artfest!

so, im slow on my updates as always. we've had some long days these past two weeks. but, this will be a good one. i promise!

last saturday was a breath of fresh air to say the least. we went to this community-wide artfest extravaganza, which totally made my week. there were over 30 local artists there with booths. some booths included hands on demos of whatever type of art they did. mrs. patti olson, [my mom for the summer], does pottery. so, she had a booth where you could create things out of clay. she even had two potter's wheels going for people to create their own pots! lindsay & i were able to help with that for the day. along with pottery, there was probably every medium of art represented that day from painting, to clay, to music, to dance, to screen printing, to mosaics. art was basically exploding out of the streets!

artfest was such a great time for the community to come together and experience the freedom that comes from creating things. this can directly point to the freedom that comes from living for our Lord. as i walked around, i was just overwhelmed with joy watching people experience the freedom that comes in creating things! they truly were experiencing the freedom to be who they were made to be. no matter their level of "skill", they participated & experienced freedom as a result. also, i loved that there were people from a wide range of cultures, ages, and economic backgrounds participating in the festivities. it was such a great representation of the universality of art. no matter the skin color, language, religious, or economic background, everyone came together on common ground. also, there was free food. so, if they didn't come for the art, the food was the common ground. but, you can choose which commonality to base it on. :) nonetheless, it was such a refreshment to see people experiencing community & freedom in some way.

after the day's events of art & fun, the night ended of course with a drum circle/worship time with "enter the worship circle" who are musicians in love with jesus. maybe some of you have listened to their music or maybe not. if not, go check em out! anyways, the evening continued with the same spirit of freedom as the hours before. people just sang, shouted, drummed, and danced for our King! i know my spirit was refreshed & renewed being amongst other believers who were desiring to worship our God!

with all that said, im so thankful for this wonderful day! praise be to our God for it! now, if you scroll down some more, you'll see some images of this festive occasion! enjoy!

grace & peace.

everything comes to an end.

first, i wanna thank all of you lovely friends who have been diligently praying for my time at the somali center. your prayers have clearly been heard and they have produced much fruit. i really have had a hard time balancing my time between loving & disciplining those kids. if you look back to one of my previous blogs, you'll see that my first two weeks were indeed a battle. i mean.. i almost got stoned by one boy. [aka. a rock was launched at my head followed by some profanity]. there was alot of spiritual warfare going on to say the least.

their were days i left in tears just doubting my ability to love anyone well. of course, Christ was faithful to encourage my heart. but, i wasn't sure if i would have much of a chance to showcase my love for them clearly. i was worn out most days. but, as the days went on, slowly but surely i was being accepted by the children. they really grew used to my presence there. into the third week, i really was able to bond with the kids and most were expressing their love for me. expect for the "stoner" child. he really was battling with me daily. but, i prayed everyday that i could love him well despite his crazy antics. now, it's the end and i can look back & say God answered my prayers.

thursday [july 19] was our last day at the somali education center. God was just gracious to me. i really felt as if there was closure there in so many ways. all of the children who had previously been so difficult for me were so loving and compassionate. i was so surprised to see their response to our final hours together. i don't think their was a minute when a kid wasn't attached to me. this response was such a gift from the Lord. the boy who tried to stone me totally was joking with me at times/he was smiling! i mean, i was shocked to say the least. but, his response really let me with a much needed peace. i know i really needed their love in those moments. it was as if God was saying, "becca your labor was not in vain." i just desired to love them well & be jesus to them. i feel as if i can look back in confidence & say i was able to do this. man, im so thankful for my time at the center. i really learned alot about my role as a teacher/someone in authority. also, i learned a great deal about the somali culture. i really have grown to love the somali people. i pray that i would be open to the Lord increasing my love for these people who so desperately need jesus.

so, continue to pray for our interactions with somali's these last few weeks. pray that we can just love them as Christ would.

grace & peace.

my wound.

all i know is that it oozes a lot.

the song of my heart.

so, the past three days have been full of hard questions that has forced me to try & process all that has gone on in my life the past month & a half since i've been in minneapolis. it hasn't been an easy journey. it has been hard & unexpected. & i am exhausted: spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. i just want to find rest in the one who has called me "beloved". here is the song of my heart.

