Home Sweet Home

A little after eleven on Tuesday night, and I'm finally getting around to updating.

I spent the weekend with Rachel on the campus of Southern Seminary in Louisville before heading home on Sunday afternoon. Thus far my time home has consisted of appointment after appointment. I had my left knee and shoulder examined on Monday after getting a TDaP injection that morning in preparation for possible international travel over Christmas break. This morning was my first ever filling. Not gonna lie; I was not super excited about having a cavity in the first place, but fortunately it was not so deep as to require anesthetic, so no needles were involved.

I'm growing to enjoy my time at home more than I have in years past. I'm definitely the adventurer of the family, but it's nice to have a home base so to speak. Things went from tough to tougher for me during the last part of our week in Maysville/May's Lick. Distance from home and the familiar compounded by the rigors of a travelling camp forced me to slow down and seek the Lord's strength. I have this habit of wanting to do everything for myself; I see others as incompetent at times, and I stupidly tend to lump God in that category more often than not. How arrogant I am to think I've got a hold on everything! I come to Him as a penitent child, confessing that I've gotten too big for my britches on a daily if not hourly basis. When things fall apart I must admit my own inadequacy, yet He is gracious in welcoming me back.

My personal life is a little difficult and confusing right now. I've been greatly disappointed, but I will not be greatly shaken. My God has mercy, grace, love, and guidance. I'm learning again the pitfalls of self-sufficiency, but my God will lift my feet from the mire and set me on the Rock.

"...my God in His steadfast love will meet me...the Lord has become my stronghold and my God the rock of my refuge." Psalm 94

*Pray for rest for my fellow staff and me.
*Pray that the transition from camp to home and home to school will be smooth.
*Pray that I would learn to be less hard-headed.

I Need One of These Things...

Hanging out at the Director of Missions' house this afternoon for swimming, resting, and a cookout. They brought this nifty hammock back from Tijuana, Mexico. I'm thinking I might be here for a while.=P

Home Stretch

It’s just past ten thirty on Sunday night as I write this. Don’t know how late this will be getting up since we don’t have Internet access here, but I thought I’d write while things were still fresh in my mind.

We’ve just finished the second week of associational camps in Stanford, KY. The week was challenging in that we’re physically and mentally exhausted, but we have all been learning to lean on the Lord for strength. There is no such thing as a self-sufficient missionary. We were rewarded on Friday with a new sister. One of the girls in our oldest age group made a profession of faith. This is exactly why we’re here; it makes all the hard stuff beyond worth it.

After finishing up on Friday, we had Saturday to relax and enjoy the community. The Lincoln Baptist Association sponsored any of the staff who so desired to run in the Seventh Annual Main Street Run for Independence. Five of us ran, three on the Lincoln Baptist Association/Live Love! team and two independently as well as Bro. Max and his son Kyle. The Live Love! team was made up of Rachel, Anna, and myself. I’d say we did fairly well; we placed third in the team competition. Granted, there were only three teams, but you’ve got to start somewhere, right? Melanie and I placed third and second respectively in our age category.


Those who accepted the challenge.


The medal winners

Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon was spend with the pastor and his family. The Disaster Relief building where we’d been housed all week had been double booked that night, so the Hesters took us into their home. We girls enjoyed preparing dinner for everyone, then Kyle took us to a friend’s house for swimming. Breakfast was a real treat. Mrs. Hester and Kyle cooked a legit southern breakfast, complete with monkey bread, sausage, and fried bologna.


Kyle (one of our hosts, an EMT/Firefighter/Police officer) along with three of our staff (Rachel, Brandy, and Shana) modeling turnout gear. Bro. Max is a fire chaplain in Lincoln County as well as a volunteer firefighter. Kyle has recently graduated from the police academy, so if you're going through Nicholasville, be sure not to speed. ^_~

The fellowship we shared with the Hesters is something I’ll never forget. The way they opened their home went above and beyond what one expects of hospitality. Bro. Max expressed it this way: “The house isn’t ours; God has blessed us with it, so now we just want to bless you with it.” So often, I am convicted by my own selfishness, but the Lord has used them and other events this week to open my eyes. I have so much, but how much do I share? How much am I willing to share? Something for me to chew on this week.

Ah, this week! We’re located in Bracken Association for the next five days. We’re a stone’s throw from Ohio in a town called Maysville. Hoping to explore the beautiful downtown sometime soon. Must wrap up now; driving is more tiring than it ought to be.

*Pray for our unity and attitudes.
*Pray for physical healing for members of our team.
*Pray for good leadership.
*Thank God for people like the Hester family.

Tri-State Peak, Stanford, and other Adventures

Though slightly drenched on Friday afternoon, neither our spirits nor our sense of adventure were dampened. Saturday morning was spent travelling to Cumberland Falls. I'd been there on family vacation several years ago, but I definitely didn't appreciate the grandeur by any means. The falls themselves are breathtaking and slightly mind-boggling. Just trying to follow the water from top to bottom made me dizzy. The landscape along the banks of the river is composed of forested hills and cliffs as well as rock formations that several of us decided to explore. (This was made much easier since our director had stayed at the college...=P)


Cumberland Falls


Rachel: Now don't pull a Pocahontas on me!

We ended our escapades back at the Gap by hiking the trail to Tri-State Peak. This is the point at which Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia meet. I know it's cheesy and lame, but I was pretty excited to be in three places at once. I promptly updated my facebook status to say something to this effect, to which my dad commented "Four if you count confusion!" Thanks, Dad...Love you too. Ha-ha.


Three states at once!

This week find us in Stanford, KY, staying at the Kentucky Disaster Relief building. We had been under the impression that we would have no mattresses, so the staff was quite excited when we discovered the bunk beds. A couple from the church invited us over for swimming and a cookout last night. The much needed downtime was greatly appreciated. I'm informed that we'll be going to see "Turtleman" this afternoon. Apparently he wrestles snapping turtles... I'll try to contain my enthusiasm...

*Pray for hearts to be open to God.
*Pray for endurance and rest for the staff.
*Pray that I will turn my decisions over to the Lord.

Rain Forest

Got to explore some of the Cumberland area this afternoon. Absolutely beautiful! It did rain on us when we got to Pinnacle Overlook. Actually, it stormed. We ran back to the vehicles to wait out the rain for a while, then went hiking in the rain for about an hour. Despite the rain, it was one of the most glorious experiences of my life. This area of the state is breathtaking. I'm excited about going to Cumberland Falls tomorrow and the possibility of coming back to explore the Gap further. The haze is lifting from the mountains as I type this.

Being out here makes me wonder where in the world I'll end up one day. I don't know what the Lord has in store for me as far as where I'll be serving, but I hope it's half as beautiful as it is here. I drank from a mountain spring today. It's a very small thing-not an overly exciting experience-but very different nonetheless. I'm grateful for the adventurous spirit God has given me to enjoy things like this.

No more time to write. Back to Internet-less, cell signal-less Clear Creek. =]

Oh, I would also like to add: Middlesboro, KY is the only inhabited meteor crater in the United States. Yes, that's right. The town in which we've been doing camp this past week is in a meteor crater. Pretty awesome if you ask me. Okay, that's it. =P

My Roommate Thinks We're in Alaska...

It’s got to be eighty degrees in here, if not more. I’m rooming with our director (Susan, more appropriately pronounced SU-z’n) this week, and she’s apparently quite cold-natured. I am not. I shall be sleeping in a tank top and shorts tonight on top of the covers... Best suck it up now; they don’t have air conditioning in third world countries.

We got to explore the creek today after dinner. Pretty much the highlight of my week thus far. We saw what I concluded to be a baby copperhead right off the bat. He seemed okay with us as long as we kept our distance, and we were okay with him as long as he kept his. Susan, however, was not super excited about our trekking upstream. She does deserve some brownie points for exploring with us, though, even if she did make us get out for fear of bears. C’mon, Susan! They’re only black bears...not even the big kind!

My evening was made by watching Bride and Prejudice, the Bollywood film version of Pride and Prejudice. I. Want. A. Sari. Also, my school friends would be proud of me. I finally put my student ID to good use. Sometimes you don’t have time to wait around for people with keys...Just sayin’...

On the Road Again

I feel like a gypsy this summer; I’ve not managed to stay in one place for more than four weeks. I’m generally okay with it, but living out of a duffel bag can get a little old, not to mention messy. My current location is Clear Creek Baptist Bible College in beautiful Pineville, Kentucky. The staff from Cedarcrest (the camp where I’ve been working the past month) is taking camp on the road to three Baptist associations in Eastern Kentucky over the next three weeks.


Today was an adventure and a learning experience in patience. I got up early to make the three-hour drive to meet the rest of the staff near Shelbyville. The van (yes, I’m driving my mother’s van...) was loaded and we were ready to pull out when I discovered that the battery was dead. An hour later (after a trip to Auto Zone...), we were on our way to Bell County-another three hours on the road. It’s not that I mind driving long distances (Let’s be real, my school is six hours from home...), just that they give one an awfully long time to be alone with one’s thoughts.

