Quotes

I'm a big quote person. You know those books that are all colorful and have lovely, mostly cheesy, hopefully inspirational quotes all through them? Well, I'm one of those people who love them. I've also gotten into underlining sentences in books as I read them that stand out to me. Not that I ever really go back and ponder them, but I like to believe it someone makes them more prophetic and meaningful.

Anyway, the reason for all this insight? I was looking through my phone today at my "notes" section. I rarely use it. I've only used it to record the set lists for concerts (actually, only for Alternate Routes concerts, but now I just decide I'll get the set list from them afterwards instead, haha), but I also found that I had recorded some random quotes. I must have thought these meaningful enough to find that hidden function in my phone to record them:

"History is more terrifying and more beautiful than we know"
This was said by Minnijean Brown-Trickey. If you don't know who she is, you should google her. Seriously. She's amazing. She was one of the Little Rock Nine and she spoke at Saint Thomas this spring. The quote is actually by someone else, but the name escapes me. Anyway, I remember when she said it. I had just had my first conference call with the team to go to Ethiopia with, and my mind was constantly thinking about Africa. She said those words, and I immediately thought about my upcoming journey. These Ethiopians - their stories - are going to be more terrifying and more beautiful than I can ever know. I can't pretend to have the first clue in knowing their history and their stories. But I can listen and learn and love them for it.

"She is willing to try any endeavor that affords her the opportunity to shake up the etch and sketch of everything she supposes is true, a chance to question all her secret opinions: that this thing is good, that one bad; that this person is better, that one worse."
I distinctly remember quoting this from a magazine and laughing to myself that I was such a dork for doing so. One, I like the wording "shake up the etch and sketch" and wish that I could use it in everyday sentences more often. Two, I strive to be that person. I want to push my limits of my own secret opinioins. I want to be "willing to try." I hope this trip does that for me a little bit.

Finally, dear Christine from Mocha Club left this as a comment on one of my previous blogs. It definately warrants an actual entry:
"Lord, I have said the eternal ‘Yes.’ Let me never, having put my hand to the plough, look back. Make straight the way of the cross before me. Give me love, that there may be no room for a wayward step." - Elisabeth Elliott
I was talking to Elizabeth, who I'm going to Africa with, about different ways we try to keep Africa in our minds throughout the day. She suggested printing up a map of Africa and putting it somewhere that I'd see it regularly. I finally printed one up the other day and put that quote on the bottom of it. It now is above my bed so I can see it before falling asleep and after waking up.

This is definately a lengthy post, and I have homework to still finish! Good night all.