Identity

“We get so worried about being ‘pretty.’ Let’s be pretty kind. Pretty funny. Pretty smart. Pretty strong.”

 

A sweet girly (s/o to Sully) in my chapter pinned this on Pinterest – and it has quickly became a prayer for recruitment. It’s easy to get caught up in the pettiness and superficialness of it all. But I pray that we humble ourselves and remember that beauty is fleeting. It’s not about what your hair looks like, if your dress is the perfect color, or if  your makeup is on “fleek.” We aren’t slaves to the chains of appearance anymore because of where our identity is found. In Him we find FREEDOM.

We are not defined by the letters we wear. We are defined by the blood that was shed for us by the Son of God – by the FREE gift of true life for all those who believe in the sacrifice that was made by our God on that cross. I pray that next time we see someone wearing their letters, we don’t define them by that and that only – an outward view. For there is something far better. Although we all have sisters because of our chapters, the bonds made in Christ will define us far after.

Once we realize our identity is found in Christ alone, we are able to love on those in our chapter, bearing the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control) during the upcoming stressful and dreaded week. Go into recruitment with a positive mind, loving on both the chapter women and the PNMs, just as Jesus does for us each and every day. Do it for His glory.

In Christ, you are beautiful. You are worthy. You are loved. You are redeemed. In Christ, you are known and valued. We are heirs to His kingdom. We are HIS daughters. 

Throughout recruitment, I pray that we would declare our identity in Jesus. 

“God, I find no peace in identifying with any movement, group, or person other than You. I find no rest apart from You.

In You I am secure and made whole, righteous and blameless.

In You I find purpose and joy because you are ever in me and by my side.

Lord, thank you that I am precious, pursued, honored, dearly loved, wanted and cherished by You.

In You, I am kind; I am patient and compassionate; I am gentle, and I am humble.

Because of Your Spirit in me, I am bold and diligent; I am forgiving and merciful, and my lips are drenched in wisdom.

Father, I believe you are who you say you are; I believe also I am who you say I am. For the doubt still lingering in my heart, give me faith.

You are a faithful friend and a good Father, and I believe you will withhold no good thing from me, as I walk uprightly.

I declare that I am a child of the Light, and today I will run and not grow weary.

I will set captives free and reconcile the lost and broken to you. I will live in Your Presence and from the overflow of Your Holy Spirit, I will move.”

Photo from Pinterest

YOU are a child of God.

xoxo,

Kels

Mountain Highs & Valley Lows

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” -C.S. Lewis

In America we often refer to mountain highs and valley lows in our walk with God. We describe the ups and downs of our faith as exactly that. A rollercoaster that is going every which way-never staying constant. Although I find myself falling into these highs and lows, God gracefully revealed something that never really clicked for me until my third trip to Haiti this June.

While sitting in a worship service on our last night in Jacmel, the worship team was leading us in a song with the following lyrics: (Here is the link to see a glimpse of that night!!).

I give myself away
I give myself away
So You can use me

Here I am
Here I stand
Lord, my life is in your hands
Lord, I’m longing to see
Your desires revealed in me

I give myself away
I give myself away
So You can use me
I give myself away
I give myself away
So You can use me

Take my heart
Take my life
As a living sacrifice
All my dreams all my plans
Lord I place them in your hands

I was moved to tears while listening to everyone passionately singing out to Jesus. I spotted Daphcarline, a sweet girl from Faith House, singing her heart out to God. I spotted an elderly woman fall to her knees, crying out to God. I spotted little girls with their arms high and their hearts truly surrendered to Jesus. I spotted a little piece of heaven on earth amongst a community of believers who were calling out to Him, proclaiming each word as truth in their lives. They were unashamed (Romans 1:16) of the gospel. Their faith was real. Their faith was genuine. Their faith was evident. 

In America we constantly struggle with who truly has a relationship with the Lord and who doesn’t. We have built up a fair amount of head knowledge, which isn’t bad, but have in turn sacrificed having a real, genuine, and evident relationship with Jesus. For the first time I truly saw what it meant to  be unashamed and real with Jesus through this community of believers in Haiti.

