"I'll follow You..."

Following hard after God has been on my mind a lot lately...

Luke 9: 57-62 talks about people who wanted to follow Christ, yet also were clinging to things of this earth as well.

While serving God in San Diego isn't by any means the hardest life, going where the Lord leads usually comes with a cost.

I'll be honest in saying that I miss my family and friends back home. The people out here are wonderful, but at times I'd just love to give my parents a big fat hug, and stay up all night eating chocolate with my girlfriends. Please pray that I would I would feel God's nearness in your absence.

All the same, God has been so faithful and is providing all that I need...

~Kristen.

"I want to give all that I can give to You...I'll follow You, follow You, follow You...Lord I love You!" -Evan Whickam

A little office fun

Forget the fact they put me in the corner, I'm siked to have my own desk! :)

Here's Bethany working ever so faithfully on the mentorship program.
(My desk is the one behind her. Notice the set up...It's because we don't really each other very much. ;)

In other news, we got tired of Nate and decided to ship him to China...

He already wasn't having the best of days then David just had to go and eat him.

Our days in the office are usually filled with something interesting, even if praying together or just entertaining ourselves with stuffed gansta squirrels. But believe it or not, we do actually get stuff done. :)

I've been busy working on putting together an 8 page newsletter about camp, which I finally finished today! Actually, it was quite a process getting it printed...

A friend of mine came with me to get the printing done at a *supposedly* nearby Office Depot. Well, we missed our turn, and naturally just continued driving. We kept going until we ended up here...and that's when I said, "I think we might have gone too far..."

All the same, we decided to take advantage of our strange fate and kick off our shoes to enjoy the soft sand and soothing ocean water. It was 30 minutes of perfection, and sadly we didn't feel too bad about missing work to enjoy God's creation... :)

But deadlines are realities, so we eventually were back on the road again (in the opposite direction now might I add) and finally found the printing store. It took us a bit longer than expected, but it was quite an adventure.

We even passed this on the way too...CVS sells liquor out here. Go figure. :)

Anyway, I'm enjoying myself here at the...

God's funny where He leads us. :)

Well, that's all about California, but the last thing I have to say is a BIG CONGRATS to my dear friends who got engaged the other day. Emily and Ben, I'm so excited for what God has ahead for you!!

Love you guys!

Krissie.

I found fries! :)

Most of the people in Fallbrook have much healthier life-styles than back home. For example, my boss gives us an hour a day for exercise and dessert isn't something normally expected after supper...Crazy, I know! :)

Needless to say, my friend's moms have already learned that chocolate is a regular part of my diet, and have gone to extra measures to make sure I have some. :)

Anyhow, a friend lent me their car for the weekend so today I took advantage of that freedom by crusing around Fallbrook. As I was giving myself a tour of this town which I now reside, I stumbled across a "Jack in the Box" aka burger and fry place!

So into their parking lot I pulled. I ordered my meal, and ate to my little heart's content. (They even served Dr. Pepper!) And hopefully my fry fix will hold me over till next week. ;)

~K.

Straight from my journal...

"The lyrics to one of Tim Hughes' songs really caught my attention tonight. He sings,

In the heavens and the earth, there is no one like You God!
And these words are not enough to tell of who You are.
Who can know the mind of God? Who can understand Your ways?
And these words are not enough, to tell of your great name!

It's so funny that I heard this song tonight, because it reminds me so much of what really struck me in Romans 11:33-36 this morning...

"Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and how inscrutable His ways!

For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been His counselor? Or who has given Him a gift that He might be repaid?

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever, Amen."

Everybody's going surfin'...

What a weekend!

Yesterday morning I moved in with my host family for this coming year! The Ketterings are such wonderful people, and I feel right at home here.

When I walked into their house, I was greeted by a golden retreiver, one of my favorite worship songs was playing, and I was immediately offered a hot cup of tea... :) God is so wonderful at anticipating my needs and meeting them so perfectly. (Especially through my friend Emmy who gave me a stack of notes before I left to make this first week a little easier! I love you girl!)

(Here's a picture of Sara with all the family's kitties! :)

That night I went to a community bible study held at a local coffee house, which was very cool. I feel like a movie should be made about this place sometimes; Fallbrook's people and town have so much character...