_________________________________________________
"The Power to Save Me"
by MOLLEY MOODY

Ive been down so long
so far that i cant see
where to go

and i am getting frustrated again
with nothing to show
that i have it all

but when you say everything is gonna be ok
im gonna be alright
at least for tonight

but something happens when i say your name
the heavens rejoice and all the angels
they join together and sing

cause i wanna believe
in the power to save me
i wanna kick the enemy out
and ask the Lord to claim me
today

there is so many sweet things
in my high life
you'd think i'd have others taste
the taste of his goodness

but when he comes to steal kill and destroy
i gotta remember that his strength
is made perfect
in my weakness

but anytime he comes around
i know that my peace will be found
because he is the answer to my every prayer
if we could only keep our eyes on him
and not be tossed about beyond the wind
then we could trust him more
he doesn't change
_________________________________________________

so pray that id find rest & my complete identity in Christ. his love is the only thing i need. continue to pray for the somali people here. pray that the last three weeks will be full of opportunities to pour out the love & compassion of Christ Jesus to a people who so desperately need him! thanks for the prayers friends & family. blessings to you.

grace & peace.

would i be willing?

We hunger to be known and understood. We hunger to be loved. We hunger to be at peace inside our own skins. We hunger not just to be fed these things but, often without realizing it, we hunger to feed others these things because they too are starving for them. We hunger not just to be loved but to love, not just to be forgiven but to forgive, not just to be known and understood for all the good times and bad times that for better for worse have made us who we are, but to know and understand each other to the same point of seeing that, in the last analysis, we all have the same good times, the same bad times, and that for that very reason there is no such thing in all the world as anyone who is really a stranger.

- Frederick Buechner

from Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons

this quote is a perfect description of my heart at times. in our humanity, we long for these things. but, i know that out of my brokenness, God uses it to meet the needs of my neighbors. when i am loving and serving the people around me, i fully come alive. this past weekend has been such a sweet time for the Lord allowing me to come alive again. my passions, gifts, and talents have combined & i have been able to live the life God has "designed" me to live. so, i thank you God for restoring my heart again & giving me the opportunity to truly be alive in Christ. praise to be our God!

but, as i think of my restoration, i think of the past, the suffering i've experienced, and what God has taught me through it. i look around my neighborhood & see so much pain and suffering. i just have this longing to love them & be a part of the restoration process of these people's souls. one of the things i've seen thus far is the necessity of the common experiences in living life with someone. these commonalities build bridges into people's hearts and lives. but i could not understand what my neighbors were experiencing if i wasn't living life with them. it is impossible to fully understand. we so often think that we have such a right to serve the poor. we leave our comfortable lives to come in for a few hours here or there with one purpose, to "save them". after our "struggle" to try & save them is over, we drive back to our comfortable homes and social circles forgetting much of events that occurred prior that day. where is the love & compassion in that mentality? what if all jesus was asking us to do is to live life with them? amongst them? helping them battle through their day to day struggles? maybe, by us getting down to their level we could better minister to them. in that lowering of ourselves, we would have similar life experiences that would allow us to understand what it was like to live with the violence, fear, and oppression that they've battled with all their lives. would we be so willing to go? to get uncomfortable in order to love some?

these are the questions i've had to ask myself. i desire to love people well by speaking the truth of Christ into people's lives. i want to listen. i want to encourage. i want to love. i want to be a reflection of our Saviour in every aspect of my life. i want to be a neighbor. but would i be so willing to drop all of my comfortable things & live more simply in a place that isn't safe in order to do these things? to serve the poor and marginalized in our cities? would i put myself in a place where i would have to rely solely on the faith i have in Christ to get me through crazy things that will happen to me & my future family? these are the questions i have been considering. i pray i'd continue to seek those answers. i just desire to be faithful. Lord, help me remain faithful. i need you.

grace & peace.

a picture is worth a thousand words.

grace&peace.

i work at the somali center!

