Gifts from around the world

I love receiving gifts. Definitely my love language.

You know what's great about working with international students and students who travel abroad? Gifts from around the world!!

In the last week, I have received:
-Coffee from Inodnesia
-Coffee from China
-Earrings from Kenya
-Kenyan Curry (ok..maybe it was for Jon)

As if I needed another reason to love my job.

November 24

On thanksgiving Day, should I write a "more thankful than average post?"  Let me just type and we can see what comes out, ok? :) Deal. Because it's my blog, I can type what I want.

I am thankful for a bathroom in our bedroom. This will only last one more day, but it is so wonderful to climb out of bed and walk right into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. It is such motivation. I love it, even if it is just our vacation room.

I am thankful for Krista. A friend that I love deeply and have been walking through life with since college. I sat on the couch while everyone was watching football today and wrote her a really long letter. I am so glad that we are still writing letters to each other and pouring our hearts to each other.

I am extremely thankful for Ruth Hayley Barton--an author that is kicking my butt. I am finishing up a book of hers, and it is a very hard read. I read a chapter tonight that I just wanted to throw across the room, because I knew if I applied the truths in that chapter it would be a lot of hard and painful work. I am not sure if I want to do it. Even though this is frustrating, I am thankful that God uses people in my life to challenge me, even if they are authors I have never met.

I am thankful for the text that Wendi sent me today. I am very grateful for her friendship and our chance meeting. So glad that God brought us together and looking forward to many years of life together. 

I am thankful for my sister in law. I am thankful that I can count on her texts making me smile during some hard times. I am thankful that we are coming together as family, and not just "Jon's brother's, girlfriend." (Er....now wife.....but when I first met her). 

I am grateful that I have a job that I love, a job that is flexible, a job that has eternal meaning, a job that brings such joy to my life.

I am grateful for my external bounce flash. Taking pictures inside are much easier with my bounce flash pointed at the ceiling.

I am thankful for a chance to go to bed early today.


Thank you Lord, forgiving me so much to be thankful for.

November 14

Thankful for sleeping in. I don't know the last time that I have done, and I am not sure when I will be able to do it again.

Thankful that the Lord gives rest to those He loves, and that taking a sabbath is a command. A command that is hard to follow through, but one that I fully enjoy.

Thankful that I could meet my mom and my grandma halfway, at the airport today to pick up Caleb. Which makes me thankful that my parents watched Caleb for the weekend.

Thankful for the Gospel, and how it impacted a student tonight. I don't know that I have ever shared so passionately, but God spoke through me. It was great to see things click and for her to have an even clearly picture of God's heart.

Thankful for students who want to know God's heart, and want to pursue it.

Thankful for students that want to end sex trafficking.

Thankful for new faces at InterVarsity tonight.

Thankful for some men wanting to lead with IV.

Going to bed with a smile on my face and joy in my heart.

November 11

11-11-11


A day that I have been spending months preparing for and praying for.

Thankful that it is here! Thankful for the way God has sustained me. Thankful for how God has worked in me, and hoping that He will work through me.

Thankful for the start of Compelling2011!

November 9

I met him in high school. He was the new kid in town. His dad was our new superintendent for our school district. We ran in the same group of friends. We graduated high school. We went to the same college. We saw each other randomly. We graduated and moved into the real world. We haven't kept in touch more than what an average facebook post would communicate.

Until a few days ago. It all started with a facebok message.

See, my old high school friend Rod, works with Freedom Firm in India. He is working to arrest those who are trafficking women and child into the sex slave industry. They also are working on helping restore victims.

Tonight he came to Albion College. He shared all about Freedom Firm, showed a movie that they are making, and sold jewelery that the women make.

Tonight I am thankful for the ways that christians around the world are seeking justice among slaves. Do you know there are more slaves today, than during the trans-atlantic slave trade? Crazy, huh? I am grateful for Rod. I am grateful for his ministry, for him coming to Albion to share with students and to see how God has been working on his heart.

I am thankful for Albion students who want to do something about this cruel injustice. Cruel, cruel, cruel, evil. And they want to make it stop. I am so proud of them, and glad to partner with them.

