abbey abroad :)

This weekend was great! I went to Virginia Beach with some friends, and it was so pretty! We got back pretty late, but it was so worth it. I'm posting pictures on Facebook right now! (Does anyone else think it's gotten harder to post pictures on Facebook? It always takes me a few tries now.)

Sunday nights, we have cultural worship. Did I tell you about this already? Well, basically, Sunday night worship is focused on a different affinity group every week. We sing songs in different languages spoken in the affinity group, and the speaker speaks in a different language, too. It's really neat. The only one that hurt my head was the night we did South America. The speaker was talking in Spanish. Usually, I just kind of read the Scripture in my Bible along with the speaker and then tune out, since I can't understand anything, anyways. But I know enough Spanish to understand when I pay attention... I don't know enough Spanish for it to be easy. So I left with a headache! I'm sure that will be happening to me in Macedonia in a few months. Last night, the focus was on North Africa and the Middle East. Women had to wear long skirts and shirts with a head covering, and we couldn't look the men in the eye (which is so much harder than it sounds). We had to come to worship in small groups of one or two so we wouldn't draw attention to the meeting place, since people in that region have to meet in secret. We sang songs in Turkish, French (because of people going to work with Muslims in France), Ethiopian, and several other languages. I really like cultural worship nights. :)

In other news, I found out last night that one of my best friends is expecting a baby! It seems so strange that she's only two years older than I am, but she's at a completely different stage in her life. It made me think more about how I never thought I'd be doing this. I thought I wanted to be like my friend--marry relatively young and have kids! And I still think that's awesome. I just know it's not what God wants for me right now. And I am so happy to be where I am. His ways are definitely higher than mine. :)

Why do I end every paragraph with a smiley face? Weird. Oh, but that reminds me--last week, we got our results from the Myers-Briggs (Did I spell that correctly?) personality test thing. Mine said I'm an ESFP, but I'm thoroughly convinced I'm an ESFJ. Plus, I was only one point "P". So I must have answered some questions in strange ways or something. And if you don't know what those letters stand for, it's Extrovert Sensing Feeling Perceiving. (J is Judging. Which is what I am.) Let me tell you the description of an ESFP and tell you why I think I'm a J:

• Practical, realistic, observant, and focused on the present. (I can see that.)
• Generous, optimistic, and persuasive. (Hmm... yes. Okay.)
• Able to "live in the moment," find enjoyment in most aspects of life." (Again, sure.)
• Focused on getting the task done with a maximum of fun and a minimum of fuss; show less concern with following the rules. (Whatever. I am all about following the rules. To a fault.)
• Guided by personal values in decision making; able to identify and empathize with others. (Well... that's me.)
• Good at personal interactions; often play the role of peacemaker. (Peacemaker, yes. Probably because I'm a middle child.)
• Usually seen by others as resourceful, supportive, gregarious, fun loving, and spontaneous. (Some of those, yes, but I don't really think I'm spontaneous.)