Baby Liam - my nephew!! :-)

I feared that I would be unable to see my precious nephew before I left on my Novas Project, but God provided the opportunity for me to come down to Missouri with my dad, mom, and sister Melissa to visit him and his daddy and mommy. I just LOVE simply snuggling with that little lovebug...It's the highlight of my day to get that bundle of perfection in my arms! And there's nothing quite as sweet as having him sleep against my chest or gazing into his big, beautiful eyes as I sing to him over a bottle of milk! : )

Our first evening with Liam in our hotel room...he is so precious and tiny that I couldn't help but cry the first time I held him.


I didn't realize how absolutely fascinating a newbory baby is...not to mention when that fact is compiled by him being my very own nephew!!










Auntie Ang would've given anything to be visiting Liam, Nick, and Karinda; but as her work would not allow, she sent what she could: all her love anddarling baby outfits, including the above. This pic's for you, Auntie Ang!! : )














This child could not have a more loving nor competent Grandma (or will it be Nona? ; ). We were lucky enough to have Liam entrusted to us for a sleepover in our hotel room the last night we were there, so Karinda could finally get a full night of sleep, and words cannot express how beautiful "Grandma" was taking care of Liam that night. It gave me a bit of a picture of how loving and nurturing she must have been as a mommy.















This is one loving Daddy, I tell you what! He gets home from 10-hour shifts of physical work plus his workout, then wants nothing more than to hold his baby boy! I was so proud of the way he takes care of his wife Karinda: he is so tender with her and takes such good care of her and Liam.

Talk about proud! I always knew Everyone who knows Melissa And the mommy herself!
what an amazing Grandpa my knows how gifted she is with Karinda is such a great
daddy would be, and how much children, but it is such a precious mom! I so esteem her
he was looking forward to the thing to watch her with her ability to so readily adapt
day, but nothing could have quite newborn nephew. I can hardly to motherhood despite
prepared for me for the lavish wait for her to have her own living hundreds of miles
love he pours out on Liam! So babies, since she's already so away from her own mom,
much so that, even when my competent. But even more than as well as mine. And my
mom was the one who would be being fully capable with Liam, goodness, does she love
feeding Liam milk in the middle she is so loving and nurturing! her baby boy!! I so hope
of the night during our sleepover, Her future children will be so to have them return to be
this devoted Grandpa would still blessed to have her as their close to family again, for
be at her side, watching over him. mother!! all of our sakes!

Great Expectations

We were asked to write a blog on our team blog page about how we felt before leaving on this mission trip. Here's what I'm expecting...

I cannot help but think of dear old Charles Dickens writing my list of "great expectations," however, I am attempting to temper my own expectations with the reality of my ways not being God's ways (Is. 55:8) and desiring to trust God's ways with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding (Prov. 3:5). I have lately discovered at a greater depth a challenging perspective on Rom. 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Yes, it is indeed Good that God works out, but I and the world may not perceive His good to be as such, particularly While persevering through those trials He brings maturity through if we will but choose joy (Is. 1:2-4).

* I'm expecting that these will likely be both the hardest and most rewarding eight months of my life as of yet.

* I'm expecting to experience the nearness of God's presence in such startling and awe-inspiring ways that I will be able to do nothing else but fall on my face before Him in worship.

* I'm expecting to watch God's transcendent power be manifested in people's lives.

* I'm expecting to battle between remembering or taking time to lift specific requests up to God and asking myself why it surprises me when He undeniably answers those prayers I do present to Him.

* I'm expecting to struggle with finding time to be still before God and KNOW Him and Who He is at times that it is most crucial, and hope to recognize this at the time as spiritual warfare.

* I'm expecting to see the living and active Word of God to actually come to life before my eyes in the ways He moves in lives, and hoping to be part of the "29th chapter" of Acts with my team. ; )

* I'm expecting to discover how rewarding, even addicting, it can be to share Christ's living Gospel with those who aren't familiar with it
* Though I'm also expecting to learn how I mustn't become discouraged when people are unreceptive or even adverse to this message of grace, because God even warns us that His Truth is the stench of death to those who are perishing and because it is not at all in my hands how people will react (so I can't boast - Eph. 2:8-9), but rather up to God's Spirit to move in their souls.

* I'm expecting to gain a richer understanding of what, or rather Who love is, through the diversity of the people I live alongside, and through the unconditional manner of love God exudes through them.

