Tonight I am back at Higher Groundz, one of my favorite coffee shops in SLO. It is a good place to study. I should be studying, what with the French midterm tomorrow, the senior project introduction due Friday.
But I need to write something in my native language. So hello, WordPress. I am overwhelmed, underwhelmed. Here comes some “verbal” processing. The Lord has been leading me so well, directing my steps as I remain in him. Here’s an example:
Today I sat in the UU plaza with Caellin and Lyse and got the WORST sunburn of the year It’s not real cute. Anyway, we talked about our weekends, and I soaked up all the wisdom I could from Caellin as she explained her experiences of ministry partner development (MPD) to Lyse and I. Later, after a brief intermission of French literature, I came back to the UU plaza to meet with Megan to talk about support raising for her summer project to Tokyo. I felt really inadequate talking with her, because I am dealing with so much doubt in the are of the Lord’s provision lately. To be honest, my emotions feel just like the skin on my back: dry, itchy, burned, uncomfortable. I’m over-cooked with all of the information that my mind marinates in after a weekend full of good, albeit overwhelming details of MPD.
It turns out that the Lord blessed my conversation with Megan, who brings joy to my life through her willingness to follow the Lord’s call to Tokyo. Talking with Megan was just what I needed to remember all of the truths the Lord has been teaching me lately about how to trust in him to fight for me. Deut. 2-3, 1 Kings 17, Philippians 4 just kept coming to mind as we talked. Towards the end of our conversation, Ashley, a team member from the Invisible Children roadies came to up to us and we talked for a bit about Invisible Children and life. After a few minutes of chatting, Ashley shared with us about how she recently stayed with a missionary family in Orange County, where she was blown away by the way they lived their lives completely off of financial support from ministry partners.
I was blown away too. This story, unsolicited from a complete stranger was a breath of fresh air into my sunburned day. Thank goodness for aloe vera and encouragement from sisters in Christ.
Ashely is great. Check out her video….she’s legit:
my mid twenties can be summed up in one breathe as this; You’ve become an adult and its really nothing like you imagined.
Amen and amen. That’s all I can say….just substitute the word “early” for “mid” in front of twenties, and that’s me in a nutshell these days. But it is good, oh so good.
I’m kicking-off my internship with Campus Crusade this weekend and the appropriately named “kick off weekend” in Orange County. Here’s to long car rides with friends, putting off homework til Monday morning and learning all about support raising. Pray for me if you think of it. That’s all…I’m late to my French conversation class.
I realize it has been a bit since I’ve written anything on here. Well, after a little hiatus, I am back.
Most noteworthy: I went to El Salv last week during my spring break. It was so good. I reconnected with friends that I haven’t seen since summer and fell in love once more with this miniscule Central American country. Spanish came even easier than it did last time. It was great to work alongside the Stint team and to get to know them more. As great as it was to be in El Salv with a team of 29 people from Poly, it was really strange to be there without the peeps from my summer project team. Overall, I loved my week there, and wouldn’t have chosen to spend my money or time any other way. The Lord has placed a special passion on my heart for the people of this country, and he whispers so gently and clearly into my heart while I am there. Will the future hold more trips to El Slav? Only my Savior knows. Needless to say, it was wonderful to be back.
In other news: school is so lame. I seriously detest it sometimes. I used to have this passion for learning and eagerly anticipated the start of a new quarter. I would listen to my professors in lecture, hanging on their every word, hoping that they would notice my excitement for their classes. Now I just sit there, ho-hum, watching the seconds tick away on the clock in the back of the room, hoping the professor doesn’t notice how frequently I turn my head and look backwards to check the time. I had to buy two tiny (around 200 p) French texts for about $250, and I can’t even really read them (because, let’s face it…I don’t really comprehend French). I have homework for the first time tonight, and I feel myself growing more and more apathetic towards the text. In this case, I’m not so happy to be back.
Economics update: back in the work force. Double timing. I’m starting to Nanny for two families here in SLO for just a few hours a week. Sophia, a 3 year old whose energy is only surpassed by her immense appetite should be a handful. After watching her last night, I had a nightmare that it was my responsibility to put her to bed. Oh dear. Cassius, a 3 week old boy is so tiny and so sweet. I hope I don’t break him when I hold him. Baby got back.
Forecast: finally submitted my application to Campus Crusade today. It’s official folks….I’m planning to intern with Crusade here in SLO after I graduate in December. I am excited/nervous/overjoyed/anxious/shaking in my boots. Ministry is my passion. I just love sharing the gospel. I just fear raising support. All of your prayers for my heart are appreciated. I trust a big God for big results. I really do believe that he loves me, that he has a marvelous plan for my life, and that this plan includes joining staff with Campus Crusade. After all of this time wandering away from his fold, making my own plans for the future; I’m following his lead as he calls me back.
I guess that’s all for now. My heart hurts today, and I’m not really sure why. I feel like I’m being refined. And I feel the tender touch of the Lord as he molds me into his image. He is protecting me from what could be big time heartache, and yet I still feel the pang of loss as I surrender my plans to him each day. It is good, hard, stressful, painful, lonely, exciting, satisfying, to be back.
…is being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
Faith is scary. But I know that the God I serve is faithful, and that he goes before me in all that I do.
