I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. –John 14:18-19

Pure and undefiled religion is to love the orphans and the widow in their distress and keep ourselves from being tarnished by the ways of THIS WORLD. –James 1:27

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. –Matthew 19:14

Today marks halfway. Mexico is different than anything I have ever experienced. Yesterday we spend the morning and afternoon at Ms. Karen’s orphanage. WOW! These kids are the cutest, happiest children. They greeted us at the gate, arms open wide, anticipating hugs from everyone! We were able to cook some lunch and play with them all day! Later in the evening we went to a church service and passed out toys and purses to the local body of believers. Smiles that fill me up as I continue to pour out the love that Christ has given. Although I felt as though I were in a foreign country, today we spent the day in the States. Heartbreaking. We were able to pass out gifts and prayerwalk some of the communities.

Sometimes working in a foreign country makes me feel like I am emptying the ocean with an eye-dropper. And just when I have about half a cup full of water, it rains: the orphanage gets a little more full, more abandoned babies are found, more people are infected with aids. it is enough to discourage even the most enthusiastic and passionate person. And yet the discouragement lasts only a moment and God tells me to keep going. That He loves me. That he loves these people. That He will never leave or forsake any of us, not one. That my work IS important, to Him.

I am positive that our God is powerful. And that He is faithful. And that the Gospel is truth. His word will not return void. Please continue to pray for us. Language barriers are thick. Our God is stronger. We are learning to love boldly, fervently, and wholly. We are also learning the power of prayer. Please join us in praying for these people. “Where there is no vision of eternity, there is no prayer for the perishing.”

4:30 a.m. on Saturday will get here fast, and I will leave for Mexico!
I am so excited! I've got 2 days to finish learning as much Spanish as possible! I can currently say hello, goodbye, and where is the bathroom! I figured those were a good start!

If you've heard any recent news about Nuevo Laredo, you may have heard the city described as 'general mayhem'. I am expecting that the kids that will be at Ms. Karen's orphanage will be no exception. All of these kids are considered 'street kids', meaning they survived on the streets by either begging, prostitution, or stealing. I am extremely excited about spending time hanging out with these kids and showing them His love!! For some of them.. maybe the first real picture of love they've ever seen!

Here's what I'm learning:
Love is a sacrifice. A pouring out of oneself. And we can only pour out when we have been filled up. These past few years, as I have begun to more deeply understand my own failures, I have needed to drink more deeply of His mercy and grace. It was either drink or wither. For a while, my pride took over, and I chose withering over accepting the cup that was offered to me. But grace won (thank you, Jesus!), and I find that in drinking from that cup, I am filled with more than I can fathom! I am filled with His love. And when I choose to let that spill out of me, transformation occurs. Transformation not only in my own heart, but in those who taste His love for the first time. I am transformed because I look a little more like the One I follow each and every time I choose patience over impatience, mercy over fairness, forgiveness over begrudging, tolerance over anger, LOVE over HATE. Love. Oh, how I cannot wait to let this love overflow into the lives of children in Mexico.In countless ways I have seen that the message of love- taught not through our words, but through our ACTIONS- communicates the gospel more loudly and vibrantly than we could possibly imagine.

The Gospel- shared in kind words, patience, a smile, fairness, integrity. Africa has taught me that it is the only message I need to share. Words aren't required to communicate it, and when it is experienced, it opens doors to answer questions about its source. As my friend, Christy Nockels says: "they will know us by our love."

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1-4

*stay tuned: I am fortunate enough to be able to update my blog while i am gone! Check back Sunday or Monday for an update from Mexico and hopefully some pictures! :)

Christmas time!

So since I posted the 2009 Christmas card picture on the last post, I decided to go back in time for a minute and post some old Christmas card pictures! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! (sorry they're a little blurry, we're taking this back to film days!)