Despite our physical needs in America differing greatly from those in Haiti, we are still broken people in need of a savior to give us hope. We are nothing without Him. I realized the people I was envying as they worshiped with such passion that last night in Jacmel weren’t much different from me, but the fact that they understood their brokenness and need for Jesus in every facet of their lives revealed to me what it means to truly get it. 

Coming home I am more encouraged than ever to seek an authentic relationship with Jesus, one that is consistent and constantly growing. My prayer is that we realize our faith can’t be lukewarm or halfway committed- we must either be all in or all out, there’s no middle ground or “moderately important” Christianity. I pray that we see our brokenness as what it is and recognize our desperate need for a savior.

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On a totally different tangent, Haiti rocked as usual. I’m constantly having lingering thoughts about the next time I can go back and hope it is sooner rather than later! If you are interested in learning more about Faith House I encourage you to check out their website. They’re currently rallying sponsors for the girls, in efforts to get all of them fully funded! FGIM Website

Here is an incredible video capturing the week our team had in Haiti made by the wonderful Kayla Farris! Haiti Team 2016 Video

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Summer Reading List

I have always vowed to have a summer reading list compiled with a ton of books I would most definitely have time to read, but would then find myself neglecting to even touch or get past the first couple of chapters. Life would get in the way (per usual) and I would end up reading maybe 1 or maybe even none of the books I had hoped to read. This summer I am ready to put down the phone and Netflix and ready to pick up a good ole book.

Here’s the list of books I hope to read this summer!

Crazy Busy By Kevin DeYoung

• This short 100-page or so book took me a good 6 months to get through. Not because of the length or the quality of the book, but because of the mere fact that I was “crazy busy.” I can assure you this book is a must read for any person living in the 21st century!

“Jesus understood his mission. He was not driven by the needs of others, though he often stopped to help hurting people. He was not driven by the approval of others, though he cared deeply for the lost and the broken. Ultimately, Jesus was driven by the Spirit. He was driven by his God-given mission. He knew his priorities and did not let the many temptations of a busy life deter him from his task.” – Kevin DeYoung

Big Magic By Elizabeth Gilbert

• Intriguing cover had me saying yes before I even knew what the story was. Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love  is back at it with this great read about living a creative life; a life not of fear, but of bravery and inspiration. A little self help book never hurt anyone… and when it is all said and done it would make a great addition to the coffee table magazines.

If You Find this Letter By Hannah Brencher

• Ah a good memoir to kick off a beach trip (that’s what I’m currently doing). Get ready to meet Hannah Brencher, founder of The World Needs More Love Letters in this story of how she found joy in simply giving strangers love letters. About halfway finished with this little story and I can tell ya that her story will leave you wanting to write some old fashioned letters to a pal or two! *update: Finished this sweet inspiring book and it is most definitely a must read for anyone who is scared to see their dreams flourish! Such an incredible story of success when you just believe in yourself.*

A Praying Life by Paul Miller

• One of the books we were given at Greek Summit that has already transformed my praying life within the first 6 chapters. Miller helps readers connect with God in the distracting world we live in today. So far, so good peeps!

Blog, Inc. By Joy Deangdeelert Cho

• Hoping this one helps me have a cooler, more creative blog… we’ll see about that.

Young and Beardless  By John Luke Robertson

• I guess this reveals my love for the Duck Dynasty family, but really, I love reading books from people my age who can relate to a lot of the same situations. So I’m interested to see what he’s got to say!

Unashamed By Lecrae Moore

• My fave Christian rapper turned author… this has got to be good.
  

  If you live for people’s acceptance, you’ll die from their rejection. – Lecrae

Captivating By John Eldredge

• To top the list off I’m putting a book that has been recommended by more than one of my trusted bookworms. This is a book (from what I’ve read and heard) about realizing that your dreams as a little girl matter and God created you to live. I’m about it…

Let’s flip some pages y’all!

