It happened to me.

So although I love evangelism, meeting students and sharing the Gospel with them, I also love the times when we can come together as European missionaries to learn, share, support, and encourage one another.  Another bonus, though, is that there is an ease that comes with knowing that these people share the same faith and values as you.  In a sense you don’t have to be on your guard to be on your best behavior.  Instead, you can trust that they will love you for who you are.

Well… I don’t know if that is always true, but, for me, I am going to choose to believe it. 

So this last weekend we had the third SWOT (student workers outreach training) weekend of the year here in Belgium.  Its crazy to realize, but I have been here long enough to have gotten to know people from around Europe, so it was fun to get to see many of them again.  And, as always, the training and time we have to pray together is always really powerful.  The story, though, that I know you are waiting for is the one that happened the day after SWOT. 

So I said that I am trusting that people will love me for who I am, not what happens to me. Here is my story.

The Gappers from Belgium and London

The gappers from London stayed for an extra day to spend a day together as gappers, so on the Monday after SWOT we all packed a picnic lunch and went to this little park in Leuven.  The park is really a beautiful little park with a cute- actually kind of nasty- pond (this will be important later).  After eating in the sun around the pond, we conceived a brilliant plan to try to capture one of the little ducklings that was swimming around the pond.  Practically this meant that we crafted a net from police tape and reeds and proceeded to chase the ducklings (whose mother deserted them not long into the ordeal) around the pond, corner them, and try to get them to swim into our bright yellow, homemade net.  Ultimately, despite the close calls, both on our part as we teetered on the edge of the pond and the part of the ducklings who almost became the official gapper office pet, Operation Duckling Capture was abandoned and can successfully claim no casualties. 

The wild goose chase having been called off, it would seem that the excitement would end.  This, though, is the irony of the situation.  After carelessly chasing these ducks around the pond, scrambling over slippery, muddy shores, jumping onto rocks to get in their way, and leaning out over the water to extend the duckling net, we were peacefully sitting on the shore, watching the tadpoles when, next thing you know, I am in the pond.  Literally, I was sitting there one minute and the next I was in the pond.  In case you didn’t understand- I (a responsible 18 year old young adult) FELL INTO THE POND.  You would think that this kind of thing only happens to five year-old boys, but apparently not.  How do I know this?  It happened to me. 

Despite my blindness

We had about nine days off for Easter break.  It was really a whirlwind: During the first 7 days, I finished and submitted a scholarship essay, went on a silent retreat day, spent five days in Prague, and came home Friday morning to prep for Easter activities that weekend.  To be honest, I was exhausted and just looking forward to getting through the busy weekend.  Despite my attitude, though, the Lord took this celebration of His Resurrection and used it to show me more about receiving New Life in Him. 

In one of my favorite verses from Revelations, Jesus says “Behold, I make all things new.” (Rev. 21:5)  Throughout the weekend, this verse really came alive to me in a new way.  I realized that my life has been richly blessed.  I have been born into a strong and loving family, am supported by faithful friends, am surrounded by a community of witnesses, and have been handed the rich legacy of the faith.  Yet, maybe in the overwhelming magnitude of these gifts, I have lost sight of their value.  Instead of being appreciative, I was caught up in what I was missing. 

Through His words ‘Behold, I make all things new’, the Lord showed me that His was remaking my view of the gifts that He had specially given to me:

Prague

Prague, although known to the larger world as a political, cultural, and economic center in central Europe and the fourteenth largest city in the European Union, will always be remembered by me as the setting for my four day adventure that included plum flavored ribs, breathtaking views, original Mucha posters, at least 7 different architecture styles, and way too many pictures! 

A transformative decision

Last night we had the fifth session of the Life in the Spirit seminar.  I know that I have mentioned the seminar series before, but before I explain about the fifth session, I would like to give you a quick summary of the series.

It is set up in such a way that each week builds on the previous weeks, talking about and expounding on different truths of Christianity. The series begins by telling participants about God’s love for them.  Then, in the weeks that follow, we talk about the ultimate sacrifice Christ makes for us, the gift of salvation, the new life that He offers us through His Holy Spirit, and what it means to receive these gifts.  The fifth week of the series is really the action week.  It is the evening where participants have the opportunity to choose for Christ after all that we have been discussing over the last few weeks.

white paint

Imagine coming out of your business class and seeing the already unusual sea of bikes parked outside of the university building all sporting pink and red seat covers.  Despite the huge heart design, you know that Valentine’s day is already passed and what could possibly elicit bike seat propaganda?

It turns out that the first week in March is dedicated to community service by an organization known as iCare.  They blanketed the city with bike seat covers, hoping to invite students to join in on one of their hundreds of service projects throughout the week. 

Clare, my housemate, and I decided that we did 'care' and signed up to help paint the public library.  Though they handed us white paint to repaint the already white walls, it was a great opportunity to talk to other students, share with them a little about what we are doing here in Leuven, and laugh together about our complete inability to see which part of the wall we had already painted.  

Despite the physical white paint that we were given, pink and red were really the colors that we painted with.  When you serve someone else, you give them a piece of yourself.  It was life giving and, I think, important to ban together with other students and create a splash of color in the city with our time, elbow grease, and passion.  

Becoming Sisters

A ship cannot sail on the choppy sea without first being built in a safe harbor.  It cannot find shape unless it has something to model itself after.  It cannot grow and improve unless others are allowed to come on board and supports are set in place around it.

