Lauren Williamson - broken, yet chosen

i'm done! wait...maybe not?

Sat, 7 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

the beautiful K Squad at final debrief in Hua Hin, Thailand

Im done with the World Race.

Thats such a strange phrase to say. The past year of my life has centered around being a part of this community, this movement, this revolution. To say its over is hard to wrap my mind around most days.

Then again its not entirely true...

Yes, I have finished the August 2009 World Race! Praise the Lord! But my partnership with AIM and The World Race is far from over. I am so humbled and privileged to announce that I am going back out with the newest group of Racers in October 2010!

Some of you might be thinking, Wait, youre going through this craziness again?! Well yes, but not in the same way. Through much prayer and wise council, the Lord has led me to accept a position as a Squad Leader for the S Squad this fall!

Whats a Squad Leader?

Well, simply put the Squad Leader oversees the squad. Basic enough right? Well there is a bit more to it than that. Essentially, myself, along with 2 other (amazing) Race alumni go out with a new squad for their first 4 months on the field. We will be teaching from our own experiences what living by the Spirit and serving the nations wholeheartedly means. As a Squad Leader, I also keep in close contact with the AIM office and staff as well as meet with ministry contacts in the various countries. I also have the opportunity to love on this new group of Racers and be there to support them and encourage them in any way possible.

I am extremely excited to embark on this new journey. I have already had the great privilege of meeting the S Squad and am blown away by their hunger for the Holy Spirit and passion to bring light into the dark areas of the world and set the captives free!

the amazing S Squad, headed out in October!

I would love if youd continue or start this new journey with me. In order to Squad Lead, I am in need of around $8,000 to cover my costs while out on the field. This money will cover the 4 months I am with the Squad on the field, and also allow me to visit them twice throughout their Race (month 8 and month 11). I have no doubt the Lord will provide everything I need because He has specifically chosen me for this position and this time! I am so excited to see how He does it!

If you are interested in partnering with me financially, just click the Click here to support me link on the left. Unable to give in that way? No problem; I would be honored if you would walk alongside me through prayer as well. If you would like to receive prayer requests throughout the trip, just click the Contact link on the left and be sure to include an email address and the words prayer partner in the email somewhere.

Thank you, thank you and thank you again for your continual support and prayers over the last year. There is no way I would be able to follow the Lord so passionately and persistently without you.

what's in a name? (ksquad ed.)

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The last few years the Lord has been teaching me about identity. Its something we all have to process through at some point in our lives. Who am I? Who do I want to be? Who does God say that I am? While I was in Zambia God taught me so much about the power of names and the effect they can have on each of us. (Read about that more here) And then when I researched what my own name meant I drew so much power and strength from it that I wanted everyone else to experience it as well with their own name.
I originally started working on this for a Christmas present for the Squad, but then there was the technology ban and Africa so it kept being pushed to the side. God has blessed me with time this month, our last month, to finish it for you guys, my family for the past year. Its just a small gift for each of you, letting you know how much I love you, and how wonderfully your names identify you as mighty men and women of God.

Amanda Jane
Amanda means loveable; Jane can mean gracious or merciful.
I dont think there could ever be a more fitting name for you! It is so easy to love you and you have an ability to make others feel loved as well. And your ability to make others feel loved comes from your willingness to serve and give whatever you can. And I love that you believe youre loveable. Thats something Ive seen you grown in over the past year. But you havent just believed it more. I feel like there is a direct correlation between the love you experience from the Father and the love you show to the people surrounding you. You just cant keep it to yourself and have to share His love with others. Keep giving and keep drowning in his love for you, Amanda.

Andrea Hope
Andrea means warrior, brave, virile; Hope means trust, faith, expectation, belief.
Andrea you are a warrior. I feel like you could stand up next to just about anything and have the faith and determination to persevere. Like David facing Goliath, you know that the simplest weapons will always result in victory. Your faith is something to be rivaled by most believers and the faith you have brings so many people hope. For you it never seems to a matter of if, but a matter of when; you know He is faithful until the end. It has encouraged me countless times on the Race and Hes going to continue to use you to increase peoples faith for the rest of your life.

April Lynn
April means to open (budding in the spring); Lynn can mean lake, waterfall, or pretty.
Ive seen you blossom on the Race so beautifully April! Like the beginning of spring, you bring life to those around you. No one can be around you for more than 5 minutes without being uplifted by your lightheartedness and your free spirit. It flows freely in everything you do. Thanks for bringing me so much joy and life every time I was with you. You spread the joy of the Lord so effortlessly and I hope you know how wonderful that gift truly is. God continually uses you to breathe life into His children and wants to continue to use you to set countless people free.

Ashley Janell
Ashley can mean ash meadow, power, sacrifice, or sensitivity; Janell means God is gracious or gracious.
An interesting thing about ash trees is that theyre known for their suppleness and flexibility. The Lord has given you so many gifts and so many opportunities already. With everything youve struggled through, He has prepared you for just about anything. I think that means Hes going to use you in so many different ways over the years. Hes going to continue strengthening you in the gifts youre already aware of, but Hes also going to reveal to you even more that youre capable of. The grace that He has abundantly covered you with is so evident in the way you interact with those around you. You love people so effortlessly sometimes I feel like Im getting a first-hand viewing of how God showers His love upon us. Hes got big things for you Higgs.

Ashley Brooke
Ashley can mean ash meadow, power, sacrifice, or sensitivity; Brooke means water, small stream
You are so refreshing to people. Ashley, I dont know if I have ever been around you without a huge grin on my face. You rejoice in the life God has given you and invigorate the people around you to take another look at what they have been blessed with and see the good in that. When I read that your name means water or stream, for some reason I pictured you dumping a huge bucket of ice water on yourself and running around dancing. Haha and I love that thats something youd actually do! You make people want to be themselves and help them love who God created them to be, Your ability to empathize with people is unparalleled and your heart for people is so big I know that it has to be the love of God pouring out of you.

Bambi Nicole
Bambi means little girl or child; Nicole means people of victory
Your name is one of my favorites, Bambs. Its almost like you have two sides to you. First theres this one that exhibits mercy to those who need the love of God. Seeing the Lord break your heart for the people of this world is one of the most beautiful transformations Ive seen. Any time you felt broken I could just picture you curled up in the lap of your Abba, your Dad, weeping as He just held you close to his chest and caressed your hair. But if youve ever exhibited anything, its power. I hope you know that. You are a leader, without a doubt, and wherever that leads you, victory will follow in tow. You demand people stop living for the world and start living for the Lord and you do anything you can to get them to a place of holy submission to their Father. Thanks for pushing me, and loving me the entire way.

Bethany Michelle
Bethany means house of figs; Michelle means who resembles God
If anyones name should mean a fruit, its you. You are a great example to me of a faithful farmer, continually planting the seed and reaping the harvest. Every minute you spend with God is not just to fulfill some quota or make you feel like a better Christian; you take what He reveals to you and teaches you and directly put it into practice. I dont even recognize you from the beginning of the Race. You have been transformed because you were never afraid to obey when He called. You truly resemble God, Bethany, and your face radiates like His with the joy and love Hes poured out on you throughout the Race.

Birkleigh Dawn
Birkleigh means birch tree meadow; Dawn is the first appearance of light, daybreak.
Want to know something cool about birch trees? Well their name actually comes from a combination of German and Proto-Indo-European roots that mean white, bright, or to shine. Along with your middle name, I think this perfectly identifies you. You are a pure, white as snow, daughter of the King, washed clean by His Sons blood. And through this transformation of cleansing and refining, the Lord has polished you up so brightly that you cant help it: you shine all the time. Even when surrounded by darkness, youre still beaming, a beacon of freedom to those lost in the shadows.

Casey Brennan
Casey means alert, watchful; Brennan means teardrop
Your name illustrates the two-fold strengths that God has given you. You are always on the look out, to protect those around you, but also for ways to serve other people. You notice things that need to be done and do them without being asked and expecting nothing in return. But you also have an ability to empathize with people that is most obvious when you pray for someones healing. And you trust what your heart is telling you and have the faith to make miracles happen. I think thats why God continues to use you to heal people, Case. He sees your faith and He sees your heart for them. He sees the way you love the people you pray for and so desperately want to see them healed. Hes going to keep using you too. I really think the Race was just the beginning, Phase 1, just the activation of this thick anointing upon your hands. Keep an eye out for who Hes calling you to pray for and the next steps Hes asking you and Erin to take. I think theyre going to be more like leaps than steps. But if anyone has the energy and passion to leap into the unfamiliar full force, its you and your wife.

Daina Maria
Daina means folk song or God is my judge; Maria means star of the sea
Daina youre a song! And a star! You are not even remotely a resemblance to the person you were 11 months ago. Gods love and continual pursuit of your heart has left you a shining beacon in the night sky. You exhibit freedom and the transforming power of Gods truths with every word you speak. And every song you sing. Your new passion for worship is just one essence of the transformation that has occurred in you this year. You are a powerful and mighty woman of God that the Lord has redeemed and appointed to do good works in His name. The way you love people is just one of the many ways that you are Christ to the rest of the world. But you love in a way that most people cant even comprehend, let alone walk in. Thanks for always loving me and walking with me (sometimes even carrying me) into new realms of freedom.

Danielle Madeline
Danielle means God is my judge; Madeline means woman from Magdala
So Magdala is technically a location. But the locations name came from two words, an Aramaic one meaning elegant, great, or magnificent and a Hebrew one meaning tower. Magdala was also the name of a high stronghold in Ethiopia. These fit you so wonderfully Danielle. You are such a woman of strength and perseverance. You rightfully fear the Lord and stand firm in your foundation of His ending love for you. And your beauty and elegance are a testament to the fact that you are royalty, a daughter of the King of Kings. You always make those around you feel better about themselves and I just always feel so beautiful after spending time with you. Your confidence is contagious and so is your joy :)

David Benjamin
David means beloved; Benjamin means son of the right hand, son of the south, or son of my old age
Its almost not fair how cool your name is! You are the Beloved One, David. The son of God. Our squad is where we are now because of you. Your faith in who your Dad is and your refusal to settle pushed each and every person to new levels of faith and created an atmosphere allowing miracles to happen. You are a shining example of a Man of God and raise the bar for the men on our squad to step out over and over again and walk in their identities as sons of God as well.

Denise Janell
Denise means follower of Dionysus; Janell means God is gracious or gracious.
Ok when I first read this I thought it was funny that your name references a Greek God. But when I looked up who Dionysus was I rejoiced at how fitting it is to you! It was believed that Dionysus was the god who inspires joyful worship, ecstasy, and celebration. It also said that Dionysus was typically the god of the epiphany, "the god that comes". He was also known as the Liberator. The divine mission of Dionysus was to use music to bring an end to care and worry. How neat is that! Your free spirit and joy ooze out of every piece of you and out of everything you do. And your passion to worship God is such a huge part of who you are and your relationship with the Lord. And your generosity, willingness to serve others, and power to heal wounds is a bright shining example to me of the grace of God. (Oh and just a side note, Dionysus is also the god of fertilityjust saying!)

Dez (Desiree) Lyssa
Desiree means much desired; Lyssa means noble, exalted, rational, Gods promise, God is my oath, cheerful, lighthearted, or exalted nature
Dez-O! I love that your name means so many different things! God has given you an energy and passion that has taken you in so many different areas and revealed that you are gifted in so many different ways. God desires you Dez. In every way, God wants all of you. You are exalted as a royal daughter of the King, clothed in purple and crowned with unending promises for a future and a hope. He has so many plans for you and you have so much potential I cant even begin to describe it to you. Through your music, you shift peoples hearts into where they should be: tender toward the Lord and in a state of worship. And your love for people brings so much joy and you continually lighten my heart. Anytime I hear you laugh, I cant help but laugh too! You have grown into such a strong woman of God this year and I cant wait to see whats next for you!

Drea (Andrea) Marie
Andrea means warrior, brave, or virile; Marie means star of the sea
I should have guessed that your name would mean warrior. You have claimed your identity as a mighty woman of God this year. As the thief was trying to grad hold of you, you walked straight into the pits of hell and took back your freedom directly from his deceitful hands. You refused to let him have control anymore. But then you went a step further and took the freedom you gained and surrendered it straight back up to God. Wow. To be honest, sometimes Im intimidated by you. You are fearless and have a boldness in stepping out that makes darkness flee before you. You are unique and He has unique plans for you, Drea. I like the star of the sea image too. I keep thinking that a star is supposed to be high above in the heavens, but this ones not. You are a chunk of heaven in the raging waters, determined to calm the sea and bring more heaven down here in any way you can. Get. It.