so. it has been awhile since ive given an update of what God is doing in my heart and life here in minneapolis. of course much has happend. i just realized i havent updated anyone on my experiences with the somali education center yet. so, i figured now would be a great time to tell you about that adventure thus far...

last week was our first week at the somali center helping with their summer school program. to put it simply, it was long. i am helping in the 3rd-4th grade class with approx. 28-32 children. the environment that we are working in doesnt help create a controlled or calm atmosphere where the children can learn. so, there is chaos and confusion most of the time. and our teacher hasnt had much experience in the classroom or with children. so, the first day was definitely a challenge. it was difficult getting on the same page with her and figuring out how she ran her classroom. immediately, i discovered that she didnt have much control over her class. so, i had to lay down the law with the children and we created some classroom rules for them to abide by. i just wanted to communicate to them the standard so they could behave in a manner where they could learn. but, as wednesday neared, i was left with the rules while my teacher stepped back and let them do what they pleased. so, i was put in a position where i was the disciplinarian and that was it. this was my label. i know that teachers have authority and they must get respect first before making friends. but, i just felt like all week i was struggling to find the balance between consistency in disciplining and loving them well. i knew i had to build my credibility with them and make it clear that i meant what i said when i said it. but, my heart longs to love them too! filling this role the entire week was overwhelming to say the least. especially, when i didnt feel supported by the teacher i was helping. i felt as if i was entrapped in this person i didnt desire to be or thought i needed to be. there just wasnt balance there, which was hard. so, the first week = becca being the strict "bad guy" who made some of the children have no fun. i was the disciplinarian. and it was difficult.

but, at the end of the week, i was able to talk through all of this with some awesome people who gave me some much needed wisdom and encouragement. also, the teacher and i had a long discussion of my first week. i just voiced some of my concerns about the lack of consistency with the rules and how we can better help these children learn. i was really able to be transparent and real with her. in that transparency, i was able to see God's faithfulness, mercy, and grace. i was able to speak the truth in love and im so thankful for that. God was so good.

this past week, we didnt have tutoring due to the holiday. but, we return tomorrow and i cant seem to find peace about it. but, i know God is using me and the children are beginning to respect me and listen. i pray id find support there. i just need confirmation that the way i am doing things is honoring our lord. i want to find balance there. i want these children to know what the love of Christ looks like through my life. as of right now, i feel as if im not doing a good job at that. but, i know our God is faithful. so, just pray that the love of Christ could overflow out of my heart. pray that God would unify the teachers. pray that our classroom would just be filled with His spirit. pray for the heart of the teacher im serving with. pray she'll get courage to be consistent and love the children well. she needs encouragement. i pray that id forget about all my concerns and just allow the holy spirit to take over my life and serve the children and the teacher well. i know it's not about me. so, pray that id find all of my peace and support in Christ alone.

grace & peace.

re·new·al

it has been a few days since my last update & much has happened.
one.i finished my first week at the somali center.
two.God's beginning to clarify some of the things he is teaching me thus far.
three. our team is dealing with alot. i am still trying to find my way with it all.

ill have to further explain all of these things at a future time. currently, i am at a place where i just need truth to pour out into my life. i need to believe in God's sovereignty. so. pray that i'll believe jesus' promises. pray that ill have courage to bring some truth into the light. pray that God will renew me after a long week at the somali center. pray for the unity & reconcilation of the team. pray for the renewal of my heart. i just want to rest in the lord right now. i desire to have the joy & freedom that i know Christ offers to us.

here is a song i just listened to that explains alot of where i am at today. i pray i can be at a place where i can proclaim the things that are at the end of this song. ive bolded the verses that resonate with my heart. i just need to rest in Christ & he'll renew. i just know he will.

grace & peace.

Hillsong United - None But Jesus

In the quiet, in the stillness
I know that You are God
In the secret of Your presence
I know there I am restored

When You call I won’t refuse
Each new day again I’ll choose

There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring Him praise

In the chaos, in confusion
I know You’re Sovereign still
In the moment of my weakness
You give me grace to do Your will

When You call I won’t delay
This my song through all my days

All my delight is in You Lord
All of my hope, all of my strength
All my delight is in You Lord Forevermore