Twas the Season

Well friends, tis a glorious week in Ethiopia. Blogspot is working! I'm so overwhelmed with it all that I'm not quite sure what to write about. I suppose there's no harm in reencountering the last month of life on the Horn. Would you join me on the ride??

O Christmas.. my THIRD Christmas in Ethiopia! No snow, no fireplaces, no eggnog, sledding or hams... but we did surely have a tree, lights, gifts, Grinch and Elf marathon nights and cookies!

Sarah and I started a new tradition... African-themed hippo and elephant gingerbread cookies!

Sam and I got an amazing package from Hilo, Hawaii!! Mom and Dad! Well.. no.. they weren't in the package, but cute beachy dresses, flavored coffee and Converse were!

Me and the tree!

Our Ethiopian family!!!

My stocking surprise on Christmas Eve! "God Jul" = Merry Christmas in Swedish!

(Okay you must know....

Swedish Christmas = Dec 24,

American Christmas = Dec 25,

Ethiopian Christmas = January 6)

The absolute love of my life. Going to pack him up in a suitcase and bring him with me everywhere for the rest of my life!

Cutest thing you ever did see?

Then it was time for New Years. I must confess, we have quite a hard time staying up past 9:30 around here. But after a few pots of coffee, constellation gazing from our balcony and attacking our guard with oranges (don't ask)... 2011 rolled in over the mountains to the East. Happy 2011! Our New Years day was spent outreaching in a village. Bringing souls into the Kingdom of God is truly the best way to usher in a New Year!

Samuel and Ashagre... New Years dance in the village...

Upon more village adventures, we've discovered that boys are much better jumpers than girls...

...enough said...

This last week has been rough for the people of my city. The busiest area of Harar... full of markets with everything from second-hand clothing, chickens, tea sets and avocados... was burned down. Thousands of people have been displaced and lost their livelihood for years to come. Thankfully though, the fire which was started in the middle of the night, burned out directly before it touched our Harar Church of Joy! Since then, riots, fighting and even gun shots have broken out in this area.. please continue to pray for Harar with us!

That's all folks... have a blessed Wednesday wherever you are in the world!

Land that I Love

A fire has begun illuminating the horizons of the Horn of Africa, blanketing the deserts, sweeping over mountains, setting villages, cities and people groups aflame. It’s fierce and untamable, it’s changing the course of history. I’m speaking of a pioneer fire. A fire fueled upon souls.

Mission SOS carries an incredible evangelistic vision around the world. That is to plant a mother church among the unreached people groups of the earth, pioneer a native Bible school, plant daughter churches and pass the baton to local leaders.

One week ago at our mission base in Ethiopia, we celebrated reaching the curve in the race where we pass the baton to our local leaders. After 5 intense years of outreaches, festivals, church plants, pioneering a native Bible school and of course seeing our own skin become a bit more black and our speech thick with the African accent, Samuel and I handed over our lead pastors role to our dear friend and brother Ashagre and the position of Assistant pastors to Mohammed and his wife Sinabwa. What a joyous day in heaven! These three radical evangelists shake the foundations of the earth when they walk. They live and breathe evangelism and church plants among the lost on the Horn of Africa. They dream especially of reaching Somalia with future daughter churches and local missionaries. They are my heroes. Here inside the fourth holiest Islamic city of the world, dozens are finding Jesus each week. Some come and stand at our alter in shredded rags with no shoes, no hope, no life, and then walk away with eyes full of tears and the sweet love of God. It’s the greatest thing I know.

Let me share with you the vision of Harar Church of Joy so you may continue to pray...

Among the People. For all people.

To Liberate, transform and equip a generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ... in Ethiopia, on the Horn of Africa, and to the ends of the earth.

For the sake of the unreached.

Pray that this vision from God will be fulfilled. Pray for favor upon the pastors. Pray that God will provide finances, land and a good church building within the next year so they may continue to grow and graduate many more missionary students. Pray that the religious, the Muslims and the animist tribes will meet the one and only God and creator of the universe.

As for Samuel and I, we have found ourselves standing before the last line in Harar Church of Joy’s vision... and to the ends of the earth. In two weeks, we will be leaving our beloved Harar for Sweden. That will be home for a few months of practical planning before heading out to new unreached and untouched areas of the world.

And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named,

so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; but as it is written,

“They who had no news of His shall see, and they who have not heard shall understand.”

Romans 15:2

With the blessing of our spiritual papa Johannes Amritzer, we will step out from under the banner of Mission SOS. Many lands will be discovered in our future, many souls saved, demons cast out and diseased healed. Our spirits have heard the cries of people living without Jesus, our dreams are filled with their faces.

So friends, I shall not be writing from Ethiopia much longer. Here's a few photos from the land and the people I love so...

Date night

Joelle picked me up with flowers and Lauren on Tuesday night... they always make for a perfect date!

After cards, sandwiches and salad at Panera, we got some pumpkin and chai lattes... then we jumped in the car for more surprises... and more cards...