* I'm expecting to become very physically ill, to the point that I'll long for nothing more than to go back to my comfortable in the states and have my mama take care of me.

* I'm expecting God to teach me uncomfortable and painful lessons I desperately need to learn, and hoping that I will allow Him to work these to the marrow of my bones so that when people look my way, that may not see me anymore, but rather Him who lives within me.

* I'm expecting to be heartbroken as I never have before been when I see the conditions in which people live and the injustice and oppression they endure, and feel the anguish of helplessness.

* I'm expecting to come to a place like the prophet Habakkuk where it seems like the law is paralyzed and justice never prevails (Hab. 1:4) but have to believe the Lord's answer to him that "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD" (Hab. 2:14) - He will prevail!

* I'm expecting to need profoundly to return to God's Word and to believe what it says, even when I don't see it (Heb. 11:1).

* I'm expecting to be spiritually broken, perhaps not even feeling the presence of love or hearing from God, and be forced to remember the words enscribed in the wall of a concentration camp "I believe in the sun even when it's not shining, I believe in love even when I don't feel it, I believe in God even when He is silent."

* I'm expecting to be deeply homesick at times, and understand a bit of the passionate yearning I ought to have for going to our eternal home with our all-loving Father.

* I'm expecting to be so blessed by the Acts-like community of our team and am excited for the opportunity to encourage and serve my teammates.

* I'm expecting to fall entirely in love with the people I will live day-to-day with and be gripped with the bitter pain of leaving them at the end of our time together.
* I'm expecting to go absolutely insane living alongside the same group of people filled with the idiosyncrasies of humanity, but being pleasantly surprised to find that I can't help but love them all the same - just like family! ; )

* I'm expecting to be so disgustingly filthy at times (especially at the training camp!) that I will be utterly humbled when looking back at pictures and wonder how I ever possess a single fiber of conceit.

* I'm expecting to become "cultured" - to have my worldview stretched and developed as I experience peoples and cultures by living among them, rather than simply reading about them.
* I'm expecting to return home with a hugely transformed view on what my purpose of living is.

*I'm expecting to be ashamed of my materialistic mentality when I observe the resilient joy of those who have nothing externally, but, as a result, have so much more internally.
* I'm expectng to not take so much for granted in the states, neither materially nor relationally.

* I'm expecting to miss my family and friends from home so hugely, but have the richness of our relationships and my depth of gratitude for them increase as a result of it.

* I'm expecting to miss my dear friend and confidant - my family's piano...I expect to go through withdrawals from her and my ever-access to spill out my soul on her keys in worship to our King.

* I'm expecting to crave practicing my flute Priscilla as the conduit she is for catharsis.
* I'm expecting to wish I had taken the time to develop photography skills when I experience the unbelievable beauty of God's creation both in nature and people.

* I'm expecting to grow in maturity probably more than I ever have in an eight-month period.

* I'm expecting to quite possibly know and love God more deeply than I've yet known possible.

* I'm expecting to never be the same again.

Destination: Philippines

Some of you may have heard of the change of location and, henceforth, ministry for the six-month internship portion of my eight-month mission. So, here's the story: though the afore-listed countries on the former Novas homepage were tentative, I realize now just how attached my heart had become to the opportunity of rehabilitating sex trade victims in Burma/Myanmar or India. And I was hopefully anticipatory of the prospect not only of ministering to these victims, but the more specified direction the experience would give me for my furthered education, as this sort of rehabilitation is something I desire to do long-term. I felt so devastated upon my initial discovery that those two countries along with their ministries had been removed from our list of tentative ministry countries. Now it's looking like I will be doing youth ministry in the Philippines as a means of prevention against the problem of human trafficking in their country. This is still an incredible venue to serve, but just not at all what I was expecting and hoping for. BUT, God has already taught me significantly through this. One, of course, to expect the unexpected. Two, my ways are not God's ways (Is. 55:8) and I need to trust in Him with all my heart rather than leaning on my own understanding (Prov. 3:5). Three, what I and the world perceive to be good may not be God's good, and His good may not perceive to be as such by us. Through this "disappointment" and a couple of others occurring simultaneously God gave me fresh new perspective on Rom. 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." I tend to have such a limited perception of what this "good" of His really is. It seems like I would know better by now, watching the manifold blessings that our family experienced BECAUSE of my mom's cancer (not to discount, especially on my mom's part, just how difficult the journey has been). But God helped us to learn and experience the reality of considering it pure joy when we faced this trial together as a family, along with our beloved church family. We truly did develop perseverace leading to maturity, realizing more profoundly how we indeed lacked no good thing with the presence of God in our hearts (Js. 1:2-4). Especially I saw this in my mom's life as I watched her spiritually mature in inspiring ways and so emulate the esteemed Proverbs 31 woman, despite the challenges and fatigue of her cancer and, no less, her treatment. I have no doubt that my mom will be receiving the crown of life that God rewards to those who love Him and who have persevered under trial and stood the test (Js. 1:12). All this to say, I am so persuaded that God has a plan through this change in destination...whether His intent is as simple as to build up my faith and trust in Him to follow no matter where He leads (because He is absolutely the one in control!) or even to give me greater clarity and direction for longer-term purposes. Wherever my dear Lord wills me to be, THAT is where I desire to be.

