^{Mark 12:30: "}Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

Typical Bible Drill verse. Every VBS, every Sunday School class forever and always has taught this verse. And rightly so. It's a great one. Sometimes "over-used" verses can kind of annoy me... I know, I know, I shouldn't be annoyed by the Bible - I just mean that they are said so much that it's hard to remember how important they are and you just kind of think "I already know that one" and move on about your day over looking the meaning you once found to be so beautiful. This verse wasn't one of the "annoying" ones, but I have heard it quite often and I've had it memorized for longer than I can remember. And I think the reason it wasn't one of those "over-used" verses for me is because rather than over looking the meaning, I never truly discovered it in the first place.

I have a few friends that, if asked, could tell you exactly what God has been teaching them over the past few months, or even years. And for these friends, the theme of what the Lord has been teaching them remains constant. God is consistently working in their hearts and bringing to their mind one theme as He deepens their relationship with Him. Anytime you ask them "what are you struggling with?", or "what has God been teaching you lately?', they always answer the same. Not to say they aren't learning or growing, but that for whatever reason or for whatever future circumstances may arise, God is diligently working in their lives to grow these areas and strengthen their reliance and dependence on Him.

For one friend it's love. What does it mean to truly love? And to be loved? And to trust God with that love? See, for her it's about the heart. Over the past year and a half to two years the Lord has been showing Himself to her in big ways. Showing her that He is all she needs. Showing her that no matter what her earthly relationship status may be, He is constant. He is ever-present. He is always there and always will be there. He's been showing her that love isn't just for a significant other. It isn't just for close friends and family. It's for everyone. It's for the weirdos and the creeps. It's for the annoying children and the people that don't speak English very well. It's for everyone. She's learning what it means to love the Lord her God with all of her heart. All of it.

For many friends it's faith. What does it mean to trust in the God of the universe? To trust that He sent His only son to die on the cross so that we could be washed and cleansed in the blood of the Lamb and have our sins forgiven, never to be remembered. These friends may not even know that God is working in their hearts. But I can see it. Day by day or week by week... even year by year, God is stirring their affections toward Him. Proving Himself faithful time and time again. Showing them that He is the Ultimate. He is Savior. He is God. Whether they know it or not, they are learning to love the Lord their God with all of their soul. All of it.

For another friend it's peace. What does it mean to totally surrender to God? To know that He has complete control of everything. To know that His plans are the plans and they will ultimately work out for His glory. God is teaching him to trust that His timing is perfect. He's learning that full dependence on God is the only way and that anxious thoughts are not going to bring any glory to God, but instead steal joy away from himself and others. He's learning to love the Lord his God with all of his mind. All of it.

I've never really struggled for a significant period of time with any of these three things. I've given my soul over to the Lord. He has it. Forever. I sometimes worry about the future, usually about non-existent relationships/marriage (combining mind and heart). But these worries and anxieties usually only last for a little while and then I give them over to God.

Now, I don't know if you've noticed (because I didn't), but there are more than three things listed in that verse. It doesn't just stop after "mind"... See it now? The word "strength". I guess I've just completely missed it for the last 20 years (well… those first few years, I wasn't reading much).

A little less than two weeks after returning home from East Asia, I moved into a new apartment. As I lay down in bed that night, I was exhausted. My body was sore, not only from coming off jet-lag, but from moving and putting together furniture, unpacking boxes, and running errands all day. At that moment the Lord brought this verse before me. I just couldn't help but think what it would be like to lay down every night feeling that same amount of exhaustion as I did after moving, but knowing I had spent that day using all of my strength for the Lord. I want that. I desperately want that. I want to know that I am doing everything possible to serve God, point to God, bring Him glory, and draw others to Him. This semester is already proving to be challenging. God is giving me so many opportunities and resources to glorify Him. And I am loving it. It's hard, and it's time-consuming, and it's different, and it's difficult. But I am loving it. I want to continue to grow strong in the Lord. I want to use everything that I am for His kingdom. I want others to see Christ in me. I want to share God’s goodness with everyone. I want to make disciples. God has already taught me to love Him with all of my heart, soul, and mind, but now He is teaching me to love Him, the Lord my God, with all of my strength. All of it.

Proverbs 3:26

1 John 3 "How great is the 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. ² Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³ Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

⁴ Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. ⁵ But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. ⁶ No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

⁷ Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. ⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devilare: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

¹¹ This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹² Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.¹³ Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. ¹⁹ This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence ²⁰ whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

²¹ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God ²² and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. ²³ And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. ²⁴ Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."