And......I am going to host a jewelery party. The jewelery is made by form sex slaves, and used to give them income. Who is interested in purchasing some beautiful jewelery? I did tonight!!!

November 1

It's that time of the year!!!

Fall......hello pumpkin! I love fall, love the colors, love the flavors and smell and love the weather.

But no, that's not what I am talking about.

It is officially "Holiday Season." ---Thanksgiving and Christmas are getting closer day by day.

And as excited as I am for the holidays, that is still not what I am talking about.

What about the fact that Compelling is so very close?

Oh, it is close...and so much work to  do. But still not what I am talking about.

Do you know?

It is NOVEMBER----meaning the month of thankfulness. I will be joining with several others in the blogging world sharing each day about something I am thankful for.


Today....I am thankful for the students I work with. I am so excited to see their heart for the Lord,  their desire to be grounded in the Word of God, to live a life of prayer, and wanting to share their faith with others. I get to be a part of what they are doing! So glad that God has sent me here to work among these students.

I am grateful for the sacrifice they make in order to make God's name glorified on campus.

I am grateful for the way that we are all bonding together in prayer and fasting for the next 10 days. I am grateful that at 7am, 6 college students gathered in my living room, snuggled up in blankets, praying to the Lord.

Thank you Lord. Thank you for the amazing group of students that you have given me.

It's a random kind of day

Nothing was on the schedule today. Not that I didn't have to DO anything, but I did not have to rush out of the house for anything, very strange, and definitely strange on a Wednesday.

The day started by turning off my alarm clock on 5:30am. I took the time to sleep a little extra and woke up at 7:30a. Sweet extra sleep. So good. Isn't sleep just as good for the soul as it is for the body?

Caleb and I played, and played and played. We read, we giggled, we tickled. We had a great morning. It was so fun to concentrate on being his mommy.

He is down for a nap, I have some comfy clothes on, coffee in hand, and feel like writing a completely random blog post.
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Some students on campus are participating in the One Dress Project. They are wearing one dress for at least a month, some until he new year in order to raise awareness and money about human traffiking. I am so proud of their initiative, of their desire to seek God's justice, of their boldness and hearts. It is definitely, an "I love my job" kind of day.

Speaking of which....I love my job. So many great things are happening on campus, and I get to be part of it! I get to be a part of training students in how to study the Bible inductively. I get to wrestle with students as they are dealing with tough heart issues and road blocks to faith. I get to pray and see answers to prayers. I get to see students gain a heart for the campus, that everyone would come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. I get o read books as part of my job, because it is classified as training and discipleship. I get to study the Bible for my job. I can work out of my home.....or I don't have to. I have 30 tubs of cookie dough in my fridge because of my job. Just lots to be grateful for!

Next week, my brother in law, who is in InterVarsity student at  (cough, cough, insert rival school name, cough, cough)is coming to Albion to share with students how God has changed their InterVarsity chapter through prayer and evangelism. I am excited to hear what he is going to share. I am excited for Albion students to "get it," and to be mobilized in mission.
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The photography business......growing like crazy. We met with a business consultant last night and let me say... O V E R   M Y   H E A D. There is a reason I am not in business. So much to do! But, we are growing and need to be legal, pay taxes, etc, so it is time to start this thing.

There is never NOT something to do with the photography business. Always seem like there is something to edit, a cd to be made, a client to get back to, props to make or buy, research on business planning, etc. Always somethin. I love and hate it. I love that it is growing and is giving me some extra income and allowing me to pursue a passion. Not so excited that I go to bed guilty knowing that I have 2 weddings, to 2 senior sessions to be edited. Not to mention the 5000 pictures of Caleb on my computer that I have never even looked at, let alone edit, because I have to do work pictures first.

The plumber's house always has the leaky faucet, right? :)
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Currently reading:
Still finishing the Bible------almost through the Old Testament
God on Campus
Longing for More
Women in the Church
Romans

* I could probably write a whole blog post on what I am learning through each of these books*
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I love fall.
I love the coolness, the leaves, the clothes, the colors, the flavors. LOVE IT.
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Tonight the Strike Team from the International House of Prayer in Kansas City is coming to Albion. Cannot wait. Caleb will be with me, so I imagine that it will be an early night, but still. Cannot wait.

