WE HAVE OUR STUFF!!!!!
Our urban camping adventure is over! Sitting on a comfy couch has never felt so good. We got all of our stuff today, but we definitely didnt plan out the logistics, because me and Molly's stuff just got piled in our rooms so...SLEEPOVER IN THE LIVING ROOM! #partay, and to put this in perspective, me and Molly used to share a room but we got into too many physical fights and had to switch, if that gives you an accurate vision of how this night will play out.
What is so nice is having the little things in the house that are so underappreciated but life savers (I would like to see you try to make toast without a toaster. I dare you.) I was also reunited with my nutella and easy mac, even though I managed to burn my easy mac within minutes of opening the box. Turns out, water in that little cup is an essential. Either way, that little cooking excitement earned me the official worst cook in the worlds badge (sorry gramma), and i wear it with pride.
Something thats also been great is finally having my own laptop! A little late of a graduation present, but its working just fine:) The webcam on here is also functioning quite nicely, so feel free to add me on skype:) my user name is sarahbabsbabs and I miiiiight acept you. maybe.
I've also been intensifying my job search recently. I've had two separate interviews, but I'm not quite sure if either of them will turn out. I'm just putting it in god's hands that he knows where he wants me to work (but if he allows any personal orders, that app to urban outfitters going through would really be swell).
As usual, prayers for strength, encouragement, and stability would be perfect.
In his name,
Sarah
Tuesday 25 June 2013
Friday 21 June 2013
Eighth Day Encouragement
I've been here for 8 days now. Instead of doing the typical teenager action and simply complaining, I'm going to share the verses, quotes, and partial song lyrics which I have been clinging to since I came here.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of thsoe who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28
"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destryed, we have a building from god, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." - 2nd Corinthians 5:1
"See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done." - 2 Corinthians 7:11
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, for the lord your god will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9
"As a prisoner for the lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the callling you have recieved. Be completely humble and gently; be patient, bearing with one another in love." - Ephesians 4:1
"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." - Ephesians 6:19
"Let me see redemption win, let me know the struggle ends, that you can mend a heart that's frail and torn." - Tenth Avenue North
"God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called." - Anonymous
"I have faith in my god to know that if he says 'No' to one thing, he's saying 'Yes' to something greater." - Nick Vujicis
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of thsoe who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28
"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destryed, we have a building from god, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." - 2nd Corinthians 5:1
"See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done." - 2 Corinthians 7:11
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, for the lord your god will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9
"As a prisoner for the lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the callling you have recieved. Be completely humble and gently; be patient, bearing with one another in love." - Ephesians 4:1
"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." - Ephesians 6:19
"Let me see redemption win, let me know the struggle ends, that you can mend a heart that's frail and torn." - Tenth Avenue North
"God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called." - Anonymous
"I have faith in my god to know that if he says 'No' to one thing, he's saying 'Yes' to something greater." - Nick Vujicis
Sunday 16 June 2013
Five Days In.
Today held some interesting situations that only could ever occur in the Babuk family. We are in the process of finding a church, so we attended two different ones today. The first was Church On 99, a church my mom descibes as "Hip and Happening and Young and stuff." The sermon was actually really good; he connected the advice that Jesus gave to John the Baptist to apply to fathering and parenting skills. But the church definitely had some twists. There was no parking nearby, so we got a golf cart ride with complementary gum:) They also had some kickin' worship music that just made you wanna have a dance party with Jesus in the pews (I mean, of course the bass dropped a few times, but thats fine by me:) There were SO MANY HIPSTERS. And also, today was their annual Father's Day Car Show, so what better way to celebrate than by the pastor riding a Harley straight up to the pulpit?!?
Needless to say...Molly and I loved it but dad was pulling a McKayla Maroney.
The second church we went to gave me and molly a chance to be unimpressed, but definitely was good for comparing reasons. We went to First Presbyterian Of Edmonton, where the population of the church is primarily 60+ and conducts the service in very old fashioned ways. Not bad for the people who go there, just not exactly the best fit for two teenage girls. The highlight of my day hands down was seeing Molly react to Dad introducing her to the assortment of people there who are much older than her. Lets just say that she made it pretty obvious that she didn't exactly want to be there:)
Being here in Edmonton is starting to grow on me slightly, but is still a rough transition. The weather here is much colder than I'm used to during the summer, which makes the transition harder, especially knowing that the weather back home is so lovely and sunny. What has been the hardest is allowing God to take full control of the situation that I am in. I have a hard time letting go of control of situations in my life, especially ones which give much stress and turmoil to my life. God is definitely giving me a lesson here on turning over my life to him, but even the knowledge of that doesn't make my life here any easier. Being away from my friends with not much to do here has really taken a toll on me. I have really struggled to find a solid, core group of friends in high school, so leaving the group that I found was more difficult for me than I think I could correctly put into words. I just have to trust that God knows what he is doing, and that he has placed me here for a reason.
