Passionate Pursuit

     I have been thinking about restarting this blog for a while now, I have several topics I want to discuss and cover. The purpose of this blog was never supposed be just Thailand and reentry and yet that's what it has become. It became a memorial to a small snippet of my life. I don't want it to stay that way, I want it to become active and engaging again. I want it to matter. While there are a list of things I want to write about; serious things, impertinent things, things that I believe in and I'm passionate about. However, for a small relaunch I wanted to do a little re-get to know me. I got these "Meet the Blogger" questions from  The Tully Tales , so let's go. What’s your Favorite Book?  This is a tough one because I am an avid reader and I read so many different genres and authors. I'm going to go with Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer. It has been one of my favorites since I was in elementary school and reread it every year. I also love Anne of Gree...

     It's been a while since I posted, and by a while I mean a couple months. Before I left Thailand I tweaked the format and description of my blog because I wanted it to be something I continued no matter where I was. Originally I created this blog to cover my time in Thailand, but after a few posts I knew it was something I wanted to continue beyond the borders of that land. I made outlines and timelines and bulleted lists of all of the things I could write about and when I would do so after my feet hit US soil. Reflections, stories, and new adventures I could take and would then share. I created a writing schedule, that I obviously have not followed, in hopes of having something worth saying. Then I got back. I have spent the last 3 months in reentry trying to come up with something to write about only to end up staring at the wall because I have felt like I have had nothing to say. I couldn't write about new things until I was done processing old things. I would spen...

     I wanted to take some time to thank everyone for the support, prayer, encouragement, cards, packages, and help they provided during my time in Thailand as well as give a bit of a summary of my time in Thailand. In case you missed it, which is probable since I forgot to update everyone, I have been back in the States for about a month now. In some ways I feel like I have been gone forever and in others it feels like I was preparing to leave for Thailand just yesterday and there's no way I can already have been there and gone. Yet, here I am. I had no idea that six months could fly by so quickly and still contain so much. Sometimes it's funny to think about the fact that for almost seven years before landing within its borders, being in Thailand was something I was dreaming about and now it's happened and been over. Life really is a wild ride.       The last couple of months before I headed out I began to question myself and panic. I started zero...

     I am constantly amazed at the times and places God's presence is noticeable and moving. Raised within the American church I have become used to God moving throughout church services, prayer meetings, worship nights, retreats, church camp, and conferences. None of these are bad things. I would hope to never enter into a church service or Bible study where God's presence isn't there. He should be moving throughout our times of worship, that's the purpose of set aside times of worship and services. To commune with God and fellowship with the body, so yeah, it makes sense for the Spirit to be moving. The problem is that I expect Jesus to be present in the situations and confines that I design and delegate, and then I'm always amazed and blown away when he does something, without consulting me, outside of the time I set aside. It astounds me and messes with me. In reality I should always be amazed and astounded and effected by a move of God, regardless of where it h...

     When talking to people here and back home I find myself being asked a variation of the same question repeatedly.      "What's your favorite thing about Thailand?"      The wording of the question may vary, but this is by far the question I am asked most frequently. I'm not sure what answer people are expecting when they ask me this. Maybe my favorite place I've visited in Thailand (Ko Samet), my favorite Thai food, mode of transportation, thing to do, etc. The list of what could be my favorite thing about Thailand is never ending. Upon being asked this question my mind usually blanks and I end up saying something rather generic like, "all of it," or "the people."  I have the privilege of being surrounded by amazing people here, it's a beautiful nation, the food is good, public transportation is pretty awesome, and I never run out of things to do. So, these answers are true. I do love the people here and I enjoy most of the aspects...

     Merry Christmas and Happy New Years! I want to again thank everyone for their love, prayer, support, and encouragement during this time. I am beyond blessed to have such an amazing support system behind me. I am thankful for each and every one of you and all that you have done for me, the things I'm aware of and the things I don't know about, thank you.      I can't believe that my time here is already half way over. In some ways it feels like I've been in Thailand for years and in others it feels like I stepped off the plan just yesterday. My time here so far as been amazing and in some ways indescribable. It has been difficult, emotional, stretching, incredible, and rewarding all at the same time. Being able to come here and serve has been a true blessing. I love being here and I love the people I get the opportunity to serve and work with. I am blessed with beautiful friendships with fellow expats as well as the Thai women I work with in the offic...

     Today I was giving a tour to a team that was visiting. We met and I told them about NL; how it was started and what we do and how we reach out to women. We're located in one Bangkok's many red light districts and usually after a tour the visiting team and I will walk to the offices. Often I hear teams express their shock at how out in the open and tolerated exploitation is in these areas. I watch their faces as we pass by various places and people in the middle of the afternoon on a week day. Things that should shock me, but I walk past them every day. Things that maybe they're being exposed to for the first time, but between my short time here and volunteering back in the states things I have known about or I have seen first hand multiple times. Does my heart really break the way it should? Have I become so used to the darkness around me that it doesn't phase me the way it used to?      I remember reading a blog post  from Love146  where th...