The Eat Pray Love... Travel Some More Tour

 It's been almost 2 years since I blogged...shame on me.  I didn't exactly make it to Haiti for a year...but that's alright...life happens...and that's where I am today...happening to dust off a 2 year writers block and who knows what else in the process.

Has anyone ever really thought about "the travel bug"?  I mean... what does it really look like?  Do I WANT to know what a bug that bit me or is crawling under my skin looks like.  All I know is it happened...and its effects don't ever seem to wear off for me.  I think of TRAVEL daily like a lovesick junior higher, like I'm an addict waiting for my next high, like its that time of the month and if I don't get chocolate or wine someone will have to pay for it...desire to travel. 

So I'm enjoying my current job...working with international students...its like traveling without leaving.  Lots of humor...but I saw this bus tour online and I was like...THIS MUST HAPPEN!

Why you ask???  Well...a few years ago I really felt God say "go for it" related to another trip and I completely wimped out.  He redeemed that wimpiness with providing the opportunity to serve in 11 countries in 11 months...but I still have moments...what'ifs...what if I had originally GONE when He said GO?

I also had this relative that traveled a lot...and I always wish I had found out about his travels earlier in life before he passed...I think we would have had a lot more to say to each other.  I would have loved to know about his travel mishaps...because I sure have had enough of my own...I appreciate learning from others challenges as well.

Part of that original trip I had planned had involved travel...not volunteering or anything fluffy to talk about just sheer travel, photography, sites, weird foods, wonders.  And I'm in a space in my life again that I need that...just me, my camera, and Jesus.  A mission of Fun and nothing else.  Selfish?  Probably, but I think people are allowed to enjoy life in all sorts of ways.  I think if your a Christian your called to be a missionary no matter what you're doing.  So I don't have the goal of sharing my faith on this gig...if it happens great...if there are opportunities to help others great...but the goal is just Jesus and I.  That's all.

I don't know the WHEN for sure...but where I hope to go to...

France, Spain, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands

Roughly 20ish countries in 49 days.

Yeah...Wow.

So stay tuned..I'm sure the journey to save up to GO will be just as interesting or wild as the actual trip itself.

 

A difference a year makes

11 countries later...19 total if you count layovers.  Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Nepal, Zambia, and Malawi.  The World Race man...it all kinda seems like a dream....crazy,wonderful, awful all at once kinda dream.  I got back the end of May 2014...and then headed to Mirebalais, Haiti for 3 weeks in July...and here I am.  Stopping to think, pray, and count my blessings.  I'm glad I took the leap.  It was an incredible time of service and so eye-opening in so many ways...the sights, sounds, smells and people I met...WOW.  But most of all Jesus....ah Jesus.  So much more about Him and barely the tip of the ice berg.  There's also a lot about myself I learned...and a lot more of those thoughts will come out in due time.  For now...now know this... THE JOURNEY HAS JUST BEGUN!!!

I'm getting ready to head to Haiti for ONE YEAR.  My plans involved heading back as soon as possible...and God has other plans...or so I think.  I have some debts to work on, places to speak at, and whatever it takes I'm gonna work my fanny off to see this happen.  Life is too short for regrets learned that for sure.  So Dream with me...Pray with me...let's see what CRAZY miracle God does next!!!

Heart Journeys

God I love you...but I don't know what your doing...and I think I'm finally ok with not knowing all the details...even if it makes me a fool following after you... with everything in me I will follow.

Your Baby Gurl,

Erin

Adoption

Had some thoughts from a recent book re-read called Kisses from Katie that I needed to put on paper....or in other words...this BLOG.

Katie...a gal serving in Uganda who has adopted several Ugandan children (13 girls), and is the founder of Amazima Ministries which provides sponsorship/education to children.  I wish everyone would read the book and take a good hard look at how we're living.  There was a part that talked about how if a very marginal percentage of christians would each adopt 1 child how ALL orphans could be adopted and provided for...and that excited me.  Many people are watching their dollars these days...but it made me think compared to most how rich we are.  So if your having one of those weeks, months, years where your like no Erin...  REALLLLLLY you don't understand how broke I am...then be encouraged.

You are RICH if you...
- own a car  (no matter what condition it is)
- have a roof over your head
- a change of clothes
- 2-3 meals a day!!!
- your children go to school
- you have clean water
- access to medical care
- you don't have to dig in the garbage to find things to eat or sell
- you don't have to sell your body or your children to get by

There are some days that I joke...ew kids...cooties...and so the same about marraige and stuff...but my heart is to adopt lots and lots of kids and love them to pieces.  Trusting God to provide me the means to do so someday because today is one of those days I just don't feel worldy rich...which I guess is a good thing...but still makes my bank account kinda wimpy.

You are a BILLION-GAGILLION-TRILLION to INFINITY and ETERNITY and Beyond RICH if you have J-E-S-U-S.

