Last year, I posted my handwritten list of 27 Before 28, which were 27 things I wanted to do before I turned 28 years old. I've made a list like this for most of my twenties, and while I usually don't accomplish everything, it's nice to have some goals for the year. I actually quite prefer this to any type of New Year's resolutions, but that's just me :)
Rather than sharing my handwritten list again this year, I'll share some of the things I accomplished from my 28 Before 29 list. I'm pretty sure I said something just like this last year, but turning twenty-nine isn't a time in my life I ever really thought about. However, so far, so good. I was spoiled on my birthday again this year in Romania. I have such a fabulous inner circle here and I am so insanely grateful for that. They sure know how to make a girl feel special on her birthday! Anyways, enjoy a look back into my 28th year of life...
Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist
Read some books (and keep a list). I go through major reading phases. Sometimes I read a ton of books in a week, and other times I read a handful of books in a year. This year, it was the latter...I didn't read as much as I would have liked, but that's that. A few of the books I read this year include Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis (second time reading this but soooo good), Cross and Crescent by Colin Chapman, Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist. I also partially read a handful of books, which include When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett, Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst, Looking for Lovely by Annie F. Downs, I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't) by Brene Brown, etc. Maybe my goal for my 29th year should be to finish all of those books before starting new ones...we shall see.
Athens, Greece
Novi Sad, Serbia
Travel to another European country. I was actually able to travel to a number of European countries in this last year. Some were just driven through, but I did actually set foot in each one...and added the passport stamps to my passport! I traveled to Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Macedonia, and Bulgaria. Hoping to add at least two more this coming year...
the Soil & the Sun
Rooftop access at the secret show
Go to at least one concert. While I was in the States over the summer/fall, I was able to attend a secret show of the band the Soil & the Sun. A few members of this band attended Olivet and I've followed them a bit since graduating. The show was in this old warehouse with rooftop access and it was incredible. It didn't hurt that I was able to attend with two of my favorite pals!
Chocolate chip banana bread
Cook 10 new recipes. Although the banana bread is out of focus in the photo, I did make it and it was delicious. Checking this item off of my list was a bit of a stretch, but the main goal was to cook more, which I did...kind of. I think I just need to accept that cooking isn't for me. Can we all agree on that? Great. Thanks.
Blog planning while home in summer 2016
Blog at least once a month. I allllmost completed this one. I still need to work on being more consistent with the blog, which is why I'm copying this goal onto the 29 Before 30 list ;)
Serbia - March 2016
Get out of your comfort zone. Following the call to serve the refugees in Croatia and Serbia in March 2016 was waaaaay outside of my comfort zone. It's funny because it totally was out of my comfort zone at the time, but looking back it doesn't feel like it was that outside of my comfort zone. I'm not sure if that makes sense to anyone but me, but that's that. Insert a visual with "the magic happens outside of your comfort zone" here.
It Takes Courage - June 2016
My three weirdos
Invest in at least one Romanian teen. Checking this one off of my list makes me smile...partially because I feel like I was able to exceed my goal and partially because I just love the teens that I was able to invest in. Co-leading It Takes Courage and ITC 2.0, helping lead the volunteers at the Veritas Kids' Club, English camp and other opportunities have allowed me to invest in multiple Romanian teens...and I love it! I hope (and know) that this will continue into the 29th year!
Celebrating Kids' Club birthdays - February 2017
Photos given to the kids before I left for the States in July 2016
Invest in at least one Romanian child. Don't even get me started on this one. I think I've made it fairly obvious how much I absolutely love my sweet Romanian kiddos. They bring so much joy to my life, and the more Romanian I learn, the more I can really communicate and understand them and it's just so lovely. Run-on sentence, but I'll sacrifice grammar for the sake of expressing my love for them :) There is one kiddo that I've been able to really build a relationship with and I just love every minute we get to spend together. God has already taught me so much through my investment in him, which I really should state as God's investment in him through me. Again, I hope (and know) that this will continue into the 29th year, and for that I am forever thankful.
Ice skating in December 2016
Conquer a fear. Boy, oh boy, did I conquer a fear! I know it seems silly, but ice skating has always been a huge fear of mine. I'm so afraid that I'll fall and someone will skate over my hand, slicing my fingers off. Crazy and seemingly irrational, but also totally NOT irrational at the same time. Anyways, I did it. I ice skated. And I did not fall once. I was majorly encouraged by my ITC teens. I couldn't have (and wouldn't have) done it without them.
Once a pretzel, always a pretzel.
Attend my 10 year high school reunion. I still can't believe that I'm old enough to have a 10 year high school reunion. Nor can I believe the fact that I attended my 10 year reunion. High school was definitely not an enjoyable time for me and therefore, I had no plans to attend my reunion. And seeing that I live kiiinda far away from home, I didn't think I'd even be in town (or in the country) for it. But I was...and it was alright. I went with two of my besties so being with them for the night was the best part. I was able to catch up with one classmate which was nice, and then made small talk with a handful of others. It wasn't as bad as I thought...but it also wasn't that exciting.
