It's That Time Again (and other interests of mine)

     I think at this point, it is quite safe to say that I never have any idea of how long I'll be in one place. It's not at all that I am not striving to have some sense of permanency, it's more that it just seems God has a lot of short chapters for me to walk through on this journey. On that note, I have been home from Warsaw and back in the States for about four months now. It has been four of the strangest months of my life, mostly because I had thought everything was sorted ahead of time, only to find out my original plans were actually rather not doable for me at the time. No, I do not suggest stepping off a plane after living abroad for five months and expecting to be able to function at full American-life capacity a mere one week later. It just doesn't work. I say this to say that I have spent these past four months readjusting, resting, and pursuing Christ both in my personal relationship with Him and in which path He would lead me down next. At times, it honestly seemed as though there was no plan or point or anything. For me, waiting on Him to lead is not very easy, but I am learning.
     This week, though, everything suddenly fell into place and I am so grateful and excited for this. I won't bore you with details, but I've been hired for a position working for a small nonprofit who does work in public schools with students with autism. I am thrilled to be in a position where I am working one-on-one with students and I am equally excited about the specific work this organization does. The location is also right near one of my newest favorite Jersey towns near New York City and this week I was able to find a tiny apartment in a big old building in walking distance to downtown (if you know me at all, then you know how perfect this is). In a lot of ways, this is feeling like a whole new adventure and I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of the school year.
     As a side note, this does not at all mean that I won't be returning to Poland (or even somewhere else in Europe) as that truly is where my heart lives. Like I said at the beginning of this post, I never know how long each chapter will be and there is still a very real possibility of me returning to Poland in the semi-near future. So, that's a brief update of my life.
     What I really wanted to write about today, though, is actually quite different from everything I've just written. This blog was originally intended for me to keep friends and family (and whoever else stumbled on this) updated on my life in Warsaw, but seeing as how I am not there anymore, I don't think it would be very interesting to anyone if I were to blather on constantly about daily life in New Jersey. So, I'd like to try something different and maybe change the direction of this blog sightly so that in future I feel freer to chat about whatever it is that is currently rattling around in my brain. With that being said I feel like this past year or so I have come to discover some completely wonderful things out there in the worlds of entertainment, music, news and spiritual encouragement. In a sense, often they've overlapped and discovering one thing has led me to discover another thing. Anyway, I've chosen a few specific interests of mine that are wonderful enough for me to want to share them with you. Here goes...(also, I think I'll go from least serious to most serious).

*Entertainment(or as I like to call it: therapy): A little bit over a year ago now, I came across the incredibly talented British writer/comedian/actor/ect. who is John Finnemore. Most of his work consists of radio shows that he has written and acts in, but he also does several other projects from time to time. (I will include links after I stop rambling about him.) I really cannot say enough positive things about this person or even count how many times he has made me laugh out loud (alone in my car, on public transportation in front of strangers, ect...) this past year. Why this man is not just as world famous as some of his colleagues (which include Benedict Cumberbatch and David Mitchell) is not something I really understand. I will also add that in comparison to most comedic work out there, John Finnemore is very nearly squeaky-clean when it comes to adult language or rudeness. Obviously, parents will still need to review his radio shows first as not every single piece will be appropriate for the youngest audiences, but overall, Finnemore's work is some of the cleanest currently out there. If intelligent, sarcastic, witty, often satirical, but more often just outrageously silly humor fits your fancy, then you will find John Finnemore's works...well, absolutely brilliant! The following are some links on which I very much suggest you click...
1. Cabin Pressure is a radio sitcom about a barely-holding-on airline and it's crew and so much more. You can find out more about this here and here.
2. John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme is a radio sketch comedy show that has a sketch for almost every situation and topic in life. Click here.
3. John and Kevin's Sunday Papers have appeared almost monthly this year with a video review of several Sunday editions of various British newspapers. For a heavy dose of satire click here.
4. Finally, for information about all the above and more hilarious musings, you can just read John's blog over here.

*Music: The latest music group that I have been introduced to is called Rend Collective. They are a very talented bunch of musicians from Northern Ireland. They are Christians and their music very much reflects this. During my time in Warsaw, and ever since, I have been so encouraged in my walk with God through their worshipful and celebration-style tunes. You can find a good collection of their songs here.

*News: I think we all know that staying current with world events and trends is very often frustrating or overwhelmingly stressful or both. I have recently become a little acquainted with a Christian Southerner-moved-North named Jonathan Merritt who is senior columnist over at Religion News Service. Jonathan's articles and interviews provide very intelligent, helpful and balanced insights to those of us interested in a fairly conservative, but open-minded religious view coupled with a fairly moderate and reasonable political view. You can find Jonathan's articles over here and here. Jonathan has also written a book called Jesus is Better Than You Imagined which I have not read yet, but plan to very soon (and if someone reminds me, I'll write about it on this blog).

