I Struggle w/ this Verse

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..."

Col. 3:23

I struggle because it's a command I fail miserably everyday. The other night I was getting my worship on in my bedroom and one of my favorite songs played. It's called Give it All by Daniel Harper. You can read the lyrics and download it for free by clicking here. Anyways, I was singing how I'll give it all to Him, and then I stopped. I cannot remember the last morning I woke up and had the "give it my all" attitude. So many days, I just try and pray to make it through the day. What sort of defeated attitude is that? That's not cool.

The preacher today spoke about warnings that have been given to us in the Bible. He used this familiar scripture that's written in red,
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27

The preacher was trying to make another point, but this is how I applied it to my life:
OBEY SCRIPTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OBEY Col. 3:23!!!!!! or else I'm just another foolish girl that is playing in the sand.

There's so much I want to write, but that would result in another epic post that you wouldn't finish.

This is why our God is an awesome God. Col. 3:23 ends with this:

"You will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward."

My Dream Band

To some people weddings are the most important day of their lives. Some girls have their entire wedding planned before they even meet their spouse. Some girls, like my best friend Whitney, already have their wedding band picked out. She's getting Lionel Richie to perform live, and I can't wait. I never really thought about music for my wedding until today. I found the band. Don't worry parents, I got their card. It may be a few years to a decade before that day comes, so you have no excuse. Save up now! It'll only take about 12 plane tickets to fly them back home. Here's a clip of the wedding. I'm standing on our balcony recording this. Also, it's 10pm and just getting started. It's so loud it's unreal. The video may take awhile to load, but it's worth it.

Don't even think about stealing this band for your wedding!!!!

Thanksgiving ND Style

My partner and I splurged today. We went to the only place that sells turkey: Subway.
For dinner we went to a friends house and we had a meat-less feast. We played guitar hero and pin the tail on the turkey. It was great. It's worth becoming a tradition.

This is our new oven w/ lime muffins in it. We made them for Thanksgiving gifts. Everyone here is vegetarian, so the only thing I could find to bake that didn't require eggs was a lemon muffin recipe. Turns out what they call lemons we call limes. It took us awhile to figure this out. We went to the fruit stands and ask for lemons and they would point at green things. Eventually we realized lemons were no where to be found, and went with the limes.

I'm so thankful for this oven. It's the biggest one available. I cooked a mean macaroni and cheese in it for Thanksgiving dinner today. My partner thought it was weird that I was making it for Thanksgiving. My family has it at almost every meal no matter the occasion, so it was my South Carolina contribution.

During the lime muffin making, we had another pipe to spew. It went everywhere including my computer, and the batter. Thankfully everything survived.

Just about every neighborhood has a security guard. As we were leaving our friends house tonight around 9ish, their guard was asleep. Our guy is so skinny, I'm not sure who he could scare away. While I was sitting at our table, I saw this out the corner of my eye:

That's our security guard on a neighbor's roof. I'm not sure what he was doing. For Thanksgiving we gave him some lime muffins. He looked at us like we were crazy. I wonder what he thought of them. I didn't like them, so I doubt he did. The thing is that when we're offered food, we have to eat it. We say we like it even when it's gross. However, they'll straight up tell you if they don't like what we offer. This guy can't tell us if he doesn't like them b/c he can't speak English and we can't understand him...yet.

I hope you had a Great Thanksgiving.

Travel Dreams

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” -St. Augustine

If you know me, you know I like to travel. A few people accused me of coming to South Asia because it would be another travel adventure. I promise this hasn't been a vacation for Jesus.

During my freshman year of college, I wrote a list of places I wanted to visit before I graduated. I was able to check off over half of them. I checked all of the ones in Europe off; it was the places in America I didn't make it to. I've been to more countries than states. My first time to Tennessee was last year.

When I graduated, I wrote a list of places to visit before I turned 25. It's looking like I need to bump that back b/c that's how old I'll be when I return. Now it's more like before I turn 30. Uhh...I don't like how that sounds.
Anyways, I'm going to share my list with you guys. This isn't my before I die list. That one is really long.

U.S.:
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Columbia River Gorge, Oregon
The Grand Canyon, Arizona
San Francisco, CA

South America:
Machu Picchu, Peru
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Asia:
Mt. Everest, Nepal
The Great Wall of China

Africa:
Cape Town, South Africa
Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania*

I'm in the wrong profession. Sometimes I forget that you need money in order to travel. Where have you always dreamed of going? I doubt I'm the only one that has travel dreams. What or who's holding you back? If it's money; stop eating at McDonalds everyday and Outback every weekend. That way it's better for your body and wallet. I promise it will be cheaper to go now than in 1o years. No matter who you are if you need a travel buddy, call me. I promise it won't take much begging.

Mark Twain was on to something when he stated,
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

I've learned more about life through traveling and hanging out with people unlike me than I did in my four years of college or any book I've read. When I throw around the term travel, I'm not talking about a vacation in a resort w/ walls around it. I've done that before and loved it also. I'm talking about submersion into unknown places. Once you're surrounded by the unfamiliar, you're forced to learn. You examine everything: your friends, your morals, your faith, your existence. Scripture even looks different. You begin to read it with different eyes, and it speaks in new ways.

I agree with this cat more than Mark Twain or St. Augustine.

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.”

-Lin Yutang

If I were home...

I would sign up for these:

NewSpring Church's Unleash Conference for church leaders:
http://www.newspring.cc/unleash
(Anderson, SC; March 12, 2009)

Catalyst One Day for church leaders also:
http://www.catalystoneday.com/
(Atlanta, GA; February 26, 2009)

**The MacDaddy Conference** I don't even like saying "MacDaddy," but there's no other way to describe it.
C3: Creative Church Conference
http://www.creativechurchconference.com/
(Grapevine, TX near Dallas; February 18-20, 2009)
My pastor from Charlotte is speaking which is an insanely huge honor. Other pastors such as T.D. Jakes and Craig Groeschel will be speaking also.

Yeah, I know that you're thinking these are all for church leaders. Just because you're not on the payroll or don't have a title before your name doesn't mean you're not a leader. I'm a little obsessed with churches that's why I would go. I have friends that have been to each of these conferences and were blessed with many new ideas and a fresh outlook on their ministry.

Question?

Do you guys like this format better or the old one? Which is easier to read? I'm a baby blogger compared to some of my friends. I know one thing you're thinking that would make it better is shorter posts. Especially after the one about Thanksgiving. I'm trying to work on it. My fingers just keep typing. It's like the movie Weekend @ Bernie's, when the music starts I just can't stop.

Happy Turkey Day or Thanksgiving?

I saw these guys in the park the other day. J/K. This is for you Mary. Maybe you should try this w/ Dotty and Crazor.


With Thanksgiving around the corner, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it actually is. I’m in a country that doesn’t have a clue. I tried to describe it to my landlords and I butchered it. I said something like it’s a holiday where families get together, eat big meals, and give thanks for the blessings in their lives. You may be thinking, “That sounds just about right.” But is it really? Should that be what Thanksgiving is?

All holidays over here everything are associated with their religion. So, they associate all of our holidays with the one religion that all Americans follow, Christianity. (Yeah right, but that’s how the world views us)

For instance, I’ve heard that people over here think that Santa Claus is one of our gods because we plaster him everywhere during December. Same with Christmas trees. I wonder how Halloween looks to them. I don’t even want to know.

I’m starting to think S. Asia has something right. Their religion is so embedded in them that it overflows into every aspect of their lives. Let’s keep in mind this is a false religion that is keeping millions blinded from the truth. Of course, the devil wants their beliefs to infiltrate all aspects of society.

Back to Thanksgiving. Should we do anything that isn’t for God’s glory? Of course, we immediately say no b/c that would be sin. But I know in the past when I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, etc. focusing on giving Him due praise and honor hasn’t been first on my mind. I don’t doubt for one minute that many of you reading this get our holidays right. I don’t. For example, in the past I've spent more time decorating the Christmas tree than reading or sharing the Christmas story with others. My very existence is dependent on Him, and everything in my life is from Him. So this Thanksgiving day, I want to give credit where credit is due. Someone sent me this scripture, so I’m passing it along to you. It’s a compilation of scripture that sums up Thanksgiving. (It’s long, but worth it) If you don't have time, skip to the bottom and read it later.

"On that day David decreed for the first time that thanks be given to the Lord…Give thanks to the Lord; call on His name; proclaim His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him; sing praise to Him; tell about all His wonderful works! Honor His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice…Remember the wonderful works He has done, His wonders, and the judgments He has pronounced…He is the Lord our God; His judgments [govern] the whole earth. Remember His covenant forever…Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Proclaim His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples. For the Lord is great and is highly praised; He is feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His place. Ascribe to the Lord, families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of [His] holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth…Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord is King!”…Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever. May You be praised, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. In Your hand are power and might, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks and praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand. We give thanks to You, God; we give thanks to You, for Your name is near. People tell about Your wonderful works. Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are His — His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations. Hallelujah! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever. Who can declare the Lord’s mighty acts or proclaim all the praise due Him? Open the gates of righteousness for me; I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord…I will give thanks to You because You have answered me and have become my salvation. I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings. I will bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your constant love and faithfulness. You have exalted Your name and Your promise above everything else. May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him…Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. And He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, 'This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.' Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!"
(1 Chron 16:7-15; 23-26; 29:10-20; Psalms 75:1; 100:3-5; 106:1-2; 118:19-21; 138:1-5; Dan 2:19-23; 1 Thess 5:16-18; Luke 22:19; 1 Cor 15:56-57 HCSB)

After that if you’re still wondering what you should be thankful for this year think about the people in these statistics:
· Every day 799 million people in developing countries—about one of every seven people worldwide—go hungry.[1]
· Every 5 seconds a child dies because he or she was hungry.[2]
· A child dies every 15 seconds from a water-related disease. This amounts to nearly 6,000 deaths, or the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing, every day.[3]
· Americans spend $26 billion annually on ice cream, an amount that could feed 83 million hungry children for an entire year.[4]

I’m definitely not trying to make you feel bad about the blessings we both share or how much ice cream you eat. I love ice cream. When I get back, I’ll continue to buy over-priced ice cream from Coldstone. Just keep the nations in your prayers this Thanksgiving. Pray for more workers, especially for national/local workers. The gospel spreads like wildfire amongst nationals. It’s been amazing to see.

Also, you can give to organizations such as this one:Water Missions International. It’s an amazing non-profit. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to serve there and get to know its leaders. They have an online Christmas catalog where you can purchase life saving gifts. Look online for more detail. I cannot describe it well. Please check it out. It’s based out of Charleston. http://www.watermissions.org/ P.S. Family this is what you’ll be receiving this Christmas.

Thanks for hanging in there through this long post. Thanks for all of your support. I cannot imagine where I would be without your prayers.

Here's one more funny:

[1] United Nations Human Development Report 2003.
[2] State of Food Insecurity in the World, Food and Agriculture Organization, 2003.
[3] World Health Organization, 2004.
[4] State of the World 2004, World Vision, International Dairy Foods Association, Dairy Facts 2008.

I Take It Back...

Everyday is a day in paradise here. After posting the previous message, I went back to the flat knowing there was no electricity. We called the electrician and he fixed the problem. That was quick and easy.



Well as I was cutting my chicken to bake for dinner this happened:

I slightly bumped the faucet. Now water freely flows on and off throughout the day. Thankfully it flows straight into the sink. Some people think fountains are peaceful and serene. I still don't get that. It seems that everyday we find water that is either freely flowing or dripping from new pipe.

On top of that I went to put the chicken into the oven and it was broken. I couldn't get it to turn on. I ended up having a breakdown. I ate Easy Mac that I brought from home. I've been saving it for a bad night and last night was perfect. It was the best Easy Mac I had ever had.

One amazing thing is that WE HAVE INTERNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just Another Day in Paradise!!!!

We still don't have Internet. We were informed this morning by the company that it may take a month. I'm at the coffee place in the mall again, but this time I'm drinking some type of berry tea. It's not as bad as the coffee I had last time, so I'm thankful.

Things aren't going so smoothly. Here's an example of a day in paradise. Last Sunday we attended "a gathering of the body" that some friends recommended. Next thing we knew people were convulsing and falling out on the floor all around us. They were pointing people out of the crowd to get freed from the devil's stronghold and to receive joy. After 2hrs of watching in shock and from fear of being called forward, my friend and I bolted.

We left to met up with some friends and when met our crazy auto rickshaw driver. We jumped in the auto, then while it was moving got out b/c he wanted to charge us a crazy amount. This persistent driver followed us down the road a good bit. Finally we stopped walking when we reached a crowd of people and I screamed "No" and started shaking my head. I was laughing and so were the locals watching me. Eventually we gave in and got in his auto, but at a lower price. The thing is we think we're getting a deal when they lower from their original price, but we're still getting robbed compared to everyone else.

Anyways, a few miles down the road this happened:

We had a blow-out. It sounded like we were getting shot. I looked and realized there was no blood on me or my friend, so then I started laughing. The auto driver stopped someone to help him change the tire. Instead of using a jack his friend just tilted the auto. I thought it was going to tip over. That would have been funny.

Well this is our solution to all of the issues with using autos:

A Scooter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know it's scary and my parents are finding out about it just like you are. Sorry guys. I do have a helmet to wear, but I didn't wear it in this photo op. It's so much fun. I haven't ventured out far b/c I'm scared. I've got the neighborhood down pat. Our neighbors absolutely think we're insane.

Speaking about paradise, I've got to go. I was just informed our electricity is out again and I need to be back at the flat. No electricity is not that big of a deal, last week at around 3am water in my partner's bathroom spewed everywhere. Literally a pipe fell out of the wall. That's fixed now. The best part about that is plumbers here give an extra gift with their services. It's really sweet and cheap. They don't wear deodorant, so as a gift they let their delightful aroma fill and linger in your room. It's better than having a Glade Plug-In. Plumbers in America should try it.

I apologize for not responding to many emails. I'll promise once I get internet for more than 30min. at a time, I'll respond. Thanks for your support and prayers.

Design on a Dime

We're in our flat!!!! That means we don't have Internet yet. There is no Farmer's Telephone that we can call to set everything up. Right now, I'm in South Asia's version of Starbucks. You would have laughed at me while I was ordering. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I don't know the difference b/t a mocha, white chocolate latte, espresso, etc. I finally saw something named "Americano" so that's what I went with. It's hot and gross. I did get a blueberry muffin which is really good.

Here's a pic of by bedroom. Try to see if you can find my pet miniature iguana.

He's in the top right corner. I named him Shiv.

This really isn't a good picture. Do you like my bedside table? Yeah, it's a computer chair that is still wrapped in plastic. You can't see the actual bed, but it cost around $30 to have it custom made and delivered. The curtains were $3 each, and the computer chair/bedside table was $11.

Enough about the flat. I'll move onto a more important issue...FOOD. We went grocery shopping a few days ago. Their grocery stores make the T'ville IGA look like a Super Wal-Mart. Most of them are so small that they don't have buggies to push around. My partner thinks its funny when I call them buggies. I forgot what she calls them, but I think it's funny. We have found two stores that have buggies, but they are the size of the little kid ones our grocery stores once had. Hugh you need to bring those back. I loved them.

Here's a picture of the Fruit Loops I bought. I'm not typically a Fruit Loop eater, but it was that or granola. I chose sugar. They were manufactured in South Asia. I don't think they have artificial coloring down yet. They roughly tasted the same.

Although the outside is green, this is an orange. It just tasted a little watered down.

That's all I have about food. Everyone asks me about the weather. It's still in the 80s during the day, but it's cooling down at night. Our guard that stands outside our house wears a scarf sometimes. It makes me laugh, b/c I would be sweating. I'm told that the constant temp. in the summer is 120, so when it gets in the 60s they think it's freezing. I'm going to struggle this summer.

I'm really excited about this week. We're actually going to start working. We'll be traveling to a different state to train nationals and to scope out future work opportunities in slums and orphanages. This week is really crucial for us. We're really excited.

The blog may not be updated for awhile. Hopefully when we return from traveling, I'll have a few good stories and pics so I won't need to write about Fruit Loops.

Taking Time to be Holy

Warning: This post may bore you. You're exempt from reading it if you'd like.

What does it mean to be Holy? I don't have a clue. I really like music, so often times when someone says something I think of a song that relates to the topic. Some friends were talking about being holy and I thought of and old hymn we sang in the church I grew up in. It's called Take Time to be Holy. Initially, I thought that's wrong. "Take Time to be Holy" Shouldn't we always be holy? Then I read the lyrics to the song:

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word. Make friends of God's children, help those who are weak, Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be; Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.
Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide; And run not before Him, whatever betide. In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.
Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul, Each thought and each motive beneath His control. Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

George C. Stebbins, 1890

Doesn't that pretty much sum up how to be holy? I was going to give the scripture references, but I'm too lazy for that. If you want to hear the hymn just click here I laughed out loud when I first heard it, but it helped me remember the tune.

We've been moving into our flat. It's taken us all week long to get it ready. It takes forever to get things done here. I will never take a Bed, Bath, & Beyond for granted. Here you have to go to one market for curtains, then another for bedding, so on and so on. I'll update you with pics of the finished product.

As many of you have experienced, moving into a new house in the U.S. is stressful. Coordinating and working with future roommates or spouses can be one of the hardest task. Needless to say, this move brought the best out of my teammate and me. In my readings this week I read these verses:

Eph. 4:26-29,

"In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. ...Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building other up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Philippians 2:3-4,

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interest of others."

In college I had that verse above the kitchen sink. So when I cleaned out someone's soggy noodles that were clogging up the drain, It would remind me to check my motives and heart. It didn't always work.

Cleaning up after someone else isn't always fun, but its the little things count. This week my teammate gave me the best bedroom. She knew I wanted it b/c it had more windows and it was blue, but I knew she wanted it for those same reasons. I said we should flip, but she gave it to me anyways. Maybe you or she doesn't consider that being holy, but I do. She thought of me above herself. Thanks Partner!!! You're the bestest ever!!!(I know it's not supposed to be "bestest")

My point is that there isn't a list of things we can do to become "holy." If we could apply the first line of the song to our lives I think we would be just a little better off.

It says, "Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word."