A New Adventure

I've always lived a life of transition.
It began when my family and I first moved from a bustling metropolitan city to a small, quiet town. It manifested itself by means of deaths, promotions, blessings, and life events. Change is hard, and I thought that as life went on I would become numb to it, yet the opposite proved true.
As I left home in 2012 for a culture that I have familiarized myself with, I never thought that would lead me into a three year journey of constant change and transition. The first year of college in OCC was perhaps one of the hardest transitional periods I have experienced in my young life.
I changed from the "senior pastor's granddaughter" to "that girl from Indonesia."
What was so difficult about my first year was that I tended to be so happy and excited that I forgot I was actually reacting to change. The personality that I showed in my first year was not my true personality, but rather one that was easy to sway from excited to depressed.
Thankfully, things began to slow down as my second year approached. I believe it was in my sophomore year that I finally made my faith my own, as I was stepping out of the comfort zone by fundraising for my overseas internship.

My overseas internship was an adventure in and of itself. After settling down on Eastern Europe, the organization called and told me that they have placed me on a team set for Jordan instead. My adventure in Jordan was a challenging one indeed, but now I realize I wouldn't trade the lessons I learned for anything. The transition to Jordan, coming back from Jordan, and starting school was especially tough.
I felt broken. I felt as if I can't be of use anymore. I felt like the latest Calvin Klein handbag priced at $2,500 would if it found itself in a secondhand thrift store sold at 50 cents.
Yet amidst all of that, I learned of God's faithfulness and redemptive hand. It took me a long while to fully grasp the meaning of it, but through faithful mentors and friends who came alongside me, I began seeing vindication and healing take place.

During that time of healing, I also began seriously thinking about my degree and major. I knew I wanted to serve God and expand His kingdom, but I also knew I wasn't fit for either local church ministry or cross cultural ministry. It was at this time that I secretly yet fervently began seeking God's direction on the possibility of transferring. It was a scary thought at first; however, as time went by and peace began overtaking my troubled spirit, I knew that this was the best decision.

Now, as most of you may already know, I am embarking on a new adventure in less than a week's time. I have all, yes all, of my dorm room neatly packed in boxes and ready to be shipped out to Georgia tomorrow. Ozark has done more than enough to provide friends, mentors, and real life lessons for just one Indonesian student, but the time has come for me to move on.

My new adventure awaits, and my heart is overwhelmed with anticipation at what God has up His sleeves.

Until then, my friends.