live. move. be.

Two awesome things also happened last week:

1) I got my official acceptance from University of Strathclyde! I'm now in the process of figuring out travel plans and beginning to apply for a visa. Wow. GLASGOW, in three months.

2) I had been feeling somewhat dejected as I thought about my plans for this summer in comparison to my previous two summers in college. It's not just that I miss the fun of camp or the splendor of Prague.....I spent my summers in those ways because I knew they had a purpose, they were meaningful, and they made a difference in people's lives (including my own). I realize that God can be glorified and served through the everyday duties of our lives (summer school, work, etc.) but I had been praying that God would give me another opportunity to serve people around me this summer in a really unique way.
Last week I was sitting in the coffee shop down the street when I overheard a young woman describing her non-profit organization to two potential volunteers. Long story short, I liked what I heard and felt compelled to talk to her, so I went over and introduced myself. As it turns out, this woman works for Church World Service, an international relief organization that does refugee resettlement in the Greensboro area. Greensboro has an incredibly large refugee population (I think it's the largest in North Carolina) and this organization is one of the nine in the United States that has an agreement with the federal government to resettle refugees. This means they work to find housing and jobs for incoming refugees, in addition to providing assistance with English tutoring, school enrollment and cultural integration skills. The numbers are pretty staggering....Greensboro alone is expected to get over 200 new refugees this summer. Right now, these people are primarily coming from Vietnam, Bhutan, Iraq, and Burma.

I'm really excited about volunteering with this organization this summer, right here in my own town. The refugee population is one of the most fragile and endangered in the world, and I know these are the people God calls us to serve, to protect, to fight for, to love.
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currently listening to: "Instead of a Show," by Jon Foreman
I hate all your show and pretense
the hypocrisy of your praise
the hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show

away with your noisy worship
away with your noisy hymns
I stop up my ears when you're singing ‘em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show

your eyes are closed when you’re praying
you sing right along with the band
you shine up your shoes for services
but there’s blood on your hands

you turned your back on the homeless
and the ones that don’t fit in your plans
quit playing religion games
there’s blood on your hands