It is official!!

I am so thrilled to finally be able to OFFICIALLY tell everyone that I know what my next step is once I leave Miami....

I am moving to New York! 

The General Board of Global Ministries has hired me to be a Mission Interpreter :) WooHoo!!

My start date is September 1, 2013 :)

There are so many emotions running through my veins as I try to wrap up, process, and appreciate the next few weeks of my fast paced life that I can barely keep up with! 

Trying to really process these three big aspects....

Living in/leaving Miami - and being in denial of leaving the happy life I have created here.

Driving back to California - and only being there long enough to unpack, repack, say hi, and then say bye again.

Moving to New York - and thinking of starting a new exciting and wonderful chapter of my life.  I absolutely cannot wait! Side note - I am so happy to be moving somewhere with legitimate seasons - bring it on winter!  Guess I should invest in some socks...

Seriously, God is so awesome.  And truthfully, I am impressed with myself to really trust the nudges that God has provided for me throughout the past few years. 

Thank you God, family, friends, and loved ones for sticking by my side while I live out a life that I believe is teaching me how to love unconditionally, work hard, smile often, and walk humbly.

PS....
Myself and other wonderful missionaries submitted articles to the New World Outlook!  Check out the link below to see the electronic version!  Its pretty awesome :)
http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODE/NewWorldOutlook/

Walking is Awesome

I was asked to submit a 500-2000 word article for the New World Outlook magazine. 
Myself and a few other missionaries were asked to write an article using the prompt: Mission Is....
This is what I wrote :)


I have a tattoo on the inner arch of my left foot that says 'Walk Humbly'.  These 10 letters are few that I believe to be some of the most truest, beautiful, and powerful words that I have come across since becoming a missionary. 

I love to walk barefoot around as much as possible.  There is something so freeing about feeling the earth beneath your toes, not having anything between you and the ground, and feeling a connection to God that only comes from the sense of walking.

I love the idea of walking by faith.  To walk by faith is having the courage to wander into the unknown with God, relinquishing all control, and letting God do the rest.  People who dropped their entire lives and followed Jesus knew what great things come from walking by faith. 

 I know that Jesus is the coolest person to have ever walked this earth, and I strive every day to live like Him, talk like Him, and walk like Him.  To walk with as many people as possible.  To walk to as many places as possible.  To walk in love.  To walk by faith and not by sight.  To walk humbly.

A year before I graduated college, I got a calling to become a missionary.  I was so excited that I felt this push to go out into the beautiful world of unknown, and take on something new. 

I have lived in Miami, FL for just under two years.  I have been working at a faith based non-profit organization called Branches, and I work for Project HEAL (Haitian Emergency Assistance and Legal-Aid) which provides free legal and immigration services to Haitians who reside in Florida.  Working with immigration was something completely new to me, and it has taken me quite some time to understand the significance that it has in people's lives. We meet people exactly where they are in life, and walk with them through this part of their journey.  The services that are provided are a significant bridge builder for families and individuals to open doors to work opportunities, making money, supporting their family, and having a life that they can enjoy.  Working directly with Haitian people, my coworkers and I hear the stories of families and their journeys since before and after the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010.  Stories that range from a family who has come to the states to rebuild their lives, stories of families trying desperately to bring their families to the safer environment that the states provide, stories of families being devastated by death and destruction due to the repercussions of the earthquake, or stories of people trying to make ends meet while living in the states. 

In March 2012, my coworker, Debbie, and I had the opportunity to go to Haiti and experience with them life as they know it.  Going to Haiti was one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had.  We were working to build a clean shower in a tiny village called Don Don, a two hour bumpy drive from where we were staying.  Throughout the days, I made friends with most of the kids, and when I spoke my absolute best Creole, the children would still laugh hysterically!  So, we bonded through playing games and singing songs we all knew the tune to.  I was struggling to make deep connections with the young adults and adults due to language barriers, but still made connections that I will always cherish.  Debbie is Haitian and speaks Creole as her first language.  It was wonderful to see her connect with local people and to hear the amazing stories that she got first hand.

