Something from Advent

An Advent Credo

I believe in Joy.

I believe in the promise of the morning.

I believe that Christ will come

and wipe our tears away.

I believe in the life everlasting.

I believe that Christ will come

and bring a bright new day.

Lord, in my heart i believe.

When the darkness falls around me,

in the still of the night, when the

shadows all around me, faith will

lead me to the morning light!

I believe in peace.

I believe in the song of tomorrow.

I believe that Christ will come

and war shall be no more.

I believe in love.

I believe in God's great love.

I believe that grace unites us.

I believe that Christ will come

in glory from above.

I believe in joy.

I believe in hope.

I believe in peace.

I believe in love.

Lord, I believe.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Isn't it easy to gt caught up with the holidays and to forget what it is really about? -the birth of our savior, being with family and caring for one another. I always love going home for break because it is a time where i can "just be" while i am at home. But then i get home and time quickly disappears. I over plan and commit myself, and then before you know it, break is almost over and i missed the importance of the holidays.

Today is Christmas eve, what an amazing time to reflect and remember the significance of what tomorrow brings. A beautiful baby that changed the meaning and ending of our lives. who came to us out of love and to build a relationship with us all. who gave his life so we may live with him forever. What a sacrifice, and what a deep ardent love. Hopefully we can all take some time to think about just what that means.

Here are some inspiring words from Shauna Niequist i read earlier today:

"You are more than dust and bones. You are spirit and power and the image of God. And you have been given Today."

So today let us remember the one who's love is never ending and the joy of his birth!

Time for Rest

As this semester ends i can't believe just how fast time has gone by. This semester was my introduction to the nursing program. Something that i am very excited about. I learned so much with the rotations we had, with our classes, and my class mates. First and foremost i learned that God is calling me to nursing more strongly than i ever thought. I see so much brokenness with our patients and long for their healing. I wish that peoples environments and family circumstances were supportive not cruel. I see the need for Gods love to pour out over this world and show all those who are hurting, treating them selves unkindly, or grieving that he is there for them holding them in his arms.

When the Seasons Change, Your Love Still Remains

Remain - by Starfield

Defender of this heart

You loved me from the start

You never change

Through the highs and lows

As seasons come and go

You never fail

Day after day

Your love will remain

Faithful and true

You are good

[Chorus:]

You are God with us

You're victorious

You are strong and mighty to save

For Your word stands true

There is none like You

And when all else fades

You remain

When troubles come my way

You guide and You sustain

Lead me, I pray

Forever You will be

The great eternal King

Now and always

Day after day

Your love will remain

Faithful and true

You are good, you are good

When all else fades

You remain

You remain

Cause' day after day

You never change

Day after day

You are the same

Day after day

You remain

Silence Like Zechariah

Today at church we read Luke 1, the story about the birth of john the Baptist. The pastor started by telling us the story about the encounter of Zechariah and the Angle Gabriel. We read the Gabriel comes to Zachariah to tell him good news- the birth of his future son. Zechariah questions this information because he and his wife are not as young as they once were and wonder if this is possible. Because of this Gabriel tells Zechariah that he will not be able to talk until his son John is born.

9 months is a long time to listen and reflect over what others are saying. Just think- it took 9 months for Zechariah to understand and reflect the power of what God was telling him. Just think how much longer it might take for us to understand what god is telling us.

The pastor used an example of how hard it is to find natural silence in our world today. In 1968 a research study was conducted to see how long it would take to get 60 mins of natural silence. It took them about 12 hours (maybe a bit more or less). BUT what was shocking to me was that they did this study again in 2001 and it took these researchers 3 months - 2000 hours to get 60 mins of natural silence....wow.....what does that say about us.....are we uncomfortable with silence..... and if so how do we become comfortable and create space for silence in our lives?

Spiritual disciplines

So much time has passed since this summer and my amazing experience with the community at Bridge of Life. I think that as the year goes by time has been going faster and fast....while i'll keep waiting for it to slow down. I need to make breathing space in my life to once again had christ at the center- not expectations of PN, volunteering, work, school, family, or my boy friend. All of these things are wonderful and i need/want in my life, but i have forgotten to have in the center of it all. I hope that in the next months i can use this page to kept me accountable of coming back to this and building my relationship with christ.

Learning to live under the influence,

Kristen

Homeward Bound

Wow, i can't believe that i am almost home! In a couple hours i will be back in Grand Rapids and with family and friends. In so many ways i know that this summer has changed me and helped me grow. Yesterday after church we had a "non-goodbye" party at Northgate park and we had food and soft ball. It was a great time talking with friends and having fun the last night i was there. It was such a blessing to be surrounded by these people and to know that this is not good-bye, but more like a "see you soon"!

And so as i leave, i know that i leave friends behind and a home to go back to, but i also look forward to the loved ones waiting for me in Grand Rapids.

So this is the end of my Adventure my Jubilee Experience, but a new one awaits me when i get home. God has a way of surprising me and bringing new things into my life so i am looking forward to what is coming and what he has to show me!

Learning to Live under Gods Influence,

Kristen Soule

August 4- You say Good bye, and I say Hello

Wow! Only 6 days left until i will be getting off a plan in Grand Rapids. This summer has flow by and now that i am at the end i find my self so thankful for this opportunity and thinking about everything that has happened this summer. I have had so many awesome opportunities this summer to learn about ministry and see if i fit well in that part here is just a little of what i have been able to be a part of:

- Prayers groups

- financial Planning

- Children's ministry

- Worship leader

- Dave organizer

- Event manager

- women's group

- evangelism walk/prayer walk

- listening conversations

- Sports for Life volunteer/score girl

- News letters

- Greenhouse volunteer

- Fire works fundraiser

- Pastoral Visits

- Club 56 (5/6th youth group)

- Oasis (High school/middle school youth group)

So many opportunities, so many wonderful conversations with people from our church, the organizations i have helped with, and around our neighborhood. It is hard thinking about leaving when i have grown so close to the people here. They treated me like family, and i became part of theirs. Here are just some people that i wish i could take to Michigan with me: Dave, Susie, Julia, Anna, Justin, Christina, Gilbert, Beto, Sita, Gilberts mother, Caralina, Micheal, Leo, Diedra, Nene, Erie, Lainie, Tonya, Linda, Shana, Katie, Joe, Taelor, Jesses, AJ, Ralph, Sarah, Roy, Erin, Keith, Edie, Roger, Dave's Parents, Naola, Tanesha, Govan, Giovanni, Yietsen, Gladis, Ginese, Esela, emily, Sade, Kelsy, Julie, Perla, Marlen,Diana, Ravit, Navea, Nahaji, Coco, Elizabeth, Beana, Juliana, Yanet, Louis, Ray, Raul, Edwin, Kimberly, Fred, and many many others. All of them in some way or another have come into my life while i have been here and taught me something.

Yesterday my host mom, Christina, and i were talking about when i have to go. She told me this, "Kristen, you came here a an intern, but you are leaving here as my Friend" Wow. it breaks my heart to tell the kids at the Greenhouse and at Church that i have to go...they want to know when i will come back....ah and i don't have an answer for them...do i want to come back to Sacramento...ABSOLUTELY...when that will be is a little harder to answer. All i know is that the people here mean the world to me, and have helped me grown so much, and i would hate to think that this is goodbye for forever. So as i say goodbye to Friends from Sacramento, at the same time i am so looking forward to seeing friends from home, to see family, and to see Eric. I have missed them all and can not wait to be near them all again. God has been so good to me and i have been greatly blessed with support from friends and family from all over while i have been away! I look forward to talking to everyone about the wonderful people i have come to love here in Sacramento, when i get home to Michigan.

Blessings and see you soon!

Kristen

July 25- A Smile from a Child

This whole weekend I have been stressed about this very day. I have been praying and tryng to convince myself that no matter what happens today it is all in Gods hands and we’ll see what he shows us. Today was our Fun Day Sunday. We invited families from the Greenhouse to come and get to know our church by playing games, and singing, and eating together. I was a little nervous because this morning it just seemed like something dark was in the house. Everyone was crabby, the kids were complaining and saying how they didn’t think the games would be fun, so needless to say I was very excited to get out of the house and get to church to put things together. Things were going fine, but when more church members came it seemed like everyone forgot what they were doing and didn’t understand what was happening, so once I went around and told people their jobs again and things seemed a little more under control I had just enough time to make it to the greenhouse to meet the children and walk over with them. So I was dropped off at the apartments where the greenhouse is by Susie and the whole while I was there I prayed that kids would be there. I was trying to convince my self that if no kids were there that it was ok. So I get there and right away I see a group of children waiting. I walk through that gate and a little boy out of the crown shouts my name and ran to meet me and give me a hug. As you can imagine, instantly stress left and a huge smile spread across my face. I was able to put the stress of details behind and then focus of the fact that this day is not about the success of the event but the opportunity we have to show these kids the gospel and the love of God. SO when we made it back even if things weren’t quite what i imagined, it didn’t matter. The kids had a really great time, and it was amazing to see new families come to church. Dave had the kids and adults come into the sanctuary for a special drama, where some of the girls from the greenhouse and our church were able to participate and act, but he also had everyone joing in a confession at the end, and asked that if people agreed with what they had just said and wanted to give their lives to Christ to talk with him afterwards. It was absolutely amazing, we had just enough food, and prises for everyone, and the children were so sad when I told them it was time to walk home. We even received a thankyou letter from a mother who had come with her boy friend and son last minute. Is was awesome to see how God provided.

