funny sister

There are a lot of reasons I like my sister a lot. One of them is because she makes funny faces a lot. I really missed her when I was in Turkey so it was soooooo fun to get to spend some undivided time with her in Alaska. This was at her house-- she has a fireplace?

proper footwear

When hiking on a glacier, or climbing up one... it is important to have the right shoes. These ones! They are called cramp-ons and the front spikes are what you kick into the ice to hold yourself up. They pretty much hurt my feet, and I hate uncomfortable shoes. So, decided I won't be living on a glacier anytime soon.

Mt.Flattop

So, the day after ice climbing, we decided to climb this mountain. It is 3 miles to the top... so, that is 6 miles. My mom is such a beast, she almost made it all the way up! at the top you kind of just have to claw your way up and then me and my sister both kind of rolled down it coming down because it is so steep..... it was good times though!

ice climbing!

So -- I went to Alaska a few weeks ago to visit my sister who had been living there all summer. Let me just say, that was soooooo cool. If there were a large population of unreached people, (there isn't even a large population period) in Alaska, I would want to go and live there... in the summers. My sister arranged for us to hike this 26 mile glacier and then climb up it. We wore spikes on our shoes and used ice hammers to climb up the wall. I felt like McGiver on ice, it was so cool! So, it's official.... I am HARDCORE!

I am alive!

Hey all!
Sorry it has been so long. I made it back to the sates and I am about to go back to school tomorrow. Just want to share some post return thoughts -- they might be a little scattered.

• the world is so deceitful. I lusted after riches and material things sooo much when I got home. Like I had been 'missing out' on the stuff life really has to offer. It is so easy to be deceived and not even realize it -- it scared me.
• to die is gain. I miss Jesus, I long to be with him, I long for life better than the world, I know heaven is waiting for me and I am not sad to leave the world anymore.
• patience..... it will all come out eventually and people won't understand right away
• urgency -- every moment is an opportunity to love and to glorify, to share and to live for the sake of the gospel
• Foreigner.... I was one for 6 months and yet I felt more at home there then I do here. I feel like a stranger and am praying that I will continue to feel that way forever because this isn't my home and once I make myself at home life becomes about me all over again.
• Change stinks -- especially in massive quantities. It really MEANS something to me today that the Lord Jesus Christ is the SAME yesterday, today, and forever! Praise the Lord.

That's all I got for now. Like I said -- it will all come out slowly, keep prodding and prying though, it helps me.

Happy Birthday Emma Grace! So, I am an Abla! We've been anxiously awaiting this day and it finally came today and she is perfect! It has been so wonderful to watch some of my dearest friends become parents -- I have seen more directly the beautiful design of the Lord Jesus and what it means for God to be the Father. I fell in love today, but to my own surprise, it wasn't just with Emma -- it was more about Jesus. I fell in love with Him all over again today through the birth of His daughter Emma. I wish I could explain it, but all I can say tonight is Jesus, You are SO beautiful to me, in a way I've never seen You before- and it hurts inside, it is so pure and so holy. Welcome to the world Emma, it is not your home -- but I am so thankful that the Lord brought you here for His purposes.