God Speaks in Stars (part 2)

Before he gave me these revelations he gave me a very real and intense sign. This was because I needed an answer fast and my emotions were still too raw for me to think clearly and process. This really is an incredible testimony to how God still speaks to us when we ask Him to…

I would work hard all day, not being able to show much emotion because of the need to focus while working. It wasn’t till work was over and the sun was beginning to sink below the mountains that I would get a chance to be alone with my thoughts. I would grab my bible and ipod and pace along the boat dock and just listen for God to speak to my heart. I needed to decide fast what I wanted to do; do I fly home and try to save the relationship I had lost? What if coming to Alaska was a huge mistake? Or do I stay in the Alaskan wilderness and trust that this is where I should be?

I asked God a very direct question, it might seem too bold but I desperately needed to hear from him so I asked Him to send me a sign, a very clear sign to let me know if I should stay in Alaska. I told him I needed to hear it in the next few days so I could let everyone know if I was staying or going.

And God answered……..If you haven’t heard God’s voice before, in my opinion it sounds like your own voice but has wisdom or ideas that you know didn’t come from yourself.

Gently, clearly, he lifted my head to the heavens and showed me some stars that were miraculously not covered by clouds. He told me that He wanted to be my “North star.” The north star never changes, its constant, and unfailing. He revealed that just as the north star has lead people for hundreds of years He wanted to lead me and that if I could just keep my eyes on Him, I would be able to find my way anywhere else.

I waited, and I star gazed, and I stood amazed for a while….as comforted as I was I knew he was still going to make a direct connection between this North Star realization and Alaska.

The next day I found the north star and its constellation which includes the big dipper was seared into my thoughts. Later in the day my friend Jebadiah and I were walking through town when I saw something that literally stopped me in my tracks. I asked Jeb the significance of the flag that was flying just below the American flag on a flagstaff nearby.

He looked at me kinda funny as if I had asked a really dumb question. He explained that the flag displaying the NORTH STAR CONSTILATION was the Alaskan state flag!!!!!!!!! God answered and I have worked hard to not look back since. Alaska is where I’m meant to be meaning everything that has happened was supposed to happen. I’m not spending one more second of my precious time here looking to the past. 

I’m gonna live it up as never before!!! Sorry this entry is kinda lengthy but I desperately want you all to understand that God still speaks in real ways, he still gives us signs and speaks into our lives in tangible ways if we can just learn to trust Him enough to ask. 

God Speaks In Stars (part 1)

My summer took a drastic change for the worst and best when I least expected it. How do you react when one of the most stable parts of your life fails? What do you do when you thought you had the next part of your life figured out only to have it fall to pieces before your eyes and being completely helpless to stop it? These are questions I fought with during one of life’s valleys. We need these valleys though or else we wouldn’t really appreciate the mountain top times.

Too put it simply… a relationship I was in for over two years ended. As much as this season of pain absolutely sucked, I have never in my life needed God and been rescued by him in such a massive way. In the midst of my sorrow I found myself thousands of miles away from home with nowhere really to turn. My Jesus began to speak to me with such clarity and comfort that I’ve never felt before. It was during this time of confusion, chaos, and pain that I felt Him right next to me, over me, under me, all around me.

It’s not that God magically takes problems away, rather He used this time to give me what I desperately need. He gave me a peace that I could never have found in myself, He gave me this deep radiating joy (even though I was deeply saddened), and he didn’t leave me for one second. He was always there surrounding me, penetrating my soul. I have learned to savor this heart that’s healing.

Before he gave me these revelations he gave me a very real and intense sign. This was because I needed an answer fast and my emotions were still too raw for me to think clearly and process. This really is an incredible testimony to how God still speaks to us when we ask Him to…

Be Careful What You Wish For....or you just might get swallowed by humpback whales! (part 2)

It's hard to see but thats me surrounded by whale mouths

One day my friends and I took to our kayaks and headed out to chase our humpbacks around the cove for a while. Since we had been guiding for a while at this point, we knew how to read whale signs and track which direction the pod was headed. We would watch from a safe distance of 30 feet away with out a care in the world….until the whales changed direction underwater and headed straight for us!

