Katie Cronk

Settling In

2010-05-04T19:01:00.002-04:00

Almost 3 weeks. That's how long I've been at/in my new home. :)

Funny... the reason I have to say 'at' as well as 'in' (for those who are not familiar with Oak Hill) is because I now live at/in a rather unique place. :) I can say that I live 'at' Oak Hill, which is a campus made up of 7 buildings off the beaten path on the east side of Oklahoma City. There are several others who also live here including singles and families. I also can say that I live 'in' a cosy room with an attached full bath and a laundry room just outside. My current roommate and I have bunk beds, a small fridge, microwave and even an old yet comfy sofa couch. So now you see... I live both 'at' and 'in' my current residence. Which by the way is slowly being transformed into a Missionary Care Center!

I have great plans for my transition into my new home. While I only brought the essentials from Indiana, there will be time to enjoy the summer before fully completing my 'move in'. For when the weather turns cold, I will be needing my winter weather gear! Oklahoma winters will be NOTHING like Indiana winters, but none-the-less, I will need my boots, coat, hat and scarves. And they will eventually make their way across the States and find a home somewhere in my new room. There is yet another item that will make my move-in complete and I am GREATLY looking forward to it's addition!

That item or individual will be my new furry, four legged, cold wet nosed, playful, occasionally slobbery, but certainly loving and affectionate golden retriever puppy! Whom I plan to find later this summer. :)

Then my life will be complete! (no not really, but it will certainly be more interesting).
And until then, I will be dreaming and thinking about when my new furry friend will come to join me 'at' and 'in' my new home.

New and Improved Blog

2010-02-10T12:33:00.002-05:00

So, as you can see, I've made some changes!

Even the address is new! No longer already-but-notyet, it's now katie-cronk. I know, pretty cool title huh? :) I figured I'd stick to just my name, that way you can remember it more easily! I hope you do anyway.

Also, now there are more pages to look at! I'm still learning how to put it all together, but so far I like how it looks. Let me know what you think too. I have to admit that I got some of these ideas from a friend who is a lot better at blogging than me. I hope she, Dustin, doesn't mind that I've borrowed some of her ideas (by the way your site looks great Dustin!). :)

So, have fun, snoop around, leave some comments and enjoy reading about lil ole me. :) I'll try to keep this updated and interesting for you!

Start this up again?

2010-01-29T17:54:00.002-05:00

So I'm thinking.... Thinking about starting this blog thing again. :)

I think I've lost all followers based on the fact that my last entry was in 2008. So yeah, it's my own fault that no one looks at it anymore.

But! I AM starting a new season in life and this would be the perfect opportunity to start writing again! Plus, it's easy to advertise my posts on Facebook. I actually think that FB has taken over the social community on the web. I have a lot of friends on FB so maybe some of them will check this out if I communicate such. But (again) in order to keep them coming back, I've got to write and post interesting stuff right??? Well I guess that depends on the type of person reading my blog. :) We'll see. I'll sit on it for a little bit longer. :) If you do happen to catch this post, because you are a faithful viewer of my blog (even in the absence of posts), I'm back! Well at least today I am. :) Hope to see you again soon.

March 29th, 2008

2008-03-29T06:48:00.002-04:00

Okay... so I'm bad at this blogging thing. Some friends of mine have got me hooked on facebook now and I always forget that I have this blog site to keep up. SORRY. I really do want you all to know what's going on over here! Really I do!

So... what IS going on? I just got back from a 2 week trip with my teammates Danielle and the Burns. We traveled to Chandigarh and then up to Manali. We checked out possible future option for living in Chandigarh... but it didn't pan out well. My teammates the Burns, are expecting their second child in August and they are looking for a good hospital. They weren't impressed with the ones in Chandigarh. So basically we stopped looking at housing too. They are needing to first find a good place to have their baby and then we can focus on our long term location here. Chandigarh is kind of an expensive place to live in India. It is a different, clean and somewhat pretty city. We certainly enjoyed our time there. We found a great bakery and ate breakfast there almost every day we were there.

After about a week of enjoying the bakery and the gardens... we decided to head further north for an adventure. We decided to go trout fishing in the rivers running down from the Himalayas! It was a great time... my first time trout fishing! I didn't catch any fish but in all we caught 4 and we each got a tasty treat. :)

We also got to enjoy some hiking up in the hills that still had snow cover. We hiked nearby and sometimes through villages up in the hills. It was a great time. We just got back yesterday and we are resting up now and getting ready for next weeks language classes again. I will have a full week of classes and then I get to head off again for another 'adventure'.

I have the opportunity to go to a leadership conference in Thailand. I will be there for two weeks and I've planned a few extra days to debrief after. The conference is pretty intensive and they cover a lot in two weeks. I am looking forward to it... I think I will learn a lot and enjoy the material. My director seems to think that I may have some leadership skills and it was he that encouraged me to attend this conference. We'll see. :) I'll be missing another two and a half weeks of language school and I'm a little worried about that. I've already been a way for two and half weeks with our last trip to Chandigarh and Manali. I will just have to be diligent this week and make sure I take my Hindi books with me when I go to Thailand.

