Model material? I think so. The amazing Ossanide Kids!
Another Kristen but Ugandan version!!
All should experience the "uniqueness" of Pleasure Restaurant. If you are ever in Kigumba...you must give a try! Mmmmm....
And we are complaining about the snow in Bend...
Mmm... polar bear for dinner anyone??
Riding in style!
These are the awesome youth we got to hang out an encourage for week!
Barrow, AK-The Top of the World!
The other night I fell asleep at my parents house watching a movie because it's nearly impossible for me to watch a whole movie starting after 8pm and stay awake for the whole thing. (Don't know why...) After waking up and leaving quickly so I wouldn't fall asleep again, I started to drive home. Because I had just waken up, it was late at night and the lights of the city were on-I guess my eyes hadn't quite adjusted yet so everything around me seemed to shine bright with this very intricate brilliance. I think the mix of me not being fully awake, the quietness of the night and my eyes focusing on things that they never see during the day, I felt like I was in some kind of wonderland or something.
Just like when you are wearing the same contact prescription for a long time while your vision continues to get worse. When you finally get new contacts, it's like the world turns on. For some reason, everything actually seems more real than before.
All of these things and more have been mulling around in my head the past couple of days. God is this and more. He is the brilliant radiance that makes everything come to life more than ever before.
"Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth." Psalm 50:2
Life with Christ is like life with the right contact prescription.
Life with Christ is like driving at night and all the lights are shining way bright.
I know this is a funny example but lately this has amazed me. The intricate design that shines through creation is blowing me away. Through Christ, new eyes are put on!
...and a sense of excitement is my first reaction of the possibility of opportunity to do something a little crazy.
Adventure is a part of my life that I love.
As the option and nudging of the Lord started to step out and go somewhere somewhat unthinkable in my mind, that's all I could think about. I've been waiting for the day when I would be released to step out of life here to go serve God and the people of another country.
Doors opened and plans falling into place, my mind was stuck in a place of this being surreal. How can this all be coming together? How can a desire that's been with me since as long as I remember actually be coming to pass?
I didn't quite understand it all though. I never ever thought that I would visit this part of the world in my life. It wasn't on my to do list or dreams for my life. Why would I want to go to a place that I know not much about and hadn't given much thought to. The Word says:
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm37:4
Funny how the desire of my heart was not to go Thailand. I loved Africa and would go back in a heartbeat. I've always wanted to go to Europe and South America along with many other places around the world. My list was long but Asia was nowhere on that list. To be honest, it actually scared me.
So here I am thinking this can't be right. How can this be the leading of the Holy Spirit if I have absolutely no want to go.
The following verse after Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart says Commit you way to the Lord; trust in Him,and He will act.
It's easy to think that our own desire that we have for our life is the desire that God will make come to pass as long as we are seeking after Him. Oddly enough, the desires of our heart aren't only for us.
The splash of cold water in the face started and the waking up to reality of the world not being about me was starting to happen. Yes, I'm getting the lesson of letting go of pride and taking up heart of humility.
In the days and weeks following the initial spark of an adventure ahead, as I committed myself to the Lord and let go of all of my pre-determined plans for my upcoming path, I found that my desire was becoming for sharing the hope of Christ with the Thai. The incredibleness of God wiped away all that I had. No longer was it my desire to do what I wanted to do and go where I wanted to go but it became God cluing me in to His way and changing my heart to the same.
The desire that I once had has become one that He has place inside of me. There is no way I could have place this inside of myself.
He has done the exact opposite that I would have asked for but it's His plan and this process of learning how to surrender to the fullness that is in Christ is way better than sticking to my own deal. His desire that He has started to grow in me is so much better.
And this is the start of abandoning all of me and my plan for the cause of Christ in an adventure I almost can't believe is happening.