Suddenly a loud, low-pitched creaking, moaning noise surround me. I barely had time to yell that I think the whales might be right below me before my kayak was completely surrounded by a huge ring of bubbles! There is a three second window before the whales lunge which gave me very little time to get the heck out of dodge. As I began to paddle as I’ve never paddled before, seagulls began to grab fish that were jumping all around my kayak.

As with all near death experiences, my thoughts were pretty simple. I obviously don’t wanna die yet but if I had to choose way, this was a pretty epic way to go down.  Second, I remember barely hoping they might grab my friend Becky too since she was close by and lets get real, no one wants to die alone.

I couldn’t clear the feeding circle, the ring was too big and my shaky arms weren’t gonna get me out in time. What seemed like grey hills started to appear on either side of me and the screams of my friends were silenced by the crash of whale mouths ascending 8 feet out of the water on all sides. Their throats expand to allow the intake of a huge amount  of water and fish as they disappear which is definitely enough space to fit a Casey. After clearing the chompers all I had to do was dodge a few 6 foot long flippers and powerful tales and I was home free!! As the whales descended, my friends and I who were totally hyped up on adrenaline totally freaked out!!

I finally got my whale encounter and to make matters even better, Jake’s kayak was perfectly set up about 10 feet away and we was able to capture it all on his camera! The only thing that beats that is the fact that a few weeks later I ended up with a picure on the front page of the Ketchikan news as the girl who nearly became whale bait! !

So the moral of the story is…be very specific on what you pray for or God might have a little fun fulfilling your dreams. Looking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way. J

My day of fame in the Ketchikan news!! 

Be Careful What You Wish For...or you might be swallowed by humpback whales! (part 1)

Whale's lunging :-)

So I have been jinxed since the day I got here! I have the absolute worst luck when it comes to spotting whales. My friends and I will be hangin on the boat dock, I’ll leave for 2 minutes and three whales will pass by. My dear friends thought this was just hilarious and while everyone kept teased me, I started prayin for the coolest whale encounter ever! Not only was I asking to see whales up close, but I was also hoping to get a cool picture with them, like me smiling with a whale tale in the background!

The last two weeks of my time in Alaska a phenomenon happened. A huge pod of 7 whales decided to chill right in our tiny cove and feed. Whales feeding is nothing short of majestic! To sum it up they surround a school of fish, blow bubbles out of their spouts to create a ring of bubbles which traps the fish, and begin to surface to force the fish to the surface. This all happens below the surface, all you can see from the top is flocks of seagulls soaring just above the water lookin for the huge school of fish to start jumpin out of the water, the birds get about 5 seconds to grab the fish before a gigantic ring of bubbles appears at the surface. 

Seconds later the whales do something called a lunge which is where they leap out of the water, mouths open wide, in perfect synchronization! It sounds like thunder and looks like something out of Jurassic park as these 7 huge animals begin their feeding frenzy!

This was constant, live entertainment for us for 2 ½ weeks!! I’d fall asleep to whales singing within 20 feet of my yurt. I’d be watching whales pass by as I brushed my teeth every morning. You could see them from the zipline trees and every single kayak tour was epic!! But we needed a closer look… (to be continued tomorrow)

Sunsets, Kayaks, and Genuine Friendship

Although all these times represent some of the best parts of my summer, I think the past time that I really cherished the most were those rare, clear, beautiful evenings where we’d grab a beer and set off in our kayaks. We’d cruise to the middle of our little cove, link our kayaks together and just enjoy each other’s company as we rocked back and forth watching whales spouting along that golden horizon.

The girls paddling into the sunset

I wish I could of just paused some of those priceless moments where all I could think about was my glorious God and his epic creation and my friends so dear to me I’d trust them with my life. Sometimes I’d just sit there kinda quiet and take in the strawberry tinted ridge lines laden with the greenest trees I’d ever seen. I know it sounds selfish but it was times like those where I felt like I was God’s favorite.