The art of procrastination

• I think I am a professional procrastinator.
• If procrastination were a major, I would have my ph.d.
• I am so excited! Only one more week until I'm sitting in an orphanage in Mexico, holding some sweet, sweet kiddos! I think my heart may explode!
• But first, 2 more finals to take! (and study for! AH!)
• More updating after finals :)

And here it is...

Christmas card photo 2009!

Creator of Love

This morning I was having breakfast with some ladies before Sunday School began; one of them mentioned a friend, who was not a believer, had just adopted a young girl from China. The conversation was about the ‘good thing’ she was doing by adopting this girl. It was about her taking in a new daughter. It was about love. My mind started racing and immediately went to the Cross.. where beautiful, selfless love was poured out.
I couldn't help but think of my motives for doing "good things". Here is this woman who doesn't know Love, but still chooses to pay a GINORMOUS amount of money and take in an orphaned child to love. And I'm left wondering this. How can people separate the Love that I know and the love that this woman knows? I am loved by the CREATOR of love. I am continuously shown love by the one who invented it. I know love. True love. Can people look at the way that I love and the way this woman loves, and tell a difference? I pray that people can look at the love I show and tell that it’s different, that it’s real. May there be undeniable evidence of the Creator of LOVE in my life. Lord, teach me to love better...

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Friday and Saturday I got to spend some much needed time with my sister. We spent a fun afternoon at Biedenharn Gardens, Kiroli Park, and just hanging out in town!

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I have successfully completed my Maternity rotation for clinicals (and to much surprise, I REALLY loved it!) Now I am working on my Pediatric rotation at St. Francis Medical Center. One of my favorite parts of this rotation is play time! I love taking this sick kiddos to the playroom and seeing their imaginations come alive! Who ever knew that school could be so fun!?

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One more thing... quite possibly the thing I am most excited about right now.. Exactly 4 weeks until I’m hanging out in an orphanage in Mexico, holding a sweet, smiling kid! Ah, I just cant wait!!

My heart is different.
i could blame it on a lot of different things, but i think the reality is that God is calling me to do something and I can't even pretend to be the same person.

My life has been changed. By Him. Who makes all things whole.
Thank you, Jesus, for not abandoning me in this desperate, broken state!

Here's what I've learned: I never want to get so comfortable in salvation that I forget what its like to be hopeless.. to be desperate.. to be LOST. I've seen time and time again that religion never saved anyone.. it never healed anyone.. it never satisfied anyone.
I remain certain that our God is faithful. And that the Gospel is true.
May my life reflect that! I want to love unreasonably,.. foolishly... recklessly... unto the cross. Because I have been shown love. True love. Real love that rescues.
There's just something about the grace of Yahweh that paralyzes me. It makes me stop dead in my tracks, too terrified to move in the presence of His majesty.

Last week we had fall break. I spent some time preparing for a disciple now coming up this weekend. The theme comes from 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature..." I've read this verse time and time again, but WOW! Talk about being ruined!! If the old is really gone, NEW THINGS ARE HERE!!! What does that look like practically in my life?

Here's what I'm thinking: What if we (those of us who have been 'made new') were a community that was honest and raw instead of plastic and fake? What if our church wasn't a country club for the lukewarm but a group of people who passionately pursued Truth and the lost around us, knowing that discomfort and suffering were part of deal that we signed up for? What if we allowed ourselves to be used in a way that the community where we are RIGHT NOW would actually look different because the people that were apart of our community took the great commission and the Word of God seriously!? WOW!!!
Looks like true beauty to me.

The things of this earth are growing strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Beautiful Bride

Flyleaf is coming out with a new cd in November but they came out with this single yesterday. The lyrics really captured my heart.. especially the first chorus. What a beautiful picture of the body of Christ!! It truly is "incredible"! Enjoy!

