Really Really

I don't really know where to begin right now. It's hard to believe that our time here in Ethiopia is already done, it just doesn't seem possible.
It's 5 am here. I haven't really been able to sleep all night. I think I started laying in bed around 1:30 am and dozed off for a little bit, but I guess my body doesn't really want to rest.
Our week in Nazret at the National Student Movement Leaders Training was incredible. I didn't know what to expect, and through that was kind of negative, but the Lord continued to show to me how He's moving here in Africa and showed us all the hope of Africa that's being carried within the student leaders at the conference. It was like DCC, but way more. The students were the most passionate believers I've ever seen, and getting the chance to worship with people who are 100% in for the Lord all the time and feel the power of the Gospel so deeply was phenomenal. We were also blessed to have staff members translating the sermons for us, so through that I was able to learn a lot and look forward to re-reading my notes and reflecting on all Tariku and Bekele had to say. The translators at the conference were as sweet and loving as the ones in Bahir Dar, and again I made great friends in only a matter of days. We also got to share and serve with the students as we planted thousands of trees one day in Nazret. That afternoon of planting is one of my favorite memories of the conference. We got to perform worship songs, and a dance to a Lecrae song, to share with the students and encourage them in what they're doing. We had the chance to bond together and raise support for one of the students we'd met, enabling him to go to school, and praying over him as he prepares for this next step in his life. We had the incredible opportunity to have dinner with Tariku, Bekele, Sahai, and Mihiret (they are all on staff with CCC/GCM in some capacity), and to hear the mind-blowing testimonies of how they've come to faith and seen God move in their lives and in Africa. Basically, Nazret was every bit as much a blessing and growing experience as the rest of the trip, and I know that I was not expecting that.
Since we've been back in Addis Ababa we've been processing through our time here, both individually and as a team. We've gotten to affirm one another, sharing how each team member has played a vital role in God's work here in Ethiopia and in the ability of our team to function. We've been able to spend time with many of the Ethiopians who mean so much to us--Kassahun, Dires, Desta, Wande, Mike, David, Kaleb, and Kaleb. (Yes! David and Kaleb, Luke & I's partners in ministry). We've spent time preparing our hearts for the transition back. My heart is heavy about going home, but I know that the Lord has planned my time here perfectly, and now it's time to go home.
I can't believe how blessed I've been to be able to come to Ethiopia and see God moving in such an evident way. It has been such a privilege to be able to come and serve the Lord here; the same Lord who is working back home in America.

Psalm 31

Hello from Addis Ababa! This is where we were when we first got to Ethiopia two weeks ago.

The last couple of days have been very emotionally intense for all of us. Well, Wednesday wasn't as much. Wednesday we postponed our visit to the Blue Nile Falls in order to do ministry in the morning. I went with Jessica and Clay and David was our translator (aka Partner). We went to a location that was farther away from most places we'd been. Went to a cafe called Dave's cafe and talked with one guy who was a Bajaj driver. (A Bajaj is the Ethiopian taxi). After talking to him we asked a guy who'd been looking over at us a lot if he wanted to talk, but he just wanted the 4 Spiritual Laws booklet, which we gladly gave him. We talked to two more guys, both Orthodox, and made appointments to meet them on Thursday, before leaving that cafe. We tried to go visit one of the translators at his house but he wasn't home.
After lunch we had downtime to do whatever we wanted. A couple of us were feeling splurge-y so we actually went and got massages at this hotel we'd gotten dinner at the night before. It was incredibly relaxing, and it finished with a hot shower, which we hadn't had the whole time of being in Bahir Dar (let's be honest, we didn't have running water most of the time in Bahir Dar).
In the evening we played a game of soccer against the translators. We went to the local YMCA and it took awhile to get the game going because all the kids wouldn't get off the field because they wanted to play too. It was a tough game, and our team sustained many injuries (one minor concussion, one ball hard to the eye resulting in a minor black eye, and a couple scraped legs), and we lost. But we put up a very valiant effort. Final score was 2-3. After the game we had dinner and then the translators came over to hang out. We played games for awhile and then had a serious talk about what we had all learned from this experience, and then a couple people gave thanks gifts.

Thursday was a very emotional day. Went out again with Luke as my sharing partner, and we had Kaleb and David as our partners. Had an appointment at 10 with Adarajo, who Kaleb and I had talked with already twice. It was a hard conversation because we'd already told him really all that we could, and Kaleb and I wanted so much to see him accept, but he said he still needed to think deeper. While we were talking, Luke and David were causing a ruckus--they'd sat down with four guys and were debating something about the legitimacy of the Bible. Luke said, "We didn't even get to share the Gospel. We just argued." So we left quickly after that and went to a juice place. Talked with one guy, who was very Orthodox and couldn't see the difference between what we were telling him and what he already believed. Another conversation where nothing we said was getting through so we had to walk away.
Headed to where we meet up for lunch and kind of had a breakdown. And by kind of I mean I did. I think it was an overflow of a couple different things: frustration at never having anyone accept the whole time (despite telling myself and being told many times that the heart-changing is not ours to do but God's, and that it's nothing we do if they do or do not accept), at seeing so many people so close to accepting but closing their hearts, and realizing how undeserving I am to share this message and how weak my faith was and is. I was broken; that's the short side of it. But while I was crying in a corner, in the arms of a couple friends, I found Psalm 31. I wasn't able to read the whole thing then, but the more I look at it now the more I see how perfectly it fit how I was feeling right then and what happened the rest of the day.
We got lunch and after Luke and I went out with Kaleb and Kassahun (who's on staff here and has been living and working with us the whole time). We had two appointments, none of whom showed up, so we kept cafe hopping. We showed up for our third, and last appointment, who also didn't show up. But in the waiting we talked to one guy, who was like the other conversations we'd had and couldn't see the difference between Orthodox (they believe in Jesus Christ, the saints, and works) and what we believe (just Jesus, that we are saved by FAITH and GRACE, not works). He left, thanking us for the conversation (which was mostly Kassahun), and then Kassahun went around asking everyone in the cafe if they wanted to talk. He found two guys, and so he sat down with them. The three of us were just hanging out waiting for him to finish, and somebody from inside the cafe walked over and asked if we would tell him what we believed. Just like that. Kaleb took over sharing with Getachu, and about four minutes later we saw them praying together. My mind was blown because my first thought when he walked over was that I had no desire to share with anyone I was so tired and frustrated. Then we gave him a Bible, hugs, high fives, and the booklet, which he promptly took back inside and shared with his friends. Then his friend came out and she wanted to go through the booklet with us and then SHE prayed to accept Jesus Christ. Kaleb was so excited because these were the first two people he'd ever seen accept Jesus. What a way to end our time of ministry in Bahir Dar.
I think the Lord was teaching me how weak I am. Even when I'm trying my hardest, if I'm doing it on my own, it's no good. I still have a lot to learn in this area, but there's time.

