Village 3

Welcome to my home.

Her name is Village 3 (so I'm not actually sure if I would refer to the bus as a she but if it was a ship it would be a she so why not. A bus is really just a ship with wheels right?!?!)

This is my beautiful front door.

First stop, my bedroom: complete with pillow and blanket. I have become quite well acquainted with this seat and it has been a faithful friend.

Extensive art gallery: drawn by Faith and I on one of our longer bus rides. I am partial to it; it may even compare to the Mona Lisa.

Powder Room: where hair is fixed before each concert.

My closet: don't be alarmed. I share it with 8 other people. Sometimes we even get our clothes confused and we end up changing twice.

Transportable dresser: holds everything from toiletries to slippers to books and movies. Bonus to this model of dresser is that it can go anywhere! If you need to move, it moves with you.

Living Room: a nice spot to get away from it all or visit with someone or even make a phone call home.

The "Bay" Window: gives a great view of the world outside.

Library: full of books, while most of them are children's books there are a few wonderful classics for all ages like Anne of Green Gables and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Pantry: midday snack? Craving? You can most likely find the cure in this little box, it's pretty wonderful.

Office: where much work happens. A place of great inspiration and where great ideas are born. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not.

Ah, and now for one of the best parts...a few of my busmates:

Mel: sitting in her bedroom talking on the phone to a dear friend. I love listening to her on the phone because she gets so excited!

Tony: doing "office work" a.k.a bonding with his itouch.

Amy: catching up on a few winks. And please note she crocheted this beautiful blanket herself! (and she is willing to sell it to the highest bidder)

And finally: the view from home tonight. Tomorrow it will be different. A different place, a different view...yet still beautiful.

Rocky Mountains

Today was a longer bus ride. We left Castlegar and headed to Salmon Arm, British Columbia. It took nearly 7 hours, over 300 km (on mountain roads mind you), and a ferry to get there. I enjoy the longer bus rides as it offers time for us to be together, just Choir 35, building our relationships with each other. Driving through the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by their greatness I was overcome with how small we were. Here we were, 30 people on a bus moving as one together. Life around us was huge and powerful and we were so small compared to what surrounded us, it reminded me of God’s greatness and His splendor.

I was sitting with Deborah for part of the ride and we listened to some music. As Deborah sang quietly I observed God’s handiwork. Not only could He create this rough beauty He could create something so intricate and delicate. He created Deborah to have a relationship with Him and to know Him. I watched as she tenderly worshipped her God. I could have stayed in that moment for quite a while.

She sang these words: Jesus I'll put You first/In my life nothing else will do/I'll spend the rest of my life/In Your house/Giving all to You/I'm so glad You're here/I'm so glad You're near/'Cause I need You/Yes I need You

Later that night at my host family we sat on the back deck, a soft rain hitting the lake behind the house and I listened to the girls laugh and enjoy their hamburgers. The night air held a sense of expectancy and I knew that God was smiling down on us. Here we sat: 2 Canadians, 1 Ugandan, 2 Kenyans, and 1 American enjoying His creation and reveling in the beauty surrounding us in Salmon Arm, British Columbia.

Today my soul was renewed.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. (2 Corinthians)

Be still.

I am writing this now while sitting in Starbucks but going to post it later since I don’t have internet unless I pay for it and that’s not going to happen. It’s been one of those days where everything seems vivid and very real. I can see perfectly what is going on; things seems almost as if they were moving in slow motion. God is teaching me and the other chaperones so much right now and we are growing in Him daily.

The last few days the same thought has been showing up in paper words and in spoken words: stillness. “Be still and know that I am God.” A short and to the point verse that is difficult. Be still: how often are we still? How often do I, not just slow down, but practice the discipline of BEING STILL?

So, step one: be still. Be who you are and in essence shut up. Go before God and be quiet, practicing the discipline of quietness.

Step two: know that He is God. Look at the power in that statement. Know that I am God. He is God. I am not. I cannot control any situation, no matter how much I try because I am not God. Know Him as God, Creator, Savior, King, Lord, Judge, Groom, Almighty.

How do I go about knowing Him? Be quiet; be still before Him. Enter His presence and do nothing, just listen. Listen for His voice and know Him. Hear His heart, feel what makes His heart beat.

In the Old Testament God says who He is by two simple yet powerful words: “I AM.” I am God. I am Creator. I am Savior. I am King. I am Lord. I am Judge. I am Groom. I am Almighty. That’s it. That’s all I need to know because if I truly knew these things about Him my life would be different. I would not doubt or control or question because I would truly know His heart. I would know Him deeply as the I AM. The One who was, and is, and is to come. No other came before Him and no one will go after Him.

That truth changes me. It changes my relationship with Him and others. It changes the way that I live with these 29 other people on a bus for 15 months. It changes things. And while God is perfect and unchanging I am changing because I have not learned it all.

