Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Reason 55/365 (To Be Thankful...)
Today I am thankful that I have a badge that proves I'm now an employee of the Boise School District. I feel so official!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Thankfulness continued...
Many have expressed how thankful/encouraged they've been to see my thankful posts on facebook. Since I'm shutting down my account on there the thankfulness will continue on here. Plus I will do my best every-now-and-then to post other things here too. So let's continue starting at Reason 54/365: Today I am thankful that I am so supported in my choice to take this new job...to take a risk and to leave all that I've known for so long behind. Risks are much easier taken with support of others!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
On This Side Of The Ocean
It's been some now since I last wrote here, but I've been thinking through a lot recently and wanted to share some of it. This time last year I was on Czech, probably with bronchitis, getting to better know my team. This year finds me here, stateside thinking quite a bit about my friends and family over there in Czech and throughout Eastern Europe...
Waiting And What It Does
This past Sunday the topic in church was the story of Abraham. Mostly it focused on the day he led Isaac up the mountain but there was a bit shared on the prelude to that story. The part of the story where God comes and speaks to then, Abram, and says "You are to leave this land and go to the land that I will show you, a land where your descendants will live and where I will bless them in order that they might be a blessing to others (my paraphrase)" Up to this point, in the first 75 years of his life, Abram has not had a single kid. He and Sarai (later Sarah) his wife have longed for a child but have found it to not be "in the cards" for them. So for him to hear from God that there would be descendants was HUGE. And then...twenty five years pass by...and they are still childless. I know that there is a lot to be discussed in the story of Abraham leading Isaac up that mountain and that is what was mainly talked about Sunday...but for me, I have a hard time moving past this thought that Abram had to wait TWENTY FIVE years before he saw the fulfillment of this promise. Maybe it's just that I've grown up in this "instant gratification" world where waiting an hour in line for a movie, concert or ride, seems like it's forever...and it's only an hour! I can't stop thinking about what was going on in Abram all those years. "Wait...did I really hear God? Did He really say 'decedents'? Maybe I was just imagining it cuz I wanted it so badly" But amidst those questions there had to be this still small peace/hope/voice in him saying "Yes! Yes God did say that and He will fulfill the promise" And tho Abram didn't wait perfectly he did wait, and in the waiting a lot took place. So, after twenty five years of waiting and then seeing the fulfillment to God's promise, Abram could know, without a doubt somehow, all those years later on that mountain, that God would do what was best. Maybe he'd bring Issac back from the dead, maybe He'd provide another way. Abraham didn't know how, but he knew he had to trust God and he knew God would somehow come through. And later in the new testament Abraham is said to be the father of faith. He is the main example. And I know that Abraham is not the only one who had to wait to see the fulfillment of God's promise or calling to come true. Joseph, Paul, many others including perhaps even Jesus. And I find so much comfort in that, in knowing many have gone before me in this waiting. And we need to wait. Yes, we must have this time of waiting because in the waiting we are matured and refined and we grow more in our faith and trust. I also believe that we learn skills in this time of waiting that will be so valuable and needed whenever we do see the fulfillment. So this is where I find myself returning to and resting at as I wait to return to Czech. I don't know how God will bring me back there, I don't know WHEN God will lead me back there but I believe that one day He will. And until then I'll wait.
Continuing The Adventure
I'm not fully sure yet where I'll be going to school but I do feel that the next step for me will be to get my bachelors degree in secondary education. Given that my passions run deep for youth that are in the junior high and high school age ranges I just strongly believe that getting my education in how to educate this age group is going to be so valuable for me regardless of where I end up at in life. I have not been in school for a while so I'm sure it will be hard but I know that even if it is really hard it will be so worth it.
