hello blogging world,
i'm sorry i'm not the best at blogging consistently yet- it's something i need to work on!
here's a quick update and some thoughts:
last weekend, i got to go on a retreat with the Grace EFC youth to Baraboo, WI. it was a weekend filled with fun- bus rides, canoeing on the river, camping, doing a high ropes course, and learning about the Lord with about 50 others. we learned about being either a fan of Jesus or a true follower of Him. the teaching and discussion were very meaningful to me and i hope and pray that this weekend makes a lasting impression in the lives of these students. i have so loved being a part of what God is doing here in the Grace youth group- it has been such an honor and joy to learn and grow with them.
God continues to take care of all the details involved in moving. next weekend over the 19th and 20th my parents and grandpa will be here to help me move back to Illinois. i will stay with my family for a few days and then travel to North Carolina for a month long training session. during this training i will get to meet karen, who will be going to the same city in the DR as me- i'm really looking forward to meeting her and to all we will be learning.
i will return to illinois in late august and then i have the month of september pretty open. i'm planning a few trips- back to iowa, hopefully to wisconsin, and also to the chicagoland area. i would love to see many of you during that month to say goodbye before i go. with the way everything is going, it looks like i will be moving to the DR the first part of october! i can hardly believe it!
so back to the training i will be going to....there are a few assignments to work on before i arrive. i've been reading a book in preparation called "Cross Cultural Servanthood" by Duane Elmer. this is one of the best books i've read in a long time. i highly recommend it. i want to share with you one section that really stood out to me about hospitality, which is something i am always working on...

"The cross may be the single greatest symbol of openness. On the cross, Jesus' arms were open wide. In his dying breath he still signaled his openness to recieve those who would come to him in repentance. But it is not only an openness to those who wish to repent of their sins but also to us who wish to draw near for comfort, peace, refuge, hope, and grace. Openness is grounded in the very nature of God.
Openness is also captured in the biblical concept of hospitality. Hospitality refers to an attitude that prevails in a person's lifestyle, an attitude of extending grace to people, including the stranger, the person who is different. It certainly includes inviting people to your home, but if that is the extent of it, we have missed the core meaning. Hospitality is extending love to those we don't know and who may be of a different ethnic or cultural history. It is the idea of being gracious to all people, welcoming them into your presence and making them feel valued. A true servant is characterized by hospitality-one who welcomes and embraces those who are unlike us- just as Jesus embraced us across our radical differences.
Hospitality is rooted in the word hospital, which comes from two Greek words meaning "loving the stranger". It evolved to mean "house for strangers" and later came to be known as a place of healing. Eventually, hospitality meant connecting with strangers in such a way that healing took place. Therefore, when we show openness toward people who are different from us, welcome them into our presence and make them feel safe, the relationship becomes a place of healing. As we welcome people just as they are and invite them to join us just as we are, it becomes a sacred event reflecting what Jesus did for us-providing us with a healing relationship."