-Kristen

July 23- Spiritual Tension

This evening after helping out at the green house, I went to Dave and Susie house for a farewell dinner. Their German exchange student, Christina and her mother, Petra, leave tomorrow to go home to Germany. We wanted to give them a dinner of foods that they have never eaten before. We made steak and grilled chicken. We grilled yellow squash and zucchini, and corn. We had steamed artichoke, and rice. It was al absolutely wonderful and they really enjoyed it. It was a great evening not only was Petra and Christina at Dave and Susie house, but so was Roy and Sarah, and Dave’s Parents. Sarah is so much fun and one of my closest friends here along with Christina and Susie. After dinner Dave, his father, Roy, Sarah and I spent a couple of hours talking about history, sports, and history of the church. Dave’s Dad can answer some of the most random history questions and give accurate Dates to so many of important things. Sarah and I realized just how little we know about US history, something that I really hope to change. We also talked about different religions like Mormonism and jehovaswitness. These two religions in particular are very present on our neighbor hood. They are on the outside of the apartment complex and one of the largest Mormon churches right in our neighborhood about three minutes from my house. It is so sad to see accents of poverty and spiritual tension in our area. There are a lot of different churches and many, though they wouldn’t admit to it, are strictly white, black or Hispanic. The Baptist church in our neighborhood is literally dying because it’s congregation is all elderly white members. We have at least two Spanish churches and a couple that are primarily African American churches. SO it was interesting learning a little bit more about these areas of spiritual tension and talk with other people who are so knowledgeable and to converse and learn with each other.

In Him,

Kristen

July 18 – Crazy Life

The past days have been flying by. Bridge of Life has been busy with new changes around the corner with Roy coming in as our youth pastor. We have Shana coming in and doing our finances, we have people leaving to go else where out in the world, and we are still trying to pull the new office together. This coming weekend I have been planning a children’s event for the community and our goal is to show the love of God to these kids and families that come, and to give them the opportunity to experience church and hopefully get them connected to a church. Right now I just feel overwhelmed and keep feeling all this stress to do well, and to not let people down. I have to keep reminding my self, that this special service, this event, is not mine, it is our churches, and it isn’t an event to show how glorious I am or how good of an intern I hope to be, but an act to glorify God and to show to these families his love for them. I hope that when these families come they see something different in us, in our conversations, in our actions, and the way we treat them, I hope that they see God reflected in us and in our church. Please pray for me and the people serving this Sunday. Pray that I won’t lose my mind and that we all will be able to focus on what the real goal is!

Also please keep Ralph in your prayers. Ralph is one of the first persons that I met here; Susie and I went to his house for high tea a couple weeks ago. He is a great man and a prayer warrior for sure, but he has spinibifida. This past week due to his disability he had an infection in his leg and a blood clot in his leg. He has been in the hospital for the last four days and we don’t know how long he will be there. The good news is that the blood clot is not going to travel anywhere and also that the infection is getting better.

My uncle Mark, the one I have been telling you all about has found a match with my aunt and my uncle for a bone marrow transplant which is awesome and AMAZING NEWS!! Please continue to keep him and my grandfather in your prayers as they continue chemo.

Pray for my relationships with people here as time is going by fast and we realize just how little time is left for me to be here. Pray for my relationships at home as I am and they are impatient for me to come back. I know I have said this before, but I am so excited to come home, but also will miss this home away form home so incredibly much. The community here has made me part of their family, and I will really miss being a daily part of how they do life.

Peace,

Kristen

July 15 - Small World, Big God

Today way a day like most others but it also had an interesting twist. My world felt a little bit smaller when I encountered another student that goes to Calvin. Every Thursday the Greenhouse goes to the pool for the afternoon with the kids and I help supervise. It always is a blast and it might be one of the kids favorite things, especially on days when the temperature goes above 100 degrees (like today, 104). While we were at the pool I noticed that one of the life guards looked at lot like someone from my Spanish class, and it turned out that it was. It was so crazy, because he told me that he normally doesn’t guard at this pool, and that he is the son of the pastor of Living Stones CRC, the sister church of my church, Bridge of Life. He has known Dave and other people that go to my church for years. What really meant a lot though was when I got home and told my host family the story and mentioned the common phrase “what a small world”. Christina said something that just really touched me. She said, “you know how you were home sick and wanting to see someone from home…well there you go! Home doesn’t seem so far away now does it?” It’s so true. Knowing that some random person, from a class I took this past fall, lives in California in my neighborhood, made me feel like I am not so far away. It just made GR seem so much closer and helped me put things in a new perspective. God is so interesting in how he teaches us and shows us lessons; he continuously blesses me through the conversations or phrases I hear from people. I am amazed at his never ending love and care.

In him,

Kristen

July 14 - Sunday Fun Day

Planning, planning, planning. Stress, stress, stress.