I was meditating on faith last night as I was praying over my plans for the future. My dear dear friend (she’s my bosom friend, for you Anne of Green Gables fans) Brook shared some wisdom from the Word of God with me that was so encouraging that I thought I would share it with you too (it’s from Psalm 37:23-24):
If the LORD delights in a man’s way,
he makes his steps firm;
though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD uphold him with his hand.
This article changed my perspective on discerning God’s will about a year ago, and I am just now really getting to test out what it means to follow the Lord’s will in terms of big life decisions. Check it out.
I realize this is a pretty random post… but I just wanted to share a little of what the Holy Spirit is teaching me these days.
Most of you have already heard that I will be going back to El Salvador with a team from Cal Poly over our spring break. We are scheduled to leave late on March 20th and will be back on the 28th. I am so excited to be going back, and even more excited to say that there is a team of close to 30 that is going! What a blessing! This will be somewhat of a vision trip, a way for Poly students to get their feet wet and see what ministry in El Salv looks like. We will be working with the STINT team to share the gospel on some of the same campuses I was on this summer.
We had our first official team meeting on Friday, and I am thrilled about our team. Jacob and Caellin will be leading the trip, and there will be several other staff members from SLO Crusade joining. Jacob asked us to go around the circle and introduce ourselves. We also had to use one word to describe our feelings about the trip to El Salv, and announce our favorite color. Most used some variant of the word ”excited” (think stoked, pumped, very excited and VERY VERY excited), which is great. I said I was “compelled.” I am compelled to go back. Please be praying for this enthusiastic group!
In other news, about 2/3 of the team loves the color blue.
We were also encouraged by Caellin to go out sharing on the Cal Poly campus over the next 3 weeks, to get in the swing of campus ministry. I appreciate your prayers for our ministry here and in Central America…I have already made plans to go out to do Soularium with a friend on mine on Tuesday! Should be wonderful.
Mondays normally aren’t so great, and I have to be honest, mine started out about status quo. However, things took a turn for the better during my discipleship appointment with Caellin this afternoon. Here’s a list of reasons why today was a great day:
1. Decided that I’m going to El Salv. for spring break….last minute, I’ll admit. Am I 5 days past the sign-up deadline? Yes. Yes I am. But I’m still going. I’m stoked.
2. Had a great swim workout with Brook at the Rec Center. I really love working out with my dear friend! I feel this deep, good tired feeling, which is great.
3. Received an email from my French prof this weekend saying that the high score on our midterm last week was 83%, and the average as in the F range. Bummer. I got my exam back today, expecting the worse. I was thrilled to find out I got a 79%. Never have I been so thrilled to get a C.
4.
I may elaborate on #4 at a more appropriate time. Until then, just know its good.
I’ll admit it….I’m in a majorly procrastinating mood right now. So here I sit, procrastinating in the Mac lab on the second floor of the Cal Poly library. I decided to do a little photo journalism to help you understand what’s going on (thank you photo booth!!!). This is my procrastinating face, I’m pretty sure:
I should be writing my Spanish essay on bilingual education. Oh well.
In other news, I am wearing a Veritas Forum shirt for the 5th time this week…I hope I don’t smell like B.O. too badly:
Also, my backpack, endearingly dubbed “Old Faithful,” is on its last leg. The zipper is crazy and causes the contents of the pack to spill out all over the place at least once a day. As much as I love her, I’ll admit its an inconvenience. Sadly, there is a tear between the canvas and the leather bottom.
It is quite sad, because she’s been my faithful companion since 4th grade, before I even went to school. I used to load up my New Adventure Bible and 3 ring binder for Community Bible Study in Old Faithful and go off to homeschool Bible study. Nice. I do love her, and I will miss her when she must finally be laid to rest:
You should come. Also, I’m excited because it says ‘Porn’ on my shirt…a promotion for the event. I had better stop this photo booth madness…the other guy in the lab is starting to look at me like I’m crazy. Maybe its because I keep kissing my backpack.
I’ve set up this blog to keep all of my ministry supporters updated! I will be adding more posts as summer approaches….
If you haven’t heard, I’m headed to San Salvador for 6 weeks this summer to work with Campus Crusade for Christ on a number of university campuses. I will be on a team of about 15 students who will be sharing the gospel and starting up Crusade “Movements” as the Salvadorian school year begins.
I’m still learning a lot about the ministry in El Salvador as my team will be the first summer project group to go! Though I don’t know much, I do have a ministry update already….I will be suffering for the Lord by living in a Hilton Hotel while in El Salvador
I promise there is a reason behind this (security, mostly). Anyway, I wanted to let you all in on what’s going on!
It’s not real cute. Anyway, we talked about our weekends, and I soaked up all the wisdom I could from Caellin as she explained her experiences of ministry partner development (MPD) to Lyse and I. Later, after a brief intermission of French literature, I came back to the UU plaza to meet with Megan to talk about support raising for her summer project to Tokyo. I felt really inadequate talking with her, because I am dealing with so much doubt in the are of the Lord’s provision lately. To be honest, my emotions feel just like the skin on my back: dry, itchy, burned, uncomfortable. I’m over-cooked with all of the information that my mind marinates in after a weekend full of good, albeit overwhelming details of MPD.