My only proof of a photo book. Bottom left.
Make a photo book. I loooove photo books. I have a lot of plans for photo books, but not a lot of money to actually make them. The only photo book that I made this year ended up being filled with photos from my time in Croatia and Serbia in March 2016. It's one of my favorite things and sadly I ended up leaving it back home in the States.
Bonus photos of a much younger me
Well, that's that! My 28th year in a blog post. It was a year full of unexpected adventures and opportunities. It was a year full of love, hope, courage, empathy, and so much more. I can only hope that my 29th year continues to be full of all of these things and maybe a few surprises along the way. Wait...who am I?! Anyways, here's to 29!
Sitting here...with this blog post open...not knowing exactly what to write. How do I share such a life-changing, eye-opening, earth-shattering experience in a blog post? I think the answer that I need to accept is "I cannot". I'll write some thoughts now...and some thoughts later...and probably some thoughts in another year. That's what I can do.
My oh-so-patient Arabic teacher, and friend.
On Monday evenings, a bunch of ex-pats gather for what we call Monday Night Supper (MNS). I know I've blogged about this event before so I won't explain much further. This past Monday was my first full day back and my first MNS since we returned to Romania on Sunday evening. I was nervous about going and having to answer the overwhelming question of "so...how was it?" I shouldn't have been so nervous because this is a group of people who truly care and understand this type of work. I actually ended up being nervous because I knew I was being listened to so intently. It was silent around the table as I shared parts of my experience. I am thankful to have had MNS as my first experience of answering that overwhelming question.
These boys sat and talked about these drawings for at least a half hour.
This artwork hangs in the tent where we served tea and soup all day.
So how did I answer that overwhelming question...? Good question. I wish I had recorded myself because I answered it pretty well...and now I can't remember what I said. Typical. I know I used all of the cliche words like life-changing, eye-opening, challenging, amazing, frustrating, lovely, etc. Cliche or not, these are the words that I had/have at the moment.
As many of you know, I was sick with various ailments (bronchitis, pink eye, flu, cold, etc.) during our time in Croatia and Serbia. There were a lot of days when I went to the camp, came home, napped, ate supper, went to bed, woke up...repeat, which didn't allow me to process everything that I was experiencing. I was aware of this as I returned to Romania, but that hasn't made it any easier. I've already had some difficult moments since returning.
I think about the refugees, who I now call my friends, all day long. I miss them so much, so deeply, so unlike anything I've ever experienced before. These beautiful people gave me so much and taught me more about life, God, serving others, myself...than I ever expected.
Teaching the cup rhythm thing to two boys from "my family"
There are so many moments...faces...stories...conversations. I want to process them and share them you, but it's going to take time. I appreciate your patience. Please feel free to ask questions or email me or whatever. I want to talk about it. I love talking about it even though it's hard. Just know that I met some of the most beautiful, kind, resilient, courageous people. I served in the simplest ways at times, whether serving tea or sweeping crumbs off of the floor, but it was in those moments that I learned a lot.
Leading a train of kids around the camp on one of our first nice, spring days
I'm thankful to have found articles and quotes from others who have been able to put their thoughts and feelings into words. I hope their words will help you to get a better idea of how I feel since I don't have my own words just yet.
First and foremost, please watch THE VIDEO below. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries released it about a week ago. All of the images are from the two camps I worked at in Croatia and Serbia. It is so incredibly well done.
One of the two men who worked on that video also wrote a five-part photo essay, which is incredible. Again, all of the images and stories come from the two camps I worked at in Croatia and Serbia. Read each part here: PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5. As I posted these articles on Facebook, I shared some of the quotes that really moved me. Here is one more that I think is worth highlighting...
"I'm watching a group of people who, five years ago, lived much the same as we do in the west. A group of people who, five years ago, had careers, homes, bank accounts, hobbies, and plans for the weekend. A group of people with dreams for their future, and desires for their children's.
I think it's easy to separate ourselves from what's happening out here.
'They' are them and 'we' are us, and it's none of our business to redefine associations. But in all reality, we are human. We all have the same fears, and we all have the same insecurities, and we all have the same ability to feel anxious and feel pride, and elation, and bitterness, and inspiration, and loneliness, and we all get excited, and we all have beating hearts that require blood to move throughout our bodies. There's not a difference here.
"Hope is hope when it seems impossible, when it takes a bit of faith to believe it's possible...
I'm beginning to think that, like hope, all virtues are true virtues only when they are really difficult. Hospitality is only truly hospitality when it's inconvenient. Courage is only courage when there is real fear involved. And love is truly love when it's hard...
And yet, from refugee to worker, and worker to refugee, there is love present. A hard love, a jagged love, one that shows its wear. It's why the embraces are so powerful and the tears so heavy. The chests heave with emotion, and the arms hold tighter than you would expect from a stranger.
Hospitality. Courage. Love.
They've been hard fought for here. And I'm understanding them better because of it."
