A look inside: March Madness, part 2

Saturday, March 21, 2009

March Madness, part 2

(Boarding my flight from Munich to Sarajevo)

The flights from Chicago to Sarajevo went by quickly. I mostly worked like a mad ape on my laptop, fine-tuning my materials. One of the coolest moments came as I was working on my “culture-shock” presentation for the students, and was able to reflect on my experiences of traveling to Russia when I was 15. I was able to use my experience and relate to what these kids would be going through. I had been praying that God would prepare the way for me to bond with these high school students for His glory. That I would be able to connect with them and build relationships, which would open the door for me to share the truth of the gospel with them as the program progressed. Long story short, He answered that prayer.

Another cool little way God provided this was, while on my flight, the movie Twilight came on. This is a movie I would have never chosen to go see in the theatre or rent on DVD.

I ignored it the first time it came on and kept working. The second time it played, I shut my laptop and decided to watch, merely for the purpose of resting of my brain. This movie ended up being a huge bridge for me to connect with the Bosnian girls. They were all HUGE Twilight fans and we were able to have many engaging conversations about the movie. :) It was clearly a “God thang” that he allowed me to see that movie before meeting the girls.

Anyways, arriving in Sarajevo, I was exhausted and prayed for strength and clarity of mind. Oh, and it was frrrreezing there! I snapped this picture out of the window of my taxi cab.

I took a taxi to my hotel, dropped of my luggage and went straight to the Embassy…totally intimidating experience. The Program Officer, who I had been previously corresponding with, was one abrasive, type-A, aggressive lady. She was all business. Inside, I was shaking and having one of those “I just want to do laundry all day, every day again” moments, and on the outside I was putting on my most confident “don’t mess with me because I know what the hell I’m doing” faces. :)

I survived the meetings and traveled back to my hotel, thinking I was going to crash and get some much needed sleep. However, I found it impossible to go to sleep. (dang jet lag!) I ended up watching two entire movies in Bosnian with no English subtitles, before finally nodding off for a few hours sleep.

(The ever-exciting view out of my hotel window. Amazing that you can travel halfway across the world and look out your window, and still feel like you're in Salem.)

To be continued…
(Suspenseful, I know!)

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Words to Remember

"Christ's followers cannot expect better treatment in the world than their Master had. Let them not promise themselves more honor or pleasure in the world than Christ had. Let each live a life of labor and self-denial as his Master, and make himself a servant of all; let him stoop, and let him toil, and do all the good he can, and then he will be a complete disciple."
~Matthew Henry,
English Pastor 1662-1714

"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess."
~Martin Luther King

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
~Jim Elliot

"I am a missionary, heart and soul. God Himself had an only Son, and He was a missionary and a physician. A poor, poor imitation I am, or wish to be, but in this service I hope to live. In it I wish to die. I still prefer poverty and missions service to riches and ease. This is my choice."
~David Livingstone

"I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others do the same. "
~C.S. Lewis

"I want Thy plan, O God, for my life. May I be happy and contented whether in the homeland or on the foreign field; whether married or alone, in happiness or sorrow, health or sickness, prosperity or adversity - I want Thy plan, O God, for my life."
~Oswald J. Smith

songs with meaning

If you hear one of these songs playing while visiting my blog, here is why it is so special to me:

I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman: I would listen to this song as a young teenager and dream about finding a love like this song describes. Guess what? God gave more then I ever dreamed.

Any Song by Keith Green!!! I first heard Keith Green as a young child and knew all his songs by heart. As a teenager, I loved his music because he is so honest and authentic. I also read his autobiography when I was in my teens. He is one of my all-time heroes! I remember my friends laughing at me when they were in my car, wondering why I would be listening to songs from the 70's. Yes, the music is cheesy, but the lyrics are simply amazing!

How Could I Ask For More by Cindy Morgan: My senior year of high school I was on homecoming court with four other girls, who were all good friends of mine. We all picked this song to be played during our ceremony. I still love this song!

Have I Told You Lately by Rod Stewart: The song Jon and I danced to at our wedding. I smile every time I hear it.

I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me: This song was played at Brian Ditchen's memorial service. Brian was Jon's cousin who he grew up with, and who I went to school with, and he was a dear friend. He passed away in March of 2004 in a tragic plane accident, he was only 28. It shook the core of our faith. The only comfort came from knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, who Brian lived his life for: Jesus Christ. He was a dedicated believer, and we can't wait to see him again. Every time we would hear this song, it touched us deeply, it still does. Heaven has become very real to us.

The Scientist by Coldplay: My younger brother, Ben, sang and played this song on the piano at my brother Jeremy's memorial service. Jeremy passed away suddenly in September of 2004, he was only 31. Once again our faith was shaken (see next song)....

Cry Out To Jesus by Third Day: Whenever I hear this song I am reminded of my brother Jeremy...."To everyone who's lost someone they loved, long before it was their time, you feel like the days you had were not enough, when you said goodbye....cry out to Jesus" I am reminded to turn to God in the midst of my pain and loss, and it's OK to go to Him with my questions

We Will Dance by Steven Curtis Chapman: My current love song. It so beautifully describes mine and Jon's relationship.

I'm Not Cool by Scott Krippane: This is Daniel's song.Not in a mean way. He absolutely loves this song and sings along with it every time. The funny thing is, it describes him perfectly.

She's a Dancer by Phil Keaggy: This is Sarah's song! It so sweetly reminds me of Sarah...."she's a dancer, she loves to dance, she's a singer, she loves to sing, she's a lady, walkin' round in mama's shoes, standin' tall in mama's shoes" Sarah has also been caught singing into the bathroom mirror. And when she was younger she put on many "dance performances" for us in our living room.

Olivia by Phil Keaggy: Obviously Olivia's song! I've sang this song to her since she was a tiny newborn. She knows the words and sings along now. Whenever I put this song on, she stops what she's doing and gets a big smile on her face, and says "my song!"

Beautiful by Bethany Dillon: OK I'm 32 now. And sometimes when I look in the mirror, the depression creeps in. I don't look like I did ten years ago, I don't see a beautiful young woman looking back at me. And that can get you down sometimes. This song reminds me that true beauty is who I am in God's eyes. I could be perfect in every way on the outside and yet not be beautiful in the eyes of God, and when it's all said and done, my life would have been lived only for myself. I want to be beautiful in God's eyes, I want Him to look inside my heart and smile, and most importantly, be pleased.

Who Am I?, The Voice of Truth, and Praise You In The Storm by Casting Crowns: All three of these songs are very special to Jon. These are three of his all-time favorites. These songs brought him close to God when he was going through a hard time in his life.

I Am by Nicole Nordeman: The first time I heard this song was at a Women of Faith conference. She played it live on the piano. It was so beautiful and moved me so deeply. God is truly my "I Am", He has been my one firm anchor through every season of my life.