Thoughts On Prayer
The other day one of my friends put as his status on facebook that it was amazing to wake and know that people back home were praying for him. I myself have felt this truth and blessing recently too. It is amazing that tho I'm here and many of my friends are in Czech, or Arizona, or Idaho, or Korea or Idaho or Texas and other parts of the world we can all find ourselves connected by prayer. So I wonder, when we can see the power, the effectiveness of prayer,why do we still so often fail to pray? Maybe it's just me but I think that I'm not alone in this. I think far too often many of us "forget to pray" because perhaps "we are too busy" but then, when we do pray we see the amazing results and we think again "I will never forget how amazing prayer is" but sooner than later, we do forget again. I am curious to know why this happens. It makes me sad to know all the times I have said I would pray but then I didn't...why do we do that? And I know that I cannot change what I've done, but I don't know how to say I will never again ever forget to pray...I'd really appreciate any insight that you guys might have on this.
Ways to Join The Adventure
*Pray for me to figure out the last few details of where to go to school and for all the paperwork to get in on time and all that goes into applying for school. Also for financial aid for school.
*Pray for what God is continuing to do in CZ this summer. My teammate Sarah from last year is back there for the summer, also my friends Josh, Autumn, Jonathan and Bonnie are leading teams again this summer and my friend Kha from Arizona is on his first summer internship. June is a good month for them to build team relationships and to meet students in schools. Pray for students to be excited for camp and the camps to fill up.
Thanks guys, I love you all!
Emily
Waiting And What It Does
This past Sunday the topic in church was the story of Abraham. Mostly it focused on the day he led Isaac up the mountain but there was a bit shared on the prelude to that story. The part of the story where God comes and speaks to then, Abram, and says "You are to leave this land and go to the land that I will show you, a land where your descendants will live and where I will bless them in order that they might be a blessing to others (my paraphrase)" Up to this point, in the first 75 years of his life, Abram has not had a single kid. He and Sarai (later Sarah) his wife have longed for a child but have found it to not be "in the cards" for them. So for him to hear from God that there would be descendants was HUGE. And then...twenty five years pass by...and they are still childless. I know that there is a lot to be discussed in the story of Abraham leading Isaac up that mountain and that is what was mainly talked about Sunday...but for me, I have a hard time moving past this thought that Abram had to wait TWENTY FIVE years before he saw the fulfillment of this promise. Maybe it's just that I've grown up in this "instant gratification" world where waiting an hour in line for a movie, concert or ride, seems like it's forever...and it's only an hour! I can't stop thinking about what was going on in Abram all those years. "Wait...did I really hear God? Did He really say 'decedents'? Maybe I was just imagining it cuz I wanted it so badly" But amidst those questions there had to be this still small peace/hope/voice in him saying "Yes! Yes God did say that and He will fulfill the promise" And tho Abram didn't wait perfectly he did wait, and in the waiting a lot took place. So, after twenty five years of waiting and then seeing the fulfillment to God's promise, Abram could know, without a doubt somehow, all those years later on that mountain, that God would do what was best. Maybe he'd bring Issac back from the dead, maybe He'd provide another way. Abraham didn't know how, but he knew he had to trust God and he knew God would somehow come through. And later in the new testament Abraham is said to be the father of faith. He is the main example. And I know that Abraham is not the only one who had to wait to see the fulfillment of God's promise or calling to come true. Joseph, Paul, many others including perhaps even Jesus. And I find so much comfort in that, in knowing many have gone before me in this waiting. And we need to wait. Yes, we must have this time of waiting because in the waiting we are matured and refined and we grow more in our faith and trust. I also believe that we learn skills in this time of waiting that will be so valuable and needed whenever we do see the fulfillment. So this is where I find myself returning to and resting at as I wait to return to Czech. I don't know how God will bring me back there, I don't know WHEN God will lead me back there but I believe that one day He will. And until then I'll wait.
Continuing The Adventure
I'm not fully sure yet where I'll be going to school but I do feel that the next step for me will be to get my bachelors degree in secondary education. Given that my passions run deep for youth that are in the junior high and high school age ranges I just strongly believe that getting my education in how to educate this age group is going to be so valuable for me regardless of where I end up at in life. I have not been in school for a while so I'm sure it will be hard but I know that even if it is really hard it will be so worth it.
