Glory

Right now we are on our last leg of our trip. In a few days we'll be heading home and each person will go their separate ways. Right now we are in Wengen, Switzerland to debrief our trip as a summer project. We have been spending time together resting, and  processing through some of the things the Lord has done these last five weeks.

It is so incredibly beautiful here - probably the most beautiful place I have ever been to. God's creation is incredible, and being here in the Swiss Alps in Wengen is just a glimpse of His glory, which is incredible to me - almost unfathomable. Yesterday we all climbed about 20,000 feet into the Alps, and the view was breathtaking. Something I've been thinking about is, it's easy to give the Lord glory here, seeing such a huge, beautiful, magnificent creation right before my eyes. But as I go home, my prayer is that I would still give Jesus the same glory, even with the everyday life stuff. . . He's still the same God, and He still deserves the same glory and praise regardless of my circumstances and environment.   

Take a look at some of the photos of Wengen below...

"Jesus Blessings" in Berlin. . .

*I'm thankful that the Lord has brought me to this place - for allowing me to come to Berlin (a place I've been wanting to come to for a while), and allowing me to see how He is working here.

*I'm renewed and have a fresh sense of how broken people are after just being here for 5 weeks. I'm thankful that the Lord has broken my heart even deeper for the lost, and He's shown me an even bigger sense of urgency that the world needs to know Him.

*I'm thankful for one particular conversation I had - thankful that the Lord led another student and myself to her, and I'm so thankful for her searching heart. The fact that she is so willing and so open is evidence that He is the one at work in her.

Jesus, thanks for revealing to me that your grace is abounding, and really helping me to believe that you do have enough to cover me. You are incredibly loving, and I don't think I'll ever fully comprehend your love and character. Thank you for your infinite love and grace.

Beautiful City. Berlin.

Here are a few pictures from the last week or so... enjoy!

:) 

 On top of the Berliner Dom

Liz & I in front of the Berliner Dom

 TV Tower

 Trying to be artsy...

Women of Berlin SP '11!! 

Berliner Dom and TV Tower 

Holocaust Memorial 

 Brandenburg Gate

 Brandenburg Gate 

 Coffee date with a good friend by the river :)

 This is Ampelmännchen (traffic light man). He is all over Berlin.

Outside of the Berliner Dom

There are bears all over the city, and I am on a mission in the next 5 weeks to find as many as possible!!

Berlin-bound

Many of you know that I'll be heading to Berlin soon. (Tomorrow actually!) Right now I'm in Chicago staying with a friend, and in less than an hour, I'll be heading to a different part of the city to meet my entire team, (about 30 students, and 10 staff) where we'll prepare for the trip, and then fly out tomorrow afternoon on two different flights.

While there, our goal will be to to engage with and share Christ with students at the different universities there. In Berlin there aren't just German students, but students from all over the world that attend the universities there. So we really have a great opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with people from all over the world while we are there!

I'm both excited and a little nervous to go to Berlin. I know this is going to be a time that the Lord is going to stretch me. I know I will be completely out of my element and comfort zone, but I know that it will all be for His glory, and His name is going to be spread. I'm excited to see how the Lord is going to move.

One thing that really breaks my heart is the spiritual reality of this place. When asked "“What do you think happens when you die?” they answer “it’s just black. it’s just over.” And when asked, “Do you know anyone that believes that Jesus rose from the dead?”… they say, “I don’t know anyone who believes that!” Some also say: "I wish I could believe what you do, but I just can't..." A lot of the history that has happened in this city and in this country has shaped a lot of how people think and believe some of the things that they do.

Below is a video I've attached to give you more of a picture of some of the spiritual realities in Germany. Please join me in praying for some of the hearts of those students that we will meet. Please also pray for my team in the next few days as we travel, and as we arrive in Berlin, and that we would adjust quickly.

"Immediately they left and followed him"

So, recently I have felt really blessed to be where I'm at, here at MSU. I am constantly amazed that I get to work alongside an amazing staff team, who love the Lord so much, wanting to see Him glorified and making His name known.

Below is a picture of my staff team. (They are hilarious, and a joy to work with) :)

I also love the students here. I'm constantly amazed and challenged by them because not only do they want to share Christ with others, but they aren't satisfied with contentment. They are always taking steps of faith to encourage one another and point each other towards Christ. It's how I was able to grow so much as a student. So many women poured into my life, showing me the truth and love of Jesus and how the Gospel applied to my life, and I don't know where I would be today had it not been for those women.

This summer some of the students thought it would be a great idea to come up with some sort of bible reading plan. Since going home for some students can be a tough time, because they aren't surrounded by a community of Christians (like they are at MSU) having a plan is sometimes helpful for some people so they know how to read/where to go to in the word. So, some students got together at the end of the semester and came up with a plan. They named it NT90X (similar to P90X... the exercise plan) because it is a plan that goes through the entire New Testament throughout the summer.

Well, I'm trying to follow along with the plan along with the students. This afternoon I was reading a passage in Matthew 4. And, what I love about the Word is that it's unlike anything else, and each time I open it up, the Lord seems to reveal something new to me every time.

I was reading from Matthew 4 - and I think it would have been absolutely incredible to be there when Jesus called His disciples to Himself... simple, ordinary fishermen, who probably went out to do what they normally would do each day, to make end's meet, to provide for their families, and bring home food for the day. This was their way of life as they knew it; but that particular day Jesus had something completely different planned for them.
He just showed up on the sea of Galilee, saw these guys working, and told them to [Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.] (vs. 19-22)

And the most incredible thing is, they just dropped everything to follow Him! [Immediately they left their nets and followed him] (vs. 19)
I'm amazed by this - like, what was running through Peter's, Andrew's, James', and John's heads? I mean maybe they questioned it, but they had to have faith, because they ended up giving everything up, leaving everything behind (even their father in the boat! - vs. 22) and followed Him!! It was the beginning of Jesus' incredible ministry here on earth, and the incredible transformation in these men's hearts and in their lives, as they were about to witness things they probably had never even imagined.

I look at what Jesus has done throughout history, what He has conquered, what He continues to do... and throughout it all, He is a PERSONAL God, calling people into a personal relationship with Himself, calling people to "follow me and I will make you fishers of men." (4:19)

Everything you've done and continue to do is a demonstration of an incredible love story that will never end. I just pray that you will give me the faith, like those disciples that you are worth it, and so trustworthy to follow. You are so worth it. Thank you for loving me.

Truth

This is good:

"Death is dead!!
Your hope and mine in Christ is that one day we will be with God.
One day, we will be with Him"

-Ravi Zacharias

"...for they know not what they do..."

If you get the chance, please watch this. My pastor, Noel spoke a couple of weeks ago and the Gospel is very explicit here. Not only is it clear, but at the end he addresses some lies that Christians can sometimes believe in spite of being called Sons and Daughters in His Kingdom. He points out that no one is beyond redemption, and that in Christ, we are secure in Him.

Watch it... you'll be happy you did, I promise!! :)

[Your salvation is not anchored on your fears, or on your doubts... but on the PROMISE of God. If you have truly placed your faith in Him, then you are safe and secure in His hands, and no one can take that away... no one is beyond redemption]

Painted Red

"If I could not hold a pen
I would write of You on my heart instead
You have bought me with Your blood
And I am painted red by Your love"

-painted red; jj heller

[He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.]
Colossians 1:13-14

Painted Red

I will uphold you...

What I read this morning: 

"fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will [uphold] you with my righteous right hand." 

Isaiah 41:10

I've read this verse a million times, but I've taken its meaning for granted. God blessed me with it this morning by showing me His comfort, and showing me that He is a good God who will provide. One thing I'm learning is that Jesus is the only constant in the midst of chaos and uncertainty in life. He says that He WILL uphold me with His righteous hand, and it's so sweet... I am so blessed that He chooses little, undeserving me.

The word "uphold" means these things, according to dictionary.com

1.  to support or defend, against opposition or challenge
2.  to keep up or keep from sinking
3.  to lift upward; raise
4.  to take care of

This gives me a greater perspective and picture of God's love... that He is for me, (Romans 8:31) and I can confidently run into His arms knowing that He won't ever forsake me.  Such a concept I so often need to be reminded of.


[ ³¹What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ...For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.]  Romans 8:31-39

Comfort

Wow... so it's been a while since I've posted. I knew I wouldn't be the best at this whole blog thing.

So, I can't take a whole lot of time right now updating this because I'm in Panama City Beach. Me and about 5 other staff were here on a spring break trip with about 75 college students...we were here this week for a conference this week to grow in our relationship with God and to be equipped to share our faith, and got to also put it into action. [more pictures to come later!!]
I actually learned a ton on this trip... the teaching was amazing. It's been awesome, but it's the tail end of the trip and I really need to pack. (I wish everything would just jump into my suitcase...)

But, before I forget, just a couple of my thoughts...

I feel like an over-arching theme of my entire year so far has been on learning how to be content with where Jesus has placed me. The post-college era is a weird one. I'm not surrounded by my closest friends anymore. If I want to talk to them, I have to make an effort in advance to skype them or have a phone date (what would we do without technology?) It's all new and different than what I've been used to in the past. For those of you that know me well, you'll know that quality time is my top love language :) So being away from people that I love is a step of faith for me. And although I love my job and what I get to do, it is hard sometimes balancing this new stage of life, and what my heart sometimes longs for.

I think what I'm trying to get at is that I haven't been called to a life of comfort, and so I shouldn't be looking to be comfortable. Jesus came to this earth, and nothing about His life was a picture of being comfortable.
He came to save and take our sins... easier said than done. I mean, He is God. So, when I think about this it completely blows my mind that He even gave up that right to come down... to an earth of sin and walk here with men so that we might live. And then the death He suffered, just so I might live...