Beautified diversity
Functioning as one body
Every part encouraged by the other
No one independent of another
You're irreplaceable, indispensable
You're incredible
You're incredible

Beautiful bride
Body of Christ
One flesh abiding
Strong and unifying
Fighting ends in forgiveness
Unite and fight all division
Beautiful bride

Strengthen your arms now
Train your fingers for battle
Urgency's here now
Train your fingers for battle
Fighting this violence
With your feet wrapped in peace
Sad tears and silence
Now screams of joy
Victory

Beautiful bride
Body of Christ
One flesh abiding
Strong and unifying
Fighting ends in forgiveness
Unite and fight all division
Beautiful bride

Beautiful bride
Body of Christ
One flesh abiding
Strong and unifying

We're not gonna fall and forget
How far You went to pick us up
If one part's hurt the whole body's sick
If one part mourns we all mourn with Him
Rejoice, we'll sing with you
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Beautiful bride
Body of Christ
One flesh abiding
Strong and unifying
Fighting ends in forgiveness
Unite and fight all division
Beautiful bride

Beautiful bride
Body of Christ
One flesh abiding
Strong and unifying
Fighting ends in forgiveness
Unite and fight all division
Beautiful bride

Beautiful bride
Body of Christ
One flesh abiding
Strong and unifying
Fighting ends in forgiveness
Unite and fight all division
Beautiful bride

The workers are few

My friend, Beau, shared this video with me a few weeks ago and my heart has not stopped stirring since I first viewed it. So many questions keep coming up:
-WHY is 1/3 of the world's population considered unreached?
-WHY do people claim the name of Jesus, but their lives don't reflect that?
-WHY do we throw people out on the mission field and forget to pray for them?
-WHY are the harvest bells ringing but no one is listening?

Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
Proverbs 24:11

I'm struggling to finish reading a book. Something I've never really had to deal with before. I know that HE is working in my life. Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" has completely rocked my world lately. He said this: "And like our Savior, who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things" This has resonated as truth over and over again in my life lately. I know that it is only when I am pouring out and giving of myself that I am truly full of the Father's unconditional love for me.

Victory! Victory!

I had to post this video for my friend Will to see! These kids fell in love with him! He was so encouraging to them: each time they would score a goal, he would get them all together in a group and they would all shout "VICTORY! VICTORY!", then they would "pound, pound, pound, pound" before running off!!

Here's something I read on one of the blogs that I follow: "And God spoke so plainly. He did not apologize for my heartache, even better, He shared it."

I do not pretend to understand the love of God. Its too deep and unfathomable. I don't understand why God would allow people, let alone children, to live as they do. As you lay everything in your life on the altar before God, an amazing thing happens...
You realize that no one can take anything away from you. It wasn't yours to begin with.
No one can take advantage of your trust. Your trust is in the Lord not in man.
Your life is not your own, your belongings are not your own, and your grief is not your own. I say to you today, we can rejoice because we have been deemed worthy to suffer as Christ has suffered!

To be counted worthy, to suffer in His name - what a blessing that He allows a glimpse into what He endured for all!

Let us continue pushing forward for the cause of Christ. May we not forget in the darkness what God has shown us in the light.

So on a different note: I'm not completely excited that school has started back, but I'm enjoying relaxing time at my new apartment before the studying of nursing school sets back in too deep! This semester's rotations: OB and Peds! Pretty exciting/interesting stuff, might I add!! Actual clinicals start in two weeks and I can't wait! Until then, I'm soaking up as much friend time as possible!

I've missed sweet Mallory this summer!

This weekend makes my first trip home since the start of the semester. I've missed my family more than usual. (with the exception of my sister, who is now in Monroe with me!!!) The week before coming to Monroe, our dog had puppies, but she didn't make it all the way through the delivery. Needless to say, I spent my last few days at home feeding 2 newborn pups by bottle every 2 hours! Whew! But I'm excited about playing with them again this weekend!


Right now I'm enjoying some of needtobreathe's latest music. Check out their new album:

Singing, Smiles, and Praises!

I was excited to record some videos of my experiences this summer while in West Africa. It was my hope and intention to post these while I was still gone, but our internet was WAY slow and wasn't able to upload them! Enjoy some of my adventure, laughter, encouragement, and experiences!

