My spring break trip to... Warch.

As spring break comes to a close, I thought I'd attempt to make my spring break look as cool as the trip to Sierra Leone I turned down :)

Friends, too many blue slushies, millions of posters to hang, stamp wars and toppers.

Okay so instead of flying to the other side of the world, I walked to the other side of campus to sit in the same spot for 8 hours every day. But I'd still call that a good spring break! I got to do some reading, hang out with whichever friends decided to stop by the desk (or set up camp there), and do a little bit of work. Plus, when I was in my room, I had the Colman zoo to keep me company, which is probably just as diverse as the rainforest:

Simba the gecko, Juju the hamster and two fish whose names I don't know/remember!

Because it's spring break and I'm one of just a few people on campus, I am pet sitting for a couple of friends (and just had to include Simba because he likes the publicity)!

I even got to get slightly off-campus a few times! I attended my sister's orchestra concert, had dinner cooked for me by my lovely old-roommate Kelsi in her and her husband's home (and saw her adorable new puppy, Boo) and went recital dress shopping with my mom!

I hope my wild adventures don't make you too jealous, but in all honesty, I'm thankful for this calm break between terms after all of my summer/fall traveling and in preparation for some more summer craziness.

Called to the "least of these."

Sometime three years ago as I was sitting in a church in a new city wondering, as all college freshmen do, what I would end up doing with my life, this passage was projected up onto the church screen:

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 

"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" 

-Matthew 25:34-40

Since that morning, this passage has been a source of inspiration. Every time I stumble across it in my devotionals or hear it mentioned in a sermon, I get excited about it again. For me, this passage makes my "calling" clear. I don't necessarily believe that God is going to one day tell me, "This is the specific career you should do, so take these steps to get there."  Instead, I believe he has given us a pretty clear picture of what He wants his people to do or "calls" us to do, and that these words from the mouth of Christ himself clearly give us some examples to get started with. While these are by no means the only ways by which we can serve Him and be a blessing to those around us, I cling to this passage to help me become a more compassionate person (something that does not come naturally to me) and find ways to express my thankfulness to God by giving back.

As I head into spring term of senior year (even though I have a 5th year of undergrad ahead) I keep hearing about others' next steps and getting the common question, "What are your plans for after Lawrence?" This questions stresses me out because, frankly, I only have one year of "after Lawrence" potentially planned and the rest is wide open. I take comfort in this passage though, because I know that regardless of what titles or education I have in the future, I want my life to be oriented around these principles. I know that when I am considering an opportunity I can always look back to Jesus' words to confirm whether that choice will allow me to serve "the least of these brothers and sisters."