First, I learned I was visiting during “Десет дена Крушевска Република” otherwise known as the 10 days of the Krushevo Republic where the entire town celebrates the 10 days of independence from the Ottoman Empire in 19031.

Second, I learned Krushevo is one of the best places in the WORLD for paragliding2, and I was there for the start of the European Paragliding Championship3. On the last morning in town, I got to see some of them launch and I have cool videos to prove it!

Lastly, and more importantly, the camp I got to serve at was for all students, but was specifically tailored to those with disabilities. The students’ level of functioning varied, however, we all enjoyed the cha-cha-slide, a big game of freeze dance, and many, many games of copycat. While this camp was impactful for many reasons, I was blown away by the foster moms of some of the students with down syndrome that need full-time care. They came with smiles on their faces and attentive hearts to the children they care for daily. The resources available to these students are few and far between, but I was certainly blessed by the smiles and joy in the room.

This week, I’m back to work to prepare for the new school year. I’m definitely experiencing some homesickness but also looking forward to hitting the 1 year mark since arriving in country next month!

My break has consisted of Italian cuisine, a horrible travel day, dreamy Swiss towns, an unbelievable amount of sweat, and time with incredible friends from home. As much as I have loved getting to experience and see new places, I am also so ready for a trip back to America. Being away for almost a year has made me appreciate (and miss) where I’m from in ways I never expected.

Some of the practical things I miss the most are free water, easy access to public restrooms, and everyone (for the most part) speaking the same language from state to state.

I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to this summer, so please don’t hesitate to share :). I love seeing photos and getting voice memos, so send them my way!

I had the opportunity to facilitate multiple sessions at an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange1 focused on inclusivity and green spaces. Participants from five different countries explored what inclusive and sustainable communities look like and discussed how each of us can contribute to creating them.

My favorite session was called “Designing Your Ideal Community.” Participants worked in groups to create their own communities, including essentials and spaces that reflected their interests, passions, and values. It was also intriguing that the key stakeholders in their individual communities across different countries were all the same.

Being the only American in these settings also brings some interesting conversations. Once people find out I’m from Texas, their first question is either about riding horses as a means of transportation or firearms. I also have a whole new perspective when they describe their previous experiences with Americans which typically includes loud, entitled, and/or egotistical as a description. Although participants come from all over Europe, the common language spoken is English which I feel so fortunate to speak as my native tongue.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to hear other perspectives and feel fortunate to learn from so many people with different experiences this week. This week, all of the volunteers from my cohort will meet back in Skopje for a week-long Language and Culture intensive.

Something I’m learning: new Macedonian vocabulary words and phrases

Something I’m doing: prepping for an English camp and another Erasmus+ project!

Something I’m missing: açaí bowls

Something I’m enjoying: the busy days of summer

This month at work we bought and planted flowers, visited a local university, and took a “short” hike up Vodno Mountain1. Outside of work, I continued with language learning, attended a women’s conference about wisdom, became the photographer for a wedding at church, wore out my favorite neighborhood restaurant called Salud, and welcomed my first tourists!!!!

Ellen and BT’s visit to Skopje put wind in my sails as I got to spend time with great friends. Believe it or not, I forgot what it was like to have conversations with people where I didn’t need to ask for translation, any back story, or additional details to comprehend the discussion…and it was SO refreshing. The itinerary has been refined, so it’s ready to go for whoever is next ;).

P.S. — don’t listen to anything they say. I am NOT fluent in Macedonian. My local friends can certainly confirm.

Wildly enough, within the last month I also completed 1/3 of my service. The local staff is making preparations for the next group of volunteers to arrive in September. Before I know it, I’ll have been away from America for over a year.

Living in the Balkans can be a bit deceiving in the way of appearing to experience a “European lifestyle”, while being different from Europe in many ways. My life here is not always easy and this last month was the most challenging yet. While the external dust of life logistically has seemed to settle, internally, it’s been quite the opposite. I’ve felt challenged physically, emotionally, and spiritually, finding myself in a place of need for complete reliance and dependence on the Lord. “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord…” Psalm 37:3-4.2 has been my daily reminder.

