"Blogger in progress"

I am a "blogger in progress"

I had planned on on blogging about five things about my week on Friday

I also had this grand plan on blogging every Monday, Wednesday, Friday

That has not happened

However, this morning I woke up to major rain in Arizona

I mean like record breaking rain fall

Schools cancelled, business closed

It is quite amusing to me, being from Seattle, that rain was the issue shutting down the city

But I also know that Arizona isn't as equipped as Seattle is to handle all the downfall

Nonetheless, the news told us to stay inside 

I couldnt resist a cuddling up with the sound of rain pouring down

It finally felt like a fall day and I truly felt at home 

So I decided to blog!

Here is my Five on Friday...or Monday 

1) Seattle Seahawks Thursday Night Football 

Can you say Superbowl bound... AGAIN!

I absolutely love my Seahawks and it was so fun to watch them even from Arizona

2) It is fall! 

Well, almost

Technically the first day of fall isnt until later this month

And it is 90 degrees outside

But nothing will stop me some putting up some decorations 

And light some yummy candles 

HERE is a fall post I wrote last year that shows the beauty of fall in Seattle

And another one HERE referencing His Grace and fall 

3) Will you be my bridesmaid?

One of my oldest and most cherished friends is getting married next July

She ask her bridesmaids in the most adorable way!

I am so honored and excited to be a part of her big day

Thank you Lisa!

4) Answered prayers

Do you ever feel like your prayers are not being heard?

I have been feeling like that lately

You see, I have BIG dreams and prayers that seem impossible

I know God is working on my behalf to answer those

Arizona was an answered prayer and stepping closer to those

But there is one prayer that I have been circling for almost three years now

Somedays are easier than others to keep the faith and hope

These Bible verses came at exactly the right time

Isn't that always how God works?

He reminded me that He hears every prayer

Every cry out, every praise

"For every one prayer, the Lord is working out 10,000 things on our behalf to make it happen"

- Christine Caine 

He hears

He knows

He will answer

5) Dreaming of Africa 

Something about maps and the world makes my heart giddy

My trip to Ethiopia only ignited my passion 

I hope that my life will forever be a life of giving and serving 

Excited to see where I can go next 

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First Guest Post!

Hey guys! I am so excited for my first guest post for Hudson and Emily! 

So much has happened in the last two months of my life

I went from leaving my job of 6 years in Seattle, which has been my home for 28 years, 

to traveling to Ethiopia and then God just threw in moving to Phoenix! 

My mom always said God has a sense of humor and I am finding that out everyday day

I am also discovering just how good and faithful God is every single day

________________________   

As I wake up everyday in Arizona, I still cant believe where life has taken me

This is my short story how my one “YES” to AdvoCare changed my life..

Read the rest of the post HERE 

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Lord, I Need You

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; 

let us shout aloud to salvation. 

Let us come before Him with Thanksgiving 

and extol Him with music and song."

Psalm 95:1-2

As we drove to dinner tonight, we decided to do something different

Usually we would chat about our day or so exhausted we wouldn't chat at all 

But tonight we played worship music 

I sat there listening to one of my favorites

"Lord, I Need You" by Matt Maher, my heart filled with joy

There is something about music that really gets me into worship

We haven't played worship music all week and my soul was longing for it

As we all started to sing, I could tell we needed this

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As I stared out the window into a world of dark brokenness 

Lord, I need you

As I saw the hundreds of people on the street who feel hopeless

Lord, I need you 

As I thought about all the children who were without homes, parents or love and the parents who gave up their children just to survive

Lord, I need you

As I thought about the people who came right up to our windows while we were driving in hopes of food

Lord, I need you

As I thought about those who were crippled, burned or beaten so badly wandering the streets

Lord, I need you

As I thought about the missionary couples who packed up their whole lives and children, took a leap of faith and built an organization here in Ethiopia

Lord, I need you

As I thought about how overwhelmingly broken, unjust, and corrupt our world is

Lord, I need you

I was exposed to a whole new level of brokenness this week

Every part of me was wrecked 

And just when I thought He was done, I saw something that wrecked me again

Lord I Need You

When I get back home I am not going to know how to process this

I am not going to understand why we live the way we do while others struggle

Lord, I need you

I will be going home to my place of comfort, my place with warm running water, electricity, a roof over my head and always food on my plate, while others struggle not only half way around the world but in my own city 

Lord, I need you

 I will be going home to share my experiences with my family and friends
How do I share in a way that accurately explains my feelings and emotions?

