For your viewing pleasure!

Well, here's a few pics that I was able to get from
a few of the guys on the team! Thanks again to
everyone who prayed for me, supported me,
encouraged me, and loved me! I can't wait to
GO BACK AGAIN some day!!!



Helping one of my favorite girls with her ballloon!




My Tambis and Tungajis (little brothers & sisters)

















Duck duck goose! I just LOVE these kids!





























The STN property where we stayed in tents all month!





























In Ella with only a couple more days to go...

Post Lanka

When I got back from my trip, one of my leaders told me that nothing at home would have changed...that everything and everyone would be the same despite my life changing and passion invoking experience.

I thought I was at least a little bit prepared come down from my mountain top experience...

I had no idea it would be this hard to come back to everything I know so well and am so comfortable with. It is so easy to get consumed with getting back into the "groove" (i.e. the grind) of things that it is easy to forget about the last month. Everything in Sri Lanka was the complete opposite of how it is at home. I slept in a tent on the floor for a month, showered in dirty well water, it was 100 degrees with 100% humidity, we were covered in a layer of dirt, bugs and sweat at all times; we ate and drank dirty food and water that would never pass standards here in America; we loved the unlovable, we touched the unclean, we blessed those that persecuted us...Jesus was seen through our actions because the language barrier proved to be quite an obstacle and we couldn't even tell them about Christ.

I find myself completely unsatisfied with my life as I know it. There has been something ignited within me that I can't seem to ignore. God has invoked passion within my spirit that I can't deny and all I want to do is run, whole heartedly, towards those desires He has placed there. The comfort, the pedicures, the nice clothes, my cute car, air conditioning, my comfortable bed, golf, volleyball, working out - all things geared towards me and my comfort or happiness aren't enough anymore...there is so much more to life than that. Life isn't about me and my comfort and what I can accumulate to try and make me feel better. Life isn't about you and your comfort either.

The only thing that matters is God. He is the beginning and the end. He is the first and the last. He is the only one worthy of all the glory and all the praise. Everything is completely and utterly about Christ and the ironic thing is that He calls us out of our comfort.

I think too many Christians are content with being comfortable for the rest of their lives. They are comfortable with going to church on Sunday, sitting in a seat, being a consumer, compartmentalizing their lives from one thing to the other and having no concept of what is going on outside their own little 3 mile radius of their white picket fence in suburbia.

There is a world that is suffering and dying and we, as Americans, have no idea what that means. We have no concept of what it means to be uncomfortable. We have no idea what it means to live in a 10x10 cement room for our entire lives, to live in fear of religious leaders and what they will do to our families if we associate with certain people. We have no clue what it's like to live off of .40 cents a day (maybe) and to never have a car or a computer or a cell phone or a camera or even clean clothes, deodorant, ice and soap.

We don't know what it's like to be uncomfortable and when we think we are, we immediately seek the first thing out there that will give us that temporary comfortable feeling that will suppress our lack of satisfaction for at least a little while longer.

So many Christians pray and pray for God to "give them a sign" or to "send me anywhere, because I will go..." Jesus has already given us the command to "Go and make disciples..." Why are Christians so full of inaction towards the desires in their heart that God has placed there for us to pursue? Those desires are there so that God's plan can be fulfilled here on earth for His glory...why do we no commit to act on anything that will encourage heaven on earth and having the opportunity to live fully alive in Christ?

How comfortable are you?

Stair Stepping...

We arrived in Ella to find a completly different side of Sri Lanka. It's quiet, it's about 15 degrees cooler (thank God), it rains, there are huge mountains that shoot straight up from the ground, and our hotel has clean, hot, running water with a view that is to die for! We are just relaxing and going over things of our trip these last couple days...tomorrow we head off for Colombo to fly across the world again!

We just got back from a hike up in the mountains...we walked to a completly different mountain in search for a cave that was used as an ancient temple and has statues and stuff in it...with all the trails, no map, and no clue where we were going, we were unsuccessful in our cave hunt...but we got rained on, walked up about 600 stairs straight up the side of a mountain (talk about cardio), and had a great time!!!

I only have a couple minutes, so I'll keep this one breif. I'll try and write another one before I head off...this trip has changed so much of my life and where I want to go after this...it is just the beginning to a new chapter in the adventure God has for me! I can't wait to see what comes next!!!

