I Wanna Hold Your Hand

So, I figured that posting a blog update would be the best way to fill in most people across the ocean on my recent relationship activity.

His name is Matt Collinson. He's a student here in Leicester, and part of the Nav ministry at the university. We started dating about 4 weeks ago, but I was hesitant to make it facebook public, since I knew I wouldn't be able to tell people before everything went down. Oh well... now everyone knows. I'm sorry for not keeping everyone up to date, life gets so busy! For the whole story feel free to email me and demand details :-)

I miss you all!
xx

Update, I'd title it something more interesting, but I suck at Blogging so...

So... I officially suck in the realm of blogging. Sorry friends. But, allow me to attempt to redeem myself in a short update of life.

In September my family suffered a huge blow when my grandfather died and I had to fly back to Arizona to be with them and for the funeral. It was a great service though. It celebrated the life of an amazing man who loved God and his wife and his family very much and was a great example of determination and strength.

While at home I got some good quality time with Ashley and Brian, sorry that I didn't see anyone else, I was mostly hiding out, I love and miss you both! And Ashley recorded one of my most embarrassing, but honest moments in a Wal-Mart.

October has been a crazy month. Classes started the first week and all the students came back, and I got to meet all the amazing people who had joined Navs in the year that I was gone. I was a bit worried that it would be weird to be an American on Connect, but mostly I just get made fun of a lot for the silly things Americans tend to do. (hehe.. people think I'm really loud here.... I can't wait to introduce them to actual loud Americans.)

Connect has been amazing. I have been extremely challenged in so many aspects of my personal walk with Christ, and I feel like God is showing me a whole realm of new ideas and training I was never exposed to as a student. Seeing a ministry from this angle has been eye-opening. The amount of love that goes into every planning aspect has been inspiring and provided a deeper respect in my heart for staff here.

I can't thank everyone enough for all the financial and prayer support I've had. I know I'm really hard to get in touch with, I'm so sorry. Currently it is a 7 hour time difference between England and AZ, so phone calls and chatting is a bit difficult, but I'm good with emails and facebook things.

As for prayer requests, my main priorities are:
1) We have a main meeting coming up for students to bring non-believing friends to. Please pray that our students take the opprotunity to do this and that it impacts the lives of their friends.
2) I've been praying for peace and patience in my own life. For a greater surrender to God. And through this I would be able to love people better.
3) Finally, please pray for the students themselves. It is now midterm time and most are stressed with club activities as well as school-work. Pray that they would find restful times in Jesus as well as time to physically rest.

Thank you all so much! I'll be in Arizona from December 14th to January 4th, hoping to see everyone soon!!!!

(but I will try to update again before then. :-) )

Preach it Sista!

I know I haven't updated in a while, and that I should probably post all the amazing things (and some not quite so amazing things) that have been going on in my life, and perhaps I will in time, but what I am most excited about, and most eager to share with my friends throughout the world that read this is how Jesus blessed my very first talk.

But I don't even know how to explain it. I've been walking on cloud nine ever since I finished and my realm of terror subsided. I spoke about grace. Jesus' grace, and how to live in it. Why we should live in Jesus' grace. Even thinking about it now I think of things I could have said, or maybe should have said, scripture I could have used, words that would have better communicated what I meant, but in spite of everything I could have fallen short in, Jesus used the words I did say to communicate His loving grace of living in this fallen world.

The main point God gave me to share in a talk where my goal was to motivate people to walk with God based on grace was that we have freedom in fallenness. That Christ's grace offers us freedom in fallenness. So, I guess if I learn anything from my own talk, it is that I had the freedom to completely botch it in the first place.

:-)

My Realm of Maybes

So I am officially all moved into my new home for the year. Decorations up, and one house mate moved in, with one coming soon. But even with all this excitement, this, sadly, is not what my mind has been dwelling on.

Although I have many practical things I should be thinking about, my mind wanders elsewhere to a realm of curiosity and "what if"s. I know it is silly, and I wish I could constantly focus... do that 'be where I'm at' thing, but no matter how hard I try, at night, or in the early morning, or when something changes, my mind drifts off into a gentle haze of "maybe".

I think it's because life is kinda hazy for me right now... I have no way to predict what's going to happen the next day, week, month, or until Christmas. Even though I've been in England almost a week I still have no more idea about the future than the day I left America. No more solutions... only more questions... only more maybes.

And unfortunately this isn't one of those, "I should give this up to God" things. It's a me thing... it's a how I'm wired thing... It's a "this is why I sit and ponder for hours in bed before I actually wake up and greet the world" and "why my journal is full of thoughts and hopes" thing.

This week we have a conference introducing Connect and Navs and all those good things. I'm kinda nervous about being the only non-English person, but as I get more accustomed to being here I start to realize... they all knew I wasn't English when they invited me to come.

New Address

So, I moved to England, and though I'm not actually moved into my new place yet, I felt I should supply my coming English address:

Elizabeth Skepnek
84 Highway Road
Evington, Leicester LE5 5RF
(and this is the part for all the Americans)
Leicestershire, England, UK

love you all! and I'll update about my trip soon!
-Elizabeth

One Week from 17 minutes ago.

I am leaving to go back to England. *deep breathe* Crazy.

I'm not packed... which is slightly terrifying, and I'm worried that my body has adjusted to the Arizona heat and may die of cold when I step off the plane... Or I'll drown if it's raining.

I am excited to go back, but terror outweighs it by more than I can convey.

The only things I have been thinking about is spending as much time as possible with the people I am closest to, packing, making sure I didn't forget something I'll actually need that I don't want to/couldn't buy over there, and eating all the good food I can, since, no offense guys, but you know... it is England.

*sigh*

one week from 23 minutes ago now... oh dear.

Big World... too much to think about.

Right now I should be on a plane to Mexico. Unfortunately, with having fundraising, moving, cleaning, getting my visa, seeing my friends, being sick, and being absurdly poor on my mind, I forgot that when I sent my passport to California to let the Brits put a UK passport in it, that I would need that same passport to get into/back out of Mexico later that week.

damn.

It was one of those thoughts that didn't even cross my mind. Which got me thinking about other thoughts, that until recently, have never crossed my worried mind. And trust me, it's full.

My brother, and one of my most beloved friends, is doing something very brave, especially considering his age. He is looking to buy a business. He wants to become an entrepreneur. To own his own coffee shop. Unfortunately, it costs money that he doesn't have.

His venture has gotten me thinking a lot about my own financial future. Yes, right now I am fundraising for my salary, but I highly doubt this will be the case forever. And eventually I'd like to have some amount of financial stability in my life. But does financial stability mean physical stability? or emotional or spiritual stability? Is there a career I could do and travel all over the world still? oh, but I guess I'd like to get married and all that...

humph... I guess one day I'll do the adult thing... lol. maybe.