@trailblazer
Active 1 day, 19 hours ago- Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
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I work at Chick-fil-A, as a shift leader, so I’m in the front doing a variety of things from taking orders and serving food to bagging orders and helping to run the shift and solve issues that pop up!
Ok, so you’re still at least a few hours from Lakeside. It seems to be a pretty popular base, at least among people I know. I can think of at least five people off the top of my head who have been there or are currently there, lol. Then again, doing YWAM anywhere is a pretty common occurrence among people from my area.
I’m glad things have been getting better for you as far as friendships go! Do you have a youth group or anything church-wise that you’ve been able to plug into?
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Yep, food service is my only job right now! And I’m still living with my family! I had thought briefly about moving out, but then realized this might be one of the last years that my whole family is together under one roof, since my youngest brother will be graduating high school and the likelihood of some of us kids moving out/away is growing, so I decided to stay at home. (Plus it’s cheaper lol)
That’s cool that your cousin did YWAM! I have several friends doing it in Australia right now but they’re all at different bases taking different courses. I went to Switzerland for my courses, and the Solomon Islands for outreach! (They’re down close to Australia, in case you didn’t know. I had no clue where the Solomons were before I went haha)
You’re in Montana, right? Are you close at all to the Lakeside base? I know a handful of people who have been there and I hear it’s a really good one!
And how is school going? I think the last I remember you were still in public school?
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
That’s so cool! Do you think you’ll do missions full time, or was it more of just a good experience that taught you a lot? Do you know what you want to do now that you’re home?
I don’t think I’ll do missions full time (I mean if God asks me to then who am I to say no? But I haven’t sensed Him asking me that to this point), but I do love getting glimpses of other cultures and how God is moving around the world, so I have a feeling I’ll probably be involved to some extent. In this stage of life, I have the freedom to be able to hop in and out of missions assignments without having to take into consideration a husband or children, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up doing shorter-term things over the next few years, being in and out of the country. Long-term, though, I’d like to eventually settle down in my hometown and pour back into the community that has invested so much into me! (Even after I get married and have kids, though, I think doing short missions trips as a family would be fun!)
Being home again honestly has been challenging, because God has put me in more of a sabbatical season, pulling me out of ministry things I was previously doing and forcing me to slow down and rest. I know it’s good for me and it’s not forever; this season will end and I won’t always be in a place of letting the ground rest, but it’s definitely been refining me and exposing the areas of my heart where I was finding identity in what I do rather than in who I am as a daughter of God. For now, I’m just working in food service about 30 hours a week and helping with the Bible quizzing program at my church, which ends in a few weeks, and then life will slow down even more.
What was one of the impactful things God taught you?
The major thing I learned through my first school with YWAM was to center my life around Jesus- not just putting Him first on a priority list (although that is important) but involving Him in literally every area of my life. I discovered so much more joy and contentment when I was living from a place of abiding in Him! Through the second school, I learned a lot about establishing boundaries especially with responsibility- learning to take ownership for what is my responsibility, and not taking other people’s responsibilities on my own shoulders or trying to take responsibility for fixing other people’s problems when they need to take responsibility for that themselves. I also learned a lot about how we tend to set idealistic expectations for ourselves and others, and while it is good to reach for a goal, we cannot expect ourselves to achieve perfection or hold others to a standard of perfection especially when we’re not measuring up to that ourselves. So in summary, in the first school I learned a lot in the spiritual aspect, and in the second school (while it was also from a Biblical perspective) I learned more in the emotional and psychological aspect.
I did happen to see that your mom passed! I’m so sorry to hear that! It’s a lot to adjust to, and I know your mom’s shoes are pretty big to fill! I feel you with trying to write in a season of grief- it can be so hard! I haven’t lost anyone as close to me as a family member, but I have been in seasons of grieving other things before, and it’s always so hard for me to write anything during those times. For some people, writing is therapy, but for me it always felt like my creativity was blocked up when my emotions were so raw! I could journal but that was about it. Honestly though, I’m thankful for the really hard seasons, because I’ve encountered God in ways I haven’t in other seasons, and it sounds like you’ve been learning a lot through everything you’ve had to walk through in the past year. Praying God will continue to meet you in the midst of hard days and give you the strength you need!
