We made it!

Yes my friends this is a picture of my feet in Moldova.

This is a map of Moldova. We are staying in Chisinau the capital city which is the orangish blog in the middle of the country. The red arrows are pointing to the villages where we will be visiting during the next 4 days. So we will be on the move A LOT!

This is the BMI headquarters in Moldova. It's a beautiful building.

This is what we ate for dinner tonight. IT WAS DELICIOUS!

(and yes it's a picture that I originally took on my camera but then took a picture of the picture on my phone so I could blog about it...) HAHA

the class of 2014

So there's this group of students....

We started this whole gig together at the beginning of the school year last year. They being my students, me being being their teacher.

Here we are again, in the midst of another school year. This time they are juniors.

They have helped raise the bar in regard to school spirit.

They LOVE hashtags.

They LOVE their class.

They LOVE #BuffNation

AND for the icing on the cake....

A good majority of them were just inducted into National Honor Society.

To say that I am proud of them would be a HUGE understatement.

Go State!

As alumni of Kansas State University (i.e. the finest institution in the land) it is always a treat to get to spend some time back in Manhattan.

First stop = Java (or as the kids call it Bluestem..)

I love it that my dear friend from my college days actually lives and works in Manhattan.

My heart is always SO encouraged after some good quality time with EJ!

Fast forward to Saturday.

We are "old" now so our version of tailgating involves being INSIDE.

J brought the peanut butter. HAHA!

It was SO fun to get to hang out with C at the game!

LOVED getting to hang out with Lewis!

It is always FUN to watch my Cats beat the other school in Kansas.

Did I mention that we had REALLY good seats?

This gal ventured over my way at halftime.

I was SO excited to get to hug her!

Two of my dearest brothers.

I love that even though it has been far too long since we were all in college together, it is so great to get to reconnect with people who were apart of my K-State years. I love that we have kept in touch across the miles. I love that we can just pick up where we left out when we saw each other the last time. I love that these people are a part of my life. (and I love it when we are all wearing purple!)

the real need...

I have been watching the PBS documentary "Half the Sky: Turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide." I texted some friends and told them to do the same. I watched it with some of my MNGP's. It's a reality that makes me sick. Breaks my heart. Makes me wonder what I can do, if there's even anything that I can really do....

I know that sex trafficking is real. I know that it happens here in the US and across the world. Do I understand the magnitude in which it's happening? Unfortunately no... Can I go for days without a thought crossing my mind about modern day slavery or sex trafficking? Unfortunately yes.... 

I do applaud Half the Sky for their efforts in creating awareness, in doing what they can to "save"  these girls from brothels... but the more I think about it, the more I talk about it, the bigger the knot in my stomach gets. Sure these girls are being "rescued" from brothels and such but are they actually being rescued from what we all need rescued from? Who is giving these girls really what they need? What we all need? 

Who is telling them about Jesus?

My friend Lucas said this in his sermon on Sunday.... "The ultimate goal of compassion ministry is to help meet a person’s theological needs. We want to share the gospel as we do justice and mercy in the world. All people of all religions can feed the hungry and care for the homeless but Christians are the only people with the good news of the gospel. It is the one thing we have that nobody else does. Compassion ministry is more than feeding the hungry and providing clean water. It should be holistic in nature caring for the whole person, because ultimately the most compassionate thing we can do for a person is share the gospel with them. Let me say that again, the most compassionate thing we can do for a person is share the gospel with them."

Going to Moldova!!!!

Well folks, I have another amazing opportunity to go and see another part of the world and what the Lord is doing in another country. I will be joining a team of 4 other people from my church for a week-long vision trip to Moldova.

The question that immediately follows: Where is Moldova?

Moldova is a land-locked country is eastern Europe.

It is surrounded by Ukraine and Romania.

We will be traveling all over the southern part of Moldova visiting various churches and an orphanage. To say that I am excited would be a bit of an understatement. I haven't been a trip like this before. It will be a whirlwind, it will be exhausting but it will be AWESOME to see what the Lord is doing in Moldova. 

Life Lately...

To say that life has been a little bit crazy lately would be a bit of an understatement but you know what, honestly I wouldn't have it any other way.

Here are some of the highlights!

My friend Kevin left to serve our country overseas for a couple of months.

I am really proud of Kev-o. He's the first of one of my friends to do what he's doing. 

I turned 30. Three surprise parties were thrown to celebrate this new decade. Yes, THREE! (apparently I am really easy to surprise but more importantly, I seriously have some of the BEST people in my life.)

E, K, C and I ventured up the road a little way and had dinner and pie in Yoder. SO delicious!

 

We celebrated K's birthday at Pizza John's in Derby. YUM!

My good friend Christy and I have dinner together every so often. 

We decided to only eat at local places. The first stop was Cafe Asia! SO good! 

(any meal you eat with chopsticks is automatically better)

Pad Thai. (go to Cafe Asia and eat this. NOW)

E, C and I went to see The Lion King.

The show was amazing. 

Here's the thing about my life. It is full. It is sometimes busy but it is full of amazing people and incredible experiences. I am blessed and my cup overflows.

Claire, an orphan no more

Remember Claire?

I met Claire during the summer of 2011. I think it's safe to say that the Lord used her (and her story and her LIFE) to break my heart for orphans and expand my vision for orphan care around the world.

Today, Claire is now with her very own forever family. A mom and dad to call her own. A mom would found me on facebook last fall. A mom who has so graciously shared their adoption journey with me. A mom who shared these pictures of them meeting Claire for the very first time with me.

If you have a couple hours and want to read all about Claire's story during her time at ND, click here. (there are lots of links to several posts written about her.)

Pray for Claire as she grieves losing the only family she has ever know. Pray for the Robinson's that the Lord would fill them with grace and strength and wisdom as they seek to love and care for Claire well. Pray that Claire would trust them quickly, would adjust to the culture differences well and that she would KNOW that she is loved and rest in the knowledge that she has a family of her very own.

Claire's story as an orphan has FINALLY come to an end.