We said goodbye to our translators at the end of Thursday and we gave our thanks gift. We got Kaleb a basketball, and he was SO excited. I also gave him a KU shirt, so I got a photo of him in the shirt with the basketball. Match made in heaven.

We flew to Addis yesterday and will be leaving in a couple hours to go to Nazret to help with a conference. Hard to believe we only have 10 days left.

There's No Reason Not to Do It Until They Ask You to Stop

Oh goodness, so much has been happening since my last post even though it's only been six days. But six days is a long time here because our days are packed full of good stuff. My memory is scattered so I'm trying to summarize the days as best as I can, but forgive my lack of detail on some things.

Thursday we spent the morning at the guest house doing devotional and worship. Then in the afternoon we went sharing downtown. That's really all I remember.

Friday morning was spent sharing downtown. I went with Chase and Caleb, my translator. We spoke with a few different people and it was an interesting day. One person we talked with was a follow-up from a couple days before. Caleb was so thankful to see him because our first conversation hadn't been the most encouraging, and the fact that he showed up just brought him joy. We had a good talk with him and then afterward we had a really interesting chat with a DVD vendor. It was hard because he would not really listen to what he had to say unless the Bible we used stated that Mary was above God, which it obviously doesn't. Caleb and him talked for a long time in Amharic and then we said goodbye, giving him a KGP (Knowing God Personally) booklet to read over. While he smiled at us and ripped it up as he walked down the street, we are not discouraged for we did our part in trying to share the Gospel with him. This is one of the biggest things I've been learning: it is not our responsibility to change their hearts but the share the Gospel with them. They may accept then, or they may accept later, but either way the seed is planted and the Holy Spirit will water and grow it in the Lord's timing, not mine.
In the afternoon we got to go experience the market. It was SO. MUCH. FUN. The colors were fantastic and we met a couple locals who helped us chat with the vendors and also helped us negotiate so we weren't getting (too) swindled. We also had them convince a donkey-cart driver to let us get on to take pictures. We quickly drew a crowd of about 50. Kind of insane. I loved the colors of the market and getting to experience the way the people live and interact. Can't wait to share pictures from this day.

Saturday we planned to go to Gondor but because of sickness we changed plans and went to the Monastaries. We went by boat on Lake Tana and went to two different islands. It was cool to see the history but I've never been big into stuff like that.
The afternoon we spent resting because many of us were sick and/or tired. Chase, Jessica, and I stacked our hammocks on the front porch and read and napped. It was awesome.

Sunday we started the day playing soccer with the locals. Then we had the opportunity to go to the local Protestant church that many of the Great Commission staff attend. Though we couldn't understand what they were saying, it was amazing to see the passion the people had and it was very clear that truth was being spoken. Dires, who's on the national staff, also translated the sermon for us onto notes and we passed them during the sermon.
In the afternoon we went sharing. I was with Luke and we had Caleb and David translating for us. We met with two men we had met in the market on Friday. I had another opportunity to trust in God's greater plan because the guy that Caleb and I talked to told us that we upset him and then promptly ordered a beer. Being with Caleb every day has been such a blessing. He is so compassionate and feels so upset when people don't accept, but it gives me the opportunity to encourage him, which also encourages me. I reminded him that the Gospel is offensive and that we were sharing truth. It is not up to us if he accepts, isn't sure, or gets upset. In the evening we shared what had happened during sharing.

Yesterday we went and saw a town called Gondor, one of the few tourist-y things that we have done. Had the best meal that I've had since we've been here and after lunch we went and saw the castle ruins. The ruins were so much fun-we chose not to have a tour guide so we went around taking goofy pictures and climbing until they told us to stop climbing. But we still had so much fun. In the evening we spent time focusing on Psalm 51 and then singing songs.

Today we spent all day doing ministry and it was a great day. In the morning I was with Luke and Caleb was our translator, then in the afternoon we also had David join us as a second trasnlator. We go to talk to eight or nine people, and were able to share the Gospel with all of them. Of those 8/9 we have 4 follow-ups on Thursday to allow them time to think, pray, and develop questions that, Lord-willing, we will be able to answer on Thursday. But it was a great opportunity, yet again, to continue to grow in my ability to share and to continue to trust in what the Lord is doing and how He's using me.

A few of my favorite things here have been playing soccer with locals Thursday, Sunday, and this morning before breakfast and ministry. They are all so nice and it's fun to be able to get out and run around.
Another favorite thing is the translators. Most of them are 16-18, and it is so incredible to see them share their faith (whether or not we can understand them) and be able to encourage them and develop friendships with them. I have been with Caleb every single day and I absolutely adore the kid. I'll post pictures later.

K, so we have to go. But that's the update. I'll try not to wait so long next time because (1) I forget things and (2) the posts get crazy long.

First Day of Ministry

After getting dinner in town last night we all went back to the guest house and shared stories from the prayer walk. It was cool to hear the stories of the other group and hear how quickly some prayers are answered. One cool story is that Audra, Chase, Jessica, and Keith were trying to find Taylor and Amanda, who had wandered off. Audra and Chase went one way and Jessica and Keith another. While split, Audra and Chase were praying that people would approach and ask spiritual questions. Audra, our leader who was on this trip last year, said that happened often because the Ethiopians tend to assume that white people here are missionaries. While Audra and Chase were praying, Jessica and Keith were approached by a man who asked them if they read the Bible and if they could read it with him. They were able to get his contact info and hopefully will get the chance to meet with him soon. And that's just one story. Though our intention yesterday afternoon wasn't explicitly sharing, it still happened. It's hard to have "off time" because being white is so weird and draws so much attention.
One other cool story is that at dinner last night, the electricity went out at the restaurant (it's rainy season, and it's also been stormy rain which I love). Some of our guys had pocket flashlights so we put those on our table and then were putting soda bottles on top to make the lights fun colors. A man at another table gave one of our guys a note that said that our creativity and joy brought light to the place, along with his name and phone number. The Lord is already at work here, doing more than we could ever hope to do on our own.

Today was our first time going out with our translators and getting to talk to people. I was paired with two others from our team, Dustyn and Breana, and our translator was a 16-year old boy, Caleb. It is so incredible to get to share with the translators because, even though many of them are young, they are so passionate and sometimes will just run with talking to the person. It truly illustrates how when people are being saved it is not by our own doing.

Acts 17:22-31

7/11/2011

We made it to Bahar Dar last night. Our flight was delayed about two hours, but everyone keeps joking about "Ethiopian time" which basically means it's unreliable and prone to being late. But we were able to play cards and just hang out at the airport while we waited so it was perfectly fine. The 45 minute flight from Addis Ababa to Bahar Dar was nothing compared to our previous two flights.

The guest house we're staying in is surprisingly nice. Really, the only thing that's missing is heated water for showers. But we have a toilet and electricity so we can charge things. One interesting thing is that you don't flush toilet paper here, but throw it in the trash can kept by the toilet. And there's not always TP. But that's why we're thankful for pocket packs of tissue.

We'll be here until the 22 and then we fly back to Addis, I believe, to help with a conference or something. But while we're here our days will consist of quiet time, breakfast, worship, group Bible study, lunch, and then going out in the city to meet with and share with people. We did a prayer walk today around the city and it's nuts how people will come up and start talking or walking with us. We had three cute little boys walk with us the whole hour we were walking. Then we'll usually go out for dinner and then back to our guest house to hang out until the next morning.

Seems like meeting people should be easy. I guess we spend the first couple days meeting people and then start making appointments to sit and talk with them because talking on the street attracts a crowd.

In Ethiopia

I am writing this from our hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! Thankfully this hotel has wi-fi so I'm writing this on my phone in my room. How cool!
Currently we are in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. We had an evening and a mornin of training with Crusade staff in Dallas before heading to the airport, heading for Frankfurt. The time was well spent in preparing our hearts for the trips and getting to share how the Lord had called us and shown us His call to be on this team.
The flight to Frankfurt was just over nine hours and I barely slept (as in less than thirty minutes). But I did get to see a beautiful sunrise over the ocean and snap a few photos from my window seat. Had a bit of a layover in Frankfurt, spent playing cards and practicing German. Then we flew a bit over six hours to where we are now.
We'll be here through Sunday at latest before heading to our final, and main, destination.
We got in fairly late tonight si the city was pretty dark and we couldn't scope that much out. But one of the first things I noticed in stepping off the plain is the distinct smell the air has here. It's partially of burning but is mixed with other things depending on what you're passing, but most often it's some good-smelling food. Just had a late dinner in the hotel and are about to hit the hay for some much-needed rest.

Please pray for my team and I, that we would be growing together and deepening our relationships with one another and the Lord. Pray for servant hearts; that we would joyfully do that which the national staff that works here full-time asks us to do to enhance and bolster their mission and ministry instead of having our own agendas. and finally please pray for boldness and wisdom, that we would be bold with our words but use them in an encouraging and loving way, instead of attacking and accusing those with different beliefs and each other if something goes wrong.
I'll update as I can but won't guarantee the frequency. I'm so thankful to be here and looking forward to being here setting in. Can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us and the people we get the blessing of meeting.

18

18 days. That is how long I have until we leave. This fact is surprising (how did summer get here so quickly and where is it going?) and exciting. I haven't spent too much time getting excited because I've been so busy with other things. I left school the week before finals to go raft the Grand Canyon for 16 days with my sister and some of her friends

and currently I'm doing my two weeks of active training with my Army National Guard unit. We haven't been doing anything too intense, typically we play concerts in small Kansas towns. We played in Auguast, KS the other night which was fun because we lived in Augusta when I was 3-7. My parents came down and brought many of their old friends to the concert and I got to chat with them after the concert. I remembered about half of them, but it was still fun to get to reconnect. I love small towns and hope that I might get to live in a small southern town when I finally grow up (which, let's be real, may never actually happen).

I'm still a few hundred dollars behind my final support goal, but I'm not worried because I've already seen the Lord do some AMAZING things in regard to support. First and foremost getting support from friends and family of my friends, aka strangers. These sweet people have provided around $500 of my support, as well as sent back sweet notes of encouragement and prayer.

Well, that's all for my brief update. We head to Dallas July 6 for a quick briefing and then fly out July 7!

Humbly, Lovingly, Willingly, Knowingly

I mean, as of today I need $975. The Lord has just been so faithful and I can't even begin the comprehend how much He's blessed me. Yet His blessing covers more this oh-so tangible way.

At church on Maundy Thursday, our pastor talked about some of the different ways Jesus loves us: knowingly, willingly, humbly, lovingly. I wish I had saved the bulletin from this service so I could pair the scripture with the different adjective for his love. The one that stuck the most, however, was the willingly.

Mark 14: 41-43

And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."

And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and scribes and the elders.