Here it comes! In two weeks I have a childrens even at our church. Right now we have the day planned, but no one scheduled to help us make it all work…Oh Lord.

July 13 - The Wind

The past two days I was in San Francisco with, Dave his family, and their exchange student, Christina. It was absolutely amazing and yet unreal at the same time. The city was so different than any city I have even seen. I’ve been to Chicago, New York City, Denver, Miami, and Detroit. Lots of different places, but San Fransisco is completely different. We drove in over the bay bridge and you instantly see houses EVERY WHERE! There is no open space, there are highways, and buildings, and house. This city isn’t flat, but built to fit into the form of the hills of the area. There are huge up hills and down hills. I would never want a stick shift there (or a bike….or roller-skates). It was just crazy to me of the lack of space and the close proximity that the people have here. It really is an interesting place. At night the city looked so pretty. The lights of the houses covered the ground and you could see the lights illuminating the whole city, you could see the rise and falls of the hills…it was so beautiful. Monday we walked around and drove around the city. We saw so many things. The first thing that we did was walk over the Golden Gate bridge. We walked there and Back. It was a lot of fu and we saw dolphins over the edge. They we went to the cable car museum, the art institute, and Lombard St. We drove past a lot of great places (many I have in pictures, but can’t remember what they actually are). In the evening we went to Fisherman’s Warf, and Pier 39 to walk around and look at the seals! They have little docks that the seals go on, and there were many covering them while we were looking at them.

Then next day we went to the pacific ocean and looke din tide pools for sea creatures and climbed on the rocks in the water watching the tide come in. There were more seals sitting along the beach we went to and there were a lot of little baby seal pups. They were so cute; they would get out of the water by doing the worm to get on shore.

Then Susie and I took the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to meet her friend Ron, and my friend KJ to go sailing. It was a so much fun and Ron let me drive the boat for a little bit. We all had our own separate jobs while we were on the ship. WE helped put the main sail and the back sail up, we helped him pull the lines in and other things. Ron is also a pastor in the Sacramento area and is church planting. He talked to us a lot about his ministry and how he felt called to it, but also how it is going and what he has learned. One thing that Ron talked about was of sailing and our relationship with God is similar. He talked about the wind and letting go and letting God take control. So you know that the wind is there, and that in a sail boat it pulls you, but we still try so hard to control it. The same is with ministry, and our relationship with God. We try so hard to control and to be in charge, but really we need to let God move us where he will, and to respond to him. A great reminder and a fun lesson especially when we saw the difference in letting the wind take us and us trying to “control” the sail boat.

San Francisco was a great time, busy, but refreshing. It was nice taking a break from 100 degree weather and to see a new place!

Blessings,

Kristen

July 10 - Homeward Bound

A couple days ago I was talking with Susie and it caught me off guard once when she said to me “when you come back….” It hit me like a rock. This is one thing that is so hard for me; I get rooted into peoples lives quickly, and when I leave I really don’t like saying good bye. I like being with people and really being there for them. Especially with the relationships that I have built here, I think that it is going to be hard leaving this area, a place I have gotten to know so well and that I’ll leave without know whether or not I will be coming back. I don’t really like to think about it, but know only a little over three weeks are left.

In him,

Kristen

July 4 - Peter 2

In church this Sunday we talked about peter 2 and the implications that is has for us as people in a community and I think that it was something I needed to hear. Community is a word that I have heard frequently and was over used while I was a part of residence life. A great word, and is one that needs to be talked about more often. We talked bout relationship and the hard ones, the ones that really can be a pain in the ass (excuse my French). What would it look like if we treated our relationship like babies? We wouldn’t drop them, or exchange them for another baby if it was bothering us with their winning, or crying. We would continue to care for them. We also talked about how we can not grow in our faith alone. We also talked about how some people are to busy for community because they are bus-lazy, or they are afraid of getting hurt. I think that the second one is something i don’t willingly admit. I worry about letting people down, about what others think, and what their reactions could be all the time. I think that I don’t always put energy into some relationships if I feel like they have hurt me or have the potential to hurt me. I am reminded of our call to love and care for all people, not just the ones that are good friends, not just the ones who pat you on the back, but your enemies and those who may not be the best of friends. I am reminded of Gods love for us and our relationships, and that when we are hurt by others that his love is strong.

Living under Gods Influence,

Kristen

Fire-works and Mikeschair

You know i think this past week has been so crazy, but God provides with friends, family and small remindes that he is always there, always loving, and ways caring for me. We have been working a lot this week doing a fundraser for Sports 4 Life, the basketball leuge here, and with all that our church and community has been throguh in the last two weeks/two months, i feel that we are all tired and burning out. I know that this week i felt a little like i was trying hard to be helpful and feeling pulled in so many directions wether here or with people at home that it was hard knowing that in one direction or another i couldn't be completely devoted because of all that i was wanting to do.