I had a summer goal to make it to the International House of Prayer in Elkhart, IN, but for reasons beyond my control, could not make it there this summer. Who wants to go with me this year? On a Tuesday night I believe.....
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I really like coupon shopping.  
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Caleb is huge.

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Hello, my name is Kristin, and I am addicted to Pinterest.
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The randomness, must come to an end.

Just a little picture of what I do and why I do it!

Transform-Renew-Change from InterVarsity twentyonehundred on Vimeo.

Traverse Vacation: Wedding Edition (Part 2)

The real reason we went to Traverse City was for a wedding of an Albion InterVarsity student who graduated in May. We met some other Albion students up there and had a great time!  

 

Table favors--little jars of jam

I believe that Becca said she was trying to be Asian here.....

Cara! Your eyes, beautiful!!

The happy couple

The other happy couple

Becca, do you need help working the camera? Doesn't she look cute rockin the side pony?

Awwww. Some of my favorite girls (and Jon)

Cara and Jon

My attempt at being a paparazzi

Ending the night on a very very good note

These days have been long and tiring. The past few have been someone difficult as I figure out a schedule for our family, process through some of what the Lord is showing me and walking obedience that is simply terrifying at times. I didn't even want to start today, because I knew what was ahead. I knew that there could be some hard conversations with students, I knew that I would be on campus until 9pm at the earliest and would have to come home and put in a few hours of work and my house is...well, you can tell it is NSO season. 

And yet. 

What a fabulous day. 

So different than I had anticipated. 

Difficult small group leaders meeting as we wrestled with scripture and what God might be saying. I had to eat some humble pie during this time. Lord, are you REALLY leading us to step out in faith this way. (I know the answer is yes, but I am hoping that if I keep asking God will change His mind. It works that way, right?) 

In spite of the above, I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE that God has allowed me to partner with Him in His work There is nothing about me that is good that deserves this. I am so grateful for the students I work with. I am constantly blessed and humbled by them. 

Ah, the greatness of good conversation. 

And then, I had leftovers in my fridge to make some quesadillas for 2 students. A fun impromtu lunch! 

Those same students sat on my couch, played guitar and sang for about an hour. Lovely! 

Caleb went down for a fabulous nap. 

Caleb calls me "George." I have no idea why, but it cracks me up, and I call him George. I think he has started an inside joke with me that I don't know about. Whatever the reason, he gets a pretty big laugh out of me every time he says it. 

More greatness....Another great conversation with a student 

More greatness....receiving mail from my other half...er....my other 1/3. I went to the mail box today, found a post card from China and Chinese stationary and a card. I simply had to take time to START my letter back to Krista, still not finished. I could write a whole post about Krista and our relationship. Maybe another time. But receiving mail from her....so good. Good news from a distant land. 

More greatness......God is working on campus in UNbelievable ways. WOW. I know, vague, right? 

More greatness......Jon has had a song idea brewing in his head for months. Tonight, he sat on the couch and played it for me. It is the mesh of two songs and I LOVE it. I love the music, the lyrics, my husband playing it, but most of all I am inspired by his vision of choosing these two songs. It shows me how God is working in His heart and speaking to him through music. 

And just as I thought I was going to bed I receive this email from a friend...and cried....because seriously, I am blessed today. 

Hey Kristin,

Thinking of you...

 ³ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:3-6)

² I always thank God for ... you, mentioning you in my prayers. ³ I continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 ⁴ For I know, you Kristin loved by God, that he has chosen you, ⁵ because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. ⁶ You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. ⁷ And so you became a model to all the believers...  (I Thess. 1:2-7) 

Was sharing a few stories from the past and thought you should know what came to mind.  Thanks.

In Christ,

M

I'm here, I'm really here, and my office is my car, and Jon's car, and the kitchen table and my actual office.

Just a bit of what has been going on lately.

