More Stories: Motorcycle

i've always had a fear of riding motorcycles.

i have only rode as a passenger on a motorcycle once.

it was a harley and my uncle was the driver.
and it lasted all of 2 seconds.

when i was getting ready to go overseas,

my friend decided to tell me that i'd have to ride on a motorcycle.

needless to say, i freaked out a bit.

after some prayer and serious pep-talks,

i accepted the fact that i'd have to ride on a motorcycle.

you see, motorcycles are a way of life overseas.

they just make the most sense in terms of travel.

i mean, everyone uses them

but sometimes there are parking issues

(yes, she's praying)

well, anyway, i had to make my first motorbike appearance.

my new friend, Tika, was the brave soul who volunteered 

(yes, volunteered) to take me on my debut.

yea, we're gansters.

actually, i was totally using humor to mask my utter terror.

i survived.

yep, yep i did.

and i even learned to love it.

anticlimactic, huh?

i was excited for my next chance to ride on our 

progressive-like dinner later that week.

 yea, we look horrible, but we had an amazing time nonetheless.

motorcycle fear: conquered

one less obstacle in overseas living.

hope you enjoyed this week's edition of

real life: part 1B

yes, i'm still struggling with stuff. mere things that are guaranteed to burn when this life is over.

but i find comfort in this song as of late.

be encouraged by its cry

(as always, forgive the cheesy video)

real life: part one

prelude:

sometimes i use my blog for serious things and other times just to be ridiculous. but i'm starting a simple "real life" series because real life has been catching up with me. the more i seek the Lord and sit at His feet, the more He brings to light dark areas of my life. although this blog is fairly public (even with its mere five readers) i need to process all that's going on as the Lord does these things. i won't put too much raw process up here, knowing that i need to process and seek the Lord first. but i also want to share what He teaches me, knowing that i'm not the only person who "struggles" with these things.

*  *  *

i'm a big fan of david platt because he preaches and lives out truth. i don't think he is perfect nor do i mean to ever put him on a pedestal. i've been listening to his sermon series on 1 Timothy and the last one i listened to was called "the Gospel and materialism, part 1."  i thought, "hey, it will be a good reminder." i listened. i heard.

i would encourage all believers to listen to this two-part sermon on the gospel and materialism. i'm not accusing others of living in that realm, but materialism so cripples the Gospel, that i must share this with you, brother or sister.

First Timothy: The Household of God

i am guilty of living in materialism. i make more of things than i do of God. this is a sin. i have repented and i ask your forgiveness if this materialistic attitude has caused you to stumble. i know i will be tempted to fall back into this realm daily, so i ask your help. ask me where my heart and desires have been of late and don't let me get away with anything but the truth. pray for me and others, that mere things would not veil the glories of Christ, and that we would feast on the goodness of Christ and be content in all He is. thank you in advance.

"Godliness with contentment is gain." -david platt

More Stories: prayer night

every week, my friend hosts a prayer night at her home.

she's invited some of her students and friends

encouraging them to intercede for the lost in their city.

prayer requests were shared,

tribes reviewed,

translating happened (for my sake).

then we got to business.

we each prayed as the Spirit led,

each in our heart language.

the Holy Spirit moved.

i love praying/worshiping with people in different languages.

it reminds me that God created and understands each language,

and that He desires to and will be worshiped by all tongues.

this is exciting!

the Lord is calling all people to Himself

and every tribe, tongue, and nation will be represented 

in the throne room of the Most Holy.

i felt like a got a very, very small glimpse of what that will be like.

and that, my friends, is something to be thankful for.

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude

that no one could number, from every nation, 

from all tribes and peoples and languages, 

standing before the throne and before the Lamb, 

clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 

and crying out with a loud voice,

'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, 

and to the Lamb!'" 

Revelation 7:9-10

More Stories: Kampung

the two mondays i was in S.E.A.,

i accompanied my friend and her national
partner to the kampung (COM-poon).

those living in such communities are generally quite poor.

it took us about an hour to get to this specific kampung by ankot.

when we arrived, 

i was surprised to find the village directly on the water.

for reals, westerners would pay big bucks for that kind of property.

the main income for this community is fishing.

fishing boats littered the beach.

there were boardwalks to travel from house to house

for those families living where the tide comes in and out.

it almost made me think of mississippi a bit.

post-katrina, that is.

my friends go to this community because 

they provide a traveling library.

kids in these communities get little to no education

because it isn't deemed important.

i mean, why does someone need to go to school if they are just going to run the family store or be a fisherman?

the kids loved getting the books.

they loved hearing a bule speak their language.

they loved making fun of the bule who couldn't.

these kids face more problems than poverty.

they witness and experience physical, verbal, and sexual abuse.

the violence they display towards one another clearly exhibits

what is being modeled for them.

PRAY:

*for the national worker and my friend to continue to gain favor with the adults in the community

*that the relationships formed will lead to Christ-centered conversations

*for soft and receptive hearts among the adults and children, that the gospel will land on good soil

*as Christ transforms hearts, the community as a whole would be transformed, bringing light to the darkness

You are faithful

i know i've blogged this song before.

but i don't care.

this song reminds me of the promise of God

to never leave or forsake His children,

to never leave me.

even though circumstances change,

friendships change,

expectations change,

my God remains faithful.

be reminded and encouraged in His faithfulness today!

