an early morning goodbye has me back at my keyboard

so here's the thing...

i need to write this down, and usually when i get the urge to do that i'll write in my own blog, but i know that i'm going to need prayers for the things that i need to write about, so i want to put this in our shared space. i'm not big on editing what i write, so i'm sorry if some of it is garbled.

so this weekend i took of with john grogg to fresno to meet his best friend micah and micah's wife erica and john's mom. it was so so so much fun. we went to yosemite with micah and erica and climbed up to the lower falls and took pictures of wolves and laughed a lot. we spent sunday evening with john's mom who is a nurse at a free clinic in jos, nigeria. she flew back to the states to be with john's sister while she had her second daughter. it was really awesome to meet her and talk to her about the work she's doing.

so, after all of that, i have a couple of things that are weighing on my heart:

i really want to get married. and i am acutely aware of the rashness of that statement. but i do. and i want to do it sooner rather than later. and that terrifies me a little.

i want to go to africa and work with children affected by the aids epidemic. and i can't figure out whether this is just the after-effects of being with john's mom or something real.

that aside, kelly is--well, was--my bathroommate. so i have been really close to the events unfolding over the last week. and i've really struggled with not being selfish about the situation because i know that this is the best thing for her. but, all told, i will really miss her and i'm scared for hamlet. and there's absolutely nothing i can do for that whole situation.

so i need your prayers. and, if you see me, i always need hugs.

i love you all.

play music. eat chocolate. serve God.
~kala

Ciao ragazzi!!

Buongiorno from Firenze!

When I saw that we had a blog, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to update you all at once on how life is over here in beautiful Italy. I've been very busy with classes and adjusting to new people and new culture, but things are finally starting to slow down. While the city and the sights are great, we all know that it's all about the company, so it's really wonderful that there are lots of fun interesting people to talk to here. (I miss you all like crazy though, of course. That's a given.)

I wish all my news could be happy, but unfortunately there's been some stuff weighing on my heart lately. I've been really stressed out making decisions for the future these past few weeks. Some of you already know that I'm planning on changing majors. It's not that I don't like the theatre department at Pepperdine, I just know that it's not where I should be focusing all of my time. It hasn't been healthy for me, and there have been times when I have been very unhappy performing - something that I hoped would never happen! So I knew it was time to make a change. Now I still plan on auditioning for everything and being as involved as possible, I just need some separation too.

Now I could say that's the only part of that story...but it's not. Because now I have something else to worry about. There's a chance that I could be taking a year off next year to pursue something that would be really smart for my future, but this opportunity could also cause some serious consequences for me. I'm worried that if I take a step towards my future, I'll be separating myself from the department even more and burning more bridges than I would like.

Basically, I just need a lot of prayer for peace of mind right now and guidance. I know that I need to do what's best for me and my future and my happiness, but I can't help but worry about how my decisions will affect other people. I don't want to disappoint anyone or make people unhappy, and sometimes I let that overpower my need to look after myself. If you all could give me as much support and prayer as possible, I would greatly appreciate it.

I feel so selfish asking for support when I'm the one who deserted all of you to spend a semester in Florence, but that's why I love you guys. I know you'll be there for me even when I'm not around. :] Let me know if there's anything I can do for any of you - I'm in a house full of people more than willing to pray for whatever people need. Love you all! And don't get too stressed during this homestretch of Laramie Project. I'll see you all in April.

-Jillian

New BLOG!

Dear Group,

Here is our new blog. Get excited. We will figure out how to work this the best way...if I should make you admins or if you should just respond to posts, etc. However, I want for this to be a forum for us to have during the week when we are not together to share with each other whatever is on our minds and hearts and just basically what is going in our lives. Here's this catch: In order for this to work it means YOU have to post!! So do it. Post. Let's take advantage of this and make it great. Also, I think that you can post anonymously if you want to so that you can share something with the group but you don't want people to know who you are. So, let me know if you have any questions, etc. I love you and GET POSTING!

Love, Krista