Last weekend, my dream finally starting taking shape and becoming a reality.  Let me explain:  

My youth group growing up played one of the most instrumental roles in my choice to follow Christ personally.  Although I had been raised and formed in a strong Catholic family, it wasn’t until I had the fellowship and support of other kids my age that I confidently made a personal decision to accept my faith as my own.  For me, the witness of girls slightly older than me making decisions to follow Christ and strive towards holiness had a powerful impact on me.  They proved to me that this faith that I had been raised with was not just something for my parents, but something for me too.

In the last months, it seems to me that the youth of the Jerusalem community are facing the same decision that I faced a few years ago.  Their parents have given them a strong foundation on which to build their faith, yet many of the youth have not yet made the decision to follow Christ themselves.  They are on the brink of making that decision, but it is an infinitely more difficult decision because they don’t have the support and encouragement of those their same age.

My dream has been to help create a support group for the girls that unites them and provides them with opportunities to build strong relationships with one another. 

Leven in de Geest

Do you know the feeling of going into something completely unsure of what is going to happen or even what you should expect?  Well, in a way, you could say that that has been my experience of this entire gap year.  However, the Life in the Spirit Series that Pharos has been putting on has provided me with this experience in a particular way. 

In order to advertise this seven-week series that explores the fundamental truths of Christianity and offers participants an opportunity to choose for Christ, we made 1000 Dutch and English flyers and literally spread them out across the entire city.  For a week we went out every day for a couple of hours and handed them to every person in our path, plastered them on every notice board, put stacks by every campus info booth, and talked about it with every person we know in Leuven.

Destination: Dublin, Ireland

I have always had a travel bug.  And, as any Travel Guru knows, Dublin, Ireland, is one of the places that must be seen.  This weekend that dream became a reality.  Along with 13 others from Pharos, I traveled there for the annual Kairos Weekend- a huge regional conference where all of the young adults from Kairos Europe and the Middle East come together to learn about discipleship and leadership and to pray together.  Honestly, it was incredible.  I was the photographer for the weekend, so I had the privilege to take a step back and wonder at the uniqueness of this experience.  

Set Apart

It seems like yesterday it was the Christmas season and I was reflecting on that first half of my Gap year and making resolution for the second half.  Then I turn around and today it is already February.  Growing up, I have been told countless times that I will blink and the time that I am in will be over.  I need to stop now in the moment and appreciate it. 

As one way to do that, I want to write a little bit about this last month.  Belgium in January is unlike Belgium at any other time of the year.  It is exam period meaning that students finish class in December and immediately go into solitary seclusion for four to six weeks, living and breathing only their text books until exams finish the first week of February.  Literally, the city goes silent and dead because the students are all locked in their rooms. 

The Belgian version of myself studying for my Dutch exam

Inspite of the Rain

So imagine this situation:

As the rain pounds on the roof above and splatters against the front window, a young, pregnant mother quietly comes into the front room and gently asks if you are still ok with picking up her two and a half year old daughter from school.  As the rain continues to play in the background and the sharp wind hears its cue to join the orchestra, you know that backing out isn’t an option.  You pull on your boots and raincoat, grab the bike key, smile at her apologetic look, and brace yourself for what awaits you beyond the door. 

You peddle along to the preschool, remorsefully recalling the beautiful summer days when bright sun soaked into your knees instead of chilly rain soaking your entire body.  You pull the map written on a post-it note out of your pocket only to find that what was once damp is now running with ink.  So, going off your memory, you park and lock the bike, go through a million gates that are meant to keep toddles in, but actually probably allow the children to play longer in wait as their parents struggle with the physics of latch gates.  Anyway, finally you find the classroom, smile as the teacher goes off in Dutch to you, grab the hand of the already bundled up little girl, and waddle back through the hallways looking like a drowned mouse leading a little green marshmallow on legs. 

Idiosyncrasies

So I am not actually sure if ‘idiosyncrasy’ is the right word, but if it has anything to do with ‘peculiarity’ and ‘quirky’ then it is the perfect word to describe our experience in Brussels every other Friday.  The episodes always begin with a 45 train/metro/hike to an old, should-have-been-abandoned-a-long-time-ago hospital building that has now been converted into a residence for ‘homeless’ people.  The best way to describe the operation there is that it is ‘desperately held together’ by a few incredible selfless 50+ strong Christians who have a very unique vision for serving the poverty stricken. The only qualification for staying there is saying that you are a ‘praying person’, so most of the residents are chemically dependent or mentally handicapped. 
Anyway, every time we go there it is an adventure.  Among so many other things, here are some of my favorite idiosyncrasies:

Anticipation, Celebration, and Joy

Without a doubt, this season is one of my favorites. It is always marked by gift wrapping, the loudness of family, New Year's resolutions, hyper activity, and general craziness. It is also, though, a time of anticipation, celebration and joy. We lay aside the daily rhythm and celebrate our families, the birth of our Savior, and the opportunity for a new start.

Over Christmas, I had the opportunity to navigate my way across the English Channel to visit Scotland and celebrate with the Jacksons, friends of our family. For me, it was a really blessed time. Though I missed my own family, it was great to be welcomed into another family.  Their generosity and love were truly a witness to me of what it means to have Christ at the center of your life.