Days 1-3

So, I made it.

I feel displaced farther than is reasonable considering the small matter of geography separating home from the place that was home. The distance combined with the complete change in schedule, number of people in my bed, and number of girls constantly in my bedroom (since there are eight of us in one room) make it feel as though more than three days have passed since I arrived on Saturday.

It’s funny though because when I text my friends in Moscow, they are doing the same things they were doing three days ago. They’re still staying up too late, watching movies, and planning camping trips for the summer. They’re probably still talking Project Summer. And they’re most definitely not talking about politics.

So I look back home and things are not so different after all. It’s nice to know that though my whole life changed in five hours, not everything is changed. Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere, life continues as ever.

Things to pray for:

I’m looking for a job. It would be nice to have one sooner rather than later. I’ve applied many places, some looking more fun and promising than others.

My old fears, the ones proclaiming, "God does not love you and will utterly abandon you on the last day," are rising up all around me and staring me in the face. Please pray for wisdom as I try to speak hope into desperate lives.

Time is always a struggle. It’s hard to know how much time I have and how many things to commit to. I’m here to get a job and share the gospel with my coworkers, but I’m also here for the other elevators and the staff. I’m not sure what God has in mind for me among the rest of the people of Elevate, but please pray that I would faithfully do his will. It would be easy and safe to retreat and hide under the blankets, but that’s not the work God has for me.