Something I’m learning: history about this region of the world

Something I’m doing: planning summer travels!

Something I’m missing: a dishwasher

Something I’m [not] enjoying: sneezing…the pollen here is DIFFERENT, at least for me.

In the Orthodox Church, the service began around 11pm on Saturday with people gathering together before the liturgy. During this time, many were walking around throughout the church “admiring” the icons, however, I’ve learned that’s not the best word to describe what’s happening. “The proper terminology for the act of showing respect, honor, and love to an icon is veneration, which is strictly distinguished from worship or adoration, which is reserved for God alone.”2 To begin the service, the priest led everyone in the circling of the church while singing hymns. They do this 3 times to represent Christ’s resurrection from death to life along with the symbolism for the trinity. The thing I was most surprised by was how many people gathered together in the middle of the night. Even the main road was shut down for a couple hours while the service was occurring!

Last week at work, we celebrated World Book Day and the kids got to make headbands, color them, and write their favorite book. We are nearing the end of the school year, so I am curious to see what the summer will be like! Just like at home, there’s a buzz in the air as everyone knows summer is near. Life here is moving back outdoors, people are out and about, and the days seem longer.

We also celebrated “Ден на трудот” on May 1st which is their Workers Holiday (think: Labor Day). Historically, this is celebrated by doing something outdoors with your friends and family, like a picnic. The city streets were rather empty that day, perhaps because everyone was indeed at the park or in the mountains. I, however, think it was still way too cold for that. Luckily, these should be the last of our chillier days. Summer is coming! PTL!

Something I’m learning: how to keep a sourdough starter alive (plz wish me luck)

Something I’m doing: baking lots of random things!

Something I’m missing: a dryer

Something I’m enjoying: Плетенка со ореви (a pastry from the local bakery pictured below)

On Tuesday in Skopje, we had a community party to celebrate the day. Family, friends, and community members stopped by and had the opportunity to view posters made by the students, purchase items from the business club, and even dance the “oro” in the yard. If they were lucky, they also got to hear the children read various things about their heritage, poems from famous Romani people, or something in their native language.

Below I’ve highlighted a few of the posters as well as summarized their contents for a mini ~virtual~ gallery walk. I hope learning more about this group of people expands your understanding of the culture I’m learning about and some of the various experiences in the world even if they’re different from our own.

To those that have asked, YES I’m still writing my blog (and I’m so encouraged people want to stay in touch after 6 months of being gone!). It’s been a full month with quite a bit of travel sprinkled in.

First, I got to see another Macedonian city with a day trip to Struga1! My church was taking some of the youth and invited me to join. Don’t tell the locals, but I think I prefer Struga over the beloved city of Ohrid. It’s on the same lake, but the town was quieter and felt less touristy. I hope to go back in the summer when swimming in the lake wouldn’t be borderline insane.

Then, I took the first opportunity to see another Balkan country: Serbia! On one hand it felt just like North Macedonia and on the other, it felt very different. My friends and I visited a monastery, “waterfall” (iykyk), Belgrade for a day, and went to a beautiful kafana (restaurant) overlooking the city of Jagodina. I got to try the infamous “кајмак”2 which lived up to and even surpassed expectations!

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend an Erasmus+ Training that covered Digital Skills for Youth Workers in Toledo, Spain. While many topics were discussed, my favorite part was meeting people from countries all over the world! Amongst the group, 8 different countries were represented with 12 languages spoken. How cool it was to be reminded of how big the world really is!

With every passing day, I’m more convinced there is a limited amount that can be learned about a culture from external sources compared to the depth and breath of understanding that comes from living among the people. I cherish and value every conversation and interaction I’ve had with so different people over the last 6 months. Through this experience, I hope to become the kind of person that leads with empathy and shares the love and truth of Christ in the way I live my life.

I’ve also learned what a balance it is to try and write a blog! It is far easier to share the fun, exciting, milestone moments, while it’s difficult to find the right words to articulate the tension I feel about building a temporary life here and so intensely missing the life I built in Nashville and the family I left behind in Houston. I suppose I’m still trying to master holding both the peace about where my feet are and the deep longing to be reunited with the people I love most in America.

Peace Corps thus far has been all things: an adventure, a dream come true, and a wild ride while also not being at all what I expected, not all it’s cracked up to be at times, and perhaps, if I’m lucky, truly transformative.

For the sake of honesty, fully stripped away is the newness here and gone are the comfortable pacifiers I grew so accustomed to in America: think reliable phone service and wifi, not walking to work (even in the rain), speaking the native language, comfortable showers, and being around people that look like, talk like, and/or think like me.

My life in America was incredibly comfortable. My life in Macedonia is a lot of things, but comfortable wouldn’t be a word I would use. And what a blessing both can be!

As I look ahead to the next few weeks and think about what Jesus of Nazareth endured3, I can’t help but notice my desire to skip Friday, skip Saturday, and rejoice on Easter Sunday. And doesn’t that resonate with how I catch myself feeling on this journey too: eager to experience the fullness of life, growth, and transformation, yet even more eager to skip all of the Fridays and Saturdays that come before Sunday.

May the name of the Lord be glorified on Friday.

May the name of the Lord be glorified on Saturday.

May the name of the Lord be glorified on Sunday.

And may He also be glorified on our Fridays, our Saturdays and our Sunday that is to come.

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.

Come and see ...” Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV.4‬‬

Not only is it mid-February, but it’s also been 1 year since I received my official invitation to serve with the Peace Corps. It’s been wild to reflect back on this time last year. It’s safe to say quite literally everything in my life looks different, yet the Lord’s presence remains constant. What a gift!

The past few weeks at work I’ve been helping recap the month of January for the website as well as hanging up some of the kids’ art on the bulletin board to showcase their work. Additionally, we’re finishing up the library inventory and brainstorming ways to get kids reading! Any suggestions? Or better yet, wanna come read them a book? ;)

One of my favorite moments from the past 2 weeks was sitting at a cafe near the center in Skopje and opening my mail (after finally remembering to check my mailbox…oops). As I read notes, looked at pictures from friends back home, heard an increasingly more familiar language that’s not my own, and watched many people walk by, I was reminded of just how big AND how small the world really is. Things like mail and FaceTime can make me feel so connected to people miles and miles away while I simultaneously encounter hundreds of people living their lives around me and never know their name, let alone their story.

Big and small.

I’m beginning to wonder if that’s a better way to sum up being a Peace Corps Volunteer. In my American raised, efficiency driven mindset, the work I do can (at times) feel insignificant, unimportant, or even meaningless. But then I step back and watch my co-workers work hard day in and day out, sharing dreams of what they’d want to do if they had time… or what they hope to do one day when they have capacity… all the while supporting the educational development and immediate needs of students. What a cool opportunity to support big dreams in sometimes seemingly small ways.

Something I’m learning: where the buses go without looking at the map

Something I’m doing: having coffee with other volunteers when they come to Skopje :)

Something I’m missing: chips and dips, specifically buffalo chicken dip, queso, and creamy jalapeño (iykyk)

Something I’m enjoying: warmer weather!

Since my last update, I celebrated Macedonian Christmas, the Old New Year, and my first birthday abroad as well as witnessed the magical Skopje snow!

All of the kids went back to school last week and began returning to the center daily. I’ve loved getting the chance to meet some of the older kids in the afternoon and have been blown away by their English! We continue to debate whether football (soccer) or volleyball is the better sport…I’m sure they’ll come around soon ;).

At work, I’m currently revamping the mini library system/stock at my organization. I didn’t know how much I missed spreadsheets which I’m rather embarrassed to admit. Nonetheless, hopefully by next week all 600+ books will be accounted for and in their proper location!

For a more consolidated update ~

Something I’m learning: if I don’t have a water bottle with me, I don’t drink water…it’s a problem

Something I’m doing: reading Acts

Something I’m missing: driving, more specifically, heated car seats

Something I’m enjoying: spending time with local friends!