Elizabeth Pendleton
Elizabeth means Gods promise or God is my oath; Pendleton is an overhanging settlement or the town at the head of the valley
Okay so Pendleton really made this whole thing difficult. Haha. But I cant help but appreciate the imagery of it. Your name just emanates this feeling of strength to me. Elizabeth Pendleton Bureman. Strength in Gods Promise. Strength as the head, the structure that people look towards to derive hope. You are a strong woman Liz, and with your bosom of comfort you have a remarkable ability to calm the hearts of those seeking peace. I would need ten more hands to count out how many times youve just allowed me to cry on you. Especially this last month, just your presence gave me comfort. You bring me peace. I love that you love who you are and walk in faith of the oaths God has made with you. He has authored your faith and is perfecting it more and more every single day. Your firm footing draws people to you and you do an amazing job of loving people just as they are. I feel better about myself when Im around you because you love so much like I think God loves. Accepting and always wiling to let someone rest their head upon you.

Erin Janett
Erin means from Ireland or peace; Janett means God is gracious
Do you remember in Ireland how easy it was to find peace? I felt like when I was there, all I had to do was look at the greenness of it all and my soul would settle down and rest. Or at Giants Causeway, the way that it all seemed so big and yet it fit. There was a serenity in that place. I think thats the same feeling you give a lot of people. You have this uncontrollable energy that gives you a passion for life unrivaled by anyone I know (with the possible exception of your husband). But as crazy as you guys can be, you have this ability to calm peoples spirits. Whether you are just talking with them or praying with them, you let people know that you care and youre right there fighting with them. And your middle name just confirms that you and Case will get all you need for the Race and that your Provider will take of you for the rest of your days. Wherever He calls you, Hes excited to show you how well He can provide for you and how big of a Provider He really is. This is just the beginning.

George Myles
George means farmer; Myles means soldier, merciful, or easy to please
Texas boys name had to mean farmer. Haha your name is so descriptive of your strength and yet your vulnerability. You have a way of pushing people to the next level and demanding that they embrace who God created them to be. But you also have a gift to make people feel loved. You are so intentional with people and have the ability to really empathize with what theyre feeling. You can make people feel loved just by saying Good Morning or giving them an impromptu hug. But there is no way youre letting any of us settle for anything less than the plans God has for us. Thanks for that. And you are actively sowing the seeds and reaping the harvest. You might need to start wearing your plaid shirt more often, to truly fit the part, but God has so many more seeds for you to plant and so much more harvesting to take part in.

Grant Kurtis
Grant means tall, big, great, or grand; Kurtis means courtier
You have a presence about you, especially when you worship. Its like you just left the throne room of God. Your face radiates and you reek of the fragrance of God. You walk with your head held high, confident in your identity as a son of God. And you worship with a confidence that God will meet with you and your praise will fall upon His ears, bringing Him glory. And your heart to bring others with you into Gods presence is such a beautiful thing to witness. You have the heart of a servant and its humbling to be around you. The love you pour out on people is so much like the woman who poured her entire bottle of perfume on Jesus feet. She wasnt ashamed of her actions because she was honoring her King through them. Youre not afraid to love people just as they are and youre not afraid to pour all of yourself out because you know that it is pleasing in the eyes of God. Hes going to continue using your gift for worship for long time for a wide array of people. He wants to use you to usher more and more of His children into His presence and lead more and more people into His Kingdom.

Heather Elaine
Heather means flowering bush or upper class aura; Elaine means sunray or shining light
Youre a flowering bush! How pretty! The cool thing about Heather bushes is that theyre evergreens and that typically they grow in less than accommodating environments. Youre roots in the Word are so deep. You have so much wisdom. This past year you have blossomed and bloomed, further conquering the elements of darkness that the enemy has persecuted you with. Youre not walking away from the Race the same person. Youve demanded more and the Lord has fulfilled that in you. And the passions the Lord has instilled in you radiate throughout your life. Ministry isnt a 9-5, when are we done, thing for you. You give your all to whomever youre with and I was left standing in awe almost every day by your endless passion to love people and to pursue them. Where as so many people are distracted by apathy and the hustle and bustle of the world, you know that there is nothing more important than loving people. You are a shining light to everyone around you of true pursuit and the unending love of God.

Heather Lorraine
Heather means flowering bush or upper class aura; Lorraine means from Lorraine (a province in France)
Theres something about Heather bushes that immediately caught my attention for you. Did you know that heather bushes usually sprout up in harsh and barren land? Yep. And that when they finally bloom they usually bud flowers that are in shades of purple? Yep yep. And that theyre an evergreen? I see so much parallel in this with you. You have taken a Race that started out hard and broke you down and transformed it into an opportunity for you to blossom into a beautiful woman of God. You are claiming your identity as the Beloved of God and as heavenly royalty. And now that you have broken through, there is NO way you are ever going back! This race has just been the first tiny step on a life-long path of glory and righteousness. I think you are going to play huge roles in young womens lives in the future, walking them through similar transformation processes, leading them into magnificent freedom just like youve experienced. You are so beautiful and I am so thankful to have had you loving on me so endlessly.

Hollis Carling
Hollis means near the holly bushes or dweller at the holly trees; Carling means little champion
And interesting fact about holly bushes is that in the winter the berries are hard and unable to be eaten. But after being frozen, the berries soften and become milder in taste. I cant help but find so much symbolism in that. There are pieces of you still unable to be consumed by the Lord. But its through struggles and perseverance in times where you might feel like youre freezing and alone, that fruit comes out. You can produce fruit all day long, but the fruit that goes through the storm and comes out able to be consumed by others and able to nourish others, is the fruit of a plant whose roots are deeply grounded in the Lord. Another cool thing is that during winter storms, birds often take refuge in hollies, which provide shelter, protection, and food. I know Im not the only one, but I could not have done this Race without you Hollis. You were always a shelter from the storms going on. You were always someone I could go to for protection and to be fed and lifted up. Holly is also used to symbolize truth, something you are powerful in proclaiming. Your friendship and your encouragement is a true gift and I am so humbled to have received it this year.

Jennifer Lee
Jennifer means fair one; Lee means pasture or meadow
Ever since I discovered this is what your name means, I cant hear the word fair and not think of you. Theres a song I listen to a lot lately (Do you know the way you move me, by Cory Asbury) and its just God speaking over His Beloved. Throughout the whole song he frequently says Youre my Fair One and it always makes me think of you. You have so much anointing over your life, Jenn. I half-expect you to be walking around looking like youve been dunked in a vat of oil, because of the thick anointing He has upon you. Ive always admired the way you walk confidently in your identity as the Bride of Christ. You trust in who He says you are and who He has created you to be, and you refuse to give in to any lie the enemy throws at you. You exude power and boldness and yet you embrace your femininity and what defines you as a woman. You have a mighty elegance. Youre like Eowyn in Lord of the Rings (sorry I tried not to be dorky, but I can only last for so long): a beautiful maiden who could have lived a good life doing her duties and going on with life the way its always been lived. But you refused to settle and demanded not just a good life, but a spectacular life filled with the promises of God. And He sees everything you have sacrificed and your obedience and has abundant rewards and treasures set aside specifically for you.

Joel Keith
Joel means Jehovah is the Lord; Keith means woodland or forest
There is a lot of strength in your name, Joel. Like a forest of ancient trees, firmly rooted in the ground, unshakable to the elements after all the trials theyve already been through over the years. And the deep roots just continue to spread as the days go on. Your feet are firmly planted now and God wants nothing more than for you to proclaim who He is. You have a gift to teach and to preach and He wants you to use the voice that He has given you to announce to His children that He is Lord over their lives. You are strong and as long as you are rooted in the Truth of Gods Word youll continue growing and go from a single tree to being completely surrounded by the fruit of your words.

Joseph Harold
Joseph means Jehovah increases; Harold means army ruler or one who proclaims
I dont think its any secret that your words are powerful, Joe Bunting. And as much as we pick on you for your middle name, it just further identifies you as a man of God who has a gift for proclamation. I cant help but think of the parable of the talents. The servants were each given their share and the ones that multiplied it, the ones that used the gift that had been given to them, were entrusted with even more when the master saw the fruit of their labor. Your potential is unlimited when it comes to the effect you will have on this world for the Kingdom of God if you just continue to use your gift and grow in it. And through your obedience to the Father, His kingdom will grow and His presence on this earth will increase because of your confidence in your gifts and the practice of proclaiming from the rooftops who your God is.

Julia
Julia means youthful, beautiful, or vivacious
Youre vivacious Julia! I love your energy and your heart to serve those around you. I feel like any conversation Ive had with you, Ive left feeling encouraged and lifted up. And anytime I think of you I automatically picture you with a smile on your face, laughing. You have a joy that is contagious to the people around you, whether its the squad or the people youre serving. God continually uses you to speak life into those around you and energize those you come in contact with. You are filled with the joy of God and I love that you couldnt even contain it if you tried. The trust you have in your identity as a woman of God is something to be rivaled and it carries over to the way you speak and the way you love every single person around you. Thanks for letting me experience the joy of the Lord through you.

Kathleen Elizabeth
Kathleen means pure; Elizabeth means Gods promise or God is my oath
One of my favorite things about you, Katie, is your belief and faith in the promises God has made to you. I love that you continually proclaim, I will raise the dead! Its not an if for you. So many people would be afraid to embrace that calling or shy away from confessing it to people. But not you! You grab hold of His will for you and refuse to let go. And its because of that that God is going to rain down infinite blessings down upon you. Not just now, but throughout your life, God is going to make your jaw drop to the floor because of the way He showers His favor upon you.

Kristin Holland
Kristin means anointed or Christian; Holland means ridge land
Its laid out so simply in your name: You are anointed by God to go out and bring joy to the nations, Through your spirit and energy, people can actually feel the presence of God around them. You make people feel loved too, just through your inclusion of everyone around you. And you are so excited to serve! I loved getting to serve with you in Kenya and in Vietnam because you were always pumped and thankful that you were getting another chance to serve people. There is no way that God has given you this energy to live a normal life. Sorry! But God has called you to pursue something bigger and something greater that only you can fulfill. So keep pushing through and keep dancing around, rejoicing in who God created you to be and the plans He has for you!

Lauren Ashley
Lauren means laurel plant, victory, praise, honor, glory, or scholarship; Ashley means ash meadow, power, sacrifice, or sensitivity
This one is one of my favorites for obvious reasons and I love that I share this with you sweet sister! Growing up I thought our name just meant victorious. That alone is extremely empowering, but I also knew that it referenced the Laurel tree. Turns out Laurel trees are so unique that they cant actually be classified among other species/classes of plants. Theyve stumped scientists for years and theres just no one place to put them. Thats so cool that Ashley can also mean flexibility, Its almost as if God is declaring you as a woman of immeasurable reach and He is going to call you to serve Him in a wide-variety of areas. You have come so far and have such a wide array of giftings that Im afraid to even ask God what your future holds for fear of my head exploding from Him revealing even a small portion of it. He is going to use you to reach people of every past, every nationality, and every religion. He has entrusted you with much, but He has given you everything you need to succeed. Another cool thing about Laurels is that a high content of oils are found in them and that oil is used in spices and fragrances. By nature of your identity, you are so anointed you drip oil from your fingertips and reek of the Throne Room. I think the dwelling of God smells like you, Lauren. Continue to meet Him there and spread his fragrance to those around you.

Leize Marie
Leize means widespread hydronymic (has to do with names of bodies of water) root meaning pit, ravine, or cave, possibly found at the beginning of a river; Marie means star of the sea
I think you have the most unique one on here :) But I love that both of these have to do with water. You have an uncanny gift for livening up situations and spinning just about anything into a good situation. Your positivity is something that can only come from security in the Lord, which is something I see in you almost every single day that Im with you. You treasure your time with the Lord and give Him your first fruits which is something many people hesitate to do or dont do all together. And He is rewarding you for that. The joy you possess is just one of the signs of the transformation God has done in you this year, Hes set you ablaze and instilled in you a lightheartedness that spreads to whoever youre around. You shine brightly among a crowd, like a rose among the thorns, noticeable because of the beautiful grin plastered on your face and that laugh that gets everyone around you laughing. Youre refreshing to be around and wash over people with newfound appreciation for the good. I love being around you, Leize and always look forward to laughing with you.

Lindsay Michelle
Lindsay means Lincolns marsh or island of linden trees; Michelle means who resembles God
I dont know what Lincolns Marsh means, but I did look up what Linden trees are all about. Linden trees are really cool because of 3 things. 1) You can tell the difference between a young tree and a mature one because as they mature they develop a rounded crown. Thats cool. 2) The leaves of the Linden tree are heart-shaped. Awesome. And 3) the yellow flowers on the tree are distinguished by their pervading fragrance. Sweet! I think the fragrance was my favorite part. One source even said that the flowers scent will completely permeate any room you try to put them in. Kind of like you, Linds. There is no way anything can ever contain you from oozing the fragrance of the Lord. You are absolutely remarkable. I can remember times on the Race where you were down for the count, feeling defeated and conquered, and even in those moments, you smelled of the sweetness of God. Even in your hardest moments, you managed to teach me something, even if I just happened to be in the same room. I dont think its possible for anyone to be around you and not experience a divine scent flooding their senses. You are an example to so many women on our squad and if I mange to smell of the Lord even half as much as you do I will praise God and consider myself blessed by the Lord.