*Spiritual Encouragement: It goes without saying, but as a Christian adult living in the northeastern section of the United States, I find it takes constant vigilance and effort to ensure that I am taking in as much spiritual food as possible so as to go further into my journey with Christ and ward off the advances of the enemy. This past year, I have been so thankful to find a couple new sources for such spiritual food. Here are a couple I will suggest to you for now:
1. Think Theology is a website with which I am still getting acquainted, but thus far, I have found it very insightful and challenging in the process of thinking through current world trends and eternal Biblical truths.
2. There is a longer back-story here, but for now I will simply tell you that Kings Church over in the UK was a great source of encouragement to me while I was in Warsaw. I would often watch their sermons online on the weekend in part of my recharging process before another week of teaching and navigating a foreign city on my own. Even since I've been home, I have still been encouraged and challenged each time I've watched a sermon. What makes Kings Church so unique is that without trying to be stupidly "hip" or "cool," they really are frankly addressing very relevant topics from the pulpit and doing so with very sound doctrine and in a very loving manner. I am excited to watch from afar as God leads more people to Himself through His work at Kings.

     This is all for now. I sincerely hope that whoever stops by here finds at least one of the above sources to be a positive or helpful force in life. Also, obviously, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I do not have many pictures yet of my new town, but these two are of a beautiful little park there I visited in October.

Hippos Are Cool (and other aquarium adventures...)

     About three and half years ago, I took my oldest niece to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey for her very first visit. I will never forget the look of absolute surprise and thrill on her face as we walked just inside and she saw a turtle about three times her size (and I snapped a photo of the moment, so when my memory fades...there's still that...). What followed was one of our most fun days together and it has become one of my favorite memories with her.

     Since then, her and I have been successfully conquering other equally exploration-worthy destinations around the Garden State. In a way, this has sort of become our "thing" and we really do risk it all. No matter the weather, the drive distance, or even the crime rates of the general area, if there is advenure and family-friendly fun to be had in our home state, then we want to have it. Science and history museums, farm festivals, beaches, massive jungle gyms...we really should consider writing a guide book as we go along. 

     Anyway, I say all this to say that today, we finally made it back to the Adventure Aquarium for a brand new visit. It was perfect timing and such a blessing in the midst of a time in my life that's been particularly confusing and difficult. Below are some photos from the day, if you'd like to have a look. 

November in Charlotte- It's Not Yet Cold Here

     Since I have been back from Warsaw, very little in life has gone according to plan. I am not saying things have been bad or terribly messed up, but simply far different than I originally pictured. I have finally slowed down and sort of stepped back to take much needed time to breathe deeply and sit before God before moving forward into some new adventure. This is something I've actually wanted to do for quite some time, but I always pressure myself into thinking I must rush forward or have things all sorted.

     I'm not at all saying that every step of the way in my adult life so far hasn't been completely guided and ordained by Grace, but simply that the past few years have been so full of moving to new and far places, meeting so many lovely people and having so many diverse experiences that my inner self has felt a growing need to slow down, process and contemplate. Living right inside the uncertainties and not-yet-made decisions has not at all been easy or even felt natural, but it does feel absolutely right and strangely peaceful even in the midst of my constantly fluctuating anxiety and doubts. God is speaking and guiding and sowing new things and I am so thrilled to see for what He is using this time to prepare me. 

     All that being said, it has also been completely wonderful to catch up with good friends in the States and spend precious time with my family. This brings me to the title of this posting...this week, after a couple years of thinking about it, I was finally able to make the long drive south to central-ish North Carolina to visit a good friend and fellow native New Jersyian who has moved here to work in ministry. Now, there are few things in life I enjoy doing more than exploring a new city, so today we did just that with vigor in Charlotte. I think we covered most of the downtown on foot in just a few hours. Being that I am on holiday, I decided to push aside my usual fears of appearing "touristy" and went into full photographer mode. Below are a few shots from our exploring, some of which may or may not have been taken while I sat right down on a public sidewalk to get a precise angle. Enjoy! 

Remember That Time...