Psalm 4:8

East Asia || Day 15

7/30/12 - 10:00 a.m. - A few days later and I'm finally recovered from jet lag enough to write about how the last day of our trip was. After we got back to our dorms on the 25, I showered, turned in my room keys and shower card and began to pack everything up for our long journey home. I finished packing about midnight and laid down for one last night of sleep in my room. But it seems that even though all week I had been craving just one minute of a lone time, I finally had the room to myself and it was too quiet :) I missed all my girls! When you've been sleeping in a teeny room with three girls (it wasn't that small, but small when you fit 4 people and all their stuff and their beds in there) you just get used to hearing people talking or someone being on their phone. It was lonely, and I missed them! I tried listening to music to help me sleep, but I just couldn't seem to fall asleep until about 3 o clock. I woke up about 6 a.m. to get my stuff together, take one last look around the place I called home for two weeks and then met everyone in the lobby about 6:40 a.m. to get on our bus to the airport!

We rode the bus with several of the other Americans who were leaving that day and we all sang worship songs together as we made our way to the airport. It was so incredibly nice to get to sing those songs freely and openly. The bus driver couldn't speak English so he didn't know what we were saying. It was probably one of the best feelings in the world. We didn't have to see who was around or worry about someone hearing us or change the words to hide what we were really talking/singing about.

Once we got to the airport, it took us a little while to find the right terminal we needed to be at. Eventually we figured it out and waited to check in for our flight (we could only start checking in 90 minutes before boarding time). Then we made our way to the gate and waited for our flight, which was delayed about 40 minutes.

Eventually, we made it to the South Korean airport. HOORAY. Wi-fi! Bathrooms! Food! We had about a 4 hour lay-over so we just got to relax and email our families. It was so nice! What was not nice however is knowing that we only had a 2 hour layover once we got to LAX and that we were going to have to make it through customs, change terminals, get our boarding passes, and go through security... That's a lot of stuff to do in 2 hours. Especially when 30 minutes of that is boarding time for your flight... and then your plane from South Korea gets delayed 40 minutes. So as we left South Korea we were a little nervous, but we figured we could make up most of that time in the air, and worst-case scenario we could just take a later flight to Dallas. At least we would be in the United States. Worst, worst-case scenario, we could just rent a car and drive home or hop on a bus. So we weren't too worried, just not looking forward to running through the airport like crazy people.

Which is exactly what we did. Our flight landed about 30 minutes behind schedule. We all got on a bus that took us to the customs area. Everyone was really nice and welcomed us home. But after we passed through customs we found out that we had to pick up our bags, and then re-check them with American Airlines. So we grabbed our bags and ran - keep in mind that all of us had just gotten off a 12-hour plane (which I will recap in a minute) and had to go to the bathroom pretty badly. I was seriously worried that not only would I be running to get through security, but that I would have to go through security and have to explain to them why I'm 20 years old and just wet my pants.

After a long trek of sprinting through the airport, getting our bags checked, boarding passes printed and trying to get through security with the extremely talkative guy that was taking his time getting everyone through and wanted to talk to each person about how their trip was gonna be, where they were going (or in my case how he came home the night before to his nagging wife telling him to take out the trash) we made it to the gate with 5 minutes to spare! Which we all used to go to the bathroom, wash our face, brush our teeth and get super excited knowing we were only one 3 hour plane ride from going home! It was a crazy hour and half that's for sure. But I feel like now I could definitely win the Amazing Race. At one point there was a moving sidewalk that a lot of people were on. I knew I could get there faster if I just ran on the carpet next to it, so I did. They all stared, but whatever. I beat them.

I'll take a little break from all the chaos to go back and talk about the 12-hour flight. It seemed to go by slightly faster than the one on the way there. This time I wasn't as worried about making sure I got sleep because I knew that I could always sleep when I got home. I watched a few movies and rested for about 15 minute increments here and there. This plane was a little smaller than the one on the way there and my seat was in the middle of the middle aisle, so it was hard to get comfortable. However, I was seated next to a lady from India (surprise, surprise) and she couldn't speak English, so she kept asking me for help whenever the flight attendants came around. I mostly just used motions and she understood what I was saying. Then when it was time to fill out her customs form, she wrote her name on it then handed me her form, passport, and a pen haha. I helped her fill it out to the best of my ability. She didn't have the information for some of it, but I'm assuming that someone else would've helped her at the customs area. She was in a wheelchair though, so I only got up once during the flight, cuz I didn't want to make her move around too much, which is why I made the wetting my pants comment earlier. It seriously might have happened.

