So close to being so far away.

Less than two-weeks away!!!

Can you believe it? I'm just looking up in praise and thankfulness today, thinking of all the incredible people in my life and that, even though God doesn't need me, He has chosen me to do a part of His work.

Amazing.

My toes are hanging off the edge of what will surely be my biggest leap of faith and transforming experience yet. I'm so ready for the leap - except for the part about bags being packed or anything that involves actually being physically prepared.

Details Schmetails.

Don't worry, responsible people of the world, I am giong shopping with Morgan and Baby Lucas today and going to NaNa's to dig around for my Kenya skirts. Seeee..... progress. :)

I've been so thankful to be able to absolutely bask in quality time the past two weeks. We had an incredible time at the beach house relaxing, eating, laughing, eating, playing wii, eating, and walking on the beach with family and friends. And this week, I've been so thankful for the good things in life like cousin dates, pedicures, and baby kisses. I truly feel like God is filling me up with love and support from every angle before I go.

Between all the good food, good conversations, and fabulous baby love, my prayers are that I will love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength. And to love my neighbor as my self. Always and everywhere. (Mark 12:29-21) I'm praying that God sends workers to His harvest (Luke 10:2) - that I may be His worker every day and that Bay Area Community Church will rise up together, as a body working for the Kingdom of God, and be transformed as they transform. Please join me in these prayers, as well as prayers for my physical, mental and spiritual health as I prepare and as I travel.

Thank you for reading my blog, for supporting me, and for knowing me. I truly believe that staying connected through our different experiences and using our different giftings is just as significant in this mission as any other part. You can now subscribe to my blog for email updates by scrolling down and putting in your email address on the left-hand column.

Please keep reading. Please keep praying. And please keep seeking the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church, he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have supremacy, for God was pelase to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heavn, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross."

-Colossians 1:15-20

Christmas Love

Merry Christmas!

I hope your Christmas is full of joy, peace and love! I have felt like it's Christmas for the last 3 months of fundraising and planning as people have given selflessly and offered incredible, endless encouragement. Thank you for offering the love of Christ so abundantly day-in and day-out. I can't imagine what lies ahead as I prepare to leave in less than 3 weeks!

For a very special Christmas gift this year, some generous hearts have donated bricks in people's names as Christmas gifts. It only takes 1,000 bricks to build a house to create "Home" for 3 - 5 orphaned children. Giving them a Home, or a place to belong and to be known, is part of the effort of Ten Thousand Homes to end the orphan crisis in South Africa. With your brick donation, you are helping to end the orphan crisis. Thank you for bringing Home to orphans.

A special thank you to:
- my NaNa
- Larissa and Derek Lee
- LK Wolfe
- Elcie Schedule
- Arispe Family
- Prevou Family
- Lucas Collins
- Lori Bryce
- Kate Cantu
- Granny Sharon

Be blessed this holiday season as the gift in your name has blessed "the least of these".

Home, Sweet Beach House

I finished my last day of work!

I finished it in just the right place - Crystal Beach. I said goodbye to a community that felt like home to me, with teachers and a principal who have experienced tremedous loss and turmoil, and yet only speak of blessings and strength.

My work on Bolivar Peninsula has been an incredible part of my story in understanding what home really is. We talked about it at my final group at Crenshaw Elementary and Middle School - Home is the people that are strength when you are weak, the people that are weak with you when you're both weak, and the place where you can be you - together or falling apart - and be completely loved. Home is seeing and celebrating the image of Christ in one another. I've never seen a group of people more dedicated to doing exactly that.

Now that work if officially over, a very exciting transition is starting. The paperchain countdown is getting shorter, weird traveling dreams are coming more frequently, and now all of my time is to be dedicated to sitting at the feet of Jesus as He prepares my heart, spending quality time with those who are my Home, engaging my church to buy bricks to create Home and houses for orphans at Ten Thousand Homes, and all the busy to-do list kind of technical details.

This week I am so thankful and absolutely delighted to be staying at a beach house with my family, basking in quality time with an endless supply of queso in our bellies and sand between our toes. Seriously... can you think of anything more wonderful?

We are having a blast! It's almost surreal that we are all here together. My sister, Sunny, came in like a Christmas hurricane and, before we could say "Ho Ho Ho", we had a fully-decorated Christmas tree, lights and garland on every inch, and so much Christmas cheer, you can't help but feel Home. Nesting in full force, we laugh at the ways each other creates a "home" feel. Mom buys SO much food, Sister decorates everything, and I bring random details -  Christmas air fresheners, hand soaps, etc.

I took a walk on the beach this morning and was thinking of how different and how much more difficult it is to minister to your family than to strangers and "the least of these". At least for me it is. I was frustrated with myself at first because I feel like I keep getting it wrong - I just am not loving my family members with the love of Christ like I'd like to. My prayers before spending time with my family are so much more Christ-like than my words and actions. And they are the people I love the most.

What's up with that?

God gave me a grace-check right then and there on the beach. He reminded me that we are all broken and I won't ever get it right according to my own abilities.

I won't ever love perfectly. But He does because I can't.

He can love us perfectly through holiday stress, family struggles and through all of our imperfect love. All we can do is remember Who He Is and how He came to such an imperfect world in the most imperfect circumstances so that we could receive perfect love. We can only be amazed that we don't have to get it all right, but that we can always seek Him and seek to be more like Him.

A virgin gave birth to the Son of Man in a manger so that He could bring light and love to the world like we've never seen it - and then be hung on a cross so that we could receive that light and love when we never deserved it. What a perfect time of year to remember that circumstances are beyond our control, and we can only love with all we've got and forgive one another for not loving perfectly.

So, as I head back to the beach house, I will take a moment to say thank you for my incredible family and pray that I love them a little more like Christ today than yesterday. My prayer for my family, this Christmas week, and you is that you experience Home in Christ and surrender expectations to a Holy and undeserved grace.

Merry Christmas!

Enough.

EXACTLY ONE MONTH TILL TAKE-OFF!

I can't believe that I will actually be meeting two of my teammates, Rebekah and Brittany, and embarking on the adventure of a lifetime in 31 days. The preparation alone has been such an incredible part of the journey, I've hardly had time to sit and think about the part about me actually leaving the country!

God made it so very clear to me that I am not to go alone on this trip, and that Bay Area Community Church was to come alongside me. For months now, I've been speaking to lifegroups, youth groups, community members, and participating in some awesome fundraisers. It's been as much of the mission as the actual going part. 

Now that the lifegroups are done and, after tomorrow, the last fundraiser will be over (and I believe we'll top out that fundraising thermometer!!!), I've had a moment or two to take a deep breath and think about what's coming. Needless to say, there's been an occassional adrenaline spike, erratic texting, and an incessant counting of paper chain links.

I've said goodbye to all of my clients and had some really special times to reflect on the last 14 months as a Hurricane Ike crisis counselor. One special commemoration was the installation of the "Tree of Life" mosaic we created in adult survivor support groups and with first-responders in MOD coffeehouse in Galveston, a place created for community. We used broken tiles to create a two-panel work of art. The whole idea of the mosaic was creating something beautiful out of what was broken... putting the pieces together one by one. It's a beautiful testament to recovery and resiliency.

In thinking further about my experience of working as a crisis counselor with an incredible team, I thought about what life looks like now, 15 months after the storm. There is still homelessness, people are going without, and it seems like FEMA trailers are being pulled out from under people at random. And then I looked at the mosaic.

There is no promise in sight that everything that is broken and bruised will get better today or tomorrow. There will be disasters, diseases and devastations. All of that comes with this broken world we reside in.

But He is Sovereign and He has given us each other until He comes back for the ultimate restoration. He has been teaching me this week that, for now, we are enough and we have enough. Not one of us is perfect or undamaged, but, if we put all the good we have together, we are enough.

It's the most beautiful mosaic.

(I've really been hearing God calling out the word "ENOUGH" to me, in case you haven't noticed.)

I've encountered resistance, fear and concern this week. Sometimes it's hard to walk into the unknown and the uncontrollable. The control part can be REALLY hard. But I find peace in the fact that, if nothing else, we can sit with a person in their doubt, fears and anger, and love them. We may not ever get to make everyone happy, have as much money as we need for Christmas shopping, or do everything we want to do... but we have enough to love freely, give what we've been given, and do what we are called to do. Exactly enough.

I've rearranged my Christmas plans according to this idea... with the influence of God's working in my heart, a sermon by Pastor Steven, and this video. I'm leaving in a month. There's not enough time or money to answer to everything society's shouting about in today's Christmas culture. This year, I'm asking for the gift of time to be with and celebrate the people I'm close to. I'm inviting family and friends for good conversations, quality time, and perhaps a time to serve together. I'm so excited to have a Christmas that reflects the reason for the season and to not have to take that little white truck anywhere near the crazy holiday shopping!

What I think I'm getting at here, is the idea of "enough". Rob Bell teaches that for water, basic healthcare and nutrition for everyone in the world, it would cost about $20 billion... That's how much Americans spend each year on ice cream.

We have enough. So much more than enough. We have enough to give. We have enough to walk alongside our sisters and brothers in hard times and love them freely. We have enouogh to end the orphan crisis in Africa.

Let's put all the pieces in, all the gifts we've got, to make something beautiful where there is hurt and devastation.

Let's make mosaics.

"Restore us, O Lord God Almighty;

make your face shine upon us,

that we may be saved."

Psalm 80:19

Record breaking temperatures and blessings

My toes have finally warmed up and I still haven't stopped smiling.

This weekend my thoughts, emotions and body temperature were ALL over the place. My good friend, Loryn, and I started planning a photo fundraiser over a month ago. Loryn is a gifted photographer and offered her time and talent for 30 min photo sessions for a $50 donation toward my trip. We planned for Friday, December 5th and crossed our fingers and said our prayers that it wouldn't rain because there was no back-up weather plan.

And then, Friday, Dec 4th it SNOWED IN TEXAS! I may have refered to it as a blizzard, even though not even one flake stuck on the ground. But, COME ON... SNOW! Needless to say, we got nervous. Loryn was driving in from San Antonio... in the blizzard.

Before we went to sleep Friday night, Loryn and I prayed that God would send His provision, His sunlight, His people, and that every detail would be taken care of in the name of His Glory.Prayers and prayers and prayers prompted us to press on.

So, we woke up Saturday morning, put on 3 of everything, defrosted the car, boiled gallons of water for hot chocolate, and set out at 7:15am in the 35 degree weather to see if any of the 13 families who signed up would come.

THEY CAME! And so did the sun! During 10 hours of posing, snapping pictures and jumping out of bushes with a tambourine to elicit a smile (that was my job), Loryn and I had the privilege of watching God's glory being revealed bigger and more beautiful with every hour that went by. Each detail was covered. And, trust me, there were A LOT of details.

Thank you, first and foremost, Loryn, for your servant-heart and for using your giftings for the glory of God. I pray you will be blessed ten-fold.

And thank you to the friends and families who braved the cold for a good cause! I hope you enjoy your photos and find warmth in the Truth that you gave your time and treasure toward the Kingdom this weekend. With your help, we raised $1782!

Check out Loryn's blog for a preview of the photos. They look awesome!

Also, thank you for those of you who've been praying for me financially. As I shared last week, I've been praying for $1000/week. Last week, by Wednesday, the Lord provided $1044 in addition to the $1728 at the photo fundraiser. No matter how big we dream, God is always bigger. I love serving a God I could never put a limit on.

Please join me in prayer for the next fundraiser, and let me know if you want to come. It's going to be FUN!

MYSTERY DINNER THEATER

Sunday, Dec. 13th at 6pm
Chabuca's in Webster, TX

Tickets are $30/person for a 3-course meal and an interactive mystery show. It's going to be a blast and all proceeds go toward bringing Homes and Hope to orphans and vulnerable children.

RSVP now! Kacychaffin@gmail.com

The photo fundraiser set-up:

The Harveys were the bravest, coldest bunch. They came for an hour photo session at 8am!

Loryn and the Oberts

Plane Tickets, Paper Chains and Prayers, OH MY

There's a date. There's a time. There's a TICKET!

I'm excited, anxious, elated, nervous, delighted and so, so pleased to announce that I will be leaving for South Africa in 43 days!

January 12, 2010 at 6:25pm from IAH? Who wants to have a party?

Thank you to those of you who have supported me financially and prayerfully this far. The ticket (one-way) was purchased today, and now it's all about the paper-chain countdown.

I LOVE making paper-chains. It's something to celebrate everyday, something to remind you to pray every night, and something to remind you to cherish every moment instead of letting them sneak by. Check out Macie and the paper chain below!

