2007 moments.

I’ve been at my parents’ home (the land of dial-up) so I haven’t had a chance to update. For now, here’s my favorite memories of 2007 in chronological order.

Baptism - My mom had me baptized before I knew what that meant as part of the Catholic tradition. I became a believer in 2001 and thought, “once baptized, always baptized.” Something always nagged at me that maybe I should look into getting baptized again, so I did. Actually, I wanted to become a member of The Village and had to complete that as a requirement. I took the mandatory baptism class which made the experience richer. I had my good friend Courtney baptize me as I stood in front of the congregation and my friends and declared my faith. We also had Palio’s pizza beforehand so it was a pretty good day.

The Band - My friend Megan and I always talk about music and our rockstar dreams. She found two other girls with similar passions and we rocked out for a month or so. At first, I thought it was a joke, but then I realized the drummer, Z, was amazing and Megan and the singer, Steph, were passionate about getting this thing going. We had a date set for Memorial Day to play a gig and practiced a lot, getting a few cover songs down. We goofed off a lot, but we also had fun piddling around and even hitting up church together. It was an unlikely combination, but it worked. Sadly, the party did not happen so we did not play, and when I came back from Asia, half the band started their real world jobs. We haven’t played since, but I’d be up for it again anytime.

Week before Asia - The week before my Asia trip was a hectic one. All the packing, planning, working, and my birthday was squeezed in there. All the encouragement I received from friends, family, and strangers was God sent and totally helped me get through the preparations and last minute hesitations. As a birthday gift, my friends helped me out big $$$ time and my bandmates put together a care package, complete with compact toilet paper and hand sanitizers. These gifts and the time spent made my heart happy.

Last night in Asia - I spent almost two weeks in east Asia and met some amazing people. During our last week, we dedicated our time to two of our new friends - seeing the sights, eating new food, and just getting to know one another. For our last full day together, we went to see the incredible fountain night show (while eating KFC!) then just sat outside and talked. I had a crazy moment of peace sitting out there, staring at the neon lights of the city and smiling at the entire experience. I want to go back.

Afternoon in Portland’s Living Room - After reading Don Miller’s books and falling in love with Oregon, I finally spent a week in Portland with my friend Megan. We hit up some hotspots like Powell’s Books and even went north to visit Mars Hill Church in Seattle. But hands down, my favorite moment was sitting in Pioneer Courthouse Square. We bought some lunch from some food carts (I think I ate a Philly Cheesesteak) and popped a squat on the steps. There were loads of people just sitting and chatting and the sense of community was welcomed. Megan and I engaged in some great conversation which topped off the moment. Dallas needs one of these.

Chantanapummas + Wii - I bought a used Wii for a fantastic price just in time for my holiday trip to Stephenville. My brother has been encouraging me to buy one, thinking the whole family would join in perfect harmony to play together. Well, he was right! After all those times my brother and I would play Guitar Hero on my PS2 while my mom danced, we finally had something all four of us could play. I have never seen my mom laugh so hard in my life. She ended up kicking our butts at bowling and laughed every single time she hit a strike (which was almost every time!) Even my dad ended up trying it out and determined to beat my mom at bowling (which he did at 3am once my mom was tired!) It’s my first game console since the PS2 I bought in 2001 and it has already earned its keep. I can’t wait ’til the next family get together and am contemplating buying one just for my parents!

Bring it on, 2008.

Guess who’s back?

I arrived at DFW last night a few minutes past 7pm. I was able to stay awake and spend a few hours with friends, but was sure to down some Nyquil sometime after midnight and slept. I finally got out of bed around 4pm today. I’m not sure if I’m tired because I overslept or if I’m already tired thinking about life back in the U.S.A.

I’ll try and unpack my Asia trip sometime, but for now I’ve gotta get back into the grind of things. In case you are wondering how the trip was, I’ll just say it was pretty much amazing.

Big gulps, eh?

This will be my last post before I head off to East Asia. Sunday will be spent running last minute errands and spending as much time as possible with my buddies so I won’t have much time to sit still.

It’s pretty surreal. I know a few of you may be thinking, “Geez, Nina, you’re only going to be gone for two weeks… heck, less than two weeks! Why so dramatic?” I have this really antsy feeling about all of this. The very fact that all the things fell into place for me to go on this mission trip is nuts. It started with a simple video at church and next thing you know I’m rolling and packing up my shirts, wondering how many times I can rewear clothes until my roommate notices.