Listen to this song that we taught the kids and see if you can pick up the tune:

(notice the girls on the left singing, and the boys on the right.. we always had contests to see who could be the loudest!)

Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord!
Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord!
Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah!
Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord!

or in Moore (as they're singing!):

Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah, Wa Wennam!
Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah, Wa Wennam!
Wa Wennam, Hallelujah! Wa Wennam, Hallelujah!
Wa Wennam, Hallelujah! Wa Wennam!

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This is my precious friend, Jamila, whom you've heard me talk much about! I'm excited about sharing this video with you! It's one I made to post for my family to see while I was still in Burkina, but unfortunately, they weren't able to view it until I arrived home. I hope her smile, dimples, and sweet personality bless you as much as they do me!

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Here's another one of Jamila and 2 of her friends. While taking a break from painting the church one day, they decided to entertain me (they always know how to make me smile)! I like this one because you can hear them singing one of the songs we taught them called "Panga Wennam" or "Powerful God"! I just love these girls!

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This one is from mine and Rochelle's first experience at the water well! It makes me laugh every time I watch it! I just THOUGHT this one was hard work... until I tried the 'hand-pump' well!! GOSH!! Those women just amaze me! I was tired after just filling up my water bottle!

I think this is all my poor computer can handle for now, but stay tuned for more fun African videos!!

the process of processing

This weekend makes 3 weeks since my return to the States. I am still trying to process what this summer has held. My thoughts are not completely together, please excuse the scattered-ness of this. Here is my best attempt to explain my life as of now:

This is almost a dream to me. I feel like there is no way this can be real life. Maybe I spent a few weeks in the National Geographic magazine. Maybe these pictures belong on a World Hunger commercial. Then God says, "NOPE. This is me. This is real." Oh, but I am a human, and ever so slow to learn. Some days I just marvel at His patience with me.

I have often wondered since re-entering the US why I feel such great culture shock. How can I feel such a disconnect with the place I was born, raised, and for 21 years called home? I have blamed it on many things. American extravagance. The grocery store that almost sends me into panic attack mode due to the sheer quantity and variety of foods. People building million dollar homes. A lack of understanding and a lack of thanksgiving on the part of all of us. The ease with which we receive medical care. The amount of STUFF that just clutters our lives. I look back at these faces and cannot even begin to explain all of the feelings that come rushing back to me. I'm still trying to figure out all that God wants me to take from this, and what the future holds now.

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As I lay in bed in disbelief near the end of my beautifully exhausting summer, I marvel with God at the "impossible" things that happen in my life. And I realized... when have you ever read a story of God's great movement that made a lot of sense? That didn't seem a little over the top, a little impossible? Not often. Radical, extraordinary love just doesn't make sense in a fallen world. That doesn't mean it can't happen. But it is the very nature of God. Moses parted the Red Sea, and I bet people thought, "No way this is gunna happen!" Noah spent 120 years building an ark and I bet people thought he was just flat out crazy. When Joshua went to Jericho, God told him to march around the city once for six days and seven times on the seventh day with seven priests blowing tumpets made of rams horns. I bet Joshua didn't think that made much sense. I bet Abraham thought it was insane when God asked him to kill the son of whom He had promised would come nations. Jesus told His disciples to pass out five loaves of bread and 2 fish to over 5,000 people and I bet they looked at Him like He was crazy! Later, Jesus told Peter to walk to Him on the water through a storm and I know that Peter was afraid.

We read these stories and think that they are awesome examples of God's amazing power and love, and yet sometimes we don't really believe that they could still be possible. We think that maybe Moses, Abraham, Joshua, Noah or the disciples had something that we don't. Doubtful. God is the SAME yesterday, today, always. This means that all these impossible things could just as easily happen for US too!

Radical, different, extraordinary... It still exists!