Well... to those of you who read this... thanks for hangin in there. If you are at all interested in Facebook... look me up. I post pictures occasionally there (more often than here). It's a great way to stay in touch too. :)

Catch ya later! Hopefully soon! :)

Purnata Bhavan

2007-10-07T06:18:00.001-04:00

So here are some photos of where I have been living since August. Enjoy!

Agra Adventure!

2007-09-16T04:18:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends!
So we had a wonderful time in Agra! There was so much that we were able to do. First, we experienced the adventure of long distance train travel in India. Traveling overnight in a sleeper car is quite an adventure. You wake up to chai wallahs walking down the isle singing their tune to let you know that they are coming with some hot milky tea. You also have the beggers, eunichs and sellers of wares. It is quit the adventure. Once we arrived in Agra we made our way to the hotel that my friend had reserved rooms for us at. We soon realized that all travels in India require that you bring your passport with you! The hotels need verification of your visa and passport validity. So we were quickly on the phone to our friends in Igatpuri to obtain the necessary information. We were lucky that someone was able to sift through our things to find our passports and tell us what we needed to know. A lesson not easily forgotten. :)
After settling in... we soon got to meet with my dear friend, Beka. She played hostess for us while in Agra and allowed us the pleasure of touring the city on the back of her scooter. :) Much fun. We visited the famous Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, got to go to Church on Sunday morning as well as get a breif Sitar (musical instruments somewhat like a guitar but bigger and harder to play) lesson. The highlight of the trip for me was our encounter with two magnificant creatures. The two elephants were waiting outside our hotel one night on our arrival back 'home'. They were wonderful. We had seen them ocassionaly in our travels throughout the city in the three days we were there and I was secretly harboring a desire to have a more up close and personal visit with them. To our surprise they were just outside our hotel one night. I so much enjoyed just getting to stand by one of them. They are truely amazing animals!
Now we are back in Igatpuri and enjoying the weather.... now that the rains have officially stopped. The sun is shining again and the mold has stopped growing on my suitcase. :) Soon it will turn cold (in about a month) and I have a shawl ready and waiting for the chilly nights. Until then... I will enjoy seeing the sunsets and the stars out at night. Igatpuri is a beautiful green place to live. I am happy to be here now!

My 29th Birthday!

2007-07-29T08:46:00.001-04:00

Just yesterday I celebrated my 29th birthday here in the metropolis of Mumbai! My team took me out to lunch at this buffet at a very nice hotel here in town. It is called the JW Marriot... and it is one of those places where it is just pleasant to sit for a couple of hours. It truely is a wonderful retreat... even just to go for lunch. AND THE FOOD!!! WOW! The food was wonderful! I had some smoked salmon, grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and even a waffle! The dessert was fantastic too!

Then I was off to get a pedicure! One of my teammates gifted me with a voucher for a pedicure at yet another nice hotel in town, The Taj. It too is a get away hotel... but I personally like the JW Marriot better. :) I have never had a pedicure before and I must say they are quite nice! I find it interesting that my first is in India... not a place that some would expect to be able to get a pedicure. If you find a nice hotel... you can get just about anything... if you pay. :)

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing... and then I got to go to a worship conference at a nearby church for an evening service. It too was a blessing.

All in all... I thoroughly enjoyed my birthday! I am yet another year older... which for some isn't so enjoyable... but for me... well, I've not hit 30 yet. :) I have some high hopes for this coming year. They all rest on the Lord and they will all be fulfulled in HIM.

Riding the Local Mumbai Train

2007-07-29T08:42:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here on my bed on Sunday the 15th of July. Today was a normal Sunday here... got up at about 8am and got ready. I walked the 10 minute walk to the train station and bought a ticket to Churchgate as well as a return pass. As usual, I am in a line of mostly men and I get about twenty to thirty glances while waiting. After getting my ticket I climb the stairs to cross over to platform 2 where my train will arrive. I wait among the other women who are waiting to board the ladies car. Riding the train would be quite a different story if there were not ladies cars... in fact it might not happen at all. The train comes and I board... I find a seat easily because it is Sunday morning and there aren't many travelers. At other times it is standing room only and quite another experience all together. This morning I am happy to be able to sit for my journey. The trains are open... the doors slide closed but they are usually kept open unless it is raining heavily. The windows too are open with bars across them. There are fans hanging from the ceiling of the train to keep what little breeze there is moving. Hand grips hang from the ceiling to help stabilize those who end up standing. There are ads taped to the walls of the train and the floors are very dirty. You always look before you sit... cause you never know what you might sit in otherwise. The trains are meager travel... I only pay 12 Rupees to travel to the end of the line and back home. That equals about 30 cents in US currency. MANY people travel by train... and so at heavy traffic times... it is a mad house trying to get on and off when the train stops. I have been in the midst of that twice now and it is certainly something you have to prepare for. When there are so many coming and going... you get pushed and shoved along and you got to be on guard. Riding the train can always be an experience. You just never know what you are going to see.