An evening at the spa!!! 2 full body massages!!! I've never been to the spa...

... and this was after the massage... We literally had a hard time walking. It was incredibly perfect!

They even gave me a complimentary makeup artist.. very berry.

Then we got another surprise... Allie!!

She helped us make jewelry...

... and Joelle make pumpkin bread... wow!

What an incredible night! I love my friends. They're amazing women of God...

Thanks Joelle for spoiling me beyond anything I've dreamed! Love to share life with you!

Lauren and Kristin!

What incredible days I've been having here. Saturday was devoted to celebrating Lauren's 21st birthday and her recent Children's pastoral position at Victory! I'm so proud of her. She's my inspiration and joy in so many ways...

Lauren and her friends...

Got to spend some time with the girls in my life also :) What beautiful women of God. We've been through a lot together...

Valerie, Joelle, Lauren, My and Allie!

God is so good... I'm burning just thinking about Him. He's everything. Can you grasp that?? E V E R Y T H I N G ! ! ! I can't imagine living life without Him and cry for the people who do so. Like my Samuel says, "The Bible is not a story of the power of God... it IS the POWER!" I'm not interested in debates, religion, a mix of spirituality, condemnation or judgment. I just want to preach Jesus. His presence changes atmospheres, lives and eternities in just one brief moment. I want to be a presence carrier! I spent a lot of time talking about these things tonight with my dear sister Kristin.... while going through old photos of the two of us in 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th... grade together, at prom, posing in cowgirl boots in sandboxes, making music videos to old RelientK and Temptations songs.... don't you just love covenant friends like that?? Thank you for sharing your life with me all these years! You are an incredible woman of God and I'm incredibly anxious to see your future unfold all over the world!

Hazelnut Latte

Me and my sis Mandy went to the coolest little cafe in downtown Lexington this afternoon. It's called "Third Street Stuff" and is totally random and wonderful...

This was the magnetic wall full of words, letters and phrases...

My big sis!

The best part was my Hazelnut Latte coffee cup of the world map. Harar, Ethiopia was accidentally and perfectly smudged... it made my day! The little things in life truly do mean the most! It made me miss my home tonight... my hubby, our family of Ethiopians, my disciples... the nations... I love to be a God Adventurer.

Then we found a map with stickers to mark where each customer comes from... Africa was empty! I also gave them one BIRR to stick on their ceiling with all the other world currencies they're collecting. Left my mark in Lexington!

Tomorrow my lil brother and I are driving back to Ohio. Everything is always bittersweet about traveling. I'm in love with my niece and nephews here and long to be with them again someday...

Me and the boys... eating Ice Cream! I haven't eaten real American ice cream in about 1 1/2 years! So sad.

Came home tonight and Levi stood up by himself for the first time. It was only a few seconds and he was terrible wobbly, but still so perfect! I'm madly in love!

God's so good to me. I've been experiencing crazy culture shock back here in the states... it's incredible the way the world turns with all of it's people groups, nations, traditions and cultures. How can people live in total ignorance of the other half of the world and the commission we've been commanded?? I'm African on the inside. I want to dance and shout, dress in vibrant scarves and eat strange foods with my fingers on the floors of my best friend's homes. I feel too uncivilized for the manners of the West. I'm longing to preach on our dusty streets again soon. But until then... I just long for my family. One more week of soaking this all in so that I can go pour it out again.... not to mention one more week of blogspot and wifi! I haven't blogged this much in ages!

Life Giver

Woke up the sound of my husbands wonderful voice on the phone in Ethiopia this morning. Love to wake up to him! Then I spent some time meditating on Philippians... I love the Word

s of God...

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men, the Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be make known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hears and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

We each carry an atmosphere around us. A soul forecast that touches the people we come close to. Sometimes with just a "hello" I can tell if a person is giving off life and blessing or death and cursing. There are only 2 options - life or death - and a swirl of both at the same time just doesn't work, it's disgusting.

I want to always be a life giver. A person who makes others feel uplifted when they're around me. A person who speaks faith and encouragement when there's nothing left to hope for. A person who calls things that are not, as though they were. That happens when we DWELL on the things of Christ, when we dwell in the presence and atmosphere of our Creator and Savior. He is: truth, justice, righteousness, purity, love, strength, excellence, life. When I'm around the opposites of these qualities, I feel like someone is puking all over me. I feel sick.

Today I just wanted to give off the aroma of my Jesus...

I went out with my little niece Eliya! First it was Starbucks for a pumpkin spice latte and then shopping...

Levi hung out with us for a while too!

Thanks Jesus for letting me live in the atmosphere of all that You are!

My little guy

It's been years since I was down here in Kentucky with my Sis, her hub and their FOUR babies:

Eliya Rae

Isaiah Wesley

Silas Jack

Levi Danger

Levi was born on Christmas Eve and I haven't yet had the pleasure to meet... he's perfection!

Our morning was spent hanging around the house, then we went apple picking to celebrate this first day of Autumn... despite the 95 degree weather!

Thanks Jesus for today!