Posted in Post-Race by Laura Finley on 8/18/2011
...I walked into a music store (one of my favorite places on earth). I went with no intention of buying anything, but rather to glance at the beautifully perfect and expensive instruments that I have grown very fond of this year. For those of you that don't know, before the race I didn't really play at all or even really consider myself an actual musician. I wanted a break from music and singing on the race, but of course I "walked in freedom" from hiding and being insecure in music stuff... thank you World Race.
So, like I said... Last Saturday, I walked into a music store, and I found it... I found the beautiful new addition to my life that I have been waiting all year for. She's a Taylor, and if you don't realize what that means, just know that she's really top notch.
Needless to say, I am pretty excited. I am not that awesome at guitar yet, but I know that buying this guitar was a step of faith knowing that God is going to use me to do big things with music. I believe that He has something, and well, now I'm ready.
Also, I will say that I have started recording, and that makes me happy...
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Posted in Romania by Laura Finley on 8/2/2011
Wow... last one...
1- Fields and fields and fields of sunflowers
2- Eating fruit off of every tree that is anywhere... I will seriously miss this (cherries, apricots, plums)
3- Gypsies-I found next year's Halloween costume
4- Taking my last shower on the race
5- Romanians are argumentative (they need cue cards-not angry, just excited...)
6- Final Debrief!!! (being able to say goodbye, sharing laughs and FLASH MOBBING the city of Brasov)
7- Gardening-onions and garlic
8- Getting to have vaca in the middle of the month (Black Sea one last time)
9- Singing karaoke with 30-something people at one time... more hilarious than you know
10- Bran Castle
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Posted in Romania by Laura Finley on 7/22/2011
Last few days of ministry on the World Race... seriously... I never thought I would see this day. It is so crazy to think that this long journey is almost over. Today we went did a small kids ministry in a little village somewhere in random Romania. We basically told Bible stories and threw balls and frisbees at each other all day.
There was this family of brothers (four boys) that really broke my heart today. They were all similar in that they were all dirty and somewhat more hesitant to interact than most. I fell in love with the smallest one who I thought was actually a girl for about 20 minutes. Anyway... I saw them and wanted to comfort and love them. I sat and (because I am an emotional wreck lately who is in love with everything and everyone) I began to think about the race.
Over this year I have had to wrestle with that one annoying question... why does God let all of this happen? Why is there suffering if God is so good? I know why there is suffering... it is because of sin. I have seen so much more suffering than I probably wanted to this year, and I don't ask that question anymore, because I have learned the truth.
The truth is: God is good. That's it, no four point sermon, no convincing, because I am sure of it more than I am of most things. I have seen poverty and prostitution and injustice and complacency and religion and just hard things, and I still believe God is good. Truth has nothing to do with what my eyes see.
Looking ahead, this makes going home a bit easier. I know He's good and nothing will change that. This is probably my last blog before my top ten for Romania, and I am sad to see it go, but it has "been a good run" and I can't wait for what's next!
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Posted in Romania by Laura Finley on 7/17/2011
So... whether you know or not, I have been gone for the past week on a youth retreat at the beach on the Black Sea (again). It was nice, uncomfortable for more reasons than just the physical, but if you want to know about that, you should read Samara's latest blog...
I have been reading blogs and listening to other racers about going home, about leaving this community, about ending the reality that we have had for the past year and being thrown back into our past reality with the only difference being ourselves that are completely wrecked for anything ordinary.
I don't know what to say to add to all these feelings, because I feel the same way as everyone probably. I am so excited to see my family and go back to America but just as sad to leave these people, this way of life. The thought of having something that is "normal" scares me.
So there's this song that has carried me since Kenya that I have posted at the bottom of this blog... it just explains a lot of what I am feeling inside...
I can't even put into words what I feel, mainly because it is a huge mix of emotions that are as plentiful as they are diverse. I love the Q... I think that's what I really want to say haha... I love God, and I believe that I have been through the fire in so many ways.
Sometimes I sit and wonder what will ever come of all these ashes... I just know that Isaiah says, "... to all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes.."
You and I meet on the shores of the broken
You swallow the ocean, I Swallow my pride
Only to see the way that I need you
Is more than I knew I ever could
In between the ashes and the flames
Is a cry an awkward silence
Could never contain
And the falling of my hammers
And the writhing of my pain
Is just not as real as the way
That your calling my name
I cant help thinking
That the way that you want me
And the ghost that haunts me
Are one and the same
Cause you stand at my window
At night wile I'm sleeping
There's not a promise I'm keeping
That could ever repay you
In between the ashes and the flames
There's a song that burns brighter
Than Radio waves
Bout the remnants of my Idols
And the shadow of my shame
About how they scatter like the rain and I can't stop crying
Cause you wont stop calling my name
Calling my name up from the ashes
Ashes and Flames by John Mark Mcmillan
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Posted in Romania by Laura Finley on 7/10/2011
Romania has so many gardens! I'll be honest, before the race, I did not really like being outside, especially when it had to do with working to make something grow. I never had the heart to weed or work the ground or plant things... This week however, we have been doing a huge amount of community service, and it looks pretty different from the rest of the world's "community service" projects.
