World Changer Series : Lindsay

World Changer Series:
Lindsay

This is Lindsay. I believe the moment I knew that we would be friends, is when the team was looking for one another in the airport. That morning I started a group text so it would be easier for everyone to fine one another. Her text read "I will be the one with the fanny pack"--

The next big moment for Lindsay and I was one night in Uganda. I was sharing a bed with the leader of the team and Lindsay was sleeping in a bunk bed above another team member. When the lights go off in Uganda..... it gets dark, very dark. In the dark of the night, while we were all tucked into our beds, or sleeping bags. A shrill scream filled the room, at first I thought it was a dream and then we heard it again, "a bat. theres a bat in my mosquito net." I jumped out of the bed, and grabbed the flashlight to see Lindsay moving about in her mosquito net. I calmly walked to her bed and helped her down, in hopes of leaving the bat in the net. This story could last long, so to speed it up-- I ran to get the only guy on the team to catch the bat, which ended up in half of the team being in the bed with the leader (which was also my bed) of the team and their net tucked in, while a couple of us chased a rabid bat around the guest house. It was perfect.

Recently, I got to see Lindsay. She came down for a visit. I took her around my hometown. I took her to my favorite restaurant, that apparently I mentioned a bunch while on our trip to Uganda. She met my loud family and spent most of the time with my friends, who have quickly become family. I am so thankful that she came to visit. I am thankful for her heart. I am thankful that she came when she did. My heart needed to be reminded of the Africa stories. I am honored to give this blog to my sweet friend Lindsay. She has a heart of gold.

color: green

movie: The Holiday

music: She thinks on this one for awhile and pulls out her phone, while telling me that she will have to think. "I have Katy Perry, Coldplay, Journey, NeedtoBreathe, One Direction. I like Flo Rida, I do"

season: fall

Starbucks: 'its going to sound divaish"-- triple grande extra hot tow pump pumpkin spice latte

best friends: the 4Bs

describe yourself in 3 words: silly, empathetic and redeemed

quote: 'kids these days' or 'the struggle is real'

occupation: nurse- takes care of babies- cleans little messes

hobby: decorating, making things pretty, reading, needle point & photography

college: University of Georgia and Belmont University

Bible verse: 1 John 4:12

 

favorite thing to do: be out in the sun, in any form: hiking, drinking coffee, absorbing sunlight

one thing you want to do with your life: " I want to be a mom, more than anything. I also, want to be a wife. True Confession: I want to perform CPR"

 

define freedom: it is for freedom that we have been set free. free from bondage.

 

She then talks about my cat, whom she has been holding through this whole process.

Jesus: She smiles big: "we're just going to say, more than enough"

 

what is your proudest moment: I got called to the ER one night, to put an IV in a baby and 'I GOT IT.'

  Also, when she can empower and teach other nurses. She elaborates on a story of when she was being trained and there was a good instructor and a bad instructor. She promised herself she would be the good one. She had to train a nurse once and a few months later received a letter that read "thank you for the way you taught me" -- she knew she had kept that promise to herself.

 

Do you want to talk about your man? of course.

 His name is Micah,

He is currently in Cambodia on the World Race.

 

How have you handled him being gone?

Its been hard. Its been an exercise. Its taught me patience and trust, not only in our relationship, but in the Lord. It makes me excited about the future and its taught me not to take the little things for granted.

 

Have you ever been out of the country? Indeed.

Mexico: I was 14. We built a house.

  Bahamas: I was in the youth group, we cleaned.

Uganda: 10 years later, orphanages.

 

'I chose to be a traveling nurse because I would have more money to travel with. I wanted to travel some while he was on the race and Uganda kept showing up. I filled out my application to go and the next night I went to see a Ugandan children's choir called Ugandan Thunder. During the program, the kids walk out and pass out these necklaces, they only have about 12 and there are 200 people in the room. A little boy walked to me, placed the necklace around my neck and then prayed for me. It was conformation in a beautiful way.

 

What was the most rewarding trip:

Mexico- the house was finished.

