Once Again

Tree decorated.

Christmas cookies made. 

Cards sent. 

Finals done. 

Bags--being packed. 

The countdown has reached its final week--7 days until I'm once again on my way to Romania to celebrate Christmas, the New Year, and the Father's love.  This year, I'll be bringing a few friends along for the journey.  Meet our team: 

Below my picture you'll see my little sister, Megan. To the right of her is my dear friend from Iowa State, Natalie.  The young lady in the charming yellow hat was my roommate & partner in mischief at ISU, Nicole.  Above her is Heather, a lovely TeenServe staffer from two summers ago, and to her right is our very-brave-only-guy, Tim, also from TeenServe summer staff. 

Our tickets are purchased, our bags are being packed, and we're so very excited to see the ways that the Father will use us to care for His children this Christmas season.  While we're there, we'll be celebrating Christmas with the children, taking care of infants in the baby hospital, and spending some time with some of the older orphans in the care of the long-term workers in Bucharest.  

We'll be in Romania from December 26th to January 6th, and we would love it if you would join us by praying for our team while we're serving.  Truly, your prayers make things happen! 

We'll keep you posted with updates throughout the journey.  Merry Christmas & many thanks for praying! 

Real Life

Here are just a few snapshots of Fall 2010: 

Miranda,  Deanna, & Lori hanging out in the Ped Mall before Salt Company. 

Fall beginning to happen on the UI campus. 

Beautiful sunset on the way to Anthem in Ames. 

Melinda, Jess, & Jenny--Jenny really does like everybody. I promise. 

Front: Jenny, Loren, Amanda, Melinda, Fern
Back: Jenny, Serena, Elizabeth, Miranda 

Connection Group: These ladies are why I'm here. 

Inexpressible.

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 

-1 Peter 1:6-9

Have you ever had a season of life like this?  The past few months, and really this first semester here in Iowa City have been the hardest and best of my life.  Truly, I can say that I love Jesus and cherish Him more because of all the difficult things that have come my way.  

This weekend was our first retreat for Salt Company in Iowa City, and as I sat in a room with about 80 other college students, I was amazed at all that has happened in the past year.  Almost a year ago, I sat in an auditorium in Ames, Iowa and listened as Troy and Mark explained the move to Iowa City.  They extended a call to go, and from that point, I knew that my life (or at least the next several years) would look drastically different than what I had planned.  

While sitting in that conference room at the retreat this weekend, I saw the just the beginnings of the fruit from almost a year of prayer and preparation.  We heard talks on brokenness, purity, forgiveness and healing---lives were rocked by God's grace, mercy, and love.  Two people chose to give their lives to Christ. Countless others let go of bitterness and hurt, choosing to let God heal their hearts.  Though we have not seen Jesus, we felt His love more tangibly than ever before---and the room was filled with joyful worship at the grace we have been so freely given.  The beauty of this weekend--and God Himself--was, and is, inexpressible.  

And I can't help but believe that this inexpressible beauty was only magnified by the struggles of these past three months.  Through trials, I know Him better.  Jesus has proven Himself more than worthy of my love.  He has humbled me to a new level of dependence and reliance on Him.  And in that, I see Him more clearly than I ever have before.  

"Not until we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God's holiness and sovereignty, acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside-down, can divine wisdom become ours." -J.I. Packer

Wise words. And, it would seem, the theme of this season of my life.

Songs of Thanksgiving, Sounds of Rejoicing

Well, it's official! I've been living in Iowa City for about two weeks now.  Here are some apartment pictures! 

My room...

Our kitchen...

The living room ...

Yep! We live here! Oh, and maybe you were wondering, "Who's we?"

Meet my wonderful new Roomie, Miranda.  We're having lots of fun together. 

"From them will come songs of thanksgiving

    and the sound of rejoicing. 

I will add to their numbers, 

    and they will not be decreased; 

I will bring them honor, 

    and they will not be disdained." 

-Jeremiah 30:19 

That's a scripture that our Teaching Pastor, Jeff Thune, shared at our Salt Company Iowa City leader's retreat this past Monday and Tuesday.

Songs of thanksgiving, the sound of rejoicing---that's what's been echoing in my heart in the two weeks since I've moved in.  God has shown Himself to be incredibly faithful (imagine that!), and literally, each day I see another example of that truth.

New places, people, and routines are tricky at first, and I'm definitely experiencing that.  But, there's also an undercurrent to all of those feelings, a deeply rooted understanding-one that is growing and maturing with each new way I trust Him--that He is in complete control and that He is trustworthy.  Each morning as I wake up in a place that is becoming familiar, I find myself agreeing more confidently with David when he says, 

"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; 

    you have made my lot secure. 

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; 

    surely I have a delightful inheritance.  

I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; 

    even at night my heart instructs me. 

I have set the LORD always before me.  

    Because he is at my right hand, 

    I will not be shaken." 

[Psalm 16:5-8]

Thank you all so very much for your prayers.  Truly, you are such an important part of all that is going on in this place! 

A Known God

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."
-Corrie ten Boom 

Wise words.  Definitely words that have found their way into my heart over the last year.  God has done so very much in my heart, mind, and life to show me that He is incredibly capable and in control.  As summer gradually winds down for me, I've been doing some thinking about all the ways He has shown up & blessed this season of my life. Here are a few brief snapshots of all the beauty: 

-A wonderful month at home with family and friends

-Quiet evenings alone with Jesus to worship, journal, and read 

-Early morning running followed by afternoon baking & cooking (a good combo!) 

-Plenty of time to create & just generally have fun with paper, fabric, etc. 

-A few days in Duluth with some of my dearest friends 

-One awesome week at Vacation Bible School with the 3rd-5th graders

-Clear, starry skies at Ada Hayden in Ames with some wonderful ladies 

-Five weeks of staff family, blessings, trials, new Believers, restored relationships, and changed lives with TeenServe 

-The tallest four year old, robot-loving, pirate-ship-building cousin, Jackson

-A lakeside campfire (w/marshmallows of course!) in Duluth, MN

-Three days well-spent learning about Megan's summer of ministry at Wildwood Hills Ranch 

-Slumber party/tie dye event/let's eat raspberry pie w/apt 4 ladies in Ames (Nicole missed the tie dye part, but tried on all the shirts afterwards...)

My summer has been blessed.  And these are just the very edges of what that sneaky Jesus has been up to in my life! On the 5th, I'll be moving into the next chapter of life in Iowa City...I'm ready for all the wonder of this new adventure.  

And hey! A lot has been going on all summer in Iowa City---our church now has a name, Veritas Church (Veritas=truth) and a website. Check it out!

Endings, Beginnings & New Adventures

Just a heads up: this blog post isn't about Romania at all! I'm starting a new adventure, this one a bit longer than the last...

The school year here at Iowa State is quickly drawing to a close.  I've got two more weeks of classes + three days of finals before the official ending of my sophomore year.  It's crazy to think about being half-ish done with college already.  I have to admit, I'm getting a bit comfortable in my Iowa State atmosphere.  I love it here.  Campus is beautiful.  I've got an awesome bunch of friends that are among the truest I've known.  I've experienced God in new and more brilliant ways here in this place than ever before.  This place is a place of blessing.

As I've mentioned before when writing about Romania, I believe I'm blessed to be a blessing.  To share the blessing that I have known.  One of the biggest blessings on my life here at Iowa State is the church family that I've found.  I have an amazing group of encouraging, challenging, and excited believers my own age, The Salt Company (click here for our website).  We get together and worship God, learn from His Word, and encourage one another every week.  700 strong.  Living in community with these believers the past two years has literally changed my life.  Their passion for Christ has spurred me on to know and love Jesus more fully and deeply.  Truly, as iron sharpens iron, so they have sharpened me.

So what's with this 'endings, beginnings & new adventures' thing?  Well, my church, Cornerstone Church, of which Salt Company is a part, is planting a new church, a new body of believers, in Iowa City.  They have a vision to build a campus ministry, The Salt Company of Iowa City, and build a family of Christ-followers to worship Him together in that place.  So I, along with about 50 other students and families from Ames and surrounding areas, am moving to Iowa City to partner in this work with Him.  I'm going to share the blessing I've been given.  I'll be transferring to the University of Iowa and doing life in Iowa City until He directs me elsewhere.

Big stuff.  As you can imagine, there's a lot that's going through my mind and heart.  I will miss this place, the fellowship I've found, the friends that are dear to my heart.  It's hard to leave the ministry God's given me here: the friends that, I know, if I had more time, would come to know Him eventually, the people I would love to see grow in Him.