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Lol it doesn’t even feel like I dropped off the face of the earth because I’ve haunted the background now and then, but I really did just kinda disappear! I don’t remember when the last was that I talked to you so hopefully I’m not telling you something you already knew… but if I do, oh well.
I think I had posted a year and a half ago that I was leaving for a five-month discipleship training school with YWAM, which was amazing! I’m pretty sure I also popped back on again about a year ago, after I got back, because I started working on another historical fiction (which is still only like two chapters long lol). I was working full-time, as well as being involved with youth ministry at church, so I wasn’t doing as much writing, which is kinda why I drifted off of here again. And then last summer I went back to YWAM for their course in foundations in counseling ministry, which was three months, and that was probably one of the best seasons of my life! I’ve been home again for close to six months, but it’s been a bit of a whirlwind of working and processing everything God has been doing and trying to discern what’s next, so it felt like some of my creative flow was shut off for a little while. But honestly I feel like I’ve grown so much in the past year and a half, and I’m so thankful for all the blessings God has poured into my life!
How are you doing?
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
And the most recently added scene, which finally came together… I don’t really know if this is the end of the story yet or not, but I’d love your thoughts on this scene!
I was mending a skirt one warm May afternoon when the sound of a wagon approaching drew my attention. Mama peered out the window, flour still coating her hands, and looked at me with a smile.
“It’s Albert.”
“Albert? Whatever would he be doing here in the middle of the day?” I wondered aloud. Setting my mending aside, I reached the door and opened it before Albert could knock. A grin spread across his face when he saw me, like the grin of a schoolboy let out of the school at the end of the day.
“Do come in, Albert,” Mama called out from behind me. “Don’t just stand there.”
Albert took off his hat and stepped into the house. He drew in a deep breath. “It smells good in here,” he said.
“I’m making bread,” Mama explained. “It won’t be ready quite yet, though, or I’d offer you a piece.”
“That’s okay,” Albert said. “I’ve come for Libbie anyway. I have something I want to show you,” he spoke to me directly.
“What is it?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.
“Come with me and find out.” Albert grinned again. Mama gave me a smile and a nod, and soon enough I was in the wagon with Albert, rattling off in the direction of the Culliver and Perkins farms. As we bounced along the dirt path, prairie grass waving along the sides of the wagon, Albert reached his hand into his pocket.
“I have something for you,” he said. Wrapping the reins around his boot so his hands were free, he withdrew from his pocket a little wooden bird. Instantly I could see the two of us sitting by the fire on the prairie, another little wooden bird going up in flames. I knew Albert had carved this second one for me, and I also knew that each scrape of the knife on the wood must have reminded him of what I had done to the first one.
“Can I trust you with this gift?” Albert asked softly, placing it in my hand and wrapping both of his around mine. His earnest eyes met mine, and I felt tears welling up.
“Someday,” I said softly, “This little bird will sit on the mantle of our home, and we will tell our grandchildren how we endured hardships together and eventually fell in love. Albert, I’m sorry I ever burned that first little bird all those years ago.”
A small smile broke out on Albert’s face, and by the slight dimple in his cheek and the moisture in his eyes, I could tell he was fighting with his emotions. “You came around after all,” he said, “And that’s what matters. I love you, Libbie Hopkins.”
“I love you, too, Albert Culliver.” Keeping the little bird tight within my grasp, I wove my arm through Albert’s and leaned my head on his shoulder. Albert drew in a deep breath and picked up the reins again.
A short time later, a wooden house came into view, and I sat up straighter, trying to recognize the homestead.
“Whose place is this?” I asked aloud as we drew nearer. Albert didn’t respond, but a slow smile grew on his face. When he made eye contact with me, I knew. It was his. Ours.
I stayed quiet until Albert pulled the horse to a stop in front of the humble one-story wooden frame. It may have been small, but it looked sturdy, and it was more than most settlers were able to build, at least at first. Albert jumped down from the wagon, reaching up to help me down. Even when I had both feet firmly planted on the ground, he wouldn’t let go of my hand.
“This is my place,” Albert spoke at last. “But I hope it someday will be ours. I hardly think I even need to ask, but I learned my lesson the last time I presumed how you felt about me. So Libbie… will you marry me?”
Something in me broke, and tears poured down my face again. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be saying this… but yes, Albert, I will marry you!”
