it is well...

This weekend, two very dear friends of mine got married. They are one out of a dozen couples to have gotten engaged since I've been overseas and are the sixth out of my close friends to have tied the knot.

I tried to skype in during the service to see even a tiny bit of the wedding. My moms iPhone signal was really weak in the cute little country ch- where Stephen and Elizabeth were getting married, and that's not even considering how sketchy my internet is. But, a stroke of luck! The call made the connection, and singing filled my ears with surprisingly good quality. The connection lasted maybe 30 seconds, enough time for me to catch a glimpse of people sitting in pews and a guitarist up front, and then it cut off.

I consider it no coincidence that the first and only part of the wedding that I was able to witness was the song "It is Well." Seeing all of my friends together, hearing my mom's beautiful voice, knowing that friends are moving into a new phase of life while I'm on the other side of the world... it all made me a little homesick, to be honest. But as Mom and I tried to reconnect, my heart sang the words that I heard moments ago:

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say:
It is well, it is well with my soul.

In that moment, I was reminded as to why I'm here. I'm not here because of the adventure and excitement, although there certainly is a lot of that here. I'm here simply because the Son said "Follow me," and this is where He led, and He's worth abandoning everything for.

The following morning, we had an all-day event for students who wanted to take things deeper. Some of the students we knew were born again, but others... not so sure. The event went really well, and we met the next afternoon to go out and scatter seeds, if you will.

Two hours later, we got back together, and... we have a new sister! One of our own scattering the seeds realized that being a believer isn't about who her family is or if she was sprinkled as a baby but rather about trusting and following the Son! We went back to a friend's house, and she was dunked right there in the bak in the bathroom!

As we sang praises to the One who has rescued us out of darkness, my heart was overwhelmed with joy - joy in being an undeserving daughter, joy in witnessing the Father make a life brand new, joy in knowing He is power and truth and love.

I know if I had been back in the States this weekend, there would have been great joy in being with my loved ones and witnessing two lives commit to being one. But instead, I got to see something eternal happen - a dead girl made alive to see and adore His glory - and hey, that's worth it all.

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more!

Praise the L0rd! Praise the L0rd, O my soul!

It is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul!

one year in

A year ago today, I stepped foot into this beautiful, hot, wonderful country. It’s unbelievable that that much time has already passed. It’s been full of laughter, awe, worship, tears, challenges, and pretty much anything else you can imagine.

10 things I love about this country (aside from the people):

• The cicaks – these little geckos not only eat the mosquitoes that carry malaria and dengue, but I also think they’re super cute.
• The food – when I first arrived in this country, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of the food. It was a lot of rice, and it was spicy. But now, it is some of the best food in the world.
• Fresh fruit juice - Divine.
• Speaking in another language – Okay, so I’m far from fluent, but it’s still really cool to be able to understand and even slightly communicate in another language.
• Driving a motorcycle – Yeah, there are some times when I fear for my life and others when I battle road rage, but all in all, it’s a rather fun experience.
• The landscape – Turn one direction, mountains. Another, the beach. Does it get any better?
• Batik fabric – this beautiful fabric is wonderful, and each province has their own unique style.
• Greeting friends with a cheek-to-cheek embrace – I loved this when I was in France, and I was thrilled to discover it’s here as well.
• Being community-oriented – Honestly, this took me a while to adjust to: neighbors coming in and peeking in my room, asking about every little thing, etc. My housemates have stories of, while battling dengue, waking up to find neighbors standing over the beds, watching them. Now, though, it’s a source of comfort. Our neighbors have our backs. The first two weeks after we moved in, the little ibu next door sat outside our gate every night, making sure we got home safely. Relationships matter.
• Dependence on the Lord – There is absolutely no denying our dependence on the Lord in this country. Day in and day out, it is very clear: WE NEED HIM. Need Him for sanity, need Him for comfort, need Him for strength, need Him to do it all really… In the States, that fact can be clouded, but here, it is very, very evident.

10 things that have changed:

• Ideas of cold - 70 degrees is coooold. Guess that’s what happens when you live in 90-degree weather with high humidity year round. When we went up to the mountains, I wore a sweater and shivered.
• How comfortable I am with physical contact with the same gender - It’s a totally normal thing now to walk hand-in-hand with a good girl friend. Nothing is thought of it. Extremely awkward at first, now it’s a common thing even among my American girl friends.
• My eating habits - Remember when you were a kid and your parents always scolded you for eating with your hands? Yeah. Forget that.
• The definition of an address - Want to know what we say when we give our address? It’s the blue and grey house next to the red house in the neighborhood behind the orange building on this one street. To receive a package, I get a text message from the post office telling me to come pick one up. To pay bills, I take last month’s bill down the street to a guy’s house who has a computer set up in his living room. Mailboxes are a thing of the past.
• My idea of showering - Warm water spraying down automatically from a shower head above me is a faint memory. Now, my arms get a daily workout as I dump cold water over my head. It’s rather refreshing in the middle of blazing hot day in the tropics though.
• My cooking abilities - Not that I’m this awesome cook or anything, but through being under some pretty awesome ladies, I can now successfully make some things taste like America (some things).
• My driving abilities – Piggybacking off of loving to drive above, my driving abilities have also changed drastically… and not necessarily in a good way. I’m a lot more aggressive now… I’m pretty sure I’m going to be in trouble when I get back to the States.
• Handshakes - After lightly shaking someone’s hand, you bring your own up to your chest. Please don’t think I’m weird if I come back and do this. It’s a really hard habit to break.
• Standards for movies - Going to the theater here is a magical experience – It’s dark, they’re speaking in English, we’re eating candy and movie popcorn… It’s almost like being in America, and it’s worth watching movies that I would never consider seeing if I was actually back in the States. 
• Ideas of cleanliness - When it comes to the bathroom, wet is clean. If the food has no roaches, it’s good. Ants? Extra protein.

It's been a crazy year, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here and witness what the Father's doing. Thank you, Asia, for making me more like Him. I'm looking forward to the year to come.


"And we know that for those who love G-d all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If G-d is for us, who can be against us?"
- Rom 8:28-31