While I'm fairly certain this isn't the same passage Bill read, it illustrates well to me the willingness of Jesus to offer himself up. He knew that his pursuers were approaching in the garden; yet instead of fleeing he offered himself up willingly. Even one of his disciples, Simon Peter, lops off the ear of one of those arresting Jesus. Jesus, however, heals the ear and goes willingly with his captors, saying, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?" (John 18: 11)

Acts 20:34-35

About three weeks ago I had sent out my 100th support letter. It's been amazing to see the way God has been providing. I wrote the first thank-you letters today since probably two weeks ago. I haven't really been making time for it SLASH I only had one thank you card left and needed to get more. Amazing that the Lord had already blessed me with getting to write 23 thank-yous. Today I reached 30; the best part is seeing the people that God uses to provide. I've gotten support from complete strangers, people I'd met only once, new friends, people I had the pleasure of going on project with last summer, those I worked with last summer, my friends' parents, family friends, family, and on and on. I just love that He's pulling all sorts of strings to provide for this trip.

I was looking on the project website today, and realized that I'm currently a month ahead of support goals! What a big relief and a blessing; just wanted to share that quick update.

Currently there are six states I have yet to send a letter to:

• Delaware
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Mississippi
• Nevada
• South Carolina

I'm thinking if by the time I get back from the Grand Canyon I haven't gotten addresses I'm going to send random people letters.

Acts 20: 34-35 has been my sign-off verse for thank yous, especially for those who have partnered with me in the past; just a reminder of faithfulness and providence.

You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

100

I just wrote, addressed, and sealed my 100th support letter.

PTL. Pray that I do not grow weary of addressing these, and, more importantly, that I remain thankful for the opportunity to send letters and to write thank you's as support comes in.

"Raising support is such a privileged place to be."

--Rebecca Burgess

Around the World

Well, I'm currently preparing to go on another summer project. I'm super excited about it, and I thought to make my life easier, I'd copy and past my support letter to kind of explain the whole shindig:

Hope you're doing well; let me give you a quick update on my life: I'm in my fourth year here at KU, studying social welfare and getting a minor in sociology. Next year I'll be doing a practicum doing school social work, which I am excited for as it is my number-one interest in the field of social work. This year I also saw the end of my time as a Marching Jayhawk-at the end of January the torch was past on to next year's drum majors and now I am an alumna. I also have joined KU's club ultimate team-the Betty's-which is challenging, but I love getting to play a competitive sport again. Beyond school, band, and the Betty's, I've also had the wonderful opportunity of being involved in Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru).

Cru is an international, non-denominational organization that meets every week here on campus. In addition to our weekly meeting there are Bible studies and opportunities to learn and grow in a relationship with Jesus as part of a community that is seeking Christ here on campus. One other way that Cru helps foster growth is through Summer Projects.

As you may know, I spent last summer in Juneau, AK on project with Cru. The summer taught me so many things-more than I could put in a letter. I have loved keeping in touch with people I met while there and seeing how things from the summer are so relevant in my ministry here on campus. One of the best fruits of last summer has been getting to apply the things that I learned here at KU. One example has been trusting God and leading in faith: I have had the blessed opportunity to start and lead a Bible study for women in the marching band. I’ll confess I was nervous, but God truly blessed it—we started out as six girls and have since doubled to twelve and are still meeting this semester. It has been so fun getting to know each of these girls and see God work in their lives and use them to work in my life.

After seeing how spending time focused solely on serving others and loving God, without the distraction of school, I am excited to have the opportunity again this summer. This summer I’ll be spending the month of July serving on a mission’s team in Ethiopia! Why Ethiopia? As one of the oldest Christian nations in the world, it is in a prime location to reach its neighboring countries with the good news of Jesus Christ. And being located in Bahir Dar, a university town, we’ll be rubbing shoulders and sharing the Gospel with the future leaders of Ethiopia. The structure of our time spent there will consist of days volunteering and serving in the community and evenings engaging in spiritual conversations.

I’m so excited and thankful for this opportunity; God will truly use us to reach his people in Africa. In order to make this happen, I need a group of ministry partners willing to support me, both prayerfully and financially. While being in Ethiopia will provide opportunities for a lot of growth, another big area of growth is trusting God to provide for me before I even get there. I need to raise $4,550 to cover travel expenses and housing once I get there. To meet this need, I am looking for people to invest $50, $100, or whatever you feel led to give to help impact the lives of people in Ethiopia. It seems overwhelming, but I’m trusting the Lord to provide.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read, think, and pray through this with me. I cannot say thank you enough for being a part of my life and supporting me so much already. I am excited for the opportunity this summer will provide to stretch and grow me, as well as reach God’s people with his good news.

----

Through sending my support letters, however, I have been further realizing God's faithfulness so I wanted to take a moment and praise that in way that I can look back when I'm struggling and all that jazz. Somehow I've come up with the goal of sending a letter to every state in the US. The crazy thing is I definitely don't know someone in every state, so I've asked friends to volunteer people they know in the states I don't have. Basically, I've been sending letters to strangers. But I love getting to do it. I put a hand-written note in each letter to explain why I'm sending them a letter and who I got their information from.

(this was enclosed in the envelope-it's a postcard with the "claim to fame" of the town they live in) Today I got my first "stranger" letter back! It was from the parents of a girl in my Bible study, and it is just so cool. I'm so amazed at the fact that people would take the time to read a letter from a crazy girl in Kansas, let alone respond to it with a sweet note and even some support! I guess it's not as far-fetched because her parents kind of know who I am, but it's still amazing and exciting!

Other than that first letter, it's been amazing to see the people God has used to provide states and even what states have and haven't been provided. I just got some addresses in Hawaii! I just think that's really exciting. Funny thing is that for another obscure state-Alaska-I have many addresses from spending last summer there. It's been so fun to send letters to people from Project I care about and to see the way they respond. I just love it.

A couple girls and I were talking to one of our staff women about a month ago about support raising, and I think I agree with her perspective on it: raising support is a privileged place to be. Why? Because none of this money is coming from anything that we are doing. Especially sending letters to strangers. Plus I love getting to be thankful and write letters. Pretty much a combo of everything I love doing.

