A Few Thoughts on Change

Taking my "Tour de Florida" these past few weeks has got me thinking about change. As a kid, I HATED change. Most of my college years, I resisted the idea as well. Now that I'm out of college, I realize how much life is filled with change. I think these days I am seeking it because I have learned it is a losing battle to resist.

I had a good conversation with some great friends yesterday in which one friend said, "You'll leave and when you come back, you'll think everything should be the same. But it won't. People will have new cars, new jobs, new houses. You'll feel like you're the only one changing but will come to find out that everyone else's lives are changing too." How true is that? When I was in Orlando, I was riding in my friend's car and she was talking about how she will be buying a new one soon. I started thinking to myself... that's not allowed! She's always had this car! It's ridiculous how I cling to familiar things like my FRIEND'S CAR... it's not even my own stuff or my own situations. I think this is why reverse culture shock is so hard for me. I want the familiar to stay familiar, but it never does. Life is constantly evolving.

I am going to visit my church from high school tomorrow. I have not been involved there since high school, and I often wonder if anyone from there remembers me. The church had gone through several changes since I left including new buildings and a name change. I am praying that I can see the joy and beauty in change, and not become discouraged or frustrated by it.

A Story about a Monkey

I'm glad you're stopping in to see what my little corner of the world looks like! I am in Southaven, MS right now, preparing to leave to go to Indonesia to teach at an international school. As you think, stop in for a few entertaining stories and to get a look at the "Krystle-spin" on the world:)

I am at "PFO"- pre-field orientation- for two weeks and am learning some neat stuff! I am going to share a story that one of the presenters told us, basically explaining why we should be at training and the frame of mind to enter into while here.

"In the jungle lived a monkey- he was a very nice and caring monkey. He liked to have fun, and also really cared about everything around him. One day, it began to rain- it rained and rained for days. Because of the rain, he had to move to another area of the jungle. It didn't matter though that he had to move- there were still trees, still food, still things to climb on. In the new area he went to, the jungle floor was flooded. He climbed to the top of the tallest tree and sat there for a while. The monkey sat there through the rain and stayed there watching the land dry up from the floods. One day he noticed there was a fish that was struggling- the water level was so low that the fish was flopping crazily around in the little water it was in. Quickly the monkey sped down the tree, grabbed the fish, and carried it over to the dry land. He put the fish on the ground and since he saw that the fish was flopping around even faster, he assumed that the fish was thankful! Eventually, the fish calmed down and stopped moving. Content with himself for helping the fish out of the water, he left. He was glad to have helped the fish."

I think that is a neat story because it makes me think so much about intentions. I can go somewhere with the best of intentions, but if I am not knowledgeable about others around me or situations they may be in, I may end up hurting them more than helping them! By participating in training, I hope that I learn great ways to help my students and guide them to thrive in the culture that they are in.