Jesus is Reality

Lord, thank you for your church and a group of believers I can call 'family.' Reality London has been such an answer to prayer...a lifeline when I miss home. A place where my batteries are charged. A place where I feel loved and accepted. Intimate worship with the King. I pray you would continue to bless this church plant and build your Kingdom in London. 

What I've been learning...
 
"I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” 

“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am” -John Newton

 1) We need to sing JOYFULLY to the Lord. 
We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield. 
In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.  
May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you. -Psalm 33

2) Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling

3) Wisdom
"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness." -James 3
Such a convicting passage...how often do I examine my thoughts and words? I want to be a peacemaker. 

Swedish Summer

So thankful I was able to visit my friend Hannah in Sweden last week. I never thought I would visit Sweden...or 4 other countries in Europe. Thank you Lord for blessing me with this amazing opportunity! Sweden is beautiful...I'd highly recommend going if you're around Europe. The forests and trees reminded me of Seattle...they even have mooses and trolls! Watch out!

We ate cinnamon rolls (kanelbullar), meatballs (köttbullar), biked around Örebro, ice cream in the park, had a BBQ at the lake, went swimming (it was FREEZING!), walked in sunny Stockholm, enjoyed the beautiful streets, ate lunch on the pier, road a boat to an island, and enjoyed the warm weather. I love traveling and experiencing a new culture...even learning a few words in Swedish! :) Hej då! (Good bye) 

Destined to Soar

My mom recommended this book by K.P. Yohannan and the chapter is titled "What Keeps Us Going?"

"In our Christian life, persevering until the end is what it's all about, not just starting well. What do I mean? Don't give up your walk with Jesus; endure in the call He gave you to win this lost world and build His kingdom. Like marathon runners, we will encounter adversities along the way that could cause us to quit the race. What are some of these adversities?

• Relationship problems with other Christians
• Physical and financial setbacks that cause us to lose hope
• Lack of apparent fruit and fulfillment in our service to the Lord
• Frustration when serving the Lord becomes hard work and the feelings are gone
• Feeling inadequate and overwhelmed by the expectations of others
• Spiritual dryness that comes when God tests us to see if we will still walk with Him by faith, even when there is nothing within or without to support us.

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" -Hebrews 12:2

The secret of our survival is fixing our eyes on Jesus and making Him alone our focus. Then our walk with God and commitment to serve Him will no longer depend on whether or not people treat us right or circumstances are in our favor. We will no longer rely on our emotions to support us or on our successes to keep us going. Jesus alone will become our goal and we will live for Him, run our race for Him, and cross the finish line for Him.

Unless you learn to fix your eyes on Jesus alone, you will have no stability in your walk with God.

Recipe of the Week: Kladdkaka

Kladdkaka...also known as, Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake...so amazing! My friend showed me this cake when visiting Sweden and loved it so I made one for my Swedish friend's birthday! Those Swedes know how to bake. :)

Here's the recipe...enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8-inch pie plate.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside. Stir the eggs into the sugar until smooth. Add the flour mixture, and stir just until combined. Pour in the vanilla extract and butter; stir until well combined. Pour into prepared pie plate.
3. Bake on the lower rack of the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until the center has slightly set. Allow cake to cool for 1 hour in the pie plate. Serve warm, or refrigerate overnight and serve cold.

Forgotten God

I just read Erasing Hell by Francis Chan (one of my favorite authors)...such an important book to start thinking of Hell and how real it is. Forgotten God is another great book talking about the Holy Spirit...

Thought I'd share what I've been learning:

"No matter where you live and what your days look like, you have the choice each day to depend on yourself, to live safely and to try to control your life. Or you can live as you were created- as a temple of the Holy Spirit of God, a person dependent on Him, desperate for God to make a difference."

Church should be a community. Wealth is shared. When one suffers, everyone suffers. A place when one rejoices, everyone rejoices. It is where we experience love, acceptance, and honesty about our brokenness.

God is aware of you and your circumstances. He knows what you really need. He is able to bring these things, people, and circumstances in your life...

I have learned this from my time in London...to be constantly praying for the Holy Spirit to dwell in my heart and give me fruits of His Spirit. He has specifically placed mentors, brothers, and sisters in Christ I can learn from. I am so thankful for my two mentors at All Saints...one of them is British and she is so lovely. I can learn so much from her quiet, gentle, and humble spirit. My other mentor is from Sri Lanka and a second mother to me...she has an autistic son, but it doesn't stop her from serving and praying with others constantly. I am so lucky to have spiritual moms to look up to and will always remember the impact they made in my life for a year. :) Thank you Lord!