Lord, I need you

No one can take away what I saw this week
No one can take away the images of poverty or the hope I saw that the ministries gave
How do I balance my life in the midst of all that I have been given?
How do I live a life that glorifies Him?
What do I do now?
Lord, I need You

God wants us, not only to be healthy and whole, but He wants to use us to help other people be healthy and whole

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Lord, You have opened my eyes to a whole, big world

A world of brokenness but also so much beauty 

You have shown me that you can use anyone, anywhere for Your Glory

It is not where we live by how we live

As I head back to the comforts of home, help me not get so comfortable I miss the brokenness 
Continue to break my heart for what breaks Yours
Continue to push me into the uncomfortable because I have learned that is where Your true beauty and blessings will be shown
 Continue to open my eyes to your beauty
Now that I have seen more injustice and brokenness, help me to understand Your plan

You are not a God of confusion, but of clarity 

Help me to live with complete surrender to Your plan for me

Amen

Lord, I need You
By Matt Maher 

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Wherever you are...Make Your Mark

"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor,

the very thing I had been eager to do all along."

Galatians 2:10 

It is almost midnight here is Ethiopia

We just got back from a true Ethiopian dinner- with dancers and all!

It was a long, exhausting day so it was nice to sit down 

We ate, we chatted, we made new friends

I still cant comprehend that I am in Ethiopia, Africa

But then we leave to go to another organization and I remember 

I am around children who have been abandoned 

Children sold into labor because parents cant afford them

Children who dont know who their parents are

Children who dont know where they will sleep that night

Children who have no shoes, holes in their shirt, dirt on their faces
Children who dont know Jesus' love 
Children who dont know any love 

Children who are hungry and HIV positive 

I knew my heart was going to break 

And it did, it does and will continue 

However, I was not prepared for the overwhelming brokenness 

I see poverty worse than I ever imagined

The streets filled with mud, people, animals and trash

No movie, no story could ever prepare me for this

This was a breaking of the heart I was not expecting 

Today we went to an organization called Make Your Mark

MYM provides education, food and encouragement in an extremely poor areas in Ethiopia
A story of an American couple who take care of young boys off the street

They started in America and were later called to start MYM in Ethiopia

Today we painted and played card games with the boys - then Trent and Carmen shared their testimony  
I sat there in tears as they shared a story of God's salvation, Grace and Forgiveness
They way that God changed their lives and is now using them to change lives in Africa was inspiring

I look back at what God has done in my heart to get me here and it amazes me
But my love, my belief and my faith increased as I listened to their story and how God moved 

The best thing about Make Your Mark is everything they do points to Jesus
They share about His love, His grace, His forgiveness and redemption everyday 
That no amount of addiction can fill their voids or fear
I heard these boy's stories- Horrible stories on the street 
Is this really happening in the world? 
But after a couple months of being around shown protection, grace, forgiveness and love

After a couple months of being in Make Your Mark
These boys start to believe the Truth 
That no amount of darkness can chase away The Light
They still may be poor to our world's standards 
But they are joyful
They are being restored
They are feeling love, peace and grace 
They know Jesus is the only way, truth and life
Only God

God used Trent and Carmen's story not just to show me how BIG He is, 
but the fact that God can use anyone, anywhere for His Glory 
Carmen and Trent were called to Ethiopia to serve and impact lives
They knew that God had a specific plan for them in Africa