So back to my morning... shortly after sitting down and checking my belongings to make sure I have everything I came with... 5 women board the train. There were 5 open seats near me... but they choose 5 seats on the other side of the train... and then they proceed to talk about me. They are speaking Hindi and so I don't catch much but I do hear that they are commenting to one another about my dress. The Church that I go to is a little more modern and so I usually wear blue jeans with a long kurta. The kurta is traditionally worn with a pant and scarf that all go together... meaning that they match is some sort of way... perhaps not the way that Americans would match peices of clothing... but they do usually match in some way. Well I was wearing a sort of mix between the traditional Indian dress (for young people) and the typical Western or Modern dress. One thing that we as a team try to do is be very conservative in our dress. Most foreigners or Westerners you see in India...especially the women... do not attempt to wear the traditional Indian clothes. Even though I was half and half this morning... I was still the topic of conversation among these women. If I was in full indian dress... I'm sure I would have received more praise and looks of admiration among the women on the train (which has happened before).

My destination was about 45 minutes away so I settled in and watched out the window to catch whatever glimpse of Mumbai that I could see this morning. Soon there were... well I'm really not sure what to call them... They are women and children and sometimes even men who board the train at any stop and cart their wares to sell. They walk back and forth in the car reciting their memorized lines and display their items for all to see. Sometimes the items are hung in the middle of the car... other times the items are in a basket or box and are carried on the heads of the women or young girls. They are usually selling small items like pens, hair clips, combs, handkerchiefs, earrings and costume jewelry of sorts. Occasionally you will find some selling sweets or a fruit of some sort. They come and go and stick pretty much to their work. But then there are the beggars. They are usually children or some man or woman with an obvious deformity or injury. Sometimes you see children of 7 or 8 years carrying babies in their arms. Other children will come and sweep out the train with a small broom or rag. They will sweep around your feet and then stick out their hand as if to ask for payment. Yet another group of people on the train... and I must say these are the most confusing to me... meaning I don't fully understand who they are and what their role is in the Indian society... they are the Eunuchs. They are Indian men dressed as women. They wear the traditional Indian saree and the jewelry that the Indian women wear. They even grow their hair and pull it back or braid it. The eunuchs come on the trains and ask for money and in exchange they give a blessing. I have also heard that they can and sometimes use fear to get money... It is generally understood they can issue out a curse just as easily as a blessing and so some will give to them just to avoid the curse.

After a long and eventful ride on the train... my stop was soon approaching. The train car was still not very full and my inquisitive neighbors had exited the train some time back. Again, I checked my belongings before exiting and casually stepped off of the train car. There is some security and relief to riding in the ladies compartment. I notice right away that I am back in a sea of men and most of them are looking at me and wondering what this foreigner half dressed in Indian clothes is doing all by herself in the train terminal. Where is she going? Why is she by herself? Why is she wearing that? All unspoken questions but clearly communicated to me by the looks and stares and chatter among the men all looking in my direction. I have come to tolerate it... but the ladies train car is... in an odd way... a haven.

I exit the train station and find a taxi and I am on my way to church. The day is just beginning and I have the fellowship of the body to lighten my heart and encourage my spirit. And they do just that. I am grateful for the fellowship that I have here in Mumbai. The Lord has provided for my needs... even when I don't even know what those needs are myself. He knows what will sustain me. Thanks be to God... My Lord and MY PROVIDER!

Introducing Nirmala

2007-07-05T08:45:00.000-04:00

So this is Nirmala... my language helper. I told you she was as skinny as a rail! I look huge compared to her! Now I see why the Indians say that we are so big. :) Really she is so sweet. She is wonderful teacher too. We have our lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays. She also comes to our place on Thursdays to teach Danielle and Marcy. We keep her busy... but she seems to enjoy it. This past Wednesday I read some of a conversation to her and she corrected my pronunciation. I really feel like a 4-5 year old just learning to read and recognize words. At other times I feel like a two year old just learning to speak! Still I am excited to be here and I am excited to be learning Hindi! It will be great when I can understand more and surprise people with how much I know and speak. In time...

On another note! The RAINS have come!!! Wow... I didn't know it could rain so much! We had some flooding last Saturday and it was fun watching people on TV walking through thigh high water. There were buses driving through water that was up over the wheels. It seriously is impossible to stay dry during monsoons here. You PLAN on getting wet when you leave the house! And an umbrella... just doesn't cut it. When the wind blows and it is raining (which is often) every part of you from the shoulders down is wet. The chacos I got before I left have been a life saver. They are the only shoes I will wear now in monsoon. They will stay straped to my feet if I have to waid in water and they don't flip so much water and street muck up on the back of my legs when I walk down the street. I have also established my monsoon clothes. They are entirely synthetic but they dry fast even while still wearing them. When I wear my jeans (occasionally) they are rolled up to capri length to avoid the water. My ankles are showing, which draws some unwanted looks and gazes, but my pants aren't soaked half way up my calf. All in all, I am learning to manage the rain. There are still many times when it is just pouring down and I have to go out. I just have to psych myself up for it and go knowing that I'm going to get wet and there isn't anything I can do about it. Some say... that you haven't truely experienced Bombay/Mumbai until you've experienced the monsoons here. I guess that I got initiated fast.

Learning Hindi is Hard!

2007-06-18T11:58:00.000-04:00

Okay... so I knew that learning another language wasn't going to be a peice of cake... but I didn't think it would be quite like this.