                                                          Uganda- I got to take baby Noah to the doctor. The doctor didn't care at all about the pain tolerance of Noah. I got to see a culture that didn't care about emotional or physical pain. How do you change an entire cultures view of pain? We are just as broken here, it just looks different. Ignoring brokenness is not just an inflection of 3rd world.

 

worship: the only response to grace. God doesn't need it, its one things that brings Him joy.

one place you want to visit: Bora Bora

siblings: older brother: Ryan

younger sister: Rachael

"middle child here"

"sometimes I think I was adopted"

 

She turns the interview around on me.

 

Do you believe that God made all animals? I answered.

Her response: while she expresses her love for animals, I think they know how to love.

 

 

What is the last thing you want to say to whomever reads this?

The way you start your day, is the way you spend your day.

 

This is Lindsay. She is one of kind. I am so thankful that Jesus put us in Uganda together.

 

 

 

Hearing Jesus through the rush of today

Its only 1:15pm and I have worn so many hats already today. Today, I have given it my all, already and its barely began. I still have a list of 75 more things to do. I get busy. I stay busy. Sure, I don't work a 9-5, but that does not discount what I do. I hit the ground running in the mornings. I have a to-do list on my phone that tells me where to be and when. A lot of what I have to do relies on people. I have to do a lot of things based on others schedule. Today, I wanted to wake up and binge watch the new season of New Girl that just dropped on Netflix, but I couldn't. So, I woke up showered quick, got dressed quick, loaded my things in the car and drove quick to my first thing lined up for today.

I promised myself in Uganda this last trip that I wouldn't rush through my life anymore. That I would enjoy each moment that occurs, because soon it will be gone. I said all of these things, only to come home and 4 months later--I am literally running to complete things that day.  I sometimes have little time to think about anything else, but what I have to do next.

For example, today I have already worn the outreach hat, the videographer hat, the blogger hat, the friend hat, and in a hour I will be wearing the student hat, then the massage therapist hat, then the videographer/editor hat, then the youth leader hat and next the friend hat. I run and my days are so packed that it gets overwhelming sometimes.

I love what I do, I really do. But there are days, when I want to turn off my phone and not be afraid to say 'no' to people. I am so worried about letting people down, that I continue to add things and add things. I am, passionate about everthing I have listed above, which also puts a different aspect on things.

I love being busy. I love watching things come together, I love seeing the final project. You will see me sometimes, at a function or an event, stand in the back and smile, like a giddy child. You will see me almost in tears while watching the whole team come together. Its the beauty in it all.

Throughout all of the hats that I wear, I have to say that being the daughter to my King is my favorite hat. I may not wake up and take things slow, with a cup of coffee and quiet time in my field like I'd love to, but I do write Him often. I pray to Him on the way to things. & while I am driving down the road screaming the old John Mark album with the windows down in this fall weather, He tells me that He hears me. He speaks to me. So, when I feel like I have 75,000 things to do and I feel like I have spread myself too thin. He comes in with a simple smile from a stranger, or an encouraging text from a friend. He does something to remind me of why I do what I do.

**Today, I went to the Rescue Mission, by myself, to drop off the food we will cook tomorrow night. I had a simple conversation with the sweetest man who works in the kitchen. He said 'Hey, leave the heavy stuff, I am going to come grab it." He thanked the church at least 6 times and he told me stories while we unloaded the car. As I left he went back to his chair outside and said, "enjoy this beautiful weather," he sat down and waved as I backed out.

I backed out and thought about him for a second, I wondered how he got to where he is. How did he end up living in the homeless shelter, how is he so happy and he lives there? He has a joy about him. A light. A peace. I wondered what his thoughts were while sitting on the porch in his chair? What does he think about life? He smelled of tobacco and the kitchen, but through that sweet man-- I had a focus for the day, It's my focus for everyday, but I sometimes lose sight of it.

that's simply. 

Everyone has a story. Listen to them. We can learn so much from each other if we just listen. 

