Living the life

We are in Thailand safe and sound! We spent our first 2 nights in Bangkok and now we're in Ubon Radchadhani and we're leaving for Laos by bus in a couple hours. Keep lifting us up!!

leaving home

I feel like I'm leaving home all over again. Oxford has definitely become a home and I'm surrounded by tons of brothers and sisters. It's going to be a crazy adventure in Laos and a bit of Thailand, but God's appointed this time for us to go there and I know He's going to do crazy as things! He is so good. If there is anything I've learned being here, it's that He takes the best care of us and He is just so darn good.

 Please be lifting up my team in prayer!! We will definitely need spiritual covering going into Laos and God just loves when we talk to Him!

I won't be able to update here since Laos is a closed country and I don't even know when I'll have internet cafes around.  Please feel free to drop me a line though, as I'll get them when I return to Oxford.

Thank YOU for all your continued support and prayers!!

Merry Christmas!!

Less than a week!

Life is getting a bit more hectic as we gear up during our last week of lectures. Our Laos team and Thailand team leave on sunday around 6 am, meaning we drive out from base around 3:30 am... oh boy. I'm stoked that we have some extra time to spend with the Thai team as we'll go all the way to Bangkok with them before we bus over to Laos. Last minute plans and purchases are going on and we have our last outreach prep session tonight!

Prayers are definitely important and necessary and SO appreciated as we prepare to head out, as we travel there and as we live life in Laos. Please keep our health and safety lifted up as well as our opportunities to evangelize, hang out with people and love and bless people. We know God has a lot in store for us and I am just so excited to go!

In the mean time, we've been hanging out, having lectures and doing all sorts of fun things. This weekend we stayed up in Punakaiki, this sweet as place on the west coast. It involved seeing the pancake rocks and blowholes, a hike along a river (picture yourself in Jurassic Park) as well as spontaneous jumping into the river and exploring, visiting a sweet beach at sunset, visiting the same beach the next morning, and all of this mixed with great community living (7 in my hostel group, we stayed in a 'treehouse'!) and the most ridiculous views while driving. The whole trip was just such a testimony to the power and creativity of God and how blessed we are that He created the earth as beautiful as it is!

Eating a burrito dinner family style! Margaret, Nicki, Jonathan, Jake, Jordan and Devin

Our hostel! Margaret and I shared the room on the very top with the glass roof and sides!!

More climbing! guess who couldn't be happier? maybe a little happier if I had actually brought my shoes

more mountains! a quick stop to take pictures of Arthur's Pass National Park. SO BEAUTIFUL!

check out more pictures under the pictures link!

Today we began our last set of lectures with Georgina, a fantastic lady. She told us her story and then asked us to share our name, which school we're in, where we're from as well as what God's been doing in our lives and teaching us. It made me think and I've found that encompassing a lot of things God's shown me is that He's restoring my understanding of who He is and teaching me how to just rest in Him and who He is no matter what the circumstances. It's crazy: I have this heavenly Father who created the universe and He wants to love me and teach me and He has sweet things for me to step into in my life. I'm starting to see more of a bigger picture for the rest of my life and just leaning more on God to see where I'm going next!

I hope all of you at home are doing great!  I miss you all! Christmas will definitely be different without all our typical traditions but definitely worth it. Hope you are all enjoying your cold weather!

Team Laos!

Here we are!

Life these days

God's been doing quite a work in my heart these past couple weeks and He's not stopping anytime soon. Last week was really good, with two speakers: our base leader Jeremy speaking on missions and Scott Brown, a christian Jew, speaking on a biblical worldview. They both hit home with me in good ways: Jeremy was challenging and confirming a lot of things in my heart and Scott brought a lot of background and understanding to things I never completely understand as well as bringing new revelation and understanding to certain things. This week we have Mandy and these past two days have just been so filling. It's really good here, God continues to pour out and teach and grow me, I love it! It's cool to see how He moves when people are actually willing to let Him. The difference between now and two to three weeks ago with everyone is such an encouragement. I think for everyone, God's been doing a work in their hearts and it just gets better and better. 

With less than two weeks left to outreach (!!!!!!!) it's hard to grasp that we won't see the Justice DTSers when we get back (which includes my bunkmate Megan!). We still have a bit that needs to get done and things that need to be bought but it's all coming together so well. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!!

Here's a song I've been listening to and loving a lot the past couple weeks:

Here's a picture of our backpackers school!

and here's some pictures from Castle Hill again!