How is it possible for Him to love me so much that he’d give me these amazing people and this incredibly view even if it’s just for a moment in time? My God is so so good to me, sometimes all I want to do is get on my face and thank Him profusely for a few hours but for now that sweet memory and a thankful heart will do!

A Typical, Not So Typical Day Off in Alaska!

We work hard and long all day and we play just as hard on our 1 (sometimes 2) days off that we get a week. Things operate a little different out here in Alaska, rather than taking a day off to relax, we band together and hunt for the most extreme epic adventures we can possibly find/afford.

A few examples…..

Went deep sea Salmon fishing with one of the best captains/friends we met this summer!! Most of us were total rookies and yet we all still caught at least 3 salmon each along with a few Hallibut and Cod. We learned how to work down riggers and spent all day exploring the islands and coasts around our island. Felt great to get off our little island for a while!!

We had exactly 24 hours to complete one of the most extreme hikes on the island. We packed all our camping gear and set off to conquer Deer mountain, camped on a ridgeline, and traversed 7 peaks, and hiked 14 miles! We dominated the most sketchy decent I have ever done while hiking which consisted of a steep drop off we had to conquer by means of a rickety metal ladder.

We stepped off the ladder of death and onto a 2 foot wide ledge which led us to a steep wall of rock. The only way to descend further was by metal cables scattered along it and jammed into crevices. Although they looked deadly, they seemed to be jammed in far enough for us to alternate repelling down and Tarzan swinging from cable to cable.

After getting though the tough parts all we had to do was pick our way further down the mountain side with nothing but broken wood with tetnus infested nails sticking out everywhere to hold onto. This was followed by a forest of Devil’s Club (a very spikey and poisonous bush) to get through using moves from the Matrix. We finally made our way back to the highway and hitch-hiked back to our car! Awesome awesome time!!

One of the best perks of being an outdoor guide is that we can get on any other tours that are offered on the island! One especially rainy day we all went “adventure carting” which is a combination of go-carting and four wheeling. We drove our little caravan down 14 miles of muddy off road trails in the backwoods of the rainforest. Pretty sure we were the loudest, rowdiest, and muddiest bunch that company has ever had!

Made a sick friend with a killer God story who lives on what we call “the Wild West” of southeast Alaska (aka Prince of Whales Island). My bro was hanging on our island just to be back in somewhat civilization for a while. He started a really intense outdoor laser-tag company so that the teens on his island would have something to do. He happened to bring all his gear (which consisted of 6 types of guns!) to our island and was kind enough to set up a night of hardcore laser tagging for me and my friends!!

 And of course the only way to see the Misty Fjords, which is one of the most breath taking places of our islands is by float plane! Got to take a 2 hr tour and land in the middle of the mountain range in the middle of a lake!

I believe I'm learning how to live life to the fullest!

A Feast Every Night!!

Thanksgiving in August! I helped pick the huckleberries

So usually the diet of an adventure guide consist of lots of Raman noodles, tuna fish, and canned soup. Most guides know that it’s part of the lifestyle you just kinda power through. This menu however, was not to be the meal plan out here at Southeast Exposure once we all came to realize that my roommate is a professional chef when she’s not adventuring!!!! It turned out that dear sweet Becky Tucker really enjoys cooking for people and so plans were quickly made to start a dinner club J All we had to do was throw in $30 from our tips and help cook here and there which I have been wanting to learn how to do!

I can’t explain how big of a difference this made for our summer. Here in the rainiest city in the USA, there is nothing quite like coming back from a long day of workin hard in the rain knowing a good home cooked dinner is waitin for us! From pizza to thai food to a thanksgiving feast, Becky always had a theme with at least 3 different dishes going on. The only thing most dishes had in common was the main ingredient of bacon grease. 

The “guide kitchen” is one of our favorite places where we all get to sit at a huge table, hang together, (use electricity!!!) and make fun of all the crazy tourists we had to deal with that day. These are the times that really bonded us together. No matter how gnarly a day was, we all looked forward to gathering around that dirty table, laughing and carrying on with the sound of the coast guard radio blasting in the background!  It all made for some good good summer nights!