Skip forward now to our flight home! It was the shortest flight of the trip, but felt like the longest! I did get to have ice water though which was nice! The flight attendant asked me what I wanted to drink and I said "water". He said "with ice?". "YES!". I'm sure the two ladies next to me thought I was a little nuts. They were really nice, but very businessy. I kept checking my watch to see how much longer we had and then as we got closer I kept smiling and I'm pretty sure once I saw Six Flags out the window I started clapping. At that point I knew that even if the plane crashed, at least I'd be in Texas! So we finally made it to the airport! I think if the pilot had come on and said "looks like were gonna have to wait a while for our gate to be available, we're just gonna sit on the runway" I would have gone out the emergency exit. We all got off the plane and waited for everyone from our group to get through and then we made it down the escalators to our friends and family waiting below! It was so nice! Everyone made signs for us and brought us flowers. My mom made blueberry muffins for everyone (I had told her we were all missing breakfast foods!). It was great to be home!

I miss it so much, but I'm grateful that the Lord brought us home safely and for the opportunities we have here!

1 Thessalonians 3: “6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. 7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. 8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. 11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that left Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

East Asia || Day 14

7/25/12 – 11:30 p.m. – Last night here! Wow. I can’t believe it. I am so sad to leave. But I am really eager to get home and tell everyone all about it! Today we had the closing ceremony of camp. It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone! I just want to bring them all home with me! But I know many of them will do great things. All of the campers left around lunch time and then the volunteers got to hang out and take naps – or “snaps” as the students would say. They kept mixing up the words “nap”, “snap”, and “snack”.

Tonight, our group plus Janice, Neva, and Allegra went to the nearby town to eat and hang out. It was really neat to see the small-town life and how people actually live day to day rather than just seeing the tourist sites in the larger city. We had some delicious food. I don’t know exactly what all of it was, but it was delicious! Cumin Beef (tasted like tacos J ), Kung Pow Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, mushrooms, noodle soup, rice… all so great! Even the rice was great and restored my hope that I will be able to eat rice again after this trip. I mean, everyone knows I love my rice. But when you have to eat it for every meal, everyday… it wears on you a little bit. But alas, I think it will still be on my list of favorite foods!

After dinner, we walked around a bit, mostly people watching and taking pictures. Then we saw Priscilla and the GE group and joined them for some karaoke at KTV. SO FUN! We had our own little private room and sang mostly Taylor Swift songs, with a little Michael Jackson mixed in! It was really nice to get to hang out with all of the “foreigners” (Americans) one last time! On the way back to the university we stopped at a super market and bought a few last souvenirs!

I will definitely miss it here! Taking my last shower was bittersweet. And turning my shower card and room keys in was just the same! So many mixed emotions. I feel like in the last 5 or so days, I have really adjusted to this way of life. I think it will be hard to go back. Although, I definitely took a double-long shower tonight to get nice and clean before our 20+ hour trip home tomorrow! So surreal. This has by far been the hardest experience of my life so far on every level, but also the most exciting, and more importantly the most rewarding. Can’t wait to see where He leads me next! J

2 Thessalonians 3: "1 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. ² And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. ⁴ We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance."

My thoughts exactly. My prayer for the students.

East Asia || Day 13

7/24/12 – 8:14 a.m. – Everyone woke smiling and full of joy this morning! CoCo is wearing hot pink pants and a yellow and orange shirt with flowers all over it because she said she wanted to wear something that shows she is full of joy :) .

7/25/12 – 12:14 a.m. – Last day of camp was today! Yesterday – it’s after midnight. I am going to miss these girls and my group so much! But I must say I am excited to go home, too. I think once I get home I will instantly want to come back! I can already tell that I have started getting used to the culture! I mean, I’m basically a squatty potty pro. Meaning that I don’t fall over :) I am excited for the future of this country! Tonight was really special and everyone got to share their experiences and commitments that they have made at the camp and we had a time of dedication. The speaker today talked a lot about eternal values. It was really neat to hear him preach and use verses from the Bible without actually saying “the Bible says” or mentioning God or Jesus. Both Victor and I got to share with the group that our purpose in life and our eternal values are our faith in God and that is what drives us :). I am so excited for this generation of students. They are going to do something special. Last full day in the country tomorrow! I can’t even believe it!

Acts 16: "34b he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family."