So for those of you who read and heard about my experiences and say, "No way," that's ok. Because I lived it. But here is the thing - I want big things from God. We want big things from God and then think its strange when He asks us to build an ark, or feed 5,000 or march around a building for seven days with seven priest blowing trumpets made of the horns of a ram! I am asking for big things from God. Big things like a roof to place over these homeless children to shade them from 100 degree heat and protect them when rainy season arrives. BIGGER things like 15.2 million citizens of Burkina Faso to come into a personal relationship with our Lord! So really, I am not so surprised at the craziness. Every morning as I wake up with some impossible ask in front of me, I know that God will meet it with impossible strength and love. I serve the God who used Moses, a murderer, to part the Red Sea. A God who let Peter, who would deny Him, walk on water. A God who looks at me, in all my fallen, broken weakness, and says YOU can do the impossible.

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It is this huge alone-ness.

But HE is filling it. Slowly, but carefully, with people who understand, people who care, people who don't mind just doing some laundry or grocery shopping, or sitting and listening as I try to work through this until the wee hours of the morning. Just when I feel stuck, He sends encouragement and perseverance. Just when I think my heart will explode with longing, I am reminded of a little chocolate colored kid on the other side of the world who misses me and loves me just as much as I do her.
He is providing, He is working, He is in control.

To say that I am clinging to His promises would be an understatement.

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."... "All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives, Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:16...25

May compassion continue to bleed through the cracks of brokenness..

I made a little video of some of my adventures in Burkina Faso and Ghana this summer! Enjoy!

Forever I am changed by Your love

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this update to you! I have arrived safely back in the States, and am now experiencing some extreme culture shock! I'm spending this week working at Cross Camp and Louisiana College... just hanging out and loving on some youth kiddos! I love it!

But as far as my 5 weeks in Africa...

How about starting out with a little comedy!? Here's a picture of the sign for the women's public restroom:

I guess you could say that my personal cry the entire trip comes from a song by Meredith Andrews

“Take me through the desert places for a chance to see Your face..”
.. And I can honestly say that I’ve seen His face.
...I no longer see Christ’s love through a 21 year old Protestant girl from Louisiana.

I’ve seen so many different characteristics of God during these 5 weeks. I’ve seen Healer, Power, Light, Freedom, Understanding, Provider, Comforter, Completer, Joy… FAITHFUL.

“YOUR LOVE, oh Lord, reaches to the heavens. Your faithfulness stretches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep... How priceless is your UNFAILING LOVE!”

I wish I could express to you through words the way that I feel, but maybe these faces below can help convey my feelings:

All I know is that I am blessed.

I don’t know exactly where I am headed. I don’t know exactly when my heart will feel whole again. But God is teaching me to rejoice – if in nothing else, to rejoice in the fact that He is Lord. He knows the answers to all of my hardest questions, that He can heal my hurt. My identity does not come from where I live or what I am doing there, but from Him alone. Even when my heart is heavy, I will dance with the joy of the Lord, my Savior. “I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the thought; decay crept into my bones and my legs trembled… but though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, still I will REJOICE in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength. He makes my feet jump and dance like the feet of a deer; He enables me to climb to the highest heights.”Habakkuk 3:17-19

i cling to his promises

this is what I know: I rest with trust and faith in Him. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" And we know that God IS for us.

(I'll update more when camp is over and I have the time and energy to share stories!)

One week left to go! But I’m definitely enjoying my time here. I’m trying to be “all in” these last few days, even though homesick-ness has begun to sink in! We are all feeling better and have been able to do some extremely exciting things this past week!

A few days ago we took the morning off to go rock climbing! Like serious rock climbing! We climbed to the top of a cliff where you can look out over all of the local villages! It was so refreshing to spend the day soaking up God’s beautiful creation! We even found a river that lead to a waterfall! (Rock climbing in a skirt is always a fun time, right!?)

The doctors at the Medical Centre here in Nalerigu are so kind! I have been able to spend some time with them while they make rounds and check on patients. I also got to help out with some surgeries and practice some of my newly learned nursing skills! I’m so amazed to see the way they do all these major surgeries with hardly any supplies!