 

xoxo,

Kels

Greek Summit in a nutshell.

Words are hard to come by as I try to describe the experience I had the past two weeks at Greek Summit, as it quite honestly felt like a little piece of heaven. We spent two weeks constantly learning how to bring Jesus into a dark place. We spent time learning how to lead a bible study, how to share our testimony, how to study the bible, and how to evangelize, along with heavy lessons on apologetics, not being apathetic, and having an eternal perspective. Each lesson was 100% applicable to each of our situations, leaving my heart overwhelmed by the power of the gospel and the faithfulness of our gracious Father. He was so present the last two weeks and will continue to be present as we go out into our mission field in our Greek chapters.

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Bear with me as the following are some of the incredible lessons the Lord was teaching me!

• We are called to be active and not passive, for only what we do for Christ will last. As college students, and especially as Greeks, we have countless opportunities to share the gospel. We must be faithful and obedient in using each of these opportunities.
• Jesus wants us to come as we are. We are unclean, unworthy, sinful people- just like the craziest person in our chapter. We are no better than anyone in our chapter, but we have hope in something so much greater; a God who loves us through thick and thin.
• Don’t just brush up against Jesus, reach out to Him. We are unable to impart what we don’t possess, for it is by faith and not works that we are able to experience Christ.
• There is a call to follow the Lord, and there is a cost to follow the Lord. When He intersects our lives He challenges how we evaluate our lives.
• We must have an:
  • Action of Obedience: the Lord opened His table to us and He invites us to come. We get to participate in His plan and in that we must examine our own sins, judge our own sins, and confess our own sins.
  • Action of Remembrance: remember who gave it all, and in return, give it YOUR all.
  • Action of Faithfulness: have fellowship with Him and have faith in Him.
• God’s call is comprehensive. It is over and throughout your entire life, it is not compartmentalized. Serving God is a privilege.
• The way we live spiritually in college is typically how you will live the rest of your life. 
• “Christianity, if false, is of no importance. If Christianity is true, it is of all importance. But it cannot be of moderate importance.” -C.S. Lewis
• There is no middle ground in Christianity– you are either all in or all out.
• Where will you be working in the vineyard back on your campus?
• We must discern what is true and what is not true from the world.
• 0% (me) + 100% (God) = SALVATION —> results in good works for the glory of God.
• We were a thorn and God chose us and made us a rose.
• Our lack of knowledge and doubt keep us from the Holy Spirit.
• Fruit is an ongoing abiding with Him, a daily surrendering to the Lord. (Galatians 5:22-23).
• Looking to Jesus allows us to live in FREEDOM and not in insecurity. We are defined by Jesus, not by our insecurities.
• Comparison consumes our hearts, but He gives HOPE.
• You are loved and known because of who He is and whose you are. He calls us precious. (Isaiah 43:1-4). 
• Pray for REVIVAL on our campuses. Sometimes all we can do is pray for those who don’t desire change.
• In order to pray we must have an intolerable burden, or an intense agony of the status quo where  you just can’t take it anymore.
• Yes, you can grieve, but REJOICE and RUN to Him. That’s how you go on.
• To see conversions we must have power, to have power we must have the holy spirit, to have the holy spirit we must pray, to pray we must have an intolerable burden. 
• Imagine how hopeless we would be if God had chosen to be distant from His creation…
• Jesus is the ONLY one who will fulfill you. He desires to be the ONE who satisfies us, not other idols. 
• The Christian community is very isolated from the rest of the campus, but you have the ability to change that. Plant your flag for the gospel in your wild house. Be amongst unbelievers, showing them fellowship and a relationship with Jesus.
• We want to be a ministry, fishing in streams where others are not fishing (aka Greek houses). 
• God placed you where you are for a time such as this. (Esther 4:14)
• As Greeks we have a platform of great significance.
• Don’t live a life of success with no significance. Are you more concerned about what your fraternity brothers/sorority sisters think of you, or where they will be spending eternity?
• We are never in a place where we don’t need God. 
• We have become an apathetic society, not seeing the cost as worth it. We are self-reliant and self sufficient, doing life by ourselves and not relying on God.
• “Apathy fails to realize the reality of our condition apart from the power of the Holy Spirt and the fullness of the gospel.”
• Don’t lose sight of how important if is for others to hear of the good news.
• Our assurance comes from being in the long haul with Jesus.

