Inspiration

Do you ever read other blogs to find inspiration for how you should write your own?
I do.
Only, it rarely ever inspires me. Usually I end up thinking something like, "Wow this is superiorly entertaining. How does he/she tell the story so well?"

Enter Google.
<how to tell a story>
The search results alone were hilarious, albeit mostly unhelpful.

After searching more and getting nowhere, I decided to just go with what I have. Which is kind of a penchant for truth combined with a flair for the dramatic. (=code for chaos. possibly confusion)

I also decided only to write when I have something to say. (Brilliant, right?)

This week, I went on a two-day trip to Mississippi with my parents. By "two-days" I really mean 36 hours, 14 of which were in the car. I would like to agree with you that 14 hours in a car with your parents is not fun; however, my parents are pretty cool, my dad drove the entire trip, and I slept. Seriously. For about 12 of those 14 hours. It was AWESOME.

But the 22 hours in Mississippi were the best. We took this super short trip to watch my sister dance one of her last times with Ballet Magnificat. It was bittersweet. The performance was one of my favorite ballets ever. It was a picture of mercy, redemption & truth. Their desire is for their dance to inspire worship of Jesus as they are worshiping, and it definitely did. During one song, I was so caught up in praising God, I realized I had my eyes closed and was no longer watching the dancing!

Amazingly, as an undeserved gift, I have become friends with some of the other dancers through my sister. I am so grateful for them in my life. It was brilliant to watch them all dance together, even if for the last time. Everyone is moving on or moving up. Apparently, according to Jimmy, my sister and I will be traveling back to Jackson to see those who are moving up (I hope so!), and to Houston to visit at least one who is moving on (heck yes!). Just the same, it was sad to leave them.

My parents and I had one last Wicklow evening with them. (Wicklow= my sister's household.) I've had nearly a month's worth altogether- completely wonderful memories. This night, almost all the Wicklows & I played spoons and Calleja, Sarah Jane & I watched a movie, practically piled on top of one another on the couch as we struggled to stay awake to the end. Definitely one of the sweetest memories I have. Though there are many, many more. My sister's community is one of the most loving community I've ever been welcomed into, and the past two years of visiting the Wicklows and friends will forever live in my heart as treasured memories.

Intros

Well, I needed to set up a blog which I could easily access and use to update my friends & family while traveling this year. In all honesty, I should have set it up in January so I could have documented my days in Thailand, but lo hecho esta hecho, and there are still more trips to come!

In August, I'm headed to India and South Africa with two separate and equally amazing groups. In Bangalore (aka Bengaluru), Kamataka, India, the team and I will be working with a long-term team to reach out to the local community, including an orphanage and the slums (God willing), sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. In Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, I will be serving as the pharmacist for the free medical clinics to some poor and underprivileged communities in South Africa. These clinics provide essential health care, medical prescriptions, and glasses to the poor and are typically conducted in squatter camps, townships and rural areas.

In between these two trips, I will be in London for about 3-4 days, staying with my (very kind & generous) cousin!

Today I have been putting together my support letters in which I direct people to this site to follow my adventures. So, I'm here to tell stories of my travels. Maybe just to tell stories of my life. :)

Speaking of which, I think it's a pretty cool story how I ended up with this name (sincere passion).

Basically, I needed a name that meant something to me but could convey a meaning and purpose to a reader without much (or any, if possible) explanation. My first choice was taken. My sister and I brainstormed and got nothing to stick. I tried using my favorite quotes, etc listed on my facebook info page in the hopes that something would jump out at me. I even tried using another language. They were all taken, meaningless, bizarre, or really cheesy. I wanted something that flowed and made sense. That people would look at and say it reminded them of me in a positive way.

Then I re-read this beautiful post by my friend. In her post, which was extremely encouraging, she said she found me to be "so sincere" and she admired my "passion for Christ." And as I read it, I recalled another friend choosing to define me in a single word as "sincere." And I'm pretty sure my passion for Christ is why I need a blog in the first place.

And then it hit me. There was my name! I put it into the blog site thinking FOR SURE it would be taken.
It wasn't! And when I ran it by my sister she said it reminded her of me. :)

I started setting up the page and everything flowed like fresh water from a spring. It is what I wanted; it will inspire me to tell stories. So, there it is, my "blogspot."

I hope you find it useful, encouraging, Christ-focused, passionate and sincere.