Not everyone is called to serve in Africa
Not everyone is called to start a non-profit
BUT

Everyone is called to serve, love and make an impact

Everyone is called to point others to Jesus- in the way we live, talk and act

Everyone is created for a specific purpose for His glory 
And we are all called to obey when He calls like Carmen and Trent

Wherever God calls you right now, Africa or right across the street from the comforts of home  

Make your mark on this BIG world we live in

I promise you when you say YES to God He shows up

He moves in ways we never imagined

He gives more than we ever imagined 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
Ephesians 3:20 

So, as I sit here in Ethiopia listening to the comforts of Chris Tomlin 

I still am unsure exactly what my purpose is for this trip

I am still uncomfortable being away from home

But I know God was expanding my world view

I know God was going to use my breaking heart

He is expanding my territory for His Glory 

He was placing children and women strongly on my heart

 I know He was placing Africa on my heart for a reason

Maybe God needed to send me across the world to remind me how big He is

He is a worldly God, not an American God 

Or maybe He needed me to be obedient and say Yes to Him
Whatever the purpose,  

He is showing me that the poor and least of these are not just in my neighborhood or in Africa

They are everywhere in this broken world 

No matter where we are in this world we are called to love
We are called to serve  

Serve the poor in money, poor in shelter, poor in love

Whatever it is, everyone in this world is poor without Jesus

To find out more or give to Make Your Mark click HERE

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Oh My Heart

"God never uses anyone greatly unless He tests them deeply."

A. W. Tozer 

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We made it

We finally made it!

My mom and I are just getting to bed after 20 hours of traveling

We are exhausted by every sense of the word but filled with excitement on what the next 9 days hold

I would write more but literally cant keep my eyes open

But I will say that driving down the streets tonight looking at the sights, the smells, the people, the culture

It still doesnt seem real

#Godisgood

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Therefore, GO

"Therefore, GO"

A command from God that used to make my stomach turn

When I was growing up I told my mom

"God would never send me to Africa, right?"
Then my stomach would go into knots

And that point in my life, I thought God's commandment sent everyone to Africa

I know now that is NOT the case

However, deep down I think Africa came into my mind because I knew I was going one day
Which made me even more mad at Him!
Why would He send me somewhere I didn't WANT to go!

Two years ago, I could not comprehend that our God is loving and compassionate

I could not comprehend that He would never force us to do anything 

He would change our hearts to eventually see that His plans are better

Which is exactly what He did with my heart 

From Enumclaw, WA

To Addis ababa, Ethiopia 

I still cant quite comprehend what is about to happen the next ten days
I do know we will be visiting a few charities that are doing amazing things
I know we will be immersed in the Ethiopian culture
... the bad, beautiful and the brokenness

I know I will see things that will break my heart 

I know there will be times I wont know what to do or say

There will be things I wont ever understand

But I also know I will see His beauty

 I will see His love shining through others 

I will see things that fill my heart with joy 

I know God will be present in everything 

All our donations are packed, my carry-on and airport outfit laid out
It still doesn't seem real
I am not anxious yet not quite perfect peace
But I am rested
I am being restored
I know I am changing for His purpose

I never thought I would get to this spot in my life where traveling would be my passion

Traveling to see Gods love in the world's brokenness

Traveling to see Gods beauty through His people

Traveling to experience rich culture, extreme poverty & extreme JOY despite poverty

My prayer is that I will forever be changed from these experiences

"A man's steps are directed by the Lord. 

How then can anyone understand his own way." 

Proverbs 20:24 

 I don't fully understand why this trip just yet, but I know there is a reason

Tonight I sit outside my parents house in small town USA Enumclaw, WA

Tomorrow I will be across the world to Ethiopia

Only God 

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My blessing is this. 

I know a God who loves the unlovable. 

I know a God who comforts the sorrowful. 

I know a God who gives hope to the hopeless. 