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These lessons left me convicted, but encouraged. Jesus is on our team. He is constantly cheering us on in the deepest and darkest pits of our chapters. He is calling us to have an eternal perspective and to be bold in sharing the gospel. He wants us to be aware of the platform we have been given. We are amongst unbelievers everyday; we eat lunch with them, we live amongst them, we identify with the same letters. But we have such a significant opportunity to show these people Jesus. Over the two weeks at Greek Summit I heard stories of God transforming the lives of those attending the project. He transformed each and every one of us, and is so capable of doing the same to those in our chapters.

The journey doesn’t end in Destin amongst like-minded people thinking “we’ve got this.” We were equipped over these two weeks to GO. We have now entered the mission field, and going back to our houses in the fall won’t be an easy task, but the harvest is plentiful. Chances are, we will feel rejected and judged, but He never said it would be easy. He warned us of the cost of following Him, but the reward of a relationship and an eternity spent with Him far outweighs the cost.

I continue to see God as He is and myself as I am, becoming more and more aware of the gap between God’s holiness and my sinfulness. As the cross becomes a bigger and bigger part of my life, I find myself rejoicing in my Savior, who died upon the cross for my sins to wash me white as snow. I’m excited to see how God uses each of us to bring light onto our  campuses. My prayer is that we would keep an eternal perspective, while having an intolerable burden for those on our campus. That we would desire to grow in relationship with Jesus and other believers, showing non-believers the joy that can only come from Him.

From the ends of the earth I call to you,
    I call as my heart grows faint;
    lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
 For you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the foe.

 I long to dwell in your tent forever
    and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

Psalm 61:2-4

You are a good good Father.

As the Lord works in our hearts, He is making us more aware of His holiness, and the cross continues to become a bigger piece of our lives.

Thank you Jesus for giving me such incredible sisters, both in Christ and DZ!

The greatest girlies to live with for two weeks! KBV was a house full of love, encouragement, crabs, and lots of wardrobes!

A Plentiful Harvest

As my freshman year at the University of Florida comes to a close, I stand amazed at how the Lord has worked through my life over the past year. Whether it be late nights in the lib or Friday nights spent with friends, He has gotten me through it all and granted me more than I could’ve ever imagined.

As many of you know, I am affiliated with a Greek organization here at school. When I originally decided to rush I was nervous to tell others at home. I was nervous to share this part of my life that myself and so many other believers had judged once before. I didn’t know how others would react and what people would think of me. I purposely didn’t share with a lot of people that I had joined a sorority for the sole reason of not knowing how I would be perceived in other believers’ eyes.

Greek life is known for parties, sex, and lots of alcohol. It’s a dark place where Satan runs wild and seems to always be winning. Greek life is a place where students find their identity in their letters and in things of this world. Their hopes to be known cannot be satisfied by their letters, but only by knowing the true Alpha and Omega (lol see what I did there?).

Despite the darkness of Greek life, I see a huge mission field right in front of me. Coming into Greek life I thought I would be the only Christian, but much to my surprise I have found a community of believers in a ministry called Doulos. Doulos’ intention is to share
the gospel to Greeks at the University of Florida and is a ministry run by CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ). I have been blessed to find such an encouraging group of men and women in this community. They understand the temptations and the darkness that we experience every day, something not everyone can relate to. They get it. 

