High Five for Friday: Goodness

I'm linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk for this post.

Today, I'm super thankful and have a heightened awareness of God's goodness in so many ways. I'm high fiving for...

1. Getting a job! I had been praying for a job, specifically a nannying job for the fall. A few days later my friend Laura texted me and asked if I wanted to nanny for a family! Totally God's provision and grace right there. Plus, the little boys are 2 and 3 (my favorite ages) and one is from China. Be still my heart.

2.  Celebrating my friend Marissa! She's a recent grad from UNC and is leaving Chapel Hill to join a Summit church plant in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indy is so lucky to have her! We'll miss you Marissa - and see you come December!

3. Having a day date with this handsome man at his favorite place - Bull City Burger.

4. Purchasing a big, floppy, colorful hat for the honeymoon! Woohoo! Plus, it was on sale.

5. This article about City Project students making headlines evangelizing in NYC!

“What did you do today?”  

“Hung out, chased some guy, almost got shot. Shared the Gospel.” 

Annndddd last, but definitely not least, my fiance's birthday! Happy birthday, babe! You're the best and I'm so blessed to be with you!

High Five for Friday: One Whole Year

Sorry to be sappy this week, but today marks my one year anniversary of knowing Miles! As The City Project starts this week, I've been reminded how good God was in bringing us together.

Here's the most awkward picture in the universe to commemorate falling in love. Miles refused to put his arm around me. I told him it was awkward. This is the product. A few months later he told me he didn't put his arm around me because (and I quote) he was afraid he wouldn't be able to take it off :)

A Response to Russell Moore's "Women Stop Submitting to Men"

A few weeks ago, Russell Moore wrote a blog post about how women should, outside of a marriage covenant, stop submitting to men. I loved the post, outside of a few messages from my pastor, I'd never really heard such statements made. Moore (who I'm a huge fan of, by the way) says that the poor and demeaning manner in which women are often treated and value themselves is all because women too often submit to all men. He even attributes the pornography industry and restaurant chains which "enable men to pay to ogle women in tight T-shirts while they gobble down chicken wings." You go, Russell Moore. Seriously. Awesome, awesome post chocked full of truth. 

But. (You knew it was coming.)

I'm totally tracking with Russell. He talks about how all creatures are created for submission:

It just isn’t so that women are called to submit while men are not. In Scripture, every creature is called to submit, often in different ways and at different times. Children are to submit to their parents, although this is certainly a different sort of submission than that envisioned for marriage. Church members are to submit to faithful pastors (Heb. 13:17). All of us are to submit to the governing authorities (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pet. 2:13-17). Of course, we are all to submit, as creatures, to our God (Jas. 4:7).

Here's my beef: If men are called to submit to God first and God-sanctioned institutions second, and then be a leader of the institution of the family, how are they ever going to learn to lead? I personally think the church has to be the safest and best place for men to learn to become leaders, both as husbands and fathers, long before they earn those titles. This summer I saw firsthand men slowly and steadily learn to lead, because headstrong women (myself included) took a half step back and created a leadership vacuum. The men I was with this summer were preaching sermons by the end of our time together - something I highly doubt they would've done if they hadn't stepped up to the plate by us ladies stepping aside. Am I saying we submitted to them? Not necessarily. Am I saying we made them grow a little? Perhaps. Did it work and are those men better suited to be loving husbands and awesome fathers? Absolutely. Granted, I'm not taking all the credit here, I think being a part of a challenging church brought this on, which is the point. The church needs to be a place where men learn to lead, not a place where women defy gender roles and stick it to the guys just because they can, hogging leadership positions and coordinating every church-held event. Women, yes, by all means, please stop submitting to men, and let them become godly leaders by allowing them to step up to the plate. 

Maybe don't volunteer to pray every single time the opportunity presents itself. Try not being type A and take control every time you're in a group situation. Try letting the guys lead, when they become men, their wives will thank you for it.

Thankful Things: Part I

Praise the Lord it's almost Thanksgiving. This girl needs a break. All this paper writing is slowly ebbing away my motivation. So instead of writing final papers, I thought I'd take a break and write a quintessential Thanksgiving blog post about things I'm thankful for.

(To even out the former complaint about school...) Even though UNC wasn't my first choice, I am so so thankful I ended up here. Academically it's not been easy, but I've learned a lot, both in  & out of the classroom. I've gotten some pretty great opportunities like being a TA and doing research that I probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere else. And if I hadn't come to Carolina, I wouldn't have ended up at the Summit.

I'm indescribably thankful for the Summit Church for a ton of reasons. Through the Summit, I've learned what the Gospel really is and seen what it looks like to live out the Gospel on a daily basis. The City Project was completely instrumental in helping me learn these things. I've also gotten to be a part of solid community through TCP and my awesome women's small group! 

