Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Sermon--God has looked favorably on God's people

Dear one, I say to you, rise.  In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

I find it quite ironic that I’m preaching at Spanish Eucharist, because last summer I worked at a mostly Spanish speaking hospital in San Antonio for CPE, and my knowledge of the Spanish language was (and currently still is) COMICALLY horrible. 

There was a huge tension for me, between my desire to really reach out and love and build relationships with the patients on my floor…… and the fact that I felt like I couldn’t carry a conversation with many of them. 

Many times, I would have to find a translator.  And we’d go back and forth, and I’d learn about their lives, but through the words, lips, and accent of someone else.  

Every time I was faced with a person on my floor who I knew spoke Spanish, there was a temptation to refer that patient to another chaplain who spoke Spanish.  While this happened a few times, it was a practice I tried to keep at a minimum, even though the idea of walking into the hospital room felt horrifying.

As someone who finds conversation to be one of the most exciting parts of human existence, this was all very difficult for me.  I wanted to be able to speak to the people—to speak words of comfort, hope, and LIFE…   

But my broken Spanish felt so very dead.

Today’s gospel reading is deeply conversational, and thus deeply relational.  There are so many characters, ad so much conversation.  The crowd is surrounding the disciples and Jesus (who are a small crowd of their own!) and then a family passes by, in what seems to be some sort of a funeral procession.

Jesus sees pain, and he speaks to the reality of it by saying to the mother, “do not weep.”  Jesus enters into her pain, and speaks comfort.

But speaking comfort isn’t all – Jesus speaks life into the mother’s son.  The young man wakes up, and how does he respond?  He speaks.  Jesus offers the son to his mother.
 
And what happens then?  The people glorify God, speaking of how Jesus is a prophet and has risen among them.  All throughout the gospel, people are speaking.
 
So, I wonder—what happens if Jesus doesn’t speak?  What if Jesus stays silent?  I’ve heard many people quote Desmond Tutu when he says that “"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”  I’ve heard other manifestations of this quote, and but I can always hear, over and over again, the critiques of the Church that we still obviously need to hear.
 
And I think we need to hear that.  I think we need to see today that if Jesus stays silent, it is at the cost of the son’s life, and the mother’s heart.  And so I ask myself, who pays the price for my silence?  What would have happened if I had not struggled through broken Spanish to try to pray for the people I cared about?
 
Sisters and brothers, we are called to speak at the very times that it may be most comfortable to stay silent.  We are called to say things that are uncomfortable.  We you’re called to try to speak even when it seems impossible.
 
We’re called to speak when we don’t even feel like we know the language, because we believe that there is something bigger than us—the God who became Incarnate—who is speaking life through the words we manage to choke out.

Still, as much as I feel called to speak, the real struggle for me is to listen.   Speaking life and listening to God go hand in hand.  We discern what it is that God is calling us to, what it is that God wishes for us to speak, by dwelling in the silences such that we can hear the voice of God.

Yes, all the people in the text seem to be speaking.  But, these people are also listening.

The soul of the son hears the Spirit of God speaking life, and his listening gives way to life.

Listen to the voice of God such that when God is offering you the compassion, grace, and love that you need—you hear it.  And you embrace it.  And you realize the abundant life that you’ve been given by God.

Because, as the gospel proclaims today, “God has looked favorably on his people.”  Hear that—believe that—and proclaim that.
 
Amen.

Reflection on seminary so far, as we welcome new students...

Recently my dear friend Tarah Van De Wiele started a blog, because she's graduated from Seminary of the Southwest and is getting her PhD in Ye Olde England.  She inspired me to try to keep up with my blog this year, so I'm going to try to make weekly writings a spiritual discipline.  Maybe if I link it to my faith I'll stick to it, since my faith means far more to me than the fleeting thoughts that begin with the phrase, "It would be pretty cool if I..."

Right now, the SSW campus is buzzing with new student energy, the general sigh of relief as rising middlers finish their CPE experience, and the seniors like me who are, in a sense, being carried around by the centripetal force of realizing we have one more year before graduation.  It's because of where I sit in this community (as one of the floating via hope of graduation seniors), that I want to make a little blog entry for the people in the junior classes and the middler classes.  I don't have much wisdom, but I do have a few thoughts I've gathered up and tucked away for a few years.

