Whoa.
That's right. One year ago, my time on the other side of the world was rapidly coming to an end. I've been back stateside for over 10 months now. And what of it? What's happened?
Well, I went back to college. I got a job. I lived at home again. I participated as an active member of UCO. WOW, MY LIFE IS SO DIFFERENT THAN BEFORE MY GAP YEAR.
But really, somehow it is.
Recently, I've been feeling stuck. Stuck, if not reverting back to my old self. What does that even mean? I've noticed that my habits and speech have, instead of maturing, slowly slid back to how I now imagine myself as a high school student. Suffice it to say, I hate it. And, that is how my life is so different from before my Gap year. While Gap years are intensive years of formation, whether Christian formation or just growing up in general, I think the real fruit isn't fully visible until a year or even years later.
Before I had left for that year of service, I did not really see or understand how inherently childish my actions were. Now, I am dissatisfied with my actions reverting back to how they had been before.
Before my time away, I never understood homesickness, the longing for familiarity of life. Now, I long for home, understanding that home is not just where you have been born and raised.
Before, I hardly considered the lifelong consequences of seemingly little life decisions. Now, I look ahead, anticipating what kind of differences I can make in my life by choosing for the Lord in my daily life, instead of just doing what I want.
Before my Gap year, I assumed that my life was difficult because it had to be that way. Now, I understand that I make my life more difficult, mostly due to the fact that being an active Christian is much more challenging than giving in to live the easy life this world has to offer.
Kate, really though, what does ANY of that have to do with feeling stuck?
Before my Gap year, I wasn't ok with settling. However, what I didn't realize is that I settled constantly. I never challenged myself, only others and other institutions. Now, I challenge myself as well. I still have yet to figure out an appropriate level of challenge and acceptance, but I think that one is a long time coming. Nonetheless, the challenger in me has recognized the settled spirit I've come accustomed to having been back in Lansing all year.
Simply put, I want change.
Have you ever felt like change is coming? It's almost like a storm. You can start to see the clouds forming. There's a staleness in the air before the storm winds come. The calm before the storm. Except, the difference here is that I'm inviting the storm. I'm inviting the storm to whip around me, challenging me to hang on to my roots, my beliefs, my faith.
Within the next 7 weeks or so, my life will be consumed with activity. I am helping to lead a high school girls' mission trip to Detroit, helping to lead a service team of high school girls at a summer camp, attending 2 weddings, participating as a Maid of Honor in another wedding, preparing to move into a house with some friends for next school year, getting ready to transfer to MSU for university next fall, all while maintaining a part time job.
I know the Lord is going to work during that time. I am excited to see how.
Saturday, June 29
Wednesday, July 11
Flight of the Bumblebee
At the beginning of my year in Europe, it was a joke between us that the theme of our year was moving. This was because we had moved around the Pharos office, the Girls' Household twice, and Sam within about 2 weeks of our arrival. The moving slowed a bit throughout the year, but for me, that wasn't the end.
Why bring up moving?
Well, pretty much, that's what I'm doing this summer. I moved to Scotland in the middle of May. I stayed with a woman for 3 weeks. Then, I moved in with a family for a week. After that, I moved into household with 3 other girls for about 2 days before I traveled to Belgium. There, I spent 10 days, 2 of which were spent on a camping trip. I traversed back to Scotland and I stayed in household for 2 and a half weeks before I went to help at the Sentry Holiday for 4 days. 4 more days came and went and I found myself at the start of my first Kairos summer program: Summer Mission Households 2012.
You'd think that'd be enough moving, right? Well, don't forget, I've still got more insanity to go! This summer program ends on the 22nd. I'm around for a couple of days before I head back to Belgium. I'm there for a couple of days before I go to Kairos Summer Academy for 10 days. The day that ends is the day that I go to On Holiday 3 and stay in a Kairos cottage. After that, I come back to Scotland and back home.
By my calculations, that's close to 15 different living situations from May to August. Most people wouldn't find that too pleasurable, but as a creature of comfort and familiarity, I dislike it even more. But, there's something to it as well. One, I'm busy. So busy that I almost don't have time to focus on my dislike of this. Second, I'm doing it with some fantastic people. Who doesn't want to be around friends constantly? The answer: an introvert. I am definitely not one of those. Thirdly, I'm where I'm supposed to be, which just happens to be a lot of places in a short period of time.
I've spent a lot of time focusing on moving in this post. Let's switch topics from moving to moving.
That's right. You read it correctly.
Moving can mean transporting something or someone from one place to another. However, it can also mean that something can arouse deep feeling as well.
During all of this, I've had so much support and love from people wherever I've been in these past couple of months. I've been stepping out of my comfort zone time and time again, yet I've not worried like usual because I know that people are here for me and praying for me. The amount of love that's been showered upon me is something that has been transforming and healing. I've been wrestling with different thoughts recently, the most current one being love. How much do I get? How much do I need? How much do I deserve?
After pondering this for far too long, I realized that I was missing the key point. The common theme through these questions is "I." That's not what love's about at all. That's what I need to remember.
With all the moving I'm doing, I can only hope that I am a bumblebee. Hopefully, I'll be able to take the love that I receive in each one of the places I've been and transplant it and share it with those I'm around in my new environment.
*I know that's not exactly the kind of update you're probably wanting, but I'm short of time at the moment. I'm sure that in a month's time, I'll have SO much to share. So, hold on until then.*
Why bring up moving?
