who, where, when, what

• 

So many of you have asked me how my return home has been and depending on the day, my answer can vary significantly but I believe the word I have used most consistently is disoriented. Some days are good, some days are less good—but each day I kind of wonder what the heck am I doing? Where I am going? When am I going there? And who will I be in the end? And thus far an answer to even one of those questions seems elusive—nonetheless all of them. And so, I move forward in this somewhat confused, continually wondering state. Along the way God continues to meet my needs and affirm that I am exactly where He wants me and so I am trying to patiently place one foot in front of the other.

And as I speak to friends and family, I realize that I am certainly not alone. We are living in weird times—a fact that the daily news attempts to terrorize us with every day! As I think about it, I barely know anyone that doesn’t feel a bit disheveled these days.

Taking all this internal hoopla into church on Sunday, I sat down in my chair with an air of tension. I sat in the back and was greeted by friend after friend. Then the worship began and as I sang, my spirit softened and I felt a weight lift. My good friend Adam was preaching and he shared funny stories, challenged me and spoke truth. As he spoke I felt a hope revive in my heart—that is the natural response to good truth! And by the closing song I was shaking my hips and singing with a full grin across my face. There really is something, well, spiritual about church. And it’s not about the stained glass or the soulful music—it’s that God dwells in the community of His people. It’s actually a place where you can rub elbows with God and hear His voice and feel His arms as a fellow believer greets you in love. Truly something supernatural can happen there and this Sunday I was keenly reminded of the deep, deep blessing of being able to attend my local Christian church.

Feeling the craziness of our times? My advice is simple: Go sit in your favorite neighborhood church and just see what happens.

A few updates to keep everyone in the loop!

• THE CAR- Thanks for all your prayers! Teresita, my lovely Landcruiser, has a new owner! Please pray that the check travel from El Salvador to here safely and quickly! (We have friends in the Embassy that are going to send it via US mail, NOT Salvadoran “mail”.) And let me know if you know of any reliable cars available for a good price! I’m particularly interested in Toyota’s and Volvo’s.
  
• THE JOB- I’m still looking for a job! But thankfully between my very part-time job at Olio United, another part-time gig helping a friend work on a book and various money making schemes, I am paying the bills. As I have talked to people and considered some of the job opportunities, it’s becoming clearer that this process may take a while and I am just trusting that God will continue to provide for and lead me.
  
• SEMINARY- I am still hoping to begin seminary in May, but without any kind of consistent paycheck, I don’t feel like I can take on the additional debt of school. So there is a chance that I may have to postpone for another semester. Please pray that I get a clear direction on when to begin, how to pay, etc. I am so excited about this, but feel like I need to know how the bills will get paid before I sign up for additional expenses!
  
• HELPING IN UGANDA?- My roommate, Ginger, is Director of the US side of a nonprofit working with AIDS orphans in Uganda (AOET http://www.aoet.org/) and is currently in Uganda. We have talked and prayed about opportunities for me to help them with communications over the last few months. In early March, there is an Oregon based marketing firm that has offered to help AOET develop print materials, a video and a new website. Ginger and I think it would be awesome if I could at least be in Uganda with this team to assist in the development of the comm materials—basically to bring my comm developmental and organizational skills to the table for AOET. As of right now, I have the time available—it’s just a matter of funding. It looks like a ticket will cost somewhere between $1500-2000 and some new immunizations will cost around $500. I feel like I have already been given so much from folks over the last few years, that I don’t want to ask for support—and yet, I clearly can’t go without it. So I figure, it’s up to God to provide the dollars if this something that He wants me to do. Please pray that it becomes clear one way or another, what I am supposed to do.

THANKS, AGAIN- And as always, thanks to all of you for your support, caring, encouragement and prayers. Almost every day someone shares a kindness with me and I am a very, very blessed girl to be surrounded by so much love!

Ephesians 3:16-21I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Oh, and the photo is just of my hair cut from a few weeks back. I thought El
Sal friends might like to see and blogs without any photos are just too many
words!