Your first year is disorienting.  I think one of the first things SSW (and I'd imagine any seminary, really) teaches you is to let go.  Seminary begs students to be driven by the shape of the community worship, life, discipline, and education.  Unfortunately, it can leave a new student feeling out of place.  That's why my first suggestion is to let go.  Make yourself to be a sponge, because there is so much around you that is worth the soaking up.  You may not realize it all at once.  Seminary didn't work like that for me.  I kept waiting on "ah-ha" moments, and felt like they didn't happen often enough.  Then, of course, I would be flooded with them and sent running to a therapist.  I didn't know how to live within this sort of community, so I did what I know how to do.  I woke up, I showered, I got dressed, I fixed a cup of coffee, and I went where my schedule said I needed to be.  Remember that there's nothing wrong with letting that be the shape of your life while you adjust.

Your first year can be lonely.  I know this seems like something that specifically applies to me, which it does, but I think it could apply to other students as well.  Naturally, I deal with loneliness as a single young woman in seminary who happens to be an extrovert.  Still, after much reflection on my junior year, I realized where much of my loneliness came from.  My junior year, I didn't have a home church.  The spiritual home I had was the seminary chapel, and while it was a beautiful place to go, it was deep within the heart of my daily struggles, and it didn't feel like it offered a place to get away from the very stresses that I faced in daily campus life.  Unfortunately, I think this is part of seminary formation, so I offer you no quick fixes.  I simply add this as something I realized it.  Though it can seem unsettling, I think this is really important, simply because we will never function within parish life the same way again.  However you existed within your church back home, that is not a role you will fill any more.  You're here, and you're going to be changed, and this is part of it.

Your second year offers hope within that loneliness through field ed.  Your second year, you're able to attend the same church every Sunday, and I've been able to call my field ed community my home.  While I don't exist in the parish like a lot of lay people, and while I have a new heightened sense of keeping boundaries, etc, I still find that my field ed is a place of worship that I'm blessed to visit multiple times a week.  It is different from my participation within SSW chapel, and it's a nice change from my everyday experiences with the same members of SSW.  I have a whole new world of people to show compassion to, and to learn from.

Your community is available to you.  This is, without question, the best news I have to offer.  One of the hugest reminders to me of God's grace, faithfulness, and compassion has been the seminary community.  It's odd how I will realize some place in my life that I need help with, just to find out that someone close to me has a gift that would be perfect for carrying me through a tough time.  It's refreshing how many times I've been able to say "I need a friend" and have multiple responses that not only say "I'm your friend," but that also say "Here, let me take you by the hand and together let's find that joy that you've misplaced."  This is built through classes, our worshipping together, our huddling around the coffee pot to get a warm up, drinks and nachos, community hour every Monday, outings to Zilker Park, trips to visit churches together, etc.  Every day is an opportunity to build the sort of relationship that will carry you to the altar for the bread and the wine when you don't have the strength to walk on your own.

You can do CPE.  I say this, because junior year when I realized that I had to start filling out CPE paperwork, I kept wondering if maybe God was calling me to get an MAR and never step foot in a hospital.  I literally thought that I would fail CPE, and not be ordained.  Yes, I have an anxiety disorder, so you probably don't have such elaborate fears, but still, that fear is real.  I say this as someone who loved their CPE experience, even with all its tragedies and challenges, but who began that journey thinking God was crazy to let me help anyone in such a circumstance.  You can do it.  I've watched all my classmates leave CPE with stories of God's love and compassion to both them and their patients, and I just heard all the stories of the rising middler class showing God's love in equally unique and beautiful ways.  You've got this.

There are certainly more things you should know.  I doubt I've told you anything new.  Still, take it as a healthy reminder from someone who struggles with their call to the priesthood on LITERALLY a daily basis.  Deep breaths and a good night's sleep are your best friend.  Speak when you need others.  Listen closely.  You're loved.

Sermon--Love is Our Salvation (Romans 10:5-15)

Love is Our Salvation (Romans 10:5-15)           

I think that we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord when we say I love you.  If God is the author of love, then when we love we show God’s grace to the world.  At first glance, this turn toward love can seem easy.  Too easy.  After all, Paul calls us to ask ourselves, “what is salvation?  What is our confession?” both of which are two of the most challenging questions of our faith.             