Well, pretty much, that's what I'm doing this summer. I moved to Scotland in the middle of May. I stayed with a woman for 3 weeks. Then, I moved in with a family for a week. After that, I moved into household with 3 other girls for about 2 days before I traveled to Belgium. There, I spent 10 days, 2 of which were spent on a camping trip. I traversed back to Scotland and I stayed in household for 2 and a half weeks before I went to help at the Sentry Holiday for 4 days. 4 more days came and went and I found myself at the start of my first Kairos summer program: Summer Mission Households 2012.
You'd think that'd be enough moving, right? Well, don't forget, I've still got more insanity to go! This summer program ends on the 22nd. I'm around for a couple of days before I head back to Belgium. I'm there for a couple of days before I go to Kairos Summer Academy for 10 days. The day that ends is the day that I go to On Holiday 3 and stay in a Kairos cottage. After that, I come back to Scotland and back home.
By my calculations, that's close to 15 different living situations from May to August. Most people wouldn't find that too pleasurable, but as a creature of comfort and familiarity, I dislike it even more. But, there's something to it as well. One, I'm busy. So busy that I almost don't have time to focus on my dislike of this. Second, I'm doing it with some fantastic people. Who doesn't want to be around friends constantly? The answer: an introvert. I am definitely not one of those. Thirdly, I'm where I'm supposed to be, which just happens to be a lot of places in a short period of time.
I've spent a lot of time focusing on moving in this post. Let's switch topics from moving to moving.
That's right. You read it correctly.
Moving can mean transporting something or someone from one place to another. However, it can also mean that something can arouse deep feeling as well.
During all of this, I've had so much support and love from people wherever I've been in these past couple of months. I've been stepping out of my comfort zone time and time again, yet I've not worried like usual because I know that people are here for me and praying for me. The amount of love that's been showered upon me is something that has been transforming and healing. I've been wrestling with different thoughts recently, the most current one being love. How much do I get? How much do I need? How much do I deserve?
After pondering this for far too long, I realized that I was missing the key point. The common theme through these questions is "I." That's not what love's about at all. That's what I need to remember.
With all the moving I'm doing, I can only hope that I am a bumblebee. Hopefully, I'll be able to take the love that I receive in each one of the places I've been and transplant it and share it with those I'm around in my new environment.
*I know that's not exactly the kind of update you're probably wanting, but I'm short of time at the moment. I'm sure that in a month's time, I'll have SO much to share. So, hold on until then.*
Tuesday, May 29
It's Glasgow...ing Splendidly
I've been waiting to use a horrible pun about Glasgow for awhile now. Just humor me and think it's clever as well. Haha.
By now, with either some posts via Facebook, or with the title of this post, I'm sure you're catching onto the fact that I've been in Glasgow. It's a bit more than just "being" in Glasgow. On the 9th of May, I officially moved from Leuven, Belgium to Scotland. Because of many circumstances matched with generous hospitality and a great opportunity, I shall be finishing up the majority of my year here. I don't think I can fully explain how delighted I am for this.
I've been here now for almost 3 weeks, and I have been so loved and cared for that it's crazy! So many families have opened up their arms to me, had me over for dinner, or invited me to join part of their family life. It's felt almost like a seamless transition. It feels like home. (I type this as I'm watching Space Jam with the kids of the family with which I'm currently staying. Even if I wasn't watching something so blatantly American, I'd say the same. But the movie sure isn't impeding the feeling. Hahah.)
So, my Gap year isn't over. That means I've got more service I'm doing! Here, I'm mainly helping out with young families. It's more mothers helper stuff like I did in January. Except, it's much easier to relate to children who speak the same language. I've even slipped up and spoken to a couple of children in Flemish as a first reaction! It's not a surprise that they don't respond well to "Kijk!" or "Dat moet je niet doen!"
Another part of my service is to help out with Sentry. Sentry is an outreach youth group that the Community of the Risen Christ puts on at the local parish. It's a Saturday morning program for kids from the age of 8 to around 13. It's run by people my age in CRC, and headed by a young couple in the community as well. It's impressive to me the amount of responsibility given to people my age, by giving them the opportunity to explain different aspects of faith to kids as well as keeping them engaged and entertained.
A third piece of service for me is now Summer Mission Households. This is one of the Kairos summer programs for which I signed up. Yesterday was our first official meeting with the team for the program, and I am PUMPED for what is to come through this program. I'll be working on more of an administrative side of the project as well as serving musically.
Lots of exciting things have happened this month, that's for certain. One of the most surprising things being the fact that I got a SUNBURN IN SCOTLAND! The weather this past week has been fantastic. I've heard that it's about one week of summer, so a few girls and I decided to make the most of the weather and went to the beach. I've been assured that I got to experience a very rare occasion of going to the beach with nice weather. That's where the burn occurred, but luckily for me, my burns turn to tan. Between 7 days of shorts and sunglasses, I've definitely been spoiled weather-wise here.
However, by far, the most exciting news is that my dad is going to visit me here in Scotland in July!
By that time, I'll have not seen anyone in my immediate family for 11 months. ELEVEN MONTHS. It'll be good, I'm positive.
So, that's me. That's just a rough picture of what's happened. These past three weeks have been so good, that I think I'm Glasglowing...
I'm done with bad puns for now. Promise.