So yesterday Coop and Marsha came to visit me and see how things are going here in Sacramento. It was a great and fun filled day that began with s tour of a lot of our neighborhood here. We ate lunch at La primavera a local mexican restaurant here and watched the Brazil and ghana game on the three big screens in the dinning room. Later we met again for a wonderful dinner at Dave and Susies house and talked well into the evening.

I don't think i felt homesick until i was confronted with people from home. Sometimes it feels like i am in a completely separate world because home and here are very different but yet i feel so comfortable in both places. Anyway so i think it will be harder now with the remainder of the summer as i got a little bit of taste of home and now go withour it again for five more weeks. I talked with my sisters for a while today and felt bad because i was getting frustrated trying to tell them how it feels beign so far away form family. Later in the evening i got an email from my family where they had made video at home showing what they were doing, the food they were making otgether and just being silly like always. it made my night so much better, that and talking with Eric who always is so encouraging to me.

Anyway my sisters boyfriend Kyle is touring with Mikeschair this summer and i was listening to thier song tonight called "Let the Waters Rise" and the lyrics really hit me! Really great song!

Don't know where to begin
Its like my world's caving in
And I try but I can't control my fear
Where do I go from here?

sometimes its so hard to pray
When You feel so far away
But I am willing to go
Where you want me to
God, I trust You

There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If You want them to
I will follow You
I will follow You
I will follow You

I will swim in the deep
'Cuz You'll be next to me
You're in the eye of the storm
And the calm of the sea
You'll never out of reach

God, You know where I've been
You were there with me then
You were faithful before
You'll be faithful again
I'm holding Your hand

There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If You want them to
I will follow You
I will follow You
I will follow You

God Your love is enough
You will pull me through
I'm holding onto You
God Your love is enough
I will follow You
I will follow You

Ohhh

There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If You want them to
I will follow You
I will follow You
I will follow You

June 27 – The Greatest of These Is Love

In church we have been talking about the vision of Bridge of Life Church. This week we are focusing of part of our vision statement which says how “we need each other…” One of our members, Roy, preached today and brought up so many interesting points that it is hard to know where to even start. He started by reading 1 Corinthians 12:12- 13.

1 Corinthians 12:12- 13

¹²The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. ¹³For we were all baptized by^c]">[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

¹⁴Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" ²²On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. ²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues^d]">[d]? Do all interpret? ³¹But eagerly desire^e]">[e] the greater gifts.
And now I will show you the most excellent way.

1 Corinthians 13

¹If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,^[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. ¹²Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

It is the story of the body of Christ. We are all created differently. We have different dreams, different strengths, different weaknesses, and different talents. God did this purposefully. Just think if we all were an eye…we could not function. We need diversity so that we can learn and better serve each other. We looked at this by looking at the variety of people in our church and the different talents that we all are blessed with. There is not one person that is just like another. The differences allow us to learn more about each other. We need each other dearly. We looked at the story of creation and saw how one of the very first lessons that god taught Adam was that he was good, but lonely. Then God made Adam name every animal. Why did he do this? Possibly to show Adam that he was somehow missing something, or someone. He showed Adam that the animals weren’t quiet the right fit; he needed eve. Similarly, we need each other, we need our differences, and we need our diversity.

But Paul goes on in Corinthians to talk about the greatest of talents, to love. One thing that we are called to do is to love others. We are called to love our community. We are called to love each other. A song that comes to mind when thinking about this is an older one but it goes like this:

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we'll guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

By our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand
And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

By our love, by our love

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

Love is patient, love is kind
Never boasts, not full of pride
Always hopes, always trusts
The evidence of Christ in us

June 27- Strength

Often times I wonder what Gods plan for me and other people is. Things happen in friends lives and I wonder how God has a good purpose for it. How can terrible things be used for good? God tells us that he will provide for us, that he loves us, and is always with us. This is something that I have been wrestling with the past two days because a friend of mine, Naola, has been having a really hard last couple of days. I first met Naola at Sports 4 Life, our basketball league. Both her son and daughter play in the basket ball league and she is actively involved in the organization whether by supporting and cheering for her kids (or coaching) and also helping with the snack bar. The last four Saturdays I have helped with the snack bar, and the first time I helped she worked with me. She is jobless right now (like many people in the area) but has decided to use this time to show her kids the power of God and to help them understand what it means to believe that God is our provider. Every day they get up early and do devotions together and they pray. She also makes sure that they are involved in their church and go out and witness to the community. She is an amazing strong woman and has been such a dear friend to me while I have been here.

So this past Saturday she walks into the gym and just doesn’t seem quiet self. Turns out that her house was broken into this past Friday and they completely trashed the house. So please keep he and her family in your prayers. She is trying to be strong, but I know that she just feels angry and wonders how God is going to use this for good. Pray for the young men that broke into her house that God will surround them and work in them.

