Flexible

Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal. John 6:27

Well... I thought I'd be waking up in Asia today... but we're still waiting for paperwork to go through. The bags are packed and waiting. Adventure is really spelled f.l.e.x.i.b.l.e... 

Last year at this time I had just received my visa to Sweden which took 4 months(waiting in Hawaii) to obtain! Thankfully, this one shouldn't take so long :) Enjoying the season because God still has us here for a reason :)

Beautified with salvation

I'm thinking about Matthew 5 today. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great' for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Heidi Baker writes so incredibly about the "beatitudes" in her book Compelled by Love. Get it if you're looking for a good summer read!

We have so much to learn from the poor, the hurting, the low ones of the world. I love to be with them.

Psalms says that God will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.

I took all of these photos in Africa...

Reach your world.

I love this little girl...

Isabella Mae Redmond... I love you! Having some much needed auntie and uncle time :) We've lost count of all the kisses!

  

 

Picture of the day

Jugol, Ethiopia

Adventure

Two weeks. Just two weeks before my surroundings will change again. My heart is fluttering madly in my chest. My beat-up suitcase will be stuffed with everything I own... just a stack clothes and books... and I'll make my way to the place I've fallen in love with. South Asia. My husband and I don't know what lies ahead. We have no home, no vehicle, no idea about the future except this one thing... we are madly in love with the Creator of the world who sent His Son Jesus to die for human-kind. His love is so rich and so deep, powerful and vast yet all at the same time, intimate and personal. The encounter we have had with this God real and wonderful and all we can do is share that with those who have never heard. It's a wild, radical adventure!

Standing in Africa by my suitcase in the middle of the night... life of adventure!

Christianity is not nice and neat; it's not clean and tidy. Christianity should be about snot and tears, laugh lines, sweat and bruises. What do you picture with the word adventure anyway? Does it sound like pews, vests and bowties on a Sunday morning with the New Testament under your right arm? No thanks.

Adventure is an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous experience or activity. It is the exploration of unknown territory. Adventure is dirty. It requires the use of all your senses, emotions, mind, soul and heart. Snot and tears quickly become familiar territory to adventurists, not as signs of weakness but rather the manifestation of God’s heart and the evidence of our intercession. Snot and tears speak of strong spiritual biceps and a craving to indulge in action! Snot and tears, sweat and bruises are simple evidences of a region and a people group being changed. Even Jesus Himself, when He walked the earth 2000 years ago, bore these signs on his body. He was a man of adventure… walking on water, healing blind eyes, raising the dead, praying so hard that blood came from His pores, transforming entire regions and crowds. We are made in His likeness. We are designed for adventure.

“To make your life small when it could be great is sin.” - Mari Cartledge

“A small life is a self-centered life.” -David Thomas

Missing home

Today I'm missing our (2nd) home in Africa. Deeply! It was small and super simple, but wonderful!! We were on the fourth floor, our table faced the Somali mountains to the East, and I hung my wet clothes on the roof to dry. The views were spectacular. The stars at night were out of this world! During our first week there, everything that could break, broke! The kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, the shower head, the toilet, the electrical outlets... but man, I loved that little place! 

Watching the sun rise over my cup of coffee!

The dining room :)

My kitchen!

 The view!!

 Some favorite girls hanging out in my bedroom/office/livingroom!

Sarah's room right next door :) Miss her!

I think this girl is just anxious to get a home and unpack these suitcases we live out of! We are moving to Asia in a matter of days now and I can not wait to make some little place our real home! It will be lovely just to buy the heaviest item I can find simply because I won't have to stress about going over my luggage weight!

I will be in my beloved Ethiopia soon as well... so my heart is full :) My heart beats for nations. Ready to plunge into the next season!!!

Fireworks

We had the greatest firework show at my church last night! What a fun American 4th of July(a little early) tradition!!! Wish we could do that every night of the summer! Ran into some of my old Bibleschool friends too... love them all so much! 

Fuzzy photo but I still wanted to post it :)

Darren, Jimmy, Tehesha and Jimbo!

Ruth

For the last 15-or-so posts...  I almost state the title as "busy bees"... Funny how that consistently pops up in my head. It's basically the definition of this season! (I'm pretty sure I already have a post titled that way...) Why?? Well for one, we are moving to Asia in less than one month. We are piled up with paperwork and applications for all sorts of things. Deadlines. Schedules. Appointments. All the busy work that must take place before reaching the field. What do I want for Christmas this year?? A secretary! (But 6 months early please!)