I fear that I may lose something of Paul if I don’t spend this time wrestling with his words.  If we boil Paul’s message down to love, do we miss the point?  I don’t think so.  Paul is wrestling with righteousness, and how we can engage with God in this world.  Paul wants to know how we can become righteous.  Paul wants to know how we can feel God’s salvation in our lives.  Paul calls us to cling to the grace of God, which is a grace that we receive, because of God’s act of love.  We would not feel and see grace in our lives if we didn’t have the ineffable love of God being poured out to us.             

I’ve heard it said before that sometimes when we preach about love, we water down our very challenging gospel.  I don’t ever want to strip the gospel –and someone as passionate about the gospel as Paul – of zeal, urgency, and passion.  But proclaiming love doesn’t do that.  Those who think love is easy have love confused with something made with human hands.  There is nothing more urgent than love, and I think Paul would agree.              

What is it that we learn from the lawyer in Luke’s gospel? The lawyer says, ‘Teacher – what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus says, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ to which the man answers ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And then Jesus said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’             

Love is how we inherit eternal life.  Love is how we have life.  Love is how we experience salvation.  We are bound to God by the love that God has shown us.  We are called to look to the God of love and offer God our loving worship and thanksgiving.  As I said before, one of the questions we’re called to today is “what is salvation?”  Salvation is when we love others so urgently and passionately that we forget about ourselves long enough to think about God.              

It is when we love so hard that we forget about ourselves, because we are too busy doing the work of the loving God that we believe is always saving the world.  It is salvation, because that humility that we’ve been given by God saves us from ourselves.  God saves us from ourselves by calling us to confess love.             

This text also calls us to wonder what our confession is, what it means to confess that we believe in God, and to wonder what it looks like to see a church that boldly proclaims that “the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.”              

This summer as I studied in Canterbury, I had the privilege of worshiping with members of the Anglican Communion from every continent but Antarctica.  Every day we joined in various chapels at Canterbury Cathedral to pray early morning Matins, take Eucharist together, and end the day with Evensong.  In every service, we would reach the part of the liturgy for the Lord’s Prayer, and the officiant would say “And now we pray as Christ has taught us, each in our own language…” and everything would change just a little bit.              

I would begin to pray, noticing my language as distinctly different from the others.  My southern American accent mixed with Rebecca’s, the New Yorker beside me … all the way across the room I could hear Peter praying in Dinka … Kenneth was praying in Cantonese … Jean Jacques was praying in French … and even though she spoke English, I could hear the Austrailian accent coming from Joanne. I didn’t know some of the words that people were saying, and I don’t even know how to make some of those sounds with my lips and tongue, but strangely – I knew, in a very ethereal way, what they were saying … And I knew that this prayer is something we will always have in common.              

People joining their voices together, each in their own language, to say “your Kingdom come, your will be done” – now that is a confession.  That is the voice that is put behind the words that are near us, the words that are on our lips and in our hearts.  There is no better sound than the amalgam of worshiping languages to affirm that there is neither Jew nor Greek, because we are unified under the one God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.                

And this – this affirmation, this confession, this joining … This is love.  It is love because it is the product of centuries of Christians meeting together, praying together, and struggling together.  It is love because it has been difficult to stay together, as one Body… and it is love because it has survived those difficulties.              

Paul says there is neither Jew nor Greek… This was centuries ago… where are we now?  Are we defining ourselves by our differences, or by our similarities?  Are we letting our differences divide us, or are we letting our common prayers unite us?  Because Paul was calling the church in Rome to confess that God is a loving, unifying power, and that grace and salvation had become attainable to creation through Christ.  Does our church profess, in word and in deed, a belief that God can reach, and love, and restore anyone… Or are we still trying to figure out who is Jew, and who is Greek?             

It seems that we struggle to try to be one, not knowing that we are already one, and that which we perceive to be divisions can never divide that which God has united.  God has united us all – nation to nation, Jew to Greek, friend to enemy – and nothing we do can break that, because the unifying has already been done.  The act of love on the cross is what has made us one, and our judgments cannot obstruct God’s love. 

Amen.

Farewell, Canterbury.

What better time for me to write a blog, than at 12:52, at a Costa Coffee that is open 24 hours a day, at the London-St. Pancras International station?  I can't think of one.

My train boards at 4:30, but you have to show up early if you have any intention of getting here via train from the place I'm staying.  It's a long story, but the end result is that if you want to spend under about $75 to get here, you show up early and blog.. at Costa.. right now.

This blog should catch you up.  Now, the Canterbury experience is over, and I'm headed to Paris to see one of my absolute best friends.  The last time I blogged, it was the eve of my journey to Lambeth and my meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury (which will be, from now on, referred to as "the Hinterland," thankyouverymuch).

Lambeth is beautiful.  What a magical place!  I feel like every room that I enter in England has a history.  Now, truly every room has a story, and as such, a history.. But it seems that every room here has a story that began with the journaling of a patristic father, or something.  Anyway, back to Lambeth, we ate lunch in the garden while Rowan Williams made bishops.  We could literally hear the reception after the bishops were consecrated, while we sat outside, waiting.

We met together, in a circle, and Canon Ed (I'm just going to call him Ed because he said "call me Ed") told Rowan what we were studying -- ordination vows -- and we each said where we were from.  Ed asked Rowan to tell us what he thought we may need to hear, as aspiring priests or people already ordained, and there he went.

You'd think he was reading from a book he'd already written.  It was brilliant.  He spoke eloquently, passionately, and honestly.  I don't know that I've ever met someone so genuine, and with such a genuine humility.  When he spoke about what it means to be a priest, he didn't talk about the various religious mouse traps that some people would expect you to set (i.e. the ploys to get more people in seats), or any of the peaching how-to's that are so common, or anything like that.

Rowan Williams spoke to us about holiness.

He said that priests are called to be watchers in towers.  Looking out to the horizon, then speaking to the congregation and telling them what they've seen.  I've really never heard such a poetic, and seemingly "correct" definition of the priesthood.

After speaking, we were able to ask questions, and you would have thought every answer began with "well, let me get my book here, yes here's the page, it's like I said in this chapter...." followed by a quote from something he'd already written.  His dealing with the entire situation makes me want to read every book he's ever written, because I think he believes every word he writes, which is something that I cherish, but I cherish it knowing how rare it can be.

After Lambeth, he and I spoke, and naturally I made silly comments, and he laughed.  I told him we read his books, and the man literally blushed.  I would kill to have the humility he has.  But I was too busy taking pictures with him, being the vain person I am.  Holiness is something we are transformed into, right?  Baby steps.. ;)  Kidding.

Lambeth was fantastic, but it was only one part of the two week journey.  I wish I could tell you, with words, what it was like, but it will just never cut it.  And that's coming from a lover of words.  Really though, tell me, how could you sum up an experience that involved cultures from almost every continent?  (I don't think anyone from Antarctica applied this year.)

If you could find the words, you'd have them constrained by one language.  And if you translated them into all the different languages, you'd miss the expressions of love, joy, sadness, pain, and compassion that are only perfectly said in the moment that they were said first.

It seems terribly vague, but I hope that tells you - in metaphor, really - what the experience was like.  I will always think of Canterbury as some part of what I mean when I say "home."  Not only in the sense that I'm pretty sure I'll never pay for a hotel there, but also in the sense that this is a place that my faith calls home.

One night we walked through the boarding school to get to St. Augustine's abbey, and it was one of the many moments that took my breath away.  The ruins were filled with the life that was once divided by walls.  In each nook and cranny of the broad space, there were altars.  Altar after altar.  When I wasn't praying at an altar, I was walking over Anglo-Saxon graves, pronouncing names on headstones, and admiring the persistent weeds that grew from rocks.

Finally, I found the crypt that is for the second, third, and fourth Archbishops.  I looked, read every name, but I was so surprised that I could not find the grave stone for Augustine, in his own abbey.

I was standing on it.

If you're wondering what this experience is like, it's so many things.  It's the very things I stand on, as well as the things I feel like I have to travel across the world to see.  It's wrapped into the sayings I've learned in various languages, and it's kept within the pages of a journal that I covered with words from first to last page in less than a month (that's an Erin Jean Warde record, mind you).

This experience is wrapped in the potential I have to keep living into my ordination vows, knowing that there are very special people I know - across the world - who will be struggling to live into the very same vows.  The experience will be wrapped in the histories of the saints who struggled with their ordination vows, reminding me (more often than I care to count) that even people who screw up are called to be saints.  This experience will be wrapped in what I mean when I say the "Our Father" and the faces I say when I think of the saints.

