Proud to be a Pittsburgher

Usually during weeks like this, when the weather is cold and rainy and when the sun doesn't want to shine, I dream of living in a city where I can wear less layers and where I can feel my fingers. This week, however, I was reminded of how much I love my city of Pittsburgh.

After a midnight shopping excursion the day after thanksgiving, Nolan and I bundled up and headed down to a very chaotic Heinz Field for the traditional "Backyard Brawl" between Pitt and West Virginia. Fans from both sides did their fair share of trash talking and chanting. The game was close and suspenseful up until the last few minutes, but in the end Pitt pulled out a win.

It's amazing to me how sporting events can really bring people together. I love the feeling of high-fiving complete strangers and it being completely normal! Then there's the classic "Go home Mountaineers!" chant that broke out in the stadium.

Still enjoying Friday's win, we settled in to watch the Steelers play the Patriots on Sunday evening. Although, we got off to a rocky start, the Steelers were on fire! I would normally consider myself a compassionate person, but if I am honest, it felt great to see the Patriots turn the ball over 5 times in the second half!!

A win always feels good, but especially when it's against the Patriots!!

All this to say, it's a good week to be a Pittsburgh sports fan, and I wouldn't trade this title for anything! Go Steelers!

Giving Thanks

On the eve of one of my favorite holidays, I decided it was necessary to have a post devoted to the wonderful celebration of Thanksgiving. It is easy this time of year to have a feeling of guilt because I know I have so much, and I also know there are people who have so little. This year, however, I decided to have a different focus. Instead of feeling guilty, I am going to honor God by actually thanking him that I do have so much, and for the fact that he has blessed me in so many ways so that I may bless others. When I started to make a list of all the things I have to be thankful for this year, it was interesting to me that all my "things" were not the first to come to my mind. Instead, it became a list of simple, and often silly, things that I am the most thankful for. It is these very things that I so often take for granted, but should be aware of daily. This list may sound weird to you, but each one makes me smile just to think about. So here goes...

drinking coffee out of one my favorite mugs

when nolan sends me texts in the middle of the day, just to say hi

living with awesome and fun woman as roomates

knowing that in six months, I'm marrying my best friend!

putting on a hoodie right after its been in the dryer

the clearance rack at Target

slippers

post-it notes that I use to remind myself of things (the main decor of my my office!)

afternoon naps (actually, naps are good any time of the day)

crossing tasks off of my daily to-do lists

being paid to hang out with amazing teenagers

waking up before my alarm and realizing I have another hour to sleep

living in a community where my friends have become a family

cooking with someone

pictures to remember all my life experiences

peppermint mochas from Starbucks (you can order them any time of year, but it only feels right around Christmas!)

putting in a fresh pair of contacts

going for walks

rainy Saturdays

DVR (to record my favorite shows)

"Let the Children Come..."

Anyone who knows me at all knows my heart for children and how my heart breaks for children in dire situations. Throughout my short life, I consider myself so blessed to have met so many children from so many different places and countries. As the holidays are just around the corner, I have been thinking a lot these experiences and all the children I have met. I often wonder what the holidays are like for them. Often, I think about the fact that there is no difference between me and them: we were all born into this world in the image of God, we are all children of God and we are all loved by Him. But for many of them, they were born into such a different "world" than me! I have spent many hours thinking through these things, and really struggling with them.

As I reflect on all the experiences I have had, I took a little trip down memory lane. I thought about my recent trip to Kenya and my trips to Mexico and the Dominican Republic and the summer I spent travelling throughout Russia. What a wonderfully beautiful world full of people God has created! Then I think about all the times I ask God "why?": why did someone so young have to get sick? why do bad things happen to good people? why are there thousands of children going to bed hungry and tired tonight? I could literally go on all day asking these questions. It is easy to wonder where God is in all these things. It's moments like this, however, God shows up. He reminds me that he was already in all the places I have travelled before I arrived, and he reminds me that he is there still today (even in the middle of Siberia where it can be as cold as negative 60 degrees!!!)

Some people that I meet come in and out of my life, and I may forget their faces quickly. But many of the faces of children I have met will probably stay in my mind forever. Because although many of these children have experienced pain in ways I can only imagine, their faces have more joy than anyone, and that's why I know when I remember their faces, or when I look at a photograph, I believe that am truly looking into the face of God. This kinda blows my mind, and I am reminded of how big God is.

There are days where I wish I had all the answers for the questions I struggle with, but then I am reminded not to take things for granted. To go where God calls me and to look at others through His eyes and not mine. I have seen God in so many places and people, but sometimes I have to look really hard! How can you see the Lord's face in the people around you?

Just for fun, here's some pictures of the children I have met over the past few years. I am amazed at how beautiful they are everytime I remember them!

Kenyan School Children

Some of the boys in Kenya

Nenet Children from a remote village in Siberia, Russia

A Russian girl named Tanya who truly showed me what unconditional love is

A few of the orphans in Mexico

This is a sweet little girl from the Dominican Republic

More energetic and beautiful Dominican children

Maybe this post has been me rambling my thoughts. Or maybe not. Maybe you have seen God in the eyes of someone around you. I have been considering ways to act on the passion for children that God has put on my heart this year. As a service project next month, our youth group is going to do Operation Christmas Child. This is a project which takes shoe boxes that people have filled with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items and distributes them to children all over the world. It's a great opportunity to serve God by serving his children! It's also something you can do together as a family, group of friends, couple, etc. It's not too late to put together a box this year, so I urge you to consider this (maybe even as an alternative to the typical Christmas gift exchange!) Here's the website: samaritanspurse.org

More retreat pictures...