Please pray for me and the other chaperones that we would know God. There are times on tour when we try to figure things out on our own and then realize that we should have laid it at the feet of Christ. He is God and I will trust Him to show me the way and to be confident in whom He is and who I am in Him.

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes coma and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God dwells in that city, it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: see how he brings destruction upon the world. He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire. Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.” Psalm 46

May Days

Here is a picture diary of our last couple of weeks. It has been a busy couple of weeks and quite wonderful at the same time. We have had many new and unforgettable experiences, the first being performing with Michael W. Smith!

[MWS photos courtesy of Uncle Vic]

Some dress up time, our girls' best!

Host family bowling, (above) Ivy: "Which ball is nicest to me?"

Poor Faith hurt her arm, she is so bummed but doing great learning how to do things with her other arm, she is on a quick road to recovery.

Day off at the lake, this one below is for Tony (haha)

Outing for Ice Cream!

They love to share =)

Black licorice ice cream, yummy???

That is it, for now at least.

Story.

I just got done reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. It has provoked a lot of thoughts in my heart and mind. Life is starting to look a bit different now though as I begin to look at it like a story with a series of memorable scenes as Miller calls them. Never have I viewed life like this before. My picture of things has been in events and accomplishments but it is slowly starting to view things as scenes. Tonight for instance was the perfect example. I was sitting with my host family and their daughter who is close to my age. We sat around the dinner table for over an hour talking about travels, cultures, ACC, adventures and I realized that I will always have this scene and it was beautiful to me. Perhaps it is being more aware of the beauty in things that are near.

Miller also talks about writing his story and making sure that when he sees Jesus face to face that he will have a worthwhile story to tell. Can you imagine if we all made decisions, even the smallest ones, in light of this? What story am I pursuing? Hearing this makes me realize how desperately I want to have an exciting story, one that Jesus would smile at. It doesn't mean that it will be free from hardship or failure, but I really wouldn't want it to be either. So, my aim will be to live a story that Jesus would be proud of. One that searches for adventure and purpose, that knows no bounds.

I am reminded of my time kayaking a couple years ago. It was dusk and the sun was just beginning to set. Praying and asking God what was next I noticed the moon. It was beautiful and full and then I heard, "Don't miss my sunset waiting to see what the moon will reveal." I don't want to be so focused on what is ahead that I miss where I am at now. Right here, this is where I belong.

It is my choice to create the scenes and live the story.

Travel Day

I am sitting in the GRR airport waiting for my flight, enjoying free wi-fi. Whoever thought to not charge people to have internet after already paying for a flight is a genius. Yesterday was my scheduled day to fly back to the Choir but because of "Maintenance" my only option was to arrive in Calgary around midnight and then a three hour drive to the church, um not going to happen.

I had an amazing holiday. I got to see some very dear friends in Springfield, MO and Chicago, spend time with my family, relax, sleep in, read a book, kayak, going to the lake, and a few other things. It was a needed break and to be honest it was nice to have an extra day yesterday, one last chance to take it easy. I am thrilled though to see my kids and the chaperones again! It has been two weeks since I have seen them and it seems like such a long time. I am definitely going to wake my girls up at the HF when I get there, I can't wait to be with them again!!!

Over break I read one of my favorite books (now). It is one of those books that you read and ignites your spirit to imagine things as they could be and hope that you will be part of that change. The book is "Too Small to Ignore" by Dr. Wes Stafford. I learned so much and I have a renewed vision for my purpose on tour. In the book, Stafford shows Christ heart for children and weaved within his own personal story you see how God is using Stafford's childhood and all the pain that he experienced to bring compassion and hope to children.

God has given each of us a responsibility to care for the orphans and widows, to care for those in their distress, to stand up for those who are rarely given a voice. If I ignore that call I will miss what I was created for, I will miss God's heart. I am excited to go back to the Choir with a renewed vision of Christ's heart for children. I love what God is showing me. Here are just a few of the points from the book that I think are so important to do and with God's help I hope that I can accomplish:

-Go to them; enter their world and play...Am I really too "mature" to see life through a child's eyes? To see the world through a lens of hope?
-Bring them into your world...Psalm 78:4: We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about His power and His mighty deeds.
-Merge these two world: "We go far beyond the responsibility and role of guardian, in fact we are no longer aware when we are 'playfully entering our world' or 'deliberately include them in ours.' Instead, we genuinely like being with each other. This is child discipleship at its best.
-It does take a whole village...[Stafford speaking of his childhood in Africa] "Yet the scolding was tempered by maturity; it never became mean or sarcastic. This was a warm and generous community."
-Attitudes and behavior are more powerful outcomes than mere cognitive knowledge
- To welcome the young into the center of our lives is to enrich not only them but ourselves as well

...those are just a few of the things that I am praying to do and to become. I will only do it with God's help.

So I am heading off with renewed eyes and vision of the opportunity that lies before me. I only have one chance...


...for them...

Arizonia: as the kids like to say

Last week we left California and began touring Arizona for a couple of weeks. We have had a great time here and here are some pictures to show it: