Summer Plans!!

So I finally know what I am doing this summer!! And yes, due to the fact that my job revolves around college ministry that means I still get summers :) usually I help out with our summer Christian Challenge or a few years ago I was staff at a discipleship training program called Project Impact in Costa Mesa, CA. but *this* summer will be different. Why, you ask? Well, it's because I will be going OVERSEAS!!!



It'll be my first time going overseas in order to share the gospel so I am really, really, really excited but also scared, because, you know, I've never been! It'll be a different country, different language, different culture, different food, different everything! But that is one of the coolest things about God, is that He is a global God and while I will need to learn how to share His good news differently wherever I am going, it's the same message as it is here in the US! The things that God is doing here are going to be the same things He is doing over there! It might look differently, but He is in the business of reconciling people to Himself, no matter where they are or who they are, and I cannot wait to be a part of that in a different location across the world!!

Now, I actually don't have any details as of yet because my team has yet to be finalized, but I *can* tell you that I will be going with some fellow Trojans in Challenge! That's really all I know at this point! We are hoping to have one more member added to our team in the next few days and once we get that settled, then we'll find out where we are going, for how long (usually 6 weeks but could be longer), how much it's going to cost (we are going to be raising support for this so it's going to be faith-growing exercise!!) and the like.

I am just excited to go because I have been wanting to go overseas for a long time but have not been able to for various reasons. I was even going to go last summer but then my lovely rheumatoid arthritis decided to flare up and along with the length it just wasn't going to work out. But now it is all falling into place and I am so looking forward to it! It still is scary, but God promised that He would never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5) so who am I to tell Him that that promise isn't good enough for me? I know that it could be dangerous too, but heck, it's dangerous here in LA! From the driving to the smog to the area around USC, you never know! And that is not a good enough reason to say no to God either. If He wants me overseas, who am I to tell Him otherwise? It is safer to be in the center of God's will, wherever that is, than in my own version of safety.

So even though I don't know too many details, I trust God that He knows what He is doing! Once I know then I will let you know, all two of you who read this :)

and here is the funny of the day to hopefully leave you with a smile:



Happy Monday!

We have way too much fun together

So last night for Life group we had a fun night and lemme tell you, it was super awesome :) We started off with MILKSHAKES at a coffee house on campus unfortunately called "Ground Zero" (yes, it was named that before the other ground zero happened) but anyways they have amazing milkshakes, in fact, they're known for them. They have tons 'o swanky flavors, including Luke Chaiwalker (which is chai, gingerbread and something else and it's fantastic), or Everyday I'm Truffl-in (which is white chocolate raspberry truffle shake) and yours truly ordered a funfetti shake which included white chocolate, bits of cookie dough and rainbow sprinkles, and yes, it was exactly as yummy as it sounds. I would have a picture of it but I scarfed it down too fast so google image will have to suffice:



YES, JUST YES.

Then, once we had our sugar fill we headed over to one of the girl's rooms to play Apples to Apples. I love that game. Everybody loves that game. But you know what? Not everybody *has* the game. That would include both me and my awesome co-leader! We both thought the other had the game so alas, we were not able to play it BUT we played something perhaps even better - telephone pictionary. Yes, you read that correctly, it's a wonderful blend of the zaniness of telephone with the hilarity of trying to draw things that people come up with.



It's a great comedy of errors if you will. So we played two rounds of that before we called it a night. I took a picture of my set of cards, but it didn't come out too clearly, but know that it went from a girl trying to marry a man made out of movie tickets to Ray Charles giving candy to a baby :)

We had most of the girls show up and even one of my friends that has come to a few things in the past and it was a great time! Man, sometimes I have to pinch myself that I'm not dreaming, that I get to reach out to women on the USC campus and help them come to know Christ and grow in that relationship as my job!

I thought I was going to have news to share regarding my summer plans, but alas, I have to wait until Friday, but I do know that I will be traveling overseas somewhere with some people from USC!! yay! I'm scared but also really looking forward to it :)

and now here is the funny of the day:



OH! and before I forget, today is VERY special - you know why?? Because now we can purchase tickets to see Hunger Games when it comes out in theaters in THIRTY days!! ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! I am slightly obsessed with these books so I am very much looking forward to the movie, as in, I like to watch the trailer every few days...it's awesome.

It's a Girl Thing

So this past weekend USC Christian Challenge had a women's retreat and the theme was God's amazing love for us. Our theme verse was:

1 John 3:1, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him." (in NIV1984)

I also like the paraphrase The Message, which says it this way: "What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it - we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also the reason why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who He is or what He's up to."

Our speaker was Rebecca Unruh who is the wife of pastor Bevun Unruh from Seabreeze Church in Huntington Beach and she was amazing!! I have always loved hearing from her, whether it's a large group session or just a one-on-one because she is so easy to relate to and can explain things like God's love in a way that makes it personal. One thing she shared was the following poem:

Alphabet of Praise

He is the Awesome, Almighty Authority
He is the Beautiful, Beloved Burdenbearer
He is the Caring, Changeless Creator
He is the Delightful, Divine Defender
He is the Eternal, Everlasting Endurer
He is the Faithful, Forgiving Father
He is the Glorious, Gracious Guide
He is the Highest, Holiest Head
He is the Invisible, Incredible "I AM"
He is the Jealous, Just Judge
He is the Kind, Kingly Keeper
He is the Living, Loving Lord
He is the Magnificent, Merciful Maker
He is the Necessary, Noble Name
He is the Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omni-present Owner
He is the Patient, Powerful Prince of Peace
He is the Quiet, Quickening Qualifier
He is the Righteous, Resurrected Redeemer
He is the Sacrificial, Seeking Shepherd
He is the Triumphant, Trustworthy Teacher
He is the Universal, Understanding Unequal
He is the Vast, Victorious Voice
He is the eXcellent, eXalted eXample
He is the Yearning, Yielded Yoke-fellow
He is the Zealous, cZar of Zion.

by Ana Jane Venosdel 1996, PWC Conf. Jenness Park, CA.

I love this poem and even reading it again, you can't help but have your heart swell with love and gratitude for God, for how He has been pursuing you, for how He helps you day-to-day (whether or not you have come to know Him) and for saving you!

Hope this gives you hope for today :)