"And the greatest of these is Love.." Alaska Through My Eyes.

Towards the end of my junior year of high school (2009-10), I felt God calling me to go to Alaska to share His love with the people up there. I don't remember how it happened, but I knew~ I needed to go. Many obstacles arose. And my heart broke as I watched my plans fall through over and over again. We went through a good four or five different trips that I was going to participate in to get me to a place where I could minister in Alaska. See, the problem was, they were human plans; they all fell through. God had greater things in store than I ever could have imagined.

On July 7, 2010, I was on my way to Kodiak, Alaska, with a group of people that I barely knew. Long before we departed a week later, I would consider those people - along with many people I met in Kodiak - my family. While I was in Kodiak that first time, I grew tremendously in my faith, grew closer to my brothers and sisters in Christ and observed what it means to act as one body, developed a huge heart for the people I came in contact with who had no knowledge of the saving power of Christ, and fell in love with a place called Alaska. Here are just a few of my pictures I would like to share~

I have never seen a more beautiful place! Surrounded by God's incredible
 creation, and yet still so many people who know nothing of His love for them. 

Our team :) July 2010

"All around me Your creation, brings me to my knees in adoration!"
        -- Life is Good, Eternal Life is Better!

"And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that
are here today and gone tomorrow, won't He
more surely care for you?" - Matthew 6:30

I wish I had more pictures of the people I have had the privilege to meet and the kids I've gotten to play with and love on.. However, I do not regret for a single second the time I spent playing and interacting with them that prevented or distracted me from taking those pictures.

Pictures don't even begin to do justice to this place or to the experiences I have had there anyway, but for this purpose they will have to suffice.

These are some of the Filipino kids that came to VBS,
performing the songs on the last day. :)

Some of the most well-behaved kids I have ever worked with! They were great listeners, worked hard in making their crafts each day (even the boys!), followed instructions, and had the most beautiful smiles. Please be in prayer for these kiddos, their families, the Filipino Bible Church, and their pastor!

I can't wait until the day I get to work with them again. :)

Surfer's Beach

I left with tears in my eyes, desiring to come back as soon as God would allow. Thankfully, He didn't make me wait long! During Spring Break the following March (2010) I headed to Nome, Alaska, to minister to the people there during the Iditarod Dogsled Races.

Our team held a Kid's Club (Vacation Bible School) for the kids during the week. Many of the kids would just walk to the church on their own each day. Once again, they were so eager to participate - something that is so common where many of us grew up is such a treat for them to experience. You can see their longing for someone who genuinely wants to love on them and spend time with them. They desperately need people who are willing to invest in their lives and build relationships. It broke my heart to learn that the reason our attendance was so high on one particular day was because the winner of the Iditarod had finished that morning - the parents wanted to celebrate, and we were the perfect child-care while they went off to get helplessly drunk. There was no way of knowing what we were sending those kids home to that day. Please pray for these kids as they grow up in this community. There is darkness and utter hopelessness surrounding a great part of Nome, but God is moving! My prayer is that they will find the one true Light and depart from the generational chains that have bound families in Nome for countless decades.

Bible stories!

Craft-time :)

This is the reason we go: 

These people are exactly like us. 

They need Jesus just like we do.

They need HOPE.

But they don't think it exists.

They are isolated and secluded.

They need HOPE.

We can help to give them that-

You can point out the people who are different,

Who have a smile on their face

And a twinkle in their eye.

That is what we are to them- 

Something different.

Something they don't know.

HOPE.

Helen!
A precious sister in Christ :)

Native drummers at the finish line
I loved listening to the music they were making as the mushers came in.
As I stood there in that moment, my prayer became this:
That one day, those chants and that music would not simply be
them cheering for their fellow brother, but instead
a song of praise to our God.

A ladies' luncheon - breaking down barriers
Forming relationships and sharing food,
loving on and encouraging our neighbors.