I love experiences like these, because they remind me of how wonderful it is to be alive, for me.  These experiences remind me how much I love myself.  Mostly, they remind me of the Author of Love and Life.

Now, I'm done with studies at Canterbury, and it's hard to believe.  Let's see, I arrived on May 15, knowing that my trip to Paris was "near to the end of my entire journey," and here I am waiting on my train to Paris.  I guess I'm nearing the end.  What is it, 11 days now? 

None of this would be honest if I didn't say that I miss home.  It's very difficult for me to have fantastic experiences without the people I've loved for so long, with me.  Every day something happens, and I want there to be more people I love around, so that they can share in it with me.  The good thing is that there is very little that I did alone, so there are always people I can "remember when" with, and the experiences that I had alone will simply be mine and God's.  And that's okay.

In eleven days time, I'll be ready to be going home.  I know it.  The only thing preventing me from being ready right now is my desire to see Joseph.  I'm calling this trip "Postulants in Paris."

I miss my friends, I miss Mexican food, I miss Easter Kitty, I miss my bed, I miss being away from people who already know basic things about me, I miss my family (biological/church/seminary family), I miss my Alabama loves.

And as soon as I get to Texas I will miss everyone I've met here.  That's just how it goes.

And it is always worth it.

Writing from Canterbury...

Greetings, from Canterbury! I have been far less diligent in my writings than I had planned to be.  Read: I’ve been in the UK for 16 days so far, and this is my second blog.  You would think that during a partial vacation there would be time for things like this, but I’ve been captivated with everything around me and spend most of my time wandering around towns/cities, getting to know my hosts, taking long naps, and going to bed early.

The first stop was London, where I spent almost two days trying to get over jet lag at Maralee Vezie’s home (she is a friend of my pastoral care professor – she and her family are quite kind!).  Jet lag was quite a beast!  Tired to the point of nausea, yet desperately needing to keep up a good eating schedule.  It was pretty awful.  Unfortunately, due to my jet lag, I didn’t do much in London, but that was fine.  I am spending my last week here staying only in London, and I’m actually even going to London tomorrow.  This is a repeat if you read the previous blog.  :)

After London, I went straight to Edinburgh, Scotland, and I stayed with the Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Koepping.  She answered an email sent to the diocese of Edinburgh about a young, poor, American wanting to visit Edinburgh before studying at Canterbury, and she ended up with me on her doorstep.  In the four days there, I saw tons of things: Edinburgh Castle, Scotch Whisky Experience, Arthur’s Seat, Scottish Parliament Building, West Parliament, St. Gile’s Cathedral, Royal Mile, Palace of Holyrood House, National Gallery of Scotland, and Greyfriar’s Kirk.  I also feel like I know the town well.  Even better than that, I learned a lot from talking to Elizabeth and I now count her as a friend.  She cooked me meals, including authentic Malay food because she used to live in Malaysia.  Her goddaughter Olga was visiting when I was, so I am also thankful to say that Olga is a new friend of mine.

After Edinburgh, I took the train to Berwick-Upon-Tweed where I met Alan and Suzy Gregory (For those of you who do not know Alan, he is my Church History professor at Seminary of the Southwest.  He is actually from England, and because he is on sabbatical, he was staying at his house in England they were able to host me!).  We walked the wall of Berwick and talked about its history, then went to Sea Houses, which is the village of Northumberland that Alan and Suzy live in.  In Northumberland, I was able to make short trips to Bamburgh, Alnwick, and Lindisfarne.  This trip included me seeing and touching many places and castles that are monuments of the history of the church I call my own.  It was beautiful, chilling, and a profound blessing.  I thank God for this experience!

I left Northumberland and traveled to Mirfield, which is a small town in Yorkshire, and I stayed at a small monastery in their retreat house to have a 24 hour retreat.  It was astonishingly beautiful, and I thank God for a time and place to be contemplative and to pray.  It was here, at Mirfield, that I realized that in the stillness and in the silence of the voice of God, I was still sad that I’m without some of my friends.  I was still nervous about Canterbury.  I was still unsure of whether I deserved this trip, and these blessings.  I’m thankful that I had a retreat so I could listen to the inner thoughts that I could have so easily suppressed in a big city with plenty of tourist attractions.  Since then, I’ve reminded myself of the fact that a lot of that was painful, but that the end result was a renewed spirit, and a spirit of honesty and truth.

