Soul Mates

If there’s one thing in life that you can’t go wrong with… it’s a best friend. Like a really solid friend. The kind that finishes your sentences and makes you pee your pants from laughter. I have been blessed with some pretty wonderful friends in my 21 years of life, but I have found a true soul mate in my dear friend Jessica.

Like any two humans in a relationship of some sort, we have had our tough times. But even in times of deep high school drama, we knew that the friendship was worth fighting for. Six years later I can assure you that any effort that I’ve put into this friendship, has blessed me tenfold as Jess returns the love.

I lived with J for two of our three years at California Baptist University and I can honestly say that we grew closer on a daily basis. We can sense each other’s moods without even being in the same room. We can talk for hours. We can be silent for hours. A simple glance and I know the thousands of things that she’s dying to say.

Soul mate isn’t commonly used among friends, but this woman is truly my soul sister. She reveals the deepest parts of me in a way that is both convicting and rejuvenating. She reminds me that it’s okay to laugh even when things are honestly crappy. But she also provides a safe place to cry for no reason at all.

I like the way that the author of Eat Pray & Love puts it:

“…A true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that’s holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake”

Lets just say I’ve been awakened. I am thankful for every moment we share, whether it’s spending time in prayer before our Lord or singing our hearts out in the car on the way to Del Taco at midnight J

She’s the Skeeter to my Doug

The Gerald to my Arnold

The Daggett to my Norbert Beaver

The Miranda to my Lizzy

The Pokey to my Gumby

You get it……

She’s my bestie.

I have never been truly consistent in reading my Bible. It is something that bums me out. It is a discipline that I should work on much more diligently. Sometimes I find myself thinking, “I have to do my devotion this morning”.

Have to do my devotion. How about, get to do my devotion?

We are a blessed people that the Lord has provided us with His Word, to grow in our understanding him.

I have been pondering the word devotion and decided to look it up in the dictionary. My prayer is that my time in the Word would reflect love, loyalty, ENTHUSIASM, faithfulness, dedication, admiration, affection, etc. to the Lord of Hosts. I want to learn how to meditate on His Word day and night.

Dictionary

devotion |diˈvō sh ən|noun

love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause

Thesaurus

devotion noun

loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity, constancy, commitment, adherence, allegiance, dedication; fondness, love, admiration, affection, care.

Joshua 1:8

Psalm 1:2 "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he mediates day and night

Psalm 77:12 "I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds"

Listen to KristinaMarieOs Playlist

He sets the pace.

The Lord has been teaching me a lot lately. He sent me all the way to Africa to remind me of the simplistic beauty of loving others, loving Him, and loving life. I’ve been home almost a month and I am left striving for purpose. It has been hard to go from 22 days of living with complete intentionality and purpose (surrounded by passionate and wonderful worshipers of God) to being home without a job or much to do each day. I was overly confident that I would get certain jobs (that I obviously didn’t get) and I have been extremely discouraged. This season of my life is confusing me and leaving me frustrated. I am trying to see the opportunities that I’m sure I’m missing on a daily basis but I just don’t feel purpose.

Then today I read the devotional from “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young and was stopped in my tracks by my loving Savior again:

“I chose you before the foundation of the world, to walk with Me along paths designed uniquely for you. Concentrate on keeping in step with Me, instead of trying to anticipate My plans for you. If you trust that My plans are to prosper you and not to harm you, you can relax and enjoy this present moment. Your hope and future are rooted in Heaven, where eternal ecstasy awaits you. Nothing can rob you of your inheritance of unimaginable riches and well-being. Sometimes I grant you glimpses of your glorious future, to encourage you and spur you on. But your main focus should be staying close to Me. I set the pace in keeping with your needs and My purposes.”

Relax and enjoy this present moment. This present moment. Summer. 2010. Unemployed. I have more than enough time to relax and enjoy this path that God has uniquely designed for me.

Today I am resolved to have a serious attitude transplant and be the kind of God-fearing woman that I want to be- one filled with joy and purpose, even in the most simple of circumstances. He sets the pace. He will take care of my needs and HIS purposes.