With that being said, we are thrown into an interesting mission field. Some may say we choose to put ourselves in a position surrounded by temptation, where alcohol, drugs, and sex are all around, but I 100% believe that it was intentional by God that we went through the process of rush and pledging. As believers we have been strategically placed in all 40+ Greek houses on campus. Rather than being all in the same houses, God has sprinkled us within houses to possibly be the only light these men or women will see. God knew we would rush or pledge and He knew we would be the only ones in these houses, but has in turn granted us with a community of believers amongst all houses. God calls us, the few laborers, to love on these people and to produce a plentiful harvest of believers seeking out the Lord. He didn’t call us to separate ourselves from those who are different than us, He called us to be DIFFERENT.

He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. – Luke 10:2

Through my involvement in Doulos I have been given the opportunity to attend Greek Summit, a leadership conference this summer in Destin, Florida! This conference is geared towards students in the Greek System and its purpose is to build up our personal relationships with the Lord in order to bring the word back to our sorority and fraternity houses in the fall. Basically, it’s all about equipping us with the living word in order to fight the dark battle that is Greek life, with hopes to lead others to Christ.

Since joining a sorority I have intentionally been praying for one disciple in every Greek house and for the Greek community to be wrecked by Jesus. I’ve seen strides being made in girls in my house as well as those in other houses and I know that is only through Him. I am so excited for the next three years at UF and I am so excited to attend this conference this summer to better learn how to reach Greeks at my school.

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My buds Ziz and Lammy who will be attending Greek Summit! Pure JOY!

I am trusting in the Lord’s ability to provide for this trip and am confident that He will provide.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us.” – 1 John 5:14

I am asking that you will support me in both prayer and in my need financially. The trip’s cost is $1200 and is in two weeks (ahh!!!). Any donation helps and tax deductible donations can be made online at

 

Donation Link

I appreciate all of the support and thank you for joining me on this journey!

xoxo,

Kels

“I’m your crutch”

This week a seriously unfortunate event occurred- I tripped on a palm tree on campus. Yes, you can laugh. I like to call events like these “just Kelsey things,” because I swear it would only ever happen to me. But this little injury has forced me to stop. I can’t run around campus doing my normal activities, I have to strategically plan out my day and sometimes even according to my friends days since I can’t drive. If you know me at all you know that I am constantly running from one commitment to another. To be honest, this whole crutch thing has put a damper on my days. I generally am pretty positive about it, reminding myself it’s only for a week, but then I remember how sore my arms are and how my ankle is still swollen and how it takes me forever to get to class. It’s rough and it’s difficult to constantly encourage myself to make it the next 20 feet to the door of my destination.

Like I said before, I am always on the run, so being still has always been a struggle for me. Yes, I know He is God, but how can I “be still” if I have 10 places to be at once?

Unsurprisingly, God has been teaching me a cool lesson through this fiasco. Bear with me on this one… Just as I use the crutches to take pressure off of my ankle, God is my crutch, taking the pressure of the craziness of life off of me. He wants me to lean on Him. He wants me to come to Him. He wants me to be still. And when I do these things I see the glory of who He is. I stand (currently sit) in awe of who He is. A God who doesn’t love us based off of involvement, busyness, or sacrifices, but a God who loves us just as we are. He welcomes us with open arms despite knowing every single piece of our hearts.

I am not ashamed to say He is my crutch and I must lean on Him daily because I can’t do any of this on my own. Crutches enable the injured to live fuller lives when they heal. God is the crutch who enables broken sinners like me to live fully in Him. How stinking cool is He?!

Though I stumbled, I did not fall, for He upheld me

(Psalm 37:24)

(Such a fitting verse for a gal like me).

God is funny and loves to use the oddest situations to teach us such big lessons. Today I encourage you to be still (Psalm 46:10) and reflect on who God is in His entirety- a God who loves, pursues, cherishes, and desires time with you. He wants to be your “crutch” when you can’t hold yourself up, so let Him.

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Thank you Jesus for using something as simple as crutches to make me still and remind me that I must rely on you.

For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

(Isaiah 41:13)

He is faithful

“I didn’t want to come here. UF was my last choice.” If you know me at all you have probably heard me say this a countless number of times. I wanted to attend a private Christian university far from home, not a huge public institution an hour and a half away- and that is your spark note version of this story.