Now, I’m safely at Canterbury.  The program is going well, and I can hardly believe it is only day 2!  I already feel like we are growing closer.  This means we are having to learn how to communicate with each other, regardless of language barriers.  I’m reminded by God to listen before I speak.  This should be always on my mind, when I speak to anyone, but unfortunately I think I often let the hustle and bustle of daily life drive out these basic realities of how to love other people in the very simple ways.  It is a blessing to be reminded of that basic way to love, by looking into the faces of the people from all of the different continents, and letting their voices slow down my own.

There are 34 of us studying here, and we pray Matins, have Eucharist, then study together, have free time, and then have Evensong every day.  In amongst all of that we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together.  Last night we feasted at the Dean’s house, which is the house that every Dean has lived in in the history of Canterbury (he is the 39th dean). 

Tomorrow I’ll be going to London to visit the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, at Lambeth Palace.  We will also look at a presentation on the KJV Bible, and eat lunch there also.  We’ll return to Canterbury for dinner, then rest. 

I can’t express to you how exciting this is! It is with extreme thankfulness that I speak about this trip.  The sort of thankfulness that I’m afraid can’t be heard through written words on a blog.  I’m overwhelmed by the presence of God, but let me say more.  When I say I’m overwhelmed by the presence of God, I mean that in the ways that are expected – air, castles, trees, history, etc – of course. 

But, what I also mean when I say that I’m overwhelmed by the presence of God, is that I’m overwhelmed with the blessings of prayer that I feel here, from those who love and care for me.  I’m overwhelmed that anyone should believe that I should be here.  I’m overwhelmed by how much I wish the people I already know and love were here to walk with me.  I’m overwhelmed to be sent by God into a country I’ve never seen before, knowing that one of my most enlightening experiences will be when “strangers become friends.”

Love and blessings to all of you reading.

Safely in London!

I am thrilled to blog from London, because it means I got here safely.  Flight from Austin to Houston was no big deal (only 30 minutes really) and I don’t even remember take off because I was already asleep by the time that happened.  Not that I was tired or anything, after only 3 hours of sleep.  On a good note, the Houston airport that I went to did not smell bad like the last time I had to go to a Houston airport, with Mal.  Are there 2 airports in Houston?

Anyway, Montreal was fun, though even to simply get a connection flight I had to go through customs.  That said, customs was super easy.  Took 2 minutes, tops.  London’s line for customs was a LITTLE bit longer, and by that I mean it took an hour rather than 2 minutes.  Blurg alert.  Still, could have been worse.  Once I was finally in London, I had to get to the house I am staying at.  SSW folk: she is one of Kathleen Russell’s best friends.  She’s delightful.  The trip from airport to her house involved riding the main line on the tube, switching to a different line on the tube, then getting on the train.  All of this with luggage.  The entire experience was interesting, and I didn’t get lost, which made me love myself a little bit more. 

Once safely at the house, I took a bath, a short nap, and then went out for a walk.  There is a little shopping area right up the road, and I stopped at the first place that said “café” and had a macchiato.  Delicious.  I also got a salad, because the plane gave us a breakfast muffin, but that brings my grand total of food consumption for today to: a muffin and a salad.  Looking forward to some protein tonight, but the jet lag is making me nauseous.

Speaking of food, this is funny.  The flight from Houston to Montreal announced that there would be no snacks on board, and that only drinks could be served.  After serving all the drinks, he came to me and gave me a snack mix saying, “for being nice.”  Note: all I said to him was “thank you!”

Thoughts from this travel experience

 

  • Drinking water when flying is good, because airplanes could also rightfully be termed “dehydrators.”  Needing to pee, but not wanting to disturb the passenger that is blocking you because you have a window seat?  Not good.  When I realized I had to pee: 1:50.  Time of peeing: 3:00.  World record for me.  Also, in the course of the entire trip (Austin to Houston, Houston to Montreal, Montreal to London) I only went to the restroom on a place twice.  TWICE.  I hope this means I’m building a strong bladder that can handle a country where there aren’t public restrooms.  (You read that right – I thought Urinetown was a joke, and I think it is real.)
  • Hey, you know how in the US if you have tons of luggage it is not a big deal because you can just get on the escalators?  Escalators are not common here.  What you pack, you lift up multiple flights of stairs.  Thankfully, I only packed 40 pounds in my checked bag, and I put an empty backpack in the checked bag so that once I got here, I could redistribute weight and be prepared for that.  Still, with all that prep and multiple clothing purges, I wish I had brought less.
  • Epic battle happened during the flights.  Air in the plane vs. my nose.  Air in the plane wins.  My nose feels like someone filled it with cement, and I somehow got a slight cough that was not in my life prior to the flights.
  • I also heard “mind the gap” about 15 times, which made me think of Kathleen Russell’s mug. 

