almost leaving...

it's almost time...tomorrow night we leave for china! it'll be awesome to get on the plane and not worry about remembering to buy wheat-thins or to make copies of my passport.

excitement is definitely in the air around here. the anticipation of heading out to Nanchang is getting us all through running last minute errands and packing.

though today i felt a little scattered, in a good way. there was just lots to do, of varying importance...

after checking in at the office, i explored the new dollar store in town and bought a few too many goodies for the kids and translators i'll be matched up with in China. i kept having to remind myself that just because everything was a dollar, it didn't mean i needed to buy it...but it'll be really fun to bless the kiddos with little purses, chapstick, bubbles, games, and american flags that i did end up buying.

i also went to the grocery store and picked up a few last minute items there. you'd be surprised how precious peanut butter and jelly is after a long day in China!

then i stopped by the bolt's house (the family who began Bring Me Hope) to pick up something for a mailer i was working on. christy, becca, and jas were in the middle of packing so their living room was covered with big blue bins, clothes, food, shampoo, life vests and other camp supplies. i imagine most of our other camp staff's living rooms or bedrooms look rather similar at the moment. :)

jason helped me print some postage for the envelope packages i was trying to get sent out, then mary and abby (the little girls) helped me put the postage stickers on. it was fun to have their help.

i stopped back at the office to finish a few things up and copy some camp documents onto my desktop. i said goodbye to patti and david, which was pretty sad. it's hard to say goodbye and leave each other for the summer (they'll be in Beijing, I'll be in Nanchang) after working together every day. we've gotten really close...they're really precious friends of mine.

but packing took my mind off of things, and i did just finish. i have to say that i'm really happy i have a lot less luggage this year! i don't quite know how that happened, but i'm proud of the fact all the same. :)

now i'm off to eat dinner with the ketterings. tilly made something that i'm sure will be really good for me! ;)

i'll try to write soon...

love,
k

Journal Entry from my first trip to China...

This is from my first trip to China on Januray 21, 2005 :)

"It was hard to get out of bed this morning – it made me sad thinking about leaving to go back home. Today was our last day at the orphanage.

This morning, little Indiana Jane (a seven year old at the orphanage) came running up to me as soon as we got there. She had a larger than life grin on her face and as she ran, her arms were open wide in anticipation of a big hug! When she got close enough I scooped her up in my arms and spun her around and around. I promised myself that would be a moment I would never forget.

The time saying goodbye to the babies was hard. I held each one that I’ve connected with and prayed for them and kissed them goodbye. I just lost it while holding Yang Fu Zi. I just looked out the window and cuddled her and sang to her, told her how much I love her…and just cried.

It was especially hard saying goodbye to the older kids. Li Hong always used to say “Let’s go!” and today she pouted “no let’s go.” ZhuZhu (Indiana Jane) was upset that we were leaving, that she started kicking James. And another of the school children cried, and I held her and told her I loved her and I went away crying as well...I miss those kids so much already. Their faces are in my mind..."

randomness

i wanted to let you know a new phenomenon i have recently discovered!

in southern california, one would think that boardshorts would be in the plenty. well, friends, that is a sorry misconception! i've been to a handful of stores and can't find anything that'll work. i guess it's just one more thing to add to the list of things in life i don't understand. ;)

ps. i can't wait to go here next week...

to do things like this...


with people like him...


please pray for my trip to China....and that i'll find boardshorts before i leave. ;)

lately i've been feeling a little overwhelmed. somehow my month and a half trip to china has snuck up so quickly, and i don't feel ready! luckily my visa came in the mail today, but i think that's the only thing that qualifies me as being prepared. work has been busy. the numbers of emails being sent and received have been record-breaking...lists are all over my desk...and yet i seem to always feel there is so much more still to do! :) on top of that, normal life has given me lots of things to keep busy doing and thinking over...

i've felt discouraged that i can only be one place at a time (i know, that sounds silly, but it's true! :) i wish i could be home to celebrate milestones in my friends and family's lives like their weddings, graduations, birthdays, and father's day. but i know it'd be too much to take a trip back to the east coast with so much to do here. but God is so faithful, and He's showing me that He has me here for a reason. i could potentially spend my life wondering what i could be accomplishing somewhere else, but then i'd never get anything done right where i am.

i stayed late at work today. i had a conference call with our staff going to nanchang in two weeks (and on the call i somehow managed to drop my phone into my glass of dr.pepper. :) after the call was done, i was tidying up my desk to get ready to call it a day when i suddenly got swept up in going through everything on and around my desk. :)

i ended up reading through some cards from friends i had saved and one in particular struck me. it was a christmas card but it's message was perfect for right now...

it said, " in this crazy season of hustle and bustle, may you find time to reflect on our shining star- the one in whom all our hopes and fears are met. and may this next year be one of even more growth and a focus in who God wants you to be. love, michele"

how encouraging!! please be praying for me that in this busy time i would make time to reflect on my sweet savior!!

moments

For the last month or so I've been really working on enjoying life's little moments,
and I've found that I have so much more freedom and joy as I orient myself to fully
live in the present!

I heard Steven Curtis Champman's song called "Miracle of the Moment" on the radio
the other day, and it captured what I wanted to say perfectly...

"It's time for letting go
All of our "if-onlys"
Cause we don't have a time machine
And even if we did
Would we really wanna use it
Would we really wanna go change everything?
Cause we are who and where and what we are
For now
And this is the only moment
We can do anything about

So breathe it in and breathe it out
Listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you and
I don't want you to miss
The miracle of the moment

There's only one who knows
What's really out there waiting
In all the moments yet to be
And all we need to know
Is he's out there waiting
To him the future's history
And he has given us a treasure called
Right now
And this is the only moment
We can do anything about"

what i love about camping

this is my top-ten favorite things list about our camping trip this past weekend...

10. going river rafting and falling into the boat.
9. daily walks to a very yummy malt shop.
8. getting to know some new friends better.
7. passing some friends who we were supposed to be following (& who had the directions to the camp site) because we were so into a game we were playing. (we realized we were driving behind the wrong car a while later, and panicked. luckily, our friends were just behind us and were very curious why we had passed them, lol)
6. finding our way down the mountain on a hike! :)
5. watching the stars and seeing the milky way clearer than i've ever seen it before.
4. playing pranks on david. (then feeling bad the next morning after i read psalm 140 about how evil men plan wicked schemes and plot traps for the innocent, ha)
3. going on a walk through town and flying kites with my friend beth.
2. playing football with friends at a park then watching the football nearly float down the river.
1. making up scary stories late at night and laughing at how dumb they were.

roadtrip photo :)

my friend ali and i on the way to na two weekends ago