A few highlights of this summer, so far

1. Running through the Washington D.C. mall with my brother, gazing up at the amazing monuments. My favorite would have to be the WWII memorial- it's truly a masterpiece.

2. Spending several days in Paris.

3. Visiting Hillsong Church in Paris. The service was joyful and inspiring. It did my heart good to see the French praising Jesus. Everything was translated from French to English, and they sang some songs in french, some in english. Many were from the new Hillsong album God is Able, so when I finally got my hands on the cd, I recognized the songs from the church. I must say, some sound better in French :)

After the service, we got to hang out with some young people from the church. We picked up some lunch from Subway and took it to a park (next to Victor Hugo's house) and enjoyed the fellowship of students from South America, Germany, and Switzerland who all spoke French as a second language. It was an amazing time and a perfect reminder that the body of Christ is an international entity, a worldwide reality.

4. I got to spend 3.5 days with wonderful friends in the lovely town of Annecy.

5. I got to play piano for a tiny church's worship service in a tiny town called Brignoud.

yeah thats all for now. but seriously, God is blessing me :)

On leaving home

I didn't think it would be this hard to move on. I really miss being comfortable and taken care of. I really miss my friends and family, and my dog. I really miss the sound of Medford rain and the car rides to Applegate and getting in trouble for talking too much in class. You can never go back. But God started something in me and you, and He won't stop what He's doing until it is perfect and complete. We won't be changed if we refuse to move forward in life. Here I am in the middle of France and I can say that I'm not who I was a year ago, or two months ago for that matter, and it's cuz God has taken me on a roller coaster of transformation. It hurts. Like when Aslan peels off Eustace's dragon skin, the first scratch cuts deep and wounds you. But I smile when i think of how God is making me more like Him every time I experience the pain of change. I feel like i've just begun a journey out of the valley and into the mountains. We don't see it now, I don't think we are able to, but Iknow that everything that happens is a step towards sanctification.

Praise Him.