Te seguire.

Well folks, welcome to my first attempt at blogging. In case you're wondering why on earth I've decided to put bits and pieces of my life on the internet (some of you may know that I try to be a private person), it's mostly because I stole my roommate's idea to keep my family and some friends involved in what I'm doing with my life. So, I know at least my parents and my grandparents will be reading this, and if that's all, I'm okay with that. In all honesty, the thought of anyone who has access to the internet reading this is kind of scary. But I'm branching out--apparently blogging is the thing to do now that we're in the 21st century.


I should probably explain the lack of English titles thus far. They're references to Matthew 8:19, where a teacher of the law says, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go". And it's in the very next verse that Jesus replies, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head". 


The constant changing of locations that comes with living at college has only gotten harder for me with time. No matter where I am, I always feel like I have one foot out the door. Since my freshman year at Trinity began, I've spent time in Peotone, Palos Heights, Georgia, and Champaign-Urbana. I leave for Haiti on Saturday, I will hopefully visit my roommate in LA this summer, I plan to spend my last semester in Ecuador, and there's an excellent possibility that I will leave Illinois for a few years as soon as I graduate. I'm very blessed to have all these opportunities to travel to and live in so many different places, but I never thought I'd end up feeling rootless. Spend time with me a day or two before I pack to leave again and you'll probably find that I'm not in a good mood, and it's not just because I hate packing. I love to travel, yet I long for a greater sense of permanency, and it's safe to say that the moving around is not ending anytime soon.


So what's a girl to do? Follow Jesus. In a sense, I feel like I can hardly complain, because he has given me the opportunity to fulfill so many dreams. And when I find out that the pursuit of those dreams isn't what I thought it would be, he is there to remind me that I'm still waiting for my permanent home when the redemption of all creation comes to completion. 


More than that, though, I'm learning that as I pack for each new location, I already have what I really need--and that's God. He is omnipresent, which is a fancy way of saying that he is with me wherever I go. Even though God's plans, especially for the next couple years, are turning out to be very different than my plans, I'm learning that it's okay. I'm not alone. I have the Creator of this earth with me wherever I go in it.


One final thought. Jesus had no place to lay his head. He was always on the move. So whenever I feel transient and rootless, all I have to do is think of him and know that he must have felt that way sometimes too.


Sorry it's a little rough...I'm hoping to get better at this. Next time you hear from me, I'll be back from Haiti and excited to share what God has done in me and through me. And perhaps a little more tan. :)