I'm back xanga!!...for now ;-)

I had an urge.  An urge to blog.  I don't know why.  And I don't even know what I want to say right now. But I was thinking yesterday as I floated down a lazy river at a water park in the middle of nowhere Ohio that I in fact did not want to blog ever again.  Then I woke up this morning and logged on to xanga.  Now here I am.

If you have kept up with me all this time, reading of all my adventures last year...thank you.  If you have no idea what I've been up to you can go to the link posted below.  I guess the World Race is just on my mind as it relates to my present life and I can't get it out of my head. 

Last year affected me more than I ever could have imagined.  I went through a really hard time after I returned and am now only climbing out but I am finally starting to see the impact that it has made on me.  God works in mysterious ways and I can never understand why He does what he does.  I truly thought that after last year, I would be back on the mission field by now.  But he opened the doors to Ohio.  Exotic, eh?    My reaction at first was fear, then stubborness.  Why in the world (literally, hehe) would he bring me to Ohio?  The only thing that excited me was the job I came here for...to be a Resident Director at a Christian University.  It truly is a dream job for me...but I never would have pictured myself here, at this time...after seeing all I have seen in this world and being where I have been.  I'm not saying that in pride, I just thought that a ministry or nation would have drawn me back like a magnet that I couldn't refuse.  Instead, I am in the midwest of America...a place that needs Jesus just as much as the prostitutes in Thailand.  And it has taken me till now to really accept his direction at this time in my life.

But it has been sweet.  I can't tell you how much my experiences from last year have already played a part in the position I have.  The fact that I get to mentor girls and work through issues in this dorm and see growth, even during the hard times are echos of things and concepts I struggled through last year and feel like I gained so much perspective in.  The students here at this school need a bigger world perspective and I believe God has brought me here to help them see beyond their immediate surroundings.  So many girls (and guys) I have interacted with desire to do missions in their life but don't know how or are afraid of what that means in their life. 

I still feel completely clueless as to how to do this job.  And I know this will be one of the hardest things I ever do.  But I am thankful that I am not where I want to be. Becuase in that, I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

On your marks, get set...

So...this will be my last post for a while.  I leave tomorrow for THE WORLD RACE! wahoooo!!

I will try to update xanga, but with limited access, I'm moving all my blogging to:

http://stacyutecht.theworldrace.org

check it out yo.

You can even leave little comments like you do on my xanga.  And it will make me very very very happy!!!

Adios!

I grew up in Wisconsin, but I have lived in Chicago for the past five years.  Besides Appleton, Chicago is the only other place I would call home.  I had the great opportunity to go to Moody Bible Institute, work on a sailboat on Navy Pier and work at Trinity International University.  The people and places I've grown to love are all in this area and saying goodbye is certainly not easy!

I will be getting in my car tomorrow and driving away from a city that has been a big part of my life.  I hate saying goodbye because parting ways from people and places I've grown attached to is saying goodbye to a chapter in my life.  While the new experiences I have coming up will be beyond comparison, I will truly miss these things:

Trinity: I have never had a full time job that I've stayed at more than a year.  So I feel this separation the most!  I can't imagine being placed in any other office than the Admissions Office.  It was more than a God-send in my life.  The people I worked with there were so incredible.  Working every day with the same people gives you these deep relationships you don't even realize you are building until they are taken away from you.  I made some awesome friends here.  I love this campus.  I love the students like crazy.  I will miss Trinity more than I even realize right now.

Starbucks: As silly as it sounds, taking on a second job wasn't all grunt work.  I had a blast working in a coffee shop!  And my co-workers were so great.  I enjoyed most every night I had to work double duty and even though it was a short time, I will miss this place!

Friends: I was so blessed in my life with amazing friends here in Chicago.  Not only at Moody, but at Harvest and at Village Church of Gurnee.  I will miss my small group girls a ton.  And I am blessed by the people I was able to connect with during my time here.

Downtown Chicago!: Coming here, I hated the big city.  But it has grown on me, slowly but surely!  My summer on the boat cemented the fact that I think this city is beautiful and full of culture.  I also built a lot of great memories from going to school there. 

There are so many other things I will miss about my life here.  But at the same time, I have an increidble peace about leaving behind this life and moving forward with God's calling to missions.  ONE MORE WEEK!!! 

Goodbye Chicago. 

Ode to the Electric Blanket

Who would have thought that a simple household item could change my life? 

I always thought electric blankets were for old people.  Either that or for pansies who couldn't handle the cold.  But let me tell you people...this blanket has changed my life.  haha!  I live in the only room in my house that doesn't have a heat vent.  So essentially, with the kind of cold weather we are experiencing in the midwest, I sleep in the north pole. 

The other night I saw an electric blanket in the living room, and decided to give it a try.  You see, my own body warmth is not sufficient to warm my blankets up fast enough nor keep them warm all night.  I kick around in my sleep too.  This wakes me up shivering...and I pretty much hate it.

So I gave it a whirl.  And let me tell you, I woke up feeling like I was in a commercial.  I had a beautiful nights rest and was still toasty warm under my blankets.  It was a gorgeous thing. 

This post is dedicated to you..oh faithful warm blanket.  Today, I think you are one of mankinds greatest inventions.