East Asia || Day 12

7/23/12 – 1:10 p.m. – On the way back from camp, a boy not from the camp, but who I assume attends the university came up to me and said “Hello beauty, can I communicate with you?”. I was half startled/nervous and half wanting to laugh, but Grace and Bryan were with me so I was just kind of like “sure…”. He said “let me guess, you are from the United States. How do you feel about the current relationships with our two countries?”. I didn’t really know how to respond and Bryan and Grace said something to him in Chinese and then he said “ok, ok. But before I go, I’ve been looking at U.S. billboard. Number one song Call Me Maybe, so can I have your cell phone number?” HAHA I wanted to laugh so bad but I just said “sorry, I don’t have a phone that works here” and he rode away on his bicycle. It was so funny. But I was also a bit startled. But Grace held my hand and said everything would be fine  J And Bryan said that he just wanted to practice his English with me. Then they told me that now I had a funny story to tell all of my American friends J.

7/23/12 – 11:48 p.m. – I GOT TO SEND AN EMAIL TODAY. It took a long time to get on the internet, but I was so glad when I did. The girls worked so hard to get it to work! But it was also sad when I did, because I briefly saw that there had been some kind of shooting in Colorado. It was just a reminder that this world is not perfect and we need to be on guard even at home. I think I am going to miss the way of life though. Not having much internet (well, absolutely no internet) has been really nice. But I know that is more of a camp thing, and not really a this country thing.

Today was really fun! We had mutual appreciation tonight which is where everyone gets to say something nice that the other person has done for them and then give them a smiley face sticker! Everyone loved that! They all said that they loved my smile and that it made them feel welcome and joyful! J That really encouraged me to smile more at home. I often catch myself not being as joyful as I should be and hopefully after this experience I will J. After the mutual appreciation we all took pictures with the smiley face stickers all over us J THEN we had a dance party J They played some music and everyone made a train and went all around the room. They thought that was so fun! Then Jacob started yeling “one more song” when it was over. Emma and I joined him, and then all the Americans, and then all the students started shouting it, even though I don’t think they quite knew why! But Then they played the Cha-Cha Slide! It was hilarious to see them all doing it. Most of them had never heard/seen that song before! They had a blast!

I am going to miss all these students so much! But now there are only 3 more days. I’ve had that Pat Green song stuck in my head all day! I can’t believe it’s almost over! But also, I am so ready to go home and talk to everyone!

While I have been here I have really been having a passion for India. I was thinking about it a lot before I left, but while I have been here it has become more and more apparent. I think that will be my next stop and I’m excited to see what the future holds!

Also, I just want to mention this so I don’t forget: when they say “smile” it sounds like “smell” J. It’s so cute. They say “Your smell is so bright and white. I love it.” And “ Your smell brings me joy” or “your smell is like sunshine. I am so happy when you smell”. So cute. I’m glad my smile brings them happiness J

^{Acts 16: "40} After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left."

East Asia || Day 11

7/23/12 – 12:00 a.m. – Today (well yesterday, since it’s 12:00 a.m.) we had the effective listening exercise, I was a little nervous that our group would not respect each other while they were talking because many of them enjoy being on their phones J But they all did a great job! Everyone opened up and shared and really encouraged the other members of the group. It was a great experience and I’m glad it went well! I am going to miss this group so much! There are only two days of camp left so I am praying that they are great! However, I am very excited to get home! J hopefully tomorrow I can send an email! Only 4 more days.

Lamentations 3:

"32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
    so great is his unfailing love.

33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
    or grief to the children of men."

East Asia || Day 10

7/21/12 11:19 p.m. – Today was relaxing! We went to a lecture this morning about interpersonal relationships, which was very good! And then in the afternoon we had a dysfunctional tower game where everyone is assigned a certain disability or handicap and the team still has to try and build the tallest, strongest tower. Our team failed miserably – the tower fell over before the judging even started, mainly because we ran out of tape before it was finished. BUT that’s ok, because they all worked so well as a team and made sure that everyone did their part, had their say, and that no one was left out! It was awesome!

After dinner was the talent show! It was a multicultural talent show and it was really awesome J lots of good acts!

I tried to call home, but it didn’t go through. I might have done it wrong, I don’t know. But I will try again tomorrow and also try to email if possible. The days are getting better, I think because I know we only have a few days left. But the whole-not-having-any-communication-with-the-outside-world-whatsoever thing is pretty hard and lonely. I am just so looking forward to that Korean Airport. Wi-fi, western bathrooms, HOORAY! HOORAY! J But I also think the flight will be hard to sit through. Just because I will be so anxious to get home.

