Another Journey

Here I go!  Off on another adventure!  I'm headed to a country that I haven't spent much time in yet.  For security purposes I can't tell you which one, but its in Asia.  If you've had the chance to chat with me in the last 3 months, you'll know a little bit about this adventure that I've been on.  Check out this video that led up to my decision to join YWAM staff in January.

It was a great 5 months in England.  Then just 5 weeks in America.  Now I'm off to Asia for 8 weeks and then straight back to England!  Man time flies!

I'm still in the process of raising support.  I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who is supporting me in this next year.  I didn't really have a chance to follow up with meetings and phone calls like I hoped.  But I know that God is moving hearts and will continue to provide for me.

If  you are feeling led to join my support team please let me know. Donations can be made through Community Church. Or, if you would like to set up a monthly donation that goes onto your credit card and works through paypal you can click the button below! (You will need to have a paypal account, but its easy and free to set up!)

Monthly Support Options

Option 1 : $10.00 USD - monthly Option 2 : $25.00 USD - monthly Option 3 : $50.00 USD - monthly Option 4 : $75.00 USD - monthly Option 5 : $100.00 USD - monthly

Thank you so much and God Bless you! I'd love to write more... but I have to finish packing!  Until Next time! :-)

Deeper Thoughts: A Horse and His Boy (part 2)

Here is my most favorite part of the entire book (A Horse and His Boy by C.S.Lewis).  For it speaks a little to the necessity of heartache.  The purpose of pain.  A small glimpse of God's character and seeing that His ways are so much higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts!

(Shasta told Aslan of his poor life and recent struggles)

"I do not call you unfortunate," said the Large Voice.
"Don't you think it was bad luck to meet so many lions?" said Shasta.
"There was only one lion," said the Voice.
..."How do you know?"
"I was the lion."  And as Shasta gaped with open mouth and said nothing, the Voice continues. "I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis.  I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time.  And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you."
"Then it was you who wounded Aravis?"
"It was I."
"But what for?"
"Child," said the Voice, "I am telling you your story, not hers.  I tell no one any story but his own."
"Who are you?" asked Shasta.
"Myself," said the Voice, very deep and low so that the earth shook; and again "Myself," loud and clear and gay; and then the third time "Myself," whispered so softly you could hardly hear it, and yet it seemed to come from all round you as if the leaves rustled with it.

I love this passage for so many reasons!  The main reason is that just before, Shasta is speaking about all of the woes and worries of his life.  How he was an orphan found and used as a slave.  How he was chased by lions over and over.  How he has now lost his friends and has no idea where he is going... but "The Voice" gives very little explanation, but enough to know that He was there all along.  The things even seen with a negative eye, have actually been made more clear.  After speaking with "The Voice" Shasta comes to a new understanding.

Often, we have to wait to understand exactly what God is doing in our lives.  It can all look rather dreary.  But in the end, when God shows us our story... we can only look back in awe.

If you want a biblical story to compare, take a closer look at Moses (in Exodus).  He too, was put in a basket set into the river and drifted to a new home, though not as a slave, but a prince.  And it is in Exodus 3 that God speaks to Moses and calls Himself "I Am".

So often we question God.  Even now in my own circumstances I'm left asking "why?"  But in the end I am left still praising.  Romans 11:33-36 sums it up quite well:

33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments,

and his paths beyond tracing out!

34“Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?”^j

35“Who has ever given to God,

that God should repay them?”^k

36For from him and through him and for him are all things.

           To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Part One of Thoughts on A Horse and His Boy... click Here!

My Hero: Sarah Smith

While I'm at it, I may as well tell you about my hero, Sarah Smith.  She is not someone I know, just someone that I aspire to be.  She is a fictional character, but something that I long to attain in my life. I have not yet figured out how to attain it... but I'm trying...

But I have forgotten. And only partly do I remember the unbearable beauty of her face.  

