The Rut of Normalcy

It's been a while since, I've truly felt inspired to write. I love these moments...brace yourselves it's going to be a long one. I'll be breaking all the blogging rules.

I've woken up the past several days just really missing the World Race lifestyle, family, culture ect. I've been particularly complaining when it comes to worship. Just blabbing about it not being the same, not being free enough. I've fallen into the rut of normalcy. I do what is expected of me, whats in my role and I help out others where I can. My days are planned out and I'm not initiating anything outside of those parameters. Everything is fine, but something is missing. I haven't been looking to be lead by the Spirit.

On the WR some days we had nothing to do so we would pray and either wait or go out in faith depending on how we felt lead. I haven't really been practicing that even on the days I have nothing planned. I also haven't been practicing one of the crucial parts of my race, worship. I love worship. I would worship on my own all the time, as a team we would come together and during debrief as a squad we would worship. It was part of life, sometimes it would be impromptu sessions where music is playing and people join in to sing praises to our King. The feel of freedom as we cry out Abba Father is unlike anything else. It was an incredible setting of people kneeling, sitting, standing, moving, dancing, writing while we sing, pray and just sat in silence before our Lord. We had this reckless abandonment to be in the presence of God.

The Awakening

Dublin, Ireland

Bangala Rd - Red Light District

 Phuket, Thailand

Worship is what you make it. That's what resonated within me today. Worship doesn't look the way I want it to here because I haven't been willing to step out and make it such. I stand in church and want to jump and move around, but I don't want to stand out. To be different is so uncomfortable even when it's for God, so I settle for pushing up on my toes and falling back down the two inches and doing it over again when everything inside of me is wanting to jump up and down as hard as I can. Fear of man consumes me.

I have this dream of a generation recklessly worshiping God. That when you come together for church it doesn't matter that you have never met the person beside just that you both love Jesus. I want to see that here with everyone, but I know its a process that will start with a few.

I've been close to nagging at one of our worship leaders to set up an informal worship night that will be an intimate and free setting of worshiping God corporately. It hasn't happened fast enough for me or with the same level of enthusiasm as I want it to. Then it hit me. I have this vision, this dream, but it wont happen unless I step up and start creating it. I can't make others do it for me. Wow. That goes for everything. I need to start moving, being active, taking the initiative. So, I kind of have a plan to make this vision a reality. On the days I don't have something set to do I will ATL (ask the Lord). I want to be actively listening to what God has in store that day. For worship, I will start by inviting a few people over to sing/pray/whatever together and to drink coffee or tea after. I don't know where this will go but I'm open and hopeful. I will also learn to play the guitar. Hold me accountable to this as I have a ton of insecurities about playing an instrument. I've realized that  I will need to buy a guitar if I really want this to happen (I originally planned on borrowing one, but I don't think that's enough). 

iWelcome & International Week

One of the things we were involved with during the first few weeks of our internship was iWelcome and iCafe's. Friends International host different events for international students at Queen's University. We cooked the first two dinners and accommodated about 400 new and old international students. Britt and I had to cook rice for everyone and believe me, we are expert rice makers. I still haven't made rice and its been about 6 weeks. 

To help the international students meet new people and expose them to a bit of Ulster culture we helped out in iCafes. For about a week we met twice a day chatted with the students and hang out. I loved it!! I met great people from the Christian Union at Queen's and a bunch of exchange students from China. (I want to go to China so badly!). Sitting with these people for a few hours and talking about their lives and about God was encouraging. Its even better that I randomly see them on the sidewalk and at student lunches. I even got to hang out with a group at the Ulster Museum.

I never thought that I would genuinely love to hang out with people. It's still hard breaching that initial awkwardness, but I dont ever regret it. I have met so many wonderful people and I am very excited about growing in those relationships.

Arriving in Belfast after 6 hours over the Atlantic.

I arrived!! Belfast is as beautiful as I remember it :) A bit chillier, but just as green and peaceful.

I arrived about three weeks ago after a terrific flight. I was picked up by Kathryn, assistant minister, and her wee child Isabella. We drove straight to the county of Donegal for a staff retreat. It was beautiful (I will post pictures, once I go through them all). We stayed three lovely days together in the country with lots of food, laughter and prayer. A great beginning to this season. 

Here are the interns I will be living and working with this year:

Britton Hornberger 

He is from Pennsylvania and has worked at a Camp for the past few years. He obviously loves working with the youth! He has his own blog that he updates very frequently...he makes me look bad. http://brittishice.wordpress.com/

Matt & Mollie Reddin 

Our married couple from Arkansas. They are soo cute! Some of the members are bummed that they cant set them up with people here, lol. 