How I was called to this mission trip

Here is my story of how I was led up to this mission trip...

At fourteen years of age, God really put the country of Sri Lanka on my heart. Since then, He has expanded my love to cover many other countries, but most specifically the region of South Asia. This was always centered in a passion for the people of these countries and their spiritual condition (a.k.a. relationship with God), and I had more of a general sense of meeting their other physical and emotional needs. But God had a more specific vision for me: Just over a year ago, when I found out that there is more slavery today than ever before in history, I knew I had to act. The affects of human trafficking are devastating and widespread, but because of its illicit nature it remains largely overlooked. Learning about historical slavery throughout my schooling always broke my heart to a degree that I yearned to champion the cause of those oppressed alongside the great fighters for abolition like William Wilberforce. I hoped to be helping with the rehabilitation of sex trade victims in India or Burma, as this has been a great burden on my heart since I've learned about it. Now it's looking like I will be doing preventative work against human trafficking by involvement in youth ministry in the Philippines. Also, just generally I was looking for a longer short-term ( ; P) mission trip I could take a year off from college to be part of. I felt like I had been wearing the weight of the world's needs on my sleeve, and it was time I actually Did something about it! I had deeply hoped since the age of fourteen to give my life to foreign missions, and intended to start the process of integration into vocational missions after graduating from college with my bachelor's, but I wanted to have that direction clarified and confirmed before I resumed my education. I had finished the majority of my general classes and needed to define exactly what degree I was going toward. I'm hoping that this journey will give me a realistic perspective of how I need to be equipped to best meet the needs of the people hurt by human trafficking (yes, even the perpetrators) so I can pursue that preparation educationally. It would take a lot longer to write so I won't, but I just want to mention that God worked in so many serendipitous ways to call me to this particular mission trip and missions in general – He is so good to have the patience to keep whispering my name gently for me to come follow Him, even while I wait for some loud, undeniable confirmation of His will. And I am unspeakably excited to have the opportunity to serve alongside all of the beautiful God-seekers and believing activists on my Novas team: God will do things in our own lives and the lives of those surrounding us that we would not believe even if we had been told (Hab. 1:5). I am convinced that God will move more powerfully than we could ever anticipate!!

The Future Missionaries Retreat

Praise God for how He was present during this retreat! After a very tumultuous and unpredictable flight over to Colorado, complete with Joe Biden and vomit, we arrived hours late for one of the most encouraging experiences of my life. It was such a powerful, beautiful thing to be surrounded by hearts filled with a kindred love for God and passion for missions. One of my most memorable times at the retreat was when we twenty-eight “future missionaries” gathered together with past and current missionaries and the board for their meeting. We all shared how God had impassioned us, and I was astounded as I listened to the way God was aligning our personal visions for His glorious purposes. Out of only twenty-eight of us future missionaries, there were three who had a heart for the former Soviet countries (especially Russia); five who had a love for Ireland, even specifically a common passion for music/arts ministry, youth, and fighting drug abuse; and five who had a burden for those affected by human trafficking, particularly in South Asia. It was so undeniably evident that it could only be God at work to give us this unity spoken of in Philippians 2:1-4: “…being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” I couldn’t help but feel a bit like Mr. Beaver in The Chronicles of Narnia when he tells the children: “Aslan is on the move.” As God told the prophet Habakkuk: “Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told…For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay” (Hab. 1:5, 2:3).