Happy Junior Year!

Apparently, 1 am is the perfect time to write a blog so be kind.

This past week I have been sick with bronchitis, full on running a fever, I even thought I had pneumonia at one point (thankfully I didn’t).  Fun fact, with Bronchitis as long as you run fever you're contagious; so I’ve been on room arrest, or quarantine, this past week.  As I’ve started to be sick, my mind has had a lot of time to wonder, and I realized that this was not much different than how I started my Jr. year of High school. 

Flash Back:
The summer before my jr year I spent a month in Guatemala, I was home for at least a couple of weeks before I started school.  I had been in school a little less than a month when Labor day came.  I had a fun labor day weekend, ate great food, shopped, and spent time with my family. Nothing was out of the ordinary, until Tuesday.  I woke up not feeling well.  The rule in my house growing up was if you were too sick to go to school for two days then you went to the doctor.  So on day 2 I went to the doctor.  They tested me for a couple of things even West Nile (which was running rampant that fall), and they couldn’t find anything wrong with me even though I was very obviously sick.  During the next few months, yes I said months, I spent hours in different doctors offices and multiple trips to the ER trying to find out what was wrong with me.  They gave different things but nothing very conclusive.  Eventually, I did get better, I went back to school and eventually caught up. 
Why do you need to know this or why is this even important, you may ask. Well, you need the background to understand what comes next.  During this time of sickness I think I had one maybe two friends contact me during these months of being sick, I felt very alone.  It felt like nobody cared that I was sick (I’m not counting my mom in this because I worried her greatly during this time). My Junior of high school was a horrible year being sick is just what started that terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year.

Now remember the info I just gave you and return to the present.
My Junior year of college just started and this past summer I spent a month in India.  I was home about a month before school started when the Friday of Labor day weekend hits and I am sick. (Are you catching the similarities yet?) That’s where those similarities stop.  I know why I’m sick.  I defiantly don’t feel alone.  In fact, I feel very loved.  Because I live on campus, I have a roommate.  She checks on me multiple times during the day to make sure I haven’t died.  Not only has she checked on me so has my other friend who lives down the hall.  They have brought me meals from the café and just talked to me even though I was so out of it I have very little to no memory of what was said. I have had people check on me through text and FB message. 

Four years ago I was sick and felt alone, and satin used that time to wreak havoc in my life, and it has taken years to get over my Junior year of high school.  Junior year still hurts a little and has probably been fresher on my mind as I start another round of a junior year.  However, this year will not be a junior year that makes me cringe, one that I want to block out of my memory.  This year will be full of memories of new friends, love, and happiness.  I’ve been in denial that my Junior year of college is starting because the last one was so bad.  I’m finally ready to accept that I’m a junior in college. 

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the past, present, and the future.  Thank you for walking with me in the good times and the bad times.  Thank you for friends who care.  I pray that this next school year is full of you.  Help me to follow the path you have set for me.   Thank you, lord.
                                                                                                    Your daughter,
                                                                                                                  Noelle

A few of my favorite things part 3

"The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example"
John Wooden

A few of my favorite things were my leaders, Emma and Viv. They were truly our moms while in India.  They each have their own personal stories and their own unique personalities.  This is my thank you to them.  Thank you for saying yes to leading our group, I know that this took a lot of courage, bravery, and perseverance.  Thank you for caring for us and talking late into the night even when you’re tired.  Thank you for being real with us. Thank you for walking with me on my walk with Christ.  Thank you for pouring into me.  Thank you for showing me how to lead.  Thank you for the part you have played in my journey.

Lord,
Thank you for these leaders.  Thank you for the things they taught me.  Thank you for the blessings they were for me and my team.  Lord, please continue to bless them as they go about their journeys.  Thank you for sending such great examples to show me how to lead.

A few of my Favorite things (Part 2):

VBS WEEK 2

My team did 6 Vacation Bible Schools (VBS), my ministry group led 3 of these VBS.  The second VBS my team did was my favorite one.  I love to work with children in general; I usually work with the younger kids.  However, this week I worked with the teenage group.  The way we ran our VBS was that one person ran each of the 5 different stations and then 5 of us were each in charge of a group.  I figured that the other group leaders would probably choose the younger kids for their groups, so I headed for the older kids. Older kids are not my forte.  This particular week I was struggling with the Lord, and was not that open to hearing him.  Because my kids could mostly understand English we could explain the gospel better to them and go into more detail then we would with the younger kids.  