..And my host family- they are just wonderful! Such great hospitality!! Part of the daily routine now is to wake up around 5:30 to lead a morning devotion with all of them. The oldest of the kids (Woosifer- 20 years old) has been a believer for many years now. After devotion one morning he came up to me and said that this has been the first time his family has ever gathered together to read the Word and pray; he told me that he is forever grateful. He also told me that after I leave, he plans to continue doing this each morning! He wants to lead the devo by himself one morning before I leave so that I can help him out some! It's so exciting and encouraging for me to see God at work in this family!

The best thing about watching a child accept Christ is the fact that you can see the change take place. Children are honest. They don't do things because they feel like they need to, because it is the thing to do. They don't do it to impress. These children give their hearts to the Lord because they can feel Him, they KNOW that He is real. They want hope, something to cling to in a land of nothing. and they find it there, in the arms of their Father. And being able to share that hope with them is a gift beyond anything else in this world…

I'd love to tell you we've seen hundreds come to know the Lord, but the truth is that we haven't. (I'm learning to be faithful in sharing God's truth, and completely rely on the Holy Spirit to convict hearts and tear down walls) It is extremely risky for someone to follow Christ here. Being Muslim has become part of their identity, not just their religion. I have met believers who have faced ultimate persecution because of their faith; many of them are disowned by their family or even physically abused. Please continue to pray for the people here in Nalerigu; I genuinely believe something miraculous is going to take place!

"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name: proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all the people. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise." Psalms 96:1-4

Here’s something that I’ve been thinking about lately that does seem to be pretty ironic: Today I went with 2 of the native girls that I hang out with, Theresa and Elizabeth, to the farm. They were asking me about “machines” we had in America to do our work for us. I explained to them about washing machines, dishwashers, dryers, etc.. They thought it was so hilarious that we have machines to do our work for us and we don’t just use “man power”! They decided that if they came to America they would get fat, but I assured them that we have a gym we can go work out at! This was their response: “So you mean you have all of these machines to do your hard work for you, but you go to a different place later to do other work for fun!?”

Oh, elephants!

We made it to Ghana! A little behind schedule, and spending some extra, unintended time at the Medical Centre, but we're here!

So we finally made it here. Sorry I have no pictures to post or anything super great to share. I just wanted to let you guys know that we have arrived! We're a little delayed on our schedule due to our sicknesses, but we've all gotten on antibiotics. This is day 4 of sickness and I am beginning to feel a little stronger. We have been entertaining ourselves by telling jokes and playing with chameleons! This evening the families that we will be staying with are coming here to meet us since we cannot move into their homes until we are healthy. The local believers have some ideas of how we can best minister to them and are excited about sharing those ideas with us! I am encouraged and very excited about this! Please pray that we would be healed of our sickness very rapidly so that we can leave the Medical Centre and move in with a native family and continue to do God's work! Please pray that the hope, freedom, and truth found in Christ alone will radiate through my words and actions as spend the remainder of my time with this family.

I am reminded again at how perfect God's timing is. Even in sickness. We were able to maintain health to finish our ministry in Burkina. We arrived safely at the Medical Centre. We will still be able to do our ministry in Ghana as well. I am thankful for these few days in between to rest.

I am refreshed, excited, and encouraged! I am beyond blessed to have so much joy fill my days! Sometimes it’s not easy to see it; sometimes I have to look really hard to find small pieces. I am praying everyday that the Joy of Christ will envelope this village; that they would see the light and be able to have hope...

In the words of Christy Nockels:
"You are able. Higher is our God
than anything that comes our way,
come what may. You alone forever stay.
You're able."

Bitter sweet goodbye

All I can do is cry holy.

I absolutely LOVE Africa.
This blog will never be able to contain the amount of growth that I have experienced in Burkina or the excitement that I feel about Ghana. But I am also beginning to miss home and all of the BIG hearts and smiles that Louisiana brings. Lots of mixed emotions. I rest in knowing that neither is my eternal home.