We as a staff have decided that both Mapquest and GPS know absolutely nothing. We wandered around Pineville (a feat in and of itself in a town of barely over 2,000) for a good half hour, trying to find the college. In my humble opinion, it was well worth it. The scenery here is breathtaking. For anyone who doesn’t know, Pineville is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. While certainly not as grand as the Rockies or the Smokies, the Appalachians are a beauty all their own. Rachel and I geeked out a little while we were lost, listening to some good Elvish music. It seemed appropriate amongst the wooded hills. Made me smile, at least. Ah, Eryn Lasgalen. ^_^

I’m excited about getting to explore this part of the state during our stay. The campus itself is beautiful. There is actually a legit creek that runs all over campus as well as just behind the dorm we’re housed in. Several of the staff and I are planning on getting our feet wet at some point this week. We were told by a student here that this area is known for “egg water.” When we asked him what that was, he explained that the water has a high concentration of sulfur in it, which makes for a lovely rotten-egg smell. If bottled, however, it is drinkable after about twenty-four hours. This may have to be tested at some point...He-he.


Clear Creek


Middlesboro, KY

Where I'm Going

Having said all that, here's where I am now:

(Well, aside from at home for the weekend...)

-Eighteen years old (almost nineteen! yikes!)

-Sophomore in college

-Biblical Studies major

-Summer camp lifeguard

...and perhaps a future foreign missionary.

That's mostly what this is about, I think. Having told God that I'll be whatever He wants and go wherever He wants, I'm open to pretty much anything. I believe I was called to missions in the summer of 2006 (one of the times He was trying to get my attention before last fall), but I'd put that away in the back of my mind for more than three years. Once I got legit, it came to the forefront again. I argued this with God for a couple of months, actually. I still wanted to hold onto my dream of acting professionally, bargaining that maybe New York or Los Angeles could be my mission field. He wasn't buying it. Well, I figured if I'm going to do this, I've gotta do it the right way. I still wondered what I was going to do with this affinity I have for acting. Why would God give that to me if I wasn't to use it somehow?

He's got a sense of humor to be sure. I've recently learned that people who are good with assuming characters and accents are typically quick studies when it comes to learning languages and the ins and outs of foreign cultures. It was definitely an "aha!" moment when this all fell together. I've loved languages for as long as I can remember. Pair that with what talent I've been given for acting, mix it with a desire for adventure and a love of travel, add it to a longing to share this Jesus with people who don't know Him, and you've got yourself a foreign missionary.

This blows my mind. Granted, I don't know where in the world (literally) I'm headed, but I'm surprisingly pretty cool with it. He's got it all worked out. Let's be real; He has been beyond patient with this wretch until now. He's turned me every which way but loose. He's not going to quit and I don't want Him to. He amazes me more and more every day. Now that I know what I'm doing with my life (rather, what God is doing with my life), I have simply to hang on for the ride.

Where I'm Coming From

So I'll be honest right off the bat. I do not claim to be a writer of any sort, but I'm always up for a challenge. Working at camp this summer has-for some reason-inspired me to start blogging about what I'm learning and experiencing in my everyday life.

I'm a college student who's finally getting it right. I got legit in October of 2009. By "legit" (that's one of my favorite words, by the way) I mean I got saved for real. I was that kid who grew up in a strong Christian family. Mom taught Sunday School, Daddy's a deacon. I had to be puking up my guts to stay home from church. I always had the right answer to anything asked in VBS or Sunday School. I said "the prayer" and was baptized (got wet is what I did) when I was about seven years old. But I'd never really given my life over to God. I had Jesus for fire insurance, you know what I mean? It was that brand of "Christianity" that says to God, "I'll do Your will if it's convenient or if it makes me look good, as long as I get what I want first." It's a lie. I lived a lie for eleven years. God broke me last summer. I was devoid of all emotion for nearly six months. I could appear happy or sad or whatever on the surface, but there was no connection whatsoever in my heart. I knew where to look for answers, of course, but I wouldn't admit that the problem was with me.

On the 27th of September, I got alone with God and poured my heart out to Him in my journal, begging Him to see my emptiness and brokenness and come back to me. It took another two weeks for me to see that the error of my thought process. I was the one who'd pushed Him away. I served Him when it suited me, but I'd never committed to living my life for His purpose. On October 7th, 2009, I gave up. I told God that I was done living for me; it only brought emptiness. Life has been nothing but better ever since. Jesus has essentially turned my life upside-down, but I'm okay with it because I know it's for His glory. This time last year, I was headed toward an acting career upon graduation. Now I'm destined for the mission field. Not sure where yet, but He'll let me know in His time. I'm still a babe in Christ with a lot to learn. One thing I know-He is good and He is faithful.

Now you know where I'm coming from. I know where I'm going in the end. From here on out, it's about the journey.