as promised...

My ribs. It's a mirror image.

Missions

I have never studied the Bible.

I have read the Bible. Most of the books. A few of them more than once. But I have never actually studied it.

I was thinking about that the other day and it bothered me. So I decided that I would start.

But where do you start? Genesis was my obvious first thought. It's the first book. It's the beginning. Literally. However, I have started reading Genesis twice as many times as I have finished it. I have a hard time getting through Old Testament stuff. Not that I think it's not relevant, because it absolutely is. But because it's not written the way my mind works. If that makes sense?

So I prayed about it and kept coming back to Philippians. When I first became a Christian, one of my best friends, Brielle, and her mother randomly and continually quoted 4:6-7 to me. And 1:21 is tattooed around my right ankle. So that's where I started.

I haven't even gotten into the reading yet. I have researched Philippi. I have read through outlines of the book itself. I have researched different themes. And Paul. The author of the letter to the Philippians. I have researched Paul. I have read more in Acts than I have in Philippians. He started out as Saul. Hated Christians. Killed them. Then he met God. Became a follower of Jesus. Lost his eyesight for a few days. Got it back. And became the first and arguably best missionary since Christ.

So in the most intense, hard-core Bible studying that I have yet to do -- a Bible study that, at this pace, will not be finished before my life is over -- God leads me to missions. Right off the bat, I am learning about the life and ministry of a GREAT missionary.

I can dig it.

I just spent about 3 hours learning all of this, so it's on my mind. So now it's on your mind. You are welcome.

Love, KT

This is not goodbye.

I am too tired to post a real blog right now and I have to get up early for my LAST day at Scooter's. It's sinking in now. This next 24 hours full of saying goodbye to everyone is not going to be fun. I really will miss everybody...but I know Illinois is where I'm supposed to be, so that makes it easier.

Don't know when I'll be posting again, actually. Probably not until I have made the move.

Wish me a safe drive!

Ankle Tat

I'm going to go ahead and take this opportunity to explain my other tattoos. (I have 3). Still haven't taken a picture of my side...my camera batteries are dead. Look for it tomorrow.

So tonight is my ankle tattoo. There's not really a lot to explain.

On the top of my foot is an abstract picture of Jesus on the cross. And then around my ankle is a Bible verse (Phil. 1:21) For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Basically...Christ died on the cross for me. That is such a powerful sentence that we say without eve

n thinking about it.

Christ--the Son of the God who created the universe. The only Son. Completely God. Completely man.

died--was murdered. After severe torture...physically and spiritually. Beaten until unrecognizable. Nails driven through his hands and feet. Every single friend he had turned away from him and acted as if they didn't know him. And while He was on the cross, he held every single sin we have ever or will ever commit. It was so ugly, that even GOD turned away. Which is more to bear than any of the previous stuff.

me--sinner. inherently evil. nobody special.

Christ died for me.

So the least I can do is live for Him. While I am alive, I should strive to live the way He wants me to. I will always fail and I w

ill never live up to expectation. But I will always try. That means that sometimes I don't go along with "fun" activities if they will cause me to sin. Don't get me wrong, I falter. But I try. But I do this with the knowledge that when I die, I will go to heaven. Because Christ is the only way to get there, and I have committed myself to living the best I can for Him. So to die is gain.

That's it. I'll explain the wrist one tomorrow.

=)

2 days. Crazy.

Love,

Kaitie

Rapture

Ahem...

I got a tattoo last night. =)

There are currently no pictures yet because it is still very sore and red. I will probably do that in the near future though so all of you can see it.

I am going to take this opportunity to explain it though. I have been thinking about this one for quite a long time now and finally just went in and did it this week. It basically takes up my entire left side...up kind of high on my ribs.

There are three different parts. The biggest part is the outline of Africa. It's a turquoise color. And it's not the definite rigid outline. More of just a suggestion. But you can definitely tell that is what it is. It is really a ton of swirly black lines and where the outline of Africa is is the turquoise part. You will see in the picture. But because I have done missions there and am planning on going back, it just makes sense to me. Kind of making it a visual commitment...? Or something like that.

Inside Africa is a bird flying. A flying bird. A bird in flight. It's a picture from a journal that I have and I just love the way it looks. It is beautiful and free. And I have a weird fascination with flying. I love doing the ripcord at worlds of fun, I desperately want to try skydiving (and hopefully succeed....), and I LOVE flying in planes. I wanted to be a flight attendant for a while just so I could get paid to fly. Plus it makes sense with the tattoo and kind of ties the other two parts together.

The third and final part is the word "rapture". Rapture is a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion. I have always loved just the way that word sounds and the biblical sense of it. And then I recently looked it up in the dictionary and it struck me how much it makes sense with my experience in Africa. And I am sure my future experiences in Africa will bring much rapture as well.

So there you have it. Pictures to follow.

PS--homeward bound in t-minus 3 days-ish. Starting to sink in. I am really going to miss my friends and family here. But I talked to Mindy today and I am so ready to start life in Cowden. I am blessed.

One week

Well...a week from now, I will be sleeping in my own bed.

My feelings on this are mixed. I am sad to be leaving. Living with Jenny has been an amazing blessing. Ugh...I love that girl. And we've always wanted to be roommates, so it couldn't have been more perfect. I am going to miss her more than I realize...I know that for fact. And Scooter's. It has been my second home for the last 2 years. I am friends with basically everyone who works there. Seriously. We hang out. I am going to miss every aspect of working there. The atmosphere, the people...ugh. And just everyone in Omaha...all the people who have been a part of my life for the last 4 years. Wow...I can't believe I have lived here for 4 years. And I still get lost on a daily basis...

But I am so excited to be going to Cowden. I miss the Boyds like mad. Talking to Mindy whenever I want. Tim's dumb...I mean...clever jokes. Grace, Will and Eden coming in my room and hanging out. Yeah...definitely looking forward to that. And my bed. Wow...I miss my bed. Like...a LOT. I got this new mattress not too long ago...you don't care. Nevermind. But yeah. I miss my bed.

I am also very much looking forward to a kind of "starting over". Not all the way cuz the Boyds will be there, so that will be a kind of "back to normal" thing. But SOOO much is going to be new. A new town, first of all. It's small, but I guarantee I will get lost. Guarantee. A new job. FYI I have an interview at Starbucks. I am not a huge fan of their coffee...probably won't drink as much as I do here. It will be similar to Scooter's, but it will not be Scooter's. (See the paragraph prior where I ramble on about Scooter's.) And school. New school, new major. NEW.

Here is my plan now, for those who don't know...

I am leaving for Cowden, IL next Saturday morning. I'm spending my first week or so getting acclimated and finding a job. Starbucks is the frontrunner at this point, but I'm also thinking I will try to get another night job at a restaurant or something. I am not starting school until January, so I might as well make money.

In January I will start school at Lake Land College, which is not too far away from Cowden. My goal is to get my Associate's of Applied Science degree in Paramedical Services. That's the long way of saying...I'm going to go to school for two years to be a paramedic.

Long term--Missions. I want to go back to Africa with every fiber of my being. And I've been getting a lot...a LOT...of affirmation that I should be doing missions. But right now is not the right time and I don't want to jump the gun on something I am not prepared for. So I'm going to start on this career path with the goal of AFRICA in the front of my mind every step of the way.

That's it. I'm tired and I gotta get up for church in the morning, so I'ma peace-out now.

Love ya'll.

Kaitlin

PS--I just talked ghetto and southern in a matter of two sentences. Not sure how I feel about that.