Posted in General Posts by Claire Flores on 5/8/2012
Who knew there were so many details that went into the World Race? I have looked at so many different tents, sleeping bags, and packs that my brain feels like it's about to explode. It is so hard for me to make a decision or spend money...but that's all part of it right? I still can't believe it's less than 4 months. Everyone keeps telling me "oh you have plenty of time"...yeah ok...like i believe them. It's not that I don't want to of course, but it's so hard for me to grasp the idea of time. I mean seriously there is so much to do in only 4 months. I never thought I would spend time debating the pros and cons of a synthetic sleeping bag vs. a down sleeping bag or becoming an REI member. Oh how things have changed! Is it weird that I get excited looking at tents and can't wait to get all my gear so I can test them out before the race...who am I? Oh yes, God's daughter who He has called to go on this incredible adventure furthering His kingdom for the next year...oh silly me.
I was sitting in church on Sunday (I didn't have to work over the weekend) and we were reading from Luke 5. I love the church that I have been going to since January. It hasn't been a long time, but the message is so clear every week and the Lord continues to speak to me with each sermon. We started the book of Luke a couple of months ago, and it's been quite the adventure. I love when you have a God moment and that's exactly what happened when we read from Luke 5. I have read the story of Jesus calling his first disciples so many times, but for some reason as we were reading these verses in church tears filled my eyes and I felt God speaking to me directly. All of the sudden, peace. Christ says, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." Simon responds and says, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." After Simon did this, there were so many fish in the net that the boat began to sink. Simon fell to his knees and said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." The others were all astonished but Jesus calmly said to them, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." The men left everything and followed Jesus. I realized on Sunday how much we can let fear keep us from hearing God tell us, drop everything and follow me. Are we really listening as much as we think we are? Are we too proud to listen. One of the things I took away from the sermon was "in order to listen you have to admit you have something to learn". So, we must humble ourselves and LISTEN. The Lord has a plan for us all. Are you listening?
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Posted in General Posts by Claire Flores on 4/30/2012
There is just something about a cloudy day that makes you want to curl up with a good book or go spend time at your favorite coffee shop down the road. It's a cloudy day in Austin, TX. I'm not curling up with a good book but I am at a coffee shop and I'm sure it would be my favorite if I actually lived in Austin. I decided that I needed to get away for a little while...well for a couple of days at least. It really was a fun weekend out at camp. We had our family play day, an opportunity to come out to camp, enjoy the property and have fun as a family. It was so fun to see families re-connecting and growing together. What a blessing to get to witness that. I drove to Austin yesterday to see my sister and brother-in-law. It has been too long since I've been here. With the summer sneaking up on me I knew this was probably the last weekend I would be able to travel so far away from home. It has been so good. I don't remember the last time I got to just sit and talk with my sister or be able to go to a coffee shop and do something for myself instead of for work. It has been too long, but I know once I head back to camp tomorrow I will feel like I've not only rested but I've accomplished some things. The plan is to go kayaking later this afternoon but the weather looks a little gloomy so we'll see.
I keep looking at the date at the top of this post and I can't believe it's already the end of April. Once May begins then it will be 4 months until I leave. This week has been good. I know my last post I was a little overwhelmed and my mind was going in a million directions, but now I feel at peace. I got to make a list the other night of things I need to get, phone calls and errands I have to do, and even things I have to remember to pack. God has really been revealing a lot to me this week especially regarding His timing and His plan. It has been so awesome seeing things that have happened in my life in the past year or two, certain events, that have brought me to the place I am now with the mindset I have now to feel confident in His plan. What a blessing it is to have my eyes opened. The preparation is still an ongoing process but I know the Lord will continue to provide and continue to draw me closer to Him.
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Posted in General Posts by Claire Flores on 4/24/2012
Is this real life? So I guess after getting accepted in December and putting in my notice it work it should have hit me that I was really leaving in September...nope it didn't. This all became vey real to me yesterday. Yes I said yesterday. Being so busy at work I haven't had time to really process it all. It's all about finding the balance. One thing to know about me is before three years ago I hated making lists. I felt too constrained like I didn't have any freedom to do my own thing without having to worry about a list I need to follow. The past three years have taught me a lot and one of those things is how important lists can be. They help me set priorities and get things done. It's nice to have discipline. I think we all need that it's part of growing up. I decided it is time for me to make a list about this trip. There are so many things I have to get done before September 1st because of all of the adult responsibilities I have now. I'm not right out of school and I'm not living with my parents. Things are different. It is nice knowing I'm not the only one going through this. I'm sure there are plenty that are feeling the same thing. I know all I can do is take one day at a time making my lists and checking things off. My brain and my heart are in two different places right now, the WR and my job. With the Lord's help I am finding balance between the two. My heart has to be in two different places until the middle of August when the summer is over and there are two weeks left before launch. Woo that's crazy to say isn't it! I wish I had some nugget of wisdom or some great story to tell...I'm sure there will be soon with the summer beginning in less than a month for me. Until that time this is all I got. My brain is kinda stuck in this place for now, which means that my writer's block has officially set in.