Thoughts On Prayer
The other day one of my friends put as his status on facebook that it was amazing to wake and know that people back home were praying for him. I myself have felt this truth and blessing recently too. It is amazing that tho I'm here and many of my friends are in Czech, or Arizona, or Idaho, or Korea or Idaho or Texas and other parts of the world we can all find ourselves connected by prayer. So I wonder, when we can see the power, the effectiveness of prayer,why do we still so often fail to pray? Maybe it's just me but I think that I'm not alone in this. I think far too often many of us "forget to pray" because perhaps "we are too busy" but then, when we do pray we see the amazing results and we think again "I will never forget how amazing prayer is" but sooner than later, we do forget again. I am curious to know why this happens. It makes me sad to know all the times I have said I would pray but then I didn't...why do we do that? And I know that I cannot change what I've done, but I don't know how to say I will never again ever forget to pray...I'd really appreciate any insight that you guys might have on this.
Ways to Join The Adventure
*Pray for me to figure out the last few details of where to go to school and for all the paperwork to get in on time and all that goes into applying for school. Also for financial aid for school.
*Pray for what God is continuing to do in CZ this summer. My teammate Sarah from last year is back there for the summer, also my friends Josh, Autumn, Jonathan and Bonnie are leading teams again this summer and my friend Kha from Arizona is on his first summer internship. June is a good month for them to build team relationships and to meet students in schools. Pray for students to be excited for camp and the camps to fill up.
Thanks guys, I love you all!
Emily
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Beforehand
"For we are his workmanship. created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10
I was reading Francis Chan's book Crazy Love today and at one point he refers to this verse and talks about how God knew us before we were born and how He had created theses things for us to do. I know that some people get uncomfortable talking about the idea of predestination that they feel that you cannot have free will and predestination at the same time but I am wondering if you can. Tonight our church had an all church gathering which meant that the people from all three locations got together. It was amazing to see a bit of the "bigger picture" of Evergreen. Part of the service was a baby dedication. This was a time for parents to bring their babies forward and share with the church their hopes and dreams for their child(things like growing to be wise, and generous and loving, to be full of joy, to be an example to those they meet of Christ's love) and then the pastor prayed over the baby, prayed for these hopes and dreams and desires to become true. And as I watched this I began to be overwhelmed with the love of God and I could not help but cry. It hit me that no matter how old we are God IS our Father, and He has these hopes, these desires, these dreams or as it says also in this verse in Ehpesians, these "good works" that He has had for us from beforehand, from before we were even born. And I thought of how much these parents love their children, how much they will rejoice when they do, Lord willing, see these children grow up and become wise, and loving and joyful...and I thought of how much joy it must bring God to see us accomplish these things that He set forth for us to do beforehand. Does this mean we do not have free will? Do these children not have free will? Of course they do and we do as well. We do make our own choices, we can choose to live life based on our wisdom and our desires and God allows this, but I think it breaks His heart. However when we choose the things He has put before us to do, when we are living the life He has designed for us it must bring Him so much joy! Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm missing some part of this...but I don't think I am. I know for me this has brought to me a depth of God's love that I've not known before. There is to me this freedom in this verse. I don't have to work so hard to figure out my own way, to create my own "good works". There is a freedom to live and to live fully. I think of my friends who I love, since I don't have my own kids yet. And I think about how much I love to see them thrive in life how much I love to see them live full and beautiful lives and how much it hurts to see them choose things that harm them and others. And my love for them does not change when they are not living full lives. Nor do I think God's love changes for us when we do not choose to live the full life He has laid before us. But who wants to live a life that is not full, that is harmful, that is meaningless? So let us choose to live, to live a full life, to live a life where we get to discover these things that God has set out for us from beforehand. Let's live this life resting in the hope and joy that small children who know they are loved deeply by their parents live in. Let's walk away from the things that have entangled us, that have discouraged us. There IS hope! There IS a life to be lived and enjoyed. Sure, circumstances shift, really bad things will happen along the way but there is always a deep deep love for us from our Father who delights in us and who knew us long before we even entered this world.