Over the years in Haiti, there have been the introduction of motorcycles and cars, making it easier to get from place to place.  Debbie had bonded with an elderly woman who remembers what life was like when the only way to get from place to place, was to walk.  This woman was able to cary 50+ pounds on top of her head, without hesitation.  She walked everywhere she went.  She also had no shoes, and all she asked from us was to get a pair of shoes. 

Debbie had told her that she would try and get her pair of shoes before we left Haiti.  On our last day up in Don Don, we were ready to leave, when Debbie remembered about this woman and her desire for a pair of shoes.  Debbie took the shoes off her feet and gave them to this elderly woman, without hesitation.  For that moment, Debbie was walking barefoot in love and in faith.  That moment was one of the most beautiful moments I have ever witnessed.

This moment perfectly encompasses what it means to live like Jesus, talk like Jesus, and walk like Jesus.  That moment was a reminder of how we should live always.

Life as a missionary would not be possible without the ability to walk on this never-ending, beautiful, and powerful journey with God.  I believe that God provides instances in life that requires us to relinquish all control and put our full trust and faith in God.  That ability and willingness to relinquish control (even something as small as giving the pair of shoes that are on your feet to someone else), is what it is to walk in love, to walk in faith, and to walk humbly.  My hope for myself as I grow as a missionary, and as a child of God, is to find a way to take off my pair of shoes, and walk barefoot in love and in faith.

Technically, I am not barefoot in this picture!  But my TOMS are second choice to walking barefoot :)

Beautiful Indeed

Happy Moments

Praise God

I've come to find myself trying to constantly love and embrace the tiny happy moments...
- the way the sun illuminates the plants and flowers on the farm
- a smile from a stranger
- bear hugs from good friends
- Skype dates with loved ones
- phone calls with parents
- laughter in my work space
- beautiful 70 degree weather in January!
Seriously, Thank you God for blessing us all with tiny happy moments.  Challenging myself to seek, love, and embrace these moments is what recharges my spiritual, emotional, and physical health.
I am happy, and that's an incredible blessing.

Difficult Moments

Seek God

Right now, I am extensively seeking out God.  With the end of my US2 term near in sight, trying to decide what the next step is (and taking the time to embrace what is left of Miami)... is well, quite difficult.
- Seminary?
- School?
- Finding another job.... Blah
- Leaving those that I love in Miami
- The start of yet another chapter of life
Seriously, Seeking God is crucial when making the next step in my life.  Its extremely scary, wonderful, exciting, and difficult to move forward... But I know my heart will guide me to go to the places I need to be.  Till then, lots of prayer, and lots of reading Ephesians 3:14-21 and Romans 12, 13, 14, and 15.

Quiet Moments

Worship God

Finding that time to calm my mind, and focus on our beautiful God.  Its been a while since I have found something that allows me to actually worship God. Funnily enough, it is in the quietest of moments...
- Painting
- Drawing
- Reading my Bible (Yes! That really happens!)
- Sitting outside on the farm
- Music (though it is not silent, it still allows my heart to be quiet.. Thank you God for music)
What would the world be without quiet?  Madness....
What would the world be without worshiping God? Madness....

Painful Moments

Trust God

God knows the painful moments that we each have experienced.  No need to list those.
I have learned (significantly) how to trust God... because the pain can sometimes hurt so bad that there is nothing else you can do for yourself.  But somewhere deep down, even when we may be at rock bottom, we trust that God will bring us back up from the bottom. 
I love that God has got my back.

Every Moment

Thank God

Seriously, Thank you God. 
It is not hard to love God.  It is not hard to be loved by God. 
It is the most pure, beautiful, absolutely wonderful feeling I have ever come to know.
Thank you God for pumping our hearts full of love each day, providing us with a life that we deserve to live to the fullest, and being faithful to us no matter what.
Thank you God for being beautiful.
Amen.