In the spring of senior year I decided I would not be attending Baylor University. This was hard on me emotionally and spiritually. I made friends. I visited Texas multiple times. I spent my spring break with the cool chick I had decided to room with (shoutout to Calley). I had it all planned and life seemed to be going great. But amidst the greatness, the Lord kept giving me a lot of signs that maybe Baylor just wasn’t for me. I turned to God and began praying furiously for an answer. I was praying for guidance and an answer to where I would be attending college and God continued saying to me through multiple instances, “Kelsey, my way, not yours.” I won’t bore you with the backstory too much, but if you’re interested check this blog out from last year.

During this time of decision making I prayed over a few specific verses over and over again in Job:

But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

Job 23: 10-12

Job’s story is a story of suffering. He lost all of his possessions, his kids, and his health. Job didn’t understand why God was allowing all of this suffering in his life. Job’s friends told him that his suffering was a direct result of sin. Thankfully, by the grace of God, this isn’t true or I would be in a constant state of suffering as a result of my disobedience. A man named Elihu heard these false statements from Job’s friend and told Job that God was using suffering to humble him.

Although our suffering may not be as extreme as Job’s we too ask God how He could let His children suffer. But we cannot and will not ever truly understand why He allows each instance of suffering in our lives. We are called to be faithful to Him in our suffering. Even in our most difficult struggles we must remain firmly committed to Him for He knows the plan (Jeremiah 29:11). For Job this looked like being stripped of everything of this world to learn that God was enough for his future. We are called to love God regardless of whether He allows suffering or blessing to come to us.

During my suffering I prayed for His guidance, but also prayed for a God honoring community at UF (the huge public university I decided to attend). Tonight the prayer I consistently made during my time of suffering was so clearly answered.

As I sat in Bible study discussing prayer, my friend turned to Job 23, to the exact verses above that I had prayed over my life an entire year ago. I flipped the pages of my Bible and there in Job 23 was the letter from Baylor regarding my withdrawal. I had kept this letter in my Bible to remind me of His sovereignty over my life. But tonight while I sat in my sorority with girls who were not only my sisters by the letters I wear, but who are my sisters in Christ, I sat amazed by the faithfulness of the Lord. From now on this letter stays in the pages of my Bible as a reminder of an answered prayer and the faithfulness of my Father. I prayed for this community for a year and tonight He showed me that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

I share this story to  encourage you to not lose hope when you feel your prayers aren’t being answered in times of suffering. God simply tells us to ask and we shall receive (Matthew 7:7-8).

She Reads Truth refers to prayer as this:

“But prayer is not just the act of asking and receiving; it is the act of being. It is the act of knowing. It is the act of coming near to God with integrity—with a heart that is whole and undivided in its attentiveness to Him. It is knowing and believing that He is near and He hears us, that He is always faithful in His love for us, even when we don’t feel it (Psalm 25:6).”

Draw near to your faithful Father who has the ability to answer prayers.

The most amazing best friend and supporter ever.

So much love and thankfulness for this community. 

hey what’s up hello, 2016

It’s crazy to me how quickly 2015 has come to an end. It’s hard to think that just a year ago I lived at home and not in a little dorm room. It’s hard to think that just a year ago I had no idea that I would be attending the college I do today. It’s hard to think that just a year ago I went to this place called high school 5 days a week for 6+ hours a day (lol wouldn’t go back to that, ever). Oddly enough, I wouldn’t change any of what has happened this past year to be the way I had once pictured life to be.

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2015 was a year of firsts and lasts galore; graduating, leaving my childhood home and everyone I knew, starting a new life in a different city. If we are being honest, this list could go on forever. It was a year of so much uncertainty; where would I be attending school? what would I get involved with? who would be my friends? These questions haunted me each day. It was a year filled with triumphs, as well as failures. Despite it all I am incredibly thankful for the lessons I have learned.