I'm also super thankful for the wonderful Summit staff and their wives. It's been such a blessing to get to network with and glean knowledge from them, especially when it means getting to play with their cute kids or having a home cooked meal :)

And I met this man through the Summit, which has been indescribably wonderful, fun-filled, and sanctifying.

It's been so wonderful helping lead Route 56. I'm so thankful for this crucial ministry within the church and feel so blessed that I get to help out with it. 5th and 6th graders are crazy and hysterical, immature and mature, awkward and cool, deep and shallow all at the same time.

I'm so thankful for the things God has allowed me to experience in the past few months. God constantly put himself on display in Kenya. He is ultimate source of beauty. For realz. 

I'm so thankful for how God is growing my heart for the nations. I pray that this process only continues throughout my life.

(Kinda) Wordless Wednesday: T.I.A.

I just realized that I haven't posted pictures from Kenya. Probably because I love them all, all 647 of them. Here's a super quick snapshot of my two weeks there!

Giraffe Manor in Nairobi!

At a children's home near Limuru

She would've exceeded the 50 pound bag limit, otherwise I would've taken her home with me.

Our beast of a host mother & Sarah in the IDP camp, Jikaze, that we worked in

Nat Geo, anyone?

The most awe-inspiring, worshipful, romantic thing I've ever seen

One of the many breathtaking scenes on our safari

After we hiked Mt. Logonot, a dormant volcano. Hands down the most physically exhausting, yet rewarding, thing I've ever done.

Ending a Chapter, Beginning a Book

The City Project is officially over. We had our commissioning ceremony almost two weeks ago, which was the last part of CP. It would literally be impossible for me to talk about everything that God did this summer (partially because I'm still basking in the goodness of what He did), so I decided a picture-ish post would be the best way for me to share an overview of TCP. 

In New York City, where the magic started! We got to know each other and got to learn how evangelism truly works. Our aim going in was to minister to the very large Muslim population in NYC, but we ended up meeting people of all different religions and cultures. The NYC portion of TCP definitely grew my heart for the nations! It was so crazy to see New York outside of Times Square and see how God is bringing the nations to us in a very real way. 

Another highlight of the NYC trip was being with two amazing people, Jenny & Perry. We were a "triad" and got to evangelize as a team. Being with them from the beginning was such a blessing. Not only did I get to see them grow throughout the summer, but I got to see us grow together into a mini body of Christ. 

 Approximately a million things happened during our 5 weeks in Durham. In addition to the classes we took, each person had an internship with the Summit and with a community ministry. I got to intern with Route 56, a student ministry for 5th and 6th graders at the Summit, and am super excited to get to serve there this upcoming school year! It was in Durham where we really got to live life together and have fun social events and random Cook Out runs.

Another great thing we got to participate in was ServeRDU, a week where the Summit comes together to serve the Raleigh-Durham area (hence the name). It was so fun to get to spend the whole week together as a team doing manual labor!

After ServeRDU, our team split up, with one-third going to Malaysia and the others going to Kenya for two weeks. My time in Kenya was incredible! Most of our time there was spent with people in an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp called Jikaze. We got to live life with them and learned so much from the people there, including how to carry things on our heads, which was legit. One of the best parts of the trip for me was seeing how God reveals himself through nature. Definitely more to come on my time in Africa.

I'm so thankful for everyone who supported me, both prayerfully and financially! This summer was life changing in so many ways. The City Project showed me what it looks like to live out the Gospel in everyday life and gave me a very real picture of what the body of Christ looks like. In a lot of ways, TCP was just a chapter in my life, the beginning of what God will intricately write as I leverage my life for the Gospel.

Kenya: Half Way Through!

I can't believe we've been in Kenya for almost a week now and we have less than one week left! I've had so many "firsts." We were able to visit the largest slum in Kenya, Kibera. We also attended church this morning in an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp called Jikaze today - what a beautiful picture of how heaven will be!! All I'm saying is I need to start taking some dance lessons now in preparation for heaven, because if it's anything like church was today, there will be lots of dancing and praising. Baptists prepare yourself. I've also carried lots of things on my head, in African fashion. I can't wait to upload pictures and go in detail about what we've done. Please continue praying for our team (and the team in Malaysia). Pray that God's name would be lifted high in our last week and that we would have strength and make the most of our short time here.

First Post from Kenya!!

Hello all! I have limited internet access, but just wanted to give an update. My team arrived safely in Kenya this morning, with all our luggage (PTL). We're all really tired from traveling, so prayers for strength and health would definitely be appreciated. We got to go to a giraffe park and feed real giraffes, which was so fun! I'm looking forward to how God is going to work. Please continue lifting my team and I up in prayer.

TCP Update: Coming to an End

This week is our last "normal" week at The City Project. All the things we've been doing (seminary class, Summit internship, community ministry internship, various seminars) essentially end come 6:00 p.m. today.