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Posted in General Posts by Claire Flores on 4/1/2012
For the past three days I've been thinking wow where did March go? I feel like I have blinked and it's spring and wildflowers are blooming and summer is sneaking up on me. I'm so not ready for the summer much less September 1st. I keep thinking I have so much time to prepare and so much time to get things I need and raise money, but really it's not that much time left. It's going to take 5 months alone for me to say goodbye to my family, my friends, and Texas. It's so weird that this year I will make my home in 11 different countries all over the world in a tent, a hut, an orphanage, who knows. I have always been taught that home is where the heart is. You know I don't think I've ever really thought about it before. I mean I always considered my parent's house my home, but even recently I have been calling medina my home. I mean it has been for 2 and a half years. It is where my heart is. It is where God led me. Now, I have to come to terms that I will be getting a new home. God is taking me on a new adventure beyond the Texas Hill Country and into the world. It will be a weird reality. Most days I feel so separated from the world out at camp, like we created a new world, but now my eyes will be opened to the outside world filled with sin and danger where peace is something that is hard to come by and faith is hard to keep. It's a little scary to think about. You know I think about how to prepare and I've realized that it's more than the packing list. I have to prepare my heart and prepare my mind. I have been going before our Lord asking for guidance in how to do this. I know it's so helpful to talk to people that have either gone or have even done mission work abroad, but this is a journey that me and God are taking and I know He is the only one that can truly prepare me for what's about to take place in my life. He is the only one that can prepare my heart and mind and ready me for the race that has been set before me. I am encouraged by Hebrews 12:1-3 which says, "Therefore, since we have been surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
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Posted in General Posts by Claire Flores on 3/1/2012
Tonight I lit a campfire. Like I've stated several times before I currently work at a summer camp full time. I have been working here for over two years and let me tell ya I could fill a book with all of the stories that I've accumulated in my brain during that time. Let's just say it's the best job I could ever ask for. The Lord has been SOO good! We currently are having a retreat out at camp and for some reason tonight I just got in the worst mood, which I hope at least someone can relate, that it's not great when you are trying to share Christ with others. I just all the sudden wanted to be alone and didn't want to be around anyone. I decided to take the campfire responsibility all on my own. Honestly I felt like my attitude would be contagious to others and I didn't want that to happen. I think just exhaustion just kicked in and this crazy Texas weather is now causing my allergies to go nuts therefore causing headaches and a very sore throat...so not cool Lonestar state! After realizing that I had no clue how to begin to build a fire I sought assistance...thank goodness I have good co-workers (who know how to build a fire). It was now my responsibility to light the fire and keep it going long enough for the group to make s'mores...ok so I get to this beautifully built fire and realize I have a box of matches and wet wood...for those that have lit campfires in the past, wet wood SUCKS! After 4 matches did NOTHING I was beginning to get frustrated...here I was not feeling well, super exhausted, and all I wanted to do was light a fire! This should not be this difficult. Well finally I sought assistance again but this time in the way of lighter fluid! Let's just say I only had to light one more match! Whoop! (sorry aggie...we do it a lot). With great success actually seeing a flame...here I sit...It's 10:20pm and the perfect time to ponder life right? What does that phrase even mean "ponder life". How can you ponder life? I mean sure you can think about your life where you are at now, where you hope to be in a few years, but honestly WE HAVE NO CONTROL so what does it matter. Yes, I have dreams and hopes and wants, but I know that God's plan is SO MUCH COOLER than mine and I know that I am so THANKFUL that I don't have to worry or be anxious or sit here and really ponder life because I know that God has it in His hands and I'm in GOOD HANDS. Perfect example, the other day I kept thinking to myself...I can't do this...I can't leave for 11 months...what am I going to miss while I'm gone...I mean I could have friends that get engaged or have babies or get married...What if I miss out on some crazy awesome thing that's supposed to happen in my life because I'm gone. I'm sad to say this lasted longer than I would have liked and then suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks...CLAIRE THIS IS GOD'S WILL STOP TRYING TO ARGUE WITH HIM HE HAS IT ALL UNDER CONTROL AND YOU'RE DOING EXACTLY WHAT HE HAS CALLED YOU TO DO! Ok ok ok ok...stupid freak out moment officially over. It's tough not gonna lie, but I know that the reward is far greater than anything I can imagine. I am humbled and I am just in awe how God has orchestrated all of this PERFECTLY! Our God is a BIG God and I encourage you DON'T FORGET THAT! Great verse that I read the other day, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalms 16:11.
