How I Became a Nun

I am now in Indianapolis, IN... staying at the Benedict Inn... aka monastary.

I spent today flying about. I thought I was going to miss my flight from Minneapolis to Indy, but then I felt a sense of peace about it all. Having read "An Unhurried Life" in prayer seminar, I realized that missing the flight would be completely out of my control. I could either be stressed, frustrated, anxious and rude... and be late, or calm, collected and polite... and be late. Turns out that going with the latter simply makes the entire experience more enjoyable. I felt relaxed enough to notice to elderly woman and man holding hands as they waited for their turn to get up. When they did, they went slowly, grabbing their luggage carefully. The husband did so, since his wife was too short. She carried multiple bags, and part of me wanted to offer to help, yet she had an expression of competence about her that I feared a polite gesture would be unwelcomed. Instead, I smiled. I also was able to observe a very tall, strong man watching the couple, and I noticed he too was smiling. Together, we shared in a moment that would have gone unnoticed.

I made it to my flight with minutes to spare, which I mean "spare"- not in the exaggerated, "only" sense of the word, but that I had more minutes that could have been spent walking slower, saying a more complete good-bye to Christina, the girl I met on the plane, or perhaps being more thankful to our flight attendants. This time, while in the sky, I looked down at the world beneath me, the little specks moving about (cars) and the slightly larger squares at a stand still. I felt the vastness of the world- and I wasn't even looking at an entire state! It hit me how powerful my God is, and I was amazed as I recalled how He loves each of those specs individually. It felt completely paradoxical.

I landed in Indy safetly, met my CMF group, and we were off. We drove out of the city into less crowded areas, and there we found our Inn. I quickly learned that it was were a group of 60 nuns lived, and some monks. At first, I expected black and white all over the place. Turns out this place is more progressive - nuns wear pants, and even say shit. I talked to Sister Kathy-Ann in depth, and enjoyed her story of becoming a nun (and first hand experience of a nun who says "shit").

The evening has been restful, which is why I am taking time to write. I probably won't again until the night before I fly for Kenya.

As always, God bless :)

Prepared to Pray. Three Days Until Departure

I just spent a week at a summer conference with the 5C's on Catalina Island. It was amazing!

I feel as close to God as I am. A week of trying out different kinds of prayer probably does that to a person. We did some silence and solitude (one of my favorites, can you believe it?!), fasting and intercession, healing, listening, and delighting in the LORD. We also did some more traditional styles, such as compline (which, to my surprise, I loved!). We opened the day with prayer, we ended with prayer, with lots of prayer in between.

This past week God revealed to me the need for rest, and the silence and solitude are actually spiritual disciplines, along with having an unhurried life like Jesus. The best part about all of this - my summer in Kenya will be a perfect way to start! I've already mentionned some things about our sense of "time" verse most of the other world's. I am stoked to try out these practices, to embrace the rest God has for me in Kenya (which some might think sounds counter intuitive).

I can't even begin to sum up this past week well enough, but I can fill you in on some Kenya stuffs, the theme of this blog.

Money is still coming in, praise be to God! I am home, going to buy a few things tomorrow (the necessary bug repelant, a nice skirt for church, etc.) with my mommy. I'm trying to be patient and live in the moment, to be home with my family who I know I will miss so much in Kenya!

And finally... I feel at peace with whatever God has for me, here or there. This summer and next year. You know why? ... because GOD IS GOOD! :D

How to End

The semester is almost over. Only finals stand between me and home. Oddly, I am not stressed at all. Now that, I know, has nothing to do with my awesome grades (uh...), nor my abilities to pull off amazing grades (hah, so funny...), or all the time I plan to put in studying (who am I kidding?).

I am not stressed because of God's grace. I am reminded daily of what He has in store for me. So, I can go about my day with four exams looming, and not be completely obsessed with how I spend the next few minutes of my day.

Reading Cross Cultural Connection has also taught me a lot about the "American" view of time. We stress about being early or on time to an event. We stress about how fast we can get stuff done. That isn't how the whole world works. Most peoples focus more on what you are doing than how fast it can get done. In other cultures, the relationship of the person who randomly drops by matters more than the meeting at 2 o'clock. The event going on, taking place, matters more than being "punctual." Tardiness is a largely white concept reinforced from an early age. The United States functions by bells. A bell for school. A bell for lunch. A bell to end school. A bell to start church. A bell to let workers know they can go home. So much noise that comes largely from our roots in industry, where efficiency is valued. Where times and dates become important for deadlines and deliveries.

I am looking forward to a summer of a different concept of time. I want to learn how to enjoy people more than my "inner drive to succeed." We measure success by what we get done. Other countries measure success by honor, by family, by relationships, by who we leave behind.

So, trying to take a note from my brothers and sisters in Christ, I am going to spend less time stressing about school and grades, and more time hanging out with friends who I probably won't see over summer, or next semester because they are going abroad, or even graduating. I don't think we were meant to run on stress alone, but on the love and encouragement of our friends around us... but first, we have to take the time to talk.

God bless!