The Hunter Haven

This is me and my closest church friends, Bonnie and Dave are on the left

As much as I love my life here, I am starting to sense a longing for some soul fellowship. After being surrounded by missionaries and nomadic Jesus freaks during my time in New Zealand, I’m starting to really feel the contrast of being on a remote island without any outside friends or church family.

I walked along the dock one evening praying and singing which has become a tradition I really look forward to, and asked God where to go, knowing that he wanted this for me as much as I do. The next Saturday night I set off walking to a big red church located up the hill from my yurt. Wanting to make sure this was the right place for me, I asked God send me a sign, I asked Him to let me feel welcomed here within the first 10 minutes.

I walked through the large cedar doors and was immediately greeted by the firm handshake and warm smile of the pastor himself! His wife Bonnie joined us and within minutes (less than 10 I might add *wink*) we were laughing and getting to know each other as I tried to explain how the heck I got from Florida to their little church in the forest.

Before long I felt comfortable enough with them to be very honest in what I needed. I humbly asked them if they would consider adopting me for the summer, I am a big fan of mentorship and love making friends with a local family whenever I travel.

I wouldn’t trade my epic lifestyle for anything however; the longer I’m away from home the more difficult it gets to be so far away from my church and family. Bonnie and Dave Hunter were to become my heaven sent haven during this challenging and rewarding Alaskan season of life.

Rather than just meeting up for tea every week or so, the Hunters went above and beyond my humble request and invited me into their home whenever I needed them. Over the months these 2 genuinely became my Alaskan mom and dad. I spent many late nights drinkin tea and either crying with them during some dark times or laughing with them during the good times. 

I'm telling you all this to encourage you to reach out for help when you need it. I needed to have a family, that I could really depend on for guidance and prayer and God gave that to me. Sometimes I wonder how many cool blessing we don't get simlpy cuz we don't ask. Ask God for what you need and you might be surprised how he replies in very creative and exciting ways!

Alaskan Sea Kayaking...Is My JOB!!!!!

Guiding a tour around the Tatoosh Islands

After I finished training for ziplining, me and my fellow rooky guides took to the Alaskan sea, looking like a bunch of seals in our full body wetsuits to practice kayak rescues. With whales spouting in the distance, we took turns falling out of our kayaks into the FREEZING waters and learned how to climb back in in case of a capsize.

I’m proud to say that I can officially get back into my kayak faster than everyone else, simply because my Floridian self has the biggest motivation to get out of that Arctic water!

Pushing kayaks off the shoreline

Our duties are divided between guiding kayak or zip line tours. To add to the variety, we offer either a 2 hr kayak tour around 2 nearby islands right from our boat dock or a scenic ½ hr boat ride to paddle around the remote Tatoosh islands. 

Kayakers coming back from our Eagle Island Tour

Both of these tours allow the possibility of seeing stunning wild life such as bald eagles, harbor seals, sea lions, and humpback whales!! No matter how many times I paddle these routes, the wild life never gets old even though I’m surrounded by it everyday.

A Pod of Humpback Whales!!

It's not uncommon to paddle in complete rain and wind for the entire day due to the weather pattern of our Island but early on we all learned to put on our rain gear with a smile everyday and eventually got pretty used to it. We work really hard all day long, and usually come home sopping wet. There's nothing quite like getting all showered and warm and hangin on the dock or porch together watchin the sun go down after another epic Alaskan day.

Sunset from our boat dock

Day in the Life of a Zipline Guide!

It never got old!

After training for a grand total of 1 and ½ days Becky and I awoke to pounding on our yurt door and were informed that we were desperately needed on the zip line course. We climbed the 50 ft tower geared up with a harness, helmet, lanyard with clips, and a trolley ready to zip through the trees. For being complete rookies we handled ourselves with amazing style and confidence.