I had a wonderful week of vacation and now am looking at my last two weeks of work, orchestrating fundraising events and speaking at life groups. Everything in sight is good, but sometimes it seems there is sooooo much in sight. I've been overcome this week with "to-do's" and stressors, anxious about fundraising, and feeling like there was too much going on all the way around me.

Then Jesus whispered.

"Stop managing and start worshipping."

So I sat down with Him today and gave it all back. The details. The concerns. The projects. And I worshipped.

He is good. He is a Sovereign and Mighty Provider and Protector. More than enough. More than I could ever fathom.

Please join me this week in prayer for financial support for my travels to South Africa.

I'm praying for $1,000 a week from here on out. I BELIEVE.

Will you pray expectantly?

Say Cheeeeeeeeeese!

Ladies and Gentleman, Step Right Up...Get 'Em While They're HOT!

One Day and One Day Only!

There is a great opportunity for me, for you, and for the orphans I'll be traveling to serve THIS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5th in League City!

An incredibly loving and servant-hearted friend and photographer, Loryn, is coming in from San Antonio to offer her gift of photography to you as a fundraiser toward bringing homes and hope to HIV/AIDS orphans.

Go  to Loryn's blog at http://www.lnwgallery.blogspot.com/ and comment on her recent post, "5 More Spots" to sign up for a 30-min time slot.

Loryn is offering a 30-min photo session at Helen's Garden in League City, TX on Saturday, Dec 5th. Family Christmas cards, engagement pics, senior portraits, you name it, she will rock it! For a minimum $50 donation, Loryn will provide a 30-min photo session and provide you with a CD that day of all images and full printing rights.

It's a great deal for a great cause!

Thank you for helping us spread the word!

Please continue to join me in prayer for fundraising. God Will Provide! Pray that we are obedient stewards of the resources He's given us to make His will be done.  Thank you!

Talking With My Mouth Full

I'm right smack in the middle of what I like to call the "Thankful Tour 2009". I'm on the West Coast this week visiting my mom, Lily and my friends from Fuller. I've been overwhelmed with GREAT hugs, deep down laughs, dance parties out the wazoo, and so many reminders of how big and sovereign God is.

Amidst all the travels and encouragement, I've been in conversation with God about thankfulness and giving. He's used some really special moments through my friends at Fuller to encourage and teach me... as usual. :)

Friday, at lunch with Amanda in Pasadena at the School Cafe (Chinese Chicken Salads... mmhmmm), I was telling her about feeling overwhelmed by every last detail of selfless giving I'd experienced - tablecloth text messages, photoshoot sign-ups, etc. I shared with her that I have never felt more known or more loved as I do now that I'm sharing promptings with others to bring homes and hope to orphans. She reminded me that, big or small, we can never repay God for his sacrifice. We can never be thankful enough in that make-it-even kind of way.

The pslamists felt the same way...

"How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord." -Psalm 116:12-13

Maybe it's more about recieving His goodness so that we can give it back to God to make His glory known. As I've been sharing with others about the trip, I find myself repeating, "You cannot give what you haven't received," as I talk about bringing homes to the homeless.

Then there was breakfast with Helen... best omlette and blueberry pancakes I've ever encountered, by the way. Helen is on staff at YWAM in Kona and she was filling me in on what DTS is like, preparing me to receive, receive, receive...

It was making my skin crawl! It is so difficult for me to think of going on missions to receive. It made me feel afraid that I would lose my identity as someone who gives. It made me afraid that I would become all-about-Kacy. Or maybe I'm using "giving" as a coat of armor of sorts. Giving is good, so if I'm giving, I must be good. Right? It's better to give than to receive, right? Right... but an empty cup cannot overflow. Without receiving from the Lord, we are giving from ourselves. There's no good in that.

Maybe I'm learning how to recieve God's glory so that I can give it back and He can make it bigger and better. I'm a vessel.

Helen's wisdom, love, and encouragement, topped with homeade whip cream and blueberry syrup, helped me to shape a new prayer. 
 

Lord, peel away my defenses... the parts of me protecting my identity in this world. Rewrite my identity to be wholly in You. Help me to maintain a humble, learning posture in every encounter. Help me to receive with thanksgiving and to give each blessing back to Your glory. Fill my cup to overflow, and let the overflow extend to the ends of the earth. Amen.