At one our Stations my teammate, Seth, was talking about our skit of the day. He was talking about how God hears us pray. Which “ironically” is exactly what I had been questioning, if God could hear my prayers? Seth then went on to tell the kids that how much God loved them, again exactly what I doubted too.  Seth did not know what was going on with me, but everything he was telling the kids was what I needed to hear.  It’s amazing how God works.  

 I was working with an age group I don’t normally work with.  If I had been with the younger kids, I would not have heard the same message I did with the older kids.  This week was the week that I really connected with my kids, I could have real conversations with them, instead of broken English conversations that none of us truly understood.  

I thought I would end this post by showing some of the awesome photos my teammate Kristen took on my camera from this VBS.

One of the kids reciting the Bible Verse for the day

Drawing a picture about the day's bible story

Blowing Bubbles

Helping at one of the stations

The Bible verse for the second day of VBS

David and Goliath skit

A few of my Favorite Things:

In an attempt to share some about my trip, I decided to do some post about my favorite things and People from India.

Someone who made a big impact on me was this little girl, S. I met her by accident; I almost missed a wonderful opportunity.  I almost did not go to the soccer game that day, I’m so glad I did.  S is 8 years old, and later to some of my teammates became known as Noelle’s little friend, because she would come up to me every time she saw me in the village. This picture is from the day we met. She came up to me as I walked with one of my teammates (who already had a gaggle of kids with her) and grabbed my hand and started walking with me.  I was immediately drawn to her because she had a cleft lip.  You would never know that she was different though.  We talked about all sorts of things that day.  My favorite line was when we were talking about Bible verses and how she had to recite one in Sunday School.  I asked her what it was and if she would recite it to me and she said “no, because it’s in Hmar and you would not understand it.” I just laughed and told her my favorite verse (Isaiah 41:10 if anyone wandered).  She told me about how she prayed to God, and how she knew that God was always with her. 

It struck me that she had the child-like faith I had always heard about, the one that Jesus encourages us all to have.  

“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.  But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.  Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.” 

Matthew 21:16 ESV

S has the childlike faith, I have thought about her since we came home.  She surprised me; this child who lives in poverty has this Joy that could only be explained by a child who truly knows Jesus.  This 8 year old girl is an inspiration to me, she has a child-like faith that we should all inspire to be.

Processing is Tough!

I have been home for 2 weeks as of today.  But I’m not really home; my heart is still in India, and with my teammates spread all over the USA/Canada/and Mongolia.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to be home, I love my comfy bed, and getting to hug my mom.  But my heart is broken, I miss India and my new family.  Being the big theatre fan that I am, I went to support some of my friends in a local show today.  One of their moms saw me and said, “You’re back! You’ve on solid Ground.”  Then she asked me for my top 3 moments from India.  It shocked me; someone besides my mom actually cares about my trip!  Everyone wants to know how it was, and once I give the generic answer “It was great! I got to see God work in really awesome ways.”, then I get a smile and some people might ask me one or two more questions and then we go on about our lives.  

This got me thinking, should I have been shocked that she asked me these questions? The answer is no!  In fact one reason people may not have asked me is because I haven’t really wanted to share.  It’s been too hard to talk about everything that happened the last month in my life.  It makes me mad at God; because why would he do all this and then take me away from these people I now call family?  I haven’t wanted to talk about my trip because I haven’t wanted to fully process my trip.  I have processed some, through talking with my mom.  However, I haven’t wanted to.  I have wanted to live in the past and dwell on the last month of my life. 

God has opened my eyes by her question.  It was his way of telling me that He brought me home so that I could minister to my friends and family here in the states.  Its great to do all these wonderful things in other countries but if you don’t share these adventures with the people back home because these are the people who have supported me through all of this.  These people want to hear about my adventure.

So here it goes, my top 3 things from India (In no particularly order).

1.    Getting to love on all the kids, but my favorite moment was getting to love on this little girl.
2.  God told me how much He loved me, and why He loves me so much. (see Blog from India for more details).
3.   My teammates and Leaders were some of the best people ever.

A BONUS ONE

1. Our contacts in India, who were some of the sweetest people ever