winter

….is beautiful in it’s own right. And, like the rest of life, is so much better when shared. Thanks, roommates.

 

2 days have passed since the 2 or 3 or more art sale. I still feel speechless and am coming to terms that this may just always be the case. But with the help of M. Ward’s ‘End of Amnesia’ cd going in my ears, I’m willing to give this a try. I really do wish I could tell you the whole story of 2 or 3 or more, of all the hard work, the ins and outs, the logistics, the fun times, the  wonderful art folks got to buy/create, etc. But I’m not the person to ask. That would be my sister and her compadres. My side of the story, set in Charlottesville, Virginia, really only consists of one line: grace is real.

It was SO strange that while I was in our first large group of the semester, getting back into the ordinary routine, there was something quite extraordinary going on in Starkville, Mississippi, to which I was directly related. Every now and then, I snuck in a peak to the phone to see a few very sweet and encouraging texts and a missed call or two. I was thinking, “This is great. They’re having fun. My sister and mom are eating this up.” Then when large group ended and the talking afterwards was winding down, I checked again, but this time to find 2 texts, one from my sister and one from my good friend John Wiggins, saying that they had hit the $5,000 mark. Wow.

The rest of the night was kind of a blur of phone calls, texts, tweets, etc., all rejoicing with what God had done. And I listened to “Hallelujah Praise Jehovah” from the new indelible grace cd about 15 times. Then the phone call came that the final total was what it was. And me and my inappropriate emotional responses were left completely blank.

So here’s the recap. $7573 was added to my account while I did NOTHING to help. or even deserve. This, my friends, is grace. At the beginning of this semester, I remember editing my facebook ‘about me’ page (don’t judge me) to say “I do not deserve the good things I have been given.” I didn’t then, and I don’t now. I don’t deserve the love of my friends, much less do I deserve the love of Jesus. BUT. they are both gifts. And they both effect me in extremely profound ways. I don’t recall a time I felt loved in such a joyful, “let me help meet your need” kind of way. If you want to know the moment I really felt that, it was when the same John sent a response message saying, “we love you kiddo.” Sometimes the fewer words, the better. Also, moments of very clear affirmation  of this magnitude and KNOWING that I am where I am supposed to be are few and far between. It should also be noted that this happened a mere 4 hours after I officially sent in my declaration of intent to RUF saying that I will, in fact, return for year 2. How beautiful is that?

And that’s all I’ve got. Thank you. For everything. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

 

Well, if I was speechless the start the last post, there is officially no category for what I feel now. Through the work of my sister, family, and absolutely incredible friends, I now have all of my needs met for this year AND some of next years!

The official number they raised: $7,573.

Bless the Lord, o my soul.

I do promise to post something more substantial soon. It’ll just have to be when my words and my ability to stand come back to me.

 

words can’t express

If you think about it, those are weird words to start a blogging post with, given that blogs (excluding pictures blogs, of course) are all about words. But at this moment in time, I literally am speechless. Here’s the reason why: http://www.2or3ormore.com. That’s really all you need to see, but if you do keep reading, here’s what I’ve got so far. My sister is incredible. And because of that, she’s put together this art show that has the purpose of benefitting my financial needs. And she’s recruited both friends and people I have never even me to be a part of this. But here’s the beautiful thing about it: it really isn’t about me. There’s this world of art and this world of ministry that are coming together to benefit one another and have the world be blessed. I love that God is a God of creativity. He wants His beauty to be made known and displayed to and by those he created. So these artists are getting to do what they love by creating for others AND buying from others at an affordable price. And somehow, through these crazy twists and turns, my needs are met in the process. This is why I am humbled: I have done nothing to deserve it. It, like grace, is a free gift. Bono says that “grace makes goodness out of everything.” I concur.

So go enjoy the lovely things these wonderful designers have made. Go check out RUF and how God is working through it. Give Kate a hug or a high five for all the joyful labor she has put into this. And be blessed in the process.

 

jesus in new orleans

by Over the Rhine. Look it up.