We have been working with a church here called Grace Baptist Church. As a gift for their helping us during our stay here, we decided to paint the inside of their church for them before we left. They chose a nice shade of blue for the top portion and a tan color for the bottom. Here's some pictures from today's work:

Tomorrow is my last day in Burkina Faso. As for Jamila and Habiba.. I purchased a Bible in French to give to Jamila tomorrow. I hope that she will read it, and Habiba will listen since she is illiterate. They have each been exposed to the Gospel, but say they are not ready to commit 100 percent yet. I am begging God that He not let them rest comfortably until their salvation is dealt with. Sometimes we are called to bring in the harvest, but more often we are called to be faithful in planting seeds. The seed has been planted and watered. Lord, bring the harvest!

Thursday I head to Ghana to finish out my stay here. I'm excited about Ghana for several reasons:

• checking out the hospital! (and possibly helping with some surgeries!)
• bucket baths and hut floor sleeping!
• ... i hear there's great termite eating in Ghana!
• speaking some English! (they speak Ghanaian English)
• cooler weather

Sometimes I feel so tired that I think if I give away any more of myself I may actually be empty. And then I remember, it is only in giving away the love given to me by the Father that I am ever actually full. And so I keep going because of love. Because holding her hand and saying 'I love you' actually can change the world for a little girl. Because maybe through my hands she can get just a glimpse of a fraction of the love her Maker has for her. There is nothing better.

When I am weak, He is strong. Hold me, Lord, lift me. Be strong in my life.

Please continue to pray. I believe that prayer moves mountains and mends hearts. Look around you. Mountains are being moved and hearts are being mended. YOU are a part of that! Please pray that our team would continue to live and love recklessly, freely, extravagantly. Knowing God, knowing humanity, and recklessly trying to to bridge the gap in the small way that we can until this world can conform to the norms of the Kingdom of God. On EARTH as it is in Heaven.

.. keeping my eyes on the cross... and pressing on!

pressing on

"I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." -Acts 20:24

Here are a few of the emotions that I have seen and experienced the past few days:



Last night we slept at the missionary's home. I fell asleep to the sound of geckos churping at one another.. And this morning I woke up to the most AWFUL noise I have ever heard in my entire life! A screaming noise somewhere between a pig and a duck! When we went outside, we found this...

PEACOCKS! ON THE ROOF!! Seriously!? ..only in Africa..

So here's something exciting: Each week they air 2 hours of a talk show in English on the radio for people who want to learn to speak English.. The radio station workers heard that we were from the States and asked us to come so that they can hear "real English"! We were able to talk on air for 2 hours- and all of Burkina Faso could hear! Come on, that's cool! Here's a picture from inside the station:

This evening I was able to visit Jamila and her grandmother and even enjoy dinner at their home. We were not able to have much conversation, but I know the Lord is dealing with her heart. Please continue to pray for each of them as I spend my last 3 days in Burkina before heading to Ghana.

"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." -Colossians 2:2

I love Africa church. The African people have taught me how to praise. Not just pray to God, but really truly praise and worship Him. To just stand, not asking or even thanking Him, just stand and praise His mighty name. My Lord above all, My King, My Living God. Emanuel, The Great I Am, My Saving Grace, The Alpha and Omega. Beautiful, Wonderful, Powerful. Awesome, Strong, Eternal. My Savior, My Redeemer, My Protector. My Provider, My Protector, My Prince of Peace. My Strength and My Shield and My Song. My Friend and My Father. My Creator, and the Creator of the whole Universe. My Lord. So every day I teach people about Jesus. And every day, I know that they are teaching me more. I challenge you today to claim your God, and proclaim back to Him who He is in your life. And after you have done that for about an hour and are just completely overwhelmed with His Grace and Awesome-ness, when you feel like you could just float away on this in-love-with-my-Lord high, well then, welcome to Africa.because

"worthy is He to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." -Revelation 5:12

... one more thing: I love rocking these kiddos to sleep! :)
Mama- can I keep one?! .. please?