“Is it?...is it?” I whispered to my guide.
“Not at all,” said he. “It's someone ye'll never have heard of. Her name on earth was Sarah Smith and she lived at Golders Green.”
“She seems to be...well, a person of particular importance?”
“Aye. She is one of the great ones. Ye have heard that fame in this country and fame on Earth are two quite different things.”
“And who are these gigantic people...look! They're like emeralds...who are dancing and throwing flowers before here?”
“Haven't ye read your Milton? A thousand liveried angels lackey her.”
“And who are all these young men and women on each side?”
“They are her sons and daughters.”
“She must have had a very large family, Sir.”
“Every young man or boy that met her became her son – even if it was only the boy that brought the meat to her back door. Every girl that met her was her daughter.”
“Isn't that a bit hard on their own parents?”
“No. There are those that steal other people's children. But her motherhood was of a different kind. Those on whom it fell went back to their natural parents loving them more. Few men looked on her without becoming, in a certain fashion, her lovers. But it was the kind of love that made them not less true, but truer, to their own wives.”
“And how...but hullo! What are all these animals? A cat-two cats-dozens of cats. And all those dogs...why, I can't count them. And the birds. And the horses.”
“They are her beasts.”
“Did she keep a sort of zoo? I mean, this is a bit too much.”
“Every beast and bird that came near her had its place in her love. In her they became themselves. And now the abundance of life she has in Christ from the Father flows over into them.”
I looked at my Teacher in amazement.
“Yes,” he said. “It is like when you throw a stone into a pool, and the concentric waves spread out further and further. Who knows where it will end? Redeemed humanity is still young, it has hardly come to its full strength. But already there is joy enough int the little finger of a great saint such as yonder lady to waken all the dead things of the universe into life.” 
― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

Deeper Thoughts: A Horse and His Boy (part 1)

After 3 months of trying to read/listen to this book, I've finally succeeded.  I purchased it at Goodwill for just $0.89 and have found the part that I was longing to read again.

You MUST read the book, and in fact the entire Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.  But, I do think this portion is some of my favorite of the series...

And being very tired and having nothing inside him, he felt so sorry for himself that the tears rolled down his cheeks. 

What put a stop to all this was a sudden fright Shasta discovered that someone or somebody was walking beside him.  It was pitch dark and he could see nothing.  And the Thing (or Person) was going so quietly that he could hardly hear any footfalls.  What he could hear was breathing.  His invisible companion seemed to breathe on a very large scale and Shasta got the impression that it was a very large creature.  And he had come to notice this breathing so gradually that he had really no idea how long it had been there.  It was a horrible shock.

Isn't this how it sometimes is?  We are walking around, lonely, feeling sorry for our miserable circumstances and suddenly (if you are lucky) you realize that you are not alone at all!  And as you realize that you are not alone, you also realize that you noticed this presence so gradually, so gently, that you can't be sure of how long it has even been there.

The Thing (unless it was a Person) went on beside him so very quietly that Shasta began to hope he had only imagined it.  But just as he was becoming quite sure of it, there suddenly came a deep, rich sigh out of the darkness beside him  That couldn't be imagination!  Anyway, he had felt the hot breath of that sigh on his chilly left hand.
...At last he could bear it no longer.
"Who are you?" he said, scarcely above a whisper.
"One who has waited long for you to speak," said the Thing.  Its voice was not loud, but very large and deep.

Often God is there walking alongside us.  The whole time, just waiting for us to speak.  Waiting for us to cry out.  And then, He makes Himself known in such a gentle manor.  Even though He has done great things and will do even greater, He simply, quietly, patiently walks beside us. Waiting.  ( Isaiah 30:18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!)

"Are you- are you a giant?" asked Shasta.
"You might call me a giant," said the Large Voice. "But I am not like the creatures you call giants."
"I can't see you at all," said Shasta, after staring very hard.  Then (for an even more terrible idea had come into his head_ he said, almost in a scream, "You're not- not something dead, are you"  Oh please- please do go away.  What harm have I ever done you? Oh, I am the unluckiest person in the whole world!"
Once more he felt the warm breath of the Thing on his hand and face.  "There," it said, "that is not the breath of a ghost.  Tell me your sorrows."

Once we have finally turned to God.  Once we take the time to realize that He has been there all along, it is then that we often give ourselves permission to lament.  To pour out our hearts and to see the greater good and the bigger picture of it all.