I have a language helper that comes to meet with me twice a week for 1 1/2 hours each time. Her name is Nirmala and she is so cute and as skinny as a rail! :) She is doing a good job... but I must admit there are some things that I just don't get. So there are verbs and then there are helping verbs. Sometimes a verb is used with a helping verb and sometimes it isn't. There isn't a rule that I can learn to figure out when to use the helping verb and when not to. It's just something I have to figure out case by case. I like rules much better. I'm less likely to make a fool out of myself that way. Well... I guess I just need to get over it... cause I'm going to make a fool out of myself and I'm going to do it a lot. I had just better get used to it now. :) So, Nirmala and I have been working on verbs these past few weeks and I AM learning... just not as fast as I would like. Hee hee... again get over it right! Next time we meet... I get to work on time... and verbs by trying to tell her what I did at different times throughout the day.

Hindi is also difficult to learn here because so many people speak English. Really it was surprising to me too. :) Most of the educated people speak English and there are even those who grew up learning English as their first language. Learning Hindi from these people is okay but not the best... because they may not know it well enought to teach it. Another large part of the population in Mumbai are uneducated but only know their own mother tongue which just happens to be Tamil or Marathi... NOT Hindi. So they are not much help either.

I'm finding some things that I can do that do help in my language learning. I have my Rosetta Stone for my computer that I have used several times. I need to work on that a little more frequently. There is a small group that meets in a home just near my apartment and it is a Hindi speaking small group. I will be visiting that this week and plan to practice my listening skills. There is also Hindi music and Hindi TV stations that I can practice my listening skills. I hope to practice more my conversational Hindi when I move out of the city at the end of July to work in the womens home.

So there is a little inside picture of my language learning experience. Please be lifting me up in this... I really want to be able to communicate well... but the process of getting there at times is not very much fun. But I'm hangin in there. :)

Just saying Hi!

2007-06-04T12:18:00.000-04:00

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I just wanted to say hi. :) I know my voice sounds really weird and high pitched... not sure how to fix that... anyway hope you get a laugh or at least a giggle from it. :) Enjoy!

My (temporary) Apartment in Mumbai

2007-06-04T12:01:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of my temporary apartment. I will be staying here until mid July when I will be moving out of the city. We are kind of being spoiled with this place. We have hot water, air conditioning, water purification and even a washing machine! All of these are luxuries here that we will not have (most likely) after mid-July. I guess you can say that we are easing into the Indian way of living (at least for the majority of Indians).
So all is well for me. I am enjoying the few more days that I have the appartment to myself before Marcy & Danielle arrive on Friday. It will be nice to have them... but I admit, I will miss my alone time and having the whole place to myself. I have found that I rather enjoy living alone. Especially in India... where it is so difficult to get alone anywhere.
Language lessons are going well. I have had two of them now. My teacher is in her twenties and she teaches middle school aged children. She is very sweet. We have been working on conjugating verbs... a challenge but I am making progress. :) I would most appreciate you prys regarding my language learning. I wish I could just snap my fingers and I would be fluent. It is most difficult and humiliating at times when you mess up and say something really stupid. Still... it must be done if I want to communicate well and value what they value. I can learn Hindi. I can learn Hindi. I CAN learn Hindi! There... I think I'm motivated now. :)

More of Vienna

2007-05-23T09:25:00.001-04:00

I am standing gaurd at the back of the Hapsburg Family Summer Palace. I found the gaurd house to be quite cozy. :)

Here is the Summer Palace from the top of the hill. This is still on the family's land. There is another large structure behind me... a place where they would have parties. Really... this place is huge. So... if you get a chance to visit Vienna... DO! Also, if you get a chance to see the movie Marie Antoinette, it shows the summer palace at the beginning. Marie was an archduchess of Austria who married a prince of France. The movie is the story of her life. It was pretty cool to actually be there to see it all and know that once a family owned all that land and the huge palace. It was fun to think about what it would be like to live in that palace. What would you do if you lived there???

Video to Share

2007-05-23T09:16:00.000-04:00

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Yeh... I figured out how to put a video on my blog... with the help of my dear friend Anne. She has a great blog and puts pics and videos of her baby boy all the time. You should check it out sometime if you want. I've put her blog in my links so you can meet my good friends.
So we went to the Hapsburg family 'Summer' palace today. It is away from the city some and has some amazing flowers and garden areas. The land is huge and so is the palace. Anne took this video of me... I hope you can hear it okay. If this works good... I'll be posting more video's in the future... Yeah!!! Enjoy.

Vienna

2007-05-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

So, I made it to Vienna! I'm visiting with my friends Chris & Anne. We have walked around downtown Vienna and here are some pictures for you to enjoy. This is the European Smart Car. They are tiny!

This is the St. Stephens Cathedral. The last time I was visiting in Vienna back in 2004 they were also doing contruction on the steeple. I guess it's just taking a while.

Here is some Roman ruins that were found during some construction in Vienna. They were marked off and put in this display. Pretty cool.

This is the Hapsburg Family Winter Palace. Pretty big huh. They still have festivals and fun stuff for holidays in this area.

What's next...

2007-04-12T23:21:00.000-04:00

In approximately one month and 8 days, I will be making a major life change. I'm not getting married, not having a baby, not starting a new job (well I guess I kinda am), I'm not finishing school... so just what am I doing?

