Thailand!

Dear Friends,

As many of you know I have the opportunity to go to Bangkok, Thailand this summer! The trip will be my first time overseas, but does that stop God from providing?No! The last month has been filled with confirmation that I am doing exactly what I need to be doing.

As it would happen, I have been connected with some great people who have ties to Thailand who have been gracious enough to allow me to ask questions and teach me greetings in Thai. If that was not enough! I have been meeting people everywhere who have been to Thailand. I'm not even done there! You guys have been so great about finances. As it stands now I am up to $1,421 out of $2,400 with more money coming in soon.
As I learn more about Thailand I see the need of gospel there. Please be praying for..
- Students in Bangkok to be curious about who Christ is.
- Our team to honor their culture, but still be bold and intentional.
- Continued financial support for my entire team
- The Go Now Staff making arrangements and helping students with needs.They are AMAZING and there are only three of them!

Eight Million to Me

Dear Friends,

Papers are turned in, tests are inevitable, school is undoubtedly coming to a close for the semester. As I began to think through the process of leaving school next week I realized just how close my trip to Thailand is approaching. The thought was a little overwhelming to be honest. I grew up in a town of 75 people, maybe, and Bangkok has over 8 million. There really isn't much I can do to prepare for millions of people within miles of myself and then there is another daunting task. Evangelism. My purpose for going to Thailand is sharing Christ with those who I meet. In a country of 59,193,235 (Operation World) religious people ,with the majority of the statistic Buddhist, who I am?

^{" For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-and all were made to drink of one Spirit."- 1 Corinthians 12:12-13}

As I read these verses I began to have peace about the magnitude of where I am going. See the body is one and I am not numbering 8 million to 1 or even 8 million to my team of 5. The body of Christ is extensive in Thailand even though it is a minority. I will leave Bangkok June 11th,but my Thai brothers and sisters will continue to pour into those around them. The odds may not ever be in our favor numerically, but Christ changed me and that is an odd I am glad someone challenged.

Portland Reflections

Dear Friends,

Well here we are. Pushing almost two months since coming back from Portland, Oregon. I would like to think I have fully processed the trip,but there are still some areas of the trip I can not place into words or categories. However, I can elaborate on two words. Community and brokenness.

Portland taught me so much about community. I spoke with our contacts in the city and learned a very simple/complex necessity for life. As Christ followers we should rely on those around us to support,encourage and hold us accountable. We do this by allowing ourselves to be vulnerable with people we trust. The vulnerability give us the opportunity to lay all of our dirty laundry and mess out in the open. This is terrifying for most everyone,but by doing so the strongholds your laundry has over you begin to weaken and you are able to walk deeper in your relationship with Christ. 

Portland is such a broken city. The brokenness can be related to many things, but one thing slaps you in the face everywhere you go in the city, sex. As uncomfortable as it may be to talk about Portland has the most strip clubs per capita than any other United States city. Everywhere you look, especially in downtown, one can see multiple theaters, stores and clubs. I had never been to a place where sex was so accessible. The fact is temptation was the last thing on my mind because I was so taken back and heart broken over it. We hear about Portland like "sex cities" overseas, but we ignore those in our backyards. There are broken people, broken lives and broken cities everywhere. The question is; when are we going to stop ignoring the fact that its everywhere and start loving those who are broken? 

There is so much more to Portland than this post,but these are the two golden nuggets I have taken from the trip. 

Portland, Powell's and People.

Dear Friends,
Today has been a complete God story in itself. Our rental cars were upgraded and our housing situation exceeded our expectation! We took the MAX (light rail transit) from Beaverton into downtown Portland to get our bearings of the city before we met our contact at Habibis for supper. In this time of transit we were challenged to step out of our comfort zone and start up conversations. I have to say I found this difficult,but I could be a prayer partner for those engaging. We made our way to Powell's books since we had time to kill and I was just as fascinated by the store the second time I went into it as the first. Among the rows,rooms and levels of books my partner Michelle and I had a brief conversation with a guy looking through C.S. Lewis books for his girlfriends Christmas present. Overall the conversation established that he was a believer and is plugged into a church.
We met our contact Matt and his girlfriend at a Lebanese restaurant Habibi. Through the course of dinner and a trip to a local chocolate shop we began to hear their heart for Portland and the ministry we would be working with.
It is great to be back in Oregon again and I can not wait for tomorrow! Please be praying for us as we start to help Flavel Street Baptist reach the people around their community!

Twas the night before Portland

Dear Friends,
We are finally here to the night before my departure for Portland, Oregon. I have to say the journey up to now has been bumpy,but a huge blessing.
Earlier this week I was talking to a good friend of mine at a local coffee shop (Beans and Franks) about our upcoming trips ;she is preparing to go to London.As we talked through how God provided money for our trips, I made the assessment that God had been so good about providing just what I needed. With less than $50 exceeding the total $800 for my trip I was impressed. Not only financially, but He is allowing me to be apart of the trip. However, the next morning after our talk He blew my mind. Not only did He provide,but He abundantly provided by another donation! I no doubt do not credit God enough for His abundant blessings and fully expect Him to continue through the trip.
I can not thank you ,my friends and family, enough for being apart of the journey thus far through prayer and financial support!
The hours are closing in on my 4:45am alarm to head to the airport so I should sleep at some point tonight! Next time I post, it will be from Portland,Oregon!

Vagabond (vagəˌbänd): A person who wanders from place to place having no home.

Dear Friends,

            Welcome to my blog! Although there are going to many grammatical errors in this beautiful mess I do hope that you find some kind inspiration or just pure entertainment out of this. The question you may be asking is why a blog? Well, the answer is simple: to keep you guys updated on my journey to graduation from Tarleton State University and then beyond. As soon as I found out a mere three weeks ago about my impending graduation next December, I began to worry about what the future holds beyond that little piece of paper. What do I do when there are no plans? I wander. I become a Christian Vagabond

            A vagabond is someone who wanders from place to place having no home. However, this looks differently for those who are following Christ. The word vagabond leaves a negative impression in many people’s minds, but as a Christ follower we are asked to follow and this is positive!

(Matthew 4:18-20, Matthew 9:9, John 1:43, Luke 14:27, John 10:27)

The one thing about following Christ is being open to the idea of not having a “5 year plan” or even a job lined up before college ends. (DISCLAIMER: I am just writing about my experience thus far and it does not apply to everyone.) I am become more okay with the idea of not having an idea for the future as God continues to work on and through me. Much like the title states, I do feel as though I am wandering with no home. However, I know that as long as I follow Christ and keep my focus upon Him I know that my home is wherever He leads me. I also must recognize that I am never truly home until I reach heaven. As for now I am following Christ back to Oregon!

            As many of you know, at the beginning of 2013 I went with the Tarleton BSM (Baptist Student Ministry) to work on the campus of The University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. The land, the people and the ministries absolutely enthralled me as we set out on our 10 day trip. In the short 10 days there I decided I was to visit this place again and hoped it was a longing God would grant soon. To my surprise not even a full year later here I am. I am completely in awe of the opportunity to go back to Oregon, and this time to Portland! December 13^th through December 23^rd 2013, our team of 8 will be in Portland serving a church plant reaching the city. I am really excited to have this opportunity, but I ask that you guys could be praying for us as we prepare for the trip spiritually. Please be praying about finances too.  We are on the countdown to the ever approaching December 1^st deadline of $800 due. I have been blessed this far to have almost half of the trip paid for through donation and I cannot be more thankful for those individuals! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to shoot me a message, text or email! Until next time

 “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle” – Plato