Livin' Leuven- Belgium Update #4

Many people have asked what I do each day. Here are a few highlights of my time during the week:
Wake up and have some quality time to read my bible, journal, and pray.

I love drinking coffee out of the magical machine in the hostel. I thought I might eliminate my coffee drinking habit going into this tri, but I am afraid it has only encouraged it. The machine will make anything from Koffee, to lattes, to cappuccinos, to chocolate milk, to a combination of them all!

Logan and I love the coffee machine!

We go to team time and either stroll or bike to the place we meet.

We are all starving after, and go to the grocery store to buy lunch and dinner ingredients. We are certainly creatures of habit and have sandwiches basically every day...but don't worry we eat delicious dinners...more on that soon.

After lunch we have some down time to read, explore, or nap and then we are off to practice. At the track, we have met some wonderful people. Charlotte, is the great girl that Katie and I have made friends with. She is 17 and quite speedy for her age. She is tolerant of our inability to learn her language...we are trying! And is so positive and eager to share with us. We are excited to continue to know her more and love her well. I am sure we will stay in contact. There are 2 tracks in Leuven. One is more attractive to the distance runners because there are beautiful trails nearby, but the track is shaped like an egg, so the sprinters don't approve, thus we to to train track most of the time.

The team after cheering for Charlotte

After practice we eat a delicious dinner made by Rachel. We are so blessed by her service to us. She is truly a servant leader. She is our athletic trainer and cooks amazing meals. We all eat together around a table that shouldn't accommodate the 13 of us, plus the typical guests, but it is great! Logan initiated a tradition of what we call FPD: favorite part of the day. Each person shares the day's highlights. It is really powerful to hear what was meaningful to each person and gives everyone a chance to talk. I would suggest it at any dinner table!

The evening is not complete without ice cream and waffles...They are amazing. They make the waffles with dough and not batter. I can't even describe how tasty they are! We generally meet many other athletes from the states at the ice cream and waffle shop!

Our first taste of waffle

Katie, Logan and I enjoying a waffle at the market

Finally, we hang out on the big comfy couches or in our ladies room packed with 7 beds and have what we call "real talk" it is so amazing to have so many people eager to have such thought provoking conversations!

Our Cozy Room

I am so blessed to have this month devoted to loving and serving the people that I am with, growing in my faith, and trying to build relationships in the track world and with anyone I interact with!

Belgium Update #3

Jamie and I exploring Brussels

I made it through 4 races in the last 8 days! I really was hoping to run a pr in the 1500, but it turns out I had an 800 pr! I raced a 1500 in Heusden on Saturday and came back on Sunday to run an 800. I don't exactly feel like an 800 runner, but had a great time stepping to the line and not having anything to think about except trying to run as fast as I could. I was hoping to break 2:10. I got to race with Heather and my teammate Katie. I should probably qualify that statement and say that I warmed up with Heather...and followed as closely behind as possible. I was really grateful for the race because it was a unique opportunity to race without any pressure and practice using racing as an intense chance to worship the God that gave me the gift. I ended up just barely sneaking under 2.10, as I ran 2:09.93! I will take it and celebrate it! Throughout these last few races I really wish that I had run a little faster, but I can honestly say that I had a blast racing and am eager to continue to train and stay healthy. I am so grateful that I have an eagerness to continue to race and train.

 This past week we finally got into a little more of a routine. We meet daily for what we call team time. It is a time for us to study the bible, pray, and discuss with one another. It has been so amazing how united the group is becoming. We are studying Ephesians. The first half is about the gifts that God gives us when we believe in Jesus Christ, and the second half of the letter is about how we are to live our life in response to the love God has shown us. It was really powerful to talk about what the body of Christ looks like and how together by playing the role we are each called to play we reflect the person of Jesus Christ. It is so amazing that we can understand who God is better by relating with one another and experiencing other's gifts and understanding. Jodi, our leader shared this African word, Ubuntu which loosely translates to, "I can't be all that I am, unless you are all of who you are." I was once again reminded of the beauty of competition and my need to stop comparing myself to others, but strive to see what potential I can reach, and in the process, hope that it allows others to seek to be the best they can be.

 This weekend I am not racing. We got to be tourists and visit Brussels. It is a neat city with lots of chocolate and waffle shops. Nothing can beat the waffles here! Also, this morning they crowned a new king of Belgium, so it is really cool to be here at this time! Another highlight was getting a chance to play sand volleyball in the middle of the square in Leuven this week. there is a tournament and they built temporary courts. I am terrible at sand volleyball, but I love playing annually on my family camping trip. it was a sweet taste of home and summer, and now I feel ready to compete at the family trip:) Unfortuntely I really hurt my foot playing, but I am hoping it is going to be ok. It is ridiculous how fast something can happen. I was able to run on it the day after and have an encouraging 5k workout, so I am hoping for the best and starting to get excited about the 5k this coming weekend.