A lot. It is New Student Outreach time, which is completely amazing and completely exhausting. It is difficult for me, because I don't enjoy all the New Student  stuff. I am not a big program person, I don't really enjoy meeting new people and I don't enjoy small talk. It is hard to be an introvert and act like an extrovert.

But I do it. I put on the faith, peace and joy that Jesus gives me. I lean into Him and lean onto His promise that He has called me to this campus for this season for His purposes and His glory. I can throw away my pleasures and my desires for the sake of the Gospel going forth on campus. On my own strength, not a chance, but living with joy in His strength.

What NSO has looked like this year.... (so far)....
-Chalking campus

-Follow up....going door to door getting to know students who may be interested in InterVarsity, interested in joining a small group, interested in learning more about God, etc.....

-Hosting a Welcome Tent, serving free hot dogs to any one who walked by, and of course starting spiritual conversations and inviting to InterVarsity

-Hosting a game night to get to know new folks better. I had so much fun at this, even though I hate games. I guess a few fun rounds of Spicey Uno and Catch Phrase can really convert me:)

-Emails. Texts. Emails. Texts. Emails. Texts. Emails. Texts.

-Training new small group leaders on how to lead inductive studies on campus. (insert giddy laugh, skips and jumps about how much I love my job).

-Jump into the book of Romans with said leaders.

-Briton Bash: Code for all of the student organizations on campus gather on the quad to promote their group. All students must attend Briton Bash if they want to eat:) We meet a lot of people who are looking for a Christian group and a lot of people who aren't. Those are the fun conversations:))

A few of my favorite God moments of NSO....(and conversations had) 


-A student comes to our table at Briton Bash--- "I am not a Christian. I am a  Buddhist from (asian country). I want to learn about God. Can I join? "

-Meeting a girl who has lived all over the world, and is really jaded by world religions. I asked if she would be interested in InterVaristy and she declined. As we talked, I told her that I am not surprised at her reaction, that the Jesus she has known about is not the Jesus I follow, and if I saw only what she saw I would be really turned off too. I asked her if she would like to meet and learn more about Jesus. She said yes:)

-We are meet SEVERAL international students that want to learn about who God is.

-One girl from an Asian country....In an airport from her country to here, she saw a Bible and decided to buy it. She thought it would be a good way to learn English and she could learn about God too. She asked one of the InterVaristy students if they could read it together.


So there you have it. An NSO run down if you will.

And now I am off to bed. Can't wait for Labor Day weekend. I can only live on 6 hours of sleep for so long, unlike my husband.

NSO

It is officially NSO season..(NEW STUDENT OUTREACH). I will be spending the next few weeks getting to know students, building relationships, doing a lot of publicity for InterVarsity, etc.

Tonight we chalked campus. For those of you who have not had the privilege of chalking, your back, knees and knuckles thank you. Sidewalk chalk may be fun as a kid, maybe even as a parent, but when you are chalking an entire campus, hoping that 2000 people will see your beautiful artwork (er.....publicity), well, body parts start to ache.

Here is how I spent my night:)

Just in case you were wondering what is going to be going through my mind in the next 2 months

Mission: Detroit 2011

 First Baptist Church in Albion took their first trip to Detroit for an urban missions trip. It was a great experience, with lots of potential and contacts made for future trips. Here is the group, (minus the two college students that met us there). It was the hottest week in decades, but you would never know by this picture. We are ready to roll!

 The poor, poor people that had to ride in the van without air conditioning! 

 Impact Church was our home for a few days. It was SUCH a blessing to come back to an airconditioned sleeping area. We ate our meals here, slept here, and showered here. I am proud of our group for dealing so well with 1 shower for 24 people. Way to go team! 

On Thursday we set off to work at Hope Church. Hope Church put us to work! Amber and Grace made a drab white hallway into an ocean mural.....

 Hope Church also put us to work in their garden. There are over 41 square miles of empty land in Detroit, why not plant a garden? There are no stores that sell produce within the city limits of Detroit---makes it hard to eat healthy! How do people get fresh produce if they don't have money...another advantage of community gardens! Speaking of community.....gardening together brings the neighborhood together!  

 And then more work at Hope Church......working with their kids camp. They have an 8 week kids camp, serving from 40-100 kids. 

