A Whole New World

Day #2 of the blog challenge!! Victoria and I decided to blog every other day (so Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) because it takes a lot of motivation to blog everyday and requires certain blondes to not fall asleep while they should be blogging. Yeah, I know. But I was so tired!

Visit Victoria's blog to see her entry on the prompt.

Today's topic is......... *drum role*...........

Do Something New and Blog About It

Yesterday I did something new! And exciting! I rode with some friends and went to a city outside of Atlanta where one of my friends volunteered and did some mission work over the summer.  

I was informed that this city is one of the most dangerous cities in Georgia.  But it filled with what seemed to be some of the most interesting and amazing people living lives that I'm sure would be filled with fascinating stories.  This city is the home of numerous refugees, making it filled with many cultures and many different languages. 

This experience was completely new for me.  I had never been to this city.  I also had never been around so many people from so many different countries and cultures at once before!  Being in this city was almost like being in a different country, and it was amazing!

While my friends and I were there we rode around while my friend who stayed there this past summer was our tour guide. We drove through many different apartment complexes, some 100% refugee occupied and others only partly occupied with refugee people. We then ate at this restaurant that had food from this country that I don't remember the name of and I tried some chicken something. Note: even if you order non-spicy, it's still spicy. But super good :)

After that we went to a farmers market filled with foods from all around the world, and the workers there were from many different countries.  I had been there before, but it was still fun and exciting.

From the farmers market we went to what was the best part of the day: one of the apartment complexes that my friend worked in this past summer.  We visited one of the families she taught English to, and we all got to meet the children that she knew.  They were so precious! I honestly wished I could have stayed there for much longer.

From this new experience I learned that there is a whole mission field right here in Georgia.  I mean, I already knew this, but I had never experienced it to this extreme.  I got to see a whole different world in my own state! And I got to meet some amazing and adorable and spectacular people.

Soooo I really encourage you to do something new. Explore your home town.  Meet knew people.  Seriously, there is a whole new world just around the corner! (Or down the interstate.  However you wanna look at it.) 

Of course if you aren't up to something massively drastic, try a new cooking recipe, go work at your local soup kitchen, clean your room, random dance...

Anyway, my point is, do something that you wouldn't normally do. (But don't do anything stupid or dangerous. Use your brains people :P) It's nice to get out of your regular routine every once in a while and see and experience something new... :)   

Love Shake Down My Walls

 Honestly, I don't even know where to begin.

So I guess I'll just start.

On July 5th I left my small home town to go on a mission trip to the land of Ireland,  and I just returned 2 weeks ago.  I went with a wonderful team of 12 people that I had never met before, and by the end we became a close family.  I wasn't really sure what I was expecting when we got over there, but I know what happened on that trip I wouldn't change for anything.

I've heard people say before that when someone goes on a mission trip, usually they are changed and effected more than the people they went to go help and share Jesus with.  I wasn't sure if I believed that before I left, but I certainly believe it now.

From the minute my team and I arrived, I think I then began realizing how much I need to just put my trust in God and not in myself or in my plans.  For an example, I knew we would be sleeping on the floor, however when we arrived at training camp they informed us all that we would be staying in one of the pastor's gardens.  Until we arrived, we had no idea that in Ireland, the people call "gardens" what we would call "yards."  This was not my plan, but it was God's plan.  And I just had to live with it, and guess what! I loved it.  We all loved camping in the garden.  It was beautiful and so much fun.

While in Ireland helped with  two kid's clubs and lead a drop-in center for youth.  The experience was amazing and lovely.  The people in Ireland are wonderful, and I loved getting to know them and getting to hang out with the youth there.

I think this trip not only helped me grow so much closer to God and just be in awe of how awesome He is, but it also helped me come out of my shell.  I'm so much more comfortable talking to people now, people I know and people I am just meeting, and I enjoy it!  Realizing that God is in control of EVERY circumstance and has a plan for everything and everyone, helped me calm down and just surrender to Him.  I still have panic attacks on occasion, but I don't worry as much because I take SO MUCH comfort in knowing that God has my back. :) And this is so nice knowing with college about to start!

All in all, it was the most amazing experience I had ever had. This trip made me realize my love for the world, my love for art, and most importantly how extreme God's love is for every single person.  JESUS IS AMAZING.