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Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ndb-gmcf-yjk

As strange as it feels to be away from family, familiar food, and typical traditions, I can’t deny the presence of peace I have felt all month long. I’m grateful I got to go to a Christmas Eve service in my native language, share plenty of meals with people, and drink lots of incredible coffee in the cold weather. I also have the sweetest local friends who wanted to make and have dinner together for “my” Christmas. What a gift!

Similar to America at the beginning of December, things here are starting to slow down as we enter the New Year and Christmas season. The schools will be closed for the next few weeks which gives most people the chance to spend time with family and friends. So far, the holidays have seemed to focus more on people rather than things. There is an undeniable contrast between the consumerism and busyness in America to the slower pace of life and time spent together here.

If you’re curious to see what I’ve been up to at work, check out our Instagram or Facebook. Praise be to God for the light that has come into the world. May He receive all glory!

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:14

Towards the end of PST, we celebrated our first American holiday away from family. We organized a dinner for all of our host families in our training community and it was fun to all be together! It didn’t really feel like Thanksgiving then, and doesn’t quite feel like the holidays now, either. Some of that may be because North Macedonia celebrates Christmas on January 7th (here’s why)1, so it’s still too early to begin decorating, according to a few locals.

I’m excited to share that I completed (and passed!) my first Language Proficiency Interview (LPI) and earned the rating of Intermediate Mid. This means I can…participate in conversations on familiar topics using sentences and series of sentences. I can handle short social interactions in everyday situations by asking and answering a variety of questions. I can usually say what I want to say about myself and my everyday life. Feel free to call and test me ;).

On December 5th, we swore in (watch here)2 as official Peace Corps Volunteers. The American Embassy Ambassador (and Returned PCV) was the one to swear us in and the President of North Macedonia even blessed us with her presence! The coolest part of the ceremony for me was taking the Peace Corps pledge with every other past and present volunteer in the room. It was a beautiful representation of being apart of something so much bigger than myself.

My first few days of work have been full of “како се викаш” (what’s your name?), smiles, and hugs as I’ve met the staff and kids at Sumnal. This week I was given my first project: create a magical forest background for the play next week! With the sun shining, the room is full with lots of kids throughout the day. I look forward to continuing language learning so I can better communicate with everyone around me!

At our last hub day, Evelina (who has gone above and beyond to prepare us for service) shared the quote below that I believe was a perfect launching pad into service. May it be a blessing to you today!

“What is success? To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

My placement is in Skopje working with an organization that serves a marginalized people group in North Macedonia. From what I can tell, this opportunity so intentionally matches my previous work experiences and passions. I feel so fortunate for the opportunity ahead of me. One of the pieces of information I was given in my packet says the organization “would like to work with a volunteer who understands educational good practice but will work more in developing initiatives to support children’s attendance, motivation and self-confidence, and who would enable the center to promote its work and broaden its scope and effectiveness by attracting more external support and funding.” I clearly have my work cut out for me, but it’s been so cool to consider the way my previous experiences may have been specifically preparing me for what I’m stepping into now.

The last session of the day was spent hearing various perspectives from people in Macedonia and one of the guests shared his experience being Romani (a nationless people group). He shared his story with us and discussed various challenges and struggles he has had to overcome throughout his life. One of the things he shared that stuck with me was the need for the Roma people to have an ally, a hand to grab onto as they are fighting to be treated the same as other people within the country. His story was incredibly moving as he has walked through situations I have never experienced. He also reminded us the importance of being open to listen and hear people’s stories as everyone has different experiences. I’m incredibly grateful for a timely reminder for the work I will be stepping into.

The next couple of weeks will be spent wrapping up Pre-Service Training (PST) with a language proficiency test, a few more meetings, and of course, re-packing to move (…wish me luck, specifically regarding the packing). We will swear-in as the 28th group of volunteers to serve in North Macedonia on December 5th and then move to our new cities. (Ahh!!!)

I am so excited to see what is in store next on this journey. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement thus far, they are a true blessing. All praise and glory be to God!

Last week, we had our first practice language test, a few admin sessions, practicum, typical hub day, and of course, language class. All is going well and moving along rather quickly and not fast enough at the same time as we get closer to site placement announcements (November 14) and swearing in (December 5).

