First Day of School!

So, I'm kind of a geek and I still take "first day of school" pictures. I think I look a little nervous in this one...and I was. I didn't eat all day I was so nervous. I'm so strange sometimes. But, I finished a few days of classes and will start a few more next week as well. One thing I'm finding that my nervousness about "intellectual spirituality" is not going to need to be a big worry of mine here. The professors and the department seem to encourage the "journey" more than the grade. And this is exactly what I am in need of...I think we are all in need of. Striving and achieving can be such a trap, especially when it comes to times when we are studying the Bible or other things related to our faith. I'm so glad I've waited 5 years after undergrad to go back to school and that I went to the field first before coming back because now I'm HUNGRY to learn. And I want to learn not just for the degree but to learn and apply what I'm learning directly to my situation overseas. For those of you rushing off to the next thing or racing to be on the field or get through school my encouragement is to slow down and to relish the experience, not just get to the next thing. Especially if you feel that God has called you to a specific thing or place and you feel like you just can't get there. Be patient...if God has called you, he'll bring you to that place. It's his plan in the first place, not yours. And there is a divine peace and joy in taking the steps as God leads them not as we push and strive and struggle through them.

Okay...so all that preaching to say, this is definitely where the Lord has called me for this season and I am eating it up! I think it was the first time in my school career that I was excited to get home and begin my homework! ha! Maybe after awhile I won't be so eager but I hope I still am. I want to soak up every drop that God has for this season.

Please pray for me...I'm looking for a job over these next few weeks. The cost of living overall is pretty expensive even after all I've done to cut back (renting a furnished place from a family, purposely not having a car and taking the train, being careful what I spend my money on, etc) so I'm needing to supplement my support. Pray that I'd find a place that works in my schedule, that I can get to easily not having a car and an enjoyable environment to meet new people. I am hoping to work off campus and hopefully with non-Christians. I enjoy having interaction with people outside the "church." They challenge me and I hope I can do the same.

Also pray for me as I begin fitting into a new community and new life yet again. I have such a turnover of relationships and it's always hard in the beginning starting to establish new friendships and a good, supportive community such as a Bible Study or church group. I can get easily discouraged and self-pitying and lonely. So, I want to be proactive in connecting with people and getting to know them.

Also, I've already heard of some Afghans in the area that I hope to connect with for the sake of language continuation and relationship building. Pray that I'd be able to balance that with everything else and God would open up doors to build friendships with Afghans here in the States.

Registered and ready to go!

Boy am I glad graduate orientation is different than undergraduate orientation. I remember heading off to Northwestern and it feeling like summer camp for 5 days. We had an "orientation group" and I remember the girls being way too pretty and the guys showing off way too much. We had excursions and even a full blown fair on the main lawn on campus, complete with sumo wrestling in the big blown-up suits! My roommates and I would fuss in front of the mirror just to go down to the student center or get a hamburger from the Eagles' Nest. Yikes.

Today I set off with similar butterflies in my stomach and was still pretty impressed at how dressed up people arrived but this time I was surrounded by random theological conversations, meeting people from places like South Africa and India and Vietnam. I was basically given a checklist of things to do and sent off to do them...much like I was a responsible adult. Sigh...so nice.

So, I'll be taking classes in Theological Foundations (of Missions), Historical Foundations (of Missions), Intercultural Communication, Evangelism and Church Planting, and Spiritual Conflict. I'm very excited for all of these classes and just feel blessed to be able to be here and study these things for this season. Classes start on Wednesday.

Moved in!

I have unpacked my bags finally! I have been living out of my suitcase for the last 2 months so it was so nice to settle in and put my luggage in storage! :) The place I'm living in now is great...I'm renting a basement apartment from a family here in West Chicago. Dr. Yammamoto is a history professor at Wheaton. I also have a roommate, Yoshiko, who is also from Japan and attending Wheaton as well. They have been so gracious and welcoming to me. I have not had my own space since I lived in my apartment my senior year of college, 6 years ago! So, this feels very overwhelming and is a huge blessing for this season of my life. I miss the family-ness of community living but I am loving the freedom and privacy that being on my own for a bit is bringing.