Honey, the chickens are gone!!!

The Sri Lankan police came to the STN property today to check out the "scene" of the crime for the robbery of my camera, cell phone, ipod and money. They gave me two options...I can either lie and say my things were "lost on the beach," they would write me a police report right then and there, I would have physical evidence to give to the insurance company back home, or I could state in the report that it was a robbery (telling the truth), and stay in Sri Lanka until they found the theives and the case closed. If I left the country, the case would be dropped and I would receive no documentation about the incident and wouldn't have anything to turn in for insurance...

Do I lie, or bend over and take it?

I really felt like I wasn't to lie about the situation...I was really struggling with not receiving any documentation and brokedown and cried in front of 4 police officers and half of our team. In the middle of my frustration, God spoke to my heart and told me He was with me and would never leave me...then He gave me the word "missing." My things are missing (more specifically stolen), I would be able to receive the documentation I would need (hopefully I have insurance that will cover international travel otherwise I am screwed with getting a new phone, camera or ipod due to lack of funds).

My Sri Lankan police report now includes my "missing" items...as I sat in the police station (that smelled like urine) next to a typewritter on a desk (the one you have to manually push to the other side after finishing one line of words), and as a Sri Lankan police officer tried to "copy" (hand writting onto another piece of "official" paper), I wondered if anything would be followed up on or if I would even see my stuff (most importantly my pictures) ever again.

Just then, a family came in and our translator told us they were taking 2 men to court because the men stole two of the family's chickens.

At least God has a sense of humor in letting me know that He is with me in every situation, He cares about me so much, and He loves to bless me so that I can be a blessing to others...

Home in T-minus 5 days!

Bless those who persecute...

We had a break in last night. I had almost $200 stolen (all of my money), my camera with hundreds of pictures from the last 3 years, my ipod, and my palm cell phone and 2 USB storage sticks taken. Another girl had all of her money stolen and another guy had his video camera stolen. Whoever did it came onto our property in the middle of the night, cut through our tents with a knife (right by our heads), and took our stuff. We are all ok, we all still have our passports (thank God) but we are a little rattled.

The Bible says to "bless those who persecute you," so whoever took my stuff, I pray that they would look at the pictures and see the love we have for the people here, I pray that they would listen to all the christian worship music on my ipod and salvation would come from this situation.

James 1:2-4 says, "When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great job. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."

Romans 8:28 says, "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them..."

I am so thankful that God is in control...He knows who did this, and He will use this situation for His glory. This situation is a little reminder that all that I own is God's and not mine...not my pictures (which I'm the most sad about), not my camera, not my cell phone, not my ipod...it's all His and I have to remind myself to constantly surrender my things and not hold onto them.

We have less than a week so please pray for protection for everyone else on the trip; pray for conviction to come to the parties involved in this violation; pray for them that they would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Pray that each person on our team would love these people here even more because God loves them just as much as He loves us. Pray for strength and endurance for the rest of the trip and as we prepare ourselves to travel for 30 hours back across the world that it would be an easy trip home.

Being a human being, it's easy to want to get back at a person when they do something wrong to you...your mind starts running a million miles an hour about "maybe hearing something in the middle of the night," or why didn't I put my stuff somewhere else, or why didn't the dogs bark, or why do people have to steal, why me, etc etc etc...but I trust that God is in control, and as a Christ follower, I am called to love these people and to bless those that persecute them. So that is what I am trying to do...love them even more than before and trust that God will use this situation for His glory and He will bring my stuff back or He will provide new things for me as a blessing.

I love you guys...thank you so much for your prayers. They are definatly needed more than ever...

I'll have the lobster...

The other day we had a birthday on the team, so we surprised Steven with a lobster dinner at a local restaurant. It was 650 rupies...which is about $6 in the US. We also had a local bakery bake a cake (which had the worst frosting I have ever tasted) but it was a great night to all be together, celebrate someone's life and all that God is doing in and through us!!!

Yesterday we held the first annual Aloha Surf Classic here in Arugam Bay for only local surfers. We worked in conjunction with the Arugam Bay Surf Association (a group of local guys here in town) and the contest was awesome!!! Almost the entire town came out to watch and support the 35 guys that competed. Having the town there, (especially the women and children outside of their homes) was incredible! We rarely see women out of their homes, so to have groups of families, women and children there was great!