Madeline Celeste
Madeline means woman from Magdala; Celeste means heavenly
So I discovered that Magdala was the name of a high stronghold in Ethiopia. Also that the name actually comes form a Aramaic word meaning great or magnificent, and a Hebrew word meaning tower. I love that your name refers to both heaven and earth. The foundation of towers and strongholds has to be firm. If not, then everything else built upon the cornerstone will come tumbling down at the first attack from the enemy. Its because of your firm foundation that God has been able to build you into a great tower, stretching from the earth up into the heavens. Its through the firm planting of your feet that you are able to reach up into the heavenly kingdom of God and be a connection to it for others in the world.

Martha Ellen
Martha means lady or mistress of the house; Ellen means sunray or shining light
I just picture you running around taking care of everyone right now. The needs of the people around you always take precedence over your own. You are selfless and a servant of God is such a beautiful way, Martha. Your gift of mercy moves my heart so much just being around you when youre loving on someone. And your growing passion for worship is so magnificent to witness. When you sing to the Lord I feel like theres a shift in the spiritual atmosphere. Its almost as if everything stops and all attention is directed toward you, and therefore toward your God, in that moment. Your voice is so sincere and there is a sweetness to your music. It drips of honey. You have become a woman of God with a heart that can barely be contained within your chest. Oh and its so beautiful to behold.

Matthew Christopher
Matthew means gift of the Lord; Christopher means bearing Christ inside
The power in your name is tangible. You are a gift to God but He has also presented you to the world as His gift to them. He has transformed you this year, molding you into a man of God, fierce for the battle being waged. Every time I see you I dont even recognize you. Its like youre Moses and youve just seen God -- your appearance is changed because of the powerful encounter. The Christ in you is breaking through more and more. As you continue to rip away worldly flesh, the more the Christ in you will be evident to the world and the brighter you will shine as a light to them. I keep picturing you being surrounded by a crowd wearing sunglasses. The light you radiate will be too much for people to set their earthly eyes on, forcing them to wear sunglasses anytime theyre around you. Your time has come, Matt, so arise and shine brightly!

Michael Anthony
Michael means who resembles God; Anthony means flourishing or priceless
You are our leader, and you are a servant to this entire squad Michael Murphy. You have reached new heights on this Race and have created entire new mountains. I honestly dont think that our squad would have experienced this much growth without you pushing us the entire way. God has given you a gift of being able to see the potential in someone and nudging them along until they get to where the Lord wants to see them. But you have this way of loving people and a strength that almost makes it easier to reach that potential. I feel like you pushed us and demanded more of us, but it was never in a way that hurt or forced us to be someone that were not. The way you love and the way you lead is so much like what I think God is like. Loving us just as we are, but knowing that we were created for so much more and striving to transform us so that we reach or fullest potential as children of God. Thank you for every encouragement, every hard talk, and every hug Mike.

Paul Brian
Paul means small or humble; Brian means high, noble or strength
Dont worry, I looked up Paulo too, but it was the same meaning :) Your name is descriptive of your passion and strength, but also your heart for serving those around you and the humility you posses with your gifts. You really are one of the people that truly exemplify humility and service to me on the Race, Paul. Being on your team has taught me so much, but one of the most important things is that leadership is all about serving. Leading from your knees is something you do so well, and I know that the only way anyone can find the strength to do that is from intimacy with the Father. I am so proud of the man of God you have become on this trip and just hear God speaking promise after promise over you. He is so proud of you, brother, and has so many gifts He is starting to pour out upon you. Get ready for some abundant blessing to fall upon you because its coming soon! I cant wait to see how He continues to use your leadership and your strength to further His Kingdom.

Ralph Daniel
Ralph means wolf counsel or crafty; Daniel means God is my judge
You have a lot of wisdom Ralph. He has gifted you with an ability to understand His Truths and teach them to others. And He wants to continue to use you to teach others the things the He Himself has taught you. He wants to use you to lead more and more of His children into freedom through the Truths in the Word. The biggest weapon we have against the enemy is the Truth He has given us to put our faith in. He is entrusting you with much, fully confident that you will walk boldly out into the world, head held high as a son of the Most High God and tell all who He is and the promises He has made. The army of God needs your wisdom and your ability to strategize against the enemy. Through your leadership, the darkness that has hovered over the earth for so long will be lifted and as the clouds part, the face of God will be shining down upon you as He proclaims, This is my son who I love, with whom I am well pleased.

Stacy Anastasia
Stacy means resurrection; Anastasia also means resurrection.
I love that you have the same name twice. Just one example of how unique you are and how intricately and individually He crafted you. And if you could have any name twice, could you pick one more powerful than one that means Resurrection? Whew. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. I think its because God has raised you from the dead and now Hes using you to do the same to just about every single person around you. Youve got one heck of a calling, woman of God. And I am sitting here completely at a loss for words for how to describe to you what I feel the Lord telling me about you. Its like a little kid when they get home from a really exciting day of school or theyre really proud of something they did: they just cant wait to tell you all about it and cant stop once theyve started talking. God is so proud of you. You have rightfully claimed your identity as the Beloved, as a Queen, and are clothed in purple with a crown upon your head. You define the love of God to me on a daily basis and I dont think there is anyway I can ever thank the Lord enough for letting me spend an entire year with one of His most treasured daughters. You make my Race better every day and continue to make me a better person just by being around you.

Tamica Rene
Tamica means sweet, wild, or abundant child; Rene means reborn or peace
This all started with you. I remember back in Ireland that you said once that you didnt know what your name meant. That night I researched it and loved how wonderfully your name depicted you. You have a sweetness to you that can only be attributed to divine influence. When you talk to people, its so evident that you care, that you are earnestly desiring to know their heart so you can serve them in the best way they can be served. And then theres your wild side. Youre not afraid to be who you are and have so much fun embracing your identity and how God made you. You are His abundant child. Reborn and swimming in the abundance of His grace and His love. God has revolutionized your life this year and I love that it can be seen in every thing you do and every word you speak. You even walk differently than you did at the beginning of this crazy adventure. You know who you are and rejoice in the beautiful, strong, anointed woman God designed you to be.

Timothy Lee
Timothy means Gods honor; Lee means pasture or meadow
The pride God has when He thinks of you is right there in your name. He cant help but think of you because you are the pride of His Kingdom, His treasured son. Your boldness with the gospel and your passion to love the people of this world is something so uncommon and is such a testament to the love the God himself has poured out upon you throughout your life. You have a faith and strength that comes from being so rooted in the Truth that the enemy is at a loss for how to tear you down anymore. Continue to stand firm, brother, and know that you are so adored by your Father. He cant help but shine upon you, smiling, and proclaiming, that ones Mine. You bring pride to the heart of God and honor to His holy name,

Whitney Nicole
Whitney means white island; Nicole means people of victory
Ok I think yours might be my favorite. The imagery of a white island just blows me away. The purity of it. The idea that its different, its unique. The fact that there must be something specific it was designed for. The delicateness of what it must be composed of. The regality of the inhabitants that are dwelling upon it. The imagery of it popping out on a map or a picture in comparison to the dark waters surrounding it. It makes me think of it as a shelter in the storm too. Like lost sailors are blessed to fall upon you when the waters are raging. I know for me, this is way too true. If theres anyone I could not have done this race without, its you. You always understood and always just let me be myself, something I appreciate maybe more than anything else. And I love that the name youve actually chosen to be identified with is filled with power. Victory. And not just victory, but people of victory. Its like a foreshadowing of the impact you are going to have on so many peoples lives. That you wont ever settle to be the only one walking in the glory you were created to dwell in, but that you demand that everyone else follow suit and youre going to do whatever it is you have to do to get them there. I love the duality of it. Serene, unique, independent white island but powerful leader of a nation of victory. Wowza, you might want to buckle your spiritual seatbelt for what Gods got in store for you.

Ksquad, Ill never be the same for knowing you. I love you.

The Great Wall of Chaiyaphum

Thu, 13 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

As we entered Asia I didn't know what to expect. Honestly I had never felt called to Asia and had never really thought much about it so it wasn't that I had bad expectations; I just didn't have any at all.

Asia started with a Debrief in Hua Hin, Thailand. Somehow as Racers we managed to be put up in a hotel. Yep, a hotel with beds and air conditioning. After a few days of adjusting to a new continent, a new culture, and new people, we set out to our separate towns.

We arrived during the Thai New Year which is a nation-wide water fight!

April was a time when the men head out into the wild to do whatever it is that men do. They call it "man-istry". So with our brothers off hunting wild animals and getting battle wounds, the women of the squad were separated into teams based on what type of ministry we felt the Lord calling us to.

My Team:

-Bambi Bigley

-Heather Dodge

-Heather Reed

-April Wright

-Yours truly

The Mission:

Serve at an orphange

The Location:

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

The Contacts:

-Ram, our translator (who is 3 months pregnant!) and main contact

-Nan, Ram's husband and our comic relief; master of building and fixing just about anything.

-Ma, Ram's mom who could always make me smile

-Pa, Ram's dad who is the most youthful, agile old man I've ever met

-Oi, Ram's 19 year-old neice who came in from a nearby town just to spend time with us

-Teo, a friend of Oi's who came with her and who has the ability to dominate everyone at UNO

The Reality Check:

As it turns out, Chaiyaphum actually doesn't have an orphange. We discovered the miscommunication on arriving to our contact's home. At first we were a little disappointed that our month of pouring into kids was all an illusion, but then we were excited at what the Lord must have in store for us. He called each one of us to that location through our love of kids, but had something completely different prepared. So instead of working at an orphanage, we did the next best thing: construction.

The [Revised] Mission:

-Building a saala

-Saala: outdoor structure resembeling a hut composed of bamboo, wood, and grass

-Mixing concrete

-Building a stone wall

-Teaching English camp

-Cell group and Church activities

-Pouring into our contacts and the community

-Evangelism

Our time in Chaiyaphum wasn't anything like we expected, but the Lord still used us in amazing ways. The month was short due to traveling and other unexpected circumstances, but filled with hard work and community. The family there completely welcomed us into their home and for the first time on the Race I truly felt like I was a part of a family, complete with Ma and Pa. And through lots conversations and crazy games of UNO, the five of us were blessed with a new home on the other side of the world.

Fun facts:

-Chaiyaphum is a small town so our big weekly adventure was the whole family piling into the back of a pickup truck and driving 45 minutes to Big C, the closest supermarket.

-One of the first days we were there we attened a Buddhist funeral. There were 92 monks in attendance because the woman who had passed away was 92 years old.

-We were given football (soccer) jerseys to work in so we got to match every single day.

-We were up every morning by 5:30am so we could start working before it got too hot.

-My name sounds almost exactly like the Thai word for "kidding" or "joking" which is extremely appropriate.

-The hottest temperature we saw our thermostat hit was 115*F.

Buddhist funeral

Although our month was nothing like we expected, it ended up being one of our favorite places so far. Chaiyaphum set the bar high, even without an orphanage, so I can't wait to see what else God has in store for these last 2 months in Asia.

And just for the record, never challenge a Thai person to UNO unless you are prepared for an epic beating.

50 Last Days

Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

50 days from now I'll be stepping off a plane in Los Angeles, CA.

50 days from now The World Race will be over.

50 days from now I will have to make 3,987 more decisions every day.

50 days from now I will get to hug my mom.

50 days from now I'll be back in the "real" world.

50 days from now everything that was normal will be weird and everything was weird will now be normal.

50 days from now the closest people in my life will be scattered across the United States.

50 days from now my opportunities are endless.

50 days from now I'll get to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, and my birthday with my family--let the party begin!

50 days from now I'll get to see Lucky, the best dog in the world.

50 days from now I'll have an entire closest of clothes to choose from... but will probably feel most comfortable in the clothes I've been wearing every day for the last few months

50 days from now I will try to exhibit the most self-control I have ever had to with things like Sonic, Starbucks, and Hobby Lobby right in my back yard.

50 days from now Target will have a new resident.

50 days from now I will probably sleep until 53 days from now.

50 days from now I will take the longest shower ever known to mankind.

50 days from now I will buy stock in Barnes and Noble before my first trip back to the magical store.

50 days from now the Lord will begin teaching me a whole new array of Truths, while continuing to solidify everything He's taught me so far.

50 days from now I will be able to call/text anyone anytime. Get your inboxes ready.

50 days from now my right hand will be pleasantly heavier due to the return of my Aggie Ring. Whoop!

50 days from now people will actually understand what it means when I say "Whoop!"

50 days from now I will still be the same person trying to serve the same God, just in a whole new way.

50 days from now I won't have to use a microfiber towel from REI anymore.

50 days from now Mexican food will be on the menu. Alot.

50 days from now I will have officially read the entire Bible Genesis to Revelation.

