Preparation/Knoxville

I am so blessed.

When I thought that I would be facing opposition and resentment at every turn, I have found myself surrounded by love instead. Yesterday, I spent the entire day surrounded by my closest friends at school, and today, by my family here in Knoxville. While it was exhausting to see so many people for such extended periods of time, I knew that I would miss each face and every warm embrace when I am working (very likely with strangers) in Vancouver.

Am I afraid?

I can't really think up a straight answer for that question. And I doubt I will be able to until I've been at the Games for a few days. I guess more than anything, I'm just ready to begin that experience, but at the same time, I known that right now, at this moment, my bags are lying open on the floor, books marked with pages that need to be studied by my return, and clean laundry in the dryer. The consolation is that no matter how unprepared I feel, I know that the Lord is with me, going before me and preparing the way.

What could go wrong?

The more I think about it, the more I'm at a no-lose situation going to Vancouver (unless, of course, I make some fatal error and lose my job completely) because any little "inconvenience" or failure on my part or on part of anyone else will likely just make a great story later on. If nothing else, it will be a learning experience - an absolutely unforgettable learning experience.

A potential disaster happened this morning! I finished loading my trunk for the trip home and noticed that after I had unlocked it, I had a little trouble getting the trunk to open for the ice. Later, when I needed to open the driver side door, my key would not even go halfway in the lock. "Oh no!" I thought. " Maybe if I create some sort of friction, whatever is in the way will either disintegrate or melt, and either way I'll be able to get into my car. Back, forth, back forth. Frustration. Back forth, back forth.

Click.

Key success! But I still could not turn the key! And this one was much harder to budge. At this, I called my father, who faithfully researched my predicament on google and told me to warm the key with my hands. Try, try... try try try.

This isn't working... Oh well.

Unlocked! ...what?

It was so bizarre how all of a sudden it just came unlocked for me. There was no halfway point about it. First it was frozen, then it became totally free. Could that be a parallel to the surrendering of a Christian to their earthly lives? Once the lock was free, I pried the door open, little by little, praying I did not break off a piece of my car in the process.

Really? I thought all the obstacles were taken care of! Nope, didn't have an ice scraper. What did I use? My trusty umbrella! It worked - as well as a tiny umbrella could to whack off the excess snow and pick away at the ice.

Well, I was on my way in no time, and had one of the most uneventful trips home I could have imagined!

Hopefully the stories I will tell in the future will be much more exciting... so far, this is the best I've got! :)