Releasing my hand, Albert let out a whoop and tossed his hat into the air. Without bothering to see where it landed, he turned and swept me up in his arms, laughing with glee. After spinning me around two or three times, he set me back on my feet and retrieved his hat, brushing off the dust.
“I think I’m the happiest man alive, Libbie,” he told me. “After you turned me down the way you did, I didn’t think I’d ever have you… but God redeems.”
“Who knows what I would have missed if He hadn’t changed my heart,” I reflected. I took his hand. “Well, are you going to show me the house?”
Albert laughed again, leading the way to the door. We stepped inside, and I marveled at the sanded floorboards. It was more than I could have asked for from any man on the prairie.
“I told you my wife won’t be living with the spiders and snakes,” Albert said. “Does it please you?”
“Very much,” I agreed, looking over the space. “It’s even partially furnished.”
“Well, I am living in it,” Albert said. “It’s just missing the touch of a woman.”
I walked over to the fireplace and brushed dust from the mantle. I lifted the little wooden bird and set it down where it had a view of the main room. “There.” I stepped back in satisfaction. “Right where it belongs.”
Albert slipped his arm around my waist. “It’s perfect.”
I smiled. It really was.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Secondly… this is a new scene I wrote over the past few weeks, from the time of the end of the journey to Nebraska.
As we drew nearer to the land we would settle, the boys found a new favorite pastime: chasing prairie dogs. They would find several holes near each other, and wait quietly in the grass. One of them, often Albert, would poke a stick or throw a rock down their hole, and if a prairie dog popped up one of the other holes, the other boys tried to catch it. They never succeeded, but it was a great source of entertainment.
One evening by the fire, as the last strains of Mr. Culliver’s fiddle gave way to the noises of the night insects, I took a good, long look at the faces around the fire. This journey had been hard, yes, but the hardships had forged deep relationships with the people sitting around the fire with me. The Cullivers felt like another part of my family now, and a tiny part of my heart was sorry that we’d be splitting up soon.
“Etta, can you believe we’re almost there?” I softly asked. Beside me, Etta shook her head.
“I’m ready to have a roof over my head again, though,” she said.
“I dare say, I’m going to miss these nights,” I went on. “All of us, sitting by the fire, with the stars overhead, and your pa playing music. It’s the one sweet spot in all our travels.”
Albert, sitting a few feet to my right, glanced up from the block of wood he was whittling. “We’ll still be neighbors,” he said. “I reckon we’ll see a lot of each other.”
“And we’ll go to school together,” Etta added. Albert made a face, and George, overhearing the comment, let out a groan.
“Why do we have to go to school?” he complained. “I know well enough how to read and write. I think I’d learn more by helping Pa in the fields.”
Albert blew wood shavings off the obscure shape in his hands. “I’m almost done, so I figure one more season won’t be too bad.”
“I reckon not,” Abe agreed. He held a long blade of dry prairie grass to the fire, watching as the flame slowly ate the blade of grass. When it got close to his fingers, he dropped it into the fire and watched the remains burn up.
With a sigh, I glanced up at the full sky of twinkling stars. Soon, my life would change again, but for now, I would enjoy the moment.
On our last night together, we lingered longer around the fire than usual. It seemed that none of us was ready to part ways, signaling the end of a journey and a fresh start in a new place. Clara was the first to break the somber silence and call it a night. Soon after, Mr. Culliver picked up a sleeping Mattie and carried her off to the wagon, and Amelia shuffled a sleepy-eyed Oscar in the same direction. One by one, members of the family drifted off, but I was loathe to leave the fire. Only Albert remained with me, silently carving the finishing touches on the piece of wood he’d been working on all week. We sat in silence, my eyes glued to the dwindling flames while my chin rested on my knees.
With a satisfied sigh, Albert snapped shut his pocket knife, and turned the piece of wood over in his hands. He cast a sideways glance in my direction, then slowly extended his hand with the carving of a bird perched atop.
“Here, Libbie, I made this for you,” he said. Warily, I took the delicate carving and examined it. Though it was small, Albert had put a lot of detail into it. I looked up and opened my mouth to say thank you, but Albert spoke again.