50 days from now I will be at a loss for words probably more than I am anticipating.

50 days from now the questions "So how was your trip?" and "What now?" will be asked 18,976/day. (And won't know how to answer 18,975 of them.)

50 days from now will be the biggest reality check I've ever had.

50 days from now I will probably be thankful for the Re-Entry packet currently sitting at the bottom of my backpack

50 days from now I will remember Ashley Musick when I think maybe a job at KMart will just be a temporary thing to hold me over until I find a "real" job and will decide to keep looking.

50 days from now God will still love me even though I am no longer a missionary.

50 days from now I will still be God's Beloved.

50 days from now my passport will be almost completely full.

50 days from now I will start a new adventure.

50 days from now I will bring Kingdom home.

50 days from now there will be a shift in the spiritual atmosphere of LA as 80 mighty men and women of God step back onto good ol' US soil transformed.

50 days from now is not a reason for anxiety or nervousness. God is upholding me with His righteous right hand and He is all I need.

50 days from now is a blank canvas. But God has a mighty paintbrush and a huge palette of colors to work with and I'm so excited to see what He creates.

Just a guitar, some paint, and an Asian hat in a park

Sun, 9 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Fellow Racer Daina Norusis wrote this blog about our adventures in Ho Chi Minh yesterday...

I'm obsessed with my guitar. I don't know when it happened but someone flipped that switch from wanting to learn to wanting to worship and since then, I'm obsessed. Unfortunately, I tend to want to be alone, something that's not easy to come by on the Race. Today, I figured out the perfect solution: the park. I grabbed my guitar and set on out.

I decided to call Lauren, you know, for company. The two of us head out when I get this amazing idea, "Hey, wouldn't it be awesome if I got one of those Asian hats and then just sat under the tree playing my guitar?" Oh yea! We head towards the park, keeping our eyes peeled for a hat. We decide to stop for snacks at the bakery before beginning our adventure. While there, Lauren realizes how much more amazing this whole day would be if she had her paints. "Let's go get them," I say. So we do. And on the way back we buy my hat.

And then it all begins.

I never thought worship in a park in an Asian hat could be so freeing. I simply sat there, playing my guitar, as Lauren painted alongside me. Two different styles yet one goal in mind--worship. From time to time I would stop playing, she would stop painting, and we would engage in deep, meaningful, thought-provoking conversations. Occasionally a person would stop by and engage in conversation with us. In one case, we even got to talk about God creating us all in His image and how He's in control.

By most, our time in the park would be considered nothing special. What made it special though was the fellowship and worship that occurred. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive; just a guitar, some paint, and an Asian hat in a park--that's how we worship our God.

And our day ended with fro-yo! How amazing is that?!

today is for you.

Fri, 2 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Excerpt from my journal this morning:

Today Jesus Christ dies on a cross for me. For me. For me. He was humiliated and tortured. The man, also fully divine, came from the Heavens. He came from the throne room where God dwells in His "completeness". He surrendered the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of the Father. He came to earth. He became a poor carpenter. He endured years of ridicule and persecution. People laughed at him. They threw rocks at him, spit on him, cursed at him. He became a laughing-stock, even before the cross, for me. Not to earn anything. Not to receive anything from me. But to give me something. Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of the Most High God became nothing just so that he could give me a gift. He went through unimaginable pain and agony for me. He endured beating after beating, lash after lash, for me. As they nailed him to a cross, piercing through the flesh he humbled himself to take on, he thought of me. He pictured me in his head and, without hesitation, thought "She's worth it." He saw my sin, my disobedience, all of my transgressions. But he still endured it. That's why he endured it. As they shoved a stabbing crown of thorns on his head, he knew that through his pain I would have a chance to endure less. As he hing on a cross, crying out to his Father, our Father, he thought of me, his sister, and it pushed him, it spurred him on to complete what God, our God, had sent him to do. He died for me. He gave everything for me. For me. For me...

On a day like today I'm confused. A day like today, so filled with sorrow, a remembrance of ultimate sacrifice, should be filled with mourning. I want to sit alone, put on sackcloth and ashes, and simply weep. It's all I can think to do. But that's only half of it. This time is also one of love. Growing up in the Catholic Church, the season of Lent was always one of preparation for today. A time of sacrifice and fasting. But as I sit here, I realize that it is this season that I also feel the most loved. The constant reflection on what Jesus went through for me - how can I not feel loved? Knowing that on this day almost 2000 years ago, the Son of God gave up everything (as his everything was a lot more than my everything) to endure pain and die just so that I have an opportunity to be with God, our Father, is indescribable. This day is one of weeping, but not simply of sadness, but also of unending gratitude and realization that I am so loved.

Today Jesus Christ dies on a cross for you.

For you.

For you.

He was humiliated and tortured for you.

The man, also fully divine, came from the Heavens for you.

He came from the throne room where God dwells in His "completeness" for you.

He surrendered the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of the Father for you.

He came to earth for you.

He became a poor carpenter for you.

He endured years of ridicule and persecution for you. People laughed at him. They threw rocks at him, spit on him, cursed at him.

He became a laughing-stock, even before the cross, for you.

It wasn't to earn anything or to receive anything from you. But to give you something.

Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of the Most High God became nothing just so that he could give you a gift.

He went through unimaginable pain and agony for you.

He endured beating after beating, lash after lash, for you.

As they nailed him to a cross, piercing through the flesh he humbled himself to take on, he thought of you. He pictured you in his head and, without hesitation, thought "He/She's worth it."

He saw your sin, your disobedience, all of your transgressions. But he still endured it. That's why he endured it.

As they shoved a stabbing crown of thorns on his head, he knew that through his pain you would have a chance to endure less pain.

As he hing on a cross, crying out to his Father, your Father, he thought of you, his sister/his brother, and it pushed him, it spurred him on to complete what God, your God, had sent him to do.

He died for you.

He gave everything for you.

For you.

For you.

good friday?

Fri, 2 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Good Friday.

I had this conversation with a brother earlier this morning and this is the journal entry that resulted:

Good Friday. GOOD Friday. Why good? What's good about today exactly?

Yes, if you are aware of what is to come just a few days from now, today is good. But Mary, the disciples, the people staring at a man they believed to be the Messiah, the Chosen One, to them today would have been anything but good. I wonder if they, in that moment, decided it was good. To look at that situation and choose to say, "It is good," would have been the ultimate act of trust and faith that God is good and this day is His so it must be good. Even seeing with their own eyes their Emmanuel die on a cross after enduring unimaginable pain and humiliation, upon seeing Christ take his last breath, upon actually seeing his blood dripping down the wood onto dirt, to open their mouths and exclaim "Today is good." To worship God an d p roclaim His goodness in the midst of death and darkness...

Maybe everyday is meant to be good. Perhaps Good Monday and Good Tuesday should occur every week. In the midst of anything every single day shouldn't we exclaim "Today is good?" Many times we can look back at a bad day, at struggles and confusion and say, "God is using that. I understand. I had to endure x so that I could get to point y in my relationship with Him. That was a good day." I think that in and of itself is a feat that that brings God joy. But to look in the face of death as it falls upon you and say "This is good," is placing your heart in such a state that causes God to sing.

I wonder if Jesus, as he hung on the cross, the life he humbly took on fading away, looked up to Heaven and in his heart said "Today is a good day"...

meet Grace.

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The first house we had gone to that day was ready for Jesus. The woman's husband had specifically asked us to come share the Gospel with his Muslim wife. She wanted to hear about Jesus and was excited about giving her life to him.

But even as Tres led her through a Sinner's Prayer, she began breathing heavier. For some reason unbeknownst to me I began crying. It's like I could feel what she was feeling. The pastor nonchalantly declared "She has a demon," (a phrase that is much too common here) so the four of us gathered around her and prayed. After a few minutes, she was breathing regularly, feeling lighter, and looking like a completely different person. She agreed to come to church on Sunday and warmly hugged and kissed each one of us goodbye. Praise God for a new sister!

And that was only the first 30 minutes of our day.

After that I just wanted to go home. I was emotionally and spiritually spent for the day. But the rest of the team wasn't feeling well and needed to go home, so I had to push through. I marched on, with just Tres and the pastor now, praying that the rest of the day would get easier.

Little did I know what God had planned all along...

We came to another house. Two women were sitting on the front porch. With a Swahili "karibu" they welcomed us to sit. I asked their names and we each introduced ourselves. We found out the one of the girls was Christian while the other one was Muslim. The Muslim woman's name was Grace. After a few minutes they invited us inside. I began telling them about Jesus, but only got through the creation story before Grace started weeping. I sat at her feet and placed my hands on her knees, begging the Lord to release her from whatever was plaguing her heart. I was already crying again. I don't know why, but when she saw me crying too, Grace grabbed my hands. She gripped them tightly and stared back at me, telling me of her torment through her eyes. As she calmed down Tres urged me to sit next to her, so I did, not wanting to take my hands away from her.

I only got through a little bit more of the gospel, before the crying started again. This time she was shaking. As I put my arm around her, tears falling down my face, she buried herself into me. She embraced me so firmly, gripping onto the back of my shirt, and we just cried. It was only a few minutes, then the pastor felt called to pray for freedom in her as well. He turned and asked one of the other women in the house some questions about Grace. That's when we learned that they didn't even know her.

It turns out that Grace had showed up to the house a short while before we strolled up. She was in need of a job and had come by this home to see if she could be hired as a house-girl. In the few minutes she was stopped her, we arrived. None of the women in the house knew her story or what was plaguing her. They thought she was simply another woman begging for work, but God gave us eyes to see her for who she really was: a daughter of God.

She listened to the words God spoke through Tres and I. She received Jesus and gave her life to her Father. As we finished the prayer, Tres looked at her and recited Acts 2:38 "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Then he turned to the woman who owned the house and said 5 words I'll never forget:

"Do you have a bucket?"

The women brought us a big bucket filled with water and we stepped outside in front of the house. The pastor was asking questions, never having seen anything like this before. Grace got on her knees and bent backwards, the pastor and I supporting her head. And there, in front of everyone, Tres baptized Grace.

Soon after, we headed back home. Grace came along, conversing with the pastor as we walked. They stopped and the pastor took some money out of his pocket and handed it to Grace. To be honest, I was really surprised. It's rare that you see someone pull out cash and hand it to a complete stranger, even on the Race. Grace started telling us goodbye and I gave her a hug. I remembered that I had shoved a brand new Swahili Bible into my purse that morning (we had "conveniently" purchased an entire box the night before) and I asked the pastor if I could give it to her. He agreed, so I eagerly handed her the Bible and we went our separate ways.

The pastor then shared Grace's story: Grace is married. Well, she was. Her husband is Muslim and together they had a one child. Tragically the child passed away and just the day before we met her, Grace's husband had chased her off, throwing her out on the street. She had gone from happily married with a child to abandoned and alone. Her only real goal now was to get back home, but her parents' home was over 2 hours away and she had no money. Utterly hopeless, she set out to find a job. And that's when we met her.

The pastor also explained the money he gave Grace. He said if she gets a job then it was for her to do with as she wills. But if she can't find work, it was more than enough for her to get home.

God orchestrated everything that day. The timing, the Bible, Grace's heart, everything. And now Grace has the one thing she truly needs: a Savior. I am completely dumbfounded at God. I mean, I guess that's nothing new, but every time I think about that day I praise God for his perfectly intricate design. The way he wove all 4 of our lives together is breath-taking.

And to make things better, Grace even came to church this Sunday, looking like a completely different person, giving me hope that her hope is completely restored.

a [team] redemption story.

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In May, over 85 Christians came together to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the nations. At Ignition Training Camp we were split into 2 Squads, J and K. From there we were split into teams; six teams each comprised of seven Racers. We went through exercises and feedback sessions as AIM leadership tried to configure the most compatible teams. Through much prayer, the 6 teams were selected.

Since then all of the teams have been rearranged. Except one.

Tres, Bethany, Ralph, Nicole, Bambi, Heather, and Birkleigh have been together since day one of The World Race. And needless to say, they didn't really want to be.

They started as Team Beautiful Feet. They struggled as a team to understand the Lord's plan in having them together. Many (if not all) of them prayed that the teams would be changed in order to escape Beautiful Feet's less-than-comfortable arrangement. But, low and behold, God had different plans.

I vividly remember coffee-dates with Nicole, the constant reassurance from my end. "It will get better!", "God has you together for a purpose. Trust Him!", and other clich Christian encouragements are all I could think of to respond with. My heart broke for Nicole and the rest of her team, but privately I never understood how it could be that bad. Each of the team members were passionate about serving, earnestly seeking the face of God. All of them wanted to get along and all of them were trying to find the best in the situation. But it just wasn't working.