I will be moving! But wait... before you make any assumtions about this NOT being a major life change... let me explain.

I will not just be moving to another town... or another state for that matter. NO! I'm moving to another COUNTRY!

Now, talk about a major life change. Really now, think about it. There is a lot of stress involved in just moving to another town. You gotta find a new job, change your address, phone number and maybe even your drivers license and your vehicle license plates. You have to find a new neighborhood to live in, a new grocery store to go to, and a new church community to get involved in. If you have kids, you gotta find a new school too. Not to mention just finding new friends to hang out with... people you get along with well and can invite over to your house for dinner and a movie or just to hang out.

Think about all that... and now add just a little more on the plate. Say now that this new community has a whole different style of dress and your wardrobe just isn't going to cut it. And the food they eat is... well... it's not what you're used to and they don't have the quick microwave dishes that you used to rely on in a pinch. There are also all these unexpected rules and ways of doing things that are just different. For example... they have a different pair of shoes that they only wear in the house... they sit on the floor when they eat... the women are not supposed to show their ankles... and they don't eat with their left hands (just to name a few). Now lets just put some icing on that very large piece of cake. How much more stress do you think it will add to the situation when you discover that most of the poeple in this town that you are moving to... do NOT speak english?

So... yeah... I am making a major life change. If you haven't already... pray for me.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Stay tuned...

Yes... I am still using this site

2007-04-12T22:38:00.000-04:00

Okay... so I won't waste my time appologizing for how poorly I've kept up this site. You already know if you've visited it at all. I am going to make a change though... turn over a new leaf! I realize that this is a great way for you all to check out what I'm doing and be kept up to date... but it will take me keeping up my part of posting regularly so that you can be informed.

Thanks for hangin in there with me. Really...I'm going to use this more often now.

Now I'm going to try to post some pictures. I just got a new computer... a MAC (I love it!)... and before, with my PC, I was having trouble posting pictures. So, I'm going to try it again. Wish me luck... if this works well.. that means more pictures from me in the future... I know how enjoyable pictures can be. So here goes.

Beautiful Feet Boot Camp

2006-11-17T19:52:00.000-05:00

Wow, Y'all... thanks for hangin in there with me. My life has been FULL of Beautiful Feet Boot Camp here in Oklahoma City! From 6:30am to 10:30pm I was on the go. Devotions, physical training, classes, chores, classes, homework, outreach, girls night, movie night, homework, projects... and on and on and on! BUT... lo and behold... I am to graduate tomorrow on Novemeber 18th, 2006!

Boot Camp has been great! Our class is 21 strong with the additional 8 children, and two unborn boot camp babies. :) We have survived a ropes coarse, challenges, camping adventure, Mexico, physical training, survival trip, speeches, and evaluations. 21 adults and 8 children have been approved to travel overseas! We are ready for our next assignment!

And the best news is.... I am headed to India!!!!

That's right... India here I come! My goal...(right now) is to learn Hindi. A challenge in itself! But I'm definately up for it. I still have a program that I used while I was in India last time. Hindi will become my homework now. :)

But first... home for the Holidays! I'll be flying home Monday the 20th, where I will be spending some time with my parents, my sister and her family and even my uncle Richard from California. He's flying in for Thanksgiving. After his visit comes to a close... I will be traveling to Chicago to visit my buddies at Wheaton for a few weeks. Then I hope to see my sister's new home in Wisconsin before I return home and prepare to leave for India. The holidays look to be a busy time for me... but I am looking forward to seeing my family. I've not been home since May and even then it was just for a few days.

I want to leave you with a few pictures from Boot Camp. It will give you some idea of what I was blessed to be a part of these past few months. Again thanks for hangin in there with me. Please feel free to post a comment.

I'm packin my bags again!

2006-06-28T14:36:00.000-04:00

I leave on Saturday morning for a new adventure! My time at Link Care is winding down and I have just a few days left. I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute that I have had here. I have learned so much about counseling basics and just how to come alongside someone where they are. I have met some great people, acquired some skills and enjoyed California all at the same time. Now... I'm switching gears and heading off to Choctaw, Oklahoma which is just East of Oklahoma City.

I will be starting my training for what I hope will be future overseas work. I will be a 'student' again for 5 months... learning from other seasoned overseas workers. I will learn practical lessons like how to learn a new language and different steps to take in that process. I will learn about how to work on a team and ways to best utilize the gifts of everyone present. I will grow in my understanding of cross-cultural issues and contextualization. And I will even physically gain some muscle and hopefully loose some fat through a physical training program. I will be meeting new people, learning and experiencing new things and going to new places. We will be traveling to Mexico for a few weeks to apply the skills we learn and, in a sense, practice living and working overseas.

