Hi Steemit Friends!

໒( ♥ ◡ ♥ )७

*** It feels like forever since my last post! It's great to be back! I definitely have a lot to share with you all today! I just arrived back in Wisconsin after being in California for about a week and it has been eventful to say the least. The flight to California was about six hours and rather than sleeping, which probably would have been the better option, I decided to continue my insomnia art: https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXc2h56HeHPRBRGeruDk2s4hzu3yuGiShn9WAP6J8VxDW/IMG_5822.jpg As you can see, it isn't the kind of artwork that requires much pondering to make. It is simple despite its complex look. All of my friends on the plane with me were fast asleep while I had my cup of coffee, as usual. https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZK7U517XUvoPmiGTLLuDU15GKD9U7P3ioBcYqTSFrqU8/IMG_5821.jpg *** En route to California, the sights were amazing. I managed to snag a window seat to take pictures of the grand scenery. https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmW66hxwfnJSKwFECk2TytFSNA2UjJjVFcST9Cm4zPa8Eq/IMG_6165.jpg ***

Digression: Global Leadership Conference

It may or may not be news to you, depending on if you have been following my blog closely or not, but I moved to Wisconsin to help start a church, and shortly after, took a trip to California for a Global Leadership Conference where the mission team was presented to everyone. https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRDr92tbjXLhFfuucbAbYLBkE34HcBWropodxuQ2d6NJy/85bc88cc-c8cc-4451-aa01-0b11702a57f3.JPG Before anyone decides to go on the mission team, they must count the cost and decide if they can make it in the long run; counting the cost doesn't just entail figuring out if you can make it financially on the team, but includes a variety of other factors like being willing to serve in any kind of capacity, meeting the needs of others in the church, meeting the needs of those outside of the church, being emotionally and spiritually stable, being willing to sacrifice time, energy, money, and whatever else is needed. I counted the cost before I decided to go on this mission team and made a pros and cons list, but as many may already guess, sometimes we forget to add some things on that list! There were two things I didn't add to my list: Being on stage in front of everyone at the conference and Wisconsin Wildlife! (More about Wisconsin Wildlife later...) I completely forgot the mission teams were presented. It is an honor to be on a mission team because I'm always grateful to have the opportunity to sacrifice for God, so of course, I had to pray. As a direct result of my being 5 feet tall (yes, I am exactly 5 feet tall) I had to be closer towards the front. Can you spot me? https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXNNf6ySx4DkpKtdoebJQAHqHnbNjTNeRwZHqjNguWeFe/40bc611d-3646-4b1a-87d5-dabdf1d2acab.JPG https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTCfSeGaNBD4yxhyDzYwVa4LmRWLTHacMPmHafGsizZpJ/2899cc79-7b76-4481-bbbe-0dfa9645cf99.JPG These are all the camera people. *** https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXPZw5qBmST7b7hv92epAb9hXqWLt6sFiX48LsvDpNZba/IMG_6274.JPG 'Tis me with my Eagle Trophy. *** During our MercyWorldWide lesson, I had the opportunity to sneak on stage, pretend to be a camera person, and take pictures of everyone in the conference. It was a sight to see! I had to use the panogram on my phone in order to get everyone in the picture. https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmawprGLn73NUXqHthGTdNspaXArUiVpGR1iiNEzLGTpMJ/IMG_5970.jpg If I heard the numbers correctly, there were about 2,500 people who attended the conference. Overall, it was a great experience as there were many people from our different churches around the world who attended the conference and many great lessons preached. There are TONS of things in my own character I want to grow in, but I will share more about that in future posts! ***

Can I do a second Digression?

o(^▽^)o I'm feeling kind of happy to be posting on Steemit again! I'm also feeling a bit more carefree about my post layout than normal. I'm back to learning Russian! I definitely can't say that I am fluent in Russian, as I only know enough Russian to joke around with people, but not enough to hold substantial conversations. So, I would like to start adding Russian phrases to help my learning! If you have any Russian phrases for me to memorize, please do tell me! I'm in need of much help!

Today's Russian Phrase:

подождите минуту (podozhdite minutu) - Wait a minute *** Thanks for joining me! @omega-not *** ![IMG_5919 (1).jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXNn57uFH1ddE2sfRgVY7BaMXuSc9xXgZGV5TcjDpPFBQ/IMG_5919%20(1).jpg) (These are pretty pink flowers I found in California!)