Hello again, dear friends. There is much that I’m sort of bursting at the seams to write about, so forgive me for not really even knowing where to start. I have made it back from New Orleans and am currently find myself in recovery/get myself ready for round 2 mode. Our RUF trip to New Orleans was absolutely wonderful. Here are the basics: we were given 3 houses to gut, which was quite fun and rewarding. To most of the world, New Orleans and the devastation of Katrina are way old news. Hearing that there are still 65,000 houses that either need to be built, gutted, worked on, etc. is staggering. So 2 of these houses had not been touched since the storm. As in, the fridges were still stocked with 4 AND A HALF YEAR OLD food. Gross x a million. Here are a few of my team’s sight….and sidenote, if you click on them, you can see the full sized one. I recommend it:

Our dumpster at the end of the first day:

We also got to worship at Redeemer Pres on the first Sunday, which was also great. So fun to see how a church in a different part of the US orders its worship, play its music, etc. And if you know nothing else of New Orleans, you should just know that the food and music alone are worth the trip. I’m a sucker for good music, and their piano player knocked me on the floor. From there we had some natives of NO come over to our house for the week for lunch to talk about what it’s been like for them to live there. Basically, they all said the same thing: New Orleans is beautiful in its brokenness. It’s a city that cannot hide it’s “ugly” parts. It’s still recovering, yes, but there really is no other place like it. The “checkboard-ness” (if you will) of the cities neighborhoods makes it so interesting and transient. The roads make it new impossible to get anywhere efficiently, but that’s okay. In fact, in terms of traffic and/or navigating through the city, New Orleans ALWAYS wins. And just know that caravanning with more then 2 cars (maybe 3 on a good day) is probably going to be a very frustrating experience for you. But all of that is okay with me. Here are some of the sights and colors:

A family from Redeemer hosted us to a classic New Orleans like meal, meaning lots of gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice one night. Another night, we explored Magazine Street for a while and ate plenty of legitimate seafood. The other nights were spent at our house where we took turns cooking 3 dinners. On the last day, both of our teams got to work together to finish house number 3, which was much fun. Here’s some from that day:

TEAM 1:

TEAM 2:

The whole shebang:

And finally, here are some other shots of these students that have taken New Orleans (and my life) by storm:

Aaaand….that is quite enough. It was such a great trip, and I’m so thankful I got to be a part of it. Good bonding time, good food, and good loooong car ride.  The new semester begins in 2 days, and I would like to affectionately title it “round 2.” Glad to be back and catch up with friends and roommates. Very glad to have a few days before things get rolling again. A few more hours of sleep, and I think I’ll be good to go.

 

Well, tomorrow ends my 3-ish week Christmas break. Time does have a way of flying by like “the evening sun when it sets,” which is what Brandi Carlile says in “Gone,” which you should go listen to/download immediately. If I were to have an actual soundtrack to my life, it would make the cut. And if people would buy it or even be remotely interested, I would totally make it. But I digress…..

Tomorrow, I’ll make the 3-4 hour drive to New Orleans to meet up with UVA’s RUF (and LSU’s), who will have been driving for around 15 hours. Poor things. But I’m really excited to see them and to spend a week with them in one of my FAVORITE places. It’s been too long since I’ve been there, and though my travel has been rather limited over the course of my life, I’m convinced it’s one of the most unique cities ever. I’m especially excited to share this with some folks who have never been. I’m excited to work together, though I’m unsure about what we will actually be doing at the moment. And REALLY excited to take pictures. what a goldmine that place is. And come Friday, we’ll begin our 2 day trek back to dear old UVA. Shooo-wee.

Pretty bittersweet that my time at home is coming to an end. I will miss the fireplace, the laidback-ness, the good (and free for me!) food, the friends and family, and so on and so forth. BUT I get to go back to a spring semester in Virginia, in which every month (or even day) is one I have never experienced there before. I have always been more fond of the spring semester in comparison to the fall and will be interested to see if that continues to hold true. And I get to go back to friendships there as well. And other good food. And coffee, FINALLY. Its constant presence (namely in the form of my coffee pot) has been sorely missed. As has my guitar. Aaaand so on and so forth.

I’d love for your prayers as the ball is about to start rolling again. For this trip, these students, safety, and then the start of a new semester. I’ll try to make a good update when we return. Until then, cheers!