 

Okay, that’s all I’ve got for now.  I think my night will be composed of eating dinner and then going to bed as soon as possible.  Jet lag is a beast. 

Sending all my love to my friends.

 

 

Canterbury Fundraising Status--Please read & RT!

I'm in the last stages of fundraising for my trip, which is an extreme blessing to me!  I truly cannot comprehend how much of a blessing your contributions and prayers have meant to me!

As much as I wish I could say I am done raising money, I'm not!  I still need to raise about $500 to have my basic needs over seas met.  If I raise more than that in the next few weeks, it will give me emergency money to have available in case of.. well, emergencies!  I also am sure that there are a few costs I have not thought of, so if fundraising goes over $500, it can cover those costs.  ;)

Other than emergencies, this amount I'm still raising includes making sure I have enough money for food, money for travel within England, etc.  I also still need to get things like an international student I.D., so I can get discounts on everything possible while I am traveling (so as to make the trip as cost efficient as possible).

As usual, while most of what I talk about is fundraising, prayer is very important to me.  Please pray for my spiritual preparation for this trip, financial backing for this trip, and traveling mercies.

I appreciate every bit of support I get!  Love you all.

If you'd like to donate, please use this button, or contact me for my address:

 

CANTERBURY FUNDRAISING UPDATE.

UPDATE: My flight has been purchased, which is an EXTREME blessing.  I can't thank all of you enough for your compassionate giving!  It came in just under $900, round trip.  NOW, I have to raise much more money to cover the following:

  • Trains around England (Potentially a EuroRail pass, depending on which would be cheaper)
  • One roundtrip ticket to France
  • Food costs (Which are almost exactly as much as the plane ticket!  Yikes!)
  • A small amount of money for entertainment (I will mostly be doing things that are free)
  • An international student card, which will give me student discounts internationally
  • Emergency expenses

Please consider giving me a few bucks to help out with some of these costs!  Even $10 ensures a meal :)

Thanks for reading, you are all a blessing to me!

Erin

thoughts before candidacy. who do you say that i am?

who do you say that i am?

in Mark's gospel, Jesus asks the disciples -- "who do you say that i am?"  in other words, when you talk about me, what do you say?  do you believe that i am the great I AM?

tomorrow is my candidacy meeting.  we're meeting via skype, which seems "cool," but webcam or not, wearing pajamas or not, this meeting will, no matter the result, change my life.  and no, i won't wear pajamas.

i can't help but ask God--"who do you say i am?  it wasn't until you spoke that i knew who i am called to be, but tomorrow, will you say that that is still my call?  has my call changed, without me knowing?  when you name me among the angels, what do you say?  do you say erin, who is called to be a deacon in your Church?  do you believe that my voice should speak, through a voicebox covered in a collar, to proclaim that you are the great I AM?  do you say that i am fit to set the table for your Church?"

the thing about discernment is that it never ends.  tomorrow will change my life, because, i will be changed by the reality of candidacy, or the reality that i am not a candidate.  tomorrow--so fixed in time--transcends all the time i've known.

Lord, fill me with peace... remind me of who i am, and Your image that i was created in... curl my lips into a smile... fill my heart with joy... Lord, help me to trust... if there are tears, may they be my worship... Lord, who do you say i am?  Lord, if nothing else, say i'm your child...

FREQUENT FLIER MILES--please read!

Friends,

Multiple people have mentioned that it is an option to take donations for flier miles!  If you happen to have, or know anyone who has, flier miles that they are willing to donate toward my flight costs to London, please do let me know!  Every day that passes, prices go up..

Also, just to be honest, I do not use flier miles, so I don't know how I would be able to get any from someone else.. So, I'm asking a friend and getting info on how this actually works.  For now, simply contact me if you have flier miles and would like to donate them toward my flight costs! 

Thank you for your love, support, prayers, and contributions.  I thank God for the people in my life daily!

Blessings to you,

Erin Jean