As a kid I used to love climbing trees, which is a past time I haven’t quite grown out of. The fact that I get to play in a rainforest canopy for a living blows my mind ever day! Our zipline course consists of 7 different zip-lines and an obstacle course complete with a swinging log and tons of other fun stuff to play on. My job is to clip people up to the ziplines and send them to a receiving guide who catches them on a tree house-like platform on the other side of the cable.

Explaining to people how not to fall out of trees during the safety talk

This is certainly no job for the faint of heart! Everyday brings a new battle scar as we are constantly body-checked and slammed into trees by some guests who have perhaps enjoyed the cruise ship buffet a little too much.

 All of our clients are from cruise ships that stop in our port for a few short hours. Their only job is to work up an appetite while enjoying their choice of a variety of different excursions, and then enjoy their everlasting buffet as they sail off to their next destination.

There isn’t quite a way to describe the feeling of adrenaline mixed with some healthy fear that I acquire as I brace myself at the edge of a platform situated 60 ft in the air, arm outstretched, trying to smile at the giant guy zooming at me, knowing its my job to stop him in his tracks.

Early on I learned to trade my expression of terror for an “eye of the tiger” appearance so as not to let the lovely tourists in on the fact that they are inches from clobbering me. I wish I was able to wake up everyday loving my job like I did doing this!

Preparing to catch someone!

Home Sweet Yurt!

After spending my first few days in town, I’m headed out 15 miles into the wilderness where I will be living and working. I’m in the middle of a temperate rainforest surrounded by the greenest trees I’ve ever seen! My new room mate Becky, a girl with wild red hair and a personality to match it, offered to show me to our new home. We walked past the boat dock which desplayed a variety of colorful kayaks and one of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen, and along a small trail through the forest to our yurt.

 A yurt is a round and domed canvas tent/hut with a giant skylight at the top that originated in the mountains of Mongolia. They are quite popular in Alaska and are useful for pioneering new areas as a temporary home.

I crossed the rickety log bridge and dropped my bags by our small propane fireplace, which will serve as our light and heat source since we don’t have electricity. It’s a humble yet charming set up with 2 beds, a small table and couch. We are perched right in the middle of the trees with a beautiful ocean view.

With nothing but canvas separating us from nature, Becky and I are lulled to sleep every night by the sound of the surf on the jagged rocks, the rain hitting our thin roof and an occasional whale spouting and singing nearby. This is shaping up to be a summer I will never forget!!

Nothing like my bandanas and tribal jewlery to make me feel right at home! 

WELCOME TO KETCHIKAN!!!

The anticipation keeps mounting, as the delay for my Alaskan flight gets longer. I wound up making friends with the captain who ended up buying me a Starbucks chai and delivered it right to my seat right before take-off! It looks like God’s showing me his favor early on.

As my plane lands on the tiny island next to Ketchikan I am reminded that this is it, I’m officially committed to whatever this summer might have in store. I’m 500 hundred miles away from the closest Chipotle’s burrito shop and the rest of civilization. As we descend below the snowcapped peaks I can make out colorful wooden houses built on stilts peaking out from the thick rainforest tree line.

Met a friendly guy who gave me a free ride on his speedboat across the channel and was sooooo excited to finally reunite with my friend Jenna, a fellow nomad, who helped me get this unique job. Alaska is sooooo killer!!! I’m already loving how different and unknown everything is, can’t wait to live it up!!

Stoked on my free Starbucks!

Turbulent Faith

And so starts my Alaskan adventure….. and a rough start I must say. My international flight had severe turbulence for about 7 hrs straight! Turbulence is probably one of my biggest fears and by the first hour I was already a nervous wreck. To keep me from crying, the sweet old man I was sitting next to started trying to distract me by telling me about his life as a farmer in the mountains of New Zealand. This went well until the turbulence got worse and a friendly flight attendant took the vacant seat next to me to try and calm me down as well. I sat there holding both of their hands as the plane drastically dipped and turned and they began to ask me to tell them about some of the important things in my life to further distract me.

Through my tears I began telling them about Jesus. It was the most natural conversation ever because I was just answering their questions. For the next hour the conversation became quite deep as their questions revealed a genuine curiosity about God rather than just trying to distract me.

