Into the Unknown
“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Romans 12:1 During my senior year of college, I didn’t know that this verse would open my eyes to the true definition of surrender. For years, I have loved being in the background and living a comfortable life. For me, that meant staying in my hometown, getting a job, and doing it with few challenges. A life that was non-sacrificial and worshipless. I soon realized I had to ask myself what it meant... Read more
Home SWEET home
HOME.. Is it a location? A building with structure? A feeling or mindset? Maybe it's people, family and community? Or what if it's where our memories were made or remain? When we get to live as we were created? Home.. what is Home for me? Home is a house of little memories collected and lived 8C02DAC8-EC18-40EF-98F1-DF7C568435AB.jpeg Home is a warm hug from the beloved that bore my life 33EFC79F-9514-4D4F-824D-14CC4E98ECA6.jpeg Home is the cool dry air in the high dessert of Central Oregon Home is a table with shared food and significant faces Home is... Read moreA good and tough month.
A good and tough month. July has been full of blessings and of reminders that my reliance is fully on Jesus. For the sake of ending on a high note, I’ll share one of the struggles first. This month I have been profoundly reminded that things are out of my control. There are ways I can be active and engaged but I cannot will situations or people’s hearts to change. One of the few situations this month that has provided this reminder came from the holiday regarding Abraham’s sacrifice, one of two important holidays in the Muslim world. In my language lessons I had read an abridged version of... Read more
My Glinda Moment
For those of you who know the musical Wicked, my guess is that what you think of when you read that I’ve had a Glinda moment is not the moment I mean. My Glinda moment is a more obscure, less than glamorous point of comparison. At the beginning of Act 2, Glinda has arrived at the place of status and power she has been longing for and yet is not experiencing the joy that she anticipated accompanying the achievement (forgive me for that was a serious paraphrase). In song - it’s a musical after all - she says, That's why I couldn't be happier No, I couldn't be happier Though it is, I admit... Read more
Lessons Learned in Transition
Well, after six weeks, I think I have settled into a bit of a rhythm back at home. In a good way! The world felt a little topsy turvy there for a bit and so it is with a bit of relief that I am excited to find this strange definition of normal. As I am settling in, I find time to reflect on this last transition. From the front end of it, I did not expect it to be so….big? Obviously, 1271 miles* is quite large change, but even beyond the physical distance, there was so much more to this transition. I want to highlight a couple of truths I have learned, or am attempting to learn, in the... Read more
Perfect Provision and Pursuing Patience
As I walked into support-raising I knew that God would provide for me, but I had no idea just how quickly and fully that provision would come. Over the span of five weeks, after what seemed like thousands of Starbucks trips, several out-of-town visits, and many zoom calls, my goal for monthly commitments was met and exceeded! So many people were telling me about the extraordinary circumstances that led them to be able to financially support my ministry. It has been so amazing to see how God has been working in the lives of my ministry partners for them to be able to contribute so generously... Read more
Like a Newborn
Being dependent on others for food and shelter, taking lots of naps, not understanding much, and observing a lot as the brain forms new connections. Does this describe a baby or a 23-year-old in Bulgaria for the first time?? I would say both! I've been feeling like a newborn which is both a beautiful and hard thing. I don't remember my first experience of being birthed (I think I should praise God for that), but I can imagine the intense sensations because stepping into life in a new country, culture, and language is a kind of rebirth I'll never forget. In nursing school, I got the... Read moreMountain Tops & Valleys
Before I moved overseas, I went through quite a few different training sessions. One of the things I learned the most about was culture shock. There were 100 different examples and metaphors for how a person could experience the inevitable culture shock. I read all the books, took all the notes, and really thought I was prepared. Culture shock would have nothing on me! Or so I thought. I am now three days into month six, and let me tell ya, culture shock is real and very much at play. While learning about it was good and important, I don’t think anything could have truly prepared me for... Read more
Surrendering My Dreams to Take Up HIS
Hello, my dear reader! I am so excited that you have stumbled upon my blog. My name is Hannah, and I have just recently graduated from Belhaven University with a BFA in Dance and a BA in English. I am currently in the process of support raising to join a team in the Middle East that uses the performing arts to share the Gospel. But before I share more about my team, I want to tell you a bit about why I chose to do GoCorps…. I never thought I would do missions or be a missionary. Since I was a little girl, it had been my dream to be a professional dancer. When I was little, I wanted to be a... Read more