There were lots of things happening at my site last weekend! The organization I’m working with for Practicum held a Breast Cancer Walk in the town center to raise awareness. The weather couldn’t have been better and there was a great turnout!

On Sunday, my host family celebrated their Слава (slava) or “Saints Day”. This is a holiday to honor a specific saint that has typically been passed down in a family through many generations. My host parents spent all weekend preparing every detail to celebrate. When the table was set and the food was ready, I asked my host dad what time the guests would arrive and he said “it’s the day, not time” which sums up Macedonian culture regarding time relatively well.

Throughout the afternoon and into the evening different family members and friends stopped by with a small gift and enjoyed the meal that had been prepared. When new guests arrived, a new place setting was added to the table, food was restocked, and the meal was shared again for many hours. Then, the following day, my host parents invited my language class over for our own Slava! We enjoyed spending time together laughing and getting to experience a Macedonian holiday.

Some of the other volunteers and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and walked to an archeology site at our PST site, Bylazora1. The history in this region of the world continues to blow my mind!

In one of our recent hub day intercultural sessions, this was shared: Cultural competency does not equal cultural humility.

I found this to be such a great reminder as I become more integrated in Macedonian culture. Through integrating, the danger could be to become quick to assume I think, understand, or know, not only what is happening around me, but what the best solution is for whatever is being discussed. At the end of the day, the lens in which I see things is completely different from the people I’m around. Culturally, neither lens is good or bad, but what a beautiful reminder to continually seek to have a heart and attitude of humility.

P.S. — I WANT YOUR CHRISTMAS CARDS. If you’re sending, I’d be a happy recipient (and may even leave it up all year), so just email or text for my address!

P.S.S. — By the way, it is not December and it’s certainly not Christmas yet, so please do not start with the Merry Christmas (@Tori Church) until at LEAST after Thanksgiving.

The beginning of fall is in full swing and we’re continuing to make our way towards our Swearing-In Ceremony where we become official Peace Corps Volunteers! We’re one third of the way through PST and got to have discussions about our future sites last week as well as check-in on our language skills. I was blown away to have a list of all the things we’ve learned (see below)!

I find myself missing the familiarity of life in America and the community I got to be a part of for so many years. However, I’m also grateful for the hospitality of all of the people I’ve met in a relatively short period of time, both Macedonians and Americans!

This week we entered into another phase of our Pre-Service Training called Practicum where we are paired with other currently serving volunteers. For the next five weeks, we will engage in a mini “project” to exercise all of the skills we’ve been learning in our technical sessions. These skills include things like developing relationships, designing and delivering a project, and more.

Another volunteer and I were paired with a local women’s organization in our training community. Their work serves the community through supporting women’s health, youth, and rural villages in various capacities. We got to meet the team and had a taste of the workplace in Macedonia which consisted of coffee, an unhurried pace, and lots of laughter. I’m already looking forward to next week when we get to begin dreaming about what mini project we will deliver our last week! чао (ciao)!

So far in Macedonian, I can…

• say the alphabet

• say hello, goodbye, good morning, afternoon, evening

• count from 1-1,000

• say my name, where I am from, and my profession

• introduce other people

• ask questions about other people’s name, job/profession

• name different professions

• name fruit and vegetables and different foods

• say what fruit and vegetables I like and don’t like

• say what fruit and vegetables somebody else likes

• say what I eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner

• say what I have and don’t have in my fridge

• say what is cheap and what is expensive

• say what kind of meals I like to make

• say what I need to buy to make the meal

• ask about prices

• name the colors

• say what I eat and drink

• say what my friend likes to eat and drink

• name the family relations

• talk about my family and their age

• say where I live and give my address

• say what I do and where I work

• describe a friend

• compare people/things

• name different places/facilities

• say what facilities there are and there aren’t in my community

• ask about/give directions to different places

• tell the time, say different dates

• name the days of the week, months

• ask about working hours

• say what I do every day

• say how often I do something

Can you even believe it?!?!!?

