just a tad irrelephant

😳

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 10:43:59 -0400

😳

seabois: “It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:11:34 -0400

“It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

Happy Birthday Anne Frank!
~ 12 June 1929 – early March 1945 ~

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”

I just want to feel appreciated.

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:11:04 -0400

I just want to feel appreciated.

zachzook: learn this. press it on my heart.

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:51:48 -0400

zachzook:

learn this. press it on my heart.

-theyoungandtherestless: aealus: seven mile bridge, florida...

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:51:34 -0400

-theyoungandtherestless:

aealus:

seven mile bridge, florida keys, usa
not my photo but my upload

How amazing

My worst nightmare in picture form.

Photo

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:38:32 -0400

Photo

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:38:43 -0400

Photo

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:37:37 -0400

Photo

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:37:28 -0400

Photo

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:36:41 -0400

Photo

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:36:36 -0400

Welcome to Madaba a.k.a. home for the next 7weeks.

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:11:20 -0400

Phew. It’s already been a full week here in Madaba! It’s still so surreal that this place will be my home for the next 7 weeks. This past week has been full of adjustment, adventure, excitement, and of course stress. here it is in a big ole hunk of a nutshell…

Arrival in Jordan blew my mind. Flight after flight until FINALLY we stepped foot on some Jordanian soil, or should I say sand? We were picked up from the airport as the last flight in by our host missionary, Matt. After picking up our luggage and heading out to the pick-up area, I couldn’t stop smiling. I’M FINALLY HERE. The wave of exhaustion hit as soon as we got in the car and began our short drive ‘home’ from the airport. We were greeted ever so warmly by our other host missionary, Susan, along with sandwiches and snacks for our hungry bellies. After a bit of introduction, we made our way to bed for the night. I was barely able to keep my eyes open on the way down a single flight of steps to the apartment I’ll be sharing the next several weeks within with two fantastic gals, Becca and Karen. We started to get ready for bed and out of nowhere came a wave of energy. We unpacked and made ourselves at home before finally settling into our beds at near 1:30 in the morning. I slept like a brick wall and breakfast came too early the next morning. Adjusting to the time change and overcoming jet-lag certainly took some time. After breakfast, we had team orientation, a short tour through the city, and headed down the street for church (struggling to stay awake all the while). The church we are associated with is an Arabic speaking Christian church just around the corner from where we are staying. The Sunday night service proved to be a bit stressful because of the pretty massive language barrier; we had no way of understanding a single word of what was being sung or preached. Alas, we made it home to our beds for a much desired night of sleep before our 7a.m. wake up call Monday morning for our first day of Arabic school.

It ain’t easy. I can definitely attest to the fact that Arabic is one of the hardest languages in the world to learn. Every Monday through Thursday from 8:15 to 12:15 for the 8 weeks I’ll be in Madaba will be spent in level 1 of the Kelsey School’s Arabic class. Going in only having a very basic knowledge of the Arabic alphabet, I about wanted to pull out all of my hair after the first day. Luckily, Matt and Susan rescued us early from class on Monday for a special surprise. We got to visit the excavation site of Heshbon with a grand tour from some of the head archaeologists currently working on the excavation. To say that it was incredible would be an immense understatement. It was unreal. The insight that was shared and the terrific detail covered absolutely blew my mind. We finished up the adventure by climbing down into some of the caves beneath the beautiful site for a peek around. The biblical history behind this site and actually seeing and experiencing it was so unbelievably exciting!
After our dip out of class Monday, the rest of the week of classes stood like a giant before me. After 4 hours in class every day, a minimum of an additional 2 hours of studying every night is required in order to keep up and complete assignments and to be prepared for the next day. I made it through, thankfully, and I’m starting to feel less overwhelmed by the greatness of learning this seemingly impossible language.

Friday finally made its way around after a week full of exploration through the city, adventures in trying all kinds of new foods, and endless amounts of Arabic. Friday marks the day of the weekly meeting English teaching kids club for Syrian refugee children in the area that my teammates and I will be leading this summer. Preparing the lesson proved to be both fun and a bit difficult because of the already known language barrier. Preparation proved to be just a baby sized glimpse into the stress and difficulty presented by communicating with the darling young children attending the kids club. I know that nothing is impossible, but it sure felt like it. My pathetic knowledge of a few vocabulary words and some basic greetings did me no good when trying to lead the creation story and the crafts and games we attached with it. Despite this massive barrier, the day was incredible. I absolutely fell in love with the precious kids I’m so blessed to be able to spend the next several Friday afternoons with. Here’s hoping that communication will get just a tad easier and that my teammates and I will be able to love and lead these kids the way Christ loves and leads us.

As an adventure for this day, Matt took the four of ‘us kids’ to the 100 year old St. Stephens church here in Madaba which is home to the shrine of the beheading of John the Baptist. Filled with biblical and historical artifacts and replications, the trip was incredible. To finish it off, we climbed the seemingly billions of stairs to the top of the bell tower for a breathtaking view of the city. As we stood in the sun high above the streets below, I was reminded of how blessed I am to be in this gorgeous place and how much God has in store for the next 7 weeks of my life.

Today starts a new week for my friends and I in Madaba. Arabic class (though still a struggle) is starting to make just a little sense, we are figuring out our way around the city, and God is so clearly present in the places we go and in the lives of the people we meet. I’m so unbelievably blessed to be here and I can not wait to see how He works the rest of this summer. Thank you for all the support and prayers that got me here! To God be the glory!

until next time,
xoxo ami

odditiesoflife: The Colorful Island of Burano, Italy The...

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 10:10:10 -0400

odditiesoflife:

The Colorful Island of Burano, Italy

The island of Burano, a 40 minute boat ride from Venice, is a beautiful place with an equally colorful history. Burano is an old fishing village, and the fishing traditions of Burano date back to Roman times. Fishing is not the only source of income for Burano. The art of lace making has played a large role in Burano’s history.

Legend has it that a betrothed fisherman out at sea was given a wedding veil by a siren, and when he gave it to his betrothed; everyone tried to replicate it with needlework. Burano lace became famous. King Louis XIV was said to be wearing a Burano lace collar for his coronation and Leonardo Da Vinci purchased a piece for the main altar of the Duomo di Milano.

But what makes Burano different from the rest of the surrounding islands, is its rainbow of houses. Though these houses are beautifully painted and look like artwork, the reason for their vivid colors is quite practical. Years ago, the fishermen painted their houses bright colors so when they were coming home in the fog, they knew whose house was whose. That said, the colors of these houses have been in families for centuries. And, if you want to change the color of your house, you have to send in a request to the government.

"We gotta start teaching our daughters to be somebodies instead of somebody’s."

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 10:06:03 -0400

“We gotta start teaching our daughters to be somebodies instead of somebody’s.”

- Kifah Shah (via cexjay)

Photo

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:44:46 -0400

Photo

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:44:22 -0400

Photo

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:43:48 -0400

Photo

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:43:38 -0400

Photo

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:42:32 -0400

Photo

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:42:19 -0400