 

so this is the new year

… and the rest of that line says “and I don’t feel any different.” (thanks, Death Cab) And, I think I could just about say the same thing. As we’re still in the very early days of a new year, there are 2 things I really need to get my head around: 1) the fact that I’m now 23, and 2) the fact that it’s 2010. It always takes me AT LEAST 2 months for those things to flow smoothly off my tongue without first having to say something like,”I’m 22….wait…..I’m 23 now.” When I think about it, I almost want to freak out, because 23 sounds a little bit old. (go ahead and snicker if you’re older. I probably would too.) But at the same time, I am kind of excited about it. Being 23 lines up with how I feel: too old to be in college, too young to REALLY know what I’m doing in the “real world.” It’s a more stable/settled age in a broader, transient time of life, at least in comparison to being 22. Hope I didn’t lose you there.

Thinking about the new year also makes me think of “resolutions,” which I have also decided that I hate. If you have the capacity to think about them 3 weeks into January, then I, in all honesty, applaud you. I confess that I do not have the ability to do so. But around the middle of December, I started thinking about things that I would like to see improve over the course of my life, and not just the year. Since my birthday is conveniently 3 days away from the new year, these “life goals” as I have affectionately titled them DO sound similar to resolutions, but I assure you, they are not. They’re not short term goals and am completely serious when I say that they will take the course of my life to change. And I don’t expect to ever “arrive” and look back and say that they’re not problems anymore. I also don’t want to be so hard on myself for not being able to keep them perfectly, or even well at times, because let’s be honest, perfection doesn’t come until heaven. I’m just saying I at least want to THINK more about these things, and stop letting them go by unchecked. That is quite the build up, but here they are:

1. To stop being late. I know, I KNOW, this sounds dangerously close to those things you give up like caffeine (I’m not saying that’s not noble), but allow me to explain. It has started to coming more and more to my attention after I realized that the majority of my one on ones this semester started out with me saying, “I’m sorry I’m late!” I sounded like a broken record to myself, which is annoying. It’s true that certain events that happen during the day that are simply out of our control. If only I could blame my constant late-ness on that. Unfortunately, I can’t. The fact of the matter is that my tendency to run late is me missing on opportunity to love people. It’s me saying that my time is more valuable than yours. It’s one of those nonverbal things that speaks louder than I probably think it does. Ok, enough about this.

2. To be better with my phone. And by better with my phone, I mean this: I want to better about answering the dang thing. I am a firm believer in not answering with the intention of carrying on a long convo when I’m with other people unless it’s important, because honestly, who wants to feel completely accessible 100% of the time? But even if I can’t talk, I really should just start picking up to say hello, I’m glad you called, and I’ll call you back soon-ish, especially if I’m not around people but just don’t feel like talking. It is NOT that hard. For me, it’s a way to not avoid people. And I’m hoping this will make me WANT to call people back, as opposed to piling up like 4 long conversations on the horizon and not want to dive into any of them because of guilt. But just a sidenote: I am not a call-waiting answerer. I don’t even know why I have that function, except for the fact that I know somebody called. I just can’t do it. Maybe I’ll be convicted of that at another point in time.

3. To take better pictures. I want to take ones that document the beautiful places I’m privileged to see and ones that make ordinary things more beautiful. I want to use my camera more to the extent of its capability. I want to learn more about how to do all of these things. And I want to share them.

So there they are. Please hold me accountable and help me realize it’s a process and won’t be fixed over night. And that’s okay.

Maybe I’ll make a more detailed account of Christmas break at some other time. This is where I wish I have been better about taking pictures. (life goal, people). Suffice it to say that time at home and with friends has been incredible. I enjoyed my birthday, spending 3 days in Jackson with some of my favorite people on this planet, watching one of my best friends get married, while a few other dear friends got married in other places, and lots of other things in between. I’m pumped about being in New Orleans next week. I’m glad I have until Saturday at home.

And that’s about it. Happy 2010!

 

only one more sleep til Christmas

- Kermit the Frog.

Hard to believe it’s actually here. If Camp DeSoto taught me anything, which it certainly did, it’s how to celebrate Christmas, even if it was in July, and even if I did have to dress up as the creepiest Santa you’ve ever seen.

Tonight, we go to sleep singing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and wake singing “Joy to the World.”

We rejoice that once “a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.”  – C.S. Lewis (The Last Battle)

And even though we were (obviously) not there to witness it, “sometimes the most real things in the world are the things you can’t see.” – the Polar Express

I just love those. Thought you would too.

