Good News & Good Times (photos from Georgia, pt 2)

I’m going to pick up where I left off: the tension of privilege and poverty, photos from Georgia, pt 1, and I’ll be continuing on to Tbilisi, Georgia. Through recollecting and sorting these sweet times, and telling the stories of His unchanging goodness, I’m going to nurse my fragile heart back to health (& remind myself what The Outside looks like).

We had just left Kutaisi, Georgia to head east by train towards the capital, Tbilisi, to meet up with the squad for a debrief and Parent Vision Trip.

We took an Adventure Day/Sabbath of sorts, starting with a metro and a 2 hour ride in the back of a white minivan to Gudauri, the most beautiful ski resort probably ever. Since my spine is held together by rods and screws, I opted out of the skiing and instead brought a book with the intention to set up camp here in a bean bag chair for the day.

Austin (far left) was sad to learn the Georgians don’t make gear to fit size 16 monsters, so he and I met up with the crew (Team Aspenators & Team Cartographers) for lunch!

Gudauri was a gentle smack-in-the face of our Creator’s beauty and His kids simply enjoying His gracious gifts. 

Which was more than enough for me, but I somehow got talked into going up the mountain to reach the highest peak with the crew. We witnessed pure glory from 10,748 ft elevation.

Aaaaand then I had the pleasure of watching them all (except the one whose “ski broke”) glide swiftly down the mountain while I enjoyed being Team Photographer.

Worth noting: apparently in Georgia you can also ride the ski lifts down the mountain! That is, if you can master getting on them… which only took me three tries and two face-plants (“tubthumping” was stuck in my head at this point).

After a glorious day in the snowy mountains, we got our tired & soon-to-be-sore selves back to what would be our home for the next two weeks: Fabrika Hostel. This was the coolest post-Soviet sewing factory turned hostel/bar/shopping/art studio/dining/co-working space mecca; a creative’s dream.

Even at debrief, life is ministry and ministry is life. So, we still hung out at coffee shops (and often the same shop many times a week) because we wanted to be a familiar face, to be IN the community and loving people well, right where they are. 

We sow seeds expecting fruit. Our job is to plant, plant, plant, then wait (and we might never see the fruit, but we keep on planting anyway). Coffee shops and flower stands are some of my favorite places to plant. 

Plus, wandering around Tbilisi led us to lil puppies and beautiful Mosques (and THIS special Jumah Mosque, where Sunni and Shia Muslims pray together).

But, the entirety of this day shall remain un-blogged as it entailed the worst of times (a hospital visit and my phone getting wiped & factory reset) and the best of times (a stroll home with my bestie & my Canon).

Safe to say, I fell in love with Tbilisi. Maybe because there were LOTS of books. 

And pretty churches.

And diverse landscapes: a cliff side, waterfall, river and high rise buildings (all within walking distance).

And the Peace Bridge. 

But debrief means business; so with Becca’s help, I took a session to take squad head shots as people started to think about what would be next (oh, the irony!). Photography has become my favorite way to give away the creative gifts I’ve been so graciously given, and it’s tangible love and service to my squad! 

feat: Laura Leigh, a gal decorated with JOY

Then… my PARENTS CAME TO GEORGIA!

EIGHT MONTHS apart made for a glorious reunion. Photographer Dad was in full swing with Storyteller Daughter (whatever, we all know his work is better than mine… check it out).

The parents joined us for a week on the mission field – and it happened to be another ‘open month’ (or, as we like to call it, Ask The Lord). Each day, we broke into groups with little to no prompt but instead the sole intention to go be the Hands and Feet of Jesus. 

Honestly, it was awkward, but it forced us to LOOK at and for people. It helped uncenter us (which is, ya know, the whole counsel of the New Testament) and sharpened our eyes for our brothers and sisters. 

But really, I’ve found if you feed people and ask them good questions about their lives, good things will come. 

Because really, the way we treat others should lead them to only one conclusion: “If this is how Jesus loves people, then I’m in”.

And after a sweet week with all these pretty faces, we sent them off, reminding them they can change the world, right where they are (you don’t have to fly half way across the world to live like Jesus did, but thanks for doing it anyways). 

And then I go back to my coffee shop and say hi to my favorite barista and let all my thoughts and writing and photos just burst out of me like the steam begging to escape from the tea kettle in front of me.

And I sit back and realize DANG, God’s plan was smart; because obviously this sort of life would change people so radically and permanently, they would choose to live it out in their neighborhoods and cities and countries all around the world.

And, maybe, just maybe, in this world increasingly dominated by fear and sickness and isolation and loneliness, we can claim restoration under our little roof. And here, people can be loved and fed and embraced. Here, God reigns and hope is spoken. Here, everything from the walls to the books, to the conversations communicates the sentiment penned by Julian of Norwich in the fourteenth century: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” (thanks, Jen Hatmaker)

Join me in prayer: Lord, thank you for your unmatched beauty – in the mountains, rivers, cities, flowers, people and everything else in the world. Thank you that you continue to be our luminous guide through the roughest terrain, the light on a hill during dark times, and our unchanging, unrelenting hope. What overwhelms us is overwhelmed by you, so we rest in your peace.