I don’t know what it is about traveling that makes me want to write.
< Maybe it’s the view >
Maybe it’s soaring above the clouds and being so close to ‘the heavens’ that sparks in me some creative juices that mirror God’s own instinct to create…
Maybe it’s being so high above my regular life that I’m finally able to take that ‘10,000 foot view’…
Or maybe it’s something WAY less poetic…
Like the fact that being confined to an airplane seat for a few hours actually gets me sitting still long enough that I can write something!
hahah — that may be it…But alas, I’ll take it! 😉
Because I have so much to share with you!!
- I moved to Gainesville, Georgia exactly one month ago to work for Adventures in Missions (the organization that sent me on the World Race)
- I freaking love working there! (I’ll tell you more about that in a minute)
- I have the most adorable apartment in Gainesville… with room for visitors! So come see me! 🙂
< this is my welcome mat! >
*I have the sweetest roommate I could possibly ask for, Betty Gomez— who was actually on my World Race ‘G Squad’ with me this past year. Betty and I are wildly different: She’s an introvert; I’m an extrovert. She is super organized; I tend to be all over the place. She likes to plan; I like to fly by the seat of my pants — and it’s actually working out incredibly well for us both in our social and professional lives! It’s so interesting that God has brought us together not only as roommates, but as co-workers both in building the Kingdom Journeys Women Team One & also helping build the Center for Global Action at Adventures in Missions
< Meghan, Betty, and me enjoying the sunset on the lake here in GA — 3 of the KJ Women Team ONE! >
*I am loving the REAL Fall Season here in GA! I get such a kick out of the Fall leaves falling outside my window. The mountains in the distance are the beautiful shades of purple, blue, and grey that I always heard about in songs. Everyday I get to wear all the cute boots and sweaters that I only get to wear once a year in South Florida. 😉 And I am soaking up every Fall moment of all things Pumpkin! GA has all sorts of Pumpkinny things for me to eat, drink, smell, and get into this time of year –and I love that.
< lake view sunsets & bon fires with friends are frequent evening activities for me here in GA >
*I feel like God is bringing together everything I have ever wanted in my work (with the exception of buku bucks $…but oddly, I am finding that is less important than I thought)
I am SO happy here! Really. Lemme tell you about it:
What I am doing at AIM is what we call ‘Ministry Entrepreneurship’ –> cool word, huh? hah. Not a Field of Business I remember hearing about in grad school. None of the cool ones are, are they?
So what that means is: I get to work on all things new and innovative here at AIM.
I am invited to be a part of visioning, creating, building, and figuring out how to make the rubber meet the road and roll out new programs.
I work in a space where I can take on as much as I want — get involved in as many different projects as I can manage. And I am SO supported and encouraged!
I gotta tell you, that was something that really struck me about this community when I first brushed up against it at Training Camp for the World Race back in May 2012. I was blown away by how darn supportive everyone was!
And I consider myself SUPER blessed to have grown up with exceptional parents, teachers, and employers — but even so, I had never seen so many near-strangers come alongside us to encourage us, pray for us, and see what they can do to help us. It blew me away that people actually lived like this! I figured it had to be fake, right? Too good to be true that people actually care about one another this much. That people actually hang out and help out the people they work with day to day. I thought maybe it was just something that was specific to the World Race (since we’d be living and working together in some intense, difficult situations) ..but I was wrong. This is how life looks here at Adventures in Missions. People play sports together after work. Go out for concerts and drinks together. Help each other move (people were helping me move in at 11pm last month). And encourage and pray for one another all the time. I think it’s what life is supposed to look like. If you’ve ever read the Book of Acts, it’s kinda like that: the ‘community’ that Jesus talked about — people taking care of one another as a reflection of the way God takes care of us. It’s pretty legit.
So yes, I do work in an office and I live in an apartment. I’m not holding African babies day-to-day and sleeping in a tin-walled shanty. But I’m a missionary, nonetheless. (I work for a Missions Organization, thus I am a missionary) And ya know what else is great: I’m actually using those degrees that I got! 😉 Not that the African babies didn’t appreciate my Master’s Degree…but I do feel like I am serving the Kingdom of God with more of my actual capacity now.
< this meem cracked me up, sad but true! >
Given, African babies and Cambodian Treehouses are way more exotic than my American coworkers and orderly conference rooms (and they deeefinitely make for more “Likes” on my Facebook Photos & Status Updates), but THIS is also SO very GOOD!
I feel like God has confirmed to me in so many ways that this is where He wants me to be right now. So many things I prayed for, asked for, sought after — some of them I even forgot about — but God never forgets. So He’s reminded me, in a way that only He can, and He’s showing me that those things are here. I am doing them. And it’s so cool! 🙂
Alas, I will travel back to the ‘trenches’ with my Kingdom Journeys Women’s Team that I’m building in January 2014 when they launch. Our plan is to travel to Swaziland, India, & the Philippines — starting off the trip with some team building time in South Africa.
But until then, I’ll be here in Georgia!
<Well, not right now. I’m actually on a plane home to Florida for one of my best friend’s weddings!>
That’s another thing — how cool is this job that I get to travel and work remotely?
I get to go to 3 different continents in just the first half of next year.
I actually love, chill with, and want to me more like the people I work with.
And my daily work is to help other people wake up to their God-given callings through the programs and initiatives I work on.
It’s almost like…
it was meant to be…
I think He knew all along.
Thanks for coming along with me on this new adventure!
My journey continues…
Much love,
Christina 🙂
< my favorite workspace at our GA office. No cute African babies, but there is a comfy hammock! >
