Thoughts from Anne - Community, Sacrifice, Gratitude, and Leaning on Grace

First, I need to apologize for writing this sooooo late. It seemed
like a lot of people had waited until the last day to do their post so I figured I would just do mine when I got back. Then when I got back I went home to dial-up and figured I would do it when I got back to Calvin, and then I kept putting it off to do homework and now it is 12:34 on a Sunday night (technically monday morning), a couple weeks after our trip and I know if I don't do it now it might be another week. Anyway, I don't really know what has been said because I have
not really checked out the blog for a while, so sorry if I'm
redundant. I guess I'm willing to run that risk anyway because I am
going to write about a couple of my own personal reactions to the trip
a couple weeks out. I think the trip really challenged me to look at
the way I live now and plan to live after college.

First, I feel like there was a big emphasis on community, whether that
was trying to make it happen within our group, examining the perfect
model, the Trinity, or experiencing and hearing about some of the ways
communism broke it down. Somewhere in there I started to learn how
good and how important community is, and since my return, I think I
have spent a lot of meaningful time with the people that make up my
community. I have really been appreciating and working toward
community and I feel like that is a gift from God.

Second, seeing the sacrifices Dana, Brandi, Brianna and others are
making daily for the things they believe in really challenged me to
think about my own beliefs and how they fit into my actual life. I
cannot say that I have really come to peace with this yet. Maybe that
is appropriate. I know that college is where God wants me right now,
but I don't know if I'm doing it as well as I could be. Actually, I
know I am not. That is hard to live with, but I would rather be aware
and leaning on grace than clueless and carefree. Maybe Romania was
God giving me a little push, letting me know that his will for my life
is not always convenient or comfortable.

Finally, seeing Diana again reminded me of how grateful I am to
everyone who worked to put this trip together. Whatever it was, it
could not have happened without Jeff, Ryan, Diana, Daniel, Janelle,
Brandi, Dana, Davia, Tibi, George, Maria, Raluka, Ilie, Vale, Monica,
Father Christi, Robbie and so many others (sorry if I'm butchering the
spellings). The so many others includes our group from Calvin. You
all really made this trip interesting and fun. It is an experience I
will always treasure and ponder in my heart.

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-anne fennema