What does this look like more directly in my life? In the adventures set ahead of me? Well I have been working on putting together a team from our church to go to Czech this summer. This is Evergreen's first ever short term mission team. They've sent missionaries out before but it has been more of an individual thing. It blows my mind to think that God may be using me to bring about this change. That He may be using me to launch Evergreen into the world of short term missions. So far nobody had committed to join me in this and I've begun to get a bit discouraged. to feel like this whole thing is far too impossible...BUT I've been remembering last year as I set out to go to Czech and how I wrote the blog here about how God makes impossible things possible and that shortly after I published the blog all the support I needed came it. God showed me the truth of what I had written. So I know and I trust that God knows what is going to happen this year as well. He knows my heart and the hearts of those at Evergreen. He alone knows the "good works he has prepared beforehand" and so I trust that if this indeed part of what He HAS set apart from long long ago, that it will happen. And if not, I know that He has something even better. I am supposed to know in a week if we have a team or not so that I can tell Josiah Venture. So we will see how God works and leads.
So here is to living life full of joy and hope trusting and resting in the truth that God knew us before we were born and loves us with a love so deep that He considered the death of His one son worth it so that we could be made clean and whole and we could enter into a relationship with Him. May the gospel become more and more real to each of us on a daily basis.
Emily
Ways to join the adventure:
-Please pray for God to speak to some people from Evergreen to join in the Czech trip. Pray for a guy leader and a few others to join.
-Pray for God to provide more summer interns for Josiah Venture. There is a big need for guys especially. This is what I did this past summer.
-Pray for God to reveal to you an ever increasing knowledge of the depths of His love
I was reading Francis Chan's book Crazy Love today and at one point he refers to this verse and talks about how God knew us before we were born and how He had created theses things for us to do. I know that some people get uncomfortable talking about the idea of predestination that they feel that you cannot have free will and predestination at the same time but I am wondering if you can. Tonight our church had an all church gathering which meant that the people from all three locations got together. It was amazing to see a bit of the "bigger picture" of Evergreen. Part of the service was a baby dedication. This was a time for parents to bring their babies forward and share with the church their hopes and dreams for their child(things like growing to be wise, and generous and loving, to be full of joy, to be an example to those they meet of Christ's love) and then the pastor prayed over the baby, prayed for these hopes and dreams and desires to become true. And as I watched this I began to be overwhelmed with the love of God and I could not help but cry. It hit me that no matter how old we are God IS our Father, and He has these hopes, these desires, these dreams or as it says also in this verse in Ehpesians, these "good works" that He has had for us from beforehand, from before we were even born. And I thought of how much these parents love their children, how much they will rejoice when they do, Lord willing, see these children grow up and become wise, and loving and joyful...and I thought of how much joy it must bring God to see us accomplish these things that He set forth for us to do beforehand. Does this mean we do not have free will? Do these children not have free will? Of course they do and we do as well. We do make our own choices, we can choose to live life based on our wisdom and our desires and God allows this, but I think it breaks His heart. However when we choose the things He has put before us to do, when we are living the life He has designed for us it must bring Him so much joy! Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm missing some part of this...but I don't think I am. I know for me this has brought to me a depth of God's love that I've not known before. There is to me this freedom in this verse. I don't have to work so hard to figure out my own way, to create my own "good works". There is a freedom to live and to live fully. I think of my friends who I love, since I don't have my own kids yet. And I think about how much I love to see them thrive in life how much I love to see them live full and beautiful lives and how much it hurts to see them choose things that harm them and others. And my love for them does not change when they are not living full lives. Nor do I think God's love changes for us when we do not choose to live the full life He has laid before us. But who wants to live a life that is not full, that is harmful, that is meaningless? So let us choose to live, to live a full life, to live a life where we get to discover these things that God has set out for us from beforehand. Let's live this life resting in the hope and joy that small children who know they are loved deeply by their parents live in. Let's walk away from the things that have entangled us, that have discouraged us. There IS hope! There IS a life to be lived and enjoyed. Sure, circumstances shift, really bad things will happen along the way but there is always a deep deep love for us from our Father who delights in us and who knew us long before we even entered this world.