Kirsten, myself, & Julie
If those kids can wear shorts, so can we!
Well, at least for a few minutes :)

Fearfully & Wonderfully Made.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." -Psalm 139:14-16

Did you catch that? It says ALL my days were layed out before Him before I even came to be. ALL. That includes my past, my present, and my future. The past few years have included some pretty big decisions in my life.. choosing a college to attend, to play basketball at the college level, mission trips, and of course many daily decisions that just come along with everyday life. Right now I'm working on figuring out "what I want to do with the rest of my life." And frankly, while there are many things I want to do with the rest of my life, finding and following the path God has for me has felt overwhelming at times. However, this verse has been such a comfort to me through times like this.
I look back at the ways God has been so intricately involved in the details of my life thus far - big and small - and can't help but feel confident that His hand is over all and in all. And that whatever His plans are will be revealed in His perfect time. And one day we will look back and see how beautifully our path was woven together. Just the way it was supposed to be.

One detail of my life that I have come to be amazed with recently, deals with something that the world may consider a "birth defect." For those of you that don't know, when I was born, my right thumb was basically immobile. It never fully formed. Long story short, my parents (after a consultation at the Shriner's hospital in Houston) decided it would be best if I had surgery to remove the thumb and move my pointer finger over in a position where it could function as my thumb. Although this would leave me with only four fingers on one hand, it would provide me with the opposing digits helpful in picking things up and such.

I had my first hand surgery at the young age of 20 months, and never looked back. That I can remember, I've never really felt sorry for myself. Of course, in Elementary there were kids who would make fun of me. But I always had awesome friends who would take my side and stand up for me (by the way, if you were one of those friends and you're reading this, and I've never said thanks-- Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Those years would have been so much harder if it hadn't been for y'all).

See, I was ready to go! And stinkin' cute on top of that ;)

Four fingers was my "normal," and I never thought anything of it. In fact, I used to love playing with the old splints stashed away in a box in my closet.

My Grandma tailored gloves in the winter so they would fit my hand, and to this day it's still kinda funny to give it to someone to put on and watch them struggle until they figure out why they can't get it on :)

I made mud-pies and played on the playground just like every other little kid!

If I were to tell you that I've never been self-conscious about it, I would be lying. But never have I been angry or upset that God made my hand the way he did. However, only recently have I realized what a blessing it is for my hands to be exactly the way that they are!

You see, my left hand has a difficultly of its own- the small space between my pointer finger and thumb makes it impossible for me to make a complete circle, like so ~

Yes, I realize I look ridiculous.
I was trying really hard.. :)

This makes it difficult to do things such as climbing and swinging on monkey bars or lifting dumb bell or bar weights. It is difficult to get a grip with my left hand; the pressure can even be painful sometimes. However, because of the surgery, my right hand fits perfectly! If both of my hands were shaped exactly like my left hand, it is very likely I would be limited in some of the things I can do, but God's design is perfect. :)




I would venture to say the main "difficulty" (if you can even call it that) with my right hand is the larger-than-normal space that is left where my pointer finger used to be. While I had never thought about it, it was once brought to my attention that the space might make it more difficult to catch a basketball. Or any kind of ball for that matter. Upon my own recent investigation of this situation, I realized that when a ball is thrown at me from straight on, it is mostly dependent upon my left hand (with all five fingers evenly spaced) to stop the ball from hitting me in the face. The place where my pointer finger is missing on my right hand makes it more vulnerable to allow the ball to slip through. This is only one example, but if both of my hands were shaped exactly like my right hand, I believe it is very likely that I would struggle and be limited in some of the things I can do fairly well as it is, but - once again - God's design is perfect. :)


It is so great to have wonderful reminders like this of how great our God is, and yet He still remains so intricately involved in every detail of our lives. When the storms of life rage and clouds of doubt and worry threaten to overtake the joy we have, we can claim the promises that God has given us, His children! Although it is a difficult thing for me to grasp, I can believe with certainty that God knows "all the days ordained for me" and this frees me from having to! I may not be able to see what lies in my future, but I can see one thing~

My God is great, and His design is perfect. :)

Showing off my sticker and stamp :)

"It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details... God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities."
                                             ~ Ephesians 3:7-8

"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."
                                             ~Philippians 4:19