By now, with either some posts via Facebook, or with the title of this post, I'm sure you're catching onto the fact that I've been in Glasgow. It's a bit more than just "being" in Glasgow. On the 9th of May, I officially moved from Leuven, Belgium to Scotland. Because of many circumstances matched with generous hospitality and a great opportunity, I shall be finishing up the majority of my year here. I don't think I can fully explain how delighted I am for this.
I've been here now for almost 3 weeks, and I have been so loved and cared for that it's crazy! So many families have opened up their arms to me, had me over for dinner, or invited me to join part of their family life. It's felt almost like a seamless transition. It feels like home. (I type this as I'm watching Space Jam with the kids of the family with which I'm currently staying. Even if I wasn't watching something so blatantly American, I'd say the same. But the movie sure isn't impeding the feeling. Hahah.)
So, my Gap year isn't over. That means I've got more service I'm doing! Here, I'm mainly helping out with young families. It's more mothers helper stuff like I did in January. Except, it's much easier to relate to children who speak the same language. I've even slipped up and spoken to a couple of children in Flemish as a first reaction! It's not a surprise that they don't respond well to "Kijk!" or "Dat moet je niet doen!"
Another part of my service is to help out with Sentry. Sentry is an outreach youth group that the Community of the Risen Christ puts on at the local parish. It's a Saturday morning program for kids from the age of 8 to around 13. It's run by people my age in CRC, and headed by a young couple in the community as well. It's impressive to me the amount of responsibility given to people my age, by giving them the opportunity to explain different aspects of faith to kids as well as keeping them engaged and entertained.
A third piece of service for me is now Summer Mission Households. This is one of the Kairos summer programs for which I signed up. Yesterday was our first official meeting with the team for the program, and I am PUMPED for what is to come through this program. I'll be working on more of an administrative side of the project as well as serving musically.
Lots of exciting things have happened this month, that's for certain. One of the most surprising things being the fact that I got a SUNBURN IN SCOTLAND! The weather this past week has been fantastic. I've heard that it's about one week of summer, so a few girls and I decided to make the most of the weather and went to the beach. I've been assured that I got to experience a very rare occasion of going to the beach with nice weather. That's where the burn occurred, but luckily for me, my burns turn to tan. Between 7 days of shorts and sunglasses, I've definitely been spoiled weather-wise here.
However, by far, the most exciting news is that my dad is going to visit me here in Scotland in July!
By that time, I'll have not seen anyone in my immediate family for 11 months. ELEVEN MONTHS. It'll be good, I'm positive.
So, that's me. That's just a rough picture of what's happened. These past three weeks have been so good, that I think I'm Glasglowing...
I'm done with bad puns for now. Promise.
Monday, April 30
Stop and Smell the Roses... or the Mutant Tulip.
So, I know what you're thinking.
"Kate, your life has been soooooooooooooooooooooo bland of late. I mean, really, I would describe your life as the typical life of a 20 year old American. I'm worried you don't have enough excitement in your life."
Well, rest those fears, dear reader. Let's see a little update about April. Hopefully, that will change your mind.
Alright. So, April began with Easter Break. For me, it wasn't so much of a break. I had some days off, but other days I put some serious work into a conference I was administrating. [Hold on for that information later.]
Because I am extremely lucky, I got to see my aunt and cousin over my break! Sure, it might have only been about 24 hours, but seeing Beth and Mary really brought a breath of fresh air. I realized when I with them that I hadn't seen any family members in real life in 7 months. That is a long time. Thanks to a friend of Beth's who lives in Brussels, I got to spend the night with them. The next day, we went to Antwerp. Really, it was just some shopping, talking, and waffle eating. However, to me it was rejuvenating.
Next was Easter. We celebrated Easter Mass together as a community on Saturday night. There's really nothing like an Easter vigil followed by a feast of Belgian chocolate. Easter Sunday, myself as well as a handful of others were all invited to the Vanderstuyfts for Easter dinner. It was lovely. A great dinner preceded with some trampoline antics and followed with playing cards made it feel like I was at home.
Home.
That was the first time in my entire stay here that I had felt that feeling. I missed it. It hurt. I didn't want to leave when it came time to do so. But, I found myself lucky to have felt that way.
The quiet, relaxed feeling that was the product was soon washed away in the swell of work that was to follow. Monday was technically a day off, but I began to go into overdrive. That weekend, the SWOT conference was being held in Leuven! I was the administrator. Essentially, this meant that I was the one to sort out all the practicals. Accommodation, Transportation, Food, Handouts you name it. Because of some different circumstances, I was under a lot of stress, even though I had planned and executed that plan well ahead of time. However, in the end, it all went off without a hitch.
The best part about SWOT, at least for me, has always been the friendships that are grown between these student outreach leaders. Since this was the third of these conferences, I have had ample time to become friends with the different Europeans who attend. Even though I felt swamped with work, being with some of my favorite people around the continent brought peace, and I think a bit a of sanity as well. It made the work I was doing seem so much more real. Putting it in the perspective of working so hard for my friends is what I'm sure made it bearable.
The day following the SWOT conference, I was in charge of what was called the Gappers' Day Out. Most of the Gappers around the region attend the SWOT conference, so it's easier to do something together as regional Gappers when we're already gathered for something else. I had planned on visiting Gent, my favorite Belgian city. But after talking to my fellow Gappers, I realized all we wanted was a day to relax with no big plan. This didn't break my heart too much since I had been so worn down from the conference. The results were a picnic in a park in Leuven. Plain, simple, and yet, a wonderful time. Sitting on a blanket in the rare Belgian sunshine, eating sandwiches, drinking juice, attempting to catch little ducklings, making jokes, and taking silly pictures, watching someone fall into the pond. Just what we all needed, I think.
