She sat on her legs with her small bare feet poking out behind her. In her hands she held a cup with sticks of incense; she shook it between moments of meditation. Her mother sat beside her on the maroon carpet, silently modeling the worship of generations past. Giant statues of gold stood tall in front of them, candles burning; fragrant clouds of incense engulf both the figures and the hearts of those worshiping. Even in this place of darkness, when it seems as if satan has won, Jesus reigns.        Before Jesus came, our predecessors had many rules...

Growing up in a church environment I often gained social acceptance by being the “good Christian girl”. I always tried to memorize the most verses, say all the right things and seem the most spiritual. I went to all the camps and retreats, I even would search through the not underlined passages in my Bible to try and find one to highlight so it looked like I read my Bible all the time. Somewhere along the line I became focused on trying to have the best relationship with God out of all my peers. I had put God in a box of having favorites. I thought that if I was more dedicated than...

My team and I just got back from a week in a Thai village, Mae-Ai, about 3 hours north of Chiang Mai. It was an interesting week to say the least; my first adventure with squatty potties and bucket showers. We worked in the rice fields, played with kids and hung out and talked to locals. During our first few days in the village there was a Buddhist festival in the nearby temple. To be honest, I'm not sure what they were celebrating. They paraded down the streets at night with a man-made bull statue and flashing lights on their trucks, all completely drunk. They offered beer to anyone they...

Since I've gotten home I have tried to put words to this past summer, but it has been an overwhelming task. I have realized that I will never be able to fully give justice to the experience through an email. Instead, I would like to share some of the things I have learned with you and rest in the fact that this experience will be carried with me for the rest of my life.   I know I have not shared very much about how my team spent our time the past two months, so I will give you a run-down of a normal day. From 8am-10am, we had individual quiet time with Jesus. This is a practice I want...

Bucket List #4385729               Spend a birthday in another country. Check.   My birthday was so great! I spent the wee hours of the morning riding on a bus and looking out the window as we pulled into Chiang Mai, Thailand.    I got to meet our contact Emmi, and hear her talk about the Thai culture and the lifestyle we would be stepping into these next two months.   And lastly, my team sang Happy Birthday to me and bought me flowers and a mini cake from one of the more normal of Thai grocery stores.   Thank...

I wish I had the proper words to convey all the feelings and emotions I’ve experienced since I left home one week ago, but I really don’t so I’ll just give you a snippet of my experience so far. Training week seems like a lifetime ago. God healed my heart in ways I didn’t even know were broken. Two words that changed everything for me: BE FREE. My sweet Father in Heaven used my team, my beautiful leaders and His word to open my eyes to the lies I had been believing and even telling myself. In the course of training camp, God reminded me of His true, affirming, and honest...