Africa

via

I know it's been a good long while since I've put anything on this blog. To be fair, I was in Africa. Which I'd love to tell you guys about.

Africa was a life-changing experience. I know that our team got the chance to impact some people while we were there, but in all honesty, I think our lives were impacted in a much greater way than any of us expected.

I think we all get caught in this routine of everything being just how we expect it. We are blessed with things we take for granted all the time--clean water, running water, electricity, and availability of resources. We visited villages in Malawi that were so clearly lacking these simple things we use on a daily basis. The children don't wear shoes because they want to save the only pair they own for a special occasion, like church. They play with balls of trash wrapped tightly with twine. Yet they are still so happy. Could I be happy in those circumstances?

The village church

One of the most amazing experiences we had was during a service we did in a village church one Sunday. This church we went to had a building of sorts, if you call a wooden frame covered in cardboard boxes a building. Inside, there were a few benches, some material with Bible verses on it, and a pulpit. Quite a change from the huge American church with all the latest sound equipment and comfiest chairs. Once again, these Christians have next to nothing, but they praise God with such passion and love. Their praise and worship was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard in my life. I couldn't understand a word they were singing, but the intent was clear. They unabashedly sang as loudly as they could to praise God, and it brought me to tears. It was so incredible to realize just how God can reach anyone, anywhere, and how varied the body of believers really is. God was there, in that little church covered in cardboard, just as He is in our huge arenas or tiny hometown churches.

The most challenging part of the trip for me personally was when we had to prepare sermons for that church service in the village. I HATE speaking in front of people. Speech class has been the hardest class of my college career to date because I dislike being in front of people so much. But I couldn't refuse to preach a short sermon based on the simple fact that I was intimidated. So, with much prayer and trepidation, I preached my first very, very, very short sermon to that small African church. Because we didn't know Chichewa (the local language), we had an interpreter, which made preaching more disjointed, but I kind of enjoyed it. I'm sure it wasn't that great of a sermon, but the people seemed to appreciate it all the same, and I learned that preaching is definitely not as intimidating as I thought it would be, simply because I was talking about Jesus.

We had a lot of different ministry opportunities while we were in Malawi: we painted a TV studio (see first picture); traveled to several different villages to evangelize and do children's services; visited a crisis nursery and a compound for AIDS orphans called Village of Hope; and did several church services, both in village churches and a church in Lilongwe, which is the capital of Malawi. Every single opportunity we had was incredible, and whether they know it or not, the people ministered to us as much as we ministered to them.

The funny thing is that I used to tell my mom that I would never go to Africa. Apparently God thought that was pretty funny, since He ended up sending me to Africa, and I ended up loving it.

Africa was life-changing. It really opened my eyes to how universal the gospel is, and it also made me examine my priorities back in the States. Maybe someday I'll go back. We'll see what God has planned!

If you're reading this and you helped support me in any way, whether it was financial or spiritual, I just want to say thank you. The trip was incredible, and I appreciate every dollar and prayer.

oceans

I know it's been a while since I've written anything. I apologize! I just don't want to write unless I really feel I should.

I hope this last year was wonderful for you and you learned a lot, or did things you've never even tried or dreamed of. 2012 taught me so much and I appreciate all the growth I went through, even if it wasn't always fun.

Blogging has definitely not been my top priority lately. School has kept me really busy, and there's just a lot going on! Having said that, one of the things that has kept my attention lately is my missions trip to Malawi, Africa. I've never been out of the country. I've never taken such a scary step. But on May 18, I'm leaving the only country I've ever known for 3 weeks, and going somewhere completely different. I'm expecting God to do amazing things through this trip. I am constantly amazed by Him and His plan. So you guys can look forward to hearing about that in...3 months or so.

I feel like life is accelerating so much. Don't know about y'all, but everything is happening so fast, and I feel very aware of how close real adulthood is. It's frightening and exhilarating all at the same time.

"Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior." -"Oceans," Hillsong United

Take Heart

Lately, wherever I am, "take heart" or some variation thereof has been surfacing. I kid you not. I read my Bible, there it is. I listen to a song, oh, surprise, there is it again. I go to church, and what verse do they use? One with that phrase. I guess God's trying to tell me something.

This year, my theme seems to be trying to decide what to pursue.
Last week, I was taking a study break with one of my friends, and he asked me where I saw myself in 10 years. This is the time when my brain throws out every plan or idea it has ever had and leaves me in the dust. I came up with some lame, vague answer about teaching or working in a church. What. The. Heck. Yeah, I'm just trying to be super impressive with my lack of specific goals in my life. Needless to say, that question he asked has been on my mind a lot. It's a good question. I just don't have the answer yet.