Two days after this, Pharos held it's last Life in the Spirit Seminar session and a social event. The event: Clue (or Cluedo if you're European.) This was an idea that I had way back in February. I wanted to make Clue into a life-size, interactive, team board game. And that I did. I changed some of the pieces and messed with the strategy. The goal was the same: accuse correctly the person, weapon, and the place the crime was committed. After adjusting the board a little bit, I knew that I was going to have to make the game a bit harder so as to last longer. Everyone ended up placed into randomly selected teams. Each team was represented by one of the characters, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, etc. Each team would nominate one person to stand in as the character piece on the board. Easy enough, right? Here's the trick: The team and the person on the board were not allowed to communicate. How does that work, you ask? Well, this meant that the team had to plan ahead. They were allowed to meet with their board piece. The board piece was in charge of where to go, while the team made all of the suggestions and accusation. I relieved some of the added challenge by allowing the teams to switch who was on the board after a set amount of turns. I was concerned that this game wouldn't go over well. Two hours and two accusations later (one incorrect and one correct) everyone seemed to have a great time.
Next on the agenda: Household week.
The following week, our household and the guys' household open up our doors to fellow members of Pharos. The goal was to introduce these people to the idea of household, to give them a chance to live it out, and hopefully, to attract people to live in household next year. We hosted three Belgian girls for the week. A few things changed, but nothing major. Just morning prayer getting moved 2.5 hours earlier and adjusting cooking to twice the normal amount. All in all, I think it went well.
"Ok, Kate. This has nothing to do with your title."
Yeah, yeah, I know. But, let's put some perspective on this. All of this happened in one month. Add on to that fact that we had the rest of our Pharos events running at the same time. To say that I was busy is an understatement. This month has been one of the most difficult of my time here for one reason or another. I've been so stressed and busy that I haven't been able to even think half of the time, just do.
The other day, my household was given a bunch of tulips. It was a super sweet gesture. Of the flowers, one was deformed, and jokingly given the name the mutant tulip. One of the leaves was also one of the petals. I was really drawn to that flower. It wasn't the prettiest of the blooms. In fact, it never bloomed. But, I still found it fascinating and the most beautiful. As much as one could relate to a flower, I felt like that flower. Still a flower, but somehow, extremely different. In the end, that doesn't, or rather, shouldn't take a way the beauty of the flower. Who knows the actual purpose of that flower. Maybe it was to help me stop and reflect in my insanely busy life. All I know is that somehow it's given me some sort of respite, if only mental.
"Kate, your life has been soooooooooooooooooooooo bland of late. I mean, really, I would describe your life as the typical life of a 20 year old American. I'm worried you don't have enough excitement in your life."
Well, rest those fears, dear reader. Let's see a little update about April. Hopefully, that will change your mind.
Alright. So, April began with Easter Break. For me, it wasn't so much of a break. I had some days off, but other days I put some serious work into a conference I was administrating. [Hold on for that information later.]
Because I am extremely lucky, I got to see my aunt and cousin over my break! Sure, it might have only been about 24 hours, but seeing Beth and Mary really brought a breath of fresh air. I realized when I with them that I hadn't seen any family members in real life in 7 months. That is a long time. Thanks to a friend of Beth's who lives in Brussels, I got to spend the night with them. The next day, we went to Antwerp. Really, it was just some shopping, talking, and waffle eating. However, to me it was rejuvenating.
Next was Easter. We celebrated Easter Mass together as a community on Saturday night. There's really nothing like an Easter vigil followed by a feast of Belgian chocolate. Easter Sunday, myself as well as a handful of others were all invited to the Vanderstuyfts for Easter dinner. It was lovely. A great dinner preceded with some trampoline antics and followed with playing cards made it feel like I was at home.
Home.
That was the first time in my entire stay here that I had felt that feeling. I missed it. It hurt. I didn't want to leave when it came time to do so. But, I found myself lucky to have felt that way.
The quiet, relaxed feeling that was the product was soon washed away in the swell of work that was to follow. Monday was technically a day off, but I began to go into overdrive. That weekend, the SWOT conference was being held in Leuven! I was the administrator. Essentially, this meant that I was the one to sort out all the practicals. Accommodation, Transportation, Food, Handouts you name it. Because of some different circumstances, I was under a lot of stress, even though I had planned and executed that plan well ahead of time. However, in the end, it all went off without a hitch.
The best part about SWOT, at least for me, has always been the friendships that are grown between these student outreach leaders. Since this was the third of these conferences, I have had ample time to become friends with the different Europeans who attend. Even though I felt swamped with work, being with some of my favorite people around the continent brought peace, and I think a bit a of sanity as well. It made the work I was doing seem so much more real. Putting it in the perspective of working so hard for my friends is what I'm sure made it bearable.
