Jun
30
Leuven
Filed Under AIA Track & Field Ministry
We made it! It was definitely an adventure traveling with poles, especially since they wanted to weigh the poles…that was interesting. One of our guys stood up straddling the scale and we had to finagle the poles so they were propped on the scale…and yes, we did get photos! The greatest part was they didn’t charge us an arm and a leg…we had to pay oversized for one because it weight more than 50 pounds. The other one was just charged as a second bag…how sweet is that!!!
The flight over wasn’t too bad. I was blessed with an exit row! Woot! Lots of leg room. I was happy to have slept the majority of the flight. We arrived in Brussels just fine…then had to find our poles. I was told to go about 5 different places, but we found them! The next adventure was to find Jonas. He is a Belgian vaulter who agreed to come to the airport and bring the poles and luggage down to Leuven. I tried calling him, but apparently if you don’t add more minutes to your prepay phone within a year, it becomes inactive. But honestly, like he would have any issues finding us…we’re the ones with the poles 
I hopped in with him and the team took the train. We dropped the poles off at this stadium in Kessel-lo, about a 10/15 min walk from our hostel, where we’ll be able to train. They even gave us the keys to the stadium so we can come and go as we choose!!! Just another way God is taking care of us. We checked into the hostel and saw our dear friend Roel again…so good to see him. We went to the bakery across the street for lunch and had naps, then team time in a park. We went over Principle 2. I was proud of them for pushing through and listening…fighting jet lag is like fighting an invisible enemy. I know I struggled.
We hit up the track for a work out. I met Jonas’s coach, Steven. We talked a bit and we were telling him about our travels with poles. It doesn’t matter what country you’re from or what language you speak…the language of the pole vault is the same. It was fun to share stories.
Today is Principle 3, Testimony Workshop…and getting our Euro bikes! Vaulters will hit the pit…I may be itching to grab a pole…and may very well be talked into it
Jun
27
Belgium Blessings
Filed Under AIA Track & Field Ministry
Today the team arrives! It feels like every week God is giving me a new blessing for this trip. I love pole vaulting…it has always been my life. Now it seems that God is blessing me through that love. Back in February when I was down South recruiting, I was approached by an athlete from GA Tech who was interested in coming to Belgium. He is a pole vaulter. After leaving Atlanta all I could think about was, “Oh my word! How am I going to handle poles in Europe???” God had the answer…which I definitely needed, since 3 more pole vaulters would be added to my roster. I love “it just so happens” moments. I had a contact in Europe from college and he hosted a friend of mine who was a pole vaulter. I emailed him to ask about pole transportation in Europe. Well “it just so happens” that he is from Belgium and “it just so happens” that his son trains about 5 min from where we are staying. He has offered to help with some transportation (I’m mostly happy about picking some of us up from the airport!) and has talked with the president of their club for us and have opened up their stadium to us.
I have no idea where to even begin with the owner of Leuven City Hostel. He has been a tremendous blessing in so many ways, from our housing all the way to itty bitty things like letting me know if the bakery across the street only takes cash!
I am so thankful that God has placed these people in my life and pray the Lord blesses them as they have blessed me and my team so, so much. I cannot wait to get to Belgium!
Jun
22
Belgium on the Horizon
Filed Under AIA Track & Field Ministry, Life
One week from today I will have landed in Belgium. I am so excited for this trip! God has already done some amazing things with this trip and shown up in huge ways. A small part of me is also looking to redeem myself. Last year was good…there were a lot of good things, but there were many things I regret and wish I would have done differently. But as crazy as this sounds, in all honesty, I would not change one bit of last summer. It is because of those hard times, because of those “mistakes,” I have grown so much this past year. I’ve learned from those mistakes and I believe it has made me a better person. Granted I’m not perfect and I know I’ll make mistakes along the way, I am definitely in a better place than I was last year. But I can hardly take the credit for that.
Our God is all about redemption and restoration. Just like in the parable of the Prodigal Son, our God is looking to the horizon waiting for us to return when we go our own way. When we make mistakes, he runs to us and embraces us. When I find myself in the middle of my own pity party, I can’t help realizing how selfish I am! In my pity party, it’s all about me. But this life is not about me. It’s about God. It’s about what he wants to do in me and through me. When I feel like a failure and doubt God can use me, that really says a lot about what I think about his character. Henry Blackaby put it best in his book, Experiencing God: “When you believe that nothing significant can happen through you, you have said more about your belief in God than you have said about yourself. You have said that God is not capable of doing anything significant through you. The truth is, He is able to do anything He pleases with one ordinary person fully consecrated to Him.”
My prayer, my desire for this summer is that God uses me in ways I could never have imagined. Of course there is a condition. I need to fully consecrate myself to God. I need to be available, I need to be open and I need to be willing. To put it very bluntly, I need to get over myself. This trip is not about me, but it is about God and his redemptive love story.
May
26
Bitter or Better?
Filed Under Life
It has been an interesting spring here in Ohio, especially this past week, with the weather. With continuous and constant rains, my office flooded numerous times. It got so bad, we had to move to higher ground…another location. I said I was fine with it, as long as it was temporary, as I love my location where I work.
Then this week, two nights we’ve had some serious storms (quite interesting how Tuesday was passed over so I could play softball!) Last night it came right through Xenia. Baseball sized hail and no power. Still no power when I woke up this morning.
I got to thinking about the olden days…before power was a commonality. Before you could flip on a switch and you could see, or you could open your refrigerator and not worry if the food in there was going to be spoiled by nightfall. They didn’t worry about such things, yet again, they had completely different lives.
They didn’t plan a trip for 11 to Europe. They didn’t need to buy plane tickets or worry about where the money to pay for them was going to come from. So coming into the office today, I knew I had some things I needed to get done. But the power has been hit or miss. Luckily I brought Weedel in (my lil laptop…yes I named it! It’s short for wee dell)
The other day I was preparing for some teachings I’m doing this summer and one of the lessons is titled “Hurtin’ for Certain.” The essence of the lesson is that crap is going to happen. It’s as guaranteed as taxes and death. But it’s our choice of how we’re going to deal with it – are we going to be bitter or are we going to be better?
Just as competitions are a test of our training, just as exams are a test of our studies, tests and trials are a test of our character and faith. How are we going to react to them? What are we going to do when they inevitably hit? Who are we going to trust? Who or what are we going to rely on?
A reminder I’ve been giving myself and I tell my athletes raising support…focus on what you can do, not on what you cannot do. I am choosing to trust God. I am choosing to be better.
May
5
Terrifyingly Magnificent
Filed Under Life
April 27th, 2011 will be a day to remember. The day that huge tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa. My Southern home. Being away from it all, I didn’t necessarily know the extent of the damage or the significance of what was actually going on down there.
Then I watched the video. All I could do was stare at it. I mean, are you kidding me? My eyes were glued to my screen. I was thinking about how powerful this thing was and how much damage it was doing. But then I was overwhelmed with another feeling…deep, sincere awe. It was beautiful! I thought it was weird to feel that, but my friend Rachel said something that totally made sense, “I’m fairly confident that I can say that all creation exists to reveal something about the nature and character of God.”
Like the tornado, God is powerful, He is strong. He changes things in His wake, and He is so beautiful in a way that words cannot describe. Things don’t always make sense to us, but they make sense to Him.
But this tornado is only a GLIMPSE of the power and majesty of our God. I believe it’s only a sliver of who He is and what He is capable of doing. Let us praise Him for His glorious majesty!
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” - Psalm 8:1
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