At the beginning of November, K-Squad experienced change. The squad-leaders felt the Lord nudging them to mix the teams, so they did just that. But Beautiful Feet was the exception. Leadership clearly heard God telling them to keep the team together. Needless to say, the entire team spent the rest of the night crying their eyes out. Many of them even started praying into going home. Beautiful Feet was less than optimistic, but had hopes for the Lord changing their hearts. They changed their name to Team Mosaic, to symbolize their first step in a new direction.

Team Mosaic faced oppression still. Personalities clashed and disunity still peeked it's lethal head in throughout their attempts to become a better team. A desire for a team change continue to plague their hearts and hopelessness creeped in frequently. In December things took a turn for the worse. Almost the entire team was on the verge of going home. They begged leadership to change their team, yet again, but, yet again, leadership heard the Lord calling them to keep them together. They did offer one change though: Tres decided to take a break from leadership and Bethany took the reins.

January brought change. K-Squad was finally out of Europe, into the bush of Africa where we all had pictured ourselves when we signed up for The World Race. Team Mosaic was assigned to ministry by themselves (other teams were paired up with another team), and throughout the month realized something: they really actually liked each other. Some attribute it to finally reaching a "letting go" point; others, the "real" ministry they were finally getting to do. But whatever is was, Mosaic had come to identify with it's name: 7 separate people, all different, all unique, coming together as the workmanship of God, creating a beautiful masterpiece.

Team Mosaic reached a new level of unity. So much so that at our Nairobi Debrief in February, they changed their team name claiming the new identity from the Lord they had finally stepped into. A month later, after much prayer (and their best month yet), I'm so honored to present to you: Team Redeemed!

This group of 5 women and 2 men have reached a level of unity that can only be described as a family. To be perfectly honest, they put all the other teams to shame in the area of unity. February (Kenya) was their best month yet, and when the Squad came back together at the end of last month, they were almost unrecognizable.

God has redeemed them. Completely. They still have their fair share of issues (everyone living in community does, we've all learned on the Race) but Team Redeemed bears almost no resemblance to who they were back in May. Since the day each of them signed up for The World Race, God had this planned. Amid their struggles and tears He looked down on them with joy. Through their yearning for change, their Father was simply smiling, knowing what was to come. He never saw them as a messy, hopeless team. He's seen them from the beginning as the amazing kingdom-bringing team they are now. They've stepped into their new identity as Redeemed seamlessly. And my team is so blessed to be living and working with them all month! Already Team Oasis is learning from Redeemed. It's like living with a family. I can't wait to see what this month holds for Oasis, but I think I'm even more excited to be a first-hand witness to the Lord's redeeming power through Redeemed.

brighter days. (video. re-post.)

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

re-posted from Ashley Higgin's blog...

since being in africa we have seen a lot of things. we've seen poverty, desperation and hopelessness. we've seen children walking around without shoes and kids who are literally starving. we've seen HIV/AIDS patients in the hospital; writhing in pain, only days away from dying. we've seen mothers mourning over children they've lost and children grieving over a parent choosing to leave. we've talked with people who are literally demon possessed and spend their days in fear and trepidation over a power they do not understand. we've seen people walking around in chains of condemnation with no place to turn.

needless to say, we've seen a lot.

brighter days. from ashley higgins on Vimeo.

but, we're bringing hope. light. jesus.
we're storming into the darkest of places to bring Good News.
you can too.

something new.

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I haven't written a real blog in quite awhile. I've written updates, but I feel like no one that reads this site would have any clue of what life is like on the Race. I've experienced so much in the past 7 months that I don't even know where to begin in explaining any of it. In all honesty, most of it is beyond explanation. Any time I talk to my mom (once a month for 10 minutes) and she asks "what have you been up to?", there's just no way to tell her about the baby Lindsay and Ashley cast countless demons out of. How do I just slip in the conversation that Dan, Patch, and Austin raised a little boy from the dead a few days ago, when I haven't spoken to my best friend in 3 weeks and only have 5 minutes? I could tell her about the blind man that can now see and the lame woman that can now walk after we prayed over them, but the lack of back story and the lack of time to go into detail leaves the story as just a neat thing that happened. When in reality it was one of the most defining moments of my life.

How do you put that in a blog?

Some of my lack-of-blogging has been due to not having a computer anymore. Not having internet right at my fingertips (thank you Africa!) plays a role in it too. But more than anything I just don't know what to say. I sit down at a computer and stare at the screen for 20 minutes, write a paragraph each of 10 different potential blogs, then give up in frustration because my inability to communicate to anyone, let alone my closest friends and family back home, what my life is really like.

At this point, I'm at a complete loss for words.

The healing, the prayers, the resurrection, the deliverance is all for God's glory. Every single step I take is to reveal the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. And it's magnificent. There's nothing better than praying for a Muslim woman's stomach to be healed, God (completely through His grace and mercy) healing it, and through it leading her to accept Jesus Christ as her personal, intimate Savior. It's the highest high anyone can experience. But it stinks worse than a squatty-potty in the bush of Africa to not be able to tell anyone about it.

In the Word it commands us to take what we learn and teach others. "Freely you have received, freely give" immediately follows the command in Matthew 10 to "heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons". I fear not giving God enough of the glory. I don't mean that in a prideful way; I know that every ounce of energy, every second of sleep, every word of a sermon these days comes directly from the Holy Spirit. I know that I would have succumbed to fatigue, hopelessness, and the enemy way back in Ireland if God didn't have His strong hand along the small of my back, nudging and encouraging, filling me up with more of Him every step of the way. But I feel like there is so much that needs to go on post-miracle. Mainly, a huge brightly-lit flashing arrow pointing directly to the Father. Every time we encounter a healing, an answered prayer, a deliverance, I feel like I'm 5 years old again yelling "It wasn't me!" Except this time I'm not avoiding blame, I'm avoiding honor. But how do I attribute all honor to my Father when I can't find the words?

A new project is in the works. God deserves every ounce of glory and awe created from these miraculous encounters and I just don't feel like I do a good enough job telling people about how absolutely amazing my God is. Coming on the Race, a verse I clung to was Acts1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." I am called to be witness. I have received the Holy Spirit and I'm reaching the ends of the earth, now its just time to open my mouth. What good is a witness who doesn't speak?

Last night I received a prophecy from a teammate that said "It's as if God has given you a microphone--so you can tell everyone the good news!" If I wasn't already convicted enough, that definitely lit a fire both underneath and within me. I'm done shying away from proclamation. I'm through keeping the wonders my eyes have seen to myself. I'm picking up my mic and turning up the amp.

A new section of my blog will be entirely devoted to testifying to the glory of God. Through my stories and stories of other Racers I hope it becomes a witness to the nations of the power of the Holy Spirit and reveal the character of God, bringing Him just a bit of the endless honor He deserves. Any blog with the letters "a-g-s" before it will be a testament of God moving somehow through someone on the Race. "ags" stands for "A God Story" (but it also conveniently references my college mascot, the Texas A&M Aggies) and I hope you love reading it as much as I love writing about it.

african update!

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

First I want to apologize for my lack of blogging. This month has been crazy. But there is so much I want to update you on! So here we go:

Uganda: This month my team was with Team Phoenix and we had a blast! However, the spiritual climate here is extremely harsh so we've spent most of the month on our knees praying. The Lord has showed up in absolutely amazing ways! (more to come later).

Utter Dependence: I've officially reached the "Dependence stage" of the trip. I can do absolutely nothing and I need so much more of Jesus. If you'd like to be praying for me in a specific way just ask the Lord to continually fill me up. More and more. Every second. I can never get enough Jesus, enough of His Spirit and I never will. But I need more. So much more!

Sickness: Another thing that has attacked us this month. Between both teams only 4 people didn't get sick this month. Everyone got either Typhoid or Malaria, so we've had to spend the month trading off between ministry and resting. Thankfully no one was under the weather for too long! Tim Fizzell and I however won the disease-lottery and got BOTH Malaria and Typhoid at the same time. Luckily we caught it early and I'm not feeling near as bad as I should. I have medicine and should be back to healthy me in a few days!

Clean: For all those who haven't heard...I finally was BAPTIZED! Last month at our Debrief in Nairobi, our coach Scott Pitts baptized me. I am so excited that I was finally baptized with all of my Race family there and in Africa, too!

Provision: This month I heard the Lord asking me to refrain from using any personal money. He wanted to provide everything, even down to shampoo, for me. So that's what I did. And who would've guessed -- God is so faithful! I had everything provided for me, even down to tampons! (Sorry any guys reading this!) He even threw in a Coke here and there for me. Gotta love that God of mine :)

Support: I'm fully funded! Yipee! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has supported me on The World Race. I could NOT have done any of this without you and can never ever thank you enough. I pray abundant blessings on each and every one of you. If you still feel the Lord calling you to give, I do have additional costs (flights, gear, insurance, vaccinations, etc) that need to be covered outside of AIM. So if you would like to help with that send anything to:

Lauren Williamson

407 West Forrest

Victoria, TX 77901

My teammates Casey and Erin Scritchfield are still in need of support and would greatly appreciate any donations! AIM staffer Matt Snyder is in need of any financial support you feel called to give. Thanks again!

Up Next: We're currently in Jinja, Uganda for a few days. camping at the source of the Nile River! On Friday we will depart for Tanzania! We have no clue what ministry looks like yet or who we will be with, but keep the whole squad in your prayers!

And it's almost at day 200 on the Race! Crazy how time flies!

happy halfway. [video].

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Ashley Higgins does it again with an amazing video! She made this to commemorate hitting our HALFWAY POINT on the Race. Here's a taste of our last 6 months.

busia, kenya. [2 videos]

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

We partnered with Team Fresh this month to bring a little Kingdom to Busia, Kenya. More blogs coming soon about our time there, but here's a great video Kristin made to sum up our first month in Africa.

Untitled from Kristin Seidensticker on Vimeo.

And in our spare time a couple of us decided to get our hair braided. Some even got weaves put in. I did, but only lasted 2 days before we deconstructed it. (After that I got 6 inches of my hair!) My teammate Stacy went for the "dread" look, but unfortunately one night one of her weaves fell out. In an attempt to cheer her up, we whipped (technically Ashley did all the whipping) up this video. It's ridiculous, but might help you understand the people I live with a little more :)

african update and travel day video.

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

First an update on this month. I"M BACK IN AFRICA!!! I'm so excited and praise God for His faithfulness in allowing me to return. But we are not in Uganda. God changed our plans yet again and my team (along with Team Fresh) are working in Busia, Kenya for the month. We are working with a church doing evangelism and doing some construction at the church. We will be leading the chruch services while we are here, complete with me preaching this Sunday! Please keep me in your prayers as I try to simply be a vessel for God to teach and love on some Kenyans this week! I apoogize for how long its been for me to update you all and for how short this is, but take heart! There is another blog coming soon! And just to hold you over until then, and give you a quick glance into what our travel days look like, here's a video made by the wonderful Ashley Higgins of our travel from Israel to Kenya through Egypt! Enjoy!

Oh and thanks so much to everyone for all the birthday wishes! It was the best birthday ever!

what's in a name? [zambia edition]

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Two summers ago God called a little Texas girl to Africa. It was there that He would change her life.

When I stepped onto the plane in Houston, as much as I wish I could say I was singing praises to God, I have to confess I was questioning Him. I had never been on a mission trip and never been out of the country and here I was flying to sub-Saharan Africa to spend 3 weeks serving AIDS orphans. Did I hear God right? Was this really what I should be doing? What if I mess up? What if I'm not "Christian" enough for them? All these questions were rolling around my head. But as much as the enemy was barraging me with doubts, one thing stood true: the Lord had provided me with every cent needed for the trip and deep within me I felt at peace. So as the plane took off, I opened my Bible and prayed harder than I probably ever have in my life.

And the Lord was faithful. He blessed me with an experience that refocused my life completely. As I prepare to step onto beautiful African soil again, I can't help but relive that short time. I'm blown away at God and the way He moves. He used me in ways I never imagined. For one boy in particular, He allowed me to play a small part in showing him how much God loves him and what a blessing he is.

Week 7 of CampLife I worked with 13 boys. Ranging in ages from 7 to 11, they won me over instantly with their crooked smiles and love for jumping all over me. But one boy in particular was different. Reserved and detached, Mavuto was heavy on my heart. After a few days my Zambian partner, Isaac, and I were praying about our boys and we began to talk about him.

"We should pray about who he thinks he is," he said.
"What do you mean?" I replied.

"Do you happen to know what his name means? It means burden, problem, troubles."

My heart fell. My sweet boy was identified as a problem. Every time he heard his name called he was called a burden. I tried to imagine how I would be affected if every time someone called me I heard "you're a source of trouble".

But then I remembered that the camp director had mentioned the power of names in our brief training session. He said that in the past, kids had actually been renamed at camp. I knew right then what He was calling me to do. And so did Isaac.

"How would you feel about praying for a new name for Mavuto?"
"Let's do it," I replied as goosebumps covered my skin. We agreed to pray about it that night and talk about it the next day.