The day following the SWOT conference, I was in charge of what was called the Gappers' Day Out. Most of the Gappers around the region attend the SWOT conference, so it's easier to do something together as regional Gappers when we're already gathered for something else. I had planned on visiting Gent, my favorite Belgian city. But after talking to my fellow Gappers, I realized all we wanted was a day to relax with no big plan. This didn't break my heart too much since I had been so worn down from the conference. The results were a picnic in a park in Leuven. Plain, simple, and yet, a wonderful time. Sitting on a blanket in the rare Belgian sunshine, eating sandwiches, drinking juice, attempting to catch little ducklings, making jokes, and taking silly pictures, watching someone fall into the pond. Just what we all needed, I think.
Two days after this, Pharos held it's last Life in the Spirit Seminar session and a social event. The event: Clue (or Cluedo if you're European.) This was an idea that I had way back in February. I wanted to make Clue into a life-size, interactive, team board game. And that I did. I changed some of the pieces and messed with the strategy. The goal was the same: accuse correctly the person, weapon, and the place the crime was committed. After adjusting the board a little bit, I knew that I was going to have to make the game a bit harder so as to last longer. Everyone ended up placed into randomly selected teams. Each team was represented by one of the characters, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, etc. Each team would nominate one person to stand in as the character piece on the board. Easy enough, right? Here's the trick: The team and the person on the board were not allowed to communicate. How does that work, you ask? Well, this meant that the team had to plan ahead. They were allowed to meet with their board piece. The board piece was in charge of where to go, while the team made all of the suggestions and accusation. I relieved some of the added challenge by allowing the teams to switch who was on the board after a set amount of turns. I was concerned that this game wouldn't go over well. Two hours and two accusations later (one incorrect and one correct) everyone seemed to have a great time.
Next on the agenda: Household week.
The following week, our household and the guys' household open up our doors to fellow members of Pharos. The goal was to introduce these people to the idea of household, to give them a chance to live it out, and hopefully, to attract people to live in household next year. We hosted three Belgian girls for the week. A few things changed, but nothing major. Just morning prayer getting moved 2.5 hours earlier and adjusting cooking to twice the normal amount. All in all, I think it went well.
"Ok, Kate. This has nothing to do with your title."
Yeah, yeah, I know. But, let's put some perspective on this. All of this happened in one month. Add on to that fact that we had the rest of our Pharos events running at the same time. To say that I was busy is an understatement. This month has been one of the most difficult of my time here for one reason or another. I've been so stressed and busy that I haven't been able to even think half of the time, just do.
The other day, my household was given a bunch of tulips. It was a super sweet gesture. Of the flowers, one was deformed, and jokingly given the name the mutant tulip. One of the leaves was also one of the petals. I was really drawn to that flower. It wasn't the prettiest of the blooms. In fact, it never bloomed. But, I still found it fascinating and the most beautiful. As much as one could relate to a flower, I felt like that flower. Still a flower, but somehow, extremely different. In the end, that doesn't, or rather, shouldn't take a way the beauty of the flower. Who knows the actual purpose of that flower. Maybe it was to help me stop and reflect in my insanely busy life. All I know is that somehow it's given me some sort of respite, if only mental.
Sunday, March 25
Parijs en Ijs (Paris and Ice Cream)
First, I just want to say God is good. He is fantastic and blows all of my expectations out of the water.
Now, let's hear why.
If love is measured in pounds, I feel about 454,767,876,646,436,439,872,398,439lbs. of love whenever I have someone who comes to visit! I was fortunate to feel this overwhelming feeling right at the beginning of this month! John Lee, a friend from Lansing came for a week! I only knew three weeks before he came that he would visit. It was definitely a welcomed "surprise." We toured Leuven, made sushi, and hung out with Pharos people. It was all around a great time. Here are two pictures that pretty much sum up the Belgian part of the experience!
One: Waffles and Chocolate
Two: The Sushi! The first I've ever made!
Probably the most exciting thing to happen while he was here was our trip to Paris! John, Lynn Van den Zegel, my best Belgian friend, and I left at 5am from the Leuven train station so that we could catch our 6am bus in Brussels. We got on the bus, and four hours later, we were in Paris! We took a quick stop at our hostel to check-in and then drop off our luggage. What followed was a lunch of baguettes, cheese, and wine in front of the Eiffel Tower! It was great! Afterwards, we climbed up the tower. Yes, we took the steps. None of this elevator crap. I might have been winded after, but I was quite conditioned since my room is on the 3rd floor my house. Comparable, right?
The rest of our trip included seeing the Arc de Triomphe, eating an authentic Korean meal, visiting the Eiffel tower again at night, going to Sacre Coeur, attending Mass at Notre Dame, and two failed attempts of going to the Louvre. It was wonderful.
The next experience worth mentioning is the community retreat. Every year, the Jerusalem community goes on retreat together. For the past 31 years, it's been at a retreat center in Bonheiden. Now, I hope you haven't been worrying too much about me. I know that you've probably been thinking that I should go on another retreat in a castle. I mean, I have only had the one experience in January. You may put your little heart to rest. Here are two pictures of where the retreat was held.