Our men (the two of them on my team) have been doing really hard work like building and digging and hauling. Everywhere we have been, it pains the locals to put us girls to work. Many times we have to pretty much beg for them to put us to work.
Finally, we realized what it is that Romanians don't mind letting girls do, and that of course is gardening. I have been harvesting onions, carrots, garlic, appricots, cucumbers, and apples. I have been weeding and clearing out land and hacking away at plenty of vegetation, and to be honest I have loved working outside. Besides getting a tan, I feel like the Lord uses these small things to speak to me.
I have learned that most of the gardening has been the harvest and that has been so much fun and not actually that difficult. I was not here for the hard part, the planting, the bad weather, the hoping, the breaking of hard ground.
Going home is a big deal, but I realize that I have been doind the hard part all year. I have been letting the Lord prune and change and rain and plant and ruin my little plot of land. I know that the harvest, whenever it will come, is going to be just as satisfying as the physical harvest I have done this week.
So having said all of that, I love this gardening stuff!
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Posted in Romania by Laura Finley on 7/7/2011
I'm going home next month... I am not looking forward to another month on the race... no more 60 hour travel days, no more airports, no more squatties, no more jungle, no more broken down buses, no more languages, no more weird food, no more 24/7 of the same 5 people... just the land of opportunity staring back at me. I have been listening to my squadmates, reading blogs of "you know you're a world racer when" and blogs of those that have already returned home. It's honestly the weirdest thing that I actually did this...this trip I mean. So what do I have to say about month 11 on the race?
Well...for the past 5 or so months, I found myself using so many "if nothing else..." lines. I realize all of the time that his year was absolutely worth it, because "if nothing else" I've changed a lot. If nothing else, I've met so many people and been to so many places. If nothing else, I have learned to live in community. If nothing else, I've learned to lead a team (through Africa). If nothing else, I have learned a lot about God and about myself. If nothing else, I can be honest.
I had no plan to change on this trip... I decided that I wanted to change the world and did not realize that I was the one that was going to change. It's scary to know that one season is ending and another one is beginning, but that is what the Lord has been showing me lately. I have been given this awesome gift called the World Race, it came and went, and now it is the beginning of something new... really new. I am most afraid of difference... for example, I thought about the automatic ice maker on our fridge yesterday and had a mild heart attack.
All the fear and apprehension aside, I know if nothing else, I hold the hand of the Lord. If nothing else, He has a good plan. He has better plans than I could ever come up with (leadership taught me that). If nothing else, I know that I lack nothing. If nothing else I stand on solid ground, walking with the One Who loves me and makes me secure and confident to place one foot in front of the other.
If nothing else, I know who I am... I said that out loud walking home from ministry yesterday and realized that this has all been worth it... that's what I am bringing home, and if nothing else, that's what I know...
ANTS
KINDLE
MESSENGERS
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Posted in Romania by Laura Finley on 7/5/2011
So, there are these two women in my life. I love them a lot. They are my grandmothers... affectionately referred to as Judy and Mawmaw. They are two very different women, but I love them both with the very same love. There is something about a grandmother that is so ridiculously special... something that they give you that I can't explain. Anyway... I want to dedicate this blog and the two following events to them...
Judy, I went to see Swan Lake! You can be proud of the fact that I am on an 11 month missions trip and that I was able to do something beautiful and involving such beautiful art. We were able to sit in a box (for only $20), and as I was watching the production of ballerinas respond to the flow of orchestra music, I teared up a bit because I wanted you to be there with me. When I got my tickets, I thought of you first and knew that you would be just as excited as I was to see the ballet. Thank you so much for opening me up to art and to dance and to performance. I want you to know that you mean a lot to me and I could not attend this wonderful event without thinking about how grateful I am for you. I love you my Judy...
Mawmaw!! I am in Romania, and I got up this morning to help clean out a cow stall and to dig up onions out of a garden. Although this is not what made me think of you, what I did afterwards did. The woman of the house was in the kitchen the whole time we worked outside, and as soon as we were finished, we went to help her in the kitchen. I saw her as she rolled out dough and when I saw her confidence as just a beautiful, loving mother and cook, I had to walk outside because I missed you so much. I stayed and watched her roll out dough and talk on in a language I don't know. I told her that she reminded me so much of you and that I missed you, so she wrapped her arms around me and kissed me on the cheek. Thank you so much for loving me all the time, anytime and forever. I love you and will always be your peachnut.
 I know I can be ultra sappy sometimes, but I know that what I have in my life means so much more to me than getting my own way or having what I want all the time. I have met so many people all around this world, but will never forget the beauty and delight of my own family. So... Mawmaw and Judy... this one's for you!!