“Maybe one day you can give that to our grandchildren and tell them about the journey we took from Pennsylvania to Nebraska,” he said. A bubbling frustration rose up in my chest, and I clenched my fingers around the little bird. The audacity of Albert to say such a thing!
“You want to know what I think about that, Albert?” On impulse, I threw the wooden bird into the fire before Albert could respond. The instant the bird hit the flames and the fire flared, I regretted it. Albert’s mouth dropped open in shock, and I could read the hurt on his face. All the work he’d put into carving that bird… gone in a matter of moments. I rubbed my forehead, feeling the prick of guilt in my conscience. I knew I should apologize for my rashness, but I was still angry about his comment.
Albert finally looked at me. In the reflection of the fire, I could see the hurt in his eyes. “Libbie,” he began softly. Then he shook his head, heaved a sigh, and stood to his feet, starting towards the Culliver wagon.
“Albert, wait.”
He stopped, a few feet away.
“I’m sorry for throwing your bird into the fire,” I said. “You worked hard on it, and I had no right to do that.”
Silence. At last, I heard a quiet, “I forgive you,” and then Albert turned and disappeared into the night.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
@savannah_grace2009 @hybridlore
Ok I literally haven’t posted on here in two years, lol. I don’t even know how active y’all are on KP anymore… I’ve kind of popped in and out and read some posts here and there. But I was working on this story again tonight and thought I should add a couple scenes I’ve done more recently. I don’t even know how much you guys are gonna remember from the story… but these scenes are too sweet for me not to share!
First things first, I rewrote the opening so that it reads more like a story within a story, and I think it’s a little smoother that way:
April 1944
Creak, creak, creak. The steady rhythm of the rocking chair on the wooden floor was soothing, consistent. Libbie sighed in contentment, crossing her arms over stomach as she studied the young woman seated in her parlor. Nebraska was a fair distance from Kentucky, and Libbie hadn’t seen her granddaughter much. The pretty young woman with bobbed hair was studying the daguerrotype, sitting on the mantle, of Libbie and her husband when they were much younger. Though years of working in the sun had leathered Libbie’s skin, and lines of laughter had set in her face, the youthful image bore some resemblance to Marilyn.
“I wish I could remember Grandpa,” Marilyn said softly. “He seems like a wonderful man.”
“He was,” Libbie replied. “A bit wild at times, but it kept me on my toes. Reckon I’ve lived a fuller life because of him,” she laughed.
“How did you two meet?” Marilyn asked. “Did you both grow up together here in Nebraska?”
“I didn’t always live in Nebraska,” Libbie replied. “I was born in Pennsylvania. Mama’s family had lived there since before the days of the Revolution.”
Marilyn’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Why did you move?”
Libbie sighed. “When Pa announced we were moving west, I don’t think I fully understood how much my life was about to change. I had heard stories of frontier life, but I was unprepared for the challenges ahead of me. For thirteen years of my life, I lived comfortably with my family in the small Pennsylvania town my mother had grown up in. My closest friends were my cousins, and we lived close enough that we often shared work and spent time playing together in the woods near our homes. Pa farmed, and we made enough of a livelihood to live somewhat comfortably.
The day we left, my whole world changed. I didn’t understand Pa’s reasons for leaving until I was older; he simply declared that he wanted a new start. Only after I was an adult did I learn of the truth: he had many difficult memories from the Civil War, painful memories he wanted to forget. At that time, I only knew we were leaving everything and everyone I’d ever known, and a dull ache filled my heart as I took a last look around the empty shell of a house I had called home for thirteen years….”
And from here, it goes right into the rest of the first scene that you can find back on page 1 of this topic.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
I’m late to the party here, but I’d suggest maybe looking up blogs by people who travel and write about their experiences in other countries. You’d probably be able to get a peek into the culture of Africa through the eyes of an outsider that way. As Koshka mentioned, African culture can be vastly different depending on which part of the continent. I have a friend who spent two weeks in Kenya earlier this year, and another friend who lived among tribes in Ethiopia for two months. My dad has also done a lot of missions trips and has a lot of stories from those trips (like the time he went to take a shower and discovered a dangerous snake- I’m pretty sure that was in Africa). I have a number of friends who have been to Egypt, too, which has more of a Middle Eastern flavor to it. So I can maybe ask questions from some of them, if that would be helpful. If you’re looking for some perspective on culture shock, I’ve also been to a third-world country (not in Africa though) and have definitely experienced it to some degree (as well as reverse culture shock).