     Remember that time I suddenly packed up and moved to Warsaw, Poland without knowing how long I'd be gone or what exactly the Lord planned to do through it all? Yea, me too. Well, as it turns out, God's plan was for me to pack back up and return home at the end of this month. No, no, it's not a bad thing and nothing negative has happened. I'm so thankful that I am leaving knowing I could have stayed, but that the true Guide of my life already had the times set beforehand for when I would move to and move from Warsaw. Without boring you with a long list of details, let's just say that towards the end of the summer I began to seek out God's direction for the following school year and went through many days of those "back-and-forth" feelings, but then in one 24hour period, God decided to make it abundantly clear to me that my time in Poland, for this chapter of life, was coming to a close. Does this mean I'll never return to Poland? I sure hope and pray not. Am I still passionate about serving God in ministry overseas? Absolutely, yes!
     I cannot even begin to fully start the process of unpacking all that I've learned or discovered about life, myself , the world and (most importantly) my Savior during these past several months. All I will say for the moment is that God is so good and so close to those who seek Him. Okay, okay...yes, He is actually the One chasing us down and it's a miracle I will never get over.
     Do I have some plans for my return to the United States? Indeed, I do. One of the ways in which God illuminated a direct path for me was to open the door for me to return to the very same position I held at The Arc of New Jersey prior to moving to Warsaw. I will be working with the same awesome team, for the same awesome bosses, and in the same awesome programme (there's a lot of awesome going on). The only difference is  in the geographic area which I will cover and ironically, I am now going to be placed in the counties I had originally hoped for a year ago! My life feels so full circle at the moment that I've been feeling a bit dizzy.
     I don't think I could possibly say this enough, so once again, thank you so much to each and every one of my family members and friends who have offered so many prayers and so much advice (and much needed comic relief) to me over the past five months (and this includes all my dear new friends I met in Warsaw!). You are all incredibly essential parts of my life and I hope I can somehow pour back into you the grace you each pour into me weekly. Stay tuned for further posts (if you'd like to), though the stories might be a little different in theme in the future. Below are some more recent photos I took around Warsaw.

Right on Time

     Ah, summertime. This magical time of year that we all wait so anxiously for the whole rest of the year, only to watch it again slip from our grasp in a rapid 8-10 weeks' time. May I be honest for a moment? I'm not that huge a fan of summer. *gasps* I know, I know...I am a Jersey Shore kid, aren't I completely obligated to love, crave and worship all things summer? My question is we are obligated by whom, exactly? Of course, I enjoy the extra sunshine, the temporarily raised temperatures and the opportunity to possibly have life feel a bit more laid back, but the thing is, though, once one is no longer on a young student's schedule, once one has a real job and an adult's load of responsibilities, what is it that is so magical about summertime? Most individuals cannot spend 40+ hours a week basking on the beach with a good book and an iced-tea in hand, so what seriously is the point of the temperature reaching degrees above 75 (Fahrenheit)? Seriously. And besides, all we in the northern hemisphere are well aware that just because the calendar says July 12th, there is no guarantee that it will be warm and sunny, no guarantee at all. If you're from New Jersey, I sincerely hope you have accepted the fact that most of summer switches between being dangerously hot and dry or not-shockingly chilly and rainy. Those few perfect days a year New Jerseyians actually do experience usually come around in October, March, or those weird Indian-summer days in the dead middle of winter. For me, this just adds more stress to the list of things I am "supposed" to be doing or the way life is "supposed to feel." No thanks, summer.

