Goodbye Grace

One of the women in  my small group left recently to head back to school in Canada. I only knew Grace a short time, but I loved her so much! She came into our small group and rescued me from being the only girl there! While in Taiwan, she learned more about her faith and now desires to live a life passionately for Jesus! As she goes back to school, please keep her in your prayers. Pray that she...

1. Continues to grow in her faith!

2. Finds a good church and friends who can encourage her in the Lord.

3. Has the courage to stand for her beliefs.

4. Has the ability to influence the friends she is returning to!

We had such fun at her going away party. We canoed, built a sandcastle at the beach, ate yummy food and laughed and laughed. I will really miss her!

Vanessa's wedding!

This past weekend, I was honored to serve as Vanessa's bridesmaid in her wedding to Brandon. Here's just a few photos from the weekend.

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother’s Day!!!

We're pretty goofy.

Once again, I am not where I can hug my mother on this day. Last year, on Father’s Day, I wrote a post honoring my wonderful father, so this year I want to honor my even more wonderful mother.

So here are just a few of the life lessons I learned and wonderful things about my Mother!

First, I would like to say that my mom and I have had a tumultuous relationship, especially while in my teens. Dad says it is because we are so similar in temperament. I don’t know. However, as I grew up, our relationship has gotten so strong.

This post was difficult for me to write. I struggled with getting my thoughts on paper.

With my father, it was so easy because many of the lessons are easy to explain. But how does one explain that she has taught me everything I know about life.

But here it goes. Mom, I hope that you enjoy this.

1. She has been such an example of what a wife and mother is to be. If I can be just half of the woman my mother is, then I will be happy. We call her the Domestic Goddess and Mary Poppins (because she is practically perfect in every way).She stayed at home from the time I was born until I was in high school. We never came home to an empty house. While my other friends were cooking themselves ramen noodles and Mac-n-cheese, I was getting home cooked meals for every meal (she fixed our lunches most of the time). I remember having tea parties and inviting her when I was small. She sewed so many of my clothes. Our house was always clean.
2. She showed me how strong women can be. While my father traveled for his job, she ran the household. She pays the bills and manages everything for our home. While they make decisions together, she is one of the strongest and most practical women I know.
3. She taught me how to be a self sufficient person. She taught me how to cook, clean and sew. Because of her, I have never turned my white laundry pink, or had to always eat out. Because of her, I know how to keep a house clean. When I do have a question, she is the one I call.  I don’t know how many women I know who are my age, who can barely cook and don’t have any idea about housekeeping. Because of my mother, I am not one of them.
4. She showed me what a Godly woman looks like. Every morning, I would get up and go into the living room where she would be having her quiet time or praying. Every morning.
5. She was always there for me. Because my dad traveled for his job, she is the one who was there for us. She was at my games and concerts. She was at every birthday. If I forgot my lunch or project at home, I called her. She tucked me in at night, singing “Swing Low” to me.
6. She has such a big heart. My mother is generous to a fault. If you need anything, and it is in her power, she will do it for you or give it to you. When the missions team at her church went to Nicaragua, they reported that many of the girls don’t have a nice dress to wear to church on Sundays. So my mother organized people to sew Pillowcase dresses to send to Nicaragua. She sewed hundreds of them herself! HUNDREDS!!
7. Even though, she puts herself down and tells you that she isn’t smart, SHE IS!!! She is one of the most practical people I know. She has common sense in spades.
8. She is the steady influence that keeps the family together. Without her, we would be lost. 
   

Convictions

A few weeks ago, I was attacked (verbally) for my beliefs. I’m not talking about my Christian faith. No I’m talking about the hot topic right now (Homosexuality). It came out of nowhere. I have never openly stated what I believe, because up to this point, I figured if someone knows me and my faith in God, that they would know what I stand for. I had never been asked outright. Even more, I have never doubted what my convictions are.

In my small group, there were some people who were trying to figure out what their convictions were. One of the guys decided that he would write out his thoughts about homosexuality on Facebook. I was the first person to comment on it. I simply said that I was proud of him for expressing his beliefs. I did not state my beliefs, or say I agreed with him. (I do, though) It exploded with vicious comments and arguments. He later removed the post because of the vehement arguments that people were conducting.

Weeks later, I was at a restaurant owned by a foreigner. I was having a great meal with my friends when the owner started talking to us about the writer of that post. He then proceeded to point out that I supported this friend and his beliefs. He began to list all of the reasons that I was wrong and all the reasons that Homosexuality is ok. He asked me what would happen if someone in my family was a homosexual. He told me that Jonathan and David were lovers.  I told him, I didn’t want to discuss it. He got flustered and told me that was my problem.