One:
Yep. So cool. Anyway, the theme of the retreat was Freedom - Vrijheid. It spoke very much to the heart of the community, and it was a great experience to see how Jerusalem was really seeking for healing and unity. Great moment #1: Singing Great and Wonderful at the Lord's Day Celebration. Great moment #2: Singing The King of Glory Comes also at the Lord's Day Celebration. The second song always brings this video to mind. It took all my energy to not laugh uncontrollably while imagining members of the Jerusalem community doing this:
This past semester, Pharos has put on the Life in the Spirit Seminar- a 7-week series that explores the fundamental truths of Christianity and offers participants an opportunity to choose (again) for Christ. Each week builds on the previous, and during the 5th week, there's a chance to receive prayer for Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This past Wednesday was our 5th installment. That day was just a horrible day, to be honest. I just felt like everything was wrong. The whole day I thought that there would be no way that I could lead music for that night since I was in such a terrible mood. The day progressed. My mood stayed the same. It was only 45 minutes before I was to begin leading that something happened. The week previous, I had jokingly said that a Pharos member owed me some ice cream for a bet that never really happened. Either way, that night, she came up to me with a voucher for free ice cream. It was completely unexpected, but it was exactly what I needed. I felt so loved it was crazy. It helped me free myself from whatever was holding me back, and I felt God's grace help me with leading the music for the night. It was easily the most moving prayer session that Pharos has had all year. Who knew that God would help me get through a horrible day with free ice cream!?
Well, that's March. It's been full of all kinds of excitement. I know there's more to come! There's about 11 more weeks of my Gap year. With that, there is also roughly 4.5 more months worth of Europe, friends, and God. Praise Him!
Now, let's hear why.
If love is measured in pounds, I feel about 454,767,876,646,436,439,872,398,439lbs. of love whenever I have someone who comes to visit! I was fortunate to feel this overwhelming feeling right at the beginning of this month! John Lee, a friend from Lansing came for a week! I only knew three weeks before he came that he would visit. It was definitely a welcomed "surprise." We toured Leuven, made sushi, and hung out with Pharos people. It was all around a great time. Here are two pictures that pretty much sum up the Belgian part of the experience!
One: Waffles and Chocolate
Two: The Sushi! The first I've ever made!
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Probably the most exciting thing to happen while he was here was our trip to Paris! John, Lynn Van den Zegel, my best Belgian friend, and I left at 5am from the Leuven train station so that we could catch our 6am bus in Brussels. We got on the bus, and four hours later, we were in Paris! We took a quick stop at our hostel to check-in and then drop off our luggage. What followed was a lunch of baguettes, cheese, and wine in front of the Eiffel Tower! It was great! Afterwards, we climbed up the tower. Yes, we took the steps. None of this elevator crap. I might have been winded after, but I was quite conditioned since my room is on the 3rd floor my house. Comparable, right?
The rest of our trip included seeing the Arc de Triomphe, eating an authentic Korean meal, visiting the Eiffel tower again at night, going to Sacre Coeur, attending Mass at Notre Dame, and two failed attempts of going to the Louvre. It was wonderful.
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The next experience worth mentioning is the community retreat. Every year, the Jerusalem community goes on retreat together. For the past 31 years, it's been at a retreat center in Bonheiden. Now, I hope you haven't been worrying too much about me. I know that you've probably been thinking that I should go on another retreat in a castle. I mean, I have only had the one experience in January. You may put your little heart to rest. Here are two pictures of where the retreat was held.
One:
Two:
Yep. So cool. Anyway, the theme of the retreat was Freedom - Vrijheid. It spoke very much to the heart of the community, and it was a great experience to see how Jerusalem was really seeking for healing and unity. Great moment #1: Singing Great and Wonderful at the Lord's Day Celebration. Great moment #2: Singing The King of Glory Comes also at the Lord's Day Celebration. The second song always brings this video to mind. It took all my energy to not laugh uncontrollably while imagining members of the Jerusalem community doing this:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This past semester, Pharos has put on the Life in the Spirit Seminar- a 7-week series that explores the fundamental truths of Christianity and offers participants an opportunity to choose (again) for Christ. Each week builds on the previous, and during the 5th week, there's a chance to receive prayer for Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This past Wednesday was our 5th installment. That day was just a horrible day, to be honest. I just felt like everything was wrong. The whole day I thought that there would be no way that I could lead music for that night since I was in such a terrible mood. The day progressed. My mood stayed the same. It was only 45 minutes before I was to begin leading that something happened. The week previous, I had jokingly said that a Pharos member owed me some ice cream for a bet that never really happened. Either way, that night, she came up to me with a voucher for free ice cream. It was completely unexpected, but it was exactly what I needed. I felt so loved it was crazy. It helped me free myself from whatever was holding me back, and I felt God's grace help me with leading the music for the night. It was easily the most moving prayer session that Pharos has had all year. Who knew that God would help me get through a horrible day with free ice cream!?
Well, that's March. It's been full of all kinds of excitement. I know there's more to come! There's about 11 more weeks of my Gap year. With that, there is also roughly 4.5 more months worth of Europe, friends, and God. Praise Him!
Friday, March 9
Let's Stick to the Facts
Disclaimer:
Due to a lack of creativity, this blog post shall not have any intricate theme woven into the words. However, I'm aware that an update of my life is necessary. So, without further ado, The Life of Kate Stevenson, Gapper Extrodinaire, and her February escapades.
February 6th: Our "regular" Pharos schedule went into effect on this date. The week that followed was full of meetings and planning out the semester. It ended with Kairos Weekend 2012.
February 10th: Kairos Weekend 2012 was held in Dublin, Ireland. 140 university students came together from Beirut, Belfast, Bielsko, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Leuven, Munich, and Vitoria. The theme was Power from On High. I had the privilege of being a part of the music team, which has been one of the highlights of my Gap year. At the weekend, I made new friends, grew other budding friendships, and made some best friends.