 More to come later, but I am off to cheer for our dear friend we met here in Leuven, Charlotte, in the Belgian Championships!

 Tot ziens ( see you later in Dutch)!

I kissed a boy

I kissed a boy! ... I thought that would get your attention! The statement is true, but probably not in the context you  imagine. Turns out, here in Belgium people greet one another with a cheek to cheek greeting while making the kissing noise, but I thought it was just a kiss. Needless to say, one of our friends that we met here in Leuven was saying goodbye to everyone in this manner and I didn't feel super comfortable, but didn't want to offend him, so I just kissed him on the cheek. Poor boy handled it well, but my teammates made fun of me!  You learn a lot by just living life in a foreign country. You learn how to start a race in different languages and quickly learn that what appears to be a hand washing station near porta-potties are actually urinals! 

This is sort of the what my walk with The Lord has been out here in Belgium. A huge part of me desires to have all of the answers to my future and to have all sorts of dramatic experiences where I see and feel God at work, but it seems that for now, God is teaching me that I simply must walk with him and learn as I live life. Just as the kissing the boy was not a dramatic experience, but a fleeting embarrassment, The Lord is slowly molding me and using me as I walk through life listening to his spirit. 

We are studying Ephesians with the team this week. We talked about what it means to have the Holy Spirit in us. Paul writes to the Ephesians that he asks God to give them "the spirit of wisdom and revelation so you may know God better and that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which you are called." Through my time out here, I am learning that life is all about knowing God more through the life course that he leads us in as we obey his law. Jesus said in the book of John, "if you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the father, and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever- the spirit of truth." And he tells us this so that our joy may be complete! 

As I spend th next few weeks out here with my team and continue to race, I am trying to just rest in the freedom of the life God has offered me. my first race went surprisingly well. I ran a 4.20 and felt great. There were a ton of Americans in the race and I had so much fun racing them. I raced again in Liege and felt confident I could break 4.20 but I ran 4.22. I was able to look at Heather Kampf during the race, but it turned out to be a pretty low key race. I am looking forward to another race on Saturday in Heusden. Jamie Cheever will be in my race along with my teammate, Katie Porada. I am looking forward to continuing the process of living life each day and being led by the spirit to become more and more like Christ. hopefully I won't find myself kissing anymore boys or embarrassing myself further! 

The canvas and the stone- Belgium update#1

This morning was the first day waking up in Belgium. It is quite surreal walking down quaint alley ways paved with cobblestone, hearing church bells ring from tall and ornate bell towers, and hearing a variety of conversations, all in different languages. Despite the different surroundings, I still have my unchanging God. The amazing architecture screams his name as do the people that are so hospitable. Although I have only known my teammates for a few days, I already feel as though they are family. Perhaps it helps getting stuck in the airport for 9 hours on a delay and having nothing to do except hang out...and figure out how we wanted to spending our $20 voucher... I am so blessed to have very fun and authentic teammates. We all seem to bring something unique to the group and it is small enough group to feel very cohesive. This morning we had what we call team time where we have a bible study or faith based discussion. We were wrestling over what it really looks like to use your sport as an act of worship, and if it is possible to have a pure motivation to want to reflect God's glory and yet be a fierce competitor! I am looking forward to racing the 1500 this weekend and continuing to try to race with courage and gratitude in my heart. It looks like the field will be very competitive and I can't wait to compete with some talented women.
 One of the recent themes of my life is learning how to be present in the moment and to trust the momentary good will of God, not looking ahead or behind. Today I read a beautiful analogy of what it should look and feel like to be abandoned to the Lord's will. We are each like a piece of canvas or a stone that an artist is going to paint a mural or carve a sculpture on. The canvas can only feel the stroke or dab of the brush and the stoned can only feel the uncomfortable chisel of the tool. They can only trust the work of the artist to complete the good work and that the momentary lack of understanding will make sense in the end. I am eager to see what canvas The Lord is painting here in Belgium and to see how it will point to him in the near future and on towards the rest of my life. As for the race, I am thrilled yet intimidated of the field I will be racing with, but trying to celebrate and rest in the opportunity to race and trust that it is merely a celebratory stroke in my life!

Happy Fourth of of July from Belgium! We will be celebrating 7 hours ahead of you!