The next morning we met up to pray before our kids got to camp. I didn't really have a lot of experience with "hearing from the Lord", especially with a deadline. The name "Daniel" came to my mind, but I didn't really have a peace about it. After we prayed, Isaac asked about what the Lord had spoken to me about our boy.

After a little bit he said, "What do you think about Madhaliso?"

"Well, what does it mean?" I asked with anxious expectation.
"Blessing."

Without a doubt, I knew that's what God wanted us to name him. Because that's how he saw his son, as a blessing. "Perfect" I replied.

We sat our sweet boy down and talked about Jesus. After we went through the Evangecube and tried to answer some of his questions, I couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth: he asked if Jesus could save him. We prayed with him and tried to convey to him the power of what he was professing. We talked about who he was and how God sees him. Isaac started to talking about his name and what it meant and how we felt the Lord calling us to give him a new name. We explained how much God loved him and how He saw him. When we told him what God wanted to call him, blessing, his handsome face lit up like a Christmas tree. He received his new name, Madhaliso, instantly and from that moment on acted like he'd never been called anything else in his entire life.

We went back to the other boys and tried to explain the name change. After a second, one of the other boys jumped up and, in his beautiful accented Zambian-English, yelled "That is what they name him last year!"

Turns out that last year he had come to camp and during that time his counselors felt the Lord calling them to redeem his name too. So they changed his name. To Madhaliso.

We learned that after camp the previous year Madhaliso went home and his family continued to call him Mavuto. But God decided to use us to address that too. The next day we got to go with our kids into their communities to support them in sharing what they had learned with others. Within an hour, we met Madhaliso's grandmother. She and Isaac spoke for quite awhile and we learned that Madhaliso had been named Mavuto because his mother died in child birth. Now orphaned by both parents, tragedy had haunted this sweet child of God his entire life and his family blamed him for every ounce of it. But Isaac must have spoken the words of God that day because by the end of our time in the community Madhaliso's grandmother agreed to keep his new name.

And to this day, he is called Madhaliso.

Since that day my understanding of identity and names has completely changed. I never knew what my own name meant until after that experience and it's something that I still use as a source of strength. And as we prepare for Africa I'm constantly reflecting on it. God used this precious son's name, along with His Son's blood, to redeem his life. Even through a language barrier He used Isaac and I to communicate that Madhaliso is a blessing, to His Father and to this world. Madhaliso literally received a new identity when he accepted Jesus that day in Zambia. And he lived it out every day for the rest of camp, running around laughing, singing, and yelling "The Lord is my Shepherd!"

eyes for israel. [picture blog].

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

There's just no way i can sum up all of Israel before we head into Africa (four days!!!) so I thought I would just let you see this past month through my own eyes, or at least through my camera lens!

This is a view from my backyard! And yes, those are camels!

Doube rainbow from Jesus :)

Dusty filled in as our snowman Our fireplace. We made our home as festive as we could!

We had a few field trips!

Going through Hezekiah's Tunnel in Jerusalem

En Gedi. (its in the Song of Songs. look it up.)

We worked at a soup kitchen in Arad. This is one of the ladies we got to serve!

Then we had a day in Jerusalem!

The Western Wall Looking through the fence to

the Mount of Olives

Garden of Gethsemane

The actual 2nd Station of the Cross along the road Jesus walked to his crucifixion.

Golgotha. Also called The Place of the Skull. See the skull?

At the Garden Tomb aka where JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD!

Thanks for all your support. Continue praying for us as we travel this week. We're off to Africa on the 28th, making a pit stop in Egypt! Keep Israel in your prayers as well, that their current political situation will be resolved peacefully and quickly. I love you and God loves you so stinking much! Blessings!

merry christmas from k-squad [music video]

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

With all the spare time on our hands due to the technology ban this month we've rewritten quite a few Christmas songs. This one was inspired by our World Race lifestyle and goes out to all our friends, families, and supporters! I love you and miss you so much!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

lyrics:

Sprinting through the airport, with a big pack on my back

Crap I'm gonna miss my plane and there's no turning back

Riding on the train, not sure where I'm getting off.

Better take my vitamins 'cause my teammate's got a cough.

Jingle packs, jingle packs. We're going 'round the world.

Don't know where we'll sleep tonight. We're homeless boys and girls.

What country am I in? What's the currency?

I wish I knew what language was being screamed at me.

We've traveled a whole lot, from Turkey to Arad.

From Uganda who knows where we'll go! We'll leave that up to God.

Jingle packs, jingle packs. We're going 'round the world.

Don't know where we'll sleep tonight. We're homeless boys and girls.

My team's messing with my head. My journal's my best friend.

I use alot of capital letters and underline in red.

We're on a techno ban, no iPods or PCs

But lucily I got to go and pet this camel, see?

We left our comfy homes and families to go abroad,

so though we miss you dearly Merry Christmas from K-Squad!!!

lyrics by myself, Dez Loeppky, Ashley Higgins, Stacy Povian, Joe Bunting, and Heather Reed.

a lil' gift for aim staff [music video].

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

My team and I decided we wanted to show our appreciation for all the staff at Adventures In Missions by writing a little song. Our video skills have been limited due to the technology fast, but here's just a little something to say thanks!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AIM STAFF!!! WE LOVE YOU!

lyrics:

You know Ashley and Brian and Stacy and Caitlin.
Kim, Matt, and Jake and Laura and Allison.

But do you recall

the most famous Racer of all?

Jimmy the Program Director

had a very loud microphone

[is this thing on?]

And if you ever heard him

He'd say dating is a big no-no!

[you'll get sent home!]

All of the Race alumni

Used to have real lives like you

[9-5]

Then they heard a little whisper

And now they're bringing Kingdom too

[shout out to G42!]

Then one Training Camp in May

Michael came to say

[go! go! go!]

Now you see there's something more

Get ready, God has lots in store

[like raising the dead]

Now all the Racers love AIM staff

And we shout so thankfully

[jimmy!]

Jimmy the Program Director

You'll go down in Race History

[like Seth Barnes]

lyrics by Paul Iwanaga, Heather Reed, Stacy Povian, Ashley Higgins, Tamica Sloan, Erin Scritcfield, and me.

belated thanksgiving wrap-up. [picture blog].

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Thanksgiving was more amazing than anyone could have expected this year. Seven other girls and I camped out in the kitchen to whip out a Thanksgiving meal for our new World Race family. Games, tons of food, afternoon naps, a couple batisms, camping and even movie time made this year's Thanksgiving one of my most memorable ever. Here are some pictures from our K-Squad Thanksgiving!

our Turkey Day in Turkey feast Casey was pretty excited about it!

Wouldn't be Thanksgiving without nap time -- Pappy and Tres

Casey and Erin go camping every year for Thanksgiving...so we set up their very own tent outside for them!

And no Thanksgiving would be the same without a little college football rivalry going on!!!!!

israeli arrests and accidental field trips thru palestine.

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Last Sunday our contact planned a great day for us in Jerusalem. The plan: head to the city, spend a few hours at the Holocaust Museum, then head into the Old City for a bit of sight-seeing before heading home. Unexpectedly, God decided to throw us a couple curve balls. I stole Dan Snyder and Don Brensinger's idea in an attempt to try a replay our day for you.

6:30am    Wake up to my alarm. Hit the snooze.
6:55    Wake up attempt #2. Lay in my bed staring at the way the light comes in through the door to our balcony. I thank God that I have a balcony right now and decide to make an art project out of it later (Im a nerd. I know, I know. Stop judging me.)
7:00    Try and analyze my dream about Paul chasing down Britney Spears.
7:10    Decide I need therapy and hop out of bed.
7:11    Just like every other morning, Higgs asks what time it is. I tell her. She groans.
7:15    I perform my daily morning ritual, including trying to be as quiet as possible but typically knocking something metal over.
7:45    Grab the pre-packed lunch labeled "Loo-Ren", my new alias, and pack my bag. Throw in the video camera last minute (which will prove to be a brilliant move later...).
7:50    Head out the door, coffee in hand, and get super excited about being picked up by the van right at our door.
7:59    Still waiting on the van while our driver, Abraham, sets the world record for slowest cigarette smoked.
8:00    With record achieved, we drive about 5 minutes to pick up Teams Mosaic and Phoenix, but continue waiting for Team Sofia. Meanwhile Higgs and I share our dreams in hopes of having some sane light shed on them. No luck.
8:15    Adventure to Jerusalem begins!
8:20    Nicole and I have conversations while both of us face forward to avoid motion sickness.
9:30    Come to a border crossing and become really confused because we didn't plan on leaving the country.
9:34    I try and hand our passports to the heavily-armed guard who is now on our van and am ignored.
9:35    I sit quietly as our driver and Rambo have a little chat.
9:45:00    We're relieved for approximately 30 seconds as the van pulls away...
9:45:30    ...until Abraham uses some colorful language to communicate his feelings about Israel and we pull a U-ie within the Checkpoint
9:46    We pull to the side of the road and our driver hops out, walking towards the armed guards.
9:47    I hear Higgs start praying that she doesn't get strip-searched. I add in my own "Amen".
9:50    Super-sketch guy walks up to the van, opens the door, takes something out of the van, and walks off. In spite of his shadiness, none of us question him due to the automatic weapon strapped to his back.
9:55    A few of us decide we have to pee and brave the legion of guards to find a toilet.
9:57    We communicate "bathroom?" to the guards armed with AK47s by holding up toilet paper with little pink hearts on it.
10:00    Bladder pressure released.
[10:00     Time we were supposed to arrive at the museum]
10:02    Traffic through the checkpoint is completely halted as 5 American girls scamper across all lanes to get back to their van.
10:05    The driver of our 2nd van pulls our van, then the 2nd one, through the checkpoint and parks us there.
10:07    Theorizing begins about what happened to poor Abraham.
10:13    I share my new mantra, "all that really matters is I love Jesus and Jesus loves me," in hopes of easing some frustrations.
10:15    Jenn comes to visit from the other bus. She says that our driver has been arrested. Awesome. (She knows this because she speaks freaking Hebrew.)
10:17    The driver of the other van comes to play charades and tells us what Jenn just summed up. He holds his wrists with each one of his hands (handcuffs?) and then holds up 3 fingers. Some decide that means we'll be there for 30 minutes; others think 3 hours. The pessimists pray he doesn't mean 3 days and the comedians decide he wants us to feel free to smoke 3 cigarettes.
10:25    I get out and decide to document some of the hilarity.
10:35    Making multi-armed shadow people down the hill entertains us for a bit.
10:45    Sudoku and Crossword puzzle partying begins. Craziness immediately follows.
11:00    Birkleigh sets off the van's alarm.
11:05    Tres gets off to stretch and lays down on the pavement next to the van to nap. Comfy.
11:10    I remember my delicious lunch and snack on some treats. I vow to marry the Quaker Oatmeal man in hopes of getting an unlimited supply of granola bars.
11:15    Ralph has to get up again as Paul gets off for the 231st time.
11:25    Casey asks everyone what their theme song would be. Higgs sticks with "She's A Manic" while Birkleigh muses it over for a few minutes before deciding on "Pour Some Sugar on Me".
11:30    Higgs, Stacy, and I serenade the group with one of our brilliantly rewritten Christmas songs.
11:45    Were free!
    No just kidding...still waiting...
12:00pm    We get off to brave the restroom again but are told by the other driver that its time to leave.
12:05    We hop on the van, anxiously waiting Abraham's return. But, alas, no sign of him.
12:08    A complete stranger walks up out of nowhere, jumps into the driver's seat, and takes off. We deduce that he's our new driver, Speedy Gonzales, and just to make this little game even funner, he speaks ZERO English.
12:10    We head back towards home, the opposite direction we should be going in. SG pulls U-ie #2 and we head back towards Jerusalem.
12:15     SG takes a questionable right turn to avoid the checkpoint we just spent 2 hours visiting.
12:17    He asks for a phone, even though he has 2 of his own. We think maybe he needs to talk to someone to get directions?
12:18    Paul and Tres discover that they are both out of minutes on their phones...something new and different.
12:19    We are thrilled to realize that SG actually doesn't even know where we're supposed to be going. Nicole and Higgs try to remember the name of the Holocaust Museum and make some strange noises in their attempts to say it in Hebrew.
12:21    Stop and ask for directions once.
12:22    Pull U-ie #3.
12:25    Stop and ask for directions twice.
12:30    Drive for a few minutes before coming to Checkpoint #2.
12:31    We realize when we see a sign saying "Farewell" and the guards ask for our passports that we might be accidentally entering Jordan or Palestine (neither of which are good decisions, especially as a group of 40+ Christian missionaries).
12:33    We pull through the barriers, our passports being held hostage, and pull U-ie #4.
12:34    We sit and wait. Strange, I know.
12:39    We zip back through the gate, grab our passports, and decide that our inadvertent attempt to cross the border has ended in an epic-failure.
12:40    Speed Racer decides to audition for NASCAR by pinning the Speedometer's needle and practicing his hair-pin turns.
12:45    Concerns arise when street signs are no longer in Hebrew.
12:47    Nicole asks the driver where we are. His answer: Bethlehem.
12:48    "Craaaaaaap" runs through everyone's minds (Quick info: Bethlehem is actually a Palestinian territory and we were highly advised by our contact to avoid it completely. If youve been living under a rock for the past, well forever, Israel and Palestine arent exactly BFFs).
12:50    Nicole and I slightly regret praying that God would let us visit Bethlehem in spite of the countless warnings against it.
12:52    The Nativity Hotel claims its place in my personal dictionary as the premier definition of irony. Come on, that's funny.
12:53    Our vans pull up to a huge barbed-wired steel wall, aka Checkpoint #3.
12:55    We have a blast playing the Q&A-Passport-Juggle Game with the guards. They win...
12:58    ...but as a consolation prize, they kindly let us proceed on our merry way.
1:08    U-ies #5, 6, 7, and 8 are pulled as Speedy McSpeederson tries to find the museum.
1:11    We finally arrive at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem!
1:13    We notice that there are an unusually large number of Israeli soldiers hanging around.
1:14    Then we notice the extremely comforting pile of guns cast aside as the soldiers take their lunch break.
1:15    Jenn, our wise sage, informs us that the army does a lot of training there...at the Holocaust Museum...
1:20    The Bathroom Brigade sets out again in hunt for much needed facilities and discover the other 2 teams and our contact waiting for us inside.
1:27    We follow the sweet smell of our drug of choice, COFFEE!, and find a little caf. But we have to hold off on getting some because you can't take it inside.
1:30    Back outside, Joe confesses his desire for one of the soldiers' sandwiches. We discuss possible strategy and Kung-Fu moves but conclude that, in just about every situation, gun always wins.
1:40    Joe and Grant go dumpster diving and feast on some halves of soldiers' lunches.
1:45    Plan for museum devised: about 15 minutes of free time then head in on your own.
1:50    Coffee purchased.
1:55    Plan re-arranged: we have to go in as a group. Now.
1:57    Coffee chugged.
2:00    Somehow Nicole and I can't find anyone so we head in on our own.
2:05    [insert super emotional Holocaust tour here].
3:00    I'm hurried through the last section of the museum because we have to go.
3:03    Nicole and I walk cautiously behind a large group of soldiers on our way out, discussing how every one of them look like their 12 years old yet have been given very large automatic weapons.
3:05    She successfully lifts my mood by commenting "I mean our guys (on the Squad) look older but try and picture what would happen if any of them were given one of those guns."
3:15    I get super emotional about the African tourist group that walks by dressed in colorful fabrics and ask Jesus to hurry up and get me to Africa.
3:30    After bidding Team Sofia a fond farewell, we hunt down our vans.
3:45    A splendid game of Tetris: Van Style ensues.
4:00    We set out for home and quickly discover that our driver loves the sound of the horn so much he likes to honk every time we stop.
4:05    Nap #1.
4:30    I wake up and decide Israel has some of the most beautiful sunsets ever. Gold Star, God.
4:35    We breeze through Checkpoint #4 without even stopping and realize it's the same one we spent 2 hours at earlier in the day.
4:40    Nap #2.
5:00    I decide I'm really cool when I wake up and still have my sunglasses on even though it's pitch-black outside.
5:15    Checkpoint #5 greets us warmly.
5:17    After handing over our passports we are directed towards a shady building and are all asked to step out of the vehicle. Always a good sign.
5:18    Higgs resumes her anti-strip-search prayers.
5:20    All 45 of us march off the van, proceed through metal detectors, and have our bags searched.
5:21    Israeli GI Joe asks if we have any knives . We do...about 12.
5:25    Just about everyone that has their big pack with them is asked to dig something out of the bottom of it.
5:30    The guards kindly allow us to sit in the waiting room, or what we would refer to back home as the janitor's closet.
5:32    The male guards are perplexed as to what in the world LaurenM's curling iron and straightener could possibly be and treat them as weapons. A female guard quickly translates what they are.
5:40    Right about the time Matt gets his big pack repacked, Xena comes on duty and demands that he unpacks the entire thing again.
5:43    LaurenM returns from the rickety bathroom and tries explains why her shoes are now wet. And yellow.
5:45    We pile back into our respective vans and, with our passports safely back in our possession, drive off into the night.
6:50    Paul communicates to the driver where everyone needs to go solely through hand gestures.
7:00    Home sweet home.
8:00    Stacy and Higgs redeem our day with Quesadillas for dinner. Ole!
10:30pm    While on a prayer walk Stacy and Higgs ask God to give them just one shooting star. Going above and beyond (as usual), He gives them TWELVE!

