hope for women in nazaret

a little info about the women we will be doing vocational training with.

dear life, i enjoy you

last night was my going away party. kris and heather did a fantastic job putting it together, and i am still on cloud nine from the company, the awesome music, the perfect weather, the amazing food, and the love that was poured over me last night. i will take all that love, thank you, and pack it with me to africa. i know i will need it!

things are continuing to come together, working themselves out and falling into place. i have to thank the Lord for His continued patience with me because i've been consistently freaking out about something new and different every day. trust is HUGE, especially for a person like me who really likes (shall i say addicted to?) being in control. life is such an adventure! every day there is something new to learn or see or say or touch or embrace. i love it.

i was thinking this morning about life, about how much i've grown and changed, even from a few years back. i'm not the same person i was even a year ago, and i am so INCREDIBLY thankful for that! i wouldn't trade my life now for anything else or different. it can get a little (sometimes a lot) messy, and God redeems that part of me too, fortunately.

let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love for i have put my trust in you; show me the way i should go, for to you i lift up my soul. -Psalms

summertime

today i watched the kids of a dear friend of mine. we played with sidewalk chalk, ate slices of apples, danced while singing "twinkle twinkle little star," played at the park, and ran through the sprinkler. today was superb.

this is my fifth day of being officially unemployed and i don't mind it one bit, really. i have found no shortage of things to do, errands to run, people to see and pools to swim in. i am sub-leasing my room while i'm out so i have packing to do, and some of my furniture needs to be moved into the attic.

two weeks. here's the scoop: i'm leaving with my ellie's run team for nairobi on july 9. we'll spend the next week meeting the kids we've supported the past 5 years at calvary christian school, painting murals and furnishing classrooms for the new emmanuel vocational school, throwing birthday parties for orphans in kitui, getting to know our brothers and sisters affected by hiv/aids at heko. i'll say goodbye to my team and leave for addis ababa, ethiopia with our team leader geoffrey to meet up with the mocha club team. we will spend the next 3 weeks assisting in vocational training for women and ministry with street kids. the following month i will be volunteering with gladney center for adoption's addis office, working in the care center to profile the kids waiting to be adopted and writing letters to couples waiting for court approval to come get their child(ren). i'll then spend two weeks doing children's ministry near cape town, south africa. my last week in south africa will be spent with friends, followed by a couple days in london before heading back to the states. whew!

i am super excited and nervous at the same time. i don't look forward to goodbyes, but i anticipate an incredible adventure abroad over the next few months. i know it won't be easy, but i look forward to the time of growth and learning. removing ourselves from all that is familiar and laying ourselves bare and vulnerable before the Lord can be a scary and exhilirating experience. i am amazed God even chooses me to be a part of his loving work in this world anyhow. Lord knows i don't deserve it.

our group is inviting family and friends to come pray with us on monday as a little send off. 8pm. my house. please come!

woohoo!

let's go-oh-oh

the ten out of tenn lineup is awesome. check it.

brief recap

there is so much to be thankful for. this past saturday, nearly 1,000 people were at ellie's run for africa, and together we raised over $51,000! the weather was great, the activities ran rather smoothly, and i loved every minute of being a part of that day. it was especially meaningful to have my family experience the event with me. natalina took some great pictures that you can view here.

thank you for your support and encouragement. i get to meet the kids we did this for in 3 weeks!!

almost here

i woke up this morning and realized ellie's run is the day after tomorrow. i can't believe it. this event has been a labor of love for me, for all of us, and i can't wait to see it come together on saturday morning. we have more than twice as many registrants as last year, more publicity than ever, and i can't even tell you how many posters we put up around the greater nashville area.

it's amazing to look back on life for any stretch of time and see how God has orchestrated and worked everything for his good and glory. this is one of those moments. my passion for africa took seed years ago before i graduated high school, i think. after a bout of frustration during college due to my lack of involvement and closed door after closed door, i gave my desire to the Lord, knowing that if he wanted me to be a part of the work in developing countries in Africa, he would work it out.

and He did.

about a year and a half after that surrender, i had the opportunity (and priviledge, might i add) to get involved in ellie's run for africa, an event i had admired from afar for a couple years already at that point. now into my second year, i can't help but smile at what an amazing adventure it has been.

i have 2 reasons for doing this, and they go hand in hand. first, i have an outlet for my passion to make a difference. in 2 days, hundreds and hundreds (hopefully we'll meet our goal of 1K this year) of people will come together to raise money to put kids in school in kibera, kenya at calvary christian school and also emmanuel vocational school. these kids will have uniforms, books and shoes because people in nashville love these kids, even though most of us have never even met them. isn't that incredible?! second, i love the people i volunteer with to make this happen. every person who is a part of the planning process has become a friend and a mentor who pushed me to become a better person. their love and passion for these kids inspires me. their sacrifices motivate me. i can't believe that i am surrounded by such amazing amazing people. i don't know how i got to this place, but i'm so grateful, so humbled, and so amazed at what God can do with his people when they are willing.

after all this reflection on my desire to make a difference and all our hard work, i'm reminded that it's really not about me. or us. not even the slightest. it's about something so much bigger. something we can't even grasp in our humanness. this is about Love. Love that wrecks our worlds and redeems each one.

i'll see you on saturday!


if you can't run, but want to be a part of ERFA '09 click here.

Lucas and Sarah

lucas, sarah and i took these pictures between rain showers at the lake. i tried some new things i had seen done elsewhere and am really pleased with the results.

i am so thankful to know this couple and especially excited to meet their new baby...boy!