Over the coarse of the flight I was able to shed some unexpected light on who God really is and as the plane FINALLY touched ground and I prepared to disembark, I handed the stewardess a letter thanking her for keeping me sane and assuring her that I would be praying for you and thanking God for her kindness. There were tears in her eyes as she thanked me in return.

This experience taught me that as we go threw life, weather we realize it or not, we are either carrying each other closer to heaven or tearing each other down. I love that God used my fear to help take people a little higher on a journey I hope is heaven-bound.

Australian Pit Stop (part 2)

Me and Nate takin over the country side by motorcycle!!!

Mrs. Miller dressed me all up

Whenever I spend a long amount of time in a new country I try to find a local family to sort of adopt me while I’m there. I love learning about culture through locals and getting as involved as I can so I cam make the most of every experience.

Nate’s family has done just that for me. We would spend evenings walking along the cliffs on the coast talking. I loved soaking up all their wisdom as they spoke into my life and circumstance. I've been away from home a little over 2 months now and it has done my soul so much good to explore a new country and adventure with friends a little before I take off for the unknown of Alaska.

God used Mrs. Miller in my life in a particularly awesome way! Since I got accepted to work in Alaska, I have been sent a long list of supplies I need to brave the Alaskan wilderness. Mrs. Miller has always said she has the gift of shopping and so during our time together she took me bargain shopping and I was able to get almost everything on my list!! I love these guys!! I already feel like a part of this family and will deeply miss them.

My Australian Pit Stop

The Summit!!

Leaping over mountains! 

The world is my playground!! The nations are at my fingertips and I feel such a freedom that I can travel from one country to the next as I feel led. While I have completely enjoyed every second of my nearly 2 month stay in New Zealand, I am ready to move on the next chapter of my nomadic adventures!! I am on my way to Australia the land of crocodiles and kangaroos, a land where Steve Erwin the croc hunter’s face is in the middle of the $5 bills! The main reason I’m stoked to be headed to the land down under is because my best bro Nathan is waiting for me!!

Me and Nate traveled part way around the world last year and developed the coolest bro/sis relationship ever! I love this joker with all my heart and can’t wait to have some fun and rest up before I head off to work as an Adventure guide in Alaska for 5 months!!!

From my 1rst day with Nate’s family I have felt right at home! Every day someone takes me on an adventure to see a new part of Aussie land. From seeing the world famous Opera house, to playing with Koalas, to hunting for Kangaroos, to climbing epic red cliffed mountains in the Australian bush I am having the time of my life living life to beyond the fullest! 

Twilight Kangaroo Sighting!

Warriors of New Zealand

Resilience, determination, and the spirit of a warrior are some of the traits of New Zealanders that I have come to love and deeply respect. In the face of unimaginable adversity, these people are raising above their circumstance. Rather than just trying to mend their broken country they are believing that God will bring in a revival that will cause Christchurch and New Zealand in general to far exceed what their country was like even prior to the earthquake.


For these last few days I have shared a deep sympathy for my kiwi brothers and sisters as we have stood together crying out that God would show up in a big way. At the end of the conference we were able to worship with a powerful woman of Mauri (native New Zealand people) decent who takes the warrior spirit of her people and applies it to worshipping God. At times she would get so passionate that she would break out into a “Haka” which is a native tribal battle call and encourage us to rise up together.

At the end of the night she led us in New Zealand’s National Anthem which is a song of devout worship to God asking him to defend and prosper New Zealand. Standing among my Kiwi friends our voices combined into one voice as we sang a song of victory and love over this beloved place. Jesus is strong in this country and as He has told us, “the kingdom of heaven is violently approaching and it takes powerful people to lay hold of it.

Building an Unshakable Kingdom (part 3)

Me and Mel having some fun

I am being put to good use here in Christchurch! Everyday is filled with purpose and passion as we stay focused on our mission to help in anyway we can. I gotta take some time to tell you about my dear friend Mel who has become a huge inspiration to my life. She is a woman of courage and ambition who never ceases to do the will of her Lord. This beautiful blonde bombshell has a radical story of redemption and grace as God saved her and her two beautiful girls Katie (16) and Alex (6). 