beautiful israel

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We've been in Israel for about a week now. It feels like more than that. So much more than that. My team has been enormously blessed to be staying at a retreat center overlooking the Negev desert. In between working a laundry center and at a soup kitchen here, our contact's unending knowledge and his expansive library keeps me continually learning, continually striving, and continually questioning more and more. It's been absolutely wonderful, but also a rough place to be for such a long time. One of the great parts about being here is that our contact has taken time out of his crazy schedule to actually sit down and teach us just a small bit of what he knows.

[our amazing view overlooking the Negev desert]

This morning we were extrapolating the Book of Jonah. In the middle of it, our contact used a real life example to illustrate one of his points. Basically he told us about his second "near miss," aka the second time he almost died here in Israel. On his way home, his normal bus pulled away right as he got to the stop. Even though he banged on the side, the driver ignored him and left him standing there in his frustration. Not being patient enough to sit there and wait 30 minutes for the next bus, he headed to the train station instead. As he got there he couldn't believe what he saw. The bus, along with the entire rest of the street was in utter devastation. A bomb had exploded, shattering windows of businesses and homes, tearing away the streets, and leaving the passengers on the bus, in his words, "without the slightest chance of survival".

Unfortunately he didn't take the typical mentality of "Wow God saved my life. He kept me from getting on the bus." Instead he was angry. He wanted to join the Israeli army so he could punish the people who cause such destruction. Instead of running around praising God for saving him, he shut himself up in his home for 3 days and went to the Word. He only left for one thing: to attend the funeral of a 14-year old girl who lost her life in the bombing. The girl was the daughter of a Baptist pastor.

After the attack, a local radio station had called around to all the victims families asking how they felt and their response to what had happened. They were shocked to hear that when they called the girl's family there were no threats of retribution, no anger, no hostility in their voices. The only thing the family said was that they were praying for the attackers.

In the aftermath of losing their daughter to terrorists, the family was praying for the very people who killed their little girl.

The radio station sat in disbelief. The story spread quickly and soon reached the television stations too. At this girls funeral, over 600 people showed up. News had reached the ear of both the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Education, both of whom not only came, but spoke at the girl's funeral. Her principal and kids from her class, none of whom were believers, shared her testimony that day which was then broadcast all over the nation.

This young girl preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire nation of Israel. She wasn't a missionary. She wasn't preaching from the pulpit every Sunday. She didn't start any organizations or write a book. She probably hadn't even gotten past her first year of high school. And yet the Lord used her. The Lord took this tragedy, this ugly example of hate and He used it for His good and His glory. She made His name great, just by living.

[Jerusalem]

He IS love.

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Love.

It's a simple four-letter word. But my world revolves around it. Especially lately. My faith, my relationship with my God, my calling. Everything centers around LOVE. Giving it, but also receiving it. Believing it in my heart. Recently there have been quite a few discussions about love and our relationship with our Father. There's one revelation in particular that I've been mulling over the last few weeks: Our sole purpose in life is to be loved by God. That's it. We're not supposed to DO anything. We're just supposed to receive. And if we wholeheartedly accept the love of God we can't help but be affected. If we truly accept it, we'll be so overwhelmed by it that a natural overflow will just happen. We won't have to love people. It will just happen. Bam. A+B=C. That simple.

Unfortunately for me I'm making it harder than it needs to be lately. Receiving is hard. Really hard. I don't know why yet, but I do know that it's causing some serious issues. The last few weeks have been filled with alot of questioning, alot of doubt, and quite a bit of disbelief. Disbelief that I am a daughter of the King, clean, a new creation, I can be used by God, and most of all that I am loved by God. I know verses that tell me those things are Truth. But none of that really matters unless it hits home in my heart.

I finally opened up to my team about it and they immediately took up my cross along side me. They rained Truth down on me and prayed for God to show His love for me in a tangible way. And He did. He showed up BIG time. (That's going to have to be a whole separate blog...sorry!) He poured His love upon me in a way more real than I think I've ever experienced. I needed to process afterwards so I wrote out my heart. Here's a little excerpt from my journal from that night:

I didn't understand. I still don't understand. But I guess that's kind of the point huh? It's not supposed to make sense. The way God loves us isn't normal. It's more extravagant and over-the-top than any love on this world that we could ever experience. It's unlike anything we know. Unlike anything we've ever experienced. So it doesn't make sense. If it did, it would just be another worldly love, capable of being destroyed, temporal, and illusive. But it's not. It's not of this world. Humans don't act like this. If I suck at showing someone I love them, disobey everything I'm asked to do, piss off everyone, scream at them, continually question them and fight with them, and ignore them half the time--there's no way that they're going to love me. And that makes sense. People get their feelings hurt; people need to see and feel that they are loved. But God, He doesn't need love. He IS love. All He does is give it. Abundantly. And it's only when we've received it that we have any to give. So He loves us. All the time. It's not an option to not love when it's all that you are. That would be like asking water not to be wet. Or dirt not to be dirty. It's just not possible. God IS love. The idea of Love not loving is a lot harder to wrap my mind around than me actually being lovable or trying to believe that God loves me wholeheartedly, unconditionally, and not because of anything I do, say, think, or feel. Neither make sense, but that's the point.

I'm still working through alot of this. And I'm learning more and more that it's okay to not understand. And that I better get used to it, beacause I'm not going to get it for the rest of my life. So even though I'll never completely figure all this out, I've discovered it's the best place to start.

"God is love." 1 John 4:16

southern hospitality.

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This is Istanbul, Turkey.

Coming into the Middle East, we had quite a bit of training. Our main contact set aside two days of his busy schedule to give us as much info as possible about the people and the culture before we jumped into ministry. As a woman entering an area where men dominate just about everything, for us girls this information was extremely useful. I think for me, the easiest way to sum everythiing up is just to say:

Southern hospitality is a thing of the past.

As women we are already expected to act a certain way here. But as American women, we have to go to a whole new extreme. Why? To put it bluntly, Turkish men think American girls are just looking for someone to sleep with.

This mentality alone makes me extremely uncomfortable. Me? Miss Just-had-my-hand-held-for-the-first-time-as-a-senior-in-college, being viewed as a girl who wants to get up close and personal with every man on the street by every man on the street? Not exactly a comforting thought. It makes me question just about everything I do these days.

Not only that, but things that I consider a sign of respect are no longer that; they're considered suggestive. Walk down the street and make eye contact with a man? He's going to take that a heck of alot differently than you probably anticipated. Smile at him? Well, you probably don't want to know where his mind is at after that. Talk to him? Forget about it.

I just graduated from a school where everyone greeted everyone else on campus with a great big "Howdy!" usually accompanied by a smile. I've grown up in the South where not looking someone in the eye is considered disrespectful and rude. And completely ignoring someone is just not tolerated.

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

One of the reason's I struggle with it is because I feel like we basically have to be rude. For example, we've heard of so many problems with guys on public transportation. So what are we advised to do when a guy tries to start a conversation with us? Short, one word answers. Or just completely ignore him. I know that it's the culture we're adapting to and I'm not saying that the way they interact with one another, or even with us, is wrong. It's just different. And takes a lot more getting use to than I expected.

And it's not just us Southern Belles that are adjusting somewhat slowly. You can't read the Bible and not come across a verse about loving your brothers. So how do how do you love your brothers, or in this case just your sisters, without some of the most basic little ways you know how to?

And then there's the feelings that accompany this way of acting. The way my heart drops when I have to avoid someone's gaze. The awkwardness that comes from making eye contact with any guy that passes by and the feeling of shame if he smiles at you. The feeling of worthlessness and degradation at having to look at the ground half the time. We've only been here for a few weeks and it's taken its toll on us. The thought of living every day here, for your entire life...I can't even imagine the kind of effect that has on a women.

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15

Then there's another question that's really been bugging me:

How can I be a light if I completely adapt to the darkness?

How much am I supposed to "blend in" with the other women? And how far do I push the limits and stand out against the Muslim crowd? Turkey is the darkest place on the planet. 99.9% Muslim and the least evangelized country, even one little light can make a huge difference. But that light is a lot more noticeable when it's shining in the pitch black night. Our ministry this month has given us a lot of time to step and just try to talk to people. It's required us to be in almost constant communication with complete strangers. We constantly pray that they see "something different" in us and have the boldness to ask us what it is. I think that's something just about everyone on the mission field prays for. To be different. But here, it's a vicious cycle for women. If you stand out and be different, in order to reflect the love of Christ, chances are, as a woman, you'll be seen as loose and ready for the wrong kind of action. So what do we do here to show the love of Christ to everyone we meet?

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. Ephesians 5:8

...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

So for now, women minister to women and men to men. Which is totally ok and how it should be most of the time. But having to be mean in order to reflect Christ does NOT work for me. It doesn't click in my heart as the right way to treat sons of God. I don't know when balance will come, if it ever does. Needless to say, I'm definitely learning a whole new way of making myself nothing...

In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a human being,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death-
even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:5-8

Side note: In the midst of all this, the Turkish (Greek and Bulgarian too) have definitely given the South a run for it's money in terms of generosity. There have been countless instances of people going out of their way to give us directions or invite us into their homes. And Istanbul is probably one of the most beautiful cities on the world. The architecture, the history, and the history are absolutely breathtaking!

pula video by jenn.

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Jenn has a great gift. She takes some pretty awesome pictures. Oh and she's a wiz at computer's too. So as a way of thanking the church in Pula for encouraging us and allowing us to invade their homes, Tamica ingeniously asked her to make a video capturing our time together. It's a great representation of the way the Lord has been blessing us and some of the incredible people we have been blessed to meet. Enjoy!

**I may occasionally be sporting a super cool Spiderman mask throughout the video**

video: God and the world

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Our squad leader Caitlin has an amazing gift. The Lord gave her a vision to make a series of videos and she's doing just that. She asked my team and the team we're partnered with this month to help her with her second one. This is what happens when you combine World Racers, the Adriatic Sea, and the prompt "God and the World"...

cereal and community.

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

written 10/24/09

Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8

Matija, a youth in the church were staying at here in Pula, invited us to come help out with some kind of farming ministry. When we got there, we realized that we were actually at his own home, getting to spend some wonderful time with his family. We learned all about the foster families in the area while we waited for the rain to let up...

Teammate Matt really liked the cookies Matija's mom gave us!

After the rain cleared up my newly rearranged team (temporarily) had worked all day helping clear and burn some brush and dig post holes for the family's new fence (see pictures scattered throughout!). I loved actually having physical ministry!

When we were done we were blessed with a delicious lunch and conversation. Matija drove us home and we all went our separate ways for a bit: Matija took Jenn to a computer store hoping they would be able to fix her Mac, Heidi and Matt went on the hunt for a new hat, and I settled in to actually check my email for once and start dinner. We invited our new friends to stay for dinner and said a quick prayer that the Lord would multiply our food (yet again). He did (yet again) and after dinner a few of us set out on what we thought was a quick trip to the market. But no luck -- it was closed. So Matija, in his graciousness, offered to drive us to a grocery store that was open later than the rest.

And then there was Kaufland.

I could probably write a whole blog about my awe and wonder of a real supermarket. But it wasn't the aisles of discounted deliciousness that the Lord used to teach me something that night. It was Matija. After our excursion we stopped by his apartment so he could drop some stuff off. To my confusion he walked back to our big red van carrying a case of cereal. Yes, an entire case. He hopped in the van, handed it to Joe and said, "For you".

Turns out the foster child center his mom runs recently received a ginormous donation of cereal and he wanted to share the yummy flaky blessings that had been given to him. I sat in shock for a second that this Croatian guy that we met only yesterday turned and gave away what the Lord had just given him. I tried to convey my thanks and he hesitantly accepted. He then decided to explain a little bit about why he doesn't like being thanked.

"The thanks should all be to God."

And then he said something that will probably stick with me for quite awhile. He explained that it shouldn't be a big deal. He talked about the church and how when he has more than he needs, he should give it. It's that simple. We were in need and he had something we needed, so he gave. That should be the norm. It shouldn't be just a once-in-awhile giveaway; it should an everyday way of life.

"That's how it should be between us all as brothers and sisters," he said.

At 20 years old, Matija has a deeper understanding of the Acts church than most people gain their entire lives. I am so thankful to have been with him in that van, in the middle of Pula, Croatia on a random Thursday night. Just a reminder that God can use anything, even cereal, to teach you a big lesson.

mini-kingdom dream come true.

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

There's been a lot of talk lately about Kingdom dreams. But every time the subject is brought up, I'm left wondering, what is my Kingdom dream? What is the Lord calling me to do to further His kingdom?

Every morning we come together as a team and pray. About a week ago the Lord led Tamica to ask us to just sit in silence for awhile with open ears as to receive whatever the Lord wanted to give us. He gave me a vision.

I've had visions before, but rarely are they present or applicable right away. What I mean is that usually they're more like images or pictures to be interpreted. But this one was different. I pictured the sanctuary of the church we've been partnering with in Pula. I was standing in front of the room. The men and women had been separated, the men to my left in a little nook, and the women before me in the main area. And us Racers were the one's teaching. I felt the men being empowered, built up as the Men of God they are called to be. As for the women, it was all about truth. They were being discipled about the lies of the enemy and some of the ways to tighten the Belt of Truth around their waists.

[Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist...]

I just sat there. I didn't mention my vision until the end, and even then it was more of an afterthought. But Tamica decided to ask Pastor Daniel about us leading some kind of service. He agreed and said the Youth Service on Friday night was ours.

Not wanting to speak again since I just shared my testimony on Wendesday, I prayed and asked for advice on who should lead. God placed Joel and Matt, and Dez and Danielle on my heart. I've been living with the boys so it was easy to ask if they would be willing to lead the men's time. However Dez and Danielle were harder to seek out and so as of Friday morning it was all me.

I was strangely calm about the situation. I had seen myself speaking so I figured maybe I was supposed to? I have been struggling so much with the spiritual battle in my mind this month that I thought maybe it was all preparation for this night. When I ran into Dez and Danielle Friday morning I mentioned the idea of them leading in passing and both of them, almost immediately, agreed to help and speak to these women.

Going into the night I got more and more nervous. I hadn't really prepared anything, but I knew that there was something to be said. It's the first time that I think I've allowed the Spirit to actually lead me away from preparing so I'm not worried about sticking to some plan I've come up with all by myself. As Tamica sat with two of the church leaders discussing what the night was going to look like, goose bumps prickled up al over when one of them said "I feel the Holy Spirit has a lot in store for us tonight."

I knew the Lord would use me when I began to despair in worship. This time when normally I'm filled to the brim became a time of pain and concern. Physically the enemy tried to hinder my walking in obedience. First my throat got scratchy. Quite a few people have been feeling sick and we had even prayed for Matt's throat a little while before, but before then my throat had been great, my voice clear. Along with scratchiness, my throat kept closing. Not enough to choke me, but just enough to cause me to gag every once in awhile. Enough to keep me from worshipping. My head started spinning and aching. Sharp pains shot up and down my back. I felt weak and confused as to what was happening to me. But thankfully God allowed me to recognize what was going on. Like a foe tries to block the path of his enemy, Satan was trying to cripple me and keep me from pressing on. I sunk down in my chair and was led to verses upon verses about strength and health. And when the last song was played before we were to split up, I was able to stand and sing of the Lord's love for me and my sisters.

Nothing about that night was me. I don't even remember what words came out of my mouth. I remember feeling defeated and like I was rambling, but my sisters here have done such a great job reminding me that its often right before/after the Lord uses us that the enemy attacks the hardest. All I know is that at least one person was up-lifted by that night. And to me, that's enough. I didn't have anything to do with what was planned and what went down, but the Lord allowed me to be a vessel for making it happen. So even though my vision was small in comparison to what other people might envision of dream about their role in the Kingdom-bringing we've been called to, the Lord was faithful in fulfilling it. He allowed me to dream and within days made it come true.

pie in the face.

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Of all things the things on the Race so far, I think one of the most bizarre things I've witnessed is love. Don't take this the wrong way, but I just don't get why people love us. We've been at places for literally 15 minutes and had complete strangers offering us places to sleep and buying us groceries. I just can't wrap my mind around it.

The most recent display of undeserved love brought me to tears. But it wasn't a stranger I just met that blessed my life; it was 2 of my teammates.

Friday night we had a guy/girl youth group at the church, and I was feeling kind of dejected as I walked up the stairs to the kitchen after trying to teach the women about truth. As soon as I walked in the kitchen Joe came flying at me and demanded that I close my eyes. After much protesting I complied, all the while asking if this was some kind of prank. "No we promise its not a prank!" they chimed in. "Okay okay but I better not get a pie in the face or anything," I responded, confused at why they all started laughing at my comment.

"Okay open your eyes"

I stared in disbelief at what I saw. Joe and Heather, with huge grins, were offering me a plate. On the plate sat the prettiest little apple pie baked in a mess kit bowl! They had baked an apple pie. Just one. Just for me.

Not knowing how to respond I starting laughing, but quickly had to turn around as I was brought to tears in complete confusion as to what in the world had made my brother and sister do something so special and unique just for me. Joe said he got the idea a couple weeks ago and had been planning ever since.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Earlier this month a group of us went to Pozega, a small nearby town, and worked with a church for a week. While we were there we were blessed to meet Joe and Alice, a missionary couple form the States. They were so encouraging and truly touched each of our lives. The second day we were there, Alice really made an impact on mine. Why? She made us lunch.

I know what you're thinking...Really? Lunch impacted your life?

Yes. Because she made us MEXICAN FOOD! She made TACOS! And these weren't weird-because-you're-somewhere-no-where-near-the-border-tacos. These were legit, like the kind my mom makes back home. I was already head over heels in love with this woman when she pulled out the big guns: When we had stuffed ourselves to the point of busting with delicious tortilla awesomeness, she set before us APPLE PIE. Real, authentic, homemade apple pie. And this was honestly the best apple pie I've ever had. Maybe I was overly emotional from the amount of tacos I'd stuffed in my belly, but I actually almost cried at the meal Alice had prepared for us. I was so humbled and so grateful.

Well when we got back to Osijek, we shared with the other team what had happened throughout the entire week, including my near emotional breakdown at the sight of Alice's pie. Evidently it was at this moment that Joe's mind started devising a plan. Hey, I know how to make a pie. And wouldn't it be cool to make Lauren so happy that she cries!? (or something close to that) entered his mind and, once Heather jumped on board, they set out to surprise me.

Unfortunately for my dear brother and sister I began fasting within the next few days. Having spoiled their plan, they patiently waited for the fast to be over. Looking back on my fast, the two were particularly interested in how I was doing and how much longer I would persevere. I had figured they were just holding me really really accountable every time they asked!

Once my fast was over they set out on their top-secret mission. Well, as of Friday night, it was successfully completed, tears and all.

The pie-making process in action.

Heather and the pie. And Joe with his masterpiece.

My first reaction: overjoyed. My next reaction: tears of disbelief.

The best World Race brother and sister a girl could ask for!

I'll never be able to thank my brother and sister for blessing my life that night. It's amazing how much one little pastry can humble and make you feel so loved.

Heather and Joe, you are lights to me, reflecting the grace of God and shining brightly in my life. Thank you for your hard work and for thinking of me. And hey, if this whole missions thing doesn't work out, now you know that opening a bakery together is always an option! ;)

united pursuit band

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I know of some really great music. I tell people whenever I can, but I feel like at this point its blog-worthy.

Three words: United Pursuit Band.

Last year my friend Brittani gave me their CD and it didn't leave the CD player in my car until I sold it to pay for the trip. Their a group of Christians and their sounds is just different. Which I like. Within my group of friends they were well known and so I assumed everyone already knew about it.

Enter The World Race.

After Ignition Training Camp some of us Texas Racers got together and spent a day at the lake in Austin and just got to know each other a little better. Grant and I were talking music and I got to direct his ears to the sweet sounds of UPB. I passed the CD on and was stoked a couple weeks later when he told me that he learned a couple of the songs for a worship concert he was putting on before he left for the Race. Since then he's led us in worship with those songs countless times. The song "Fill Me Up" has become especially significant for us as we pour out more and more of ourselves here on the Race. So even out here, I'm passing on their music every chance I get.

But I decided not to wait for people to ask me about it to share it. Why not just tell everyone I can about it all the time? This is my widest-reaching medium of communication these days, so I thought I'd advertise some music that, for me, has made a HUGE impact on my walk with the Lord and continually inspires me to obedience and worship.

Their EP is great and is what I've had the most exposure to, so I recommend that one for sure. But when I started to write this blog I decided to get all the nad's info to pass on. It was then that I discovered they have TWO new CDs! Radiance has a lot of songs from their EP but the new tunes are definitely worth lending your ears their way. And then they partnered with Will Reagan to create In the Night Season which I'm loving and is basically just a whole separate CD of new music. (My newest fav: "Break Every Chain")

I'm no musical expert, but if you want some new music that will encourage you and spur you on towards the Father then head over to iTunes, download their music, and get filled up!

http://www.myspace.com/unitedpursuit