Joyful Experiences.

It's been a long time since I've written. Anything.

Lately as I think about my future options, I have tried recalling experiences in my life that have truly brought me joy. Most of those joyful experiences involve being in relationship and community with amazing people. However, there are a few other things that stick out as well:

1. Writing. Throughout high school I would write poems, articles for the school paper, and general blogs. I continued writing somewhat through college, but never really past the pages of my journal. Which is totally fine, but there's something about posting your thoughts out there in cyberspace in the hopes that someone will read them that is really exhilarating. :)

2. Art and music. When I was younger, I really enjoyed using creative outlets (such as art and music) to express myself. As I've been reflecting on why I've stopped doing these things, the word "fear" continually sticks out. Fear of what... I'm still not quite sure.

3. It's kind of nerdy, but one event that continually sticks out in my mind is this end of the year celebration I planned for my newspaper senior year of high school. I had so much fun just planning out all the details and getting it ready. The best part was being able to appreciate my staff and reflect on the experiences they had during the year.

4. Hospitality and International travels/missions. Since high school when my family would host Japanese exchange students to last year with SPRINT, hospitality and missions have been a huge part of my life. Even before that, my life has always been about helping the people I love and care about through.... life. That's a little vague, huh? Whether that's helping my Chinese grandmother at the grocery store or helping a random hotel guest find a nearby restaurant, there's something about helping others feel at home when they may feel out of place that really brings me joy.

These are just a few and hopefully as I continue to reflect... more will come.

Meet Daniel Timti

Daniel Timti is an amazing man. He is a Christian, nurse, husband, father, son, and community leader. He was my homestay father when my team stayed in Njinikom, Cameroon. I learned so much about the people in the Northwest Province of Cameroon from Daniel. I also learned how powerful the use of hope is by the people within a community. Daniel had so much passion for health and for the people of Njinikom. One night he told us about how he wanted to start his own NGO and was processing the papers that week. We asked him what his NGO was going to do and he told us how he wanted to create a place for senior citizens. He went on to basically describe what we consider a senior center in America. When I told him that we had those in America too, he was overjoyed and pressed me for details of what our senior centers look like. He wants to see his plans for a senior center in Cameroon through so that the senior citizens in his community have a place to gather and improve their health. By playing games, doing crafts and gathering together, they will hopefully improve their health by lowering their blood pressure. I once learned that your vocation is when you find the place where your passions and the world's greatest needs meet. Daniel has found that in his community. I am truly thankful to have met Daniel and seen the work God is doing through him for Cameroon.

love. hope. deeply.

This blog is about how I have encountered love and hope and how those two things, along with faith are being played out in my life. Anyways, the first couple blogs will be used to recap my travels in Cameroon but after that I hope to write about my other travels along with thoughts and inspirations I've encountered along the way...