Yesterday I took the train over to Wheaton College (I'm about 7 miles away from the college and don't have a car so I'm discovering public transportation in America!) and took care of some paperwork things and walked around. I browsed through the bookstore and then and only then did I get nervous about going back to school!

See, I loved my time at Northwestern College for my undergrad years. But the one thing that scares me about going back to a Christian college is the tendency towards "intellectual spirituality" that can happen in places like these. I get so frustrated when your caliber of Christianity is viewed through the lens of how much theology spews from your mouth or if you know the exact references to support Calvinism or Arminianism...or even having to claim one view or another. To be honest, I don't even understand completely what "dispensationalism" or "reformed theology" is or what the differences are in all the different denominations. And this is from a girl who grew up going to church, has a Bible degree and is a missionary for goodness sake!

I understand the value in theological training. I know that we need to study the scriptures and do our best to "be diligent to present [ourselves] approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15), but the danger comes when our study and knowledge takes more importance over intimacy and relationship with Jesus. And knowledge can be a slippery slope if not walked out in the fear of the Lord. Even the Bible says, "knowledge makes arrogant" (1 Cor. 8:1b). I remember as I exited Northwestern with my degree in hand proclaiming to the world that I knew what I was talking about, I was so arrogant...at least on the inside! I remember sitting in my YWAM classes picking apart what the speakers were saying until God finally got me face-to-face in a quiet time and confronted me on my idolatry of HIS WORD! Amazing how we can even put things that are seemingly spiritual before God and worship them over him.

I think one of the biggest lessons I learned while being overseas these last 2 years is how unnecessary I am in the whole scheme of things. Now, don't misunderstand me here. I'm not touting some super hyped up form of humility or flogging myself to death for my unworthiness or whatnot. What I'm saying is I've seen the true meaning of what Paul talked about in 1 Corinthinans:

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. (I Cor. 1:26-29)

We have the PRIVILEGE of serving God. He chose us for our idiocy and weaknesses and patheticness and then endows us with the Holy Spirit and all of a sudden we are unstoppable...or we aren't, rather He is unstoppable and His Word is unstoppable. And without the Holy Spirit, without the love of God, without the salvation of Jesus Christ, as we stand solely by ourselves, we have nothing to be proud of or boast of. Even if we have all the training and degrees and knowledge in the world, we are still just a vessel, a clay pot, a body that is decaying, a mass of imperfections and good intentions and sinful thoughts and the occasional good deeds.

Wow...so all that rambling to say, my prayer is that what I study and the things I learn over this next year and a half would lead me closer to Jesus, and not puff me up or motivate me to climb up on my own pedestal. I so desperately want to fall deeper and deeper in love with God, to the point of laying myself aside and being fully consumed with him. I don't want to repeat my mistakes of the past and become the pharisee that I tended to be during my time at Northwestern...because even if I fooled many of you during that time, I sure didn't fool God. And in his love and grace he brought me to a place where I was merely resting in God's amazing love for me and not striving to become something I was not.

The Wedding Blog

So, this summer has been a summer of weddings. I was able to be at three of them this last month. They are all good, dear friends of mine so I thought I'd post the pictures along with a few "warm fuzzy" words about them!

Karl and Stacy


I actually met Karl for the first time at the wedding...actually, I talked to him for the first time this last weekend. But, Stacy....Stacy and I met when she was a camper at Covenant Park Bible Camp and I was her junior counselor! I remember the next summer she came back and asked if I remembered her name, right in front of her mother...and I had forgotten it! But, I haven't forgotten since then! And we got the chance to work on staff together at camp and share some great times. The thing I love about Stacy is that she is so genuine. What you see is truly what you get. She has an awesome laugh, a great sense of humor and a passionate love for Jesus!

