Life

    The month of November and December passed quickly.  Weekday mornings found me at work and afternoons many times I was working on job searching.  While living with Luke and Michele, I had the opportunity to spend time with some of my niblings.  Many times I would take a break in the afternoon or evening to play a game or go outside.  We took bike rides, walked in their apple orchard, or sled down their hill.  Thanksgiving holidays and leading up to Christmas brought more working hours as I pitched in to work overnights and a week and a half of 3am start times.  Whew, by the time Christmas break came, I was ready for a vacation.  Christmas vacation was a good time.  I worked the Friday before Christmas but then took off by car with a special friend to take a road trip to Tennessee.  We stayed with his sweet family for two nights.  Then, I dropped him off at the airport in Atlanta and drove to my parents house in Alabama on Christmas day.  The week of Christmas was such a great time together with family.  We did our traditional time of games, going to the zoo, taking walks, and just having good quality time together.  We had 28 people gathered together from all over the place.  At the end of the week families began trickling back to their homes in PA, OH, northern AL, and China.  I did a marathon drive of 13 hours back to Erie.
   Here in Erie, I worked for another week and half on the early morning shift.  This month I have also been spending 2-3 hours on weekdays doing homework for an online class to become certified to teach English to Foreigners.  I think it will be useful whether I stay in the US or serve in another country once again.  This week I will began training to be a temporary full-time operations manager at Michaels.  This is temporary because I am filling in for a coworker who is having surgery.  I think it will be a good learning experience.
   This year in particular I have found life to be full of decisions and opportunities to consider.  I am currently in a dating relationship with a young man I have been in contact with for a year now.  I am praying hard for wisdom and discernment about what God's will is in this.  I returned to the US back in August of last year.  But even through I have tried to transition back to American living, a huge part of my heart remains with the people and work in SE Europe.  Their stories are written on my heart.  I pray for them and long to return if God opens the way. 
    After much prayer (and talking with my special friend) I decided to knock on this door and see if God is leading here.  Having sent an email to my team, I am waiting to see if I may go there once again this summer for a short-term trip.  This spring I have applied to work for a camp that is close to my sister in Ohio.  This would be returning to the line of work that I studied in college.  I would be teaching Outdoor Education once again, something that I truly enjoy and for which I have a passion.  In all these changes and possibilities I am learning to wait and trust.  I am choosing to trust that God will open and close doors.  I trust He will guide me step by step.