S.H.A.P.E. Weekend

Last weekend, 10 high school students, one of my leaders, and I went on a retreat to the Cotter's cabin in Cook Forest. The weather was gorgeous and it was a great weekend! It was so nice to just get away with a small group of students and not be on a rigid schedule for the weekend. We cooked all our own food, slept in, and even had a dance party. On Saturday night I set up worship stations for the students to spend time working through. God really worked through this activity because each student spent time at a station which really meant something to them and helped them to connect with God. Here are a few pictures from the weekend, hopefully there will be more to come!

This is called the Fire Tower, not really sure why it was built but it was very high and had a beautiful view of Cook Forest.

Brandon enjoying the view

Erin, me, and Lexi trying to capture how high up we were

Most of the group

The girls on our hike

By the way...

By the way, the tree outside my office that was absolutely gorgeous a week ago is now bare....I'm not ready for the inevitable Pittsburgh winter.

It's been a while.

I realize I have been lacking for blog posts recently, and I would like to put an end to that. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind and I have a feeling that life is going to get even crazier!

As so many people have, I've been thinking a lot about politics and the election lately. (It seems as if this is unavoidable in the world right now!) Now I do not think of myself as a political genuis by any stretch of the imagination (or any type of genius for that matter), but over the past few weeks, I have been trying to absorb as much as I can and make informed decisions and conclusions. I am not going to advertise who I am voting for, or rant about something that I know little of, but I would like to share some observations, lessons, and questions I have in light of pre-election America.

First, I have been surprised and impressed with the involvement of young people in the election buzz. As I think back to my high school days, not only did I know absolutely nothing about politics, but to be honest, I didn't really care to. I have talked with some of my youth group students and other young people who seem really passionate about major issues. While I think teenagers should enjoy where they are in life and not try to grow up to quickly, the fact that they are taking an interest in certain issues and questioning what they hear gives me a great sense of hope for our future!

Secondly, I have been utterly disappointed by the media during this election season. I find it very difficult to be well informed because it seems like every media outlet is biased in their reports. This is frustrating. For this reason, I have enjoyed listening to the various debates this time around because that seems to be the only way to hear directly from the candidates and also to hear the information in its intended context. I also find the "smear campaigns" disappointing. I would rather see someone promote themselves in a positive way than spend time and money portraying someone else in a negative light.

Thirdly, I have been struggling a lot lately with what it means to engage in politics as a Christian. There are so many things about politics and politicians that I strongly believe do not come from God, but at the same time I think He wants us to be informed about our world and to actively participate in it. I have heard the opinions of many Christians about all of this. Some are all for McCain, some all for Obama, some are completely apathetic about it all, some are bitter about politics in general, and others are just avoiding the topic at all cost. As I attempt to approach everything from a Christian perspective, I ask myself the questions: "what's more important: the personal morals and beliefs of our leaders or the economic policies they enforce?" "How do I as a Christian approach the military system our country is under?" "As a Christian, should having a Christian president be important?" "Is the role of the presidency overrated in our nation?"

Maybe these questions don't seem like much to you, but they are ones I have really been wrestling with.

When I attended a panel discussion of professors at Geneva about these very issues, one point raised has stuck with me, and has been a ray of hope to me in all of this. The professors were discussing the common notion that young people have no power to change Washington. But they reminded us that where we can make the most change is in our local government and in our community by volunteering and standing firm in the changes we would like to see. This is such a great reminder that I don't have to be some complex political thinker to make a difference in my world, but rather I need to find what I am passionate about, and look for opportunities to use that passion to improve my world. This is exactly what the title of my blog is all about. I am so inspired by the Ghandi quote, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

The Leaves Are Changing!

So don't get me wrong, I am definitely a summer girl and I love the hot weather, but there is something about this time of year that just makes my insides feel happy! I've been in a sort of mourning period the past few days because it seems that summer just up and left without any sort of warning. Then I was driving to work today and I realized how beautiful it is outside. I often take for granted my drive across Beaver County each morning, but it really is gorgeous because all I can see is hills full of trees.

Nolan and I are leaving for Florida tonight to visit his parents. They haven't seen the ring yet, so we are excited, and I am looking forward to a weekend of relaxing! Life has been so crazy with ending the summer, starting fall youth group stuff, mission trip to Kenya, and getting engaged. It will be so great to just get away for the weekend and relax :-)

Luckiest Girl in the World!

I suppose it's normal for a newly-engaged girl to feel like the luckiest girl in the world, but I have been blessed beyond my imagination over the past week! Besides, the thought of marrying a guy I am completely in love with, the best part of getting engaged has definitely been sharing this with all the special people in my life. The fact that everyone else is so genuinely excited for me and Nolan, makes me even more excited myself! It's only been a week, and already I can tell this is going to be a crazy and special time!

My youth group girls were some of my favorite people to tell that I was engaged, they were so thrilled that it made me giddy! I look forward to including them in this process. On Sunday when I came into my office, one of my youth group girls and one of my leaders had snuck into my office and decorated it...this was so much appreciated and such a sweet gesture!! Here's what my office now looks like, I'm afraid it will feel boring when I take the decorations down!

Engaged!

This past Tuesday night, Nolan proposed at our favorite coffee shop...and as you can guess I said YES! It was a romantic and amazing night. After the proposal, he arranged for our friends to meet up with us and celebrate. One of our friends, Taylor, is a wonderful photographer and took some beautiful shots from the night. Bethany even made my favorite chocolate mint cheesecake!! This was such an exciting night and I feel so blessed to have shared it with some of our closest friends! Here are some of my favorite shots from the night:

Gotta show off that ring!!

Talking with our good friend Ryan

Down on one knee!

I'm pretty much glowing in this picture

Celebrating with friends