Instead of handling it well, I just told him again, I didn’t want to talk about it and left it at that.

What I should have said was that I was having a (rare) dinner with my girls and I didn’t want to waste that time talking about something of that nature. I did not bring the subject up, he did. No matter what either of us said, we were not going to change each other’s minds, so why bother wasting time about it.

He didn’t ask either of the other two girls who share the same convictions what they believed. No he attacked me because I supported a friend on his convictions.

I left the restaurant upset and cried on the way home.

I honestly don’t know how, as Christians, we are to handle these situations. I try to love people. I don’t care if you are Homosexual, atheist, Muslim, whatever, I want to show you love. But I don’t have to agree with your choices. I am not forcing anyone to agree with mine. But people who are against Christianity don’t feel the same way. To them, I am hateful and wrong and must be argued with. I don’t like to talk about these kinds of things, because it only makes others angry.

So here is what I believe.

I believe that Homosexuality is a sin.

The Bible says it is and if you believe that the Bible is truth, you can’t argue with this.

We should not condone sin.

I believe that we (as Christians) should continue to show love to Homosexual people.

Jesus ate with prostitutes and lepers.

I don’t know what this world will look like in 20 years (when I’m 46), but I am sure that homosexuality will still be around. We are not going to escape it. I don’t have the answers. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what is going to happen. But I do know this: God knows. He will not abandon us. Perhaps we will continue to be ridiculed for our beliefs. This will be the same until Jesus returns.

But  we must show love.

***** Not that anyone reads this, but please, please, please don't start vicious arguments or tell me that I'm dumb or whatnot... That's the point of this whole post.

March and April

Life since India has been really chill. When I say chill, I don’t really mean it. It has been crazy busy and fun (most of the time). So here’s a quick recap of the past few months.

-           Had a lovely dinner and movie birthday party with my friends… No pics for some reason. Saw Les Miserables in theatres and it was so AMAZING!

-          Checked another thing off the bucket list when a few of us went to Pingxi, Taiwan to see the Sky Lanterns. It was truly wonderful. We didn’t get as close as we would have liked (It was crazy crowded) and we didn’t get home until like 5 a.m. Would I do it over again? IN A HEARTBEAT! Do I want to go again…. NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Too many people. We did buy a lantern and paint our wishes on it and let it go into the sky.

-          School began…

-          Chinese learning continues.

-          I have been seriously looking for a job in Alabama. So far, I have had NO bites. I have applied to every job available on the state department and am in the process of applying personally. It is so hard because I have so much going on.

Zoe and I at Juiwu's Wedding!

Hot Pot with Elizabeth!

-          Because YES. June 30 I will leave Taiwan for good. It is SO scary. I am terrified. I have grown so accustomed to life here that I’m so scared of coming home. I have to find a job, buy a car, make new friends, reunite with old friends, and adjust to life back in America. If I don’t have a job, I will live with Mom and Dad while substitute teaching and working part time wherever I can get work. I hate to be that girl that lives with her parents but I have no choice!

-          I have also given up my small group and started attending a small group led by the pastor’s wife. There were so many reasons that I needed to give up my small group. I loved having it, but I was not the best leader and I needed to focus on my walk with God for a while. I was pouring into other people’s lives, but no one was pouring into me. Since I am leaving, it made sense to give it up now, especially when several people in it graduated and left Taiwan. It was the best decision I have made in a while. I am really enjoying my new group and it has opened doors for friendships with new people!

Lovely Rainy Night

Spicy Hot Pot

-          Was asked to be a bridesmaid for my roommates wedding.

-          Ordered this dress http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Short-Satin-Off-the-Shoulder-A-Line-with-Ruching-83168_Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids-Shop-By-Color

-          Began to seriously get fit…

n   Ok so I have issues with talking about weight loss. Mainly because for years and years and years, I talked about it, but did nothing. So this might be the only time I talk about it until I lose a substantial amount of weight. So yeah… I’m fat. And I’m tired. So I’ve started changing my food. Not a diet… a lifestyle change. And here’s the thing, I can’t eat certain foods in moderation. If I have one Oreo, I’m going to have 5. That’s just how I am. So it’s easier not to have any. I am eating TONS of fruits and veggies along with protein.

n   I am also really working out. I have been going to Curves for several months, but now I am working on going more days a week.

n   I am also doing Jillian Micheal’s 30 Day Shred… The woman is a beast. I hate her and love her, depending on the day.

n   I have to stand up in front of a bunch of people in 26 days. I WILL stand out because I will be the only non-Asian in the wedding… yeah. I’m hoping that Jillian will help me drop a size or two and that the healthy clean eating will help me drop the weight.

n   I am going to begin TRYING to run. I HATE running. I have never run a whole mile in my life. I am fat, have asthma and bad knees. This could be ugly. I have a nine week plan to follow. Yikes!!