So, through my crazy days. My rushed moments. I have to slow down and not forget the importance in people. Not forget why I do what I do. It's for Jesus. He'd listen to people. He did listen to people. So I will too. 

I found this in my journal the other night while reading through them. I wrote this right after my sweet Pepaw said it. My favorite part is him saying that he didn't get here over night, it was by kindness and loving people. I found it fitting for the blog. 

a wanderer series: Camaryn Joyce

 

This is a new thing I am going to try it out. I am wanting to write blogs about people in my life who have changed my life in the tiniest ways. Its going to be special, I am asking people to open up. People of all ages. There will be a few different type of series. I am excited to see where this goes.

This is Camaryn. She's my baby sister. I am going to be sentimental with this first one, simply because today when I picked her up from school I looked over at her and saw the 7 year old that I use to pick up from school. Today, she was the 13 year old who had a giant smile, a flute case in her hand and a story to tell about band. With no hesitation she plugged in her phone to fill the car with lightweight indie music. Her taste in music is superb. Its funny what you get when you ask your sisters to stay off social media for the day. I got a rare side of Camaryn in the car. She told such rich and animated stories. She danced to 'Colors of the Wind,' she waved at strangers and we had ice cream for her after school treat. I asked her if we could take pictures when we got home, I've been asking her for months and today she said "Yes, because I like my shoes"

Here are a few of the shots we got--

 

something's about this pretty

color: purple

movie: Pocahontas

what do you want to be when you grow up? I'm undecided

school subject: language

singer: Ed Sheeran

season: fall

hobbies: playing the flute, painting and drawing

 what does freedom look like to you? a butterfly

what about Jesus? He's my master

 

This is all happening while the family is walking around and she pauses to text her friend. So some of the answers are fast.

 

what is worship to you? I love worship, I do it in the shower because nobody can see me

what is your favorite thing to do? Going up high, like on the roof

describe yourself in three words:  happy, caring and you fill in the next one

who are your best friends? Ashley and Lauryn

what's the number one thing you want to do with your life? make everyone happy

 

what's the last thing you want to say? Be happy.... peace out.

 

 

 

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRfDohnav_4

 

 

Her heart is golden. She brings joy to the room and her smile is contagious. She will change the world. She gets it. She knows how to love and she can hold her own. She is a special kiddo.

"And we are all connected to each other, in a circle, in a hoop that never ends."

I decided to watch  Pocahontas last night for the first time since I was 8 years old. At 8, you really don't understand everything that goes on in these Disney movies. You just see the 'Princess' and "Prince Charming" and you wait for the magical kiss at the end of the movie. You do not watch the movie as a child and understand the plot as a whole, you do not pick up on the symbolism. I have the movie on right now, again, because last night as I was watching I learned so much. 

They mention the New World-- freedom, prosperity, the adventure of our lives. This is what John Smith and his crew were going to find and, of course, the gold. They talked about the Indians and how much they tried to overthrow them. Then it goes to Pocahontas, herself. You see her connection with the wind, with Grandmother Willow, her best friends are a raccoon and a hummingbird. Her father, speaks of peace. Within the first 5 minutes of the movie you see the differences in the cultures. We learn that one stands for war and one stands for peace. The scene when John Smith and Pocahontas meet for the first time- they are each on separate rocks staring at one another. In this short 15 second clips, I felt the power in the shot, sure this is just a Disney movie, but I thought about how much that shot shouts. On one end you have Smith, who is raised on rules and fighting to get what he wants. He doesn't much care about the earth as a whole, it seems. Then you have Pocahontas, who grows up knowing peace, who has the spirit of her mother. She has a specific dream that she keeps referring to. Their world are completely different, but they choose to put their past behind them and they fall in love. She then starts singing colors of the wind, I'm not sure that I ever listened to the words of the song, here is just one 

"And we are all connected to each other, in a circle, in a hoop that never ends."

Thats just one line out of the entire song, but that one line speaks so much. Again, I am going to start that sure this is just a Disney movie.