My life verse has been my source of hope these past few days, and the promise that I have been clinging to so dearly.
"I consider that my present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed within us."-Romans 8:18
In his name,
Sarah
Needless to say...Molly and I loved it but dad was pulling a McKayla Maroney.
The second church we went to gave me and molly a chance to be unimpressed, but definitely was good for comparing reasons. We went to First Presbyterian Of Edmonton, where the population of the church is primarily 60+ and conducts the service in very old fashioned ways. Not bad for the people who go there, just not exactly the best fit for two teenage girls. The highlight of my day hands down was seeing Molly react to Dad introducing her to the assortment of people there who are much older than her. Lets just say that she made it pretty obvious that she didn't exactly want to be there:)
Being here in Edmonton is starting to grow on me slightly, but is still a rough transition. The weather here is much colder than I'm used to during the summer, which makes the transition harder, especially knowing that the weather back home is so lovely and sunny. What has been the hardest is allowing God to take full control of the situation that I am in. I have a hard time letting go of control of situations in my life, especially ones which give much stress and turmoil to my life. God is definitely giving me a lesson here on turning over my life to him, but even the knowledge of that doesn't make my life here any easier. Being away from my friends with not much to do here has really taken a toll on me. I have really struggled to find a solid, core group of friends in high school, so leaving the group that I found was more difficult for me than I think I could correctly put into words. I just have to trust that God knows what he is doing, and that he has placed me here for a reason.
My life verse has been my source of hope these past few days, and the promise that I have been clinging to so dearly.
"I consider that my present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed within us."-Romans 8:18
In his name,
Sarah
Friday 14 June 2013
The beginnings
First blog post of canada! Just a few days ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My last few days in Chicago were spent with some of my closest friends, many of which I will not be seeing again for a very long time. Saturday held a not-so-surprise going away party, filled with picnic games, unbelievable friends, and the dancing of musical numbers from past shows (It's to be expected from theatre kids). The night was rounded out by an astounding concert by Bright Abyss, to which I was given the honor of dedication for the performance. I've been blessed by so many people in Chicago, but those boys hold a special place in my heart and I will miss them dearly.
Graduation, movie dates, and final lunch goodbyes filled the rest of my days. The reality of the move didnt start to set in until the hour before the flight. Suddenly, the whole house was bursting with memories that I wasn't ready to let go of. 14 years of broken walls, band-aids, spilled milk, and dirt soup were coming at me full force, and the emotions that came with them seemed to be pounding at me even harder. The ride to the airport was a rough one for me and Molly, but (tearfully), we made it through.
Airport security with a dog flying as a carry-on is a unique experience to say the least. Not many people expect the duffel-looking bag around your shoulder to contain a dog that will be on the plane right with you, and TSA was a little thrown off by her. But Ethel was a calm little puppy and made it through the plane right just fine:)
The first thing that I noticed here is the amount of daytime that is prominent. When our flight was in descent at about 2 AM, I could already see the sun coming up on the horizon. The sun didnt set until about 11:45 last night, and came up at about 3:30. When my dad woke up, frantic because he was scared that he had missed his alarm, he checked his clock and it said 10:15. Only in Edmonton do you have to double check whether it is AM or PM, because the light quality outside is about the same.