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Posted in General Posts by Claire Flores on 2/8/2012
It is still really hard for me to think about leaving for an entire year. I have had so many things happen in my life in the past year. I have also been able to see how much I have grown in the past year, so that's kind of exciting to see how the Lord can take one year and change your life. I can't even begin to imagine what 2012-2013 is going to be like. September 1st is a date that has been marked on my calendar since before Christmas, and it still feels so unreal. I have started looking at tents, sleeping bags, and other gear that I know I will need. As I have mentioned before, I have a degree in English from A&M, and as I think about the things that will go in my pack come September, I think one of things that I'm still trying to figure out is how to get my books in there...for some reason I'm thinking it's just not going to happen. Some people have told me I should just brng my IPad, but honestly I don't want anything to happen to it. I'd like to still have it in good working condition when I get back. It has always been a dream of mine to have a library full of antique books. Little known fact about me, I collect books. I know it may sound like something weird to collect, but I do.
When I was little my parents would read to me every night. Me and my dad would have special time togehter. He would read from my Grimm's Fairy Tales book. I would get a different story everynight. I would go to bed dreaming of Snow White and Rose Red or Cinderella and her prince charming. Those were such precious moments to me, and I hope and pray one day I will be able to have those moments with children on my own. I have always been very close to my parents. From reading with my dad or just sitting and talking with my mom, I have grown into a woman that loves her family very much. My parents have always been there for me, and I know they will always be there for me. They support me even when they are terrified of what I'm doing, like going off to college, moving to work at a summer cmap full time, and now going on the world race. It has been awesome to see their support even though I know that they are afraid of the risks and, being the baby, I do understand to some degree. I feel very loved by them and I am enjoying spending those precious moments with my parenst having so much time still before I leave. Me and my mom just recently hung out, just the two of us and I am going to take her to see "Billy Elliot" (a Tony Award winning musical) in April. It is those precious moments that I will truly miss, but for now I will enjoy each one and take a visual photograph that I will pin on my heart and carry with me wherever I go.
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Posted in General Posts by Claire Flores on 2/1/2012
It is the little joys in life that really make me smile. For instance:
Dancing in the rain
Making s'mores
Walking on a sunny day (no map)
Seeing a rainbow
Seeing a child smile
Seeing an elderly couple holding hands
I am so thankful for the little joys that life has brought me. It is the beginning of a new month and I know that the Lord will continue to provide! Thanks for reading!
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Posted in General Posts by Claire Flores on 1/29/2012
"Therefore, preparing your mind for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:13.
Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you. I am going through 1 Peter right now. Don't ask me why, to be honest I just picked a book that I had never really looked at before. It has been an incredible few days. I have been reading a chapter every day and writing about verses that really speak straight to my heart. When I read 1 Peter 1:13, I immediately thought about the race.
I am preparing my mind for action. I have never been super great at reading the Word every day or really digging into it as much as I should, but since the day I got accepted to go on the race, I knew that something was going to change. The Lord changed my heart and answered a huge prayer to keep me disciplined and obedient. I have loved waking up every morning spending sweet time with the Lord, a time that I know is so precious. I have realized a change in me over these last few weeks as I focus more on my relationship with the Lord instead of focusing on myself.
I have been able to travel for the past month for my job and still have a month of traveling ahead. We are in the process of hiring our staff for the summer, which is an incredible joy for me. I love being able to meet these amazing college students and hear their hearts for wanting to work with kids and share Christ with them. It gives me hope. I know that the Lord is in control. Spending time with the Lord each day has only made me feel more at peace as I prepare myself for the race and also the job God has blessed me with during the summer. I am continuing to take one day at a time before heading out in September. It is funny for me to think I still have so much work to do and I know the Lord is with me every step of the way!
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Posted in General Posts by Claire Flores on 1/7/2012
Looking at a calendar has always been something that I've enjoyed doing. Now, it's a part of my job. I handle recruiting summer staff and booking retreat groups during the fall and spring months. You could say that if I didn't have my calendar I would be totally lost! Today I looked at my calendar for another date...September 1...the day that will change my life forever. I have no idea what to expect or what to even begin to do to plan, but I feel so at peace knowing that the Lord has placed this on my heart and called ME by name to go out and further His Kingdom.
I have to make a confession; this is officially my first blog post...ever! You would think that someone that enjoys writing, and even at one point in her life wanted to be an editor, would have gotten into the blogging scene by now...nope... I guess I just always thought, "well I'm too busy" or "where do I even begin?". So, no more excuses, I'm diving in head first, a lot like this race. It is so nice to have a place to write down my thoughts, fears, hopes, joys, basically all the things that I know will come up during the planning and the actual journey.
Every morning since I committed to going on the race I have woken up and just looked at the sun shining through my window, imagining the places that I will see the sun rise and set beginning September 1st. I will continue to wake up each morning and go to sleep each night relishing the moments I have left in my home and looking forward to the possibilities that are close enough to touch! 7 more months!
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