-          So Wow! Looking over this, I am seeing how much has really changed in my life since February! My life is going pretty well right now! I hope God is receiving glory from it!

Exotic, Incredible India

India!!

I have had a hard time writing about India. I have sat down several times and tried to put my experiences into words. Until now, I have failed. But here’s another attempt.

India is a complicated land of contrasts. First it overwhelms you with color, noise, smells and the sheer number of people. Then it disgusts you with the crowds, filth, poverty and sadness. Finally it seduces you with culture and beauty. You revel in the beauty of the Taj Mahal and the beautiful shopping to be done, and then you cry over the beggers and filth.

I enjoyed India. However, I don’t want to go back. India was a wonderful experience that showed me how a large percentage of the world’s population live. I loved the culture, the shopping and the people we met. We visited so many wonderful places: The Taj Mahal in Agra, Varanasi (the Ganges river), Delhi, Khajaraso(sp?) and Jaipur. I spent my birthday at the Taj Mahal and then on a crowded, dirty train.

Robyn and I explored old ruins, temples and markets. We saw famous festivals and people bathing in the Ganges River. We watched two Bollywood movies (which we didn’t understand since it was in Hindi). We bought spices, saris, cashmere carpets and bangles. We rode an elephant, in a car, on a plane, in a rickshaw, and a train.

We experienced so much! Here are some pictures

Mom and Dad visit!

In January, my wonderful, amazing parents visited me. They truly are the best parents a girl could ask for! I worked on Wednesday, then headed up to Taoyuan to pick them up from the airport. I had never picked someone up from the airport before and it is a truly fun and exciting thing to do! I have been picked up from the airport and arrived at the airport with no one to meet me. Honestly, it is sooooo much better when someone you love is waiting for you!

So anyways, I picked them up and we just hugged for soooo long! Mom cried and Dad even got a little choked up! They were exhausted and so we headed straight to the hotel.

The next morning, Dad and I went to pick up the rental car, which was an experience. We had a tough time getting to the rental place. But we finally got there, picked up the car, picked up Mom from the airport and headed to Tainan. We went straight to my school, so that I could show them where I work and meet my co-teachers and a few students.

We spent our time in Tainan, visiting all of the sites, eating at yummy restaurants, showing Mom and Dad my life and meeting my friends. Mom and I got hair washes one day! It was very fun and showed them what my life currently looks like.

We then headed across the mountains to Taitung. The drive was SO beautiful and fun. We stayed at a very nice hot springs resort. You could actually fill the tub up with the mineral water, we (individually) had a nice soak! Jet lag officially caught up with Mom and she crashed for the afternoon/evening, while I watched Les Miserables (FINALLY!!!!!)

The next morning, we headed to Hualian on a long and windy road! We arrived there and immediately began exploring Taroko Gorge! It is so beautiful and very fun to walk around.

The next day, we headed to Taipei… This is where our fun adventures start. There is a road that goes around the coast from Hualien to Yilan, then to Taipei. Everyone I talked to, told me that the road had been closed earlier in the year, but that it was now open. We get almost to Yilan, when we are confronted with road blocks… Apparently the road was still closed due to mudslides. In my broken Chinese, I talked to the nice construction worker who showed me how to get to Taipei… OVER the mountains.

So we headed back to Hualien, through Taroko Gorge and over the mountains. It was terrifying and amazing. Sometimes, I honestly thought that we were going to die. However, we did get to see some AMAZING views. Props to my wonderful Daddy for getting us there and not being mad at me.

The next morning, we took the car back to AVIS and took the HSR back to Taipei. We had some yummy lunch and ice cream at Taipei 101 and then explored the top. We explored some more of Taipei and ate some yummy pizza at MaryJane’s!

The next morning (VERY EARLY) we headed back to the airport and they flew back to the good ol’ USA.

It was so wonderful having them here. It was nice to share my life with those who know me best, especially those who love me the most.

I then spent the next week sick in bed… before going to….. INDIA!