안영 하세요!
Hello everyone!!!
I can’t tell you all how excited and humbled I am to begin this amazing journey!
Born and raised in the *beautiful* Columbia Valley of southeastern Washington, some of my earliest and fondest memories are those of family vacations…
(Most recently we all had the blessing of reuniting in London for the wedding of my brother, Wyatt, and the newest addition to our family, his wife, Suzy.)
…Whether camping in the Hoh rainforest, hiking a mountainside, (most recently, Mt. St. Helens with my other brother Wade and his wife, Amy), or playing tag with the waves at the Oregon coast, my parents instilled in me at an early age a deep passion for seeing as much as possible of this glorious Creation! In part, it was this early exposure to traveling that is the reason I now find myself writing you an ocean away from the place I originally call home. Even more so however, it is the fact that over the past few years I have been witness to a man who I believe, daily, truly, and passionately tries to walk as Christ did. I have been witness to a dramatic change that took place in his life, and I have been the recipient of his tremendous love poured out into my life- even when we didn’t always see eye to eye. It was wanting to be closer to his realm of influence, that in August 2008, I joined my brother Wyatt, and made the move to Seoul, Korea. It is here, from this magnificent Seoul city, that I was lead to take my faith to the next level and join this amazing World Race!
While I grew up going to a small Presbyterian church with my mom, I had no grasp of what it really was to truly love God. I didn’t know much about Christianity, and at that point and time, church was more or less something I did because it was a Sunday routine. In high school, I started questioning this Christianity thing. I began to see religion as a joke, and the people who followed it to be self-righteous and hypocritical. It was at this point in my life, I began to falsely fall in love with all that the world could offer me. Whether food, drink, drug, lust, or artificial ideas of love, I was living to please the flesh.”After all,” I thought, “You only live once… Might as well live it up, right?” It was the most selfish and coincided mentality I could have; it was a recipe for disaster, and a walk down a very dark road. By the time I got to college, I was on a fast track to death, but truth be told, I was spiritually dead long before that. By God’s *amazing* grace however, just after graduating, I found myself right where I needed to be: on the floor, on my knees, crying out to God to change my life, and make me whole again. I gave my life to Him, and in return, He has been placing ointment on my eyes, and healing me, that I may see again when once I was so very blind…
The list of answered prayers that have come to fruition since I made the move here is endless! Often in the last year and a half, caterpillars have come to mind, and how Korea has served well as a kind of cocoon.The transformation into that entirely new being is no where near finished until they put me in that wooden box, but nonetheless, I rejoice in the process!
Broken relationships from my past have been restored, prayers for health have been answered, and I’ve been blessed with an amazing family; people who have loved me, supported me, shone light into my life, and given me greater insight into what Christian living really looks like. I was overwhelmed to say the least, at the recent realization that many of these people had been joining my brother in prayer for me before they even knew me. Years, in fact, before I even set foot in this country. This knowledge has placed me in a state of constant wonder and awe, and has given me such reverence for the power of prayer! Indeed, we are to “pray continually”! 1Th. 5:17
What an amazing God we serve and what *amazing* grace, is given to those who seek it!
~Some of the other things that have colored my life…
*I’m a Portland State alumni, with a major in communication, minor in film studies, and a passion for the arts. Music, movies, paintings, sculptures; we have a creative God, and how beautiful that we have been given the gift of creativity!
*Past jobs I’ve had include guarding lives at the local pool and teaching swim lessons; working at Disney in Florida, and more recently, as a Starbucks barista in the heart of downtown Portland.
*Currently, I teach Korean kindergarden cuties their ABCs and 123s. 😉 Here, a fire station field trip!
…and lastly, some of the oh-so-many things I *love* in no particular order:
-Little children, dancing, and especially, dancing with little children!
-Jogging, rivers, and especially, jogging along a river!
-Stretching
-Writing
-Listening to music (I especially love the Putumayo radio station on itunes and love checking out top 40 charts from around the globe…) And while I think of it, I love natural music like the sound of birds chirping, wind whispers or waterfalls…(but really, who doesn’t?!) 😉
-Making a joyful noise! (on guitar, on the piano, clinking glasses with spoons, banging on tabletops or simply lifting up my voice)
-Traveling, traveling, traveling, and exploring as much as possible of this *glorious* creation. (After all, the birds of the air have their nests, but as for the Son of Man?)
-Learning new words in a foreign tongue; (currently, Korean catchphrases, and brushing up on that Spanish I learned oh-so-long-ago…)
-Chocolate ice cream,chocolate anything.
-Rainbow sherbet, and rainbows.
-Smoothies. Yes. Smoooooothies!
-Tea
-Coffee
-Spicy foods (Especially Indian, and now after living here, Korean cuisine.)
-Camping and campfires, (Of course,*singing* around the campfire, and while were painting this picture, let’s add roasting marshmallows to the list! Perhaps this upcoming adventure will allow for such a joyous occurrence!)
-Nag Champa incense
-Origins Lavender Vanilla lotion. (I just discovered this, and had to put it on the list!)
-Quiet times
-Candlelight
***Okay, okay, I know! It’s a really long list!!! But life is just too fabulous and too precious of a gift to not name so much!***
I’m so excited for this journey, and I’m so excited to bring you with me via blogs and of course, prayer! Thanks for taking some time to let me share with you!
*Grace* and *Peace*!