I absolutely love it here though! I just wish it wasn’t 20+ hours of plane rides away. I love these girls and these people so much! J And their culture! It has really opened my eyes to how international students must feel when they come to America. SO different!

Today I braided Graces’s hair. She has been admiring the braids I do in my hair all week, so she LOVED having me do her hair! J I also taught them the wobble, how to line dance, and how to do the running man today! It is so hilarious. None of them have ever danced before, and if they have it’s like traditional cultural dance, so they can’t really do any of the moves right but they have so much fun! It is so great!! Also, Today was Sue’s birthday and the day after tomorrow is Karen’s so our group bought a cake and we lit candles and sang to them! The cake was so yummy! Only 5 more days! Can’t believe it!

^{Galatians 6: "9} Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

East Asia || Day 9

7/20/12 8:15 a.m. – At 8:15 this morning we woke up and CoCo said “I am really considering God – I need that”. WOW! How neat!! She asked if I could give her more information and I obviously said yes, so we will see what happens. Praying for her!

7/20/12 11:29 p.m. – Last night was weird. I had several strange dreams – one about red riding hood that was very violent. I was having a lot of worries. I just kept praying and praying. I woke up in the middle of the night and my face wouldn’t move. It was stuck in a weird position. I just prayed and it went away. But when I woke up this morning, Coco wanted to talk about God so I know that’s why the attacks were so heavy last night. I still need to talk to her more about it. We had a lecture this morning and the discussion after went really well. CoCo shared how she had seen the Peace in that I have & that it makes her very happy. Then Bryan shared how happy this camp had made him and how he was sad that it was going to have to end.

After lunch, we had Olympics and we played 5 games. One of which was just for the coaches. It was a balloon relay where the coaches had to carry a balloon between their backs through obstacles. Then the last pair would have to pop the balloon using only their backs. Let me tell you – that was the hardest balloon really I’ve ever been a part of and of course I was in the last pairing, which meant that we had to pop the balloon. That balloon never popped. For 5 minutes we tried so hard and my legs were hurting so bad from trying to push against the balloon against my back! Everyone crowded around us and was taking videos, but the balloon never popped! Finally my partner just took it and poked it with a pen, but even then it didn’t pop right away!

This evening was movie night! We watched a movie called 3 Idiots. It’s a Baliwood movie. It was so good!! Although, there were random outbursts of song, which were a little strange! But it dealt with suicide and the pressures of school and parents which is very similar to the pressure that the students face here. Many of them had seen it before, but I pray that because of this camp they can see it in a different light!

Before the movie started, I was just hanging out with Sunny and Grace and I asked if they could give me a Chinese name J They gave me the name “Ruo Lan” (in characters) which translated means “resembling an orchid” because they said I am a beautiful white flower J haha.

Today was better in terms of homesickness – I think because last night I read a lot about Peter & Paul J But still there is only 6 days left! Very exciting! I pray that I don’t feel homesick tomorrow, but can just take in the greatness of being here J I also talked to Peter today and tried to convince him that He should trust God with his problems first, rather than trying to solve his problems, then follow God, but he said he just is not at a stage where He’s willing to do that yet. So we will see what happens and I pray that the Holy Spirit would give me the right words to say to when I am talking with him.

^{Acts 12: "5} So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."

^"24 But the word of God continued to increase and spread."

East Asia || Day 8

7/19/12 10:56 p.m. – We now have only one week left! I still feel as though I have been gone for like 6 months! Today I listened to music on my ohone for the first time and it really made me miss home. Like just going on drives and breathing in fresh air.

I opened my Bible today and saw the verse “man does not live on bread alone” in Luke 4 & read about the temptation of Jesus! It really made me so thankful for His example and knowing that there is nothing we have to go through alone.

I got to talk to CoCo some more today. She said an American boy was telling her about the same God I had told her about and she thought that was really neat.

The speaker today, showed some movie clips. One was from Les Mis and so we got to talk about the Bishop and why he was so forgiving. It was really great!

I am starting to get to the point where I can’t eat the breakfast anymore. All I am craving is a big bowl of cereal and some scrambled eggs with salt and pepper and cheese! There are no (or very little) dairy products and everything is either very bland or loaded up with crazy spices and peppers and oils. So it is getting very difficult. Today I didn’t go to breakfast and just ate a granola bar I brought from home while I was at the coach’s meeting (we have a coach’s meeting every morning).