I am truely excited and a little nervous about this next step. I am having to trust the Lord a lot in this move. Everything will be new again... Just simply meeting new people can be a stressful thing for me. I will need to make friends again and that isn't just a scary thing for little kids who move to a new school... it's scary for me too and I'm almost 28 years old! I have had to raise my financial and prayer support for this phase of my life and I am still uncertain about how much money I have and how much I am still needing. This is something that I feel that I have had to continually give over to God and trust that He is providing as he has done so faithfully in the past. I am grateful that it is stretching my faith and deepening my dependance upon him. If I could do it all on my own... than why would I need God? So I thank the Lord that I am weak... and that I can do nothing good... and nothing period... without his mercies in my life. Praise to him... the Lord Almighty... for He has been good to me and He is trustworthy in his promises to take care of our needs! I look forward to when I can write and encourage you in giving the testimony of how He came through with the finances for my training!

Until then... be in prayer for me that I will trust and believe in his promises. Pray that I will make friends quickly and easily. And pray that I will grow in my wisdom, understanding and application of the lessons and tools that I will be given in this time of training and preparation. Thanks to you all for your prayers and support!

Blessings & Peace!

Sailing in the San Fransisco Bay

2006-06-18T23:51:00.000-04:00

I just returned from a visit with my uncle who lives in the San Fransisco Bay area. I took the Amtrak train up and back. There was a frieght train derailment on Wednesday when I left and so I had to bus it part of the way up. My uncle recently purchased a 32 ft Pearson sailboat. It is quite a nice boat and we got to go sailing a few days. Thursday we went out into the Bay for a few hours and just sailed under the Bay Bridge. Friday we headed out for an overnight. We started out with good winds and we sailed past Alcatraz Island and saw Angel Island from a distance. We sailed close to the city too, but I was making sandwiches then so didn't get to see it up close. We ended up anchoring in Richardson Bay for the evening. We saw plenty of huge freight ships and one that had come all the way from China. We saw lots of other sail boats and even some sea lions swimming around. The evening on the boat was nice and peaceful. I woke up only once when the boat was rocking from the waves. In the morning we headed further North in the Bay, past Angel island on the North side and checked out another possible anchoring spot before heading back. We got some great wind on the way back in and made some good time over the water. I admit my nervousness when the boat heeled over with the wind. I guess I just wasn't sure how far it could heel over without capsizing. It was a great time on the water and and even better time visiting with my uncle. We don't get to see each other much seeing that I live in Indiana and he in California. I was grateful to have the opportunity to come up and go sailing with him. Below are some pictures that he took of me on the boat.

More of Yosemite

2006-06-12T19:22:00.000-04:00

Here are a few more pictures for your enjoyment!

Yosemite National Park

2006-06-12T17:37:00.000-04:00

This is Vernal Falls. We hiked up to the top of it and the picture above is the view looking down.
My friend Rachel blessed me with her presence the first weekend of June. She decided to come out for a short visit and we went to Yosemite National Park! We saw lots of amazing things... praised the Lord a ton for his beautiful creation and even stayed overnight in a tent cabin. We saw the huge Sequoia trees, explored several different water falls, got to romp in the snow at 70 degrees and saw some amazing views. It was truely a wonderful two day adventure to Yosemite National Park. These are some pictures of our time there. The top two are of Vernal Falls, then there is the Sequoia trees one of which I am standing on. This was a tree that had been tunneled out back in the 1800's and it toppled not too many years ago as a result of heavy snow accumulation. Sequoia trees drop huge pine cones too! As you can see in one picture. The picture above of the falls is Bridalveil Falls. We got a little wet looking at that one. Notice the rainbow. :) Overall, Rachel and I had a wonderful time!

As for the other happenings in my life... I've begun the process of getting ready to go to Beautiful Feet Boot Camp hosted by Heart of God Ministries. If you haven't heard and would like more info shoot me an email or leave a comment and I'll fill you in. I've got two and half weeks left in Fresno finishing up my internship and I'm flying to Oklahoma City on the 1st of July. I'll be there as long as the finances hold up or until November... whichever comes first. :)

This week, I am excited because I get to go and see my uncle in the Bay area! We're going SAILING!!! I'm really looking forward to it. It's been a while since I've spent some time with my Uncle and so I'm looking forward to catching up with him. I also get to experience travel on the Amtrak train system out here in California. Hopefully all goes well. Well that's the scoup for now... stay in touch and drop a line anytime.

Sunny California!

2006-05-10T20:37:00.000-04:00

I'm here! I made it out to sunny Fresno, California! We broke into the 90 degree temperatures today, I got to eat at Marie Callendars, I saw my first client with my supervisor and I got a beautiful bouquet of freshly cut roses for my apartment (from the rose bushes on the campus)! Today was a good day.

I have settled into my huge apartment, made my first grocery run and set up my office too - yep, I actually got my own office!!! Wasn't expecting that. We had our weekly chapel today and had some team meetings regarding a few of the clients here at the center. I looks as if this is going to be a very productive internship experience for me. I am so looking forward to all that I will have the opportunity to learn while I am here. The staff here are great too. They have been so welcoming and helpful to me as I am getting settled and finding my way around.

Graduation from Wheaton was great! Thanks to all of you who were able to come and celebrate with me. My time at Wheaton went by so quickly. I will miss my profs, my class cohort and my dear friends. As hard as it is to leave and start over again, there is an aspect about it that is exciting. New people to meet and new experiences to have. I am grateful to God for being there through it all. He truely has provided in huge ways, physically, emotionally and spiritually. He has never let me down and I believe that he never will. Heck I have been able to do so much and it is only because of God's grace. He made it possible for me to get a Masters Degree, He provided for my internship and He financed both! Our God is a faithful, loving and caring God. He looks out for us more than we even look out for ourselves. Thank you Lord for all that you have done and for all that you are doing!