February 15th: My baby brother turned 18. It felt weird to think about. Also, we had our first social event of the semester. Casino Night was full of cards, snacks, beer, and chatting. It provided a relaxed atmosphere where Sam gave our plug for the Life in the Spirit to begin the following week.
February 20th: Presidents Day. This day my household was invited to have dinner over to the guys' household. Javi's parents were visiting, and they made dinner. Unbeknownst to them, they made my favorite meal. I considered it a little birthday present from God, since my birthday was only 2 days later.
February 22nd: Ash Wednesday. I turned 20. I found much pleasure this day by making comments about how I woke up with more wrinkles and needed to start using a cane. Pharos put on its first Life in the Spirit Seminar night. In a room arranged to feel like a pub, we aimed to provide a comfortable environment for people to learn about God and the new life we can have in Him. We began with a dinner, moved on to a talk, and ended with discussion groups. We also had Coffee Stall and a prayer meeting, so the day was really busy. However, throughout the whole day, I felt extremely loved.
That's February.
In other news, the official ending date of my Gap year: June 12th. However, I am hoping to stay for the summer! I'll let you all know my returning date within the next 2 months.
Due to a lack of creativity, this blog post shall not have any intricate theme woven into the words. However, I'm aware that an update of my life is necessary. So, without further ado, The Life of Kate Stevenson, Gapper Extrodinaire, and her February escapades.
February 6th: Our "regular" Pharos schedule went into effect on this date. The week that followed was full of meetings and planning out the semester. It ended with Kairos Weekend 2012.
February 10th: Kairos Weekend 2012 was held in Dublin, Ireland. 140 university students came together from Beirut, Belfast, Bielsko, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Leuven, Munich, and Vitoria. The theme was Power from On High. I had the privilege of being a part of the music team, which has been one of the highlights of my Gap year. At the weekend, I made new friends, grew other budding friendships, and made some best friends.
February 15th: My baby brother turned 18. It felt weird to think about. Also, we had our first social event of the semester. Casino Night was full of cards, snacks, beer, and chatting. It provided a relaxed atmosphere where Sam gave our plug for the Life in the Spirit to begin the following week.
February 20th: Presidents Day. This day my household was invited to have dinner over to the guys' household. Javi's parents were visiting, and they made dinner. Unbeknownst to them, they made my favorite meal. I considered it a little birthday present from God, since my birthday was only 2 days later.
February 22nd: Ash Wednesday. I turned 20. I found much pleasure this day by making comments about how I woke up with more wrinkles and needed to start using a cane. Pharos put on its first Life in the Spirit Seminar night. In a room arranged to feel like a pub, we aimed to provide a comfortable environment for people to learn about God and the new life we can have in Him. We began with a dinner, moved on to a talk, and ended with discussion groups. We also had Coffee Stall and a prayer meeting, so the day was really busy. However, throughout the whole day, I felt extremely loved.
That's February.
In other news, the official ending date of my Gap year: June 12th. However, I am hoping to stay for the summer! I'll let you all know my returning date within the next 2 months.
Sunday, January 29
Taste of Home
That's right.
The Lord has been SO good to me this month. Ok, He is ALWAYS
good to me, but I'm definitely recognizing it more. There’s a reason to it as
well, but that will come later.
So, Kate, why don’t you explain to us WHY!?
So, Kate, why don’t you explain to us WHY!?
Ok!
The beginning of January was quite the American experience for me. The Schaefer family came to Belgium, and I got to spend so much time with them! As my second family, you can bet that I was SO excited to see them! Let me tell you, quality time, with people who understand you, is something that is almost unbeatable. With Ellen, Mary, Emily, Mr. and Mrs. Schaefer, and Audrey LaPorte, I visited Antwerpen, Gent, Brugge, and Luxemburg. Granted, it might have been literally raining on our little parade around Belgium, but it didn’t matter. There could have been hurricanes and hailstorms (well, it did hail for a bit in Luxemburg, so that’s partly true) and I would have still thought the same of being with them. I haven’t felt so loved in quite a long time. I’m definitely thankful that they were able to come over and visit. I was unaware just how much I needed a little taste of home.
The beginning of January was quite the American experience for me. The Schaefer family came to Belgium, and I got to spend so much time with them! As my second family, you can bet that I was SO excited to see them! Let me tell you, quality time, with people who understand you, is something that is almost unbeatable. With Ellen, Mary, Emily, Mr. and Mrs. Schaefer, and Audrey LaPorte, I visited Antwerpen, Gent, Brugge, and Luxemburg. Granted, it might have been literally raining on our little parade around Belgium, but it didn’t matter. There could have been hurricanes and hailstorms (well, it did hail for a bit in Luxemburg, so that’s partly true) and I would have still thought the same of being with them. I haven’t felt so loved in quite a long time. I’m definitely thankful that they were able to come over and visit. I was unaware just how much I needed a little taste of home.
Taste of America #2 came in the form of a friend, Sarah
Hale. She and I attended Huntington University at the same time. She’s
definitely got the travel bug, and when she suggested visiting me, I said, “OMG.