Learning to live for him,

Kristen

June 25 – Remembering Loved Ones

Today is my mothers birthday and Eric and I are also celebrating our relationship. I am missing both of them today, wishing that I could be there to celebrate and telling them how much they mean to me. My mother and I have always had a great relationship. She has always been there for me even when I might have been a snooty little teenager. She always knows what to say and offers immense encouragement to me when I feel down or don’t know what to do.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Eric is such a blessing to me! I am so thankful that God brought us together and helped our relationship become so close before he and I left for our different adventures this summer. It has made things easier even though we are apart.

I am so thankful for both of these people; they are huge blessings in my life.

In Him,

Kristen

June 24 – The Aztecs

This past week as been filled with lots and lots of work, filled with conversations with people in the area, filled with craziness at the Greenhouse, and laughter from the kids. I feel like I haven’t had a break at all. Tomorrow is Friday and is my day off. I am SO excited to get to sleep in a little bit more that usual. So today I woke up at 7 and packed for the day and then biked to the office. After lunch I left to bike to the greenhouse. Thursdays are the pool day for these kids and it is their favorite day by far. We have a lunch program everyday for the kids in this complex from 1-1:30 and then after that we walk a mile to get to the pool. Last week the pool wasn’t open when we got there, so they were even more excited / anxious to go there today. I think that you can always tell when kids think you are really cool (or annoying) when they splash you constantly and dunk you under water. At least I hope that is what it is otherwise these kids just really like me getting pummeled with water. I had such a great time with them at the pool. It reminded me so much of the pools that I have worked at in the past, and just made me smile. The kids would explain how great today was by saying it was “hecka cool!” After we walked back I biked home for dinner and then biked to the near by school to watch a couple of friends in their Aztec dance practice. They meet twice a week and have live drums in the school and dance for over two hours. It was such a neat experience most of the dancers had these things that they would tie around their ankles that had little bells attached to them. They also had different little rituals that they did for any dancer that would want to join into the dance and you could only move one direction around the circle. They also all wore red bandanas which is supposed to signify that they are learning, but also “training to be warriors”…which I thought was funny, because I don’t think that I could be a very good warrior. At the end of the practice we all stood in a circle and prayed and I thought that it was really interesting; people gave prayer requests, and prayed for everyone that was there even if it was their first time. No one was overlooked. We went around the who circle and had a chance to say something. If we didn’t want to say anything, we just said “elosea” which I think means he is God. It was great to see a different part of the community and to have a chance to get to know the neighborhood a little bit better. The whole evening was a great cultural experience, and I think that I got better as the night went on. I have some nasty blisters to show for it. Ouch!

Blessings,

Kristen

June 21 - Flat Tire

So today, the first day I ride my new bike, I get a flat tire. I was like, oh man what is it with me and bikes! I was able to get it fixed today, but hopefully that will be the last of my bike “adventures”. I think one of the hardest things doing this internship is being away from family, from Eric, and from friends. The whole time I have been here it seems like I am constantly playing phone and email tag with everyone. I wish that there would be easier times to talk with people rather than an hour block on certain days, when it could be as late as midnight in Michigan. Any way, I was reading a book recommended to me by my wonderful friend Jorie, and came across a passage on patience and loneliness. It talks about loneliness and how to be “full of Joy, here and now.” The first time I read those words, I was confused, I was like…joy in loneliness... crazy talk. Elizabeth Elliot wrote “We don’t only have hope for future Joys- we can be full of Joy here and now even in out trials and troubles…Taken in the right spirit these very things will give us patient endurance; this in turn will develop a mature character, and a character of this sort produces a steady hope, a hope that will never disappoint us.” So even tonight when I am wishing that I was on the same time zone with family, friends, and Eric, I pray that I grow stronger patience. I pray that I really see and know that through my experiences this summer God is using me and changing me. I still wish I could talk more with friends, but also know that go will use this to help me grow stronger in my relationship with him and to lean more on him.

God Bless,

Kristen

June 20 - The Love of a father

This Sunday on Fathers Day I was eating breakfast when Beto and Sita, Christina and Gilberts kids said, “Its really sad that you can’t be with your Dad today.” I really would have loved to be at home and having a really yummy breakfast and being able to go to church with my family Sunday morning. I love my family so much and my Dad is an amazing person. There are so many times when we were growing up that he would be there for us whether is was for school, or we needed help with our bikes, or if he asked us to go fishing. This past winter I went hunting with my Dad for the first time and had a great time! (I think that I actually fell asleep for a little bit, the blind that we used was luxurious compared to other blinds, so I have been told) I wish I had gone more when I was younger. Sunday morning Dave talked about all the fathers in the world and prayed that they would see their roles in their kids lives. For the ones who were in their kids lives, to see the opportunities they have, and for the ones who aren’t to have God work in them and get them connected with their kids again. There are a lot of broken families in our area (as there are where ever you go), but in our little community that is one of the needs, is for good fathers. One thing that Dave reminded us is that no matter what the situation with your earthly father may be, your heavenly father is always there for you, always comforting, always caring, always loving, and preparing your way.