We went out tonight to Whyte Ave in Old Strathcona, which is the place to be in Edmonton. The neighborhood is young and artsy, with a feel very similar to that of Old Town in Chicago. The streets are lined with bars, vintage resale shops, and nightclubs- a wonderful and eclectic mix of establishments. The only way that the neighborhood could be descibed in one word would be "Hipster". Its definitely a place that I could fit in:)
As for how the move is working in me, its rough. Being away from the amazing community of christ-followers that exists back home is hard, especially when moving to a place where the population is 55% atheistic. There hasn't been too much for me and Molly to do, so we've exhausted the resources of WiFi and phone games in these past couple days. I know that, regardless of the perfection of the city, it will be difficult for me to enjoy it to the fullest, simply because it isn't the town that I'm used to, but this seems to be more difficult for me than I thought. I don't have a phone with long distance or Skype just yet, so communication back home has been limited to Facebook and texting apps, which has been difficult for me. I'm so used to simply picking up the phone and calling my best friend, or texting a friend to invite them out for lunch later that day. Having that luxury gone has proven to be a good way for the devil to combat me with feelings of sadness and regret. I know for a fact that God has HUGE plans for me here. Just before I left, 4 different people suggested that God may want me here to help spread his love and compassion, and I don't believe that that was a coincidence.
As it was put to me by my friend Bonnie Rose: "When you move, you have to have complete and total trust in God, that he knows what you need and that not only will he provide what you need, but that he will be all that you need." This is the first time that I've ever had to step out in my faith, to a place where I know God wants me, but am beyond terrified to be. I choose to spend my year here glorifying him, and although there will be fears, he WILL be all that I need.
These past few days, the last few lyrics from the Gungor cover of 'My Father's World' ring true and calm my heart.
"This is my father's world,
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King, Let the heavens ring!
God reigns, Let the earth be glad!"
As always, prayers are accepted and will be well used:)
In his name,
Sarah
Graduation, movie dates, and final lunch goodbyes filled the rest of my days. The reality of the move didnt start to set in until the hour before the flight. Suddenly, the whole house was bursting with memories that I wasn't ready to let go of. 14 years of broken walls, band-aids, spilled milk, and dirt soup were coming at me full force, and the emotions that came with them seemed to be pounding at me even harder. The ride to the airport was a rough one for me and Molly, but (tearfully), we made it through.
Airport security with a dog flying as a carry-on is a unique experience to say the least. Not many people expect the duffel-looking bag around your shoulder to contain a dog that will be on the plane right with you, and TSA was a little thrown off by her. But Ethel was a calm little puppy and made it through the plane right just fine:)
The first thing that I noticed here is the amount of daytime that is prominent. When our flight was in descent at about 2 AM, I could already see the sun coming up on the horizon. The sun didnt set until about 11:45 last night, and came up at about 3:30. When my dad woke up, frantic because he was scared that he had missed his alarm, he checked his clock and it said 10:15. Only in Edmonton do you have to double check whether it is AM or PM, because the light quality outside is about the same.
We went out tonight to Whyte Ave in Old Strathcona, which is the place to be in Edmonton. The neighborhood is young and artsy, with a feel very similar to that of Old Town in Chicago. The streets are lined with bars, vintage resale shops, and nightclubs- a wonderful and eclectic mix of establishments. The only way that the neighborhood could be descibed in one word would be "Hipster". Its definitely a place that I could fit in:)
As for how the move is working in me, its rough. Being away from the amazing community of christ-followers that exists back home is hard, especially when moving to a place where the population is 55% atheistic. There hasn't been too much for me and Molly to do, so we've exhausted the resources of WiFi and phone games in these past couple days. I know that, regardless of the perfection of the city, it will be difficult for me to enjoy it to the fullest, simply because it isn't the town that I'm used to, but this seems to be more difficult for me than I thought. I don't have a phone with long distance or Skype just yet, so communication back home has been limited to Facebook and texting apps, which has been difficult for me. I'm so used to simply picking up the phone and calling my best friend, or texting a friend to invite them out for lunch later that day. Having that luxury gone has proven to be a good way for the devil to combat me with feelings of sadness and regret. I know for a fact that God has HUGE plans for me here. Just before I left, 4 different people suggested that God may want me here to help spread his love and compassion, and I don't believe that that was a coincidence.
As it was put to me by my friend Bonnie Rose: "When you move, you have to have complete and total trust in God, that he knows what you need and that not only will he provide what you need, but that he will be all that you need." This is the first time that I've ever had to step out in my faith, to a place where I know God wants me, but am beyond terrified to be. I choose to spend my year here glorifying him, and although there will be fears, he WILL be all that I need.
These past few days, the last few lyrics from the Gungor cover of 'My Father's World' ring true and calm my heart.
"This is my father's world,
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King, Let the heavens ring!
God reigns, Let the earth be glad!"
As always, prayers are accepted and will be well used:)
In his name,
Sarah
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