I'm done !!!

2006-05-03T18:19:00.000-04:00

Finnally! I'm all done!!! I finished my last paper yesterday and I took my last finally yesterday too! No more papers, no more tests, no more projects or lectures! YIPPPEEEE!!!!

I will walk through graduation this Saturday the 7th of May but I won't officially finish my degree program until after I finish my internship this summer. OH YEAH... I know what I'm going to do this summer... well at least for the first half anyway. I'll be in Fresno, California for 6 weeks working with Link Care. I will finish up there near the end of June and then... well I'm still waiting to hear about what will happen after that. Keep checking my site... and you'll know when I do. :)

So that's it! I'll have a Masters of Counseling Ministries by the end of the summer. My official completion of my program will be in August so I won't see my actual diploma until then. Thanks for hangin in there with me. I'm just taking these next few days in Wheaton to pack up my room and hang with my friends. My folks are coming for my graduation on Friday and I fly out to Fresno on Monday... I'm a busy girl!

Stay in touch... you never know what will happen next with me! :)

The Uncertainties of Life

2006-04-15T10:37:00.000-04:00

I've never been very good with not knowing what's going to happen next. Even with an evening out with friends it's nice to know what's going on all evening before I commit to anything. Well, these past few weeks have been torture for me (not really, but they have been hard). See, I graduate on May 6th and I have to do an internship this summer between the time frame of May 8th and June 25th. I have had two different internships lined up during the coarse of this semester and both of them have fallen through. Just this past week, I had to start from square one again. :( Long story short - I still have no idea what I'm going to do this summer and it is only three weeks away!

Alas, I am managing. My friends are keeping me sane and I am reminded of the times that the Lord has provided for me in the past. This encourages me that He will be faithful to provide for me now. I am still nervous and anxious about what I'm going to have to do, how much it will cost, whether or not I'll have the funds and what I'll need to take with me, etc. I like to plan ahead and in this case, I am forced to have to wait till the last minute and trust that God has got all the details worked out - even the finances.

With all that to say... I really don't have much to update you all on - other than the fact that I still don't know what I'm doing this summer. I'm working on the possibilities and I'm still hoping that I can go to the training that I wanted to go to in Oklahoma that starts in July. My internship is my priority right now though and so as long as that can get done before then. I would appreciate your prayers for my patience and trust in God's provision. After all that He has done for me, you'd think it would be easier to trust him... but with each new thing that comes alone, I still have to fight the temptation of thinking that I can handle it on my own.
Grace and Peace to all!

Beach Bums

2006-03-11T10:50:00.000-05:00

Here we are at the end of our few days on St. Simons Island in the south of Georgia. The three of us (Callie, Rachel and I) traveled down to South Georgia for our spring break. It was a really good break. The weather was nice enough to lay out and get some sun. We also rented bicycles and rode around the island, I played tennis with Rachel and we threw the frisbee around on the beach. It was great fun and a nice relaxing time away from school. We stopped off at Rachel's parents house in Georgia and also at my home in Indiana.

Now it's back to school... I've got some projects to work on for this week and I need to catch up on some of my readings too. One thing is for sure... the break was well worth it and much needed. I think now, I've got enough energy to finish out the semester strong. :) Now I just need to find a place to do my internship. Please lift this up for me, when you read this. I am hoping to find something that fits just right. I trust that the Lord will provide. Thanks much. I'll post some more pictures of our trip as soon as I get them developed and in digital format. Check back soon.

My Girls

2006-02-25T11:46:00.000-05:00

Hear are my girls! These are the women who have been a huge part of my fellowship while here at Wheaton. This picture was taken after a birthday party for Yen (middle). From Left to Right we are: Becky, Me, Yen, Callie and Rachel. I am so blessed to have these women in my life. They have been such good friends. I thank God for them daily.

Internship News

2006-02-22T23:21:00.000-05:00

I recently received news that the internship that I was hoping to attend in Cambodia over the summer will not be an option for me any longer. Apparently there are some new requirements for which I am not able to meet at this time. As a result, I am now looking for another internship site. I am hoping to do something that is closer to the line of work that I am persuing and I am looking into my different options at this time. Please be lifting this up for me. I want to be in a place were I will get some helpful experience for my future work overseas. I will need to complete my internship between early May and mid-June. I need to clock at least 150 hours of time for my degree requirements. I am trusting that something will come up soon. My program has been pretty flexible in the past for the Counseling Ministries students so I am pretty hopeful that it will all work out.

What a Weekend!

2006-02-22T22:55:00.000-05:00

It was Sunday of this last weekend that myself and 4 other dear friends were blessed with the unique opportunity to go Ice Fishing! It was free fishing weekend on Lake Missaukee in North West Michigan. It was the first time that most of us had been ice fishing and we actually caught 4 fish!!! They were all small, but we caught one perch and 3 blue gill. It was a COLD and ICY adventure but it was fun and exciting too! It's not every day that you get the chance to go ice fishing.