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Posted in Ukraine by Laura Finley on 6/24/2011
1. Walking across this bridge in Odessa that is covered with the pad locks of couples just married... so cute.
2. Getting to see Swan Lake performed in the 2nd most beautiful opera house in the world!!
3. Learning what it means to travel by train. I learned it's the best because you get to lay down.
4. Realizing that Ukrainians really are like watermelons... sweet on the inside once you get through the tough exterior.
5. Moving-I packed my bag at least 9 times this month.
6. Pressing ridiculous amounts of flowers in every book that I am carrying.
7. Drinking Kavas, which is a non-alcoholic Ukrainian beer that they drink like water.
8. Fighting off angry babushkas... no matter how happy they are, their Russian always sounds angry.
9. Eating the best food on the race... no rice in sight.
10. Being on a team with Samara.
ps... All I'm saying is I will be writting my last top ten list of the World Race next month...
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Posted in Ukraine by Laura Finley on 6/23/2011
We concluded last night that our ministry this month has basically been getting to know really cool people. Yes, we did a little gardening, singing and preaching, but for the most part, I have been building relationships in the most unlikely place. I did not know anything about Ukraine before coming here other than that it was in Europe, but I have really grown to absolutely love it...
We have moved so much and it's been hard to meet and say good bye to so many, but I am racking up a few days I'll probably never forget... like yesterday.
All I knew was that we would be hanging out with some people from Bible study, and that we were going to spend the day at a drug rehab center. When I picture rehab, I think hospital except with people coming off of drugs and trying to get sober. The Ukraine rehab that we visited though was very different. There were no hospital beds, no nurses, no pain killers, no security... just a house in the middle of nowhere. There were eight residents, two ministers, a bunch of geese, two cows, and a fresh litter of kittens. These men check in to this house and stay for at least 6 months, take care of the house and animals all while being ministered to and keeping up with daily duties.
What I wasn't expecting was that they would be probably the funniest and most fun group of men that I would ever meet. They barbequed kabobs for us after excitedly showing us their animals and their home. A few were shy and did not want to talk at first, but pretty soon everyone was laughing and eating and asking questions and just enjoying each others' company in the outside country atmosphere. A few of them had recently given their lives to Jesus and were living for Him so radically... it was really encouraging to see.
They really liked music (luckily we had a guitar, so I started to play and sing. Pretty soon my new friend Eric (or Ed as we were to refer to him) put on his shades and became my drummer for the day - hitting on pots and tables and anything else he could find with two water bottles. (He actually kept really good tempo) I feel like I played forever -- ergo the finger pic above...
After eating and fellowship, we walked down the street to their new home that had just been given to them to be fixed up. It is twice as big as the old one and will be able to house more men in the future. We walked through a strawberry field and took pictures and laughed and then said goodbye.
These men were some of the most beautiful, kind men I've met, and I enjoyed so much spending the day with them. They live unashamed in realization of where they have come from and where God wants to take them... so... pray for the ten men in rehab in the middle of nowhere Ukraine today... pray that they see themselves as perfectly as their Father does.
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Posted in Ukraine by Laura Finley on 6/13/2011
So this week, we left Odessa... the little city that we have grown so fond of... left the waves and the hordes of people, all busy with the trappings of everyday life, and traded that all in for something simpler. We arrived in a little village about three hours away, and I promise there was no Wal-Mart in sight. The bathroom was that oh so familiar hole in the ground outside and a shower was a five minute walk away.
The two women on my team and myself rented out a little house, that I'm sure was from World War II complete with an old midewy smell, for only 70 grievna a week (about $8.75). It was beautiful.
Besides getting absolutely homemade food all week such as homemade bread with honey, borsht (soup), and yogurt that wasn't from the store, we got to know some pretty amazing families. We specifically got to work with three young couples and their children. They were the most beautiful loving families that I've met on the race yet. They cared for each other so well and loved God even more. It's funny how this made me want to go home more than ever... I miss my own family.
We did a bit of manual labor there which was nice. The first thing that we did was gather "bricks" at a rock query for a family to rebuild an old house, because they were being kicked out of their present one. The bricks were more like any rocks you could find that were bigger than your hand. The place was in the middle of nowhere on the hills of country Ukraine, and it was so beautiful. On the way back (we were in two separate old Russian cars), our drivers turned those old country roads into a racing ground... my car won.
We also climbed up a hill (I didn't fall going up) to prepare an area for a kid's camp (picking up trash and digging bathroom holes). We were able to see the beautiful countryside and take huge gulps of the fresh air that is so pure here. We were told that it was lunch time (bread, boiled potatoes, cucumbers, and canned fish), but as soon as we sat to eat, the rain fell. We gathered all that we had to make our way down the hill before the rain got worse. The problem is that I am consequently very bad at going down hills without falling, but muddy hills that are steep while I'm carrying things?... well... Jared stayed with me and made the quick decision to take the pot of boiled potatoes and the large knife that I was attempting to haul down the slippery trail.
...This was probably one of the most scary/hilarious things that I have done on the race... honestly. I fell twice, the rain got harder, yet I ended up carrying my mud caked flip-flops down the trail, shaking with slight fear and laughing at the ridiculousness of the whole thing all the way down. I made it finally and we built a fire to dry off.
So other than gathering rocks, falling down a hill (twice), being overcome with the beauty of Ukraine, visiting country houses with homemade food, street racing on the backside of hills, hanging out by the lake, singing to hosts that invited us for tea, and picking strawberries right out of a garden and cherries out of a tree... I had a fairly quiet week in the country...
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