I feel like it's a bad thing...

...When you forget that you have a blog.

Yep, life just keeps happening...the sun rises and sets...you remember to check your email and wash your clothes, but you forget to post your thoughts for the entire world to see.

Now, I didn't forget about it the entire time, but it seems that the times I thought of posting, my schedule was so packed, I could hardly think of putting words in a line to make sense, let alone to make them engaging.

So, here we are. So much has happened (so much is happening) and therefore it's hard to know where to start. There have been countless moments of great joy and contentment, and there have been just as many moments of doubt, confusion and frustration.

But in the midst of all this, God is good.

God has been teaching me (again) that my days are useless unless they are orchestrated by Him. Even the "good" things that I strive to do in my own strength are worthless when they are done with the wrong motives and a prideful heart. God's plan for me is for growth and not for prosperity (at least not the way my culture perceives it). But success for God is not quantitative, it's qualitative. Numbers don't impress God, but humility and patience are His Play-Doh.

When was the last time you played with Play-Doh? Man, I could handle that stuff for hours! Then again, I'm a kinesthetic learner--we love touching things. But there's so much you can do with it, and it feels so good in your hands. But you know what doesn't feel good? Crusty Play-Doh....oh, yuck! Throw that junk away! It's useless, it's irritating when you encounter it in a handful of soft dough, and it's...it's...it's just wrong. Am I ever crusty Play-Doh in the hands of God?

I don't want to be stubborn and stuck in my old habits and ways of thinking....I would much rather be soft, pliable Play-Doh.

So that's what God has been teaching me in these days (and weeks and months) of silence on my poor, neglected blog. And now that I'm almost at the end of this phase of my life, we'll see how this blogger does with staying connected to her online journal.

Thanks for being patient with me.

And the next continent is...

Africa!

I've made very few serious goals in my life, mostly because I'm afraid of not achieving them (sad, I know). But one of the biggest goals I've made for myself is running out of time--the goal to visit all the continents (excluding Antarctica) before I am 30 years old. Well, I'm getting down to the final years of this challenge, but I'm also getting very close to meeting that goal.

I was born in North America (that's one) and visited Europe (that's two) twice before I was 10. I went to South America (three!), along with European Russia during my teens. Then two years ago I visited far east Asia (that's four, over half way there)...so I'm up to four of six.

And in just one week, I will be traveling to continent number five--Africa! So as long as I figure out a way to hop on over the pond to the land down under in the next few years, I should be good to go. Six continents, all memorialized in my passport, scrapbooks and journals.

But, let's get back to continent #5. I will be spending two weeks in Kampala, Uganda, helping put on a conference for Ugandan pastors. The Pastors Discipleship Network team will be working to provide the training and set up mentoring relationships for the 150 pastors who will be in attendance. We will also be giving out Bibles and other resources to the attendees. Watching God work in the lives of the people of Uganda is a blessing to me! For more information on the ministry and the conference, you can visit our web site: pdnafrica.org.

My life in Chicago has been running at a slightly different pace since school ended at the beginning of May. I am still working at my two campus jobs and enjoying the summer in the city. Some of my friends have also stayed to continue working over the summer, and that has been a joy. One of my favorite activities is walking by the lake--love it!

More updates to come...live from a cool Chicago, this is Emily Hartman, reporting for International Summer Whirlwind.

Never Never Land

Wendy: "But Peter, how do you get to Never Land?"

Peter: "Fly, of course!"

Wendy: "Fly?!"

Peter: "It's easy; all your have to do is to...is to...get totally immersed in your busy schedule so that you never, never have time for blogging."

Ah, Peter Pan is so applicable to every stage of life...my childhood hero has come to save me...again.

Well, just because it's been...we won't mention how many months since my last posting...doesn't mean that I have not been thinking about what I would put if I was going to actually log on and publish a post. But let's face it, I've been suffering from a huge lack of blogging discipline; no excuses.

So what's Emily been up to recently?

Mostly school and work...the usual. We only have two more weeks of school left, which is crazy to imagine. However, there's still a lot of work to be done before we get to call it quites for this semester. I have really been enjoying this semester--it has been a time of growth and personal reflection.

I've also had the opportunity to spend a fair amount of time with my family in Indiana, which has been enjoyable. I am looking forward to the summer and hopefully spending some time with them (and in the pool!). I'll also be working for most of the summer. And...

There are a few travel plans in the making for the summer, so stay tuned to find out what else will happen when Emily is on the go.