Going into 2016 I pray that in the hard and the hurt I can be reminded of the hope that Jesus brings to each one of us. His grace abounds in the darkest of places and in the deepest of pits. Regardless of our sins and disobedience His grace is offered in abundance (Romans 5:20). I pray to return to Him in the new year (Jeremiah 24:7). It’s easy to drift and not take the time out to just sit and spend time with the Lord when your mind is running in ten different directions. But amidst the chaos and craziness He calls me His and I call Him mine. I’m thankful to serve a God who is constant. He was constant in 2015, He will be constant in 2016, and He will be constant forevermore. Relying on Him is an adventure. Ridding us of ourselves to draw closer to Him is a humility like none other and I am excited to continually do this throughout the year.

A new year comes with new uncertainties. We don’t have all of the answers, or any of them for that matter. But why worry about years or months in the future when things change from day to day? This year don’t find yourself dwelling in the uncertainty that may (will) come about, instead turn to God. He created the universe and created your plans. I hold onto this walking into 2016; I love God and I love people and I want to seek God continually and make His name known near and far.

And with that, I welcome 2016 with open arms.

xoxo,

Kels

Tick tock to transition time.

As I write from the car on my way to Missouri to say some “goodbyes” I’m struck with the fact that in the next 16 days I should become a pro at said “goodbyes.” With goodbyes come change & change seems to be the name of the game these days. 

The next 16 days hold my present life & before I know it, the life I’ve grown so comfortable with will be gone. Don’t get me wrong, my mood is far from somber when it comes to moving on to the excitement that is college but knowing that the home life I’ve always had is about to change offers a little bit of sadness. 

Needless to say, I’m going through a transition stage of life. 

tran·si·tion

tranˈziSH(ə)n,tranˈsiSH(ə)n/

noun

1. the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another 

verb

1. undergo or cause to undergo a process or period of transition.

As the definition states it’s “a period of changing from one state or condition to another.” I’m moving out. I’m saying goodbye to my best friends that know my life inside and out & who accept all of my weird antics. I’m being thrown into an environment where I only know a handful of people from my hometown. There’s just a ton of changing & transitioning happening & I’ve found myself getting caught up in the changes & forgetting about His sovereignty 

Recently, God has been graciously reminding me that even though seasons and life change, He is constant through it all. As God has been revealing this truth in my life I’ve felt such peace wash over me. My savior is with me consistently. He is not a wishy washy friend influenced by emotions. He is a faithful God. This isn’t old news, but for some reason the reminder of His faithfulness has been blurred by my worries of what’s to come next. 
As I step into the next phase of life in a couple of weeks I want to continue holding onto the truth of the consistency of the Lord. When things get tough at school & I feel alone I know that He is there. What a sweet sweet promise. 
Thanks for bearing with me on this oh so choppy & non-flowing post! Until next time y’all!

xoxo,

Kels

bondye se bon

A week ago I arrived back in Jax after spending nine days on a mission trip in Jacmel, Haiti. Trying to put what my team and myself experienced into words has proven to be difficult, but one thing I can pinpoint very well is that God is good. In everything that occurred on this trip the Lord was present and working in and through us. In this post I just want to give a smidgeon of insight as to what we were able to do during our time in Haiti.

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Over the nine days we were able to minister to the community of Jacmel through various activities including vacation bible school, a sports day, & a feeding ministry.

During the rice & bean distribution we looked at all of the kids in line & we thought to ourselves, “how in the world are we going to have enough for everyone?” While the last few kids were walking through the line we all watched as there became less & less oil. The last boy came to the table and as we stared we saw there was no more oil; we came so close to having enough, why couldn’t we just have one more? We looked to each other and all around when finally we looked to a chair behind the table, and voila, one last oil!! We doubted that our God was able to provide for His people, LOL @ us! God is good to His people!! (Psalm 100:5)

We were able to see God’s beauty in the mountains, in the beaches, and even in the most beautiful waterfall.