States left:

Alabama

Delaware

Iowa

Indiana

Kentucky

Massachusetts

Maine

Mississippi

Nevada

Oregon

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Utah

West Virginia

Holy Moly

Well wow. July just flew by. I don't even know where to begin with what has been happening up here in Juneau. I'll recap July with a few pictures, I guess, and then write a little bit more.

One last Henry's toast before the staff leaves

Our first weekend on our own, we spent the night at the local Methodist Camp with an awesome woman-Lori Messinger. Her and her husband invited us over to jam salmonberries with them and it was so much fun.

We also made a spaghetti dinner for all the guys on project (26). It was so fun to be able to serve them, plus if you know me, you know I love preparing food for people.

We went out to a local Bible camp, Echo Ranch, with a group of local girls and spent the night making s'mores and sleeping in hammocks.

Hope's family came to visit and we got to spend the night in a cabin they rented. While there we all made burn bracelets, by burning a nylon rope together around our wrists. We actually bought enough that anyone on project or who hangs with us a lot has gotten one.

We have finally been getting nice weather!! Most of July it was in the 50s and rainy, but it's been at least partly sunny and in the 60s the past week or so. We got done working on the first nice day and me and Ashley went "swimming" in Auke Lake (jumped in and got out quickly before we got too cold, repeatedly).

Sam met a girl at the beginning of the summer who works for a local zipline tour company. She was such a sweetie and arranged for us to go on a free zip-line tour! Her name is Alex and she's actually from Olathe, KS and went to school in Arkansas, so we were both able to connect with her, and hopefully I'll get to hang with her sometime in October when she comes back to Olathe.

Last Friday we decided to try to climb Mt. McGinnis, the highest of the 5 Juneau mountains. We didn't make it all the way up, but after about 5 1/2 hours of hiking we found a beautiful lookout point and hung out for an hour. Me and a couple others took a nap, and others just chatted. We were blessed with an absolutely beautiful day that was sunny and clear, but not too hot.

That night we went to a local Thai restaurant we've all been yearning for all summer: Chan's Thai Kitchen. While I love Zen Zero, it blew it out of the water. Chan's is an experience in itself: they are only open from 4-8 and there are no reservations. Additionally, food usually takes awhile to get out. That's how you know it's real.

With the end of the summer comes the end of working. Working at the Silverbow was seriously the greatest thing ever. I am so thankful that I got to work the job that I came up having my heart set on. The job itself was great, but the people we got to work with were amazing. It was so cool to watch them all open up, to form special ties and connections with each one, and it's fun to hang out with them. Ashley and I are actually going to hike with some of them today and then going to a fish fry at Earl's house. Earl looks like Santa Claus and has worked at the Bow for about 10 years. He loves shoo fly pie, and I think we've set up a deal where I will send him a pie every month and he'll send me Silverbow treats.

Draga, Erika, Ellen, Alex, Me, Kelly, Chad, Ashley, Earl, Mego, Joe, Robert

The gang at Hot Bite in June.

AND, with the last day of work comes a pie in the face. Silverbow tradition dictates that when you leave the Bow on good terms, you will be pied on your last day.

Since I was first off, I was first pied. But that also meant that I got to conspire to get others.

I'll actually have to write more later about what God has been doing because I'm going to breakfast. BUT, I know that I've had such a good time this summer and cannot wait to get home and share it. I don't know that I will miss the city of Juneau too much, but it's the people of Juneau that have really made this summer what it has been.

Whirlwind

A lot has happened since I last updated. We've definitely been keeping ourselves busy and it's often hard to find down time. I like pictures, so I'm going to use those to recap:

Last weekend (last one in June) was midsummer adventure weekend. Hard to believe that we're already halfway done with the summer. More, than actually. Our weekend was action packed. Friday night we hiked to the Mendenhall Glacier.

April, Stephanie, Kelly, Hope, Abbi, Emily

Jacquelyn, Samantha, Shelby, Ashley, Me by the glacier

me, holding glacial ice

Then the next day a local lady, Debbie Douglass, was kind enough to take us out kayaking. She is one of the most incredible women. She lives an adventure-packed life and gives all her glory to God. It's really incredible. We actually spent that night at her house and got to hear her testimony.

Mendenhall Glacier from the water

Then that night we all got fancied up and went out to a nice dinner.

Our apartment: d-6

Samantha, Ashley, Abbi, me

And to cap it off we ran a 5k at midnight called "Only Fools Run at Midnight." Most people dress ridiculously, so we did too. We also sang songs the whole way to keep our minds off the run and sometimes people joined in.

Kelly, Emily, Sam, Me, Ashley, Hope

Weekends always end with ultimate frisbee on Sunday, which is usually something I look forward to every week.

Women's development last week we focused on our theme for the week: giving up control.

Our verse: Matthew 6:33-34

But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We spent some time at this beautiful waterfall and threw rocks representing our sin into it. It's cool to see how nature reflects God and our relationship with Him: we give Him our sin and after a lot of struggle (the rapids) we come out smooth and calm. Often it takes awhile (I'm not sure I'll ever reach the smooth and calm stage), but it's still cool to see that there is a purpose and an end goal: His glory and closer relationship with Him.

action group at the waterfall:

Shelby, me, Hope

Then we gave up more control by jumping into the really cold Auke Lake. Many of us thought we were going to go cliff-jumping (we've heard most of the boys' action groups went already and thought it was finally our turn), so jumping in a cold lake was no big.

Kelly and Abbi

The rest of the week passed and we spent this past weekend volunteering and fellowshipping. Friday we painted a Head Start, and Saturday we laid tarp for a community garden.

James, Samantha, Jonathan, and Richard

Unfortunately, because of the rainy, overcast weather the fireworks on Saturday night were cancelled. Juneau usually does fireworks at midnight of the 3rd because it's too light during the day to appreciate. We planned on going downtown sharing and having a BBQ, but no fireworks=no people downtown. Luckily the church we'd volunteered with on Saturday was having service that night, as well as a get together/bonfire at what they call "Jesus Beach House" (their ministry house). It was a great opportunity to go to a more contemporary church-setting as well as to spend some very chill time getting to talk to some local Christians.