She was given a mighty calling early on in her journey of faith and has followed her God given purpose no matter how difficult and trying it might be. She moved into a difficult part of town, sold everything and started a “Princess club” for young girls who desperately need to hear they are loved, treasured, and beautiful……more on that later.

She has taught me what it means to believe that God will provide and to live life in a place that welcomes him to show up in big ways. We would sit together late into the night and heard story after story of how specific God is with our needs. When she is in need of anything, weather its financial or simply a new pair of shoes for one of the girls, she lifts it up in prayer and most of the time God will miraculously bring it to her door.

She has become so beloved in the community that many people have turned to her in this time of crisis…..which is where me and my friend Jodi come into the story!

One of the biggest problems after the quake is that many residents in their fear, have packed up, trashed and then abandoned their homes. This has left many landlords nearing bankruptcy as it costs nearly 3,000 to clear out and dump the waste that fills nearly 300 homes in the area. Their tenants left so abruptly that it has become close to impossible to bill them, leaving these landlords with huge debts. Since the quake Mel has been cleaning these houses out in exchange for a small donation towards her dream home which is to be a community house that she will use to help even more girls.

 Everyday we show up at a house and salvage whatever is still in good condition and set it aside to give to people who have lost everything. Most of the day is spent clearing out and cleaning up all the trash and junk and make trips to the dump. Although it’s hard and dirty work; it’s rewarding to be able to bless these landlords that are a forgotten bunch. We do our best to show them Jesus in a real way and love on them as much as possible. I am treasuring every day spent with my friend and am continually blown away by how much fun it can be to be used by God!

Building an Unshakable Kingdom (part 2)

Just a little dumpster diving

With every passing day I am learning more and more about the plight of the courageous people who have stayed in Christchurch. It seems strange to say that it takes bravery to simply live here but it’s the truth. Aftershocks have become the new normal for this place, as the earth continues to settle after such a huge quake.

You never know when they will happen or how big they will be, since they all start the same way no one knows when one will turn into another big one. Everyday, the city holds its breath as the earth trembles praying and hoping that another disaster won’t arrive. The people are constantly tense, as we go about our day everything around us seems like a death trap….walls made of glass that could shatter, pillars that could topple on us, huge buildings that could crumble. Many people probably won’t ever enter a mall or large supermarket ever again due to the traumatic stories that have circulated. Aftershocks are normal but no one ever gets used to them.

As I settle into life here, I am convinced that my survival skills need some work due to my reaction to my first aftershock. It was just after dinner and I had just made myself a perfect cup of English breakfast tea. As I was preparing to take my first sip a tremor hit that rocked the house. Everyone else was looking around for the safest place in case it escalated while I sat there trying to bounce my cup around with the movements worried that it might spill. After a good laugh I came to a realization that my disaster skills need some work!

Building an Unshakable Kingdom (part 1)

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” -Hebrews 12:28

For two weeks my friend Jodi and I have been living and volunteering in the very worst hit area of Christchurch. The earthquake that hit this area less than 2 months ago; left around 200 people dead and  a path of destruction through most of the lower income neighborhoods.

 I have been praying about how God wants to use me to help this beautiful city and he brought my Kiwi friend Mel to mind. Mel runs a ministry from her home and we had become friends during my last stay in New Zealand. Unfortunately, I had lost all her contact info and haven’t talked to her in over a year.

After much research, I finally found her info and was excited to find out that at the very time I had been praying about working with her, the Lord had brought me to her mind after all this time. She began praying for me wherever I might be and much to my surprise, once we got to talking she mentioned that she had been praying about the fact that she desperately needed a few volunteers! Don’t you love how God does that? He takes our separate destinies and weaves them together to create something really beautiful and unexpected. I arrived at the perfect time and was invited to help out in some of the most adventurous volunteer work I have encountered in a while!!