Next week, we'll participate in ServeRDU, a week where people from the Summit come together to partner with organizations in the area and to serve the Raleigh-Durham area. Then, after ServeRDU, we leave for Kenya! I can't believe this portion of TCP is coming to a close. It's got me wondering what I actually learned. At first, it was hard for me to answer this question, but I think that's just because I've learned so much about so many different things:

• More than anything, I've gained a hunger to grow in knowledge and wisdom in the Lord. So many of my friends on CP and the leaders are so wise and insightful, which has propelled me towards truth. 
• I've realized how often (like, um, every single day) I need to re-teach the Gospel to myself. Being around people all the time, whether at CP events or at home, is trying for me and I found myself getting short or sarcastic a lot of the time which were just behavioral reminders that I my heart needs to be reminded of the grace and mercy poured out on my behalf, so that I can pour out that same grace on others. 
• Before TCP, I knew I was introverted. Being a part of TCP definitely confirmed that. The first week after we got back from New York I was seriously crazy because I had been around people non-stop. At first I felt guilty taking time to be by myself, but it didn't take me long to figure out that in order to be sane, I needed to spend time journaling or reading or just sitting in a quiet room.
• I feel even more in love with the people at the Summit. Before this summer, everyone at the Summit (for the most part. hah.) seemed super genuine and hospitable and caring. But at the beginning of the summer, knowing I was going to be working with a lot of the staff, I was a little apprehensive as to whether I would use those same adjectives by the end of TCP. I would definitely maintain those descriptions, and even heap more praises onto the initial ones. My fellow City Projecters and I have been shown so much hospitality in the past few weeks. I've gotten coffee and had dinner with people I never thought would care to have more than a 5 minute conversation with me because they had more important, super-Christian things to be doing. More than them being nice or gracious, these people have shown me what missional, Gospel-centered living truly looks like, and I think ultimately that's what I've love the most about the people at the Summit. 
• I've also learned a lot about working with people who have different personalities and how to operate as the Body of Christ. 

I could seriously go on for an annoying amount of time, but these are just some of the highlights. God has worked in so many ways throughout my time in New York and Durham. I'm excited to see what He will do internationally!

Please pray for strength and rest for the upcoming week as we serve the Raleigh-Durham area and as we prepare for our international trips. Pray for health to be restored and maintained. Pray for the people we will interact with internationally, both in Kenya and Southeast Asia, that the Holy Spirit would start working in their hearts. 

New York!!

This past week marked our first non-orientation week at The City Project. Instead of slowly warming up to our internships or seminary class, we went to New York to minister to Muslims! It was crazy. Crazy good. Crazy uncomfortable. And sometimes just plain crazy. 

Jenny, Perry, & I

We spent our mornings with a church planter named Brad who knows the city (the people and the place) really well. He trained us on how to evangelize (a really Christianese word that sounds super scary, but definitely doesn't have to be!). Although I definitely have shared my testimony with other believers and know how to present the Gospel, I learned a lot of new stuff. Brad taught us how to be real and how to be practical and not just treat people like a statistic but an actual person with a soul. He imparted his wisdom (very humbly, might I add) in the morning and then we grabbed lunch and went out into the city to make relationships with people and share the Gospel. It seems kind of crazy looking back on the week now, but we (Jenny, Perry, & I) would go into stores, salons, or sometimes just on the street and get into intentional conversations with people and go through the Creation, Jesus birth, His death, and His resurrection and why all of that had to happen. I think the reason why it seems so crazy is that before this week, I never would have done something like that. Not because I didn't think it was important, but mainly because I didn't know how. Hopefully I'll have a spare 8.5 minutes to write about some of the practical things Brad shared with us in a later post (hoping that the seminary class doesn't kill me in the next week).

Since the trip was only 1 week, we obviously didn't have the luxury of building super intimate, invite me to your wedding kind of relationships, but we did get to see God do some amazing things, despite our time constraints. My group got to share the Gospel and/or one (or more) of our testimonies in nearly every conversation we got into (granted, not all those people were receptive). One group with TCP got to meet a man who was the Imam over all of New York City - a huge feat that definitely could not have happened without Intervention. Multiple groups got invited to have meals with Muslims in NYC. One group got to go into a mosque, which for white Christians is a big deal. All of these conversations and experiences could not have taken place without the Holy Spirit blazing a trail before us. 

In addition to the ministry facet of the trip, our team definitely grew closer as a whole. Because multiple people knew each other prior to TCP, I think a lot of people (myself included) were scared cliques would form or people would be excluded, but that definitely didn't happen, which was wonderful. The best part of getting to know everyone is that we get to keep hanging out and being intentional for 7 more weeks!