One thing that made me smile was the moms bringing their sons water and fruit and stuff like that...reminds me of my mom doing that for me and all my volleyball girls. The nurturing side of the women was a different side to see from them since most of them seem less attached to their children and live in a state of fear most of their lives.

Surfing the Nations was invited back to do more surf competitions which was the point of our whole trip...to get our foot in the door (even though we have a residence property and a few missionaries working and living here), we wanted to be invited back, and to get the locals excited that we are here in town. We brought surf boards, trophies, leashes, stomp pads, hats, board shorts, wax and tons of other goodies for the winners and participants so it was a total blessing to these kids who usually share surf boards between the bunch of them!

The other day, our team all went on a 4 hour winding road trip to Kandy (the 2nd largest city here in Sri Lanka). It was a whole different world from Arugam Bay. The roads were smooth, there was a beautiful lake right in the middle of town, the houses were actually made from material instead of cement or mud or leaves, and there was tons of shopping! The streets were full of traffic, people, buildings, and theives.

A few of us girls got followed due to us having backpacks so the guys stepped up and protected us which was great. After walking around the busy streets for a while and chowing down some amazing indian food (rice and dhall), we headed off to one of the huge buddhists temples. Inside there were idols of all sizes, that people bring offerings to. Everything in my spirit cringed and was not at peace as we walked around this place...the courtyards were full of small temples that houses different idols and walking into them, I immediately wanted to worship the one true God, Jesus Christ, who comes to bring life (because He has conquered death through the cross) and who came to save the lost (not bring fear and ritual to them) beacuse He loves them unconditionally (not just because they bring offerings...but loves them as they are).

The fear in this land is so evident. The people walk everyday in fear of man and what the religious mausk leaders will do to them (even though they have "freedom" of religion). Pray against that spirit of fear here and pray for the seeds we plant as a result of this trip that they would produce abundant harvest for the kingdom of God!!!!

I have about a week left here in Arugam Bay, then we head off to Ella (which is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places here in Sri Lanka) to wind down and debrief before flying across the world again! I love and miss all of you guys tons!!

It's still hot and God is still good!!

The weather is brutal, hot and humid...we are constantly sweaty and have to wear clothes with sleeves and shorts or skirts past our knees (even in the water)...God help us!!! We have been playing with the kids a ton and it is so awesome to see God's love pour from us (as well as sweat) onto these kids.

I am picking up a few words and phrases in Tamil (the language here) so it's pretty fun to talk to the little kids and get to know their names.

More to come later...love you guys!!!!

God is stirring the pot and shaking things up. Our team has encountered a little situation with the local religious leaders here in Arugam Bay and Pottuville (the town right next to us). The other day when we took a group of kids down to the beach to play games, well, it created a problem. We were accused of teaching the kids how to pray, hanging out religious literature as well as political literature (all of these claims are false).

The Mausk (the powerful Islamic religious leaders in town) sent out a letter to everyone in the community making them aware of the "situation" which has made building relationships here in town a little tougher. We are not welcome to play with the kids during the day (a few families said we can come back at night when not as many people are watching) and there is definitely a wall that has been put up around the community with regards to hanging around us...but we serve a God who is bigger than the Mausk, we serve a God who already won the victory, we serve a God who shakes things up to challenge our faith, we serve a God who works all things out together for good, and we serve a God who is in control of every situation and we are confident that in the end, this community will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!!! We may not see it anytime soon because of the strong hold that surrounds this place with fear and religion, but God is still bigger than all of that and when it does happen, it will be all for His glory because He is the only one worthy of praise!

Please pray for this situation, pray for favor within the community, and a softening of hearts as we are here for another 2.5 weeks! Also pray that the "seeds" we plant here with the people we are working with would be planted on good soil and will bear fruit in God's perfect timing.

We have been playing games with more kids (these ones are from the Christian church here in town). We had about 50 of them out the other day and had a blast!!! I have just fallen in love with these children...they are so sweet and loving, adoring and joyful...they also love having their picture taken so I have a lot of them!!! (I just haven't posted any pics since it takes 34 minutes just to upload Facebook with the "amazing" Internet connection they have here)!!!

