It is Monday in the beautiful state of Kansas. (It is probably Monday in your state too, but wasn't that a great opener?)
I really should be asleep and not updating you all on my life with Axis thus far, but here I am. I will make it quick.
Last Week:
1. Drove 12 hours to Iowa. (Dan drove. I slept.)
2. Stayed with an amazing family. (The Dunkers)
3. Spoke in front of 300+ students.
4. SCARED.
5. Nervous.
6. Nauseous.
7. Taken to the Iowa State Fair by the Dunkers.
8. Saw the creepy/ awesomely skilled doll house displays.
9. Saw a sadistically oversized pig... and a cow carved entirely out of butter. (oh sweet Iowa)
10. PARTED WITH THE DUNKERS and the beautiful windmills of Iowa (they're incredible)
This Week:
1. Arrived in Kansas. (Saturday)
2. Consumed gluten-free pizza at Spin's Neapolitan Pizza. ( Mellow Mushroom = nothin' on nobody)
2. Currently staying with amazing family. (The Willsons)
3. Holly Willson has four sons. They build stuff, like art and small wooden benches.
4. Feel very at home and taken care of.
5. Monday (Today) Spoke to 125+ students.
6. Not as scared.
7. Craziest schedule EVER. (Loved it)
8. Two 1 and 1/2 hr sessions, followed by worldview class, followed by another session...
9. Follow by a teacher's meeting, followed by a parents conference.
10. GOOD THINGS ARE HARD. HARD THINGS ARE GOOD. I LIKE BEING ALIVE.
That was rather longwinded. Boring lists of facts are typically pretty boring.
***In case you haven't had enough...I've arrange some more letters of the alphabet for your eyes to hurdle over.***
On A Serious Note:
1. I have found live with Axis to be extremely challenging.
2. Teaching is difficult. (Developing and explaining thought is not for the faint of heart)
3. It is hard to get over the fear that people really don't care what you have to say.
4. You cannot teach something and then NOT live it out.
5. I just lied. You can. It just goes against the structure of the human soul.
6. The burden of truth is heavy.
7. Living out truth with discernment and loving intentionality is heavier.
8. Always questioning the reason for your beliefs = exhausting.
9. Trying to sleep enough = yeah... right.
10. PURSUING TRUTH WITH A BROKEN HEART AND MIND = WORTH IT.
"Truth is so obscure in these times and falsehood so established that unless one loves the truth, he cannot know it." -Blaise Pascal
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
Until later in life,
Caitlin
Monday, August 22, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The Names of New Faces and Other Things
Today ended the two weeks of team training for the fearless travelers of AXIS.
I have learned in the past two weeks that:
1. Meeting new people is hard.
2. Meeting new people that you will be living with for the next three months is harder.
3. Not getting to choose those individuals whom you have committed to do life with for the next three months... terrifying.
*New Place = OH YES!
New Place + Alone = OH NO...
New Place - Alone + New Responsibilities + Unapproachable Aliens = Too much.*
The initial shock of moving across the country began to ware off and I slowly began to realize that these aliens actually looked a little like people... nice people....with human faces...and normal names.
*Names...names...what were their names? Bonnie, Ben, Bennet, Bonnet....Ben! It has to be Ben....who would name their kid Bonnet anyway... One down with 85% certainty...Only seventeen more to go...*
I constantly struggle to remember peoples names. I can't remember my siblings' names most of the time...much less the rest of the world, so it came as a shock when our team leader started off our first meeting with this charge, " Team, if nothing else, we have to be able to memorize our students' names."
*Remember names? I thought we were going to be talking about worldviews and wrestling through deep truths with the helpful aid of PowerPoint. *
He continues, "Team, we will be talking to hundreds of students at a time. No one will give a second thought to the truth we are bringing if we can't remember their names. Don't worry, it isn't hard."
*Isn't hard?! Speak for yourself, Dennis....Denny...Diner...Dinner...Dave...Dan... Oh great...*
I raise my hand, "Uh...Dennis?" "It's Dan." "Sorry. (Embarrassment) Dan, I have a pretty hard time with names....am I going to get fired?" "Hmm...Well, probably not. But we are going to need you to try harder."
*I'm going to get fired.*
So went our first meeting. So went my struggle for the next two weeks.
I am pleased to announce that I have not been fired. On the contrary, I have been fired up.
The Axis Teams are amazing: two teams of four people traveling around the U.S. challenging young minds to question the world around them....
Where did humanity originate? What is reality? How do you know right from wrong? Where do we find our identity? What is our purpose for being here? What happens after we die?
These are questions we have all wrestled with at some point in our lives and the world is determined to give us answers. We must expose what is false and let that which is left standing speak for itself.
I am so excited to be a part of this journey: to share with young hearts and minds the reason for the hope that is within me.
I hope I will be able to clearly express the mission and journey of AXIS as we blaze through this semester. Thank you for your interest and prayer.
I have learned in the past two weeks that:
1. Meeting new people is hard.
2. Meeting new people that you will be living with for the next three months is harder.
3. Not getting to choose those individuals whom you have committed to do life with for the next three months... terrifying.
*New Place = OH YES!
New Place + Alone = OH NO...
New Place - Alone + New Responsibilities + Unapproachable Aliens = Too much.*
The initial shock of moving across the country began to ware off and I slowly began to realize that these aliens actually looked a little like people... nice people....with human faces...and normal names.
*Names...names...what were their names? Bonnie, Ben, Bennet, Bonnet....Ben! It has to be Ben....who would name their kid Bonnet anyway... One down with 85% certainty...Only seventeen more to go...*
I constantly struggle to remember peoples names. I can't remember my siblings' names most of the time...much less the rest of the world, so it came as a shock when our team leader started off our first meeting with this charge, " Team, if nothing else, we have to be able to memorize our students' names."
*Remember names? I thought we were going to be talking about worldviews and wrestling through deep truths with the helpful aid of PowerPoint. *
He continues, "Team, we will be talking to hundreds of students at a time. No one will give a second thought to the truth we are bringing if we can't remember their names. Don't worry, it isn't hard."
*Isn't hard?! Speak for yourself, Dennis....Denny...Diner...Dinner...Dave...Dan... Oh great...*
I raise my hand, "Uh...Dennis?" "It's Dan." "Sorry. (Embarrassment) Dan, I have a pretty hard time with names....am I going to get fired?" "Hmm...Well, probably not. But we are going to need you to try harder."
*I'm going to get fired.*
So went our first meeting. So went my struggle for the next two weeks.
I am pleased to announce that I have not been fired. On the contrary, I have been fired up.
The Axis Teams are amazing: two teams of four people traveling around the U.S. challenging young minds to question the world around them....
Where did humanity originate? What is reality? How do you know right from wrong? Where do we find our identity? What is our purpose for being here? What happens after we die?
These are questions we have all wrestled with at some point in our lives and the world is determined to give us answers. We must expose what is false and let that which is left standing speak for itself.
I am so excited to be a part of this journey: to share with young hearts and minds the reason for the hope that is within me.
I hope I will be able to clearly express the mission and journey of AXIS as we blaze through this semester. Thank you for your interest and prayer.
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