Parched and I like Coke

As summer is approaching people are preparing for lake getaways, sun-tanning siestas, and zoo safaris while also buying sunscreen, stocking up on freeze pops (orange is my favorite), and lots of COLD drinking water. Water is the essential element for regulating body temperature, transporting nutrients, digestion, carrying waste products out of the body, and even moving oxygen and carbon dioxide round the body. Water is a big deal. The recommended amount of water a day is 8 glasses, however; some professionals recommend more.

Ok, Ok so water is essential. Well, what if a person were to say let’s substitute Coke for Water? I feel like this would be a valid exchange considering coke is much tastier and who can’t resist the vibrant red Coca Cola slogan? After some GOOGLE research I found that if a person were to drink one can of coke a day they would be consuming 32 lbs. of sugar per year. Oofta, my teeth say, “NO Gracias" but my tongue says ", yummmmmy."

Simple. Drink water. Sadly, this is not that simple. People enjoy a nice coke or insert your favorite sugar drink here ________. It’s enjoyable, however; in excess is harmful.

I believe there are seasons in everyone’s life where they are parched and would like a big glass of water, but for some reason they cannot quench their thirst. People continue to drink “coke” or whatever additive to pollute the clearness of water. We pollute it with hate, malice, rage, jealousy, gossiping, and sexual indecency. We pollute it with pride, laziness, war against our neighbors, wrong motives, or maybe even bitterness towards God. We are thirsty. Jesus says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’

Living water. Doesn’t living water sound lovely? In an age where money, power, independence, and status mean so much, God wants us to remember that we need Him. We really do. I believe He meets us exactly where we are at in life. He meets us. He gives us water. He gives us the recommended 8 glasses of EVIAN water.

I am thirsty.

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Thoughts on freedom from a South Dakotan

As I was walking down the desolate, star lit street with Jono, my Costa Rican boyfriend :), I was reminded of the great freedom that I have in the U.S. How many places in the world are people able to walk in the middle of the street without worrying about their safety, their possessions, their loved one? I was on this night, and have been for most my 24 years of life. Some places freedom is as normal as sweet tea in the south on a hot day, but for others it's as rare as a Costa Rican moving to South Dakota.

I sometimes am saddened by the great differences between the freedoms I had growing up, riding my pink bicycle freely in the street with an orange freeze pop, compared to a child fighting to survive in a Chinese orphanage due to "overpopulation" of females in China. How vast a difference these two word pictures are.

I believe with great freedom comes greater responsibility to act more just, speak more for the orphan, and show amor (love) to the foreigner. As we celebrated today the freedom of the US and it's veterans, let us not forget that we each have a role in making this world more free.

Celebrate, embrace, and act on freedom, but please don't forget the gift of freedom. Please don't forget America.

CC-Columbus

Vagabond, yes this would be the best word to describe the past 6 years of my life, however; I'm going to start from June of 2010. COLORADO is the setting in which my story begins. This is where I spent a couple days with one of my best friends and we prepared, celebrated, and conquered the wedding of Miss or now Mrs. Holli Boonstra. SUCCESS! :) This trip was my last rendevious until a flight out to COSTA RICA where I spent the summer/rainy season months of June, July, August, and September and by rainy season, I seriously mean it rained. Out of the 90+ days residing in the green country, it didn't rain 2 of those days. Maybe I'm exagerating slightly, but the point is I didn't get a tan. :)

Now fast forward 7 months, (now I really shouldn't fast forward these months because they have been full of Joys, Sorrows, Growing Pains (meaning my mind is telling me to settle down and find security, but my heart seems to like the vagabond lifestyle), and trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, the purpose?)) Sorry for the extra paranthatise, but this tends to happen when I write and 100 ideas start catapulting my mind.

Now this brings me to the third C. I don't know if you got that. COLORADO, COSTA RICA, and dudaddada COLUMBUS. Yes, I am moving to COLUMBUS, Ohio in less then a month. The vagabond lifestyle continues, but with purpose. I forgot to mention that I've been dating a COSTA RICAN named CALVO, Ok, enough with the Cs. Actually Calvo is his last name and Jono is his name (J-long O- N- long O), not Jon. This Costa Rican has waited patiently as I've processed, fought, and meditated on reasons why NOT to move to COLUMBUS. However, I'm moving. I'm doing it. Thank you Mr. Calvo for your patience.

Tentative Move date: May 12th

Explosion!!!!

"Smoking, the van is smoking!" What!? I look over as one of the 19 year old twins from Pennsylvania is sitting next to smoke that is filling 1/8 of the van. My heart begins to beat 100 miles an hour as the teenagers begin to scream laughingly.

This was no laughing matter to me. In the past 3 weeks I had ridden in two prior vans that had broke down. One van for 6 hours, a van full of 12 New Yorkers while heading to a Volcano, the other was a van heading back from the beach with a team from Wisconsin, and NOW for the third week would there be another van crashed on the side of the road!

I thought, no, this couldn't be! As the van began to fill with more smoke, my mind began to wander with possible problems. Suddenly, the other twin from Pennsylvania screams. "Jump out of the car! It's going to explode."

