flaming hair on mom and dad, stick people siblings... awesome pictures)

Love Kristina