Thanksgiving Update
Hello Readers! It's been an eventful month over here in Asia. The holiday seasons present us with some great opportunities for sharing the gospel among the locals- since everyone here is always so excited to learn about American holiday traditions. After more than a month and a half of planning, we put together a large Thanksgiving outreach event for our local church, where we invited more than two hundred locals and students to come and take part in an American Thanksgiving. At the event we were able to share about the origins of Thanksgiving and why we do it (a time to come together as... Read moreGive You His Peace
Support Raising: asking people for money and prayer...that's ok. Support Raising: asking people to join me in God's work in another country...better. Support Raising: bringing friends into a ministry that can glorify God...yep. If you don't know, I am fully supported and just a short time away from leaving my home counrty. Those three "definitions" pretty accurately describe a changing of mind and heart for me in these three months of support raising. Scary and uncomfortable then exciting but still awkward then calm, hopeful, and blessed. I spent a semester (still measuring time like a... Read more
Dreams
I have been interested in knowing more about dreams for as long as I can remember. What do they mean? Why do we dream? Who is trying to tell us something, even our own selves? I think the reason for my intrigue has to do with the fact that I don't dream often, or at the very least I can never remember if I do. So when I wake up with a dream fresh in my conscious state, I tend to take it very seriously. Why did I dream this time? I'm sure we all can agree that we don't only dream when we are asleep. We dream even when we are awake. I'm not talking about daydreaming. I'm talking about the kind... Read moreHere but There
And never truly anywhere anymore. But that's how it all goes, I suppose, in such a liminal time that I haven't asked for--but have borrowed, so it's never truly mine. One thing I've been given, of such freedom for me, was costly for Him and yet He sought to set free: the slave, the captive, all that know only bondage to tears, pain, and suffering--we're told that we're wanted. He's come, lived, and died--and lived again that's for sure. To be sure of this truth or we're worse off than before. And so what does this do, what's this mean for our lives? Sure, we can run in this race, and achieve... Read moreStanding in the Gap Between Here and There
The past few weeks have felt like an emotional game of redlight-greenlight. I've gone from being fully funded, with a job and expecting to leave, to a restarted visa process and an ambiguously delayed departure, and have now been given a potential opportunity to leave soon. Soon as in, sneeze and you're on the plane. So my heart has been fluctuating between itching to leave and finding solace in being home. We've been told in training to make sure to say our goodbyes well before leaving, but uncertainty of my departure date has made that hard to do so far. To have that suddenly flipped on its... Read moreOctober Update
Hello Goer Blog Readers!A few days from now will mark my sixth week of being here in Asia; which strikes me almost like a note out of tune. On the one hand, our days are kept so full here that time seems to hurtle by- there never seems to be enough day to complete even half of the things I would like. On the other hand though, it feels like I have already been here for months.Things have settled into an easy rythym, and even with my somewhat less-than-proficient bumbling at the language, it's now quite possible to communicate at a basic level with native speakers who don't know any English. I... Read moreWhen My Heart is Overwhelmed
I was having a fantastic day. I had just gotten off the phone with a couple who were committing a large amount of money to my ministry! “Ah, God you are so good!” I whispered. “I can do this!”For the rest of the day I was on cloud nine. I worked diligently and with a happy heart knowing that I was one step closer to my goal. But a couple days later I had a bad day. I had just had the most awkward conversation with a couple that was very dear to my heart and I was hoping would be willing to support me. They weren’t. All of a sudden a wave of self-doubt flooded my mind and my heart. “If only I... Read moreThese People
God has gifted me with friends, people who surround me in encouragement and love. God gave me family, people who know me better than most and can give me well studied advice. These weeks feel like God is going "And here, have this blessing from these people, and, oh, a wonderful conversation here, and maybe a stronger friendship bond with these people, and a bucket of encouragement for all." Building a support team sounded easy at first because I know people who love me. Getting into it was uncomfortable and not terribly fun asking for money and prayers. Looking back on these last weeks, I... Read more