But, I'm also really excited.  God's on the move, and I'm quite content being on the move with Him.  The safest place, the most beautiful place, is inside of His will, and I know that's where I'm at.  When I was praying about whether or not moving to Iowa City was in His plan for me, God used these verses to point me in the right direction:

Isaiah 43:18-21

"Forget the former things;
   do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
   Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
   and streams in the wasteland.
The wild animals honor me,
   the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the desert
   and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
   the people I formed for myself
   that they may proclaim my praise."

God has blessed me here at Iowa State, but He's up to something new and exciting.  He has daughters and sons-to-be in Iowa City, people he has chosen and formed for Himself...and He desperately wants to hear their voices praise His name.  He loves them so very much that He sent His Son to bring water, streams of living water to the deserts of their hearts, and He's sending believers from Ames to tell them The Story of His love.  And I'm excited to be a part of it all.

Pictures, Pictures.

Catalina and I at a New Year's Eve Celebration

Part of our group at the Baby Hospital

Love her smile!

A beautiful baby girl

An intense game of spoons with our new Romanian friends

Beautiful night sky from our house

Our team + Romanian friends at the New Year's Celebration

The best way to celebrate the New Year-thanking God for the last & anticipating His blessing in the next.

More to come-special thanks to Charles Zablan for taking some great shots!

Blessed & In Awe

 If I had an entire week with each one of you, to sit down, tell stories, and answer questions, it would be too little time to fully explain and give shape to what God did in Romania, to fully describe His awesome faithfulness.  He moved in ways I can hardly begin to believe, let alone convey.  For that, I am incredibly thankful, to God, and to all of you, because I know that the prayers of all of you were monumental in accomplishing the work of God that our team witnessed.  I have never felt so fully bathed in prayer.  So thank you-you were a blessing to so many people.

I fell in love while in Romania-with the people of Romania: a baby girl with big blue eyes and no name, a little girl with a great big toothy grin, and a woman who was in awe of His extravagant love for her.  I fell in love with His people, and, along with that, more in love with Him.  I prayed that God would give me a bigger understanding of His heart, and He answered that prayer with amazing clarity.  The compassion and incredible love that He feels for His children is almost overwhelming at times.  Friends, this experience in Romania changed me, is continuing to change me, to alter the fabric of my heart-He's using it to make my life more clearly mirror His.  I feel so blessed.  So blessed to have shared in loving His children.

"For the word of the LORD is right and true;
 He is faithful in all He does.
 the LORD loves righteousness and justice;
 the earth is full of His unfailing love."
  -Psalm 33:4-5

Transition House

Finally, part three of the ministries of Heart to Heart.

The Transition House is a very special place.  Each year, teenage orphans apply and are interviewed to be a part of the transition program, run by Heart to Heart.  In the course of the transition program, 4-8 students per house (the girls in Bucharest and the boys in a neighboring city) are involved in what is like a life-lessons fast-track schooling.  They start out very basically, sometimes learning what we would deem extreme basics, like learning to take a shower, take care of clothing, and clean.  Later, these life lessons grow a bit more complicated, the girls learn to cook (their teacher, Sanda, is the best!), do basic sewing and mending, computer skills, and they even have the opportunity to gain a nail technician education.  The boys learn trades like welding and carpentry.  Basically all the skills needed for living on their own-all the things that parents usually teach their children.  Throughout the process is a close-intense discipleship program.  Staff members live with the transition house students, and they begin to truly see what it means to belong to a family, to have someone that they can depend on.  For many orphans who have grown up hearing about God's love, this is where it actually hits home.  Lives are changed, eternally.

One girl who was in the very first year of the transition program was one of our translators for the trip.  She told us that when she began the program, she was very disobedient.  She said she was filled with so much hate from all the things she had experienced in the orphanage.  She began the program, only to be kicked out for violating the rules of the transition house.  Later, after some cool-down time, she decided to come back and finish the program.  It was hard to believe that this woman had once been a rebellious teenager!  She is now soooo filled with the love of God!  She is now involved in the baby hospital ministry of Heart to Heart-daily going to care for the smallest of His little ones.  As I worked alongside her there, witnessing her whispering, "Jesus loves you" to those babies, I was truly in awe of God's power to save and transform.  She is one of many who has been forever changed.