We also got to do some pretty awesome sight-seeing, which was really fun! We got to experience Times Square and explore Manhattan, walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, and see the Statue of Liberty - not to mention the crazy culture we experienced in the boroughs we ministered in.

This week was awesome in so many ways! Pray that God keeps working in the lives of the people we ministered to. Pray that the Holy Spirit would use the conversations that were had to spur on a hunger for truth. Pray for Brad that he and his family would be encouraged and that their ministry would grow to see countless people come to know Jesus. 

Next week I'll be starting my seminary class (yikes.), my Summit internship, my community ministry internship, and helping out with Kids Week (a.k.a. Vacation Bible School). Pray for motivation to read for my class, eagerness to learn at my internships and the physical strength to live out the Gospel towards all the kids that will be participating in Kids Week.

Mega City Project Update

Holy. Cow. 

Sorry for the lack of updates. I haven't been on a computer in four days. Four days. That's how busy I've been. Between going on crazy scavenger hunts, meeting and hanging out with a ton of cool people and playing with the four cutest kids ever, I've been kinda tied up. Here's a run down of what we've done at the City Project thus far:

Tuesday - Move in.

Wednesday - Crazy, crazy day that started out in Duke Gardens, which I love. We had a two-hour quiet time in the gardens, which was super refreshing. We then embarked on the mother of all scavenger hunts. The first clue lead to Duke Chapel. Subsequent clues led us to downtown Durham - 3.5 miles down the road. We were given 10 clues and 10 tasks and got very familiar with the city which we'll be working in and with! ...And my team won, just sayin'. 

Thursday - Logistics galore!! Before Thursday we hadn't been given a schedule, which was kind of annoying seeing that I'm a big schedule person.

Friday - We found out what urban ministries we'll be interning with. I'm with Bless Durham and will be specifically working with an after school/summer program called Butterflies. We'll be doing a lot of organizing and logistical work which I'm rather excited about. 

Saturday - "Rest day." Hah. Today I'm meeting with friends to go information about NYC, helping one of the pastors at the Summit move in, and going to church tonight! And packing. Kinda crazy. 

Sunday - Head to NYC!! We'll be ministering to Muslims in Queens for a week (we fly back to NC next Saturday). Pray for boldness as our group shares and that the Holy Spirit would go before us. 

Another City Project Update

Every week I get email updates for The City Project that include all the people who have donated to TCP along with how much they've donated. At first, I really hated this. I had to wait a whole entire week to see who (if anyone) had recently sent donations to the Summit on my behalf. With my previous missions trips, I've been able to directly see who gave what because they sent the checks directly to me. I got to mark their names off of a support list. I got to write them thank you cards and mark their names off the thank you card list. It was marvelous. 

However, this whole get-an-email-once-a-week, out of my hands system has been somewhat of a challenge for me. I like being in control, making lists and marking them off (obviously). But God has used this new way of fundraising in a great way. Every week, I'm forced to rely on him and trust him blindly, not knowing if even one person has donated to my work with TCP. I'm forced to pray about support coming in - something I'm not sure I would do if I were personally and directly watching support flow in.

Not surprisingly, God has been so good. I'm able to see all the people who are sacrificially and generously supporting me every Friday afternoon with the somewhat ominous email. Upon seeing this, I can't help but worship. Its such a natural response to the generosity and grace I've been shown and am currently being shown. 

So far, I've got about $1,000 left to raise - which means $3,500 has already come in. Praise the Lord!

International Trip Reveal!

This Sunday we had our second meeting for The City Project. I got to meet up with all the participants again, test my name recall, awkwardly talk about majors and where everyone's from and get these super legit name tags. And get pumped about this summer, which was hands down the best part.

They warned us ahead of time where we'd be going for our international trip so everyone was anxiously awaiting the reveal. Of course, they saved the reveal for last on our itinerary. To make matters worse, they handed us envelopes (the contents of which revealed our international trip) at the very beginning of the meeting. It was like the Oscars. Without the red carpet and the fancy clothes and paparazzi and Lady Gaga in an egg. So kinda not like the Oscars - but it was still exciting! 

 Eeekkk! I'm so excited to be going to Kenya.

Here are some fun facts about the country. Once again, super legit.

Here's the official description from The City Project website about the Kenya trip: 

Kenya

Travel to Kenya with the goal of stepping into poverty stricken communities and fighting for the children as you help build schools, participate in feeding programs, visit orphanages, HIV/AIDS clinics, and build relationships with children forced to live in both the slums and displacement camps. Your time in Kenya will include a camping safari to debrief on what you have been experiencing, as well as seeing the amazing African wildlife.

I'm so thankful for this opportunity and am incredibly excited about how God is going to change me and use me to further the Gospel in Kenya! I'm also really pumped about going to and working with an actual orphanage rather than reading about them.