The ROC

Its arrived finally!!! Very early on Saturday morning I fly to Amsterdam for the ROC, which is Medair's training week. I expect to be learning lots about relief work, this will be my introduction humanitraian aid and Medair's mandate within that context. I thought that I would be feeling nervous and apprehensive as this moment approached, but i've got to say im really looking forward to it. Not sure if thats because i've been so busy recently ...I think its more to do with my outook on life though. I always get excited by a new adventure!!!

It promises to be an intense week as I start to understand what it means to be living the life of a relief worker. I believe this is where God wants me, I have a real peace about that. I hope things come together as the week unfolds, that a role and place within the organisation becomes clear for me. Thats where i will really need your prayers I think.

I really believe in Medair's programmes. They literally work amongst the most vulnerable people on earth, in some of the most forgotten crises across Africa and Asia. It will be interesting, no doubt about that.

Come, Let's Dance

Please check out what my friends at Come, Let's Dance are doing in and around Kampala, Uganda - they are an amazing group of people dedicated to loving & caring for our Ugandan brothers and sisters.

www.comeletsdance.org

On March 28th they'll be hosting a fundraiser event...well, more like a Celebration of 3 amazing years of lives being renewed, restored and empowered in Uganda through the partnership of people on this side of the ocean with some amazingly gifted leaders and servants in Nansana, Uganda. I'm so excited to get to attend this event and celebrate with them the testimonies of those who have been forever changed by the works and faith of this organization as well as looking ahead to what more is to come!


Any and ALL are welcome - this is an invitation! If you are in the area and are interested, please let me know and Ill get you more information. It's going to be a huge party to benefit some of the most vulnerable children and families in Uganda.



Love Hard. (Teaser) from Come, Let's Dance on Vimeo.

Surprised by Joy

At the bottom of my last post I put a picture of Riley, my good friends Brian & Kelly's daughter. I was living with these friends for the first 6 weeks of being back here in Denver and they are like family for me out here. Their home is always open to me, and their hearts as well. I'm going to be watching Riley for a few hours each week to let Kelly have the chance to run errands or rest for awhile and my first time doing this was this week. When I arrived, Kelly and Riley were sitting on the couch, hanging out. I sat down with them and after a few moments Riley began errupting into these belly laughs and giggles at her mom's faces and at us tickling her. We spent at least 10 minutes, just laughing and giggling with her, it was pure joy! For some reason, that time of joy has really stuck with me, reminding me how little joy I embrace and participate in on a daily basis. That day it was a gift to me & continues to be.

Below is an excerpt from "Here and Now" by Henri Nouwen, one of my favorite authors. A friend just posted this on her blog & I really wanted to share it as well...

Are we surprised by joy or by sorrow? The world in which we live wants to surprise us by sorrow. Newspapers keep telling us about traffic accidents, murders, conflicts between individuals, groups, and nations, and the television fills our minds with images of hatred, violence and destruction. And we say to one another: “Did you hear that, did you see that…isn’t it terrible…who can believe it?” Indeed it seems that the powers of darkness want to continue to surprise us with human sorrow. But these surprises paralyze us and seduce us to an existence in which our main concern becomes survival in the midst of a sea of sorrows. By making us think about ourselves as survivors of a shipwreck, anxiously clinging to a piece of driftwood, we gradually accept the role of victims doomed by the cruel circumstances of our lives.

The great challenge of faith is to be surprised by joy. I remember sitting at a dinner table with friends discussing the economic depression of the country. We kept throwing out statistics that made us increasingly convinced that things could only get worse. Then, suddenly, the four-year-old son of one of my friends opened the door, ran to his father, and said, “Look, Daddy! Look! I found a little kitten in the yard…Look!…Isn’t she cute?” While showing the kitten to his father, the little boy stroked and held it against his face. All at once everything changed. The little boy and his kitten became the center of attention. There were smiles, strokes, and many tender words. We were surprised by joy.

God became a little child in the midst of a violent world. Are we surprised by joy or do we keep saying: “How nice and sweet, but the reality is different.” What if the child reveals to us what is really real.

Friends and birthdays

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks...

Tif & I at her birthday dinner

The birthday girl!

Lisa & Brent were in town for the weekend! I loved hanging out with them!!!

We went antique/flea market shopping - it was quite fun...lots of random finds!

And these pics are just because...above & below is Riley and Micah - respectively... my previous roommates & now weekly Tuesday afternoon dates.

doesn't he look smart in his tie? :)

Faking out the flowers

Its a little known secret that Denver has the best weather ever. We have seasons, but our winter is relatively dry. People think that since people come here to ski, we must have heaps of snow all winter long. The truth is that the snow lives in the mountains...and Denver only gets some. So most weeks look like a day or two of chilly weather, maybe some snow. Then, the sky clears, the sun comes out and the snow melts! Then, we see a few days of temperatures as high as 70 degrees F! That's right, we have 300 sunshiny days a year on average. That's one reason I like it here so much. This past week we had days from the mid-50s to mid-70s. And of course, the flowers are getting very confused in the middle of February:

Birthday festivities

I asked my one of my co-workers, who is in high school, how old he thought I was turning...he said 23! :) That made me happy. Actually, I've hit the year of 29. Here are some pictures from the past weekend of fun...

On Friday night I went out with the girls for some yummy desserts...

Natalie & I

Nicole (one of my new roommates) & I

Tif & I

Then on Saturday night, I invited people over for a 70s & 80s themed dance party! It was quite the partay!

A bit more about me

Im never sure how much i should reveal through this blog, as its not just my close friends who will see it. Anyway, i think there is some stuff that i should say, especially my interest in going overseas and my future work with Medair

A quote from Steve Chalk inspired me to share a bit more. He said 'My aim is not to impress people with what i do - but to train and inspire them to do better themselves'.

I first became awar of Medair when i was living in London back in the day. There was a girl from my church who went to work in Afghanistan as a nurse. I remember hearing her speak and thinking wow, im interested in that! My fascination with the organisation and humanitarian aid work in particular has never faded, infact i would say its grown stronger and stronger.

Hopefully since then i've matured in my faith. I am tuly convinced that Jesus holds the key it is only him who is able to transform people, communites and indeed entire nations. I have all the practical skills to build a successful career in this line of work, but without Jesus at the heart of it whats the point, wheres it all leading!