Anyhow, this morning I visited a friend's church and that was really awesome to see what God is doing in other places. The worship songs were familiar, and the gospel was very central in the message (The pastor even quoted CJ Mahaney at one point ;)

Some friends and I went to the beach after that, and I went surfing! Well, I kind of went surfing. Ok fine, I won't lie...I attempted to surf. I had a hard time getting up on the board, but it was a blast! Here's a photo of Christy & I before we were water-logged. Sorry, no surfing shots this time around...We were too busy falling off our boards to snap any photos in the water. ;)


Spending time with friends at San Diego's beach was a wonderfully refreshing way to spend the afternoon. There was one point where I was having so much fun surfing, and I looked up and saw some huge pelicans and just thought, "Wow God, you are SO Amazing to have sent me here!!!"

The night ended when a friend and I drove a golf cart around a ranch in the mountains to look for fresh avocados. We weren't very successful, but enjoyed a gorgeous sunset which made the trip worth it. :)

God is so loving, kind, and faithful! Please pray that I would be able to glorify Him with my life, and also that He would give me more physical strength as I begin working full-time for Bring Me Hope tomorrow.

Thanks all! Miss you!
Hugs,
Kristen.

"I'm surrounded by Your grace..."

"And I'm surrounded, I'm astounded, by Your presence in this place.
I can hear You, I feel so near You. I can almost see Your face...
I am clothed in love surrounded by Your GRACE!"
-"Surrounded" by Mark Roach.

Every time I listen to this song, I feel like it really captures what I'm thinking and feeling lately.

While there have been so many details and things to do that I have to take care of, God has been faithful to keep drawing my attention back to HIM.

While doing things like setting up new back accounts and signing up for health insurance aren't the most exciting tasks of my day, at times I feel God reminding me that all that I'm doing is for Him, and that motivates my heart even towards the most mundane chores.

1 Corinthians 10:31 speaks perfectly to doing all things for Christ as well.
May that be where my heart is continually drawn to...

~Kristen.

Hey from CA!

I made it to California safe and sound last night!

My flight got in kind of late, but I still found time to catch up with some friends. My one friend Christy gave me an overview of the upcoming week, yet all I retained was that her little sister is having a dinosaur party tonight, and I need to bring a tail... :)

Please continue to pray for a smooth transition. Although, being welcomed by friends and beautiful weather today has been pretty reassuring that I'll be just fine here...

Hugs from CA,
Kristen.

Off to Cali this afternoon!

After a while of trying to fit anything I'd potentially need for next year into my bags, I reached a point where I was finally finished with my packing job. I stared at my zipped luggage with a satisfied smile and stood there admiring my handiwork with pride. Then in a moment, my face dropped. I remembered that I had more laundry waiting for me in our dryer that still needed to be packed. Shucks.

I got my extra clothes and managed to stuff them into my already very full bags, I was happy to be really done....big exhale....

My Mom and I will head to the airport in about an hour. Wow, where does the time go. I've been thinking about this internship for so long, and now it's time for the adventure to begin.

Please pray for a smooth transition and a feeling of peace as I get settled into my new home. I hope they have tea... ;)

Thanks all,
Love,
K.

Our trip to Maine

Wow, Maine is gorgeous.

Really, there's nothing to compare it to.

Just picture clear blue skies, soft rolling ocean waves, and fresh flowers growing nearly everywhere...it's breathtaking. And the small-town feel of some of the places we visited was so refreshing.

What a great way to spend a few days with my Dad.

Here's a handful of my favorite pictures from our trip...Hope you enjoy 'em. :)

~Kristen.

Off to Maine!

"...I thought she was going to California...' " you may wonder. And yes, that is still true. :)

But before I head out to the west coast next week, my Dad and I are taking a few days off to spend some time together.

When I was little, my Dad and I used to go to Maine quite often. So we wanted to make one more trip up there together before I head off to Cali.

Please pray for safe travel and a great time together, full of making new memories and enjoying old ones too. :)

Talk to you soon!

~Kristen.


P.S. ...Like my fro?? lol

God Is So Faithful

Just after I wrote about my financial need, the Lord began to provide! In the last few days God has opened up some opportunities to earn some extra pocket money, which will help me in the next few weeks.

AND, I got a response form in the mail today from some family friends who wrote a very generous support check and said they want to become monthly sponsors of mine as well! How can I thank the Lord enough?!

Thanks so much for praying!

~Kristen.