A Weekend in Blacksburg, VA

 This weekend the CCP team met in Blacksburg, VA for some more team bonding and support updating!
We arrived around 7pm on Friday night and had dinner at the Stutzman's. Kait Rose made the whole team a delicious Baked Ziti supper with salad and garlic bread. We spent the evening hanging out with the Stutzman's and meeting individually with Doug to go over how we were doing in the support raising process. We were supposed to watch a documentary about South Africa, but the Rose's were unable to locate the DVD before our meeting. I'm pretty sure that was the Lord's provision, because we had an amazing time hanging out with Jen & Jake Stutzman! This couple is absolutely precious and their story of adoption is humbling!  They have 5 chilren (2 biological & 3 adopted siblings from Ethiopia). It was such a gift getting to hang out with them all evening and spend time with the CCP family.
  After dinner, we slept over at the respective VTech guy/girl staff houses and met at 9 am for a delicious pancake and egg breakfast at the Rose's the next morning. After breakfast we had a meeting and PB&J lunch at a ministry house near Virginia Tech's campus. At this meeting we spent time in the Word and discussed 1 Peter 4:1-2. " Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin." - 1 Peter 4:18
Some Scriptures that were helpful and will be used as a constant reminder of the way Christ thinks about suffering and the world include:
John 4
John 6:63
John 12:24-25
John 18:36
Matthew 5:11-12
John 15:18-20
Matthew 16:24
Matthew 26:39
Romans 8:15-17
John 17- the way Christ even prayed represented what He was thinking.

This time was great and refreshing, the Lord really used it to show me that so far in this process I have been thinking about me and have left Him out of doing the work, proving my lack of faith and trust in the Lord's promises to provide.

In Judges 7:1-2 Gideon's army is shrunken down to less than 1% of what he started with and he goes to battle against this huge army (the Mideonites) and in the Lord's time Gideon and his army are delivered out what seemed impossible! The Lord brings us to a place where we are fully aware of our weaknesses so that in the end He gets ALL of the glory! God is able to take little and make it much!

Currently, I am going through a very tough season of  having to trust the Lord to make much out of little regarding the amount of time I have. This requires a faith that can stand the test! May I be a woman who puts my complete faith in Christ and is faithful to the specific tasks that He has called me to.

After, our brief meeting and PB & J lunch our group went on a 7 miles hike in Roanoke, VA.

 We finally made it all the way to McAfee knob after about 2 hours of hiking and then hiked another 1 hour or so back down the mountain. This hike was extremely exhausting but the view was worth it, not that I would do it again or anything! Haha!  We finished our trip off with a fantastic dinner at a local hotspot called "The Homeplace". Our team/family departed after dinner and I arrived late last night around 11pm.

I still have a long way to go in my support raising journey, but am trusting God to provide every penny and more for our team! The time that our CCP family spent together this weekend was so rewarding and I am so thankful for the way God is knitting our team together. Please keep our team in your prayers and be praying for Doug as he is in South Africa this week working on figuring out a lot of logistical stuff.

Things you can be praying for this week include:
-housing
-cars/transportation
-partnership details with COJ staff team
-partnership details with campus leaders
-schedule for summer
-mercy ministry opportunity


In His Glorious Name, 
-L 

Moving Into the Neighborhood

So, as many of you know...
I have lived with a very precious and dear friend of mine, Holli Almond for the past 2 years! We have grown and matured a lot together in our faith the past couple of years and because of that so has our friendship. We have laughed together, cried together, sang together, taken road trips together, went to SBP together, argued together, taken random cook-out trips together, stayed up in the wee hours of the morning chatting together, etc. We've spent a lot of time together!

This year Holli decided to follow God's will for her life and become an RA. She decided to use her position, of being an RA, as a platform to share the Gospel with freshman girls. Although Holli didn't get the position in a specific dorm that we had been praying for, the Lord knew the lives that He intended to use Holli to reach in Witherspoon Hall. Holli has freely given her life to minister to the girls on our hall and from her laboring for the sake of the Gospel this year we have seen 2 girls come to know Christ and several others who really notice something different about Holli and keep coming around to spend time with her.

I admire Holli so much for her willingness to lay down her comforts and give her life away for these girls. She is a prime example of what it means to "move into the neighborhood" as Jesus did in John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and DWELT among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."  

Jesus also makes a very powerful statement in  Matthew 9: 36-39 " When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

I just wanted to share with you a little bit about Holli and how her desire to live missionally by committing to live with freshmen as a junior and now rising senior has really challenged me. 

I am so very sad that my time of rooming with Holli during college is coming to an end after this summer after the CCP, but I am so excited for what God has planned for her next year as an RA in Moore Hall (the very building she lived in her freshman year and  we were praying for her to be an RA in!) It's amazing how God answers prayers! 

