Monday, September 6, 2010

For Kathleen

My roommate has informed me that she has been stalking my Edge Corps blog and that I have time and time again disappointed her through my failure to post consistently. I reassured her, and I reassure you as well, that I will be more diligent in posting.

So much has happened in the last few weeks! Two weeks have past since classes at the University of Missouri have kicked off, and it has been a pleasure serving the Navigators on Mizzou's campus as well as helping out with CMU's group. It has been a busy, busy time, and through the business, it has been so important for me to recognize that my time with God cannot be compromised. I seek Him first in the mornings, and despite the hectic schedule, I have been in such a rich time of learning and growing through personal Bible study.

The photo above is of Korryn (left), Ashley (right), and I at a friend's bonfire. Women from different ministries (including Navs) gathered together to worship, pray, and share with each other how God has been working in our hearts and lives. It was so encouraging to hear different women share difficult things in their lives, or struggles that they were completely and totally giving over to the Lord. Then, under a clear sky glittering from shining stars, we were able to lift our voices in worship and give the Creator of the Universe the praise that He deserves. It was such a beautiful thing.

Also a beautiful thing, it has been a delight to see new faces at our Navigator meetings! It's so much fun to me to be able to meet with young women one-on-one (for coffee of course!) and get to know them better. One particular young lady surprised me by sharing that she loves heavy metal screaming music...which goes to show that you definitely can't judge a book by its cover. I never would have guessed that in a million years! I have also had so much fun getting to know some of the foreign exchange students. I had a huge moment of ignorance when I asked one of the new students named Daniel if he knew how to speak Cantonese or Mandarin. He looked at me gravely and said that he was from South Korea.

I FELT SO BAD!!!

I am thoroughly convinced though, that not even Asians can tell other Asians apart. This conclusion was solidified last week, when I was shopping at the Filipino market in town called Meechus. The owner asked me what nationality I was. When I told him I was half Filipino, he acted very surprised. Our exchange has prompted me to start picking up Tagalog again, as I still feel like God is going to bring me back to the Philippines- perhaps even with the Navigators. One can never tell.

New faces at Navigators have been delightful, and old faces have been equally delightful. I love the heartbeat of our Navs group (which is smaller than a lot of the Nav college groups in our region). The willingness to serve and love each other is what drew me in, and that willingness is prompted by a hunger for God. These students are truly devoted to the Lord, and I pray that their devotion is contagious to the new students. My heart has definitely been for outreach (among other things), to go to places that may seem unconventional to share the gospel. However, discipleship has been a huge part of my heart as well, and I pray that as God brings in new people, the Navigators remain faithful to disciple, invest, and teach those who are wanting to learn.

And, I think I've failed to mention THE PLEX, which is the duplex where I live with five other women. They all have been affiliated with Navigators at some point in their lives, or are currently in the ministry. The vision of a house full of Christian women began three years ago, and has continued with new additions until now. The fellowship has been fantastic! Every week (usually on Sundays), we eat dinner together and then a different Plexian will lead our meetings as we get to know each other more intimately, and share what God has been teaching us. I am so thankful to know these lovely ladies.

This post may seem disjointed, and I'm going to continue along those lines and say that a few of my favorite moments from the last few weeks have been playing ULTIMATE frisbee with the Navigators after our Nav nights on Thursdays. We're kind of a motley crew on Stankowski field, as some of us have never really touched a frisbee (and I was barefoot and in jeans). However, the laughs outweigh the number of throws that fail to make it to a partner, and it is a blast watching friends that I worship and serve with running around feigning competitiveness.

Also, I am finding out more and more that Korryn (who discipled me) is a BEAST at sports. Like, DANNNNGGGGGGG, she's so good!

Until I blog again, friend, I will continue to spend my time teaching foreign exchange students useless slang.

Magandang araw po (good day, sir/madam), and I hope Kathleen is now happy. :)

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