What does this look like more directly in my life? In the adventures set ahead of me? Well I have been working on putting together a team from our church to go to Czech this summer. This is Evergreen's first ever short term mission team. They've sent missionaries out before but it has been more of an individual thing. It blows my mind to think that God may be using me to bring about this change. That He may be using me to launch Evergreen into the world of short term missions. So far nobody had committed to join me in this and I've begun to get a bit discouraged. to feel like this whole thing is far too impossible...BUT I've been remembering last year as I set out to go to Czech and how I wrote the blog here about how God makes impossible things possible and that shortly after I published the blog all the support I needed came it. God showed me the truth of what I had written. So I know and I trust that God knows what is going to happen this year as well. He knows my heart and the hearts of those at Evergreen. He alone knows the "good works he has prepared beforehand" and so I trust that if this indeed part of what He HAS set apart from long long ago, that it will happen. And if not, I know that He has something even better. I am supposed to know in a week if we have a team or not so that I can tell Josiah Venture. So we will see how God works and leads.
So here is to living life full of joy and hope trusting and resting in the truth that God knew us before we were born and loves us with a love so deep that He considered the death of His one son worth it so that we could be made clean and whole and we could enter into a relationship with Him. May the gospel become more and more real to each of us on a daily basis.
Emily
Ways to join the adventure:
-Please pray for God to speak to some people from Evergreen to join in the Czech trip. Pray for a guy leader and a few others to join.
-Pray for God to provide more summer interns for Josiah Venture. There is a big need for guys especially. This is what I did this past summer.
-Pray for God to reveal to you an ever increasing knowledge of the depths of His love
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Three Months
As Long As I was Gone
Today is the three month mark. I was gone three months, from May 26-August 26 and now it is November 26th. I think I read somewhere it takes however long you were gone for life to feel like normal on the other side of your mission trip too, or to be readjusted. So I guess we'll see what that looks like. The past three months have been challenging as I've tried to find where I fit back into life here but they've been good too.
A Day Of Thanks
Today is also Thanksgiving. As I reflect on this past year there is so very much for me to be thankful, my heart spills over in thanks! I had to work for several hours today but then I was able to join my best friend Sarah and her family for some good food and good company. So what is there to be thankful for? Well...quite obviously there is the summer in Czech, the fact that people prayed for me and decided to support me to get there. It was, as you may remember quite a miracle that I even made it there. I am thankful for all the new friends I met in Czech this summer. I am thankful for the team I got to spend the summer with. I am thankful for the friends I met in Phoenix. I am thankful for the old friends I was able to revisit while there. I am thankful for technology that allows me to keep in contact with my friends in Czech and Phoenix and Minnesota and Indiana. I am thankful that Nate and Emily Hughes were able to come visit last month and were able to come see Evergreen. I am thankful for a church that causes me to grow and think. I am thankful for my nephew. I am thankful for my friends here who have been patient with me as I've grown and changed, who love me however I am but always encourage me to grow. I am thankful that I got my job back the day I landed. And I'm sure there are other things too but those are the things that are most near my heart at this time as I reflect.
Life, Death and A Strong Faith
As the holidays approach and are, I guess, now here, I have been thinking of my friends who have lost people who are very dear to them. Some I knew, some I did not but still, I've found my life affected as I've watched my friends deal with death and continue to hold fast to their faith in God. There was Laura and Tony who I wrote about earlier in the year. And at the same time, Pavel. And recently my friend Jenn lost her fiancee Joe. In ways it seems it would be easy to just blame God for these deaths, to believe that He cannot be good when young people die, when people who are in the prime of their lives and are so full of faith die, some may become angry at God. But I have watched my friends deal with these deaths by choosing to still trust God. To believe that He is good and that He somehow has a plan still.
How to join the adventure:
1)Take time to thank God for the good things, the hard things, all that has made you, you this year. Tell those who you are thankful for that you are thankful for them, because the truth is you just don't know how long they'll be around.
2)pray for The Silva family, for Pavel's family and girlfriend Tessa, for Pavel and my good friend Mark, for Jenn and Joe's family and Joe's son as they all have their first holiday apart from those who they love deeply.
3)Pray for God to continue to direct me concerning Czech and next summer.
Thank you so much! Love to you all,
Em
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
On The Other Side Of The Ocean
A Month
Its been just a little more than a month since I've been back. For the majority of that month I had bronchitis (again) so I was pretty out of it. But I've been feeling much better the past couple weeks so now I'm trying to sort through how I fit back into life here.
Portland
If I had to wake up in Prague and fall asleep in any city, Portland was a good city to fall asleep in. I have some really good friends here and I was told by a friend I met this summer from Northern Ireland that Portland is one of the most European-like-cities he's been to in the US. Its getting cold here as fall is definitely arrived. But I am enjoying the sunshine before the rain sets in. I am just really thankful for the church I have here and the friends I have here that I have known for almost a decade now. Its nice to have friends that will remain my friends despite the changing seasons and years gone by and the summer I spent away.
Continuing The Work
I am really excited because I am going to be serving with Young Life this year. I am working with a school called Reynolds High School. We will begin our Club next Monday night. Then we will be doing campaigners which is more of a Bible study every-other-Sunday night and as I get to know the girls I will start to meet with two or three of them individually for coffee and discipleship each week. I really think this is going to be an amazing way to continue the work I did in Czech this summer and to continue to be involved in students lives who are right here around me. That is what I'd be doing if I were to spend more time in Czech long term so what a great way to put that into practice right here and now.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Wrapping up my time in Czech
Havlickuv Brod Camp
Camp started out a little slow. I think we were all tired being that it was our third camp. There was actually another town that joined us too, Podebrady. Usually at camp I find I connect pretty quickly with two or three students. This time I felt like I wasn't really connecting with any one certain person. But I realized I kept finding myself eating meals with the Podebrady students. Then, there was also a guy I'd met while we were visiting in June and over the course of the week at camp he and I had some really interesting conversations about politics and God. He has been going to church every-now-and-then but before camp was not a Christian and wasn't sure he wanted to be. He had a lot of questions about God and felt that he was fine just being a good person. But after camp he wrote us (the Americans) a message telling us that his life was changed at camp and that he has faith that is now his own. He thanked us for our hard work teaching English and for being there to relate to him and the other students there. Amazing!
Debrief and Depart
We had a good final week together in Prague. Eat some delicious food and just had time as a team to reflect on our summer. I loved being able to hear what God had done not only in our team but the other 5 teams. The Kingdom was advanced here in Czech.
Picking Up Where We Left Off
After Chris and Sarah left I took a small nap and then checked out of the Czech Inn and then spent the afternoon with my old friend Marek Macak and his good friend who became my friend this summer, Martin. It was a beautiful afternoon in Prague. We went on a row boat on the Vlatava and went to a really cool book store. It was so amazing to see that tho I hadn't seen Marek for 5 years he and I were able to pick up where we left off. That night I went to Hradec Kralove to go to Pavel and Veronika's wedding. Saturday night I went to Vysoke Myto and spent a couple nights with this girl Autumn who is a full time missionary here with JV. Sunday morning I was able to go to church where many of the people from my first camp seven years ago go. It was so amazing! I was so encouraged to see them still passionate about God. And I found that the same was true with them. Tho for them it had been 6 years it was almost as if it had just been last week. I left there Monday and have spent the past couple days in Cesky Tesin.
One Week
I only have one week left. Today I go to Frydlant for lunch with Mark Krupa (a missionary here who has really been a huge encouragment to me though the years. Then I go to Litomysl tonight. I will see more people from that first and second summer I spent here while there. Friday I go to Olomouc to see my friends Jered and Daniella from Boise who are now living over here. Saturday I will spend the day with the group from Podebrady and then Sunday I head back to Prague to see my friends from there that I haven't seen in 5 years. I leave next Wednesday the 26th back to Portland.
Thanks again for your support of me though the summer. Its been amazing to be here. I look forward to catching up in person soon!
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