Friday we sent groups to the Detroit Rescue Mission. The center we went to was a center for ex convicts re entering society. Our team prepared meals, served meals and cared for the men in attendance. 

 Also on Friday some of the team was sent to work at Impact Church, doing some cleaning work. The kids did awesome!!!!

 Following the work on Friday we went a local home and had a soul food dinner. It was great!! Delicious! We also met with a couple from Albion who have moved to Detroit to live intentionally for ministry purposes. 

Saturday we spent more time cleaning at Impact and then.....to Greek Town!!! Wahoo. Gotta love Greek Town in Detroit. 

In my own little corner

• In a few hours, I leave for Detroit. Our church is going on an Urban Missions Trip and I am so excited to be a part of it. It seems strange to be packing and getting the whole family (all three of us) ready for this. I am always the one to leave, to go on these trips, to staff these trips with college students as well as a variety of other travel fun. This time....me, my hubster and the baby. Wow. All of us. Feels great, even if I am weirded out. 

Because I will have my "Mom hat" on, amongst other things, I have a feeling that a lot of my time will be spent with Caleb and other kids. This will be different!

I am currently reading the Bible through in 90 Days. It has been a sure test of discipline. I have loved it. It has been hard to not dig deep and study, but I am reminded of the importance of a Biblical Overview. It has been 10 days and I have covered Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and am currently in Numbers.

My to do list is bigger than the alloted amount of time in a day. When will that change?

I had a brush with insanity this week. The last straw dropped and I went to the salon and had Caleb's head shaved. Wow. I am both mourning and rejoicing. No more sticky, yucky food hiding in his afro, no more combing and picking through, no more tantrums with the grease, no more worried that his hair will get wet and then I will have to comb it out again.....but HE LOOKS SO    B I G.  Can someone please come and tell him to stop growing?

I have a few hours before we leave for Detroit. I need to finish my Bible reading for the day, clean out the car, pack the car, pick up cat food, find coolers, fans and paint supplies and work on some of our Bible Studies for our time in Detroit. Can't wait to take a few pictures in the city.....and then of course bring them to you:)

Not here.

When one part of the body is broken we all are.  We may not know the details, but we know that something is wrong, that something is not working as it sure. 

At first, it is hard to recognize it. We don't call it for what it is. We call it "brokenness." And it is. It is so broken. Sooner or later, we need to come from behind the facade of brokenness and call it for what it truly is.  

Sin. 

Ouch. The politically incorrect word. The word we must avoid. 

And yet, when we avoid it, it gets deeper and deeper. What once started off as something attractive, is now becoming destructive and rearing its ugly head. 

Take this piano for instance. In its hay day, it was used to lead others in musical worship on Sunday mornings. It was a tool that led people into God's presence. It was valuable.

As time passes, the piano gets left behind. It is no longer tuned regularly, or taken care of properly. It can no longer serve the purposes for what it was created to do.

Much like our sin. Once it gets a foothold in our lives, it takes root. It holds on and begins controlling us and making us do things that are against God's word. We do thing that are not glorifying to God and will in the end hurt us and our relationships.




l

Before we know it, the sin is getting bigger and bigger. It is becoming blatant and obvious to everyone around us. Sometimes we recognize is and sometimes it takes the words, observations and careful reflections of those who speak truth. Either way if we don't stop it, it start to control us rampantly. It is no longer just an ugly part of our life that is not bringing glory to God, but the ugly part is ruling our attitudes, thoughts and actions. 

The gasoline has been poured. 

The match has been lit. 

Once the match is lit, everything catches fire,quickly. Even the parts that are not on fire are being affected. The wind blows, the air is filled with smoke, people are coughing, things are covered in soot. They may not even know where it all came from, or the cause of the fire, but they are surely being influenced by it. The fire cannot go unnoticed.

Before you know it, sin has overtaken, and we can no longer be what we were created to be.

We have been walking through some junk with some people. We have see sin take hold in lives and bring ruin.

Today, I became aware of  my own incredible, nasty, destructive sin. It doesn't look quite as ugly as a burning piano, but I know how quick of a leap this can be. Lord, stop it now! May my life bring You glory. I don't want to walk in disobedience.