ADKFJSFHDGJKHSDFKJHGSFDGD. PUHLEAAAAAAAAASE!” Don’t worry. I actually went back
to check my Facebook to see exactly what I wrote. So, she came one day after
the Schaefer family left Belgium. While she was here, I remembered just how
fortunate I was to have made the friends I did at HU. One of the things we made
sure to do was Skype our two best friends at Huntington. I can tell you that I
hadn’t laughed quite that hard, loud, and long in a conversation for quite some
time. Even though I didn’t feel like I could do much with her since I was
working during her stay, it was nice to just share my life with someone back
home. I won’t even hold it against her that she suggested going to a horse
milking farm…
Volgende, ik geslaagd mijn examen! Op de zestiende, zeventiende, en negentiende van januari, ik had geweest mijn examen
van Nederlands. Ik was heel veel blij! (Google translate will do an ok job at helping
you with this…)
After my exam, I ended up in London. This time, Sam, our
fearless leader, drove us four Gappers to France, where we got on a boat. Our
voyage was two hours, and then we drove two more hours to a place called
Buckden Towers. Ok, so it was more towards Cambridge rather than London, but
whatever. There, we participated in Koinonia’s (the London college outreach
like Pharos) Joy Weekend. There we really learned that joy is a decision. You
look for it. It stems from trust and hope. Needless to say, it has really
impacted me. I can even see a difference in my thinking in less than a week. I
hope that it stays this way! Immediately following this retreat, there was a
Gapper retreat. All 13 of us Gapper from around Europe were here and received
some more intense Gapper training.
HOLD UP.
I’ve forgotten like the most important thing about these retreats.
BUCKDEN TOWERS IS A CASTLE.
I WENT TO TWO RETREATS IN A CASTLE IN ENGLAND.
SO SPECTACULAR!
Anyway, there’s an interesting fact about the Gappers in Europe this year. There are 13 Gappers. Of these, there are 8 people from Michigan. So, for me, it was kind of like a hometown reunion! All of these people natively spoke my language. Not only that, most of them knew people I knew. Not only that, a few of them have become really good friends to me since our time over here. Not only that, one of them was also at the great Christmas I had this year and one of my best friends of my life in general. Being able to spend so much time with all of them was so invigorating. I know it’s weird to say, but I almost feel that the longer I’m gone, the closer I hold my American identity. Being separated has shown me how others view America, but I’m also seeing so many more benefits as well…. And my national pride speech is over. Sorry about that. Hahaha. Either way, it was life giving to spend time with these people, especially people willing to sing, “Joy is a Flag Flown High from the Castle of my Heart” about 50 more times than necessary. This was taste of America #3.
In Leuven, we’re nearing the end of exam period. For me, this has meant that most of my service has been atypical this month. Why? During January, Belgian university students have a month off of school. Sounds great, right? WRONG. During this month, they are expected to study the whole time for their exams which probably count for almost their entire grade for the class. Because of this immense amount of pressure, students lock themselves away in order to study. This makes our job as student missionaries a bit difficult. So, instead of doing outreach for the university students, I was asked to do more work as a mother’s helper. So, for this month, I have gone and helped a few young mothers a couple times a week. What I call it is Mom practice. Hahaha. I’ve cooked, cleaned, watched kids, folded laundry, and done other motherly duties. For me, I found it all therapeutic to do something that not only impacted someone very openly, but also to do something that was not our regular service.
So, that’s that. Next month, Pharos begins its regular outreach work again. I’m reenergized and reinvigorated. I know the Lord will do great things here during this time.
I’ve forgotten like the most important thing about these retreats.
BUCKDEN TOWERS IS A CASTLE.
I WENT TO TWO RETREATS IN A CASTLE IN ENGLAND.
SO SPECTACULAR!
Anyway, there’s an interesting fact about the Gappers in Europe this year. There are 13 Gappers. Of these, there are 8 people from Michigan. So, for me, it was kind of like a hometown reunion! All of these people natively spoke my language. Not only that, most of them knew people I knew. Not only that, a few of them have become really good friends to me since our time over here. Not only that, one of them was also at the great Christmas I had this year and one of my best friends of my life in general. Being able to spend so much time with all of them was so invigorating. I know it’s weird to say, but I almost feel that the longer I’m gone, the closer I hold my American identity. Being separated has shown me how others view America, but I’m also seeing so many more benefits as well…. And my national pride speech is over. Sorry about that. Hahaha. Either way, it was life giving to spend time with these people, especially people willing to sing, “Joy is a Flag Flown High from the Castle of my Heart” about 50 more times than necessary. This was taste of America #3.
In Leuven, we’re nearing the end of exam period. For me, this has meant that most of my service has been atypical this month. Why? During January, Belgian university students have a month off of school. Sounds great, right? WRONG. During this month, they are expected to study the whole time for their exams which probably count for almost their entire grade for the class. Because of this immense amount of pressure, students lock themselves away in order to study. This makes our job as student missionaries a bit difficult. So, instead of doing outreach for the university students, I was asked to do more work as a mother’s helper. So, for this month, I have gone and helped a few young mothers a couple times a week. What I call it is Mom practice. Hahaha. I’ve cooked, cleaned, watched kids, folded laundry, and done other motherly duties. For me, I found it all therapeutic to do something that not only impacted someone very openly, but also to do something that was not our regular service.
So, that’s that. Next month, Pharos begins its regular outreach work again. I’m reenergized and reinvigorated. I know the Lord will do great things here during this time.
[For those who, for some odd reason, know that Taste of Home
is an American cooking publication and noticed the tie in of my mother’s helper
work as well as my quality time with fellow Americans, I applaud you.]
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