So who will I be rooming with next year?!

 I will be living with Morgan McDow in Holshouser Hall and hoping to continue our personal ministries in the nursing program and start a ministry on the 8th floor! Morgan and I met in high school as President and Vice President of HOSA, but really weren't friends until we met through a Bible study that was held in her dorm room our freshman year. Morgan is a nursing student as well, so we have lots in common. I am excited to live with Morgan and share the very vision and heartbeat of Christ with her!

Morgan, Amy, and Me at CO's end of year cook out in May 2010

What's Going On?!?!!?

  Well, I just wanted to update everyone about  what the heck has been going on in my life since Christmas (long time, I know!)

Shortly after Christmas, I attended CO's New Year's Conference in Washington, DC. This year the conference was called AL!VE and the Lord really showed up in a mighty way there! It was so awesome to be part of something so Big and Ultimate, yet having met so intimately with the Lord too!

On our free day, everyone who was at conference met up around lunch time on the steps of the Capitol Building to pray for our nation!

 It was such a unique & powerful moment! 

This is a picture of the Washington Monument as the sun was beginning to set, so gorgeous! 

After a dry (spiritual) season in the fall, I was yearning and thirsting solely for more of Christ. Not ministry, not Bible Study, not church. Nothing else. I just needed to be brought back to the Element of my Faith, Jesus Christ! At conference, God really showed me more of Himself and His commitment to my life! A fresh start had been washed over me, which is what I needed (and God in His Sovereignty knew that too!)  

I headed back to UNCC feeling pumped and so thankful for the way that God showed up at conference, but I knew what would lie ahead of me would be another tough season- J2! Haha! The dreaded J2 semester of nursing school. J2 is also known as "the devil". This is the semester where the professors kick things up a notch with assignments, completely packed schedule, you are in 3 different clinicals, sleep deprived,  and are expected to excel in your studies because there is chance that oh, wow, you may still be "weeded" out of the program after your already seamlessly ending efforts to try and get into nursing school! Yeah, J2...

  Needless to say, I am surviving! I am about halfway through with this dreaded semester! (It's actually not SO bad!) I have learned so much in these past few weeks and this time really will have a great influence on my nursing career in the years to come. I have a super crazy nursing instructor for my Illness & Disease Management clinical, but she's wonderful! I have learned so much from her and I really enjoy IPU. I have some crazy stories, which is super exciting! (I promise I will save you from the sickening details!) I have a super precious instructor for my Pediatric clinical, she is so wonderful and encouraging! I am very sad that next week will be my last clinical rotation with her, but I get to finish it in the NICU, which is the unit I have always said I wanted to work in! I have a big heart for little children and often have pondered (since the time I was 7 yo actually) if this may be an area that the Lord may be calling me to go into. After Spring Break, I will switch from Peds to Maternity! This semester has been emotionally draining and extremely exhausting physically and mentally. I feel sleep deprived most of the time, but somehow seem to truck on through each and everyday. The frustrating part, even though I know it is only for a while, is that I have to go to bed so early and get up before the crack of dawn everyday. I hardly feel like I am a college student anymore. Part of growing up, I guess... I know that there is pain only for a little while and that the Lord is going to use this to grow me, sanctify me, and allow me to use my talents for His ultimate glory! So it's worth it!!!!

  I wanted to share something exciting that the Lord is calling me to this summer! A lot of you have heard about my past two absolutely amazing summers at Summer Beach Project! My first year at SBP I was discipled by a young woman named Erica and then last summer I had the wonderful privilege of discipling 3 young women Rebecca, Julie, and Katy who are now laboring on each of their campuses for the lost world! Well, this summer the Lord is calling me to be part of something so much bigger than myself! This opportunity is one that I can hardly fathom that I am even getting to stand in the midst of right now. Myself and 11 other people are going to step onto a college campus in Johannesburg, South Africa staring May 16th- July 7th to share the Gospel!!!
  SBP was such an important part of preparing me to not only be a follower of Jesus Christ but develop and give me fundamental training to go to another country to share with others the One who gives Life! I am going to try to keep this blog updated throughout the whole process of my journey from the start of my support training (now) to returning home from SA!!! I would love for you to be praying for this and I will post prayer requests soon! Our team has met once before in Lynchburg, VA and we had an amazing time. This weekend we are going to Blacksburg, VA for another meeting to discuss support and to develop/unite more as a team!

I am thoroughly excited and humbled about being apart of this unique opportunity! I can't wait to see how the Lord is going to change lives and how my life is going to be so impacted from this whole process (as it already is). SA is such an influential area, it is considered the hub of all of Africa. It would be compared to the impact that a city like NYC, NY has on the whole United States! SO EXCITING!