Happy Fathers Day Dad!

Love,

Kristen

June 19 - God Provides

This past week was a as I was hard reminder of the area I live in. Thursday afternoon I was at Pastor Daves house right before I was going to go and work at the Greenhouse. When I went outside to go to work, my bike was gone. I had only been there for maybe 30 mins, a little less and it was parked right in their driveway between one of their cars and the door of the garage. It was interesting because when I went inside to ask if they had put my bike in their garage, I didn’t even think that someone would take it. Justin, their son said to me, “welcome to our neighborhood.” I think that I have talked with so many wonderful loving, caring, and justice seeking Christians and non-Christians here that I became naive to our neighborhoods situation and need. I hadn’t confronted the struggle. And I am not trying to say that I understand what everyone is going through here, but it was an unfortunate reminder of this neighborhoods struggle.

What blew me away was the response I received after this. Thursday night Dave sent out an email to friends, church members, and other churches about my situation and what had happened. That night be had offers on bikes that I could use. The next day people had said they would pitch in money for a new bike. Even one of my fellow Jubilee members asked his church to respond and organized people and got together an offering to help. God is good. God provides. I now have a bike to barrow for the summer and will be able to provide a bike to the person I was originally borrowing it from.

Leaning on Him,

Kristen

Driving Lesson

Today was so enlightening. So the morning started with a meeting with Dave and he surprised me with a driving lesson after our meeting. So there is a car that i get to barrow this summer, which will be great for days when it is in the triple digits here...but here is the catch....it is a stick shift. OH dear. SO i have never driven a stick shift before, so Dave said he would teach me. He didn't tell me this morning that i was going to have a lesson, he just pulled over and said he was thats what we were going to do. I was like great, we are going to die (that might have been a little dramatic). I was so nervous because i didn't want to hurt the car or injure the pastor of my church. I feel like that would be a really bad thing to do :)

So the first time that i started to go it was fine, a little shaky, but i didn't stall! Which was great, however, every time after that, when i would get to a stop sign, i would stall...so there is room for improvement for sure, but i am getting better. Hopefully by the end of the summer it will be second nature. The rest of the day i spent brainstorming for my children's ministries growth development plan, and the i had an interview with Shana later in the evening. We talked for about three hours about the community. She lived here for her whole live and told me just how different the community is here. It was a great time and i think next week we are going to meet to talk some more.

Praise God! Susie, Dave's wife, had surgery on Monday for what they originally thought was breast cancer. They found that the spot wasn't but they wanted to remove it anyway just to be safe. We are rejoicing here for here, but still praying for my uncle mark and my Grandpa who are still undergoing treatment for cancer. Please pray that God continues to give them both strength and peace.

God Bless,

Kristen

June 14 - The Green House

Today was my first day at the Green House. I am going to be helping at this organization about two to three times a week. Today was our VBS day, but we mostly played games since our VBS actually starts next week Monday. We took the kids to Ninos park right next to the two apartment complexes that house many Hispanic and Ukraine families, and over 600 children. It was a total blast and I had a great time begin able to get to know the kids here and begin to build relationships with them. We started with the game called “The BLOB.” It is one of the kids favorites and is where one person runs around trying to tag others and if you are tagged you link arms and form “the BLOB.” It was great and the kids thought it was the greatest thing ever. I thought it was going to be hard to get to know these kids, but if you play with them and don’t mind getting a little wet from water balloons they will love you and want you to play in the park all the time. One of my favorite parts of today was a water game that we played. The kids all got into two lines and at the beginning of each line they had a bucket of water and then about twenty feet in front of each line was another bucket that was empty. Each line had a sponge the point of the game is to soak the sponge in the water and the run to the empty bucket, then to put the water from the sponge in the empty bucket and run back to you line so the next person could do the same thing. So basically the team that had the most water in their bucket at the end won. So we were about to start the game and the kids are getting ready as we said “Ready. Set. GO!” and right when we said go, the sprinklers turn on all over the park. It couldn’t have been better timing. So we all ran around the whole park getting soaking wet and covered in grass and dirt. The kids thought it was the greatest thing ever and that we had planned that to happen (which we had no idea that the sprinklers would turn on). Over all it was a great day! The team, Rocking Hurricanes (my group), the third graders prevailed in red light green light. It was an epic game that I am sure they will never forget. It was a great day and I felt so cool when I was biking home and a little girl from the complex shouted “BYE KRISTEN!”

