Come and join me on this journey. I am a wanderer, following the heart of God and learning to trust, even when I don't understand. In this blog, you will find pictures, stories, thoughts, and the wonderings of a girl who might be in her twenties, but still very much feels like a twelve year old.
The wandering is not always graceful. It can be honest, mundane, and sometimes painfully awkward. But I am finding there are beautiful moments even in the questions.
The wandering began at the age of 19 when I fell in love. I wasn't expecting it, and it was a little sudden, but I boarded a plane for an island country in the Pacific.
This Florida girl had signed up for a summer at an orphanage. It would be two months of playing with babies in a foreign country to hopefully satisfy my thirst for adventure.
I did get to play with babies, and I did have adventures, but it was so much more. For the first time, I walked through real poverty. I met little ones who had been abused and broken, and I held the hand of a man suffering from tuberculosis.
At the same time, I understood in a very real way the brevity of this life and the value of my time. It's not about me. It's about the God who calls my name and how I choose to respond when He calls. My heart was broken and could not be restored to its original condition, nor would I ever want it to be.
I didn't fall in love with a boy, but rather a country, a people, and a house full of little ones. I fell in love with the brown eyes and crooked smiles of those living in poverty. I fell in love with the God who gave me the chance to do this.
When I was 23, I left small-town Florida for big-city South Pacific. I now work at the orphanage where I fell in love. I teach ballet, tutor, homeschool, serve as guidance counselor, caregiver, discipler, and basically do whatever my boss asks :)
My life is crazy and far from perfect. It is often unpredictable, and I do not always react in the best way to the changes. I am learning to live cross-culurally by grace, and the Tagalog language is now a source of comfort, rather than stress.
Most importantly, I am wandering through this life, following the One who called me so long ago. He is worth every question, every moment, every glory.
A few more wanderings...
My three favorite people, who taught me to be a big sister.
My favorite place in the world.
Teaching ballet... one of my biggest blessings is being able to use ballet
with our girls.
India, my other love.
Manila sunsets have my heart
I may or may not be ridiculous in real life.
And you can't take the Florida out of the girl.
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