Movin On

Well, it's been a rough couple of days...to say the least. It's crazy how much can change in so little time. Maybe some of you have known, maybe to some of you this will come as a shock. But it's been on my heart for a long time, so long I don't even know when it started. But I've been justifying & making up excuses to stay. I've been praying for clarity & guidance about what to do. If God wanted me to stay with PPM, I asked that he would make that clear. But the only clarity that I got...was that my heart wasn't in it anymore. It was feeling like a 'job.' I started to fear that I was going to get 'numb' to missions. And that scared me!! And you know how I'm a nomad...I move around a lot. Well, being here in MN...in the US...I've felt trapped in a way. I'm a free spirit, what can I say. So, now that it's actually happened...it feels very relieving. The 2 main reasons I am leaving PPM is that 1.) I don't feel called to work with North Americans (& that is who we cater our trips for) & 2.) I don't enjoy the 'sales' part of signing up the groups. But there are sooooo many things that I love about PPM & that I'm going to miss, which makes it hard to leave. But I can't stay for those reasons. First & foremost, I'm going to miss our amazing staff. Also, Belize & Jamaica & the beautiful people I have met along the way. Belize & Jamaica will always be dear to me. But with all of that being said, it's time to move on. I feel a stronger call than ever to continue with missions. Missions is who I am. Without missions, I'm lost. It's my passion. So, here's the plan. My brother & I are going to Asia, anywhere from 6 months to a year. We're still deciding on a country, but looks like it's going to be South Korea. I would like it to be Thailand or China, but S. Korea pays better. Oh yeah...we're going to teach english. It's always something that I've thought about, & now there's finally an opportunity to do it....& with BJ!! And after Asia, the plan is to go to school for my masters...hopefully Fuller Seminary because they have an amazing Cross Cultural Studies Program & you can get a concentration in Islamic Studies....which totally interests me!

So, I'm going to be finalizing things here in MN, then head down to Texas for a few weeks...then off to Asia!

Season's of life...altough they can be hard, when looking back, are beautiful & perfectly orchastrated by God. I'm so thankful for the 2 years & 3 months that I've been with PPM. I wouldn't change the experience for anything! I grew in my faith, learned more about missions, worked with incredible gifted & wonderful Christians. I have been blessed in so many ways! But, I can't ignore what I feel in my heart & I know it's time to leave. There are a lot of changes going on with PPM right now that have nothing to do with me. So, PPM, you are all in my prayers. May God continue to lead the organization.

So Long Jamaica

What an intense, rough, beautiful, incredible, stressful, sweet, exhausting, fun summer in Jamaica.

What I will miss:
-fellow Pelicans
-the food! Bammy, festival, dumplings, jerk chicken, spice bun & cheese
-mountains
-ocean
-all of the colors!
-the music
-the raw, spirit led worship
-the locals
-hearing 'yay mon'
-driving on the left <
What I won't miss
-the traffic
-the honking
-bumpy roads
-sweating approximately 10 seconds after showering
-getting offered weed weekly
-the heat
-sleeping on my air mattress
-extremely long days

So I'm back in MN now. Feels weird. After my last team & staff left in Jamaica I spent a couple of days relaxing, scuba diving, swimming, etc. Was nice. Had time to reflect over the summer. It was great in a lot of ways, and not so great in some ways as well. I'm really going to miss our ppm staff. Lindsay (artistic, compassionate, deep thinker, beautiful inside & out), Bri (thoughtful, big dreams, loyal life-long friend), Tito (mission-minded, big heart, teddy bear), Rachael (crazy, deep thinker, great leader, outspoken in a good way), Josh (HILARIOUS, super friendly, well beyond his years), Dan (GREAT friend, can be< a bit of a pesimist at times, loyal, super comfortable to be around), Jen (natural leader, adventurous, easy going). We all got really close this summer. Jamaica was challenging, not gonna lie, & we really had to depend on eachother a lot! They were amazing! Life long friends I am sure. Whether we all serve together again with PPM or not, I know they will be a part of my life forever. Who knows, maybe Lindsey & I will move out to Cali together! She wants to move out there & I want to go to school there! We'll see. Now that it's all said & done, overall, it was a great summer in Jamaica. I'll never forget it & I'm glad I got to spend so much time there. It may be awhile till I'm ready to take on Jamaica again, but I'd love to return some time. It's truly a unique place. So much history, so much intensity, flavor, heart ache, laughter & crys. It's a blend of irony. Unlike any place I've ever visited. And for a brief moment, I was there, to experience it. Now that I'm back, lots of things have been going on...stay tuned.