P.S.: If you live near League City, there is an AWESOME opportunity to get beautiful portraits taken for a good cause. My great friend, Loryn is coming to town Sat, Dec 5 to offer 30 min photo sessions for a minimum $50 donation toward our joint effort at bringing Homes with Hope at Ten Thousand Homes. There are still a few spots left! She'll give you the CD the day you take the pics. To sign up, comment on her blogpost at http://www.lnwgallery.blogspot.com/

Dance Party Exhibit A: Lily learns to break-dance.

The "Chang Girls"... Fuller friends who taught me how to grow deeper with God in community

omlettes and blueberry pancakes... this is no joke, people.

The BACC Youth - my Home Team

Sunday night I went to talk to an incredible group of students - the Bay Area Community Church Youth Group. I knew it was going to be special when I was greeted instantly with a hug from Richie and the love and support they extended to Taylor after she sang for them.

The students are talking about giving. I've spent some time praying lately - and there's probably a post to come - in understanding what it means to Give Thanks rather than just say thanks. Almost daily, as I prepare to leave for Africa, I've felt completely overwhelmed and absolutely consumed by love. You know, that kind of love that's so big the word "thank you" just doesn't do it justice.

So God is nudging at me to give thanks. Some sort of reciprocal act of service - a way to worship in action. This is only a thought in process... but the process was certainly churning when I was with the students. I think it's because their hearts were churning too. And they were so receptive to it.

We did a really fun activity together - Ashley, one of their leaders, broke them into two groups and gave them a stack of moving supplies: A box, a roll of tape and newspaper. She told them they had 5 minutes to create a home.

It was hilarious! And awesome. Our discussion afterward helped us to understand that we all understood the instructions and could at least come up with some of the basic components of home - shelter, space, comfort and protection - because we've experienced these things before in our own lives.

In a time of giving thanks, it's helpful to remember that we cannot give what we haven't received. Almost all of us have experienced home in the tangible, lay-your-head-to-rest sense of the word. It's always a wondeful gift to share your home - one I've particularly appreciated in moving into my cousins' home.

But some of us have also experienced Home in Christ. Believing in the love of a God SO big and SO deeply in love with you that He sent a perfect son to a broken earth to sacrifice himself so that you can be called righteous... so that you can be adopted into the perfect and eternal Kingdom of God. Now THAT is what we should really be giving this season.

Thank you, BACC Youth, for making me feel so welcome and taking on this trip as your own. I believe that you will rise up as leaders in our church - giving the body a lesson in giving out of the purity and passion of your hearts. I was definitely inspired by you and can't wait to see the difference you make for the Kingdom - one brick at a time!

Goodbyes, see you laters and all the things in between...

A new season has begun - not the kind of season that comes packaged nicely with a title and traditions like the holiday season. This is a time for changes and transitions in which I can't see ahead to the end.

This week has been an absolute upheaval. I said goodbye to my neighbors and, with the help of some amazing family and friends, moved out of my apartment and in with my cousins, Carli, Brooks and Baby Ella. My belongings are scattered amongst several houses and a corner of a storage unit, where they will remain until post-African adventures back in the states.

I've also begun saying goodbye to the clients I work with as a Hurricane Ike Crisis Counselor. Since I've come back to Texas (just in time for Hurricane Ike), I've spent over a year investing in a community of incredible survivors and walking through recovery of others trying to figure out what "home" means when everything they know has been washed away. I've learned so much and have been thankful for every moment.

Saying goodbyes as a counselor is a lot different from most goodbyes. When I leave for Africa, I'll tell you, "See you on Skype!" "I can't wait to share with you when I get home." "See you in July when you come visit!" or just a plain ole "I love you and will see you when I return."

Saying goodbye to clients is a goodbye that doesn't come attached with an "I'll see you later." Most of us don't really know what to do with the thought of a permanent absence, so we just don't think about it. I've been amazed, however, in what I've learned from goodbye.

Goodbye gives us time to reflect on where we started and where we've come. Time to think about the ways we are impacted by others. Time to think about what we've learned together. Time to be thankful for one another and express it genuinely. Time to begin to accept life's inevitable changes with the grace and love that comes with them.

I'm thankful to have been influenced and have learned from so many people. And I'm thankful to take a moment now for reflection and to decide that, even as I prepare for the "see you laters", I will be more intentional in expressing love, gratitude and sharing experiences with people.

