The wild ride continues...

Sitting at the living room table watching the warm rain pour down my windowpane I am reminded that I am home, in Loja Ecuador. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here an entire YEAR! One down, one to go…
December 2008 ended with one wild ride that didn’t slow down from the time I stepped foot on American soil until I stepped off. From December 8th until January 6th I had 9 flights, was in 4 states, spoke at 3 churches, had 2 road trips and got to see 1 cute little nephew! It was a month well worth it.
Out of all the people I saw and all the things I did, I’m trying to pinpoint one thing to share with you and it would have to be the very last message that I heard in Loveland before I got on the plane. Our pastor was speaking about the power of the Holy Spirit and how He doesn’t have boundaries, but sometimes we like to draw these lines of what God can and cannot do. In that moment, the Lord spoke to me about this next year. Most of you know that I am changing jobs starting February 1st … I’m going from volunteering at El Sendero to managing it. And the Lord told me, Are you willing to cut all boundaries of what I can and cannot do? Are you willing to walk not having a clue what you’re doing in order for me to blow you away with my power?
This means a lack of control on my part. It means that I will have to let go and let God do whatever he wants to do whether or not its in my “plans.” If you know me at all, you know that this is very difficult for me. I like to at least FEEL like I’m in control. But He is saying to me: Are you willing to let go of ALL control in order for me to work?
That “lack of control” started as of this week with the train for this new manager position. He is showing me that everything is his. I have to LET GO of everything that defined last year AND everything I “hope” will be this year.
Even in the face of all this scariness, I want to say: YES! I don’t want my dwarfed dreams, I’d rather take the dangerous road. So here’s to one great adventure!
This next year is going to be a trip… one that I could never dream up, I’d love if you’d come along for the ride.

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Planes, trains and asians in automobils

So I have about the coolest sister in the whole world. She challenges me with the Word and encourages me with truth. She has been here in Ecuador with me for the past 2 1/2 week and it has been such a blessing. Let me give you some of the funny points and then some of the serious points.
Janna´s adventure started before she even arrived due to the fact that my mom told her she needed to go through customs in Panama. Naturally she followed the crowd through the customs line, got her passport stamped and as they were about to shoo her out the door into Panama City she realized that that was NOT where she wanted to be. In her broken spanish to desperately tried to explain that she DID NOT want to leave the airport as she watched her passport pass from person to person and eventually out of her sight. Thankfully she got it back and pointed in the right direction where she later arrived in Quito.
While we were in Quito, we decided it would be fun to take the public trolley despite suggestions not to, instead of taking taxis. (It was cheaper!) On one such trolley ride, we happened to get on during the lunch rush. Picture this with me: Janna is at least a head taller than all the Ecuadorians so they are trying to push their way around her as she is trying to do acrobatics around them. It was a picture perfect moment, EXCEPT that I was too crowded in to even pull out my camera.
Then there were the asians in automobils. Janna and I were walking through Quito when we have honking and we turn around to see a car full of asians waving. We look around assuming they are waving at someone else, but we are the only ones there... Asian Power! We stick together no matter what country we´re in.
As far as some of the serious things, my sister is so encouraging. She was the pick me up that I needed at this exact time. While she was here, she got to see my first attempt at a new bible study. Yep, that´s right... the Bible study with my friend Leydi that I´ve been praying for for months has finally happened! Praise God! And this first time we talked about the first chapter of John... but we actually ended up talking about everything from Genesis to the Gospel of Mary. The Lord is moving and I´m just excited that he´s allowed me to be along for the ride... so whether trains, planes or asians in automobils, I´m just along for the RIDE!

My hero... my sister

"Hungry, will work for food." What is your first thought when you see someone holding a sign like this on the street? Homeless? Dirty? Worthless? or Friend? My little sister's first thought is how can I help this friend on the street.
Last night she called home to see if she could bring home a girl who she'd met on the street and had no where to stay. Janna hung out with this girl all day yesterday, gave her a bed to sleep in, a shower, and is currently trying to help her sort through her things to take back to her dad's house in Jersey. My little sister is my hero. She has no thought of herself and how this will cramp her day, but only of the wellbeing of another.
When Jesus says, "When I was hungry you gave me something to eat, when I was thirsty you gave me something to drink, when I was in need you clothed me." I know my humble sister will say, "When did I do this for you?" And I am convinced that he will look at her, point at the hundreds of people that she has loved and say, "Whatever you did to the least of these, you have done unto me."