What a wonderful day to begin my adventures at the Green house,

Please pray for: Yuliana, Tazar, Benita, Uylessies, Ignasio, David, Perla, Yanet, Kimberly, Willie, Diana, Edwin, Oscar, Emily, Kelsey, and Julie. All are either volunteers, staff, or Kids that I talked with today. Pray that as the summer progresses God keeps these kids safe and that he gives them people who will be good influences in their lives.

In Him,

Kristen

June 13 - The Prodigal Son

In Church today we started a series of the missions and the vision of Bridge of Life church. Dave (our pastor) started out by telling the story of how the church first started and then how the church received its name. This is actually something that we talked about when I first got here because I thought that the name of the church is so interesting. He explained this by talking about the gap between us and god and what separates us from God. Sin made it impossible for us to be with God, but the person that God sent to bridge this gap, the one who gives us new life through him is Jesus. So Jesus is the Bridge of Life and this is what Dave wants to proclaim to this community. It is also interesting because if you look at the community here there are distinct barriers and entrances. One is the American river that separates the Garden land/Northgate community from downtown. The only way to get to the city is to go over the river via the Northgate Bridge. Because this bridge is one of the main ways to the city, this is also were a very large population of homeless live in our community. This bridge is one way that we can extend the love and message of God to our community. So not only is the name of the church due to the meaning of the gospel, but also the community it self.

As he continued to talk about the area and the need to Gods love to move in this area he connected our community to the story of the Prodigal Son. The story talks about a rebellious son who basically tells his father that he wishes he were dead so that he can have his portion of the inheritance. Ouch! I am sure we can all think of people in our own lives (including ourselves) that have acted in this way in some way or another, and in this community where families are struggling with each other and relationships have been broken, this vision of the rebellious son hits deep. So what does the son do once he gets his portion? He hits the road to use all of what he has been given with worldly desires. He ends up spending everything and no being able to even afford food. He eats with the pigs, which is a huge humiliation as a Jew. He realizes the significance of what he has done, the wrongs he has committed, and he knows that he not only hurt his earthly father but his heavenly father with his actions. So he goes home and tries to tell his father that he will pay him back for everything. The father runs to his son and tells his servants to bring the best gown and the family ring to remind the son that no matter what he has done no matter how far he has strayed, that he is loved and still part of this family.

Now if you look at the beauty of this story and see just how amazing this meaning is it can shatter peoples views of forgiveness and of grace. The father in this parable is God. We are the younger son (we also could be the older son, but that is what I’ll talk about later), we turn our back to God, to friends, to family and some times tell them to give us what we want and leave. We have hurt people and once we are alone and no longer satisfied by what we had, or we are worse off then we were, we may see the wrongs we have done and want to fix what we have done, to go back to family, friends, or God and ask for a second chance. The beauty is that when we wrong God, we don’t have to pay everything back. His gift for us was free of charge. There is nothing we could ever do to make God love us less. Wow. Think about that! This message to our community is pretty amazing. It isn’t often that you see this play out in families, so for us to go out and share this story with people is mind blowing, some would maybe even say crazy, but it is true for all of us.

It was a great way to begin our learning about our churches missions and to show how much Gods loves his children no matter what they have done.

Praise God,

Kristen

June 12 - World Cup Fun

Today was pretty normal. I woke up around 7 and mostly hung around the house this morning playing checkers with the kids and also watching one of their favorite movies the spies next-door. One of the best parts of my day was when a ten year old boy, the nephew of the Damians, telling me all about the Celtics and the Lakers and how the Lakers think that they are too good and that Colby thinks he can make any shot he wants but actually can’t. ( I thought it was funny though how he was wearing a Lakers drawstring bag!) After that I biked over the Lindner’s house and was really excited to watch the USA vs. England soccer game. IT was so much fun and a great (but frustrating) game to watch. Last night I had been at the Lindners house too helping Susie cook dinner for the family. If there is one thing that I love to do it is cooking…especially eating the food once it is done. It is always a great time being with the Lindners and I am excited to see our relationship grow. Susie always asks great questions when we are together and while we were cooking asked me “what do you think that God has been teaching you so far?” I almost chuckled a little bit when she asked me this because I didn’t know where to begin. I have felt like I have been learning so much. God’s patience and constant reminders of his faithfulness hit me when I feel overwhelmed and wonder how I can possible help this community. He always is asking me to give my burdens to him and lean on him for his burden is light. And as I see growth in these areas and I also see how each day I need to be reminded again of my need for me to let God have control. One thing that Susie told me is that one thing she always loved about mission trips and caring for other people is that it always seemed to help her feel more in-tune with God. I definitely can relate to this and really hope that as the summer progresses that my relationship continue to grow with God and that when I move back home it wouldn’t stop but still continue to grow as well.

Living Under the influence,

Kristen