But it doesn't end there. In one of my Bible classes, we have to do a project on fasting, worship, or solitude. I chose solitude (probably one of the best choices I've ever made). Here's what I've learned so far:
                           -God does not make promises He's not going to keep
                           -God has already overcome everything I worry about (so my worrying is pointless)
                           -Your relationship with God doesn't have to be complicated

Let's just say it's been the best part of my weekend.

Babel

The other day I ate chicken soup mixed with maple syrup just to prove that I could. You don't even want to know what it tasted like. Just imagine it for yourself.

In other news, Mumford and Sons came out with their second album (hence the title of this post) the other day. I love every song. Yesterday I cleaned my room for room checks with the album on full volume...it was the best time I've ever had cleaning.

I'm most likely going on a missions trip to Africa next summer. Never been out of the country. I'm already excited beyond belief.

Next post: "To die would be an awfully big adventure." No worries, I'm not depressed or suicidal. I have a good point to make.


             

sometimes God tells you something you don't want to hear

Hey all. 

This is going to be an honest post.

We all need a little honesty sometimes.

College is great this year. I love it. But it's a little busy. Not that having things to do is a bad thing. But I often put really important things on the back burner. Such as reading my Bible. 

I was talking to God the other day in the shower (my friend Sydney once told me the bathroom=good place to talk to God). Actually, I was whining a little bit, to be completely honest. I just told Him, "Seriously, God, all I want to know is what I should do and where I should go. Can't you just tell me?" After a few seconds had passed, He showed me a picture of myself holding a huge map, but ignoring it completely. I was trying to find the direction to go without consulting the map. Then He spoke. "You already have what you need. You just aren't using it."

ouch.

God is so good at pointing out things I would rather ignore. 

Needless to say, those are convicting words. 

And a good reminder that I'm far from perfect. 

Texas=Oven

Here are some things I thought you should know:
Living in Texas has made me realize what living in an oven with wet towels feels like. If I'm sweating every time I walk outside, something needs to change. Like the season.

"La Vie en Rose" is a beautiful love song. It's from Sabrina. With Audrey Hepburn. 

I auditioned for chapel worship. I'm an alternate. On synth. Don't hate. You have to start somewhere.

My school bill will be completely paid off this semester and I'll have a little bit extra. God is so good it blows my mind.

Spiritual Saturation Week just ended and I have to confess, it was really hard not to fall asleep during one of the night chapels. But some crazy good things happened! Like the football team going to the altar and praying for one of their teammates.

The struggle is real in college. We play children's games outside because they're free and you can make lots of friends while hiding in small spaces (Sardines.)

Also, have you ever taken the time to just thank God for how far He's brought you? I look back at the way I was 4 or 5 years ago, and where I am now, and I just can't help being amazed by what God's done in my life. And think about it. He saw everything I did, everything I thought, and He still loved me enough to mend my broken heart and show me how much He really loved me. Even when I blatantly disobeyed Him. He never rejected me or turned His back on me. That in itself is amazing.

Have a great weekend and keep it real!

There Goes The Fear Again

Do you ever struggle to be fearless? I think we all do. We're all human. We have circumstances that seem insurmountable and situations that seem hopeless. We get discouraged and exhausted. Imagine being fearless! Never worrying, never being afraid to try something outside of your comfort zone, and never being surrounded by a constant cloud of fear. It would be wonderful, right? Well, I have good news. You can overcome fear and keep it from dictating your life!

In Zephaniah 3:12-13 (we're going Old Testament with this one!), God spoke to Zephaniah (one of the OT prophets) about the "day of hope," the day when Jerusalem would be occupied by God's people once again, a people pure and dedicated to serving God. What kind of people would God use, exactly? Verse 12 states that they were both "meek" and "humble," and that they "[trusted] in the name of the Lord." We're going to break down that sentence before going on. I looked up the definitions of "meek" and "humble;" the word "meek" means "gentle and enduring," while "humble" is defined as "not proud, not...showy." These words are mentioned first to establish the type of person God was going to use in His country. The next line really caught my attention though! The end of verse 12 says that these people "trust in the name of the Lord." In order to put all of your trust in God, you would have to know who He was. Think about it. Would you just hand off your child to someone you don't know? (If you don't have a child, substitute something pretty important to you.) Obviously, these people knew God and were confident in Him, so much so that they could trust him no matter what.

And now comes the most amazing part. Verse 13 says that these people used by God will "...eat and lie down, and no one will make them afraid." Right? That's pretty incredible. Because these people trust God and know Him so well, they know that nothing could be greater than Him, ever, and they will not be afraid unless they choose to be. As long as they are looking at God and have complete confidence in Him, fear has no place in their lives.

Fear is something that we all experience, but if we let it run our lives, we can't be the people we were meant to be. Besides, God has not given us a spirit of fear. This part of scripture was challenging and encouraging to me, and I hope it is to you as well.

And if you get the song reference in the title, I want to be your best friend.