future

today joel and i registered.

we were shocked at the amount of things that actually go into a real, grown up house and despite the fact that we have never, ever had more stuff than can fit in the back of a car… we will very soon.

it is so exciting to be envisioning what our home will look like. colors, shapes, fabrics. it was exhausting and overwhelming to wander through a store and plan out our future home, but it was done in the span of a long afternoon.

this isn’t the hard part.

now that i’ve been home, seen family and friends, and discussed my plans for the future with the people who know and love me so well i have begun to realize that whether or not i’m ready i will be an adult in a few months. 

i have no idea what i’m doing.

what is interesting to me is that my comfort and stability is in my future marriage. NEVER did i EVER think that i would write that sentence, but its true. i have been thinking and randomly searching when i get a few minutes to see what kind of jobs are out there and i usually don’t know where to start. customer service? non-profit? administrative? i guess so??

i know that i will find something. i know that if  i am in a desperate situation i could find something, but i don’t even now what my ideal job is. i don’t know how unusual this is for soon-to-be grads, but its so strange. for years we are told what classes to take, when to be there, even how to dress and now i am given the freedom to go and figure out what it is i will do. i know a twenties something is not in the position to decide what jobs i will and will not take(since i should take what i can get), but i can decide what things interest me. i can decide where i will look, what types of things i am looking for, and the adult i will be.

the things i have dreamed of doing are years away. i have to find out how i will re-shape and translate those things to the life i will have once may 28th comes.

it’ll happen. i’ll find something.

sorry hipsters…

#130 Ray-Ban Wayfarers

White people can do powerful things with their eyes: casting judgment, indicating scorn, and obnoxiously rolling them when someone says something they don’t agree with. Yet in spite of these powers, they are not immune to the dangers of the sun. So white people must wear sunglasses. But what may surprise you is that while white people will spend upwards of three months finding a perfect pair of unique prescription glasses, they have no such requirement for sunglasses.

Right now, all white people are either wearing or coveting a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses.

These sunglasses are so popular now that you cannot swing a canvas bag at a farmers market without hitting a pair. In fact, at outdoor gatherings you should count the number of Wayfarers so you can determine exactly how white the event is. If you see no Wayfarers you are either at Country music concert or you are indoors.

White people love these Ray-Bans because they were very popular in the 1960s and the 1980s. This gives them a historical precedent and allows white people to classify them as “timeless.” That way when they purchase these sunglasses they can talk about how they were inspired by the fashion and music of these bygone eras. When a white person says this, you should just nod and mention how they look like young Johnny Cash, a dead Beach Boy, Audrey Hepburn or an extra from a John Hughes movie. This will make them happy and likely to give you their old, expensive sunglasses that you can sell for a significant profit.

Under no circumstances, should you imply that white people purchased their sunglasses because of celebrities that are not dead or because they saw them on other white people they think are cool. This will make them very upset as white people need to believe that they cannot be persuaded to buy anything.

Saying something like “man, it’s pretty amazing how 65 people at this outdoor concert all decided to get their sunglasses at exactly the same time,” should only be directed at a white person who is not wearing Wayfarers. This will make them feel better about not fitting in, but it will also make them self conscious about their plan to buy a pair.

(Note: a significant amount of white women are still wearing oversized sunglasses but they are a dying breed.)

-stuff white people like

ha.

kids are so weird.

at least say words little musical genius.

oh weddings.

the deeper i get into wedding plans, the more i want to elope.  i just want to marry joel on a regular day and wear my dress around the house.

joel won’t let me do it though.

ha.

in just about 4 months, God has provided over $107,797 for our teams to go on their trips in january.

$107,797

there is no way the efforts of about 50 college students could have done this all on our own. no way.

wow.

thank you jesus for being our provider and for not being limited by a global economic crisis. thank you for showing these teams it is important that they go by filling their bank accounts. thank you for answering our prayers. thank you for loving the nations so much that you bless us with the ability to go. thank you for being bigger than we think you are. thank you surprising us. thank you for giving these students the opportunity to preach your death days after we celebrate your birth. thank you for being the most high king, born as an illegitimate child in a dirty world.

“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.

For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,  Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.”

