FIGHT!

The moment I realized my life is far less glamorous than people make it out to be was this: 11:48pm, five roommates sleep as I am sitting in a 3'x5' bathroom, on my computer because it is a surprisingly focused environment, with healthy lighting, two key components of late night productivity. That moment is now.

Why am I awake still? My mind is reeling with all the things I need to get in line before tomorrow. Outreach prep, delegating tasks for hospitality, communicating with work duty students, laundry, etc.

Why is there a time cap on these things? I am staffing a DTS, quite simply, no time can be wasted, there is not a moment to lose. Also, I am leaving for the FIGHT!conference in LA tomorrow.

What? Yes, good question. Tomorrow I am flying to LA for a conference that is quite simply going to be monumental and historical. Over a month ago, the Lord started stirring the FIGHT!conference/StudentCall on my heart, within the past week, He's brought everything into alignment so I am able to go. It's a great series of events that will be touched on in upcoming posts.

Speaking of upcoming posts, you can expect them to include information on this next week, the progress of our DTS, what the Lord is doing in my life and the lives of students, plans for outreach, what's after outreach, and whatever ramblings are stirred up. Let me throw this out there: If you haven't already, it just may be the time to put this site in your RSS feed. Things are about to get good, and you're going to want to be in the know.

Also, don't expect any further apologies for irregular posts. I'm trying my best, I'm so busy I sometimes want to cry(in a healthy way of course), and you are extending the most appreciated amounts of grace. You're wonderful.

OH, one last thing. I have decided to send out Christmas card this year. Does this mean I'm officially an adult? Because if Christmas cards are the requirement, I'm about to arrive. Please, I'd love your mailing address so I can send you a copy of my newsletter, and a rather lovely postcard to hang on the fridge.

by the grace of god.

and only by the grace of God has my heart not yet exploded into a million little hearts.

I would like to do well processing and communicating all of the many things that God's doing right now, but I don't have the time, nor do I have necessary amounts of confidence in my ability to write in way that would keep you reading through all the fine details. So, I will leave you briefly with just this one thing:

In regards to the first sentence of this post, I am thoroughly amazed and overwhelmed by the love my Papa's imparting. This is the thing: I can honestly say that I am in love with, and radically devoted to the calling of God on the lives of our students. It is beyond human ability to love in this manner without any previous relationship. Because He has so sweetly revealed His heart for these students, I am able to love like I do. How could we love so deeply and genuinely without even remembering the names to put with the faces? It's just not possible outside of sweet impartations from our Maker. I don't have words to properly express how faithful and trustworthy our Papa is. When I think about how all of this works out, I am so overwhelmed by love, I feel like my heart's only response is to explode into a million little saturated hearts, that fall like confetti.

I had more to say, more details to share, more stories to tell, but after writing that short paragraph, I just can't think of anything else that's quite worthy of being the follow-up. We'll just wait and see what tomorrow brings...

write off

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have officially set up my Missions Account with YWAM Kona. Which, is good news for the both of us because it means that the donations you send my way through the "partnership" link at the bottom of this post, are now tax-deductible, and they will end up in my possession far quicker than if they were to be sent via snail mail or even through my old PayPal account. Praise Jesus? Absolutely. Most sincere apologies for the time it took to arrange this, it's always just a bit hectic around here.

So, there we go. Good news all around. You win, I win, the Kingdom of God advances.

Partnership!

transport.

Dear Faithful Blog Reader,

I am in Kona now, seeking transportation for the next four months. If you feel so inclined to support this cause, I have this idea that you could purchase a vehicle for me, and when I leave, I will sell it, and return to you the money made from the sale, so you would be supporting me with the difference, and an amazing, amazing blessing of wheels.

How do you feel about that?

Kirsten

I'm sitting in the Skagit Valley Co-Op, and this is place is making my mind move.

I. I love the environment here. This place is part grocery store, part deli, part cafe, part "mercantile", 100% co-op, 100% awesome.

II. I am so curious to know what it looks like to do business with a Kingdom mindset. To be in business, to be at work with the people you live with, the people you pray with, the people you eat with. what does it look like to really do new testament life today? i'm thinking about what it would look like to do business in Grand Rapids, semi-Skagit style, mostly-Kingdom style. The wheels are turning, and I am really excited to be praying into this...