This week brings about lots of change. Staff leaves starting tomorrow, and all will be gone by Thursday. This mean that we are now running project. Every woman has been assigned a leadership role-I'm service leader. Not really sure what that looks like yet, but it should be great. Hard to believe the staff is already leaving AND we have just over four weeks left.

Know what else struck me yesterday as I was scooping cookie dough (one of the many prep tasks at the Silverbow): I'm in Juneau Alaska. You'd think I would've realized that, but I think the past couple weeks I've kind of been in a daze of exhaustion and just being busy all the time. Luckily God's used the past 24 hours-ish to kind of kick my butt into gear and help me realize that we only have a little bit of time left and there's still so much that needs to be done. I know at the rate I'm going I'll probably be upset when I leave, feeling like I didn't try my best to build relationships and pour into those around me; like I'm not as close to my fellow girls as I wish I was; like I didn't fall in love with or grow as close to God as much as I'd hoped.

But, last night in prayer team we talked about praying to God about the little stuff. Yes, it's important to pray big prayers and have faith that God will fulfill them, but it's also important to take note of all the little stuff He does for us every day: waking up, having a job, being in Alaska, having family and friends back home to miss, relationships, etc.

Yet He did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.

--Acts 14:17

I've been doing the Our Daily Bread daily devotional, and it has been really amazing the Scripture that God's been revealing to me. That above passage is one example, and this morning also I got a reminder:

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Hebrews 11:6

Some things to pray for:

• that God would continue to give me faith and perseverance to seek Him.
• for our new student leaders and the direction of the rest of the project.
• that me and my co-workers would be representing Christ well to our co-workers and for opportunities and boldness to share
• I've been homesick, so comfort in that
• a sense of urgency among all of us on Project to impact people with the time we have left

Week 3 1/2

The start of this past week wasn't nearly as exciting as last week. I worked every day this week, which was fun! I'm almost past the training stage, and done wearing my silly "in-training" t-shirt. Also, once I'm done training I will get a part of the daily tip pool, which will be good pocket money.

Also, Monday at our weekly meeting we decided this week would be a good time to fast from something that was distracting us from God. Like many others, I gave up FaceBook, and I also decided to try and eat healthier and try to run once or twice a week. I love running because while I run I recite scripture to myself and pray. It's really a great time for me to spend enjoying God's creation and praising Him. I managed to get one run in this week, and worked on the memory verse for this week while doing it.

Tuesday we had a phenomenal women's time. We were dropped off along a trail with the other girl(s) in our action group and prayed together through James 5:16

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Then we each set off down the trail alone, praying to God the whole way to reveal our sin to us. As it was revealed, we wrote it on our arms with a marker. Once we all made it to the lake, we split up into action groups and our leaders washed the sins off our arms and we all prayed for each other. It was pretty sweet, and I wish I had been more in the mindset to really get a lot out of it.

Group shot of women's development night

The rest of the week was pretty standard. Except for the gallon challenge after weekly meeting.

Ten of us were lucky enough to get the high-speed version of the gallon challenge. The idea is to drink, and hold down, a gallon of milk in one hour or less. We were given 20 minutes. And whole milk.

Sam and I before

Right at the start of the challenge.

One of the guys, the one directly to my right, managed to finish his gallon in seven minutes and hold it down for an impressive ten! After 20 minutes there were still four of us left, so they extended it ten more minutes, but we eventually all threw up. I managed to make it through about 2/3 of my gallon, which is pretty good since last time I did it (with 2%, and a full hour) I probably barely passed halfway. It was definitely an interesting experience.

Friday we were lucky enough to go fishing with a local guy, Shawn. He and some of the project guys took us out on boats and we all got to crab and halibut-fish. Our group had quite the fun time fishing! We got four rods down in Shawn's boat, and then the rod toward the front got a bite. We were using circular hooks, so there's no need to set the hook. The fish eats the bait and the hook works its way into the fish to catch it. Since Sam had caught the first fish, it was my turn to reel this one in. The way to reel in halibut is by pulling the tip of the rod slowly upward, and then reeling in real quick as you lower the tip. Since the rods were let out to the bottom of the lake (about 200 feet), it took quite awhile. After much struggling, we finally got the fish up. He had managed to get the bait off two other hooks on our boat, snagging those lines, and managed to get tangled in one of the lines from our other boat. So by the time he was finally at the top, four of us were fighting over the same fish! The fish, a huge one (to me, though not to halibut standards) at 60 or so pounds, ended up being shot twice to kill it so we could get it in the boat.

The fish in the boat

After getting all the lines untangled (or cut) we were able to get rods down for a little bit longer so April could catch one, which meant all of us in the boat had caught one (excepting Shawn, who fishes all the time).

As we were getting ready to leave, however, Shawn realized that the big fish, which had been hanging over the side with the other smaller fish, had somehow slipped off the rope. Super bummer!! Most of the men were upset that they didn't get to eat any of it, whereas I was bummed I never actually got a picture with the whopper I helped reel in.

Me with the other big fish-about 40 pounds

We finished the night by going back to campus where the guys taught a couple girls to fillet their fish and we boiled the crab that we'd caught. Then we sat around the stove eating freshly cooked crab with butter. Delish!!

Saturday we did a prayer hike up Mt. Roberts. Being part of the prayer team, I got to help organize it, and-belatedly-ran the first station. It was really neat though, because we got to hike among the beautiful mountain while praying, whether out loud or silent.

I'll admit, it was a lot more difficult than I expected it to be! But worth it because we had a worship service at the top. My group made it for the last song and a half, but it was still great. And we saw a para-sailer fly by.

Most of the girls around a cross about halfway up Mt. Roberts

Kelly, April, Emily, Hope, Stephanie, Sam, Me, April, Shelby

Re-Cap

Alright. Ten days later and I'm putting up another post. Whew, so much has happened.