My friend Rachel (the one in the middle holding the fish), who is from Georgia, drove her nice big Tahoe out on the lake. She was a little nervous about it... honestly, I was too...but we were reassured when we saw 3 big trucks exiting the lake as we were driving down. :) The ice was actually about a foot thick and we made it off the lake dry and in one piece. It was nice to have the vehicle there too cause it blocked the wind while we were fishing!

We all had a great time. Our weekend was full of adventure. On Saturday we went snow skiing at http://www.caberfaepeaks.com for most of the day. It was a FRIDGID day with high temperatures only in the single digits! We bundled up and kept ourselves relatively warm. Skiing was a lot of fun. I've not been that often and so consequently I was the one who was most often on the ground, but I still had a lot of fun. It was a nice break away from school for a few days. I'm glad to have spent it with some great friends that I have made while at Wheaton! For now, it's back to work for a few weeks until spring break the week of March 6-10.

Wheaton Counseling Ministries Studies

2006-02-07T22:46:00.000-05:00

Well, not much new has been going on with me. I'm still plugging away at classes...

Let's see, what did I do of interest last week???? Oh, I got to interview a wonderful little girl and her mom. This was an assignment for my Child & Adolescent Development and Treatment class. Basically what I did was an 'intake interview'. It consisted of asking questions about the childs birth; developmental stages such as talking, walking and toilet training; functioning at school; relationships with parents and siblings as well as friends and strangers; behavioral patterns (normal and abnormal) and a few other items. After talking to the mom, I got to spend some play time with the girl. We talked about school and her parents. She drew me some great pictures which provided the basis for our conversation. The goal was to get an idea of her overall level of functioning in order to make a treatment plan. My interview was with a healthy child and so there will be no need for treatment. Wheeeew! Not sure I'm quite ready for that yet. :)

I got a small break today for what is called faculty development day. Not exactly sure what they are developing, but I DO appreciate some time off to catch up with my reading assignments. Let's see... I have my work done for tomorrow... and one of four chapters read for Monday. Still got a lot to do for Tuesday, 5-6 chapters to read and a write up for one class and 4 chapters to read with a critique and an essay for the other class. Then I got a quiz next Wednesday and 2 chapters to read. Really, my life isn't all that interesting right now... this is pretty much the extent of what I think about every night... "what do I have to work on next?" Wish I had something more interesting to share with you - still I figured I'd clue you all in to the excitement of Graduate school! :) Till next time... I'm pressing on... :)

Skype!

2006-01-19T15:36:00.000-05:00

Hey All, I found this great tool! Okay, I didn't find it, someone told me about it, but it's still great! It allows you to call anywhere in the world (on your computer), granted that the other person has an account too. The best thing is - it's free!! Check it out on line at http://www.skype.com! If you decide to sign up, let me know and I'll give you my sign-on name.

Class, Class and More Class

2006-01-19T15:19:00.000-05:00

I am officially back in school! Although I am still waiting for a few textbooks to arrive, classes are in full swing and I am busier than ever. Most of my time - surprisingly - is spent READING! I used to love reading. I guess the love comes with the option to read what you want when you want to. I don't have that option now. :( All in all, I can't complain too much. I really am excited about my classes this semester. Let's see... Monday, I have 'Counseling Challenges in Ministry' - good one. Then I have 'Child and Adolescent Development and Treatment' - a little more challenging, but still interesting. Tuesday, I have my favorite classes, 'Spiritual Direction and Care of the Soul' and 'Theological Anthropology'. Wednesday, I have 'Foundations II' - a 'required for all' class that gives us the opportunity to communicate as a department and class. I also have 'Family Systems' on Wednesday - another good one. My last class is my 'Group Therapy' that is on Friday mornings. In addition to all these classes, I am also working 9 hours at the Student Health Services on campus. Call me crazy, but this is my semester! Press on...

Christmas and the New Year have Come & Gone

2006-01-02T09:17:00.000-05:00

Well, my break from school is almost over. I head back to Wheaton College Graduate school this week. I have some loose ends to tie before starting the spring semester. This break has been a nice rest from the craziness of school. I have just one more semester before I am done with classes and then a brief 6 week internship in the early summer. I am looking forward to this semester. My class load will be heavy and the work challenging, but I am excited to learn new things and grow in my understanding of this thing called Counseling.

Much of my time at school involves looking hard at my own life and how my experiences play into the how and why I do what I do. I must say that it is a good thing to take some time and have a hard long look at yourself, the goods, the bads, and the possible whys of who you are. I have discovered many things. The one thing I return to often is that I am a Child of HIS and that my worth is found in HIM alone and not in my abilities, personality or lack there of. This has been a great truth for me. Thank you for being a part of my life in whatever way you have been. Every person, every interaction that I have had, has made me the person that I am today and I am greatful for your contributions to my life!

Welcome!

2005-12-12T18:51:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my new Blog!
I am excited to be able to communicate to you all in this format! They make it so easy.
Please be patient with me as I attempt to figure this all out. Please keep checking my site and responding to my postings. I hope that this new form of communication will help me to better stay in touch with my supporters, friends and family.

Thanks for dropping in. Stay tuned for more from "Already... But... Not Yet"