It is the possibility of something wonderful, but it is also the possibility of losing yourself.  People are afraid of the unknown, afraid of the unseen.  We stare into the dark and try to realize what "it" is.  If we can't see it, if we can't fully realize "it" then the unknown is just too scary.

But there stands an invitation before us... Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Revelation 3:20)   
There is such GOOD at the other side of the door!  We can't realize it now, and yes the unknown is scary.  But walking with God and talking with God, as scary as it is sometimes is so GOOD!  This brings me to another important quote from the Chronicles of Narnia.

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

If you are still interested in deeper thoughts then click here for Part 2.

Know where your passport goes

Greetings and Salutations from England!  Which on this New Years morning (2015) is actually quite green!  I had a little bit of nervousness and butterflies in my stomach as I had to drive 5 hours to get to the Milwaukee airport from my weekend in McNaughton, WI.  We had one last weekend and drove 4 hours to spend my last 3 days in America with my family and 8 inches of fresh snow!  What a treat!

Yes, we went to Narnia! :-)

The good news is that I made it here, to The King's Lodge in Nuneaton, England with almost no trouble at all.  Until I touched down at Birmingham International Airport.  And by the way, a shout out to all of the staff and employees and Immigration officers there, they were terribly kind in my "mini- crisis" :-)

View out my bedroom window, On December 31, 2014... green!

So... I'm a pretty seasoned traveler.  I've never misplaced my passport before, and I didn't actually misplace it this time either, I knew exactly where it was, I just wasn't sure how I was going to get  it where it needed to be! (In my hands)

My passport, along with most of my cash, was securely in the front pocket of my carry-on luggage.  This carry-on was a little larger than normal due to me getting my "stuff" down to one 52 pound bag instead of two, a last minute decision.  My flights went from Milwaukee to Minneapolis to Amsterdam and then my destination, Birmingham.  Everything went incredibly smoothly, no incidences- I even slept!  But, for the last leg, it was a smaller "city hopper" plane, which means there isn't quite enough overhead space for those extra large carry-ons, so they take them at the door of the plane and put them underneath.  Blame it on the lack of sleep and the fact that it was 4AM body time, but I just wasn't thinking to take my passport out of that front zipper before my bag went underneath. It wasn't until we were about to land and I was going to fill in my customs card that I had the slightest thought that this might be troublesome.

As I was getting off the airplane I was hoping my bag would be given to me at the door on the way out, but of course this was not the case... after talking to the co-pilot and stewardess and doorman, I realized that my bag and passport would be waiting for me... at the baggage claim... past the immigration desks.  Uh Oh.

This is where my calm and collected traveling self came in.  I followed the crowd to the immigration line and calmly explained my dilemma.  I'm sure I'm not the first that this has happened to.  I don't even think my blood pressure went up at all!  I knew that it would be ok.  An honest mistake with an easy solution.

They were very kind and I simply had to wait until the end of the line.  Two employees then went to fetch my bags and I got my passport and very smoothly went through immigration.  WHEW!  

So, the moral of this story is to ALWAYS stay calm in such a situation.  I was able to joke around with the immigration officer and we chatted about New Year plans, instead of crying and worrying about the situation.  Worrying never helps. :-)

Thanks be to God for getting me here and continuing to take me on this journey!  Seriously!  Life is grand!  More to come soon to tell you of the tale of how I got HERE and where here is!

Happy New Year!

Success is in the Eye of the Beholder?

In high school I was voted "Most Likely to Succeed".  I was pretty ambitious back then.  Graduated with a 3.98 GPA, Salutatorian, good student, etc. etc.  But they sure weren't my glory years.  But now it is 12 years later... I should be succeeding by now, right?

High School Year Book photo. Throwback to 2002 baby!

I'm not here to talk about the past, but the present and the future.  And this question of success.  If you would ask someone on the street what success looks like, answers would most likely revolve around job, money, fancy cars, possessions and family.  And I shrug my shoulders and laugh... because I have none of these things.