III. It's is ska-git. like, le-git. git. this makes more sense when I say it, rather than type it..

Kona in 24 hours. wow.

i'll fly away

t-minus five days.

I've been back in beautiful Grand Rapids for a short two months, and I'm already on my way out again. I definitely need to start this exceptionally over-due post raving about Grand Rapids. So, here I go. I love Grand Rapids. I love the city, I love the suburbs, I love the structures, I love the climate, I love the landscape, I even love the humidity and two solid months of days over eighty degrees, but above all else, I just love the community here. Right now, I'm thinking about how much I love everything, it even makes me not want to complain about the unending construction that is so familiar in a Michigan summer. Do I mind the detours? No. Do I mind 196 being redone with concrete? Of course not. Do I mind the expansion to three lanes? 100% not at all. So, sure I will even be happy about the construction while I am home, but let's get back to the community.

I adore you, sweet Grand Rapidians. Coming back to Crossroads in itself is a major treat, this "church" is family, and it really, really is. Walking in that first Saturday night service that I was back, I could sense such a noticeable difference in the atmosphere, and it can only be accredited to God working through NEAR, the community's seven months of unbroken prayer. I couldn't specifically put my finger on the change, but it was beyond recognizable. As I've been home, I've had the opportunity to connect with people in the community that I probably wouldn't have had a chance to meet with otherwise. I've spent time over cups of coffee talking about prayer, Grand Rapids, intimacy, legalism, and what God wants to do with all of it; beautiful. I've also been beyond blessed to meet with several different house churches, what an amazing opportunity for a missionary. To anyone being sent out: I strongly recommend prioritizing these kind of meetings. The chance to connect with people in your community, who you can build genuine relationship with is crucial, and I'm really starting to understand and appreciate it more and more.

In five days, I will be Kona bound, with a two day detour in the great city of Seattle. I am a bit overwhelmed right now, trying to let this reality sink in. Talking with a friend last night, I've realized that I have not been looking at going away through the lens of "I am leaving Grand Rapids for over a year". I am looking at it through the lens of "I am going to be with my Kona family for over a year". As true as this is, it's similar to closing one eye, and looking through the other, then switching, things are clear, and visible, and good, but not exactly right; unless you are using both eyes to do the looking, things are a bit skewed. With understanding of this, I'm realizing that I have a lot more to do here before I leave, the least of which is packing...

So let me end this post with a few random thoughts:

1. People of Crossroads, you continue to amaze me and bless me beyond what my imagination can fathom. I genuinely love you, and consider it a great privilege and blessing to be praying for you.

2. I wish I would've done a better job managing my time here. I am very sorry if I didn't get the chance to see you while I was home, and I won't be around for quite a while. I have so many people I'd like to say goodbyes to, but it's not very realistic at this point, so let me say this: If I do not say goodbye to you before I leave, it in no way reflects how much I value your presence in my life.

3. If you'd like any information on who I am, what I do, where I will be, prayer requests, etc. I do send out a monthly support letter, hard copy and PDF, so shoot me your address or email, and I'll get you on that mailing list.

4. You should probably know, that you are beautiful, and severely loved.

two months away.

If I could properly articulate the anticipation and trepidation I have about returning home, I would. In thirteen short hours, I will be leaving Kona, on a plane bound for Seattle, before returning to Grand Rapids. Right at the top of my blog it says, "Home is where I fit in", and if that is the case, which it is, Kona is my home. Kona is my home more than anywhere else, but only in this season. This whole time I've been telling myself and the people around me, "I'm not that sad about leaving, I'll be back in two months." True as it may be, one thing you realize in YWAM, is that you need to love every moment with the people you are with because every single one of them is called to something so great, it is entirely possible that you may never see each other again in this life, and let me say this, I know some of the most revolutionary people in my generation.

Dear Kona Family,

You have my heart. You are all uniquely beyond amazing. I am forever committed to seeing you walking in the fullness of your calling. This is a covenant family. I will miss you more than you can imagine, and I just might be back here sooner than planned. Keep Burning.

On that note, Grand Rapids, here I come. Time is limited, let's blaze.