New People Have Entered My Life

I have thought all week about something to write about. I came up with nothing. So I decided to write about the people that 3 months ago I would have thought were crazy.

1. Kelly. I met her at matriculation. And then again in chapel. And then finally learned her name at the dumpster. Kelly has probably become one of my best friends here at Southeastern and I am sure that she would disagree saying she has no best friend currently. We have both spent time overseas and share and addiction to coffee ever though I enjoy mine with more milk than she does. Kelly was been one of those people that I prayed for while I was in China. I knew I needed people in my life who were relaxed and loved to laugh. People who encouraged me and saw the sunny side of life no matter how dark things have gotten. She has been willing to talk about anything and I have kept her awake until the wee hours of the morning on more than one occasion.

2. Rebecca. My Thursday Philosophy partner. My Tuesday night study buddy. My recently addicted to Dollhouse friend. I am not quite sure what I would be doing on any given day without receiving a text from her. We met through a Bible study that neither of us attend anymore. She has read through papers and joined me on random outings to Wal-Mart and Chick-Fil-A. She was another person who I prayed for in while in China. I knew I would need someone to challenge my way of thinking and offer me a different view on things.

3. Emily. My quiet friend. I think she is the one that I text versus actually talk to. We share a love of similar movies, TV Shows and music. She reminds me of Cara, my American friend in China. Quiet and thoughtful but with an interesting past that I could not even begin to imagine. She hates coffee but is still gracious and easy to laugh with.

4. My roommates, Seintje and Erin. These two are much older than I am.... and MUCH quieter than I am. I think that its good that we were thrown together. Seintje and I don't have much in common but I feel like I can learn from them.... and maybe they don't always think that way but something about them makes me wonder if God didn't put us together because we needed each other this year.

5. Alex. Alex and I are not good friends- yet. In fact, Alex talks about his dreams for the future more than anyone else I know.... Alex is one of those people who I am not sure about yet. He lives downstairs and next door to 2 of my good friends. I met him through my roomate and this is what I know: I know he wants to be a pastor/ biblical teacher. I know he is a neat freak. And I know that for some reason. until God tells me not too, I am to pray for him.

6. Lane. Lane is a non-christian Starbucks barista. 18-years-old, musician and a seeker. Lane and I had a very interesting conversation today at Starbucks while he was working. He writes songs and wants to be back in a band. He lives in Youngsville and does not go to church- but in interested in spiritual things.

7. The Launch team of Essentials. I still don't know this group as well as I should. And quite honestly with all the other churches (with semi-okay singles programs) in the area, I am not exactly sure what drew me to Essentials. Even though it's hard to see the why- I am confident that this church is going to do great things in Wake Forest, Raleigh, North Carolina, America and the world.... and all I know is I needed to be a part of it.


These are the people that God has put in my life at the moment. The people who I am to serve with, laugh with, love with, pray with. The people I am to serve, love and intercede for. My heart is burden for these people on a daily bases- I want them to succeed- to see their love abound more and more until Jesus comes. I still am vague on why some of our lives have started to become interconnected. Nevertheless, these are the new students and people that God has chosen to intertwine my life with. There is no going back to China or Suffolk or Lynchburg. I miss and love my friends in all of those places (and I look forward to catching up with EVERYBODY)- but

I am here. And I love my new friends.

Essentials

Water. Food. Sleep. Family. For Grad students, Coffee.

Those are the essentials of life.

My church- a wonderfully small church plant right in the heart of Wake Forest a wonderfully small town- is called Essentials.

I will be honest. I like stuff. I like the extras. The things I don't actually need. I like the new shoes that I will only wear once. The new book that I bought that I could have checked out from the Library.
When I lived in China- there were things that I always felt I needed. Comfort foods, a space heater (turns out I need it more here in Wake Forest than I did in China), younger, single friends. I still feel like I need stuff in Wake Forest. Comfort foods (which are more abundant), a space heater and younger, single friends.

Tenth Avenue North has a new (or new-to-me song) called By Your Side. One of the lines in that song is "Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough?"
If I were honest with myself, I would have to admit that I am constantly looking for things to fill me and truthfully, most of these things are material.

So maybe going to this church is a good thing because it reminds me that the only thing I will ever need is Jesus. The most essential part of my day is Him. I can't keep searching other things because He is enough.

Personally, I think that everyone should have the Essentials.

Today

Today I miss:

- Dinner with Joel, Cara and family. Playing with Isaac and Autumn afterwards.
- Walking down the street to the kindergarten knowing when I got there 120 faces would light up.
- Da Fu Yuan and wondering around the back practising Chinese.
- Bus trips to Macau.
- The end of immigration in Macau, wlaking outside and breathing deeply before heading to a bus and into the mass of gamblers.
- Dinners with Andrew, Andrea and company- followed by Catan.....or Bible study.
- Vanguard.
- The Shangri-La- the way it smelled when I walked in and use of the internet there.
- My fellow teachers.
- Yuki.
- Jiao zi.

I don't long to be back in China. I don't long for the lack of space, the lack of people my age, the lack of freedom to drive, the hot weather 10 months of the year. I don't long for the trash on the sidewalks or the spitting.

I wonder if life in China would have been easier this year. I wonder why God put me here- knowing in my heart I am where I should be- but my mind is wondering why nothing has worked out as planned.

So today- while I don't long to be back in China- I do miss it.