After a joyful reunion, we made our way across the unpaved cracked roads to her home. From the window I could see jagged sidewalks that had been split in two. As we wound our way through the neighborhoods I was distressed to see that some homes survived with only a few cracks while other roads displayed homes completely destroyed and abandoned. Portable bathrooms were placed on the corner of every block for those who were still without plumbing.

It was such an eerie feeling that a 10 min drive from the edge of town had led us into this area that seemed more like a 3^rd world country than a section of a thriving New Zealand city. With a heavy heart full of compassion and love for these people I am excited to see where God will lead me.

Heavenly Hiking Boots & Hitch Hiking with Old Ladies

So the more intense my life gets with God the more I realize how he totally comes in and saves the day and answers very very specific prayers!!! Check this out! So the whole time I was working in Christchurch, me and my friends were praying that I would somehow get a pair of really good hiking boots for my upcoming trip to Alaska. I had been hunting around for a good pair and they ended up all being like $200, a little over my nomad budget :-)

 As I was praying for my boots I also realized that to get back to my missionary base which was an hour away I would have to hitch hike by myself. Jodi had to leave early and most of the public transport isn’t quite up and running yet. Now if you’ve ever hitch hiked before you know that the cardinal rule is to never hitch alone if you’re a girl….so I figured since I had to I’d pray a very specific prayer for the safest ride I could think of. I asked God to send me an elderly lady who was either a librarian or a house-wife J God has worked stuff like this our before so I totally believed he could pull this off!

The end of the week came, I still hadn’t received the hiking boots but my friend Mel who had been praying with me insisted they must be on back order somewhere. I caught a ride on a school bus (which is another crazy safe way to hitch I might add) to the main turn off for the town of Oxford which was about an hour away.  So there I was with my backpack at my feet, a chai tea in one hand and my thumb out in my other just waiting for God to do something miraculous….

Within 30 seconds, which is a record for how fast I’ve been picked up, a car from the other side of the lane made a u-turn and made a beeline straight for me! I was a little concerned at how eager this person was to pull over so I cautiously approached the car and leaned in to see if my old lady had arrived.

I was met with the kind eyes and smile of a sweet older lady!! “Where are you headed honey?” she asked as she curiously looked me up and down.

“Well mam, I’m lookin for a hitch to the city of Oxford,” I held my breath, wondering if this was all too good to be true.

“Oh darling, I’m heading the complete opposite way…..” she gave me a look of concern as she looked out at my backpack and small loaf of bread I had brought to give to my heaven sent ride.

“Well that’s ok, I appreciate you stopping though! Hope you have a great day!” I leaned out of the car, not too concerned yet, that definitely would have been too easy. I’m sure God still has my ride on the way.

“Hold on honey!! Just one second!” She pulls out her phone and makes a quick call expaining that she’s gonna have to cancel her plans CUZ SHE’S TAKING A HITCH HIKER ALLL THE WAY OUT TO OXFORD!!!

“But mam, I’m wondering if we are thinking of the same place, Oxford is an hour in the opposite direction of where you need to be….” I was sure there was some miscommunication.

“I know exactly where Oxford is, and I’m not sure why but I really feel like I should take you out there! Put your pack in the trunk and hop on in!”

I couldn’t stop from laughing as I buckled up, I had one more question to ask her….that I already knew the answer too…

“So mam, so you mind me asking what you do for a living?”

“Not at all honey, I’ve been a house-wife for most of my life”......of course she was!!! God had done it again!!!!! We spent the hour drive talking about how she used to backpack back in the day and felt like she needed to return the favor!

She drove me right up to the front door, I gave her my home-made loaf of bread which I knew was going to be the perfect thank you for an elderly house-wife, and I asked if I could pray for her. I prayed, we hugged, and parted ways.

Now you might remember from the beginning of all this that I still needed hiking boots…..as I walked threw the door, one of my new friends from this year’s school spotted me and made a bee-line for me. She excitedly explained to me that she felt led to give me her practically new hiking boots!!! They fit me perfectly and are another amazing reminder that God provides for us in the most unexpected ways ever!!