Yesterday was another great day...we went on a safari!!!! We got to climb into old school land rovers that you see in the movies, and drive through desert as well as jungle! We saw tons of elephants, a huge lizard, beautiful bright colored birds, water buffalo, crocodiles, a baby bald eagle, and tons more! At the end of the day we all were covered in dirt, I was tasting, chewing, smelling and seeing dirt...it was awesome!

Today we ate the most amazing meal in the entire world. We went to another town right down the road (this was the town that was completely wiped out during the Tsunami) and went to a family's house that STN knows and loves very much. They were so amazing and welcoming and cooked us a huge meal. We all sat on the ground, we were dirty, sweaty, starving, and ate rice, noodles, goat (yes, goat), fish, curry potatoes, spiced veggitables, pineapple, coconut wrapped in a crepe kind of thing with coconut milk/spiced pourage kinda stuff for dessert. We eat with our hands (so hand sanitizer is a must around here since there is rarely toilet paper also), we were hot, we were sweaty, we were full, it was great! (By the way, the food here is all made fresh from scratch so nothing is "fast." There also isn't a lot of protein intake that us American's want to eat due to the tendency to get food poisioning (which a few of the guys have gotten from "Buffalo Burgers" - sick...thank God I brought protein powder)!!!!!

Tomorrow is Sunday and our team will be running the local church service so pray for hearts to be open to everything that God wants to do through us! I will be working with the kids and I am so excited to share the amazing, extravagant, divine, unconditional LOVE that God has for them!!

I love and miss all of you (hi mom, hi dad...I'll call you soon)!! Continue your prayers...they are needed and they are working!!!!! Who knows...this trip may just spoil me to the "daily grind" at home and I may have just found my calling in all of the dirt and sweat, in a foreign land with people who don't speak the same language as me, with people that God loves just as much as He loves me!

I made it!!!!!

We made it to Sri Lanka!!! Everyone on the team is safe and in good spirits.

A few of us stayed up all night before our trip, we loaded the vans at 3am (in Hawaii) and headed off to the airport for our flight at 7am. We each had a personal checked bag, a checked bag that held toys and clothes for the people here in Sri Lanka, as well as a surf board that had a board and more clothes in it loaded. Needless to say, we had a small moving van bring our bags with us.

After about an 11 hour plane ride, we landed in Taipei, Taiwan and got right onto our next 4 hour flight to Bangkok. After getting through 2 hour customs, we had another hour left in our layover that would take us to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

We were halfway in our arrival trip.

After we landed in Colombo, a few of the guys that have been on the Surfing the Nations (STN) Property came and picked us up in a bus at 1am. We filled the entire back half of the charter bus (with no air conditioning...just open windows) the team crammed in the front half of the bus and headed off for our 11 hour bus ride to Araguam Bay (which is on the opposite side of the country).

After a local breakfast called Rotty (row-tee) (a flakey tortilla kind of thing with vegis) and squating over a hold in an outhouse (which is a common toilet here), we finished our trip and finally got to the STN property.

Araguam Bay is the complete opposite of everything that is at home in Boise. Here, the one main road through town is about 6 feet wide. The majority of transportation is done on foot or by a Tuk Tuk (which is a little covered moped). There are fruit and vegitable markets in the street, along with cows, chickens, goats, and dirt everywhere. You eat with your hands, you drink bottled water (because the local water can get you very sick), we shower with dirty well water, we are sleeping on the ground in tents, most of the toilets are squatting holes with no toilet paper, it is hot, it is humid, it is dirty, it smells weird, it is not sanitary by any means, I don't understand anything of what is being said (some speak broken english), there is no hair dryer or flat iron, no need for makeup or perfume, and yet I am completely comfortable. I am so amazed at the grace of God and how He can call a person out of their comfort zone and into a foreign land and have them doing exactly what they were made for...

Since we've been here, we have had such an amazing time!!! Today we went to an elementary school and taught the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders english. We will be doing that about twice a week. I had so much fun teaching the 3rd graders...a couple other girls and I had the class and taught them "Head, shoulder's, knees & toes," as well as a couple other songs. After going over different animals, fruits and vegitables with the kids, we headed off to town to get some skirts and have a local lunch (which, the food, by the way, is GREAT)! (and cheap)!