When I see the sin creep up in my life, I want to stomp it out and walk away from it. I will shout from the roof tops...NO MORE, NOT HERE.   I will do battle on my knees.

A Whole lot of new and I think I like it.

Do you recognize these girls? They (we) are the women behind Ordinary Miracles Photography. We are in business and now have our website up and running!!!! Please check it out, let me know what you think. What do you like about it, what would you like to see changed, etc? 


This is new. 


A new busy. A new busy filled with photo shoots and then hours of editing after said shoots. It is a new busy trying to balance the rest of life with this new, grand adventure. 


We have been busy with photo shoots. It is awesome and so life giving. I love it so much. I experience God behind the camera and through photos. I get excited and energized. 


Now that it's official, I am waiting for YOUR business! Who's next?

And then there is a different new. 

The new of having a toddler. A full blown, emotional, stubborn, independent, loving, affectionate, stubborn toddler. Some think he may have gotten his stubborness from his mother, but I have no idea what they are talking about.

This is so new for me. I never thought I would love an 17 month old. I mean, come on. Who falls in love with that tantrum thrower in the doctors office? Oh, how I love him. He is so fun. What a great age.  And all the while I am completely in shock that I love this age so much. This is a whole love of new. 


And then there is the newness of my job. Each fall the Michigan Division of InterVarsity holds a fall conference. We are anticipating over 600 people in attendance (students, staff and volunteers). During the conference the students pick a track to be involved in. We are expecting about 50 students per track. Because of the growth, we have had to add new tracks. Enter me.

I am in the process of developing a curriculum for this track time as well as directing the track during the conference. I am so so so excited for it. I am excited to dive deep into scripture, to work with staff and to help students experience God in a trasnformational way through scripture. The track is going to be called, "1 Samuel: Hey, I am talking to you!"

This is so new. I have never directed a track, let alone writing all of the curriculum for it. It is going to be stretching, and challenging. I am going to have to depend on God for strength and direction. It is going to be so good. 


Because sometimes new, is good. 

Seeing New Life

About 3 years ago I was ready to quit. I hated my job. I was sure that I was hearing God's voice wrong. I was sure that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I would never see the fruit of my labor, the fruit of my prayers and see God be glorified on campus.

During that time, God used some prophetic words and spoke into me Isaiah 42. He didn't just bring this passage to mind, but He has someone pray that passage of scripture over me, and to speak into it. I was challenged to live out the truths in the passage and spent the next few months memorizing that chapter.

It was my hope, my drink in the desert, my rest in a dry and weary land.

"Behold, the former things have come to pass,
         Now I declare new things;
         Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you."(Isaiah 42:9)

I clung to Isaiah 42:9. The old things are gone!!! God is doing a new work, He told me! I may not see it yet, but He told me. He gave me hope, to keep going, to keep pressing on and to keep pursuing Him. He gave me excitement and encouragement. 

Today, I was able to see some of the things that God had proclaimed to me. I was able to see those things spring forth. Today we celebrated what God has done on campus in the last year and what He is going to continue to do. 

Today we planted plants together.

 We know that if we take care of the seeds, give them the correct amount of sunlight, water them, weed them, they will eventually turn into a plant---

We trust that, because people have done it before us. We trust that because we have planted before and have seen results.

So we planted.

As we part ways for the summer, we will spend it praying, fasting and preparing for next year. We are trusting that God will continue to bring the increase, that He will continue to let us see the things that He has proclaimed to us.

 These girls ----
  invade my house
    drink my coffee
      babysit my child
       borrow my car
          eat my food
             watch my tv
               challenge me
                  text me when I am asleep
                    are family

These girls, whom I have come to love so dearly in the past year are the answer to my prayers. They are the start of God revealing all that He had proclaimed 3 years ago on that cold November day. 

They get silly sometimes...........

And sometimes spill their soil

Did I mention, spilling soil down Lily's shirt?

Thank You Lord for Your faithful promise. Thank You for sustaining me through proclaiming what You will do, and giving me encouragement. Thank you for this year. It has been the best yet.