Lately...

Well, as some of you may know, my job has very different seasons throughout the year. All are awesome in their own unique way, and I enjoy them all equally for different reasons. It's been entirely way too long since I've posted on here, so I thought I would attempt to get back into the swing of things...consistency is actually a personal goal that I am focusing on this year (random side note) so we shall see!

Anyways, summer came to an abrupt end in late August. I still haven't gotten a chance to fully process that season of life yet, but once I do I'm sure I will blog about it! In the meantime, here's a glimpse of what I've been doing since...

We came right off of summer and started prepping for our retreat/recruiting season. So I have spent a lot of time the last few months praying, prepping, and then actually getting to interview some of the coolest college students there are (at none other than A&M, of course). One of my responsibilities for the trip was to blog about it. I thought instead of regurgitating everything from that post onto this one I would just give you the link here if you were interested to see what all that entailed! Check it out! Until next time...

One of Those Days

One of those days. You know, the kind of days that one moment you are completely content just going about your day and then all of a sudden it hits you. "It" could be anything, depending upon the person, but for me "it" was the urge to just pick up the phone to call my mom. Just to tell her something completely random because I knew she would've appreciated it and it would've made her laugh. Thing is, I couldn't. My mom passed away two years ago. Funny thing is though, she is still an integral part of my life...so much so that it just seems normal to want to pick up the phone to call her...to laugh, joke, and share stories & advice like we always used to.

Days like this are bittersweet reminders. Bitter because my mom's absence is even more evident. Sweet because she left such a lasting impression on me that if I just close my eyes I can still see her big smile with those pearly white teeth and hear her laugh that instantly brought joy to any room.

It's days like these that I am reminded of just how much pain comes with losing someone you love. But, it's also days like this that I am reminded of the goodness of the Gospel. My flesh tells me to mope around and feel sorry for myself because of the pain that I feel, but God's word tells me to seek hope in something greater...Someone greater. Someone who is much bigger than any pain or void that I can ever feel. Someone who will take that pain and trade it for life-giving hope that produces JOY.

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we[c] rejoice[d] in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." -Romans 5:1-5

"The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish."-Proverbs 10:28

You see, it is days like these that I realize my need for the Gospel daily. Without it, I become prideful and Satan tricks me into believing I can fix things on my own. That I should just brush off the pain because I don't need to bother anyone with my burdens. The problem with that is that means satan is getting exactly what he wants and I start distinguishing myself by the pain I've suffered. The reality is, God WANTS us to "bother" Him with our burdens (Matthew 11:28//Psalm 55:22). Ben Stuart says it well, "Don't strive to distinguish yourself by the pain you've suffered, but by your ability to move past the pain and be a blessing to people." 

So, today I choose to not let it be just another one of those days. Today I choose to "bother" God by laying my burdens at His feet. The loss of my mom will always be bittersweet, but I do not have to let it steal my joy. I can let the God who has overcome the world fill me with peace that surpasses all understanding. But, I have to trust Him enough to let Him. Instead of believing that my pain is a result of God's failure to give me good things, I choose to believe that what He gives me is best...and more than enough!

What is "it" for you that Satan can use to trick you into believing lies that steal your joy? Instead of chalking one of those days up to "it", refresh your soul with the hope and goodness of His promises so that you can move past "it" to be a blessing to others!

The essence of fear is not knowing the outcome. Revelations 19. I know the outcome. God wins. And in the end I will be singing Hallelujiah.

Southern Hospitality

As some of you may already know, in a few short hours I am starting a 10 day adventure to Latin America with Pine Cove. Each year Pine Cove partners with Commission Camping International (CCI) and sends teams from each camp to different countries to partner with a church and put on a camp for the children there. You can read more about it here: http://www.pinecove.com/missions/commission_camping 

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go on one of these trips two years ago as a summer staffer with the Timbers team to Costa Rica. This was our first year to partner with the church there, La Iglesia Nazareth, and my first time to ever go abroad! I had high expectations and a few preconceived notions, but all were radically changed after encountering another country and culture for the very first time. As the blog title eludes, I experienced hospitality that was both unexpected and humbling. This southern hospitality was not the kind that can be found here in the southern states, it was better. The Lord allowed the people and places on this trip to leave a huge impression on my heart that I will never forget. As I begin to share this new journey with you, I would love to share with you a few excerpts from my journal as I was reflecting on my trip two years ago: 

"Wow, I don’t even know where to begin. Every time I attempt to sit down and re-cap our journey to Costa Rica I am still brought to tears and stirred with strong affections for the relationships I was able to build, all of the work that God did, and the sight of His wondrous creation! We arrived in Costa Rica really late the first night...
I was a little nervous when we were told we’d be staying alone in a host home, but was highly relieved when the girl I would be staying with, Silvia, spoke very good English! I was welcomed with open arms by her parents (at 11:30 PM) with jugo de uva y galletas (grape juice and cookies). We talked a little bit (with Silvia as our translator because her parents spoke no English) and I felt myself feeling more and more at home with every passing minute. The biggest thing that I took away from the people in Costa Rica was their hospitality. I never felt like I was inconveniencing them at all. I went expecting to give, give, give to them, but ended up actually receiving, receiving, receiving.Every time I came “home”, Silvia’s mom had something new to give me. She called me her daughter and continually expressed how thankful she was to have me in her home. She cooked for me and even hand-washed my clothes without me asking! On my last night at the host home (we stayed three nights: the first, middle, and last nights) I truly felt like part of the family as we sat in the living room watching futbol, talking, laughing, and just hanging out in our pajamas. I have no doubt that if I ever went back to Costa Rica I would be welcomed, once again, with open arms by Silvia, Elisabeth, and Moises...
Even though Silvia spoke English the language barrier was still a significant obstacle to tackle. I couldn’t ask her to translate everything, so there were many times that I felt absolutely useless. I had nothing to contribute. After being a counselor at Pine Cove, intentionality has been drilled into my head. I wanted to make every moment with these girls intentional, but how could I do that though if the most I could say in Spanish was “hello” and “where’s the bathroom?”. Later I realized though, this was a lesson in humility. God didn’t need me to contribute anything but love, and that was all I had to give. It wasn’t my place to be the one building relationships with these girls because I am not the one that was going to be there the next week or year when they needed someone. That was Silvia’s place. I wasn’t sure what was being talked about in bible study, at meals, or at night before lights out, but I just had to trust that God was in every moment and was revealing exactly what He wanted to those girls." 

This is just a small glimpse into the huge lessons I learned from the people in Costa Rica through their incredible hospitality and overcoming the language barrier. The biggest take away that I am still applying to my life today, especially as we prepare to go back to Costa Rica, is that I will never have anything of real value to offer anyone apart from my Lord, Jesus Christ. Without Him, my words and actions truly are useless. Sometimes my pride allows me to think that there is something that I can do to help someone or that I need to always have something to offer. The bible talks a lot about love, but the few verses that come to mind for me are 1 John 4:7 and Matthew 22:37-39, which both talk about how love is from God and we are called to first love God and then love our neighbors as ourselves. I invite you to look these verses up for yourself and instead of striving each day to see what you can do or what you can offer someone, to simply put on love and seek to love and serve others out of the love you have received through Christ. That is what I will be praying that our team does as we spend 10 days with the people of Costa Rica!

Follow us on our adventure here: Timbers Take on Costa Rica!