Monday, July 19, 2010

Hastings

If you remember, I'm in Minnesota for a little while. I didn't post last night (which is a shocker for me) but I really was just kinda out of the groove. I love being here though, in MN. I know a lot of people here, and it really just reminds me of old times. And for the first time in a month, i played Bunny Bunny and Ninja (which- even though James disagrees- i am the champ at) and it really just brought me back to a month ago in a little place called Kingstree, South Carolina. I'm a southern belle. I'll admit it, i have some "twang" to my voice at times and i say ya'll ocassionally. So Kingstree was pretty much like home for me, except there were people from everywhere. We had Rochester, Minnesota- where im only about 25 minutes from right now- of which i made some great friends, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina (woot woot!) and natives from South Carolina (sorry if i missed a group).

While there we all grew close to eachother, God especially, and we got to express ourselves in new ways- from singing & acting and performing, to sports and just talking to people and helping them. A big hit was a little game called ninja. If you know what i'm talking about your mind is probably racing right now thinking of the last time you played ninja. For me it was a few hours ago, which is just gtreat! And being this close to people who were there in one of the highlights of my summer, and just a highlight of my life in general, is just so exciting. To know that if i could find spare time to hitch a ride i could get back in touch with that. And for some reason playing ninja makes me feel like i'm back over there.

The reason why I'd say i miss mission trip so much is so much happened there. When we got there, we saw the MN vans pull in and we all looked at eachother and just thought "i thought our FOUR HOUR drive was long", and we would go from the horrible heat into cool, cool rooms. We would get in touch with everybody in the free times where you go and socialize outside (or sleep inside) and grow more comfortable with everyone in the evening programs. Then those moments came along where you just clicked with your faith. You just thought- hey. This is why I am HERE. This is why I came here, for Him. And then it just made you think- ESPECIALLY cry night, but i wont get into that now, maybe another day.

Anyways- I've been obsessing about mission trip- i still talk to at least one person from mission trip (AT LEAST) every day for a long period of time. I still wear my mission trip 2010 ring everyday, unless it's a circumstance where i would lose it. The whole point of it is i dont want to lose what I had there. The first day back from mission trip i kept thinking "now i would be on the roof opening shingles" or "now i'd be dancing to Get Down, or other things like that. I just wanted to be back there, it was over too quick. Now I realize that it doesnt have to be over, just because I'm not in that schedule that puts me straight into a path to growing closer with my faith.... that doesn't mean I cant still do stuff like that. It doesnt mean that i cant still help those in need, or that i cant reach out and make new friends who all want to serve Him, or that i cant play ninja with loved ones- which i've been doing a lot since i got to MN, thanks guys!! I'm learning now I can, should, and will do all of these things still.

Im in the middle of Hastings, my last night actually in Hastings before returning it a bit more up north. I'm with cousins that I never see, yet we bond so much that it's crazy, and I love it here so much; family is a big part of us. And i'll close this post (not only because everyone's asleep now but me, but also because it's kinda long) by quoting a very popular song that I love-

In your weakness He is stronger
In your darkness He shines through
When you're crying, He's your comfort
When you're all alone- He's carrying you!

-Audio Adrenaline (Get Down)

3 comments:

James Earley said...

hard core, girl. lol. =) btw, i'm the champ at ninja! also, i like how you sort of addressed the impossibility of spreading christian influence without leaving the mountaintop. you are fabulous, and i miss you!

Emma K said...

haha thanks james really i was venting about ninja and mission trip a good majority of the time, but thank you :) miss you and everyone else too! and you are a VERY fabulous jinglydoodle. wait one more thing-
I AM THE CHAMPION at ninja(:

trina.ashley@gmail.com said...

I liked this post a lot:D And I'm glad that you had such a great workcamp experience, and are ready to make it last! That's definitely one of the hardest lessons to learn. ugh. Just remember that you can experience God in the same way that you experienced Him in Kingstree, all you have to do is seek Him. And keep looking for ways to serve others, because as i'm sure we all figured out, it's just as rewarding for us as it is for those we're serving!