To where shall I go next?

So as I think most of you, or at least many of you, know, I applied to do something called Mission Year next year, where I will work as a missionary in some city in the US, volunteering with organizations in the city and helping out neighbors and other people, as well as learning about what I can do to fight injustice in the city (and then, of course, actually putting it into practice). And up until Wednesday night, I still didn't know where I would go. I had 5 choices-Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Oakland, and Chicago. Philadelphia was my obvious first choice. It was a no-brainer.

Before I was accepted, I had made a list of three places and the order in which I wanted to go to them. I wanted Philadelphia, Oakland, and Chicago. But then I found out that I would give two preferences, and all of a sudden, things changed. Philadelphia never changed, but now I found myself trying to decide between Chicago and Atlanta. I had no idea why I even wanted to go to Atlanta, but in the end, I gave my first choice and said anywhere else would be fine, that I trusted them and God to put me where He needed me.

I knew by the end of March, I'd find out, and I hoped beyond hope that didn't mean waiting til midnight of the 31st to finally get an answer. And Mission Year did not disappoint. Wednesday night, I was checking my email before going to bed, and I saw the email. I called to myroommate when I opened it and sort of read it to her. I was glad it wasn't a short, quick, this-is-where-you're-going email that gave it away in the first line, since Gmail shows the first line in your inbox. I wanted to be able to read the email to find out. And I had to read a few paragraphs to finally get to it. But then I saw it... "Your new home next fall will be in Atlanta!" I was so excited. And it all made sense.

I am so sad to be leaving Ostrava. I love it here. And I love the people here. And I hope that I will be able to come back in the near future, though it will most likely be at least a year and a half to two years. Next year, I certainly won't have any money to travel out of the country. The closer my time comes to reaching the end, the more sad I get thinking about it. I don't want to say goodbye. But if there is one thing that my life has prepared me for, it's saying goodbye. I hate it, but it's sadly something that comes relatively easily for me. With much heartache, but little effort. I guess saying goodbye once every three to four years and packing up and moving somewhere else creates almost a routine in the sadness. But then there's the excitement of the unknown.

I am also, at the same time, thrilled to be a part of God's plan, to get to do His work in Atlanta. I can't wait to get there, though I find myself wishing for time to slow down so I don't have to go back to the US yet. Such mixed emotions.


I get to fundraise again, too! Admittedly, it's not my favorite aspect of doing anything, but it's necessary. And it's exciting that in the month of April, every donation will be matched, up to $1000. If you're interested in giving, go to www.missionyear.com/donate. You can give online or send a check to the address on the webpage. And to ensure tax deductibility, write my fund ID number rather than my name (it is 12-9030). This is a great time to give because every penny you give is matched, so essentially it's doubled! Thanks for thinking about it!

Running

So I am not a runner. I have never been a runner. I never even wanted to be a runner. I always envied those who would go running because they were able to do it, but I never wanted to put in the effort necessary to be a runner, so I never bothered. I am pretty sure in the 3rd grade, when we had to do the fitness test stuff and had to run a mile, I am pretty sure it took me like half an hour, and I probably walked half of it, if not more. I hated running. And my knees and ankles have never been big fans, either. In fact, one of my knees has really been against it since a short stint in October 2010 which caused a torn meniscus or ligament or something.

But then this winter came. It came late, but it came. And it was COLD. But honestly, not for very long. Already it is starting to warm up again (hopefully for good, though I'm not holding my breath) and the sun "shines" or at least is up longer now than it was a month ago. Spring is definitely coming. And I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but one day, I decided that I wanted to run. It was probably while there was snow on the ground and it was barely safe to walk. But I still had this desire. And when it came repeatedly, I decided that I would start doing the couch to 5k program once it got warm enough to run.

I must preface (or midface) this blog post with a note that I have asthma, though it has become milder as I have gotten older, it is aggravated by certain things, for example a chest cold and exercising in the cold. Just yesterday, I had to jog to catch the bus, and then to put the trash in the dumpster so I could catch another bus and ended up needing my inhaler as my lungs decided that it was too cold for them to function well. Since this has been my experience, I have opted not to run in cold weather because honestly, besides it aggravating my asthmas, it hurts!

This morning, I woke up to a clear blue sky and the sun shining. The kind of day that you half expect "It's a beautiful morning!" to just start playing out of nowhere. And I thought to myself, "Well, today's as good a day as any to start. I wonder how cold it is." I looked up the forecast and it was supposed to be sort of cold. I went outside to go shopping and it wasn't quite as bad as I was thinking, except when the wind blew. When I got home, I made myself go out. I had downloaded a podcast which played some music and told me when to switch to running and walking, so I just pushed play and off I went. And I realized some marvelous things. For one, it only hurts to breath for like ten seconds. Once your body warms up and gets used to the exercise, it doesn't hurt anymore. Thankfully, I didn't need my inhaler, either. For another thing, running's not so bad. I couldn't have done a straight 30 minute run, I don't think, but I'll work up to it. I started thinking I will cover more ground, I'll have to run more. But then I remembered that I will also work up to it. I don't have to do it overnight.

So anyway. I don't know when day 2 will come, but I finished week 1 day 1 of couch to 5k and it was awesome! I loved it! And I hope it becomes a normal habit for me! I just have one question. Will my face ever not turn bright red when I exercise?