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The days here are completely full and jam packed at times, while others allow us to slow down and rest in the present moment we find ourselves in. Our weekly rhythm for the next few months is Monday-Thursday mostly being dedicated to learning македонски (Macedonian) and integrating into the community and culture. Friday, we travel back to Skopje to meet with the entire cohort for various meetings covering topics like Safety & Security and Technical Sessions to prepare us for service. This weekend, I went to a local handball match, a 90th birthday celebration, an aerobics class with my host mom, and studied in a cafe with other volunteers!

During one of our technical sessions on Friday, our Country Director reminded us that “your service is about building capacity, not building monuments”. As I consider how I desire to serve, show up, and ultimately spend these next two years, I can’t deny the natural tendency to focus on me rather than the bigger story being written around me. And doesn’t it feel far too easy to slip into that mindset for the entirety of our lives?

While humanity has sought (and continues to seek) to control time, there is an undeniable phenomenon that accompanies it: we can’t truly grasp, comprehend, or measure it. When working out, time goes by slow but with my best friends, it goes by so fast! As I sat around a table to celebrate a man turning 90 years old, I was reminded of our lives being but a vapor.1 Jonathan Pokluda points out how most of us can’t even recall the names of our great-grandparents, let alone know where they lived or what they did.2 (Yikes!)

I’ve come to know no amount of time with the people we love will never be enough. Whether it be with aging parents, friends, or even a specific season in life, none of it lasts. It’s not permanent. But, so often we are bound to our calendars, mandating where we go, who we’re with, and what we’re doing, eliminating our ability to be fully present with the people we’re surrounded by or recognize what God may be doing in our midst.

Acts 17 says “[God] appointed the time we would live.”3 He marked out the boundary lines of our short (if we’re “lucky”) 80 years. It is no mistake we are in the place we’re in with the people we’re with. Will we slow down enough to perhaps discover the feast set before us during our appointed time? Will we spend our lives building our own monuments or point to The One that gave us the breath in our lungs?

Macedonia is a beautiful country with even better people. The PC staff, language teachers, and locals have extended hospitality above and beyond day after day.

We arrived in country on Sunday afternoon and within the week had 5 hours of language training as well as other typical orientation week meetings. There was time to explore Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, and connect with other volunteers.

At the end of the week, we received our PST (pre-service training) site where we would spend the next three months focusing specifically on language, in addition to other technical trainings to prepare us for service. I’m excited to be with a great group of volunteers in a small town about 30 minutes outside of Skopje with awesome host parents! Ciao for now!

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I packed my entire life into 3ish suitcases (stay tuned for a later post about their contents) and arrived at BNA around 4:15 A.M. on Saturday morning. After landing, I checked into the hotel in Arlington and grabbed coffee/lunch before Staging.

Staging went by faster than expected and the room was buzzing with energy, excitement, and hope for what’s to come the next 2 years! We introduced ourselves, discussed the goals of service, and PC expectations.

Conversations and connections with other volunteers have flowed easily. This is going to be a great adventure! Pre-Service Training (PST) starts today (I think). Here goes nothing!

Here are the 10 most asked questions as of late:

1. What are you doing before you go?

   Going to coffee, brunch, lunch, and dinner with friends, taking naps, working out some…basically living the dream! I’ll also go to Houston one more time before I leave to see my family :).

2. Did you receive final clearance and when do you leave?

   Yes — I have both medical and legal clearance and I leave from Nashville on September 20th bright and early!

3. Where are you going…and where is that again?

   I’ll be serving in North Macedonia, which borders Greece, Albania, Kosovo, Bulgaria, and Serbia.

4. Do you know anyone going with you?

   I don’t know anyone yet, but I will be with a “cohort” or group of other Americans also serving in North Macedonia. The group is fairly large and will meet in Virginia for Staging before flying to Skopje. However, Ethos (my church) has Global Church Partners in Skopje that I’m looking forward to meeting!

5. Are you packed and what are you taking with you?

   HA, no. I’ve sold most of my belongings and have a very limited capsule wardrobe at the moment, so I’m basically wearing everything I own weekly. I can only take 2 checked bags, a carry on, and personal item. (Help!)