Yesterday, we went to a local gypsey village with a pastor and brought clothes and toys to the people there. It was such an amazing act of love towards these people, as we got to sing for them, play with the kids, (they are amazed with bubbles), pray with and for them, and just show the love of Christ.

There are a few local families that previous STN teams have established relationships with and so we have been hanging out with them quite a bit as well. There are a group of girls within one family that have stolen my heart and it is such a joy to play with them and to spend time with them. The other day they invited a few of us girls into their home (which is about 700 square feet, made of cement, you sit on the floor, there is 1 light, 1 clock on the wall and dirt everywhere). We sat on the ground with them as they used henna on our hands. One of the little girls sat on my lap the whole time and just loved being with me as I played with her hair, put a flower in her hair that was in mine, we took pictures (which they absolutly love to see themselves in the screen of the digital camera) and learned phrases and words in Tamil (the language they speak here).

The other day we also gathered about 20 kids from the neighborhood and went to the beach to play games with them. We played duck duck goose, partner tag, a woosh ball game, and more duck duck goose. It was the best time I have had in a long time...just to play with the kids, to laugh with them, to chase them...God is so good and continues to show His love for these people through our team.

On Sunday, we got to go to the local church (which is quite interesting since the majority of this area is muslim and buddhist and it takes a lot of boldness to go to the christian church for a local person). It was amazing to see that the Word of God is so universal and even though I didn't understand one word that was said, God was still at work in the lives of each of the Tamil people there. Next Sunday our team gets to run the service...I will be helping with worship and teaching the kids.

As we were sitting there, my heart just broke for each one of the little ones that were sitting there...I just started praying that not one of them would fall away from God and that they would each come to know and to love God with all that they are and all that they will ever be.

Being here really makes the bible more real. I know I'm not exactly in the same place at Jerusalem and places like that, but just being in an environment that gives life to the stories in the bible (such as the woman at the well...speaking to a woman here, if you are a man is not allowed), being in a market-place like this one, being in a dirt filled town with tiny shacks as houses and animals everywhere gives the bible more life to me.

One story that really has come to life is Jesus washign the disciples feet. Sure, being in America that might not have such a significant impact...we cover our feet, our streets are relatively clean, we sit at desks most of the time. Imagine walking around either barefoot or in sandles for your entire life...what your feet would look like...caloused, bruised, cut, broken open, dirty, scared, deformed, and having the Savior of the world humble Himself and serve you by washing your disgusting feet.

I serve such an amazing God

Another day in paradise...

Well, I have been in Hawaii for a couple days and I have to say it has been pretty rough ;)

I meet up with other members of my team tonight and tomorrow, we do some stuff to prepare for Sri Lanka and then we're off!!! I know God is doing some amazing things in my life as well as the lives of everyone else that is going...I'm excited to see the differences of people and their giftings and how we all come together!!

I'll try and get another update before I leave on Friday...so until then, pray for protection (since no weapon formed against us will prosper), and for the hearts of the Sri Lankan's to be prepared for all that God will do through us!!!

Love you guys!!

This is just the beginning...

I am headed off to Sri Lanka which is an island off of India in an area called the "10/40 window." This window (which is the latitude and longitude) in the Middle East holds two-thirds of the world's population, 85% of them live in the lowest poverty level and about 95% of them have never heard the Gospel or known the Love of Christ. I will be gone for an entire month with a group of 16 other people from around the world with the same goal...to fulfill the Great Commission by Going into all the world and sharing the amazing love of Christ.

There are certain callings in life that each of us have and we just know it's what we were meant to do. This is one of mine. I think all to often we miss our calling because they usually cause us to change, to get out of our comfort zone, and they require sacrifice. The Bible says that if we keep our lives, we will lose it, but if we give it away, we will gain life...this is what I love about the Bible. It's so provocative and is always the opposite of what we naturally want to do. In the end, making choices that line up with God's word will always work out for good (Romans 8) because the plans God has for us are always better than we could ever imagine; they are plans for hope and an amazing future (Jeremiah 29).

As I take one small step in the adventure God is calling me on, please pray. Read over John 17 as that prayer of Jesus has been my heart's prayer for me and every member of the team. I believe that we will have favor, blessing, and God will give us every area we place our feet and change the lives of everyone we touch in such a dramatic way that God will be the only one worthy of the glory. It's not the work that we will be doing, but the work that God will be doing through us that will be lifechanging...