Excellence in everything practical will usher in favor on the field! I want to live life that way... in a spirit of excellence! So I endure knowing that soon enough my nostrils will be filled with curry again and I'll have those street babies in my arms :)

Samuel is having an incredible time in Orlando with Reinhard Bonnke. Check out his blog for future posts about what's going on in his school of evangelism!

Last week we had the honor of being a part of "Vacation Bible School" with 250 kids! It was a blast! Samuel and I got to teach about unreached people and Pastor Lauren and the kids took a faith offering to raise $1000 for our Gospel campaign this fall! These little ones are passionate about Jesus... many of them already have big dreams for specific countries around the globe. We love being around them! You can read more about VBS in our newsletter this week! Leave a comment with your email address below if you'd like to receive a copy!

I've been meditating on the book of Ruth lately. Her passion and commitment and determination is such a stunning example. Listen to what was said about her...

"... and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” 

What beauty comes from seeking refuge under the wings of the Lord. That's where I always want to be.

Change

This morning I was thinking about just how much life can change. Sometimes everything that was once so familiar completely disappears. People who were so very close are gone. And new ones, ones that make you wonder how you every lived without them, enter. I've been through tremendous amounts of change in the last 5 years. It seems I'm in constant transition. Trotting the globe, getting married to a Swede I met in Thailand, moving to Africa just 2 days after our wedding, living in 6 different homes across the world since then and countless hotels in-between, saying goodbye to my parents who moved across the country to Hawaii, in-laws in Sweden, siblings all over the states, and again moving to Asia in a month. On top of all that location change, I've been in emotional and spiritual transition... which I hope can be defined more as "growth" than simply transition because people can transition through life and never be different but growth is so much deeper and makes you more and more like God.

What made me think of all this? Well a combination of things I guess, but mostly it was holding my niece in my arms the last few days and wondering how that little person could take up so much of my heart in such a short amount of time. 

I can't imagine walking through all this change without one constant in my life... Holy Spirit. He grounds me. Speaks to me. Comforts me. Gives me peace and wisdom when I need it. I know that through it all... with Holy Spirit inside of me... I can do all things. He is on every plane ride, every train, every crowd, He is there when I'm anxious, there when I'm glad, giving direction when I'm planning, sitting with me when I'm alone. What a great gift the Holy Spirit is!! 

This picture always reminds me of the time in my life before everything changed. I was sunbathing with my mama right after getting engaged and we spent the whole time talking about what the future would look like! An adventure.. that's for sure!

Lyrics to a favorite old song by Vineyard... in the end, through everything I want to go on loving my Jesus!

This is my prayer 

This is my cry 

I want to go on loving You 

All through the joy, All through the fire 

I want to go on loving You 

I want to go on loving You 

Seasons will change, People depart

 I want to go on loving You 

In times of pain when life is hard, And when the journey seems so long

 I want to go on loving You

 Your love for me, new as the dawn, Older than time 

Stronger than death, greater than life

 This love is mine 

In everything, through all my life I want to go on loving You 

This is my prayer, this is my cry I want to go on loving You 

I want to go on loving You 

Beach

We went to the beach after church this morning. Love me some sunshine! It's so nice to have a great-lake here in Ohio! Just like the ocean... minus salt and sharks!

Another busy week begins in the morning. The countdown to Asia is ticking in my ear!!

For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' (Matthew 25:35-40 NASB) 

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Jesus

My google tab has been overloaded today. I'm soaking up everything I can find about Asia and dreaming with God about the stunning people who are trapped in darkness there. Jesus alone is the way... the way to life and truth and freedom. The hope in hopelessness. The answer to every problem. Jesus heals diseases. Jesus restores prostitutes and gives them beauty. Jesus is the Father to the orphaned. Jesus brings peace in chaos. Jesus IS love. When all else fades away... Jesus remains. 

This beautiful message has become my whole life. The reason for everything.

Photos taken in Thailand 2007

Saylah

I had the honor of doing a photo shoot this week with darling little one-month-old Saylah. So much fun! Girl after my own heart... accessories and clothes!