6. How are you feeling?!

   Excited, nervous, hopeful…a little bit of everything. It feels a bit surreal still!

7. What are you most looking forward to and most nervous about?

   I’m most nervous about language training. I’ll be learning Macedonian and/or Albanian depending on my placement.

   I’m most looking forward to all of the new people I will get to meet!

8. What will you be doing once you leave?

   The entire cohort will first meet in Virginia for Staging which consists of (I think) an evening “orientation”. The next day we will fly out as a group to Skopje, Macedonia. We will stay in the capital city for about a week while we take care of logistics before getting our PST (Pre-Service Training) placement. PST will be about 3 months long and focus on preparing us for service. (Think language training and cultural immersion in a smaller group, hybrid fashion.) After the completion of PST, we will receive our official site placement and project assignment!

9. How can we be praying for you?

   I’m praying for a friend and another Christian in my PST small group, for me to be a light for Jesus, and for protection physically, emotionally, and spiritually through this big change.

10. Are you ready?????

    This question is the hardest to answer because … yes and no, at the same time. This process has reminded me of the months prior to going to college to play volleyball with so much hope and excitement, yet no concept of what I was actually walking into. I know there will be incredible moments and incredibly difficult moments with no understanding of how each will take shape. There may be days I wonder why I ever left Nashville and in two years from now, I (hopefully) will be sad to be wrapping up service. A wise person recently reminded me the answer to most things in life is both.

    Ugly & beautiful.

    Joy & sorrow.

    Simple & hard.

    Now & not yet.

    I’m beyond grateful for my community and all of the people that have been supportive thus far. From prayers and subscribing to my blog to purchasing things on my packing list to speaking encouraging words over me, I continue to feel so blessed in many ways!

After a tough freshman season at the University of Houston in the Fall of 2016, I entered the transfer portal and found myself on an official visit in the middle of winter and final exams in the city of Nashville, Tennessee.

My general knowledge of Lipscomb was minimal, but I knew their volleyball program was something I wanted to be a part of. So, when given the opportunity, I committed to continue my volleyball career as a Bison!

After countless matches and memories and in the midst of a global pandemic, I graduated from Lipscomb University with my bachelor’s degree, ready to enter the working world. While I’m grateful for my experience as a student-athlete (and even though that took up the majority of my time), that’s only the starting point of the lasting impact Lipscomb has had on my life.

Through “Team Church” and Hillsboro’s 4:12 Ministry (unbeknownst to me at the time), I was discipled into the love of Christ. It certainly wasn’t overnight, nor would I say it was easy, but that was part of the beauty along the way. From meals, playing games, and asking questions, I began wrestling with the concept of faith. My doubts and skepticism were met with grace, kindness, and humility. I was given space to ask the hard questions and study the life of Jesus for the first time.

I have since come to realize we all put our faith in something. Belief in God is not the absence of logic, reason, or intelligence — it’s actually the opposite.

As I entered the “real world” as an “adult,” a few things were happening simultaneously:

1. I began coaching volleyball at Lipscomb Academy “to pay rent”

2. I surrendered my life to Christ through baptism — committing to follow Him

3. I was experiencing an unfamiliar amount of grief in a variety of ways

Day after day, I realized I loved the opportunity to pour into the lives of those around me, especially the next generation, just as so many had done for me. After about a year of working in medical sales, I decided I wanted to be in the school building with the volleyball girls (and other students), walking alongside them daily. I’m beyond thankful for the way my role combined two of the things I’m most passionate about: faith & sport.

As I reflect on the past nine years at Lipscomb, this is how I would sum it up: I was discipled by people who cared for me beyond the call of a friend. I was baptized and given new life by the grace of God. And I’ve had the opportunity to witness others surrender their lives in baptism as they’ve come to believe they are seen, known, and loved by the Creator of all things.

So, in short, Lipscomb demonstrated the model of discipleship; not perfectly, but intentionally. Oh, how beautiful the Kingdom of God.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11

Thank you, Jesus, for Lipscomb, people, Your kindness and abundant goodness.