I'm 31 years old.  I don't have a job.  I don't have a car.  I don't have a house.  I don't have a husband or children.  I have very little money.  From an outside perspective perhaps it looks like I have NOTHING.  But in my own view, I have everything and more.  I may not have money, but I never really liked money anyway.

I am not rich with possessions but I am so rich in experience!  I do not have a husband or children of my own, but I have loved hundreds of children of all ages, color and nationality.  I don't own a house or a car, but I have luggage that is well used and memories so rich and full of life.  I have thousands of people that I would call friends sprinkled all around the world!  I don't have a steady job (so to speak) but I have opportunities to teach in foreign countries, meet the "locals", experience different flavors.

When I graduated from high school, I thought I wanted to be a teacher.  I wanted a "normal" life.  Get married, buy a nice house, have a career... You know... do things that would actually make me look "successful".  But then I began to travel.  I began to explore.  I ended up in 31 different countries with a million different experiences.  And I changed.  Time changed me.  Experience changed me.  My dreams and my goals are so much bigger now!

I believe that God has me on this crazy adventure!  He knows my heart and he knows my dreams.  I am not one bit worried.  A few verses that I love to help my thoughts continue...


Proverbs 2:7 “He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.”


Proverbs 3:6 “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Psalm 37:34 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”


This adventure called life holds so many surprises, twists and turns (both good and bad).  I believe because of my walk with God and my "delight" in Him that all of my dream will come true.  He is the author of my heart, my hopes and my dreams.  Now more than ever I am daring to dream BIG!  I am doing wild and crazy things and loving it!

In 2013, Arianna Huffington told the graduates of Smith College that the definition of success is "well-being, wisdom, our ability to wonder, and, to give back."  I enjoy this definition.  What is Success is very much a question we all have to answer for ourselves.  After all... I'm 31 years old, I don't have a job, a husband, a car, a house... but by golly- I can't imagine my life any other way!

The fact of the matter is that we each have to decide what success is.  It is a question that we all need to ask ourselves.  For me, I'm happy, and that makes life a huge success!  I never really wanted to gain material possessions but I wanted to somehow make a difference in this world.  I'm still striving for that... to continue with well-being, wisdom, wonder and to give back. :-)

Guatemala, journey through photos

I've already posted a few blogs without photos (it wouldn't work in my application while traveling, LAME)  So now, almost 3 months later I shall reflect... with photos.

Our time in Guatemala was one of the more challenging for myself.  The ministry we did was on the streets with the homeless, drugged, prostitutes, dirty, smelly.  No judgements, just truth.   Its a place that I have hardly explored, but a place that needs breakthrough and Jesus just as much (or more) than everyone else!  Our mission was to go to these people and love them.  We washed feet, put on bandaids, painted nails, sang songs, colored, played Uno and just treated them like normal people.

We woke them up with our visit this day.

One of my more favorite ministry opportunities was the Kids clubs that we helped facilitate.  We went to 3 different "slum" areas and gave a bible message, played games, had snack and of course took cute pictures!

 

If I could steal a child... I would take this one!
His 8 year old sister was watching him for the day, so we
kind of "commandeered" him for the time we were there ;-)

Many on my team were heart broken about the conditions some of the kids lived in.
What was "normal" for them, just hanging out in the garbage dump.

Salvaging food

There were fun times too.  Eating street tacos, hanging out at the beach and a day as tourists in Antigua.  The first two weeks of our trip were PACKED and it was a great experience and great preparation for the next 9 weeks on our Around the World Journey.  Some of us even missed the busy schedule after we left Guatemala.  Huge thanks to David and Julie Voncannon and The Street Revolution for hosting us and giving us a small glimpse of what you do every day!

Laundry

Street Tacos! (Cow heart and pork)

Our Fearless Leaders

Antigua

Antigua

La Merced Church, Antigua

Teen Challenge

Rachelle was pretty much a mermaid.

Coconuts Anyone?

I learned Spanish songs to lead worship at Teen Challenge

If you want to READ more stories, here are my previous posts about Guatemala Week 1 and Week 2.

*Some photos credit to Nicola East Photography.  Check out more at www.polkadot-passport.com