If you could please keep us in your prayers...we see each other a lot in and out of the house. I just hope that we can be encouraging to one another and honest as we learn to live together. 

Flying Out of Houston to Newark

As some of you know I was suppose to fly out to Belfast Sunday the 28th. Due to Hurricane Irene my flights were canceled!! It was so disappointing.

After many phone calls and attempts at rearranging my three flights, I re-booked my flights for a week later. Hurrah  everything should be dandy! No, wrong. I stayed up most of the night packing and slept two hours. My family and I rushed out the door to the airport. I checked my bags and had almost two hours to kill. I checked for my passport and I cant find it!! I almost started crying right there and then. How could this be happening, I never misplace that thing. After a lot of stressing, the lovely ladies at the desk told me to go and grab my passport. If I missed my flight I could just fly standby on the next flight as a preferred passenger (aka I would get a seat no matter what especially since my luggage was already sent through).

We drove all the way back home ate a quick breakfast and off to the airport once more. I made the flight and got aisles seats every time! New Jersey is a bit dreary, but I love spending time with my cousin. Looking forward to next leg of my trip...

How the Fisherwick Internship came to be

It was about about month 10 on the race and I’m in Santa Ana, El Salvador. I was beginning to worry about plans for after the World Race. What was I supposed to do with my life?? I am wrecked and ruined for "normal" American life. I remember sitting and asking God if he wanted me to stay at home do the 8-5 and school jig or did he want me to go out again. Did he want me to take time to prepare myself for whatever is to come? I had several different options come up the last few months of the race and I wasn't very sure of any of them.

I remember distinctly speaking to my good friend Jeremiah while washing dishes. We discussed our potential plans, what we wanted, what we didn’t want, and our confusion. I remember telling him that I really want to take some time to prepare myself for whatever God had in my future for ministry. During the past year I had felt ill equipped. I wanted to know more about God and his word. I wanted to be a part of a discipleship while serving. “Have you considered Fisherwick because it sounds exactly what you are looking for..."

We arrived in Guatemala for our last month. I applied while constantly praying "God open the door if that’s your will, shut it if it’s not.  If you want me to go prepare the way." I was interviewed via Skype and I was happy to see that two of the three people were members I knew. I had sat and eaten with them, spoken to them. It went fairly quick and a few weeks later I was accepted. Yet, I still wasn’t sure if I was going. I spent most of the three months I have been home working and pretending as if I wasn’t meant to go.

I mailed in my visa application on the last day out of obligation. I was so sure I would not be issued my visa. I hadn't mailed in the required three months of bank statements, I didn’t have the required $1,200 in the bank, shoot I didn’t even have half. Somehow three weeks later I received my visa. I was so sure that I had already told my family and my employer that I wasn’t going. I hadn’t waited for God to say yes or no. I had decided for myself.

I stared at that little blue passport and I knew that I couldn’t turn a blind eye to the fact that I had prayed “God if you want me to go let me get my visa.” After all I had already prayed “…if you want me to go let me get accepted, let me get a job where I can leave in three months, let me be able to cover my loan, let me be able to fix my stolen identity issues, let me have the money to go.” How many times must I test God before I move forward? How many times until I trust and jump? Will I allow what other think downplay what God has already done? Will I allow my fear of displeasing loved ones or the fear of seeming inconsistent and a flight risk take the place of my fear of God? No, I won’t. I refuse to allow all that I learned this past year to go to waste by ignoring the fact that somehow, miraculously God had made a way.

The First Blog!

Hi! My name is Lili :)

I believe the best place to start would be that about 3 months ago I got home from the World Race, a mission trip where my squad went to 12 countries in 11 months (check out more info at lilimejia.theworldrace.org).

I am now embarking on a new adventure to be an intern at Fisherwick Presbyterian Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

I’m really excited and hopefully this blog will help me remember all the little details that happen while traveling and serving. It’s so easy to forget the way God moves in the small things. I want to remember it all.

Also, if you are considering partnering with me in prayer or finances during this trip you may keep up here! I’ll probably post pictures, stories, and links to people that I know who are serving the Lord around the world on the side of my blog updates. Feel free to contact me if you want to know more or want to be on a mailing list for updates!!

Grace and Peace

Lili

P.S. My friend Logan Kaynes took this picture and all the credit goes to her lovely self and her camera.