That's all for now!
-L

Ultimate Purpose

As I think about the beginning of this Christmas season, I remember my prayer being that I wanted my eyes FIXED on Christ (as I should pray that each day), but especially during this season. It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of crowds, gift buying, baking goodies, school being out, time with family, etc. But is that all the reason for the season, as cliche as it sounds? 

I was recently reminded of how significant the Savior's birth is...

In Isaiah 9:6-7, you see that Jesus was brought to the earth so that we might be reconciled to God the Father. We are reconciled through his mercy, because he humbled himself as a substitute. He didn't have to give me what I deserved, which was death/eternal separation from God/God's wrath. Once we are reconciled he brings us great stability- the government of Jesus is not in a downward spiral, like the government of the US. The government of the universe rests on his shoulders! Can he not then be Lord and handle every area of my life? His stability provides clarity, because he is the Wonderful Counselor. He gives advice from a heavenly perspective, He sees my days ahead and has them numbered. He is the Mighty God, therefore, if we start listening clearly then we start responding to His authority. Under His authority, we have great security- he is the Everlasting Father. He has a tender way of dealing with His children, He will walk with me through the valley. He never worries or is anxious. He always provides and is safe for His children. He chose me, purchased me, adopted me, and loved me. I never have to worry about him leaving or giving up on me despite my failures. He is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the Chief Prince of Peace. 

Many people also question the birth of Jesus. 

Virgin Mary? Really? Fully man?  Fully God? What?!

The virgin birth is a miracle!

 We must affirm it, due to the veracity of Scripture. Salvation can't ever come from human effort, neither did the virgin birth. The virgin birth made the unity of full humanity and full deity possible. If Jesus was born "normally" then there wouldn't be anything different about him. He was human, yet without sin. This all goes back to the concept of "original sin" from our bloodline of Adam. Jesus didn't have a human father, so he didn't inherit a sin nature. 

In Luke 1:35 scripture says  that he will be called holy- well the only way he could be called holy is if he was perfect and didn't have a sin nature. 

Christ was fully human.

He ate, drank, bled, had feelings, etc.

 Before the fall, humans we were created without a sin nature. Christ is what we were intended to be like before sin entered the world. 

He had to be fully man , so that he could be credible to us. He came through incarnation of a human, because he had to go through the same growth as us. He had to be fully man to be our mediator, to return worship to God. He was fully man to be our example. That which he didn't take on he couldn't save- mind, heart, flesh,etc. 

He was fully God. 

John 1:1 - "In the beginning..." confirms eternal existence. 

"the Word was WITH God"- no created being can be face to face with God. 

Whatever God is, so to, is the Word.

John 1:14- " ...dwelt among us..."

dwelt: pitched his tent

He came and lived among us in our junk! 

Too many people, throw around the famous verse John 3:16.

There is one word in that verse that stands out and confirms the deity of Christ. 

The word "begotten"- you can only begot that of which you are.

 Kind of a weird statement, but stay with me. 

Christ is the only begotten Son of God. 

Essence is what makes something, well, SOMETHING. 

Christ is the essence of God- meaning that they were the same thing. 

Why is His deity necessary?

Good question. Well, He has to be fully God to bear the penalty of our sins. No created being could save creation.

You see, there is so much to the meaning of Christmas. Much more than just a babe lying in a manger. Much more than honking horns in traffic trying to get the closest parking spot at the mall, much more than gift wrap, pretty bows, ornaments on a tree, time with family, Christmas songs, etc. Although some of those things are good,  I wanted my focus this Christmas not to be on those things. But rather the Creator and to fall down and Worship The One who reached down and picked me to be His. The Son of God who humbled himself and gave His perfect life for my filthy, gross, disgusting sinful one. There was nothing good in me, that made Him choose me. There is nothing I did or can do to earn His love or favor. He gave me the free gift of salvation. Through repentance (turn in the opposite direction from my sin) and Belief ( through faith) in Jesus Christ, I became of  Daughter of the King. Secure forever. Only wishing to boast in Him. My one desire is to be more like Him. To live with a purpose such as His- to die to myself so that others may LIVE. 

Fifteen Fall Favorites

"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn."
-Elizabeth Lawrence

Fall is by my favorite season for several reasons...

1. October is my Birthday Month!

I enjoy celebrating birthdays more than anyone else that I know!! I get so excited that I spend all of October preparing for October 30th! Unfortunately, my friends and family are not big fans of this "birthday month" idea. 

2. Colors of the Leaves

There's nothing like watching the colors of the leaves change;

 It is evident that there is something new and refreshing right around the corner.  

3. The Leaves on the Ground

Jumping in leave piles brings joy to my little child-at-heart soul!