Keep me accountable people. The most wasted of summers is one where my attitude overshadows the wonder and awe of Christ in me.

From the fields of Uganda to the sands of San Clemente...

The name of the LORD be praised.

Mellow Yellow

Lately I have been drawn to the color yellow.

I have never been a huge fan of yellow, but lately I just cant get enough of it. Since my return from Africa, I have been bored. I mean really really bored. My recent love for yellow mixed with my recent extreme boredom brings the phrase "mellow yellow" to mind :)

Yellow has conflicting symbolism... it is known as a symbol of happiness and joy and yet it is also the color of deceit and being a coward... Yellow is cheerful, but it is often used for hazard signs and emergencies (because of its bright, high visibility)... Yellow is a sign of hope and is used to welcome home loved ones.... Yellow is for mourning in Egypt.... Courage in Japan... and sometimes even a symbol of peace. Yellow symbolizes many things; for me, this summer is Mellow Yellow.

Gloriously Ruined

Thank you all for your prayers and support the past three weeks as I served in Uganda. I am safely home and gloriously ruined for the continent of Africa. Every year that the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to serve Him overseas, I come home safe but ruined. I can no longer look at life through the same two eyes. I can close my eyes to the things I don’t want to see, but I can’t close my heart to the things I don’t want to feel. I feel different. As I sit here on my couch in Orange County eating Pringles (at 8:00 in the morning J) I feel overwhelmed with blessing. How can I honestly have so much stuff? I have watched kids play with cars made out of juice boxes. I have watched kids play with a plastic bag that ripped in half (throwing it up in the air and chasing it). The sound of their pure joy with these most simple things is echoing in my head.

How can I have so much stuff? I am in the process of de-crapping my room and I am deeply saddened by all that I own. I find things I haven’t touched in years. Dust covers things that were once “necessary” purchases. DUST. I am ashamed by that thin layer of gray that reminds me that I have so much STUFF… so much that some of it goes untouched.

I thank God so much for His immense blessing on my life. But I just don’t understand it. I don’t understand why.

Our team did a devotion on the sand along the Nile River. We were “ported” between a wealthy sailing club and a poor fishing village. First we read Mark 1:16-18, where Jesus calls the first disciples. Fishermen. Poor Fishermen. At once they dropped their nets (ie everything they own) and followed. Then we read Mark 10:17-23, the account of the Rich Man coming to Jesus seeking eternal life. Jesus notes, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” Reading these scriptures, looking at the communities on either side of me, I realized something simple and obvious. I am the Rich Man. I am blessed. Because of all the STUFF we have, it is harder for us to just drop everything and follow. Simply follow.

This convicting enlightenment has led to the simplifying of a very cluttered life. It comes as no surprise to me that this process will be lengthy, full of tears and overwhelming sights. I have seen a land of poverty; wealthy in their love for one another and more generous than anyone I’ve ever met. When you’re heart is full, you always have something to give.

Lord, teach me how to give.

Team Uganda: May 3-24

Pray for my team of 10 as we travel and serve in Uganda the next three weeks. We will be serving in a Children's Home and in some of the villages doing VBS (crafts, sports, games, songs, etc.) and most importantly sharing the love of Christ.

Pray that we can empty ourselves to fully serve and that we do not have too much homesickness. Pray for health and safety while we travel on some long flights!

I am so thankful to all of you that helped support me financially and in prayer for this trip. It means the world to me.

It is hard to wrap my brain around the fact that I am leaving tomorrow, but it is starting to sink in. I know I will miss my family, friends, and Luis so much but I also know that the Lord has something great for me to learn and experience in Africa this summer.

If you would like to look at team updates (for any International Service Projects Team from CBU) go to:

www. calbaptist.edu/goisp

Click on the "Team Updates" Link on the left

Click on Uganda: Children

(should be updated around every three days)

Thank you so much for your prayers... they are needed and appreciated.

In Christ alone,

Kristina