My prayers are for intimacy, authenticity and connection with family, friends and community as I prepare for a "goodbye for now".

Time and Treasures and Talents, Oh My!

It's a good thing I like talking.

I've had so many incredible and often surprising opportunities to share with people about going to Africa in the past week. I've stared visiting the life groups of my church, Bay Area Community Church, this week to invite my community to join with me. I have been encouraged and supported in unique ways by each group. Thank you!

In sharing about my heart for this trip, I often talk about my "God box" - how it's so easy for me to try to coneptualize God or try to understand Him from within the box or the compartment I keep Him in. When I traveled to Kenya in 2007, however, the bottom of that box fell out. I was taken back by how BIG God is. I know we sing about it in worship, high-five about it in youth group, and AMEN about it in church... but, I'm talking a BIG, BIG GOD. A God so big that all you can understand is that He is Good. He is Love. And He is SO BIG that all we can really wrap our heads around is He's too big for a box and much too big to wrap our heads around.

An unfathomable good, an unfathomable love, an immeasurable creator that is so completely captivated by the smallest details of your daily life and what makes you you.

While preparing to share with my church members about traveling to Africa, I met with Pastor Steven Yoes to share my heart for the church joining with me for this trip. He responded with a phrase that has resounded in me ever since. He passionately committed to walking with me in this calling and called the church to join with their "time, treasures and talents".

Hmm.

I automatically thought of prayer, blog-checking and such for time, and financial support and brick-buying for treasures... but talents?

Get ready for it. Because the talents are a-flowin'!

I have been awe-struck this week by the ways people have offered support by lending me their talents. God is pulling out all the stops here, people. And we have one creative Savior! I love the ways He has created His body.

A few examples: Bud and Ashley from church have suggested hosting a Mystery Dinner Theater as a fundraiser. (How cool is that?) And Loryn has offered her incredible gift of photography as a gift to families interested in taking Christmas pictures, offering all proceeds to go toward our Africa fund. (YAY!) And a co-worker, Carey, is creating a space for Ten Thousand Homes at her wedding (YES, her wedding!) by making a donation toward my trip in lieu of wedding favors and distributing my blog information.

As His works are coming to fruition, I feel my heart overflowing with gratitude. I was just thinking about the depth and breadth of how this process of sharing, fundraising, and praying together has been such a direct reflection of Christ in my life. I go around talking about bringing Home and Hope - loving, knowing and supporting God's children. And I have never felt more loved, known and supported.

Thank you just isn't big enough to communicate my gratitude. My prayer is that you experience ten-fold the love, support, care, encouragement and hope you have blessed me with.

To-Do or Not-To-Do...

What a busy week! I've been finding myself getting all swirly and lost in the details of how to raise support and share about Africa WHILE trying to figure out the details about moving out and moving on. What furniture goes where, when to meet with who, how to get this to there... You know the drill.

If I made a list, I think there would be at least 438 things to-do on it.

I also have felt a lull in what has been nothing but an exciting ride thus far. God has moved in so many incredible ways toward directing my path to South Africa that I've stayed on an adrenaline-powered spiritual roller coaster. The to-do's slowed me down, along with feeling the burden of a short amount of time and a lot of money to raise. This week I felt some discouragement by family members worried my fundraising being an inconvenience or a burden. I realized it was really starting to get to me and infiltrate my heart despite being so so so sure that God is my Provider.

I saw down with full intentions of pouting with Jesus this morning. And boy did I pout. I worried, wondered, and worshiped. (Thank you Fall Back for an extra hour to make all of these W's possible.)

I told Him I was completely overwhelmed. I was worried I had been reduced to being inconsiderate and childishin the eyes of the family members I look up to and care about the most. It was weighing so heavily on me.

He reminded me that, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." (Mark 6:4) Jesus understood. I was talking to the right guy.

I certainly don't belong on the same page as Jesus and don't necessarily command a lot of honor, but Jesus understands not being understood. And He went there anyway... all the way to the cross.

When I was coming out of church, I received a text message telling me someone was going to buy me a video camera... And then someone gave me 100 stamps for support letters and told me she'd provide all the stamps I need for support letters. I felt like God was meeting me in the overwhelmed and telling me He is SO GOOD and SO BIG, He's already working on the details.