4.Pumpkin Coffee

Coffee shops, in general, are my favorite hangout spots; 

during autumn I find it extremely refreshing to grab a good book or study Scripture in a cozy coffee shop with a pumpkin coffee or latte in hand. 

5. Hiking Trails

Recently, a bunch of my friends and I went on a retreat to the Mountains of North Carolina. The leaves had not completely started to change yet, but it was evident that the process would soon begin. I enjoy taking walks on trails during the fall; the ability to hear the crunch of the leaves with every step I take and the fact that God has blessed me with the ability to see His beautiful creation fills my heart with thankfulness. 

6. Pumpkin Pickin'

Whether it's with family or friends, I always look forward to this time of the year when we all load up and head to our local pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin. This year I am going to Carrigan Farms in Mooresville, NC with a bunch of friends and I am probably more excited than a 5 year old about this event!

 I always look for the punkin that is the biggest, orangest,

 and the least beat up! Ha! 

7. Pumpkin Carving

This is an example of what I hope to be able to carve this year and enter into the "Carving Contest!" Chyyeeahhh!

 8. The Scent of Fall

The brisk air outdoors makes it a pleasure to come indoors to different fall aromas such as homemade apple pie, pumpkin spice, firewood, candy apples, autumn potpourri, etc.

9. BONFIRES

Bonfires no matter how big or small are always a great way to get the gang together for s'more s'mores! 

10. Arts & Crafts

 Arts and Crafts are my "go to" and knitting just happens to be one of my favorite things to do. You will most likely see me actively trying to pursue this activity during the cooler months. One of my goals is to finish a blanket that I have been working on for the past year...

11. Apples-to-Apples 

Apple Cider and Apple Pie are also another top favorite! 

My grandma makes an amazing apple pie that will melt in mouth!

 If my family and I get the chance we usually stop at one of the produce stands in the mountains and stock up on apples and apple cider for the fall and winter months.

12. Camping 

I'm not a big fan of the buggies but I will allow them to be my friend for a night or two out in the middle of nowhere when it comes to pitchin' a tent! 

13. College Football

Ok, ok, ok... so UNCC doesn't have a football team YET, but I long for the day 08-31-13 when they hit the turf for our first game! My roomie, Holli, is obsessed with football! I have learned a lot more than I ever knew was possible by living with her! Let's just say things get pretty heated when Clemson or Florida plays! As far as NFL is concerned... the Panther's will continue to suck. :( GO BRONCO's! Tim Tebow will be Holli's future husband. Just sayin'....

14. Scarves 

There's nothing like a little fall fashion! 

Scarves add a great accent to any outfit and serve the second purpose of keeping oneself warm and bundled up on those cold mornings walking to class. 

15. Fall Decor

Last, but definitely not least, one of my favorite things about fall is the fabulous decor! 

With just a touch of a few neutral tones any home (even a dorm room) can experience its own "harvest time" feel. I enjoy getting creative and using different elements from the outdoors to create table pieces or door wreathes such as Indian corn, acorns, mini pumpkins, leaves, or pine cones. 

Quick Fix

To all of my fellow good-cheap-food-I'm-a college-student junkies:

I found an awesome Asian Cuisine...

Annie Chun's Chicken & Garlic Mini Wontons
Only 60 Calories for 4 Wontons!
A very inexpensive & yummy delight!! 

Gifts

"Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them."

Psalm 139:16

WOW! I am just amazed at the fact that God knew everything about me before I was even in my mother's womb! BTW, He knitted me there! (Ps. 139:13)

I am astonished that He knew exactly what I would do each day of my life before I was even conceived. He knew that I would reject Him and that I would be His enemy, He knew that I would fail Him time and time again, yet He chose me to be His daughter! He has secured and approved me through His Son Jesus Christ. I am so undeserving of His mercy and grace that He freely GAVE for me to receive, it was a GIFT.

Tonight, Kristin talked a little about Evangelism, something she is extremely gifted in! We talked about different evangelism styles and how not one way was better than another, but that God has created us each uniquely to share THE GOSPEL. This is the purpose that we were created for- To GLORIFY God and to make Him known to ALL of the Nations!! (Matthew 28:18-20)

I realize that I definitely don't share my faith enough! Deep down, I really do have a desire for others to come to know Christ and have a personal relationship with HIM. However, I often allow sin, lies, and "self" to get in the way and therefore, I am not glorifying God. I want so badly for humility to invade my life and to write all over my heart that it is a privilege to share with others, The Gospel.

God has given us the GIFT of His Son Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He lived a perfect, sinless life, and bore the FULL and complete wrath that we deserved. If we repent and trust in Jesus we will be able to stand before God, righteous and redeemed and have the gift of eternal LIFE! Jesus was thinking of you and me....