Well, it is that time of year again. The time of year when you look over your summer to do list and realize that you haven't done much of what was on the list. The time of year when text books start arriving in the mail, and you realize how much reading is about to dominate your life. It is also the time of year when the sound of leaves crunching under your feet as you walk in the crisp cool evening air is not far away after the summer heat. The time of scarfs, pumpkin spice lattes and glowing candles. I love this time of year!
As this new season begins and I start the last year of my Bachelor's degree, it is a good time to look back on the past few months. Summer went by so fast, I could have blinked and missed it completely. However, even those this summer was busy, with work, and things to do, it also had great moments with friends, times of travel and lessons learned.
My times of travel included going to Sterling, Kansas for a few days to help train up missionaries about to head out to 8 different countries to infuse the nations with the love of the Father. Being there, with people of like heart, caused something in me to ignite and my passion for the nations be deepened. Upon returning from Kansas, I got my mom ready for her first missions trip into the heart of Thailand, where she caught the missions bug and brought with her many stories and a heart broken for people. Next it was my turn to head to my second home for 2 weeks: Ukraine. Every time I hear the word Ukraine, I am brought back to so many wonderful memories. There is something about that nation and my friends there, that makes it feel like a second home...
Being back in Ukraine, was not all I expected it to be. I was met with moments of disappointment as I was not able to see everyone I knew and loved from years before. Instead I was in a new place, with new people. However, it was in those moments where I learned a very powerful lesson. I learned, that even when things do not go as planned, and you are not in a place of familiarity or comfort, it is then when you have to lean in and trust in the Lord more than ever. And from that place of trust, the Lord can work through you. There are many stories I can share from those 2 weeks, and maybe I will blog about them some more later, but what I really want to say is that after 3 years, I still felt at home. As I got on the Metro in Kyiv, the last day of the trip and walked the city streets that I fell in love with, I was home. It felt like I had never left. It was all still the same; the same people, the same place, the same smells, the same country that the Lord has placed on my heart. When I met up with 2 of my good friends for an afternoon lunch, it didn't seem like we had been apart at all. It is amazing how that is.
Upon me return from Ukraine, I went through a couple weeks of feeling discontent. I get that way sometimes, when I am ready for a change, yet change is not coming or when I get my focus off the Lord and instead turn it to all the other things that there are "to do." I am sure, some of you can relate. However, it was in those moments that I learned that it all comes down to my relationship with the Lord. I can't give what I have not received, and I also can't expect my times with the Lord from before to carry me through the rest of my life. (If you want to hear more about that, listen to the podcast from August 10th, by Christy Duncan.) So, after taking a few days and just spending time with the Lord, I have found my contentment in Him again and am ready for what ever this next semester holds.
So, as I end this blog, I challenge you, whoever you are, to take a few moments and reflect on these last few months. What lessons have you learned? What things has the Lord shown you? What memories do you not want to forget? But, most importantly, take some time to spend with the Lord, find your contentment and peace and strength in Him. He is always there, waiting, with His arms opened wide.