I know that I have recently posted a blog on the unrest overseas and I haven't said much since. I am not big on politics, I am not going to debate which political party is better, its not worth my time. I do not know where every country is located and I for sure couldn't list leaders names. I do not watch the news, ever. I read articles when I realize that a big thing is happening. Its a depressing world we are living in. A very, very broken one. I know and Jesus knows how I operate when it comes to war. I have been a hippie at heart since I was a child. I always want the good guy to win, I always want the kid who is picked on to speak his peace. I want people to do right, who wouldn't? But as I got older I realized just how much people don't really care about the kid who is bullied or about the good guy. They just want what is best for themselves. Yes, I have had these thoughts. I am human. But, since going on my first mission trip I prayed this prayer "Jesus, break my heart for what breaks yours." I think most of us have said that prayer to some extent, but what happens when the prayer we have prayed just as a routine actually happens.

What do we do when God does start breaking our hearts for what breaks his, the answer can vary for each person. He broke my heart, He has been breaking my heart. Every time I get in His presence I see a child running down a street towards me, his clothes are tattered, he is dirty and I see his bright smile-- that one image itself gets me back on track. It reminds me of why I am here. But then there are moments when I begin thinking about the brokeness of this world and I see ISIS, I hear the cries of the people, I sometimes hear their screams and then Jesus tell me in His own way "this is what breaks my heart" and I sometimes weep. Sometimes, I push it in the back of my mind only for it to come back up later that night. For example, today on the way to a meeting about an outreach program, I thought about the people who are losing their lives for their beliefs, I pushed it to the back of my mind and went on about my day. Later that night, I went to a life group and we started worshipping. I went to the back and started writing, I process things through writing. Jesus was giving me so much, so quick that my hand was shaking. I tend not to read what I write until I'm done, but when I started rereading it, it was about ISIS. It was about the broken families, it was about the mothers who are having their children ripped from their hands and murdered in front of them. It was Jesus speaking to me through my own writing. He was telling me to tell people. 

With that being said, I am going to try to say this without stepping on peoples toes. I may do that and I am sorry if I do, but this is what Jesus gave me and it still is hard for me to swallow. We are selfish people. We numb our brains. We give Facebook power over our lives. We allow Instagram to become our own little competition. We literally numb our brains to what is really happening in this world. Most of you reading this know about Noah, you know the story of how he built an ark, placed two of each animal and his family into the boat because there was a flood. We learn about this in preschool, I teach this in preschool. Do we ever stop to think about the bodies that we floating around, God told Noah to keep the door closed until He told him to open it. Could you imagine what would have happened if the door would have stayed open? Could you imagine what Noah and his family would have seen or heard? People drowning, people scratching on the outside of the boat trying to grasp onto something. It broke God's heart to know that He had to flood the Earth, but He says that He had to do it because of the amount of evilness in this world. I don't teach that in preschool, I teach the cute story, of course. But think on how much God's heart truly did hurt watching His children die. 

Now, think about how He feels right now. Think about the pain that He feels? Think about what He is doing. I imagine Him weeping. I imagine Him begging us, the christian body to take a stand. Just as Pochontas said in her song about the wind "And we are all connected to each other, in a circle, in a hoop that never ends." We are all connected. Regardless of the boundaries and borders we have created.  When are we going to take a stand and stop what is happening? I have placed myself in their situation, what would I do if someone busted down my door and asked me if I belived, sure we would all say that right now we would say Jesus-- but we honestly do not know until we are placed in that situation. I want to change my mindset, I want to change my heart. This is life is not mine. This life is not mine. This life is not mine. It was given to me as a gift. I am not here for what I want, I am here for what Jesus wants me to do, whatever the cost. The prize is going home to Him and forever dancing around His throne and praising Him. My heart is breaking at the thought of innoncent people being killed. They needed to be stopped and we need to make our voices known. We need to pray. WE NEED TO PRAY. For this world that is so broken. We can only scroll Facebook so many times. 

I know this post is very bold and I am sorry about anything I said to step on toes.