Thursday, June 3 was my birthday! It was a great day. Almost everyone who works downtown came into the Silverbow and surprise serenaded me while I was working. The beginning of a fine day. Then, in the car on the way home I got a couple of gifts: a glazed donut from Breeze In (a place that's kind of like a QT, just without the gas and a lot more donuts and bagels); a mug from one of the girls because, go figure, I'd already broken the handle off my Alaskan mug (just re-glued it last night, though!); and an Alaskan wolf shirt. Simple things that brought me a lot of joy. Plus it was nice just to feel loved in such a new place surrounded by new people.

Thursday nights are action group nights, so we had our first action group! But before that all the girls sang to me and we ate a cake, as well as I got a super sweet card that all the girls signed. Then we all split off into our groups of three or four. Shelby (our group/project leader), Hope, and I walked to the waterfall next to the Mendenhall Glacier just to get out for awhile before doing our activity. We took the most awesome jump picture, and then spent some quality time really getting to know one another.

Me, Hope, Shelby

Friday we volunteered at a Native American festival in Juneau. Pretty much just ushering for the dancers and working retail, wherever we were needed. Friday night we went camping on a beach and had some really good times eating hot dogs and giant marshmallows. It was absolutely beautiful, just like everything else here.

cooking hot dogs around the fire

Saturday we volunteered some more and then we had an open mic night at Waffle Co., a local coffee shop/waffle shop that is owned by some local Christians. It was just a really fun night to see people's talents and get to know some more people.

Some of the boys playing and singing

Robert, Jesse, Brandon, Justin, David, Ian, Caleb

Sunday was back to Douglas Island Bible Church. I still love it there and we've been having lots of fun in sunday school: last week we decorated cakes to represent different days of creation, and this week we made up songs to Christian doctrines.

Monday I didn't work, and there are also a bunch of people who don't start work until tomorrow. So we took the day and climbed Mt. Juneau. It was incredibly challenging and took us around 5 hours roundtrip. The last hour or so of the climb was steep and even had some snow.

The whole gang at the trail head

me, Ben, Kelly, Sam, Austin, Ian, Will, James, Ben, Justin, Jeff, Jay, Caleb, and Andrew

Some of the steep climbing we did

climbing through snow right before the summit

the gang that summited:

Jay, James, Justin, Caleb, Austin, Ben, Will, Ian, Kelly, Jeff, Me, Sam

Tuesday we learned our new theme for the week, which is life-giving.

The verse to go along with it is Hebrews 10: 24-25 "Let us consider ways to stir up one another toward love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

We ran a mile, Indian style, where the last person has to sprint up to the front. But with a variation being that we passed a ball from one person to the next, and whoever was behind the person with the ball said "with you," which was encouraging and to help better bind us together. Then the last person would run up and the process started over again.

Honestly, I started out in a bad mood, but through the encouragement of the girls and who knows what else I was having a good time by the end of it. Once we got to the Shrine of St. Therese we stopped running, admired the scenery, and then spent time calling out greatness in each other. The idea of this was that we were giving each other life by telling them what we admired about them and how they encourage us. Like the running, I thought it was corny at first, but as we went on it was truly awesome. It was fun to hear what others admire about me, but more fun to be able to tell others what I love about them.

All the women at the shrine of St. Therese

Jacqueline, Abbi, Sam, Ashley, Steph, Me, April, Shelby, Hope, Emily, Kelly

flowers at the shrine of st. therese

Wednesday we had a sweet dance party, and Thursday was more action groups. Friday we volunteered at a rustic Methodist camp with an eccentric and fun woman named Lori. We drove around the camp on a lawn mower and put up the new camp signs while taking the old ones down.

Friday night was the annual lock in, and it was really great. We were in a local church, and we played games and had break out sessions for junior high, high school, and some college kids. We stayed awake all night, mainly because around 2 or 3 am we started learning two-step/swing dance flips and intense moves. It was really fun, and dancing makes it awesome to be the girl because you get flipped and just have to follow. So great. Then we wrapped it all up with 5:30 am worship. What a great night.

Slept all day and then had a dodgeball tournament last night. The weather was cold and rainy, so it wasn't ideal, but it was a really great event-many people had invited their co-workers and they showed up!

Some prayers:

• continued growth (and desire to grow)
• continued relational development
• opportunities and boldness to reach out to my co-workers (now that I'm getting more comfortable with my job and its duties, hopefully I can feel more comfortable having intentional conversations with the people I work with)
• energy and productive time management

Week 1

Alright.
So after meeting Jasmine we went on our first group hike. We hiked 3.5 miles to a beautiful cabin in the Tongass National Forest. At the top we made hobo meals (my first!) where you take an assortment of veggies-peppers, potatoes, carrots, onions-and hamburger and put it inside an aluminum foil pouch. Then you put the pouch in the fire, or on the grill above the fire, and soon you have a wonderful dinner. It was absolutely incredible.
After the dinner we got our first Henry's, which is a root beer that holds a special place in the hearts of project people. Not sure of the full story, but it was very delicious. It was like a cream soda root beer.

After dinner we spent time around the campfire talking about our lives and being real with one another. It was absolutely awesome. Then we spent the night in a sweet cabin and hiked back in the morning.

That afternoon when we got back I had a call back from Silverbow Inn & Bakery, which is where I've been wanting to work since I found out it existed. Check it out here. Two other girls did, also, so we had our first dilemma as only two of us can work there. After a couple of days the wonderful Sam decided to let me and Ashley be the ones to work there.

The weekend as a whole was pretty chill. We had lots of time to spend looking for jobs and just kind of settling in, and since my job situation was settled I spent some time just lazing around.

Sunday we divided and conquered some churches in Juneau. I'm going to Douglas Island Bible Chapel with another girl, Hope, and then about 7 project guys. I loved it. My friend's dad actually grew up in Juneau, and went to DIBC's partner church Auke Bay Bible Church. He got back in touch with his youth group leader from back when, and they currently go to DIBC, so I got to meet Stan and Dellene. They, along with the rest of the DIBC community were so sweet and welcoming. I'm so excited for the rest of the summer. Not only were the people wonderful, but the messages from both Sunday School and the service were absolutely wonderful. Plus, it's kind of old fashioned and we sing out of hymnals.