British Summer

Homemade sushi party!

One of my lovely British friends at Reality London...thank you for your prayers and love Jo! I will miss our chats and fellowship over dinner. You are a true woman of God!

G4G...you have blessed me in so many ways. I will miss prayer times, breakfasts, sleepovers, BBQs, and laughs. :) I will be praying for each one of you...may you keep falling in love with Jesus.

Bath, England

My Filipino sister, Grachelle...she brings me so much joy and laughter :) See you in Japan, sayonara!

Kayaking

Afternoon Tea with my British Family...thankful for my Welsh friend Sian...see you in Hawaii! Aloha

My favorite siblings...Lizzy and Nat. Thank you for laughter and inviting me over for BBQs! :) Gangstas for life.

Psalm 63

You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.

 I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.  

Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you. 

 I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.  

I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.  

Because you are my help,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.  

I cling to you;
    your right hand upholds me. 

Christ is more wonderful than any other person or relationship.

Recipe of the Week: Scones and Jam

What's Afternoon Tea without scones, clotted cream, and jam?

I can't wait to bring this tradition to the States. :) Today, we had afternoon tea with tea, scones, and Victoria Sponge Cake with my lovely friend Lizzy and the YWAM bunch.

Here's a perfect recipe for an English treat:

Ingredients

• 225g/8oz self raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 55g/2oz butter
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
• 150ml/5fl oz milk
• 1 free-range egg, beaten
  (Feel free to add raisins too!)

Preparation method

1. Heat the oven to 220C/425F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
   
2. Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter.
   
3. Stir in the sugar and then the milk to get a soft dough.
   
4. Turn on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly. Pat out to a round 2cm/¾in thick. Use a 5cm/2in cutter to stamp out rounds and place on a baking sheet. Lightly knead together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use it all up.
   
5. Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden. Glaze with milk.
6. Cool on a wire rack and serve with strawberry jam and clotted cream.
   

Thankfulness

Thank you God for...

sun and warm weather.
conversations at Belgique with G4G.
letters from friends from far away places.
home-cooked meals.
a loving homestay.
music.
journaling.
your Word that speaks to me.
loving me unconditionally.
laughter.
kayaking on a summers night.
Olympic excitement.
traveling and seeing your creation.
skype chats with family.
good books.
chai lattes.
sleeping in after a long week.
friendships growing.

"Rejoice always,  pray continually, give THANKS in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:16 

London 2012

The Olympics are finally here...feels like we've been waiting forever. London has been quite exciting with the tubes full of foreigners, athletes winning medals, and sunny weather at last! Last weekend we had our Fun Day on the Green with free activities for the whole family (inflatables, rock climbing, art zone, faith zone, live music, and food). Jacqui and I have been planning this event since September and so thankful for a great day. All the hard work paid off! Thank you Lord for providing perfect weather and building relationships with people in Woodford.

Another answer to prayer: my friend invited me to see Gymnastics...what an amazing opportunity to cheer on Team USA and GB live! We also saw China, Germany, Russia, and Canada compete...such talented athletes! I'm looking forward to seeing the Paralympics as well in September at the Olympic park.

On Tuesday, we were able to share the gospel with International Sports Chaplains from Atlanta and Alabama outside the Olympic park. We gave out Olympic pins representing the 5 colors (Black-we have sin and need a Savior, Red-Jesus died on the cross for our sins, White-He makes us white as snow when we accept Him in our hearts, Green-a daily walk with God and keep growing in our relationship with Him, and Gold-we can accept the free gift of salvation and spend eternity with Him in Heaven) Sometimes we make the gospel seem complicated and hard to share with our friends/family, but it's quite simple and Jesus calls us to preach the good news!  
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"- Isaiah 52:7
So thankful I was able to pray with soldiers from Afghanistan...they were so open to receive prayer and re-dedicate their lives to the Lord. Even though our interactions with people were brief, we planted seeds and God will grow them in time.  
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." -Galatians 6:9

Thank you Jesus for your continual blessings...pray God would continue to use me for the next month whether it be helping at church, blessing people, or sharing the Word with a friend.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." -James 1:17