-Isaiah 9

thank you, thank you, thank you.

now that i have free time…

…i can actually write a real blog.

there have been a few things that happened lately that have pulled me back to argentina and my time there.

• the conviction of amanda knox, a college student accused of murdering her roommate while studying abroad in italy.
• a facebook friend request from one of the girls i met in prison.
• the release of james bain after he spent 35 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

it’s interesting when things come up and surprise me; make me remember the things i have been choosing to forget.

i guess i will start with amanda knox. if you haven’t read about the long court process, read a bit about it here. its super bizarre. based on what i’ve read, i don’t think anyone knows what really happened… especially the italian courts. if she is innocent then i really do feel bad for her because this whole thing has ruined her life. if she’s not, which she may well be, then it will be interesting to see what happens as the appeals process begins. this case has gotten an insane amount of attention, much in part of the fact that it is an international case. people are saying the italian system is unjust, hilary clinton may get involved, and she is portrayed as both a sex/murder addict and innocent girl next door.

it just reminds me of the girls i met this summer and how people aren’t really fighting for their freedom. 30% of argentina’s prison population is foreign. based on the amanda knox case, one would believe she is the only american in a foreign prison. false.

i guess what i find most interesting is what kinds of cases like this get the attention because there are thousands and thousands that don’t. another interesting part is that the u.s. didn’t sign an agreement to secure the fair treatment of foreigners in their prisons so americans lose consular rights in many situations when they are overseas. just interesting.

sudarat sent me a facebook request this week. she is from thailand and was one of the girls i was able to at least remember her name and talk a bit with. her facebook has a couple of pictures with 2 other girls she was in prison with and they are in cute clothes and have smiles on their faces like i never saw when i was with them. it is so happy to know they are out and enjoying being free. i just hope that they stay out of trouble and never end up in prison again like many people often do. it was happy for me to see her happy and outside.

james bain was convicted of kidnapping and raping a 9 year old boy… read about it here. there is a lot of work happening right now in the judicial system where these groups are re-looking cases where dna is available and the technology didn’t exist when these men were convicted. because of this, it means many of these men were sent to prison in the 70s and 80s. now that dna has been used for some of these cases, there have been a number (a HIGH number) of people who have been released due to wrongful convictions. many of them being minorities. many of them were sentenced to life.

its so crazy. i am so thankful that we have the technology to give people freedom and know guilt or innocence based on real, scientific fact. this man says he’s not mad at the system for taking 35 years of his life. 35 years. that was 15 years before i was even born. while it makes me happy, it also makes me sad because there are bound to be more innocent people behind bars while the actual offender is on the streets.

that is what freedom looks like.

again, another random post, but it all fits somewhat nicely in my head. its all so interesting. freedom is something that most of us here in america just don’t get because we’ve always had it.

freedom.

the week before finals

yes, its here. i have a paper, a presentation, and an exam so what does that mean?!?!

youtube of course.

here is one of my faves:

this videos is one of my finer pieces of evidence supporting my conclusion that kids are really strange.

in addition to this, tonight was our prayer send-off for the teams that will be leaving in january. i can’t believe they are actually going. i feel like a proud momma. God has brought in over $80,000 in less than 4 months. i am so excited for these students who have worked really hard to get to this point. please be praying for them:

• kenya: micah and danielle
• uganda: tyler and brianna
• russia: ashley and miriam
• belgium: kevin and ryan
• north africa: brad and scott

they’ve come a loooooong way, but there still is a lot of work to do. some days i really wish i didn’t have my job because of the time or the pressure, but there are days like today where it is such a privilege to sit and watch God work miracles. there is no way that we, a group of 7 college students who work part-time, could have pulled this off. he’s good and give a lot of grace.

jesus loves you. he’s going to come back someday so you should love him too.

drumroll please…

here it is. my gospel and culture PAPER.

never have i ever read, learned, stressed, wrote, cried, labored, or discussed anything more during my academic career. i’m so glad its over and done… i’m pretty proud of it.

grab a cup of tea, sit back, and enjoy.

one day…

i will finish my daily to-do list before i go to bed. it is yet to happen this year, but here’s to hoping.

proof.

i’ve been telling joel lately, to quote beyonce, if he like it then he shoulda put a ring on it.

so he did.