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Pardon the late answer, I haven’t been on here in a while!
I don’t really have a good answer; I use the free version of WordPress, which does still have some ads, I think, but I honestly haven’t noticed them, and if they pop up, they’re usually at the bottom of the page.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
I have a friend who is in an art school right now and it’s been really interesting talking to her, because all of her art pieces have literally been inspired by dreams or other ideas God has given to her, and they all have some sort of revelation or message in them, and she’s been able to have a lot of good conversations with her classmates as a result. It’s cool how it has been such a tool for evangelism for her!
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Quote dump:
“You’re really sweet, like a strawberry. Like the juice of a strawberry.” (overheard from one coworker to another)
“You want to know what I really want to do? I want to hide in that empty tomb on the stage at church and pop out at the end of the service to surprise everybody.” (my 30-year-old cousin)
“I wish I could lick my gloves.” (a manager)
And now a more serious quote:
“Child,” said Aslan, “That is why all the rest are now a horror to her. That is what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time in the wrong way. The fruit is good, but they loathe it ever after.” -C.S. Lewis in The Magician’s Nephew
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
I love that idea! My brothers and I are a little older now and our schedules look different, so we’re not always home every night, but on the nights when we do have the whole family around the table, I value those conversations. I think we would really benefit from being more intentional in talking about our days and what’s going on in our lives! Maybe I’ll have to introduce the 2-minute talks to my family lol.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
The 2-minute dinner talks? What are those? That sounds interesting already…
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
If your outside social group is healthy and available, you’re less likely to get attached to the online social group. It’s as simple as that. I believe many phone addictions are a response to that need.
That is truth right there… the lack of healthy community can very easily lead to any type of addiction. I was reading a book about brain science, and relational joy (what happens when our brain picks up from facial cues that someone else is happy to be with us) literally is like fuel for our brains, and the lack of that leads us to seek it in other things that provide a quick dopamine hit but falls flat after a bit, leading us to seek more, until it becomes an addiction.
I think the main thing is that phones have to be in the living room at night—which is a law I’m we have because I had the bad habit of being on my phone late into the night and even really early in the morning, watching/looking at dumb or random stuff.
I love that… I know, it’s much easier to stick to a rule when you’re doing it with other people and not just trying to enforce it yourself. I would love to leave my phone in the living room overnight, but I’m type 1 diabetic and I wear a monitor to track my blood sugar levels. I need to have my phone nearby overnight so that if my blood sugar is going too low or too high it alarms and I can wake up to treat it. I’ve been pretty good at not being on my phone after 9 pm (I also set it to grayscale mode overnight, which is supposed to lessen the blue light, too) but the biggest challenge for me right now is staying off my phone in the morning until after I’ve had time with Jesus.
I love the principles you shared! It doesn’t fall to the extreme of not using technology at all, but gives the boundaries and rules a reason that makes sense and also motivates. It can be easy to say, “Don’t do this or that because it’s bad,” but knowing the why behind setting a boundary makes it much easier to abide by the boundary.
Personally, one thing I would love to start doing is having one day a week (hopefully Sunday) as a tech-free day, where I don’t touch devices all day. My only challenge in this is that my parents want me to have my phone if I’m gone or they’re gone, in case something happens that they need to get ahold of me, so it may look like just turning off my phone for several hours when I don’t need it, and then when it is turned on, keeping it out of reach unless it rings.
We also have a rule of no phones at the table, which I also try to stick to even if I’m the only person eating at the time, because I got into the habit of being on my phone during meals that weren’t with my family, and I’d rather be able to use that time to enjoy my food and process my day.
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley
Good to see you popping back in here again!
I just took the survey! This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. If anyone is open to discussion, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts!
For those of you who do have phones, what boundaries have you set/have your parents established around it? Or perhaps, what boundaries do you wish you were implementing but maybe aren’t?
For those of you who don’t have phones, what have you observed from the people around you? I know we’ve all seen/experienced unhealthy usage, but have you observed someone who was using it in a healthy way?
@theductator @ellette-giselle @liberty @esther-c @linus-smallprint @grcr
"Real love is for your good, not for your comfort." -Justin Whitmel Earley