Congrats to Lacie and Aaron!

The awesome couple pictured with me is Lacie and Aaron.  They are a couple I met when they came to serve in NOLA in 2009.  Over the years God has allowed them to keep coming down and I've been able to visit them and their team from Grace Church in Columbia MD twice now.  

I was honored to be invited to their wedding and share with them the joy of their happy day!  I praise God for them both and their desire to live out their faith not just in MD but in NOLA too.  I praise God for His timing as I reconnected with many friends on my trip to MD, be encouraged by them, and shared what God is doing in my life and the ministry since I've been back on the field.  

This trip couldn't have come at a better time as today I board a plane for Haiti for a week and return to NOLA during the first of TWELVE weeks of teams (week 7 is the youth conference for the EFCA in NOLA).  In Haiti, I'll be reconnecting with Ashlee on staff, welcoming Matt and Jane (intern mentors), and visiting friends and various ministry partners!  In addition, there will be a team from First EFC in Austin TX flying in on Saturday!  It's a college group so looking forward to getting to know them and serve with them too. Also when I return to NOLA I'll be welcomed by intern-returnee-now-staff Ronnie and gearing up to greet Lisa and Nathan as they arrive next weekend. 

"Wherever you are, be all there" -Jim Elliot

This quote above by Jim Elliot, a missionary who was killed in Ecuador by the people group he was going to share the Gospel with, has been a constant reminder and challenge for me of how I'm suppose to view each day wherever I am.  I don't want to miss out on where God has me right now, today, because I'm too busy missing where I've come from or longing for where I'll be.  Being content in the present day, being ALL there in my mind, body, spirit, etc is the goal.  This way, today, I can be open to whatever God has for me and not distracted by thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow.  This also means putting forth 110% into whatever I'm doing today.  Being ALL there isn't just in thought but in action too!  I'm called to "serve the LORD wholeheartedly" (Eph 6:7) and "live a life worth of the calling I've received." (Col 1:10). Praying we embrace today with ALL that we are for ALL that God has for us! (pictured right: my inspirational travel mug)