     Wow, this post is turning into a soap box rant rather quickly. Time to turn things around and get to the point. (Yes, there's a point). My view? Celebrate every single day of your life-every season, every day, all the moments, each and every moment. Stop living in a cycle of crazy-business so you no longer have to pine after those two months where "maybe things will be more relaxed." Nope. My mantra- Life is not an emergency, ever. (I'm pretty certain I've stolen this from Ann Voskamp, so credit to her.) I don't really care if it's minus 10 or plus 95, if it's rainy or sunny, if it's January or July, I'm not waiting for one time of year to come around because life is right here and right now and I might as well take charge and start living in the blessings so abundantly poured into each day. I realize that life comes in tides and schedules seem to naturally ebb and flow in and out of super busy and not-so-busy, but I refuse to regulate the rest of the year into waiting for 8-10 "magical" weeks where life is "supposed" to feel completely different and be completely exciting and relaxed. I love it all. I relax in it all. I soak in life in it all.
     All this being said, because this is the time of year when I am more easily able to take some time off, this past week I did just that. After three months submerging myself into a foreign culture where my native language is not primary, learning a new job, settling into a new apartment and attempting to get to know new people, I was exhausted mentally, psychologically and physically. Journeying on the long and often trying road of faith means over and over again coming to the near end of yourself and finding God scoop up your broken self there, dust you off, heal you and send you back on your way because He has placed you in this place for this time and this moment, even when you're coming to the point where you really don't know why anymore. As I learn to embrace this struggle and conversation with God, I slowly learn to see it as another point of grace. God is bothering to interfere with my life and change me in the inner parts...and isn't that the best grace we could dream of? And thankfully, right in the midst of the struggle, God gives those gifts of extra grace, extra blessing all to provide the refreshment and new strength so desperately needed. So what God gave me this last week was a very short break in London. A few months ago, I somewhat spontaneously booked a flight for this particular week because the prices seemed quite reasonable and I didn't want a week off to roll around only to find I had nothing planned. It wasn't a well-thought through decision and I didn't do much besides booking a flight and hotel to plan the time. I just figured that I wanted to go, so I would.
      What I didn't realize at the time was how incredibly perfect the timing would be for me to spend even just three days in a country where my own native language is primary. I always feel the need to say that I do still love Poland and I am so grateful to be here and living out this chapter in my journey, but that doesn't mean the road isn't sometimes dark and extra arduous. It is. It gets really hard. Yes, God's grace shines into the darkness, but the darkness can shout pretty loud too. Anyway, once in the midst of three days excitedly running around London, I quickly realized that it was God who had this little visit planned out. It became so clear that He knew by mid-July, this trip would be absolutely exactly what I needed to take in new breaths of grace, to remember who I am in His and really to just have a small break somewhere where I could read signs and menus and understand directions and public transit announcements. If you have traveled abroad, then I am sure you understand what an almost-inexpressible joy it is to know that you can just ask anyone for help and be basically completely sure communication will just flow. I love being surprised by God. It's amazing when I hear Him say "here you go, I planned that for you today." It happens here in Warsaw too, but I specifically noticed a few clearly planned blessings for me in London and it made the trip so much sweeter.
     The first example of these specifically planned-by-God blessings would be how I unexpectedly met three Christians on the street who happened to be from the northeast (two of whom are actually now missionaries in East London) and spent some time walking with them and sharing life a bit while they gave me directions to Buckingham Palace. It feels like such a small world when you meet a Christian from Philly on the other side of the Atlantic. Out of all those people standing in front of Westminster Abbey, why on earth did I ask those three Americans for directions? The only thing I knew beforehand was that their accents were American, but for them to be Christians and from the northeast? Yea-God moment. They even asked to pray for me before we parted. So there we were, just four goofy Americans out of place in the middle of London standing in a circle with heads bowed, talking to the Creator of the universe. Did that really happen? Yes, I'm still telling myself it did. Thank you, God, for the unifying fellowship of believers.

The second example would be how I "randomly" passed by a studio where a very talented actor from my very favorite show (Martin Freeman from Sherlock, obviously) is performing in Richard III for the summer. I had no plans or intentions ahead of time to see the play, nor did I even actually know where it was running until I walked passed the studio. I noticed there was to be a show that night. I walked in and asked if there were any tickets left ("What's that? Front row-on the stage, in the 'splash zone'?") and four hours later I experienced one of the most unique and fun nights of my life. Thank you, God, for surprise fun.
      The third and possibly most important surprise blessing happened on my last night in London. I had heard of this park called Hampstead Heath and I had thought of possibly trying to visit. Well, when I got there it was like discovering a secret spot of leftover paradise where the sun shines bright and sets slow, the wind blows strong and the world is hushed and quiet high above (and surrounded by) the bustling, noisy, city-dirtied streets of London. Walking around and finding a lonely bench on a field on a hill and sitting with a C.S.Lewis book took me straight to Narnia- to that place where Christ is so close, where He is God and I am me and all is grace and bright and clear and peaceful- a repositioning in the God-security of who I am on planet earth and in eternity's story, if you will. Thank you, God, for those moments. Thank you, God, for Your planned surprises and extra moments where You whisper (or shout), "I am here. I am for you, not against you. I want to bless you. I will keep leading you."

      And the weather in London? Occasionally sunny and warm, but mostly chilly, grey and drizzly. I honestly wouldn't have had it any other way. The perfect expected London weather.
      Now back in Warsaw, I keep trying to think of how I can even sum up what that flash of three days in England meant to me. It was fast, it was random and it was mostly put together on a moment-by-moment, run from one touristy destination to the next with a vague list of what I hoped to see while there; but what was so clearly spoken into that time was that God is still leading this journey and He still has a plan for me in Poland for this chapter of life, even in the moments when I am really unsure what that plan is or how things will look even in the next week or month. He is good. He is strong. He is directing and He can be trusted.
(Below are some extra photos I took at various predictable locations around London, if you're interested.)

For those who don't know-This is a main spot where the BBC film's Sherlock

This is the actual Baker Street Underground Station which is near the real 221B Baker Street from the original Arthur Conan Doyle novels about Sherlock Holmes.

Tower Bridge

I've always wanted to see Big Ben and now I have done. Woohoo.

I particularly wanted to get in the shot the three serious looking fellows in the foreground.

The River Thames

I don't actually know what this building is, but isn't it cool?

Buckingham Palace- not too shabby.

Tower of London