In Haiti I  easily found beauty all around. Back home I glance over everything because it is the “norm” to me. I think this has something to do with there being little distraction surrounding me in Haiti. I’m left to look around and observe what is around me rather than what is on my iPhone screen. As I sat in the back of the red pickup truck driving to Bassin-Bleu I sat in absolute awe of what my eyes were seeing. God created this in six days & had time to rest on the seventh. Can I just reiterate that He made the world in SIX days??? Is that not absolutely insane? I know we hear that all the time but for some reason it really hit me during my time in Haiti this year. He made the rugged mountains and the bright blue ocean that surrounded Haiti. His beauty was everywhere amidst the trash on the side of the road or the cow poop on the walk to the waterfall- it didn’t even phase me that I almost stepped in poop a thousand times in twenty minutes!! All I could do was look around and think to myself how our God is good.

We met some incredible people in Haiti & I wish I could name every single one of them in this post, but I’ll just point out a few for times sake…

• Lorphine was the woman who owned the orphanage & the guest house. She has an amazing story of forgiveness & obedience to the Lord. We unfortunately were unable to meet her husband but we did get to meet her 3 wonderful children; Veronica (Nica as we liked to call her), Jeremiah, and sweet sweet baby Daniel. Veronica was the sassiest seven year old who could dance the night away. Jeremiah was the smartest five year old who couldn’t go a day without mentioning the long-armed/colossal squid. Daniel was just the cutest  7-month old who never even cried. This family rocks and I’m excited for God to continue using them in their community.
• Emily & Carrie were the sweet interns. I can’t even imagine what went through their head as we walked into their room, and when I say ‘we’ I mean 18 girls!! Somehow they have big hearts and loved us all nonetheless. They answered every question with patience and grace & even squeezed with us in bus seats! We also found out the last night that they’re both so stinking talented!! While a group of us were worshiping on the porch during the wee hours of our final night we found out that Emily could hit every high note that we couldn’t and that Carrie could belt it out & play EVERY song we wanted to sing on guitar… by ear… seriously amazing. Their obedience is so admirable and I can’t wait for the day when they visit us in good ole’ Fruit Cove!
• Lourdiana is a good friend of Lorphine’s and has been with the orphanage during the time when it was only a thought. She lives in Miami and happened to be in Haiti the same week as us, and man oh man am I thankful she was! She rocked at translating and was so fun to talk to. Her love for the kids was absolutely amazing to watch! Did I mention she can sing too? All these talented folk in Haiti I tell ya! Saying goodbye was a bummer but knowing she lives only a few hours away was very comforting!
• FANEL!!! Our wonderful security guard who was able to stick with us for the week. This man rocks. Like really really rocks. My favorite thing is when he tells us he is a “white at heart.” He also sings for us and he’s got the deepest voice around. I miss him dearly!
• Jemet!! I can’t go into too much detail for safety reasons but lemme just tell ya that I am SO excited for his future! He is such a bright man who loves Lecrae & aspires to be Dr. Jemet one day!!
• The staff were all fantastic. They were so helpful and never passed by without a smile. The “mommas” at the orphanage loved those girls as if they were their own and shed the love of Christ to each one of them. Props to them for setting a great example to the girls.
• And last but not least, the 30 precious faces that graced us behind the gate. They loved, hugged, and sang Let it Go better than anyone else. I was amazed how open they were despite their circumstances. Each one of them has been through more than I will ever experience, yet their spirit’s are brighter & happier than I could ever imagine. They were rockstars.
  

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I’m coming home from this trip encouraged and excited for what God is doing in Haiti. I’m hopeful for their future and I find such rest in the fact that the gospel is being taught daily to the girls at the orphanage. My God heals broken hearts and restores lives. Although the world rejected these girls the Lord is using them for His kingdom! They have a purpose & reason for being here despite how some have mistreated them. I thank the Lord that these girls are able to sing to Him saying ‘bondye se bon, God is good.‘

Bassin-Bleu!

Daniella!

Micherlande smiling and posing!

Thanks for sticking through yet another long post! I’m attaching a few links here y’all may be interested in!

xoxo,

Kels

Faith House Orphanage

Carrie’s blog about us!