Brandon and Kimber


I love Brandon and Kimber to pieces. I met both of them during their DTS (Discipleship Training School) out in Colorado. They were both students of the school I staffed. Kimber was in the small group that I led. And they both fell for each other during the school...even though dating is not permitted during the DTS. I remember the day Brandon came to me and confessed that he had let his feelings be known to Kimber and apologized to me profusely! But they handled their feelings very maturely and started dating after the school was over...long-distance as Brandon was in California and Kimber was in Minnesota and Missouri. They waited 3 long years to get married after they both finished school. These guys both have a great heart for God and to serve him overseas. I know they both have been itching to finish school and head to "the field." It was a privilege to be a part of their wedding after being a part of the beginning of their friendship/relationship.


This is a picture of the "ywammers" at Brandon and Kimber's wedding.

Peter and Anna Jean (AJ)

(This picture is unfortunately a bit blurry and I didn't take any better ones for some reason. My apologies.)
Peter and I have been good friends since junior high when we used to run around each other's churches and do lots of things together with our youth groups. I have a lot of good memories with Peter...from Adventurous Christians and CHIC to many summers out at Covenant Park on staff together. He was a part of the infamous "prank summer" which included mothballs, dixie cups and...what about the writing on the wall? He was a part of "The Four" as we were named by others. Peter has a great heart and a hunger to know God and his Word more and more. It was also a blessing to be a part of his wedding day.

So, CONGRATULATIONS to all of you! And I wish you the very best in your marriages and as you seek to serve the Lord together in the days ahead!

A little solo-retreat

I absolutely love hiking and the outdoors. I think it's one of the biggest things I miss when I'm in Central Asia and it's one of those things I prayed about "God, do I really have to give this up?!?!" So, since I've been home I've taken advantage of the great outdoors...biking, kayaking and yesterday I made it out to the Superior Hiking Trail and hiked and hiked and hiked until my calves and butt HURT!!! It was amazing! And I think my eyes saw more green in that one day than I have in the last 2 years!!

So, here are some pictures from my outing...it was a perfect day, high 70's, a light breeze, and clear skies.
A well-taken self-portrait if I do say so myself! Lake Superior is in the background.

Lake Superior

One of 4 inland lakes that I hiked around


I'm off to Chicago on Monday!! Classes start the 29th.
And, be sure to check back because I will be posting "The Wedding Blog" highlighting the 3 weddings that I will have attended this summer.

The wealth of a quarter

So, yesterday I spoke at this little country church that supports me. It was a great time sharing with them and answering questions. Then after the service they had me stand at the back and shake hands with everyone (do you know I still feel funny shaking a man's hand and looking him in the eye!?). Well, this little girl comes up to me in a cute little pink dress. She's probably about 6 or 7 years old. She says, "my brother little brother wanted me to give this to you" and she sticks out her hand and puts a shiny quarter in mine. How precious was that?!

Brother Yun

For those of you who may not heard of him I'd like to introduce you to Brother Yun. He's a Chinese Christian brother who has walked through quite the number of events in his life include a total of 7 years in prison and various persecutions under the communist, atheist government of China. If you haven't yet, please take some time to read his book The Heavenly Man. He is founder of an organization called Back to Jerusalem which is motivating the Chinese church and the church around the world to minister to the nations located between China and Jerusalem (of which Afghanistan is one!).

The conference was great. I think the highlight was meeting Afghan brothers and sisters who are living here in the west and getting the chance to dialogue with them about their faith, their views on the situation in Afghanistan, hearing their stories. It was great worshiping in Dari although I already feel as though my language has slumped again!

It was also encouraging to me that there is a population of people on THIS side of the world that has their eyes and prayers on Afghanistan. I was very much encouraged about that because sometimes I feel like a very quiet voice for a very loud issue/place/people. I'm okay with that but it was comforting to hear other voices chiming in with me.

My mom and grandma who were with also commented on the fact that is conference was beneficial for them in understanding Afghanistan and what is happening there a bit better. I'm trying to get my mom to come on a trip with me next spring!

Reflections on Social Justice

Yesterday at this conference I'm at, they showed a film called View From A Grain of Sand. It was an amazing documentary that showed the history and current issues on Afghanistan through the lives of 3 women who had been living in a refugee camp in Pakistan. And granted, it had a bit of a slant but throughout the entire video I kept thinking to myself "I'm so sorry Afghanistan." What a neglected place and a people that has been kicked around by whichever power decided to bully many innocent people...the US included (I'm sure many of you know that the US supplied arms and money to Afghanistan during the Cold War to fight the Soviet invasion...those same arms were used during their civil war and against the US army after 9/11).