Broken-down car on the side of the road

Feeling a tad discouraged today.  Mama said there'd be days like this...so goes the song.  I'd like to only sorta trust God and just have someone hand me a check for the total amount for the trip so I could just go on existing like I do at times...not trusting...barely breathing...just kinda hanging around like that cobweb or that dusty shelf I keep walking past. That'd be easy...thrilling...just thinking about it excites me.  All the other non-fundraising type of things I could be doing.  Taking up a new hobby or language...getting all my debts paid off over night would be great too.  How glorious.  If all my debts were paid off where would I be today?  Somewhere sitting in a garbage dump with kids maybe...or at an orphange....a cottage on a lake with gobbs of kids just playing and being silly.  If I was 60+ lbs lighter today what would I be doing?  FREEEEEE.  Laughing and skipping....maybe even taking up running...ew...maybe not.  There's a lot of things God desires for me...and sometimes I think that I'm just this broken-down car on the side of the road just rusting away at life.  Oh God I know you have more...kick me in the tail and Holy Spirit move ME in ways only you can.

Pretend Pearls vs Real Pearls

Not sure exactly how it went but there was a story I used to read to campers involving pretend pearls vs real pearls.  I believe it had something to do with purity or God's best or both.  The story involved a little girl who was enthralled with the set of pretend pearls she played with.  So enthralled with the pretend pearls that when her father offered her REAL pearls she refused them at first.  She couldn't accept the real pearls because her tiny chubby little hands were full of the pretend pearls.  Her father finally had to rip away the pretend pearls which hurt the little girls heart and brought her to tears.  When she finally dried her eyes she was astonished at how foolish her tantrum was and how glorious her REAL pearls were.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I struggle with understanding how free-will works.  What exactly does God's confirmation look like?  Did I miss a "window" of opportunity to go to New Zealand.  There are a lot of questions whirling in my head. 

What is truth?  God loves me. 

Would God have honored me simply trusting and going to serve in New Zealand / the Around the World trip with YWAM had I still gone?  ...I think so.

What are my feelings about YWAM as an organization?  Still LOVE it!  Seems likely I'll always be connected to it through various friends and opportunities.

What now?

Everywhere I go I see ORPHANS.  In literature, sermons, concerts, movies, dreams, you name it.  I knew I'd have a remarkable opportunity to do outreach for 3 months with YWAM but something in me just said... MORE please.

Normally...God's nudges are fairly obvious...but what I neglected was the obvious...over and over again people asking...well why not just go with the World Race?

The answer is I DON'T KNOW...but if I was honest it'd simply have to do with "I".  As you can see I still struggle with the word "I" a lot.  What I elluded to in my last post with the Laffy Taffy Heart business is that something NEW is going on with me...but its still tough to understand.

The biggest thing is FORGIVENESS...refusing to forgive certain people in my life just built up.  I wasn't serving my purposes or there's.  I think the girl that first set out to go on the crazy jet-setting trip just wanted to drink some magical Alice in Wonderland potion to just HEAL all that ailed...and YWAM just seemed to be that potion at the time.  I've since learned that it has to be God, His timing, and that He can still use people's brokeness.  I don't have to look a certain way to serve...there just needs to be a williness to do so.  More willing than I have been in some time.

Within this month God has begun to strip away at certain things...fears, anxieties, lies, etc.  My world just looks different...I'm beginning again...JOY...LOVE...these were concepts for me that were very hard to grasp...there were times I felt these emotions...sorta...but expressing them looked very different..almost a detachement from who God had designed me to be.  Seeing myself in God's eyes has helped too...hearing His truth about areas of my life that I thought I had even hidden from HIM...my Creator...how silly!

So....I ask for GRACE.  If you need to share your "I told you so's" be GENTLE.  It's still VERY tough for me to accept that New Zealand is a NOT NOW kinda dream.  THRILLED to be going with the World Race is an understatement....I cranked the song "Jump Around" and was literally jumping in my office today.  Launching sounds like a scary term...but I still believe God will use this Around Trip to "Launch" me into full-time ministry somewhere somehow.

For PRAYER....I felt totally at peace when I finally gave up the trip with YWAM a peace I hadn't felt in YEARS.  Taking a step in this new direction is a bit scary but trusting God has this handled...really handled is an amazing feeling too.

Thanks so much for reading this long BLOG and continueing to support me as a human.

Laffy Taffy Heart

God I don't understand what your doing...but I like it!

Would love everyone's prayers...hardcore prayers...God is changing my perspective about a heap of things and I'm just waiting as all the puzzle pieces start falling into place.  My heart feels stretched, pulled, and just gooey...a healthy goo to be honest...its more uncomfortable than painful...like exercising a muscle that hasn't been working properly for some time.

Amen Jesus Amen!