Also, after the service I met this wonderful woman named Leslie. She just moved to Juneau in January from Washington, where she has a 10 acre farm. On this farm she has her own garden, and a wonderful dog. While she was showing me pictures of her dog, almost every other picture was of some beautiful cake she'd made for a wedding or birthday party. Get this: she's the bakery manager for the local SafeWay. Not only that, but we talked about Mary Jane, a wonderfully savvy country girl who loves living organically and finding unique ways to do-it-herself. Basically Leslie is my new role model. I'm hoping to get to spend some time with her, as well as others within the DIBC community throughout the summer.

Monday we took some serious faith steps (for some, including me) and went downtown to instigate spiritual discussions and share our faith. I was in a group with Ashley and Emily. Downtown Juneau was practically deserted, as it was memorial day and still early enough (10ish) that the cruise ships and multitudes were not in yet. First we talked to a guy, Jeff, who was working down by the docks. We chatted with him while he was setting up the booth for his new business, a brokerage firm that sells whale tours and all sorts of other things. We were given a Quest survey, as well as these Knowing God Personally booklets (KGP's). The survey consisted of five questions:

1. Three words to describe your life right now.
2. What one thing would make your life better.
3. What do you think happens after you die?
4. In your opinion, who is Jesus Christ?
5. On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your desire to know God?

We went through these questions with him, and it was really interesting. We found out that Jeff was raised Catholic, but the more he learned, the less he believed. He trusted more in science, and found enjoying nature to be his way of worshipping, if there was a god.

His opinion was similar to that of Stevi, the woman we talked to after him. Stevi is from California and is back in Juneau for her second summer to do seasonal work on the docks selling tours. Her belief was one of moderation and balance. She explained that for every one of the deadly sins there was a spiritual goodnesss-patience, kindness, etc. So for anger there was kindness, for lust chastity, and so on. Our conversation with her got cut kind of short because she had to go to work.

Tuesday was my first day of work. There's a lot of information to take in, but I've absolutely been loving it. The Silverbow is basically my dream job-I'm working in a bakery that also sells coffee. I don't really do much baking (although today I prepped macaroons), but I do get to toast bagels. Plus learning how to make espresso and espresso drinks has just rocked my world. This job will definitely be challenging, though, because many of my coworkers just seem kind of sad, and I already feel like building relationships with them will be challenging. I've been trying to remind myself that

God gave us spirits not of fear, but of power and love and self control 2 Tim 1: 17

Last night we did women's development time, which was good but really hard for me. This week our theme is identity in Christ, and putting to death the lies we believe from the world.

Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Col 3:2-3

We started off with a beautiful hike and then spent some time in a beautiful place thinking and praying about the lies we believe. We also burned lies in a fire later and just really lifted one another up. It was hard for me because I believe a lot of lies, and I think I just got so overwhelmed that I shut down. But all in all it was good.

Other highlights so far:

nightly tea time with my roommates and often all of us girls.

cookie dough and milk at midnight on my birthday.

good time reading 1 Samuel.

Jasmine

I decided that it might be kind of neat to share about some of the really cool and interesting people we meet in Juneau. First off so you can kind of get a feel for who's here, secondly so I won't forget, and thirdly so you can keep them in your prayers.

We were waiting for the bus yesterday when we started talking to two older women who had both just met, were in Juneau for the day from separate cruises, and were taking the cheap city tour by riding the city bus. Their names were Becky and Amy? I know Becky was for sure one. But I talked to Becky for awhile and found out that she supported some Crusaders and had become a Christian at 26. We didn't really get into how that happened, but she just seemed really awesome. I think she was from North Dakota. It's not even a day later and I'm already forgetting.

Anyway, then we start talking to this other girl, Jasmine. She was a little rough around the edges, but after talking with her for a little while I really liked her. She's probably around 25-30, moved to Juneau around 5 years ago from Florida, and she lives in a boat with her husband of four years. She came to Juneau because she, like most people, doesn't really like big cities and loves being able to escape in nature. The best way to describe her is for sure as a hippy, but she was so open and willing to talk. I was bummed when she got off our bus. Hopefully the Lord will bring us back together sometime over the summer and we can have a really great talk and hopefully God can do some great stuff.

It was just a really incredible glimpse into the kind of people you run into in Juneau, and I'm excited. Most people so far have been really friendly and so it's really easy to just talk to them about anything.

Alaska: Getting There

After one week of spending 10 or more hours in the car, we finally made it to Alaska. The drive was really fun, and also very beautiful. The route we took was from Nebraska north to Mt. Rushmore then we headed west. Chase had a friend in Wyoming who we stayed with-he runs a summer camp and Chase neglected to mention that two of the six in the group were girls. SO, we wound up dragging mattresses into the bathroom of the dorm housing because it was the warmest place. We slept fine, though. We hit up Yellowstone National Park before heading north to Canada. In Canada we spent our first night sleeping in the car and the second night in a Super 8 Motel because they were having the worst May snow in 20 years. Then we met up with another car at Lake Muncho in Canada. It was absolutely beautiful. We had to split up though, because they were catching the ferry in a different city than we were. That day we drove the rest of the way to Haines, AK, crossing the border back into America and perfecting the jump picture at the "Welcome to Alaska" sign. It was perfect. Then we camped that night in Haines, AK and found out the next day our ferry was delayed. We spent the day lazing around Haines, though. Us girls made bracelets, hammocked, and made dinner while the boys went off hiking. As much as I liked the guys, girl time was a relief. Then one more night of camping before getting up early to catch the ferry to Juneau. Now we're all getting settled into our apartments and tomorrow we start orientation!

Richard, Caleb, Chase, Me, Sam, and Brandon getting ready to depart

Me and Sam sleeping in the bathroom

Chase (up top), Richard, Brandon, Caleb, Sam, and Me

The perfect jump picture upon entering Alaska

Sam and I hammocking in Haines, AK

Everybody who drove on the ferry from Haines to Juneau.