Lots of people have commended me for my selflessness, my obedience, and I have to remind them this isn’t me. I’m a pretty selfish homebody that loves routine. There’s a big part of me that wants to jump ship. There’s lots of doubt in my head: I haven’t been on any kind of mission trip before, I’ve never really openly evangelized to strangers, I don’t think I’m as “up to par” spiritually as my teammates… This list really goes on and on.

But I can’t forget about grace. And grace enables. My Lord and Savior didn’t suffer and die on a cross so I can sit at home in fear, quietly typing on my blog about things that could’ve been. Jesus’s sacrifice and ultimately His resurrection spurred the disciples to be BOLD. Read Acts, these guys go crazy - the same guys that denied knowing Christ just a few days earlier, the same guys that never understood the parables, the same guys that started out as simple men with simple lives. My calling is no different than these guys - to be BOLD in His Name!

And so early Monday morning, four of us set out for our little adventure God has called us to. I really have no specific expectations, but I know huge things will happen. And as much as I wonder how my little life will affect the people I encounter, a friend pointed out something… At church, we had been talking about being the salt and light of the earth. How being the salt of the earth means breathing in spiritually and being transformed through Christ and His Word. As I was telling her about my fears and inadequacies, she said, “You know, this trip may be for you… to be salt.” And while I have just totally butchered what she actually said, I know what she meant. When I come back, things won’t be the same. I won’t be the same. I’m scared and excited, much like going up that first hill on the Texas Giant. (But, I promise I won’t cuss like a sailor through the trip!)

I do want to want to leave with words of thankfulness and gratitude. The Lord has shown me great love and has humbled me through His Words, my friends, and even strangers. I have been so encouraged these past few weeks when I have needed it the most. From such big things as huge financial support from my friends to little things like a bag of travel items from my new friends and clients wishing me a good and safe travel — I cannot do this alone, but the Lord equips us with just enough to get by. And He has definitely shown that.

So, on that note… “Big gulps, eh? Welp, see ya later!”

Encouraged.

I have a peanut memory, but here are a few things people have said that have stuck with me for more than 24 hours.

At work
Client that knew I was going on a mission trip:  Enjoy the mission God has called you to be a part of!

On my birthday
Me: I’m getting old!
Mom: No, you’re just getting better!

Earlier this summer
Em: Just because people view God in a different way doesn’t change who God really is.

In other news, last night was a blast. After work, a handful of my friends met up at Luna De Noche for some Mexican food (specifically, I wanted fajitas with potatoes!) Although they were different groups of friends that had never hung out, we had an extremely good time - we laughed a lot, ate Mexican food, ice cream and tiny gummy bears, and laughed some more. It was about as much fun as one can have on a Wednesday night, so I can’t complain. My friends came through in a major way: Em and JB pitched in and definitely helped me financially for my upcoming trip and a few members from my band put together a big bag o’ “Keep Nina clean and healthy while in Asia” stuff. If I was a crying machine, I probably would’ve bawled myself a river to canoe back home in. The gifts were definitely thoughtful and it was so good to see everyone in one place.

Tonight was another good night. My small group spent a good while listening to me ramble about how I feel about the upcoming trip and prayed over me. Cupcakes and cookies were also had. I got to blow out a trick candle. With all the craziness that ensues in everyone’s lives with summer wrapping up, I was thankful to have the few girls that could make it. And it was insanely encouraging to hear their prayers because sometimes you find out what people think of you, and they said a lot of stuff that made me smile.

I do have a boatload of stuff to do that I haven’t made time to get around to doing. Mostly important things. Friday is my last day of work for a long, long time and I am looking forward to getting stuff done this weekend. Hopefully.

One week from now…

I’ll be in Asia.

This didn’t occur to me until late in the day. Feeling nervous, moreso unprepared. Told my friend Jenna tonight that I feel like I am going up the roller coaster, knowing there’s no bailing out now. But I’m feeling extremely curious about the ride so I think it evens out.

Tonight I am thankful for the Internet. There are loads of free online audio courses to help learn other languages. It’s strange to think that God decided I should live during this age of technology because I honestly don’t know how I’d live without it. (Seriously! I would not have a job! And you would not be reading this!) Just another reminder that He knows what He’s doing and I should trust in that.

In other news, my poison ivy rashes and blisters are drying up. Mandy, I would have taken a picture after your comment, but I’m afraid it’s not as gruesome as it would have been a day earlier. Most of the massive blisters have popped and I’m just left with tiny blisters. They are turning a nice dark red color and some are scabbing up. Thanks for everyone’s prayers. I’m hoping it will clear up enough not to be a health threat because the area in Asia I will be in is heavily polluted and extremely dirty. So, don’t stop praying now!