Then today I attended a seminar on Social Justice. Social Justice issues are becoming all the rage lately (just turn on Oprah or follow Bono or hear about Angelina Jolie). But, the social justice issues of Afghanistan are endless: hunger, human trafficking, lack of women's rights, poverty, poor healthcare, lack of clean water, rape, illiteracy.....etc, etc, etc.

When you come face-to-face with the needs of the world it changes you forever. I know that my life could never be materially extravagant in light of everything I've seen around the world. From the blatant prostitution in Thailand, the dirty-faced beggars in India, the bruised and beaten women of Afghanistan and the glue-sniffing street kids in Kyrgyzstan there are images burned in my mind that would mean I wasn't human at all if I could push them aside without any feeling or action on my part.

But to be honest, I don't feel like the church is really doing its part to get involved in the issues and the injustices happening around the world. In the seminar I attended a small statistic stood out to me: it is estimated at approximately $13 billion would help cure hunger all over the world this year. But, in America, we will spend approximately $18 billion on pet food alone! That was a little sobering. And sometimes it seems we are leaving it up to the celebrities or "someone else" to make an impact. I'm not sure why that is...I know sometimes the issues are overwhelming. Or, there are so many things to get involved in, it's hard to choose one. But we CANNOT use that as our excuse not to get involved in the issues of the world. For one, if we espouse to be followers of Jesus Christ and yet horde our money and possessions and time all to ourselves, we are falling far short of what God intended the Church to be. There are 2100 verses in the Bible that deal with poverty. Unless you choose to selectively read the Bible, you cannot ignore those with needs in this world, no matter where you are.

The film made me cry once again for the country that has captured my heart and made a permanent mark on my life. I came back again to the reasons that I am there in that country. The sacrifices mean nothing next to getting the PRIVILEGE of being part of what God is doing in that part of the world.

So, if any of you are still reading at this point and not thinking "oh yes, just another person giving me a guilt trip" may I just encourage you to please, please live out the example of Jesus and expend yourself not just on yourself and your needs but on the others in need around you. I don't care if you move to a third world nation or not but I do hope that others are seeing Christ because of your life. I hope others are falling in love with Jesus because his love is reflected in you. Anything short of that is either piety or selfishness.

The "Gilmore Girls" trip begins!!

So, yesterday three generations of the Potter women piled into a car and headed out on a trip from Minnesota to Ohio. Now, for any of you familiar with my family, in particular the women of my family, you will know that we all have very strong personalities and strong personalities in an enclosed space can create chaos over time!

We pulled out of Minnesota early in the morning, blurry-eyed but coffee cups in hand. Around lunch time we stopped to have lunch on the south shore of Lake Superior in the U.P. of Michigan. We walked back to the car only to discover....we had a FLAT TIRE!!!



So, we changed the tire and put on the spare...only to find that it was flat too!! But, we eventually had a nice guy named Steve who was on his way back from a classic motorcycle show in Ohio that helped us by driving me and the tire to an auto-repair shop. A quick patch and we were back on the road.



This is a picture of the Mackinac Bridge that connects the lower part of Michigan to the upper peninsula. It was an absolutely beautiful day for a road trip...although our planned 11 hour day turned into 16 hours with our little delay!

So, this week we are in Hudson Ohio for the Concerned Christians for Afghanistan conference. We'll see how this week unfolds. I'm hoping to connect with others who are working in Afghanistan and interested in the country. And personally I'm just excited to be around people who don't know Afghanistan just by what they see on the news. I love being able to share with people what is happening over there who have never been there, but I'm glad to be in an atmosphere of people who really have a passion and a heart for that place and when I say that I'm working in Afghanistan I don't have to spend the next half hour defending why I'm there or listening to all the reasons why the person I'm talking to "could NEVER do that. You're SO brave!"