This is the first time in my life where I have really have been challenged to know and cling to just Jesus... not anyone else, not anything. Just Him.
I'm learning for the first time that Jesus is my rock, and although my circumstances have changed, and life looks different now, He doesn't change. And the minute I start to think that I might be a little bit uncomfortable, I need to look to Jesus and think about the things He yielded and gave up - for me.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. [Isaiah 53:4-6]

Love Out Loud

I thought I would give an update from the outreach that we had a couple of weeks ago. On Friday, February 11th we had an outreach called "Love Out Loud." It took place in one of the dorms on campus (Wonders Hall), and it was a music outreach... our worship team/music teams help to put it on. To give you a quick picture, it was a coffee-house atmosphere, with live music (both secular and Christian music) centered around the topic of God's love. And, there was coffee provided too :) The people playing the music shared parts of their stories on how God's love for them has impacted their lives.

Here is a quick picture for how "Love Out Loud" actually looked...
There are some video clips, as well as some pictures too. (Hopefully this will give you a picture for how the event turned out.)













Here are some videos from the night:


The MC's gave an update for how the evening went


Steph, Genna and I sing/play "Revelation Song"


Andy, Drew, and Jon sing "Never Let Go"


A short clip of one of the student's (Drew) stories, before he sang. This will give you a better picture for what the night looked like... people would talk about their stories, God's love for them, and then they would share a set of a few songs afterward.


Erica, Cidney, and James sing/play "How Sweet It Is"


Drew, Andy and Jon sing/play "Your Love Never Fails"


This is what the room looked like, as people were free to mingle with the people around them, drink coffee, and enjoy the music


Rob enjoys his mocha as the evening goes on. :)


Thank you so much for partnering with me in prayer over this event. It was a HUGE success as I watched God move in bigger ways than I expected. He was definitely at work in the hearts of students. We were amazed to watch as roughly 150-200 students flooded the room throughout the night, and came to hear about the Love of God. One of my more specific prayers that I had throughout the week was that non believing students would come to the event, and that it wouldn't be a place that just believers/Christians would gather. Our heart behind this event was that God would reach those who needed to hear the Gospel and His Truth, and that the environment would be a friendly place for them to come. Well, He did just that.

After the evening was all the way through, I heard several different stories of people that had very intentional conversations with people, about life and the Lord... and how He is at work. Thank you for all of your prayers... I know God was working on Friday, and He is continuing to work in the hearts of students.

It is so cool to see transformed lives here, watching Him draw students to Himself. Thanks again, for investing in the lives here at Michigan State. I really appreciate your prayers and support. I love being a part of what God is doing here.

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!"
Psalm 150:6

Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?

So, I thought before I started posting different things on here, I would start by first explaining where I am right now...

Right now I'm currently an intern with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) at MSU. I absolutely love it. You might be wondering, what does being an intern entail? Well, I can try to explain that to you :)

First of all let me start by saying that I think it's absolutely incredible that my job is to tell people about Jesus. I am able to share with them this treasure and hope that I have.

At Michigan State specifically, there are about 50,000 students enrolled at the University. There are about 20 of us on our staff team, and a lot of us are split up into different parts of the campus, where we get the opportunity to get to know the students, forming relationships, and following up with students who have shown interest in what it means to have a relationship with Jesus. (This is such a general description...)

I get the privilege of leading two bible studies in two different areas of campus, as well as participating in discipleship with different students as well. I also get to help oversee the worship ministry (as well as getting to play the piano in one of the bands too) :)

I have loved getting the opportunity to be a part of what is going on here at Michigan State this year. After finishing support raising and reporting here at the beginning of September, I began to see just a glimpse of what this year was going to look like. So far it has been quite an adventure, and I've learned a lot - one of the biggest things I've learned is to rely a lot on the Lord. And, I'm learning that I cannot do anything apart from Him.

This has been one of the greatest things God continues to teach me as I go throughout my life here, and continue to learn how to transition from not being a college student anymore, but being a "real" adult... whatever that means. I'm seeing that if I don't sit at His feet each day, then I literally cannot make it throughout my day, because it is impossible to string myself along.

I'm excited for what Jesus is going to continue to teach me, and for the things He's going to do here. But for now, I really should probably get to bed. Until next time...

Beginning

So I decided to start a blog. I think I'm self-conscious and I've been apprehensive to start one because I'm afraid I won't be good at it, or a frequent blogger and eloquent in the way that I write. But I changed my mind for a couple of reasons... one being, I love to write, and I do a better job of expressing myself through writing. I also think it's a great way to keep in touch with so many people that I love.

Secondly, there is so much that has been happening here already in just the four short months that I've been living in Lansing and interning at MSU, so I would love to share as much as I can. Usually I think of things in the moment that I would like to share with people, and then the next second, I forget what I wanted to say! I think this blog will hopefully do a good job of helping me keep up :)

Well, I need to run. But until next time, love to you all.