Merry Christmas, y’all.

 

yes i WILL be home for christmas

Ok Panera is closing very soon, so I’ve going to spit this all out in a very quick manner. I don’t have terribly much to say, other than the fact that I’m super thankful to have made it safely to Memphis/successfully escaped “winter wallop ‘09.” Ben and I left DC at 2:30 Friday and arrived around 3 the next day, with a 5 hour sleep break in the middle. I know what you’re thinking: “that is a long time in the car!” You are right. 100%. BUT…..we made it. And covered 7 states and 1 district in the process. And come to find out, Virginia got 2+ feet of snow (which is NUTS!), and we would totally be stuck there still if we hadn’t decided to act quickly. And by act quickly, I mean we decided to go ahead and leave that day, I left the downtown mall, took a trolley back home, packed in 30 minutes, and hit the road. We drove through snow, rain, and terrible traffic, as we were unaware of the mass exodus taking place form DC to richmond that afternoon. And it was completely worth it to be back here today and head to Mississippi tomorrow. To all of the people who checked up on us, thanks so much. You made me feel cared for.

Finally, Christmas is in 5 days. And you know what I’ve realized today? I’ve NEVER been good about saying “merry Christmas” to people. It just doesn’t feel like it’s in my vocabulary sometimes. I don’t know why. Some guy in Sunday school made the comment about feeling weird during this time because he never knows what to say when somebody says it to him. And I totally feel the same way! I KNOW the polite thing is to say it back, but I just have a dang hard time with it. You’re lucky if you get a “you too” out of me. I hope I’m not alone in this, but if I am, that’s okay too.

But just for good measure and to try to cover up my many failings in this regard, I do hope you have a very merry Christmas.

 

it’s beginning to look alot like Christmas

Why is it that the week you are scheduled to go home is the one that goes by the slowest? WHY? I realize I’m at this point just making a complaint out of thin air, but it’s nonetheless on my mind. There’s just alot of thing to look forward to in these next few days for Libbie. Saturday my good ole friend Ben and I will make our 13ish hour trek to Memphis. I was excited about the drive home before I knew what was coming, but having a companion now is, I’m sure, going to make all the difference. And going to Memphis over the Christmas break has easily become one of my very favorite things to do. I love my friends and the families they have there. Then Monday or so will take me once again to Yazoo City. While sitting with a student today, we were rambling off various things we are ready to do at home. NOT a good idea when I still have a few days before that happens.

So this has me thinking. When do I ever take the time to think about what I’ve really enjoyed lately? And by lately, I mean since Thanksigiving. I hate that holiday is forgotten so quickly. So in a list-like form, here are a few things I’ve been thankful for (in no particular order):

- as of a week and half ago, I am a member of Trinity Pres here in C’ville. I’ve kind of been thinking about this significance alot since then. While I still know a relatively small amount of people and kind of made a hasty decision to go for it, I am really excited about this. It’s kind of my home now. It gets my money, which is a new concept for me to put into practice. It gets my prayers. And will hopefully get my service when I figure out what that might look like. And I’m blessed by it. l’ll be glad to see what all this looks like over time.
- my house and housemates. I’ve gotten to see a very tangible example of how God placed me in my very room before I even knew exactly where Charlottesville, Virginia WAS. and I’m so sick of the word legit, but they are definitely just that. I’ll also throw in several other fun friends I’ve enjoyed doing other random but very fun things with.
- Christmas time is SO FUN. I owe much thanks to grooveshark, pandora, and the Holiday Traditions station on XM for spreading Christmas cheer for me hear. I owe thanks to whomever invented the apple cinnamon spice scent, hot chocolate, and slippers. In different ways, they each remind me that this is in fact the most wonderful time of year.
- SNOW DAY.
- This makes sense to nobody but myself, but I LOVE running when it’s cold. So I’ve decided to start that up again and have thoroughly enjoyed it.
- I’m going to nerd out and say this with full knowledge that I may or may not shunned: Lord of the Rings. the books and movies. There it is.
- Journals.
- Jazz nights at Miller’s on Wednesdays, which is on my (very short) list of things to do tonight.

So there are just a few. Exam time, I hate to say it, has gone on tooooo long here. 2 weeks is really QUITE enough. I know the students feel this even more than I do, so that’s all I’m going to say about that.