So guess what I do? In the middle of the San Jose highway, while the car is stopped, I literally jumped out of the car. As I earnestly jump out of the van expecting a heard of people to follow me I realize that I am the only one on the road. What was going on!? The worse part begins. The driver is unaware that I have jumped out of the car and continues driving!! I begin chasing after the van exclaiming, "Stop the Van! Stop the Van!" After about 10 seconds jogging after the van in 4 lanes of chaotic Costa Rica traffic, the driver stops and everyone, laughing hysterically, pull me back into the smoky van. I felt safe again.

I later find out that the smoke was only water steaming and the van was not going to explode.

I share this story not only for a good laugh, but also for an important lesson that this experience later taught me.

Sometimes as we are in the midst of fear, struggle, and hopelessness. We earnestly want to jump out the world, or quite frankly the van. We many times want to flee from our problems, finding the easy way out. The easy way out for me at the moment was to jump out of the van. However, my plan of escape was only into more danger. The danger of uncontrollable traffic.

I want to encourage us as we are dealing with fears, pains, and problems not to to just run from those problems. First of all what is the problem? Maybe the problem is an easy fix like the steam in the van. Sometimes are problems appear to large to fix. Maybe they are, but we have a BIG God who can work on our hearts to confront the problem and change it. He can change our hearts and He changes hearts.

I'm so thankful the van stopped for me, just as God has stopped for all of us. Thank you God for the cross and your grace. Thank you because you STOP for us.

Pennsylvania Team

The last team to enter the red gates of the YWAM base were a group of chill and "pura vida" youth. (pura vida is a term used in Costa Rica meaning layed back. In general, Cost Rica is "pura vida.") As this group from Pennsylvania joined us in ministry, my heart began to ask God for strength and passion to pour into these youth. I felt tired, passionless, and dry.

It was a Thursday morning. This was the last day that I would be working with these Pennsylvaniates before they headed off to serve in a far off village for the remainder of their time. While I was praying that morning before we were to head out to the salvation army, God gave me the chapter Psalm 139.

"OH Lord, you have searched me and you know me..." The chapter continues with David, the author, stating that God knows everything about him and when he sits and when he rises. That God knew him even before he was born.

It was incredible how this verse filled my heart and soul. How this psalm made my heart feel close to God's because he knows everything about me. This verse also continues to say that "you are fearfully and wonderfully made." Wow, fearfully and wonderfully made. I shared this verse with my boyfriend Jono, and later with the Pennsylvania group before we began serving food to the homeless at the salvation army.

One girl exclaimed, "Wow, that was perfect." Yes it was. God knows when we are feeling tired and exhausted. He knows EVERYTHING about us. He so much seeks for us to ask Him for help, for wisdom, for encouragement. I would encourage each one of use to give Him all of our thoughts and desire through prayer. Yes, he already knows them, He's put them in our hearts, but He desires us to seek Him. Thank you God for prayer. Thank you that we can speak to you and you answer.

New York Team

It's Saturday morning, and I'm just reminiscing about the past week with a spicy team from New York. These New Yorkers that ranged from 12 years old to mid 50s were full of joy and boldness as we shared Christ's love through children's ministry, prostitute ministry, and tons of prayer for the city of San Jose, Costa Rica.

One experience that sticks out in my mind as one of the most moving nights was a night when we went out to do ministry on the streets of San Jose. Before we ventured out to minister to broken hearts, the team and some leaders worshiped together to ready our hearts for the ugly world of prostitution and human trafficking. While we were praying a gal by the name of Dotty had a name that popped into her mind. "Rosa!" she proclaimed to all of us as the prayer night was ending, "We are going to meet a Rosa tonight." So as we ventured on the streets into the great by white YWAM vans our hearts began to anticipate a night of redemption on the broken streets of Costa Rica. We went out in groups of 3 or 4 and began sharing and praying with women and transvestites that were selling themselves on the street. As we shared the love of Christ with the precious people of God, we gave them mirrors that said "You are beautiful in the image of God." (obviously written in spanish.) The women and transvesites were very grateful for the mirrors and prayed with us.

The night was getting later and we still hadn't found our "Rosa." I quite honestly had forgotten about the name. As we were making our last stops a group of 3 ladies went and prayed for one of the last groups of prostitutes. These prosititutes were a bit uneasy with us coming and sharing with them so Paola, the leader of the street ministry, quickly asked to pray for the women. They agreed. she began asking there names... and one of the ladies said her name was "Rosa!" The New York women began to tear up as one of them by the name of Ana ran to the van to grab Dotty and tell her "We found our Rosa!" Dotty than ran out of the van and began ministering to this precious woman of God and spoke many words into her life that God had shared with her while praying. It was a "WOW" moment for all of us. How great is our God!? He is great!

Lastly, the best part of the whole night is that 2 nights later 2 boys that were ages 16 and 18 came to the YWAM base for a worship night. These boys had been selling themselves for the past 5 years on the streets. It's the beginning of redemption.... thank you God!