Throw it on the ground

Last weekend was our college ministry's disciple now weekend, Glow 2010! This video was made by the awesome Mr. Justin Bufkin as entertainment for the weekend. It comes from the SNL sketch entitled "Throw It on the Ground." Thought I'd share- enjoy!

This semester has been crazy busy and crazy fun! (and full of firsts!)

I got to watch the Saints win their very first Superbowl with my family and lovely new boyfriend!
With the help of some good friends, I got to build my very first snowman!!

I've also had fun sharing at some recent disciple now weekends!

Senior girls at North Monroe Baptist Church


Junior and Senior girls at First Baptist Church, Wisner! COLLISION 2010!

Junior and senior girls at Swartz/New Hope/Calvary Baptist Churches! SENT 2010!

And most recently, I was able to lead and help decorate at our college disciple now, GLOW 2010!

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"Once our eyes are opened

we can't pretend we don't know what to do.

God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls,

knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act."

Proverbs 24:12

My heart has been completely broken for the people of Haiti. I know that we sometimes let our love grow cold due to the desensitization of our emotions. We're exposed to so much violence, hurt, and suffering, and naturally, we are less moved by it. I am sending out a plea that we, as believers in a powerful God, continue to risk the pain of caring... of seeing and hearing things that break our hearts so that compassion can bleed through the cracks of our brokenness. One of my dear friends put it to me like this: "it hurts so bad to love so much." There's so much truth in that. We are responsible. NOW is the time for the body of Christ to mobilize and be His hands and feet.
We cannot turn our backs.
Love recklessly today.

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.