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

More Stories Monday

 i still have so much to process and share about my two weeks overseas, that i'm starting "more stories monday."

essentially, i'll be writing about things that need 

elaboration from my previous blogs 

as well as various prayer requests and pictures.

i hope you will laugh and cry with me,

that you will be encouraged and challenged,

and, ultimately, that Christ will be exalted.

i love new cultures.

there is always something to learn,

something new to experience,

something that seems to catch you off guard.

i tried to capture that attitude in the photos to follow.

  

 hope you enjoed this addition of

update three

even though i'm back in the states, there are a few more days that i wanted to let you know about.

monday, we went back to the "low-income" village and we did some basic health teaching. i was glad to see some familiar faces, but sad when we left, realizing i will probably never see them again. pray that this community would come face to face with their sin in light of the cross, and the kindness of the Lord would lead them to repentance. that night, my friends hosted a worship night at their house. even though i could only make out minimal bahasa (despite the excellent pre-translation), worshipping the Lord Jesus with fellow, like-minded believers in something words cannot describe. i am grateful.

tuesday, we went out to my friend's language teacher's house in hopes of discussing the Scripture with her. my friend was able to share some truth with her, even though the conversation was a bit scattered. then we went to lunch with some english students. it was interesting, to say the least. that afternoon i had the honor of teaching and interacting with nursing students. i was the only bule in site, but i was honored and blessed by the opportunity (more stories to come). that night, my friends and i went for a very tasty dinner and i had my first seafood in the country. once again, interesting.

wednesday was my last day and i was trying not to cry most of the day. after a no-agenda kind of morning, we went to the market. open markets are one of my favorite things about living overseas. (more stories to come). this also started the "eat all the fruit that isn't in america" extravaganza. please believe, it was a lot of fruit. we met up with another friend for lunch, resulting in my second favorite meal while i was there. for reals, i wish i could consume that a weekly. my friend taught that afternoon, so we went to he job and enjoyed some laughter. that night, one of my batak sisters made us chicken-goodness and i said  a few goodbyes. that night, i was able to surprise my giants-loving friend with some giants love (since she's missed the last 2 seasons). my friends joined me in my room as i packed and we sang along to the wicked soundtrack.

on thursday, i tried the remainder of the fruit i hadn't tried yet, made one last stop at the ATM and then the taxi ride to the airport happened. i regret not engaging my friend more in our last half hour or so together, but tears were not being held back well. saying goodbye at the airport was bittersweet; i loved seeing my dear friend and living life with her again, but the Lord had used this time to re-ignite purpose and burdens in my life and i knew i had to go back. 

i made it home safely, but forever changed. i still plead that the Lord will allow me to go overseas for His namesake and i wait for that time all-too impatiently. but i also know there are some serious weaknesses in my life that the Lord has yet to refine before my life can transition to another culture. the coming months will be hard, but He is in control and i rest in His faithfulness and perfect love.

dear friend, thank you again for hosting me and letting me share life with you! it was/is more  of a blessing than i can truly articulate. i pray that we will be able to live life together again at some point in the future.

thank you all, once again, for praying and the encouragement! but i ask you not to stop praying! there are many, many lost sheep in that country and the strongholds of the enemy are deeply rooted. continue to pray that light would shine forth in the darkness.  pray that the workers and national believers would be strengthen and renewed by our Lord.

be sure to stop on by for the "more stories to come."

mini-update

hey all.

not much to update about, but just wanted to drop a few lines to let you know what we've been up to.

thursday night/early morning friday morning i developed somethin somethin. after being up for a lot of the night, i slept until about 1pm...and then barely woke up the rest of the day. sadly, my friend, her roommate, and members of their team have been sick on and off since friday. your continued prayer for healing and strength from Father are appreciated!

saturday, my friend and i managed to venture out for a couple of hours, after sleeping in of course. coffee shop, public transportation, and a short trip grocery shopping proved sufficient for this venture. we spent the rest of the night just hanging out and having some introvert and Jesus times. 

today, we went to church and took communion. then we went to lunch and i had the absolute thrill of eating with my hands and drinking an almost-mango lassi. and then i rode on the motorcycle with taking my hands off the handles....while moving! it's the little things yea? after a short rest, we had dinner/worship with the team and it was refreshing. worshipping Father in my heart language is something that i take for granted.

in other news, i finished a book i never said i'd read-redeeming love-and am grateful for how Father will continue to use this book in my life as a tool to reveal His perfectly unconditional love for me. the other day, i started reading the heavenly man. honestly, i have never been so convicted with a believer's life outside of scripture. if you have not read it, i'm not asking you to consider reading it, i'm pleading with you to do so! you will only regret it if you don't desire to live whole-heartedly for the King who is worthy of all.

thank you for your continued prayer and encouragement. i have so much to process after this short stent here that i hope you look forward to more blogs to come in the coming months. love you and see some of  you in about a week!