Everyday Pioneering

Sticky humidity with no air-conditioning. Clothes hanging outside on a line, air-drying. Leftovers warming on the stove, water heating in a kettle. Dishes stacked high, dripping lightly with soapy water. My first week here and I almost think I'm in Korea.

But I'm not there at all; I'm in America, in Hawaii, in my new home. 

Now that I have a bedspread, a bookshelf and my bags (mostly) unpacked, I'm able to take a breath and reflect on how changed my life has become in the last week. Well, I should say how it's been changing these last few months as I transitioned from Fulbright Korea to life back in the states to now, a new adventure. 

As I catch up with friends post Korea, the question/comment I get the most is: "Wait, where are you right now?" followed by, "You're all over the place!" 

I realized I hadn't thought much about this small talk until I had my life-is-changing-like-crazy breakdown and sobbed my heart out to my mom as I paced the living room and she calmly stood behind the kitchen counter two weeks ago. In that moment, I was suddenly faced with the very real and vulnerable question of,  "Where am I right now?" built out of other questions...where have I been and where am I going?

Yes. Korea was a grand adventure, full of more frontiers than I could have imagined and in moving to Hawaii, I've accepted a new adventure. However, the title of this blog reflects two beliefs of mine. The first is that I believe every day brings with it an invitation to new landscapes and new players. The second is that pioneering can be so ordinary that it seems everyday and commonplace. Like the movie UP! quote, "Adventure is out there!"...in all shapes, sizes, and lengths. Every day challenges me be it moving across the country, searching for a new job, or being that awkward person who sat right next to you in church instead of leaving a space.

While I'm convinced my family would have destroyed the Oregon Trail had we been born back then, I know that God is still placing frontiers in front of us to be uncovered, studied, and recorded. His consistency is highlighted against the inconsistency that comes with change. 

So while I know where I've been, have a hint of where I'm going, and am at times, insecure of the where I am now, I am convicted that when God calls you to go, it's time to pack up, start walking, and watch Him move you through. Trust can be the biggest frontier of all.