And I know a God who has planted this same power within me. 

Within all of us.

And for this blessing, may our response always be, "Use me."

- Scott Dannemiller 

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The Dream I Am Working On

 

 Remember when I wrote the dream of going to Africa someday?
I wrote about it HERE in January 2013
And again HERE April 2013

I didnt know who I was going with
Where I was going
Or how I would pay for it

It hasnt been without ups and downs
Plans not going the way I thought
My sister ended up pregnant and cant come
but now my mom is coming and I get another nephew!
Costs were more than we expected
But God found a way to help pay for Africa and more!

And I will tell you....
It has turned out just the way it is supposed to
And better than I imagined
Ephesians 3:20

There will be five women their five daughters going
My mom had everyone over for a dinner to dream more, pray more and attempt to plan
How do you prepare your heart you know will be completely wrecked?
How do you prepare when you know your worldviews will be turned upside down?
How do you prepare for something that is nothing you ever experienced?
You dont
You let God guide you, protect you and transform you
The way He wants

More details to come!
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"Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19

 

 

 

 

 

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow.

It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process

but God, who makes things grow."

1 Cor. 3:6

 

 

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight

Proverbs 3:5-6

 

 

 

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Infuse Your Dreams With Life

 "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for 

and assurance about what we do not see"

Hebrews 11:1

Traveling, giving/volunteering for charity, debt freedom and getting married
Get to name a few dreams of mine!

I am working on your behalf

Bring me all your concerns, including your dreams

Talk with Me about everything,

Letting the Light of My Presence shine on your hopes and plans

Spend time allowing My Light to infuse your dreams with life,

gradually transforming them into reality

-Jesus Calling 12/11

This is my vision board

I have never created on before

As I have said many times in this blog, the past two years have been one big dreamfest, if you will

Once I let the Lord take over my plans, He has placed me on a path I never imagine

Then came AdvoCare which has expanded my visions and I realized I need to dream bigger!

The best part is that through dreaming big and allowing the Lord to fill His purpose

He is also changing me in the process

Changing me for His glory 

Changing me or more of preparing me for those dreams...His plans

And when I really think about my dreams, like REALLY think about them

Would I be ready for them?

Am I ready for them?

You see, the Lord knows my dreams

He knows exactly which ones He will fulfill now 

There are some that I see Him gradually beginning the process

Then there are ones I have no idea how He will ever prepare me 

Those are the ones He knows I will need some more time to prepare

That is where faith comes in

Faith He knows

Faith that He is working on my behalf

Faith that spending time will increase my hope

Faith that He will infuse my dreams with life 

Faith is having confidence in what we hope for

Confidence the Him

Confidence in our dreams and visions

Assurance that even though we don't see the Lord,

"He is working things out for the good of those who live Him"

Faith is not thinking God can, but knowing He will

Speaking of dreams,

Remember my dreams of going to Africa?

Well, this is happening

No really, I will be going to Africa!

I am freaking out so excited and yet so scared all at once

We have dates set in June

Every detail of the trip just sounds simply amazing and divine

This is definitely something only the Lord could provide and orchestrate 

More to come later!

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Some things I have been up too lately!

Christensen family Christmas party!

We traditionally get together on Dec. 27th 

However my poor cousins are being swept away to Disneyland Christmas night so we got together on the 15th. It was a Sunday which means Seahawks were playing

My aunt made a nice brunch and we got to relax all morning, open presents and hangout with this little man

Annual roommate Christmas movie night and gift exchange

Gingerbread house making for the first time!

Can you guess which one I made? :)

Hike for a cure with this little one!

Emma Joy is the sweetest little gal and you would never know she has cystic Fibrous

We could not do the annual stair climb that raises funds for CF so we conquered Tiger Mountain

It was the most beautiful day out, perfect combination of cold and sun

I dont go hiking that much but this hike was so beautiful I might have found a new hobby!

Christmas list- Washington hiking Trails! :) 

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