Maybe tomorrow will be better, but I am really just so thankful for His reminding me that man does not live on bread alone! 7 more days! I think when people ask me if I had fun I will say yes, but I will also say it was very hard. I really think this is a very difficult task. I am not doubting at all, as He is proving so faithful! But it is just so difficult to live life on guard 24/7/ But I am so thankful because this is what I should be doing everyday & I am glad for that. I am so thankful that He still continues to provide me with joy so that others can see that.

Luke 4:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, 

¹⁸     because he has anointed me
    to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

East Asia || Day 7

7/18/12 11:12 p.m. – Today was day 2 of camp! We had a great time & I feel like we are bonding more as a group. We ate ice cream, played hacky-sack (which is called Jient Za and is made of feathers and metal) and our group won 2nd place at the improve activity we had tonight! We got to do our performance on stage! I am really enjoying being with our group!

However, it is becoming very emotionally and physically drainging to be here. I know it is the enemy’s attacks, so I am praying against that. But we are all (Americans) also realizing that this is what it means to live for Him all day everyday, fully & completely. Which is a great thing and such a blessing! Too often we do not put 100% into worship and serving Him. But here we must be on guard 24 hours a day. Meal time, group time, sleeping time. All the time. There are eyes watching and moments that we can share with them. We never have alone time – except the shower, which as previously mentioned is not the most enjoyable part of my day. I love these girls & these times so much, but it is hard. But we must remember that if He can die on a cross for us, surely we can live for Him :).

Also, we are all starting to talk in broken English! Just because that’s all we hear all day long! It’s so funny. None of us can even think of any higher vocabulary words. We’re all wondering if we will come home and say something like “Hi. I had great time on trip. It was so fun and enjoyable”.

Today we played a game where you tape a piece of paper on your back and everyone writes their first impressions of you on it. It’s supposed to tell you how other people perceive you and let you know if there are things you should change about your body language, or your attitude. Then we get a chance to talk as a group and everyone can share if there’s anything else they would like the group to know about them. They all wrote that I was kind, beautiful, gentle, and warm-hearted. But one person wrote that I was Snow White :) That made me so happy :) I think it is hilarious! I kept remembering it all day and laughing to myself!

Lamentations 3:

55 I called on your name, O Lord,
    from the depths of the pit.

56 You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears

    to my cry for relief.”

57 You came near when I called you,

and you said, “Do not fear.”

East Asia || Day 6

7/17/12 1:48 p.m. – Thanks to my Japanese bracelet (it says Make Him Famous), I was able to talk to CoCo about who Jesus was. Not super in depth, but it’s a start J She is very into people’s connections & their spirits so I was glad to get to talk to her. She is in kind of a stressful point in life, so I pray she can find peace here and true joy. In our group this morning, we talked about life maps (where you’ve been in life and where your life is headed). One boy said he worked at an orphanage last summer as a teacher and he discovered that the kids turned out to be more of the teachers because they were so joyful and smiled all the time. We talked about what might’ve caused them to smile so much and eventually he said he thought it was probably because of the nice people from the church who helped to run the orphanage J Then Mike said that last summer he went to Bali. He said that he had never seen such beautiful scenery and that when he looked in the clear water and saw such a beautiful fish, he just instantly had a vision that everything in this world would die, and so it is better to have joy! Wow! I mean how amazing??  I hope that through this experience he can find truth & that God will reveal himself even further to Mike :)

7/17/12 10:36 p.m. – Have you ever used the excess water you ring out from your hair to clean your toilet? I have. For 4 days now. That’s just what you have to do when your toilet and shower are the same thing. Today I had hot water for the first time. It was so nice! Except that it’s kind of weird because this strange smoke comes out of the pipe (we don’t have a shower head in our room) & it spits out in random bursts. I can’t tell if the smoke is just steam from the hot water meeting the air, or if it’s some kind of problem, but either way, I’m showering in it.

I’m really missing home a lot today. It has been one week since we left (almost). We are 12 hours ahead here, so in 12 hours it will be one week. The days seem to go by very slow. I think the hardest part is having absolutely no contact whatsoever with people back home. I am reading through text messages on my phone that people sent before I left to keep my spirits up and I am so encouraged and blessed by all my dear friends and their words of encouragement. However, I am having a great time! And I am so excited to see how the rest of the week goes! It is so exciting to see all of the curiosity that they have! Today was the first day I have not really wanted to eat any of the food, but I think most of the Americans are down to the “rice only” phase, as everything else is a little different! J Also, my chacos tan is becoming very apparent since those are the only shoes I have worn since I’ve got here. And I still can’t get enough of the students singing about Joy!

^{John 16: "22} So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."

"³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”