life is like a retractable pencil

It's the middle of March... how did that happen? I get to come home for a week in 2.5 months!!! So thrilled to get to stand next to Min as she gets married. And to snuggle with Ella-- yes Ella we will even sleep together when I'm home. And to hug Mom & Dad, and see my siblings, and go to Panera, visit Otterbein, and put my clothes in the dryer! Oh how excited I am!

This week and the past week we've had visitors from the States here to encourage us and to help us with the ministry- which has been cool- but as I sat down with the woman who is the director of NZ ministries in Indy I knew she was wise when she said, "This time of year can be hard, you're at the point where you know you've been here for a while, yet you still have a while to go." Yes- I'm feeling it. We've lived in Welli for about 5.5 months, but we're here for 8 more and while I do LOVE Welli, I am confronted with the reality that I miss people, I miss feeling like an insider, I miss driving on the right side of the road. The hardest part is that I don't want to leave here, I just want to be here and there. Ahhhhh!

So enough of that. Let me update you on the ministry here and why my life is a roller coaster. It has been super exciting to sit down with some of the Kiwi women here and really talk about life and faith. I've met girls who are fighting depression, just coming out of depression, figuring out what they believe, deciding how to live what they believe, and some are simply trying to find a Christian community that can push them while at Uni. I have about 15 women right now who are going to meet with me weekly and journey with me and probably teach me more than I teach them. One of my biggest prayer requests is for Emma-- she and I are going to meet and chat about Christianity each week, b/c she said that she believes in God, but from there feels very lost about her beliefs. She is so smart and so honest-- and I would love for her to fall in love with Jesus. Please pray that God would work in her life.

The highlights are great- but of course there are low lights, too. Some days it feels like every student is too busy to care about God. Some days I look around and think that we are ignoring the students who most desperately need or want to believe- the goth crowd, the homosexual crowd, the alcoholic crowd-- and I just don't know how to love them well. Some days I don't feel like I'm doing enough. And some days I feel like my faith isn't enough. Some days I'm just annoyed with every person around me. And it was one of these days when I read an article which talked about loving people. It said that loving people is one of the most powerful ways which we worship God. He loves when we truly care about His creation. Man-- that was hard to read when I was feeling like I just don't love people. I want my faith to push me further into loving people well... not push me away from people. I guess I really can't do this on my own.

In conclusion: 1. please pray for Emma 2. please pray for each of us to truly love people 3. if you could figure out a way for people to be in 2 places at once that would be sweet az.

The best way I can think to end this blog is to have you check out the funniest thing I've seen in a long time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0rtaDDSvxY It's a song from 2 comedians from Welli-- they have a show in the states and it is HILARIOUS. Sometimes inappropriate, but still funny. If you watch it 10 times it gets funnier each time. (I'm laughing at it now)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIB! And sorry Mom that this isn't a video blog- I'll keep working on it. Love and miss you guys-- really. Lace