I'm astounded in His presence.

I would still like to ask for your prayers for financial provision. I am raising $9000 for my trip in January. So far, I have $360. Please pray that there is ample time to get the word out, bless people by doing so, and raise an abundance in funds.

Thank you so much. God bless you.

Feelin' the Love in the arch support

I've been thinking and praying about the big picture part of this trip to Africa for months now. God's heart and the way mine can look more like His. His will in my life. The Kingdom. You know, that kind of stuff.

And now it's go-time. This is really happening! It was much easier when it was a big and abstract idea I could just dream with Jesus about. Now I find myself flooded in details... moving dates, storage searches, vaccinations, travel plans, finances, client loads... Whew. Deep breath. 

Swirly is usually the word I use. There's so much to do that everything feels swirly.

Despite the to-do list that gets longer every day, God is still taking my breath away. He's gotten bigger and bigger in the tangible presence in my life in the smallest of details.

My heart for this trip is for orphans to feel known and loved. In the process, however, I am consumed by the warmest and fuzziest and most captivating sense of being known and loved by friends and family. I feel like I am being blessed, prepared and sent out in a way I never expected. He's taking the swirls out of the to-do lists with hugs, people who understand, and even people willing to take on part of the burden and help me. They're helping me with the stinky, tedious, boring details! It's the hands-on work of the body in which I'm truly experiencing His love

Cathy and Ramona are hunting down storage units and turning the crisis counseling program into a moving crew. The Boldens are giving me a place to live. Rhonda's looking for boxes. Pam's offering her house for Home Parties. Laurie's making cornbread. Ashley's cooking feasts. Lucas is offering Kenyan sweet tea. Nicci's buzzing around church like an African mosquito. And Dub and Bode (even after I was so difficult) gave me Chaco's - because they knew they'd be perfect for African terrain.

I'm experiencing the big-picture love of Christ in the smallest gestures of His children. Thank you for being His hands... and for providing Chaco's for my feet!

"Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet bu yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now."

-Saint Teresa of Avila

Quote of the day...

I have an 87 year-old friend.

She's had a hard time adjusting to the idea of me leaving the country and not being able to visit with her every week. I couldn't help smiling from ear to ear when she said this today:

"I'm positive God wants you to go to Africa. If you do half the good for one of those orphans that you've done for me, then you're home safe. You're kinda like Oprah without the money...

...but I'm kindly concerned. You're 25? I guess you still have 10 years or so... Honey,I want you to find your husband. You need to read John 14 and ask the LORD to provide a husband for you."

Amen. And Goodnight.

I believe...

I believe that God loves us profoundly. Indescribably.

I believe He knows us personally. Our names. Our hearts.

I believe that Jesus came and died on a cross so that we could have intimate communion with God. So that He could touch us, speak to us and live through us.

I believe that we all need Home - a place we are known and loved. Our HOME is the Kingdom of God, and while we are here, it's our job to bring the Kingdom to one another. Jesus calls us to care for the widows, orphans and those who've never experienced a Home in Christ.

God is calling me to extend Home to those who don't have one – specifically, orphans.

I'm going to South Africa with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) to participate in a Discipleship Training School (DTS). I will be staying at YWAM's South African base, Ten Thousand Homes, where they are living out Jesus' proclamation by bringing homes and hope to HIV/AIDS orphans. After 3 months of DTS, my team and I will travel to another African country for outreach for 2 months.

I believe God’s heart is for the American church to join this mighty Kingdom work. Will you pray for the Homes of the orphans and Africans I will encounter, as well as follow me prayerfully on my blog? I appreciate your prayers for the details of the trip as well, as I am just beginning raising support, will be moving out of my apartment in a few weeks and arranging all the details for the journey ahead.

I will be raising $9000 for 8 months of traveling, training and ministry, as well as money to build a house for a family unit to give Home to a few orphaned children. It only takes 1000 bricks to build a house for 4 - and it only costs $3/brick!

My church, Bay Area Community Church in League City, TX, is sending a team to join me in July to put their hands and feet into His work, and build the house we raise. I believe God has already started working in us as a body to turn our hearts toward the Kingdom together.

I feel like I have a front row seat into a big, big work God is doing and I'm honored to be a part of it. I believe this is our mission, and that we can join together for the good of Africa's orphans and for the glory of the Kingdom.