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My life is so radically different, beautifully odd and in ways
surprisingly familiar these days.
 

Team Fresh jokes about our “real lives” a lot. I’m finally grasping that I didn’t sign up for ‘real life’- I signed up to be uncomfortably stretched and put in situations FAR from anything I would consider “Real Life” back home. I signed up to learn things and do things that wouldn’t be possible at home… Here’s a few examples of what God’s been doing in my life these last few months:

I am growing into a woman of Integrity, Discretion, Wisdom, Discernment and Obedience…   
    – What that looks like, I’m not totally sure
    – The book of Proverbs is involved
    – Learning biblical submission plays a huge role I’m pretty certain
    – Being on an all women’s team isn’t an accident either
           
Download after freedom…

    – Whenever I conquer something, learn a big new lesson or get freedom from spiritual bondage in my life, I am flooded with  
       visions, dreams, and words for people.

    – Haven’t quite figured out how to manage all that yet

My gag reflex is out of control…
    – Our water got shut off one night= no flushing the toilet= a horrific smell coming from the bathroom.
    – Horrific smell= me gagging= me throwing up= puke in toilet

    – Puke in toilet= borrowing a bucket of water from old lady downstairs= my team preferring me by flushing it down so as to not
      start this process over.


I am saying YES to things now!!
    – This means more adventure in my life:
         – Crossing rope bridges
         – Climbing fences
         – Chasing camels

         – Going through claustrophobic water   
            tunnels (Hezekiah’s Tunnel)
         – Driving a minivan through foreign
            countries in the dark

         – Hiking mountains without trails

I’m living out my tattoo…

    – ‘Hinds feet on High places’ by Hannah 
       Hubbard (READ IT!)

    – Main character’s name changes from ‘much afraid’ to ‘GRACE and GLORY’
    – I am no longer bound by FEAR!

    – I am walking in freedom towards wholeness!
 


I am a soaker…
    – I need time to soak in a place, an idea, a person, etc…

    – I would rather sit for 5 hours at the Sea of Galilee, soaking in God’s presence and the    
      beauty, than see 5 other cities that day

    – I feel EVERYTHING before my brain can process it and when I
      get on sensory overload, I think that place in me that absorbs 
      the world, shuts off.
    – I thrive in environments that encompass peace and gentleness.

    – I thrive when I am in a place with people that are gentle with each other, slow to speak
      and willing to prefer one another.

 
 
I need verbal affirmation…

    – I need to be verbally responded to in order to feel heard
    – I need words of encouragement on a continuous basis in order to feel loved
    – In order to feel I’ve done something well, I need to be told I have

Most of the world identifies with a religion as their culture

    – We are living in an Arab-Christian village here in Galilee- ‘Christian’ is something they are born into, not usually a choice based
       on belief.

    – Our friends in Turkey were Muslim because that is what they were born into, without the freedom to choose otherwise.

    – A question I have been forced to ask myself recently- “Am I Christian because I was born into it like the majority of America? Or
      am I a Christian because I truly believe that Jesus was who He said He was?”

Conviction vs. condemnation…
    – Conviction is from the Lord. It leads to repentance and moves us towards change.
    – Condemnation is from Satan and is used to make us feel guilty- it makes us want to hide in fear.

 
Humanity is the same everywhere you go

    – Music, smiles and touch are all universal languages
    – At our core, we all just want to be loved
    – Food brings people together. I am more obsessed than ever with cooking!

Shabbat- Shalom!!!
    – FRI sun down-SAT sun down— rest, eat, community, reflect on what God has done the last week…. And eat some more!
    – A beautiful Jewish tradition we got to be a part of with our friends here in Israel.
 
Perception is reality

    – Regardless of our intention, how something is perceived is the reality of what it is.
    –  I am responsible for my emotions, my actions or my lack action… and their consequences.

    –  Apologies are always best received without the complication of our justification. “I am sorry I hurt you.” Period.
 
Miracles are to show God’s love.
    – The sick person that gets miraculously healed, eventually dies.
    – The leper Jesus healed (Mat 8:1-4) eventually died.
    – It was about being loved and TOUCHED, that’s what lingered with him.

    -The Creator of the universe, in His infinite power, shows His love for us by supernaturally intervening in our black and white,
      finite worlds.

      
I need MUCH more alone time than I ever thought.

    – Extroverts need recharge time, and without a room or car to naturally facilitate moments to yourself, you have to be much more
      intentional about how you get them! Ex: sit at the front of the bus (as to avoid motion sickness- a new found joy in my life) 
      staring at the open road while listening to your I-pod. Its almost like your driving alone on the 101, blaring your radio… ALMOST.

    – My home is my sanctuary
    – I nest like a pregnant lady every time we move (which is about every 6-14 days), it’s my sense of Shalom amidst chaos.

But what’s so beautiful is that all of these lessons, the incredible people I am encountering and so much more, is radically changing what I desire my “Real Life” to be.

I will never be the same.
My life will never be the same.
My lenses for reality have been altered forever.

What now…?

For those of you that aren’t aware, we have been asked to abandon all technology for the month of December while we’re in Israel. Everything except our cameras and a computer once a week to write our blog, which Hollis (our fearless leader) posts for us. Out of respect for her time, we limit our pictures to only a few for her to upload… but I’m hoping to get up a picture blog of our adventures here in Israel as soon as we return to the world of Internet! I have been privileged to see some of the most incredible things and have been on some of the wildest adventures this month. I cannot wait to share them with you!! Here’s a sneak peek: