tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83388338596975276392024-03-12T19:15:44.044-07:00XtraTuff"Let the heaven's rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees in the woods will rejoice before then Lord.." ~Psalm 96:11-12Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-75161035906868740562012-11-25T14:11:00.004-08:002012-11-25T14:11:50.887-08:00Humble Thyself in the Sight of the Lord<br />
"Humble Thyself in the sight of the Lord... and He shall lift you up... higher and higher.. and He shall lift you up"<br />
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this song from way back in the day randomly came to me this morning. Made me think about the good old days at AWANA scholarship camp, though at the time I was not always excited to be there haha it truely was a great place and big blessing! <br />
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it is just one of those incredibly gorgeous snowy days outside that made me curl up in sweatpants with a cup of coffee and realize it has once again been a long time since I have sat and reflected on my life. <br />
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So here we go... life at this moment: incredibly thankful for how, even though I do not constantly depend on our Lord for my every need as I should, He keeps providing me with my every need, perfectly. He gave me an amazing new job this past fall right when I needed one, He allowed my mom, sister and me the absolutely PERFECT vacation that we could not have planned even if we tried, He placed amazing friends in my life who cook for me, spend time with me, and watch over me, He provided a place for me to live, a car to drive, a smartphone to talk to my family down in ND/MN, I always have enough food, clothing, and warmth, there is so much beauty on this earth that I take joy hiking, biking, running outdoors in, He brings random dog sitting opportunities so that even though I cannot currently have a dog of my own, I have plenty I get to play with :) <br />
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I realize I do not give Him the credit He deserves for all of this in my life. I truely am blessed. Most of all I have His endless love and mercy. Honestly, who am I that the Lord of the universe would die for me so that I could live? Speechless. and Joyful! <br />
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Goal: get on my knees and start praying everyday. It has been FAR too long since I have done this but I am excited to see changes come about because I believe that is power in prayer.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-7450591825028526072012-05-25T01:04:00.001-07:002012-05-25T01:04:27.370-07:00Life in this Moment of TimeRealized it has been a while since I have posted.. perfect timing though really, reading back all about my amazing times last summer as a new summer approaches and new amazing adventures await! :)<br />
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My two year anniversary living in Juneau, Alaska just happened a few days ago, wow. I left behind family and friends for a place that drew me in and fits me like a glove. I have had adventures and experiences I never would have even dreamed of. <br />
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My four year anniversary of the first time I drove off of the ferry is coming up in a few days. Alison and I were talking about this and how that marks 4 years of a beautiful friendship! I remember falling in love with this place instantly and knowing I would be back to stay for a stretch. <br />
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Big changes have consistantly happened every few months since being here.. jobs, living situations, friends, health, car problems.. of course the one constant has always been my Lord. "He is my Rock, He is my Fortress, He is my Deliverer, in Him will I trust.. Praise the name of Jesus"<br />
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Life is a rollercoaster, we are along for the ride and there really is not much we can truly control. However, we can make the most of what we are given. My current and long lasting motto... Life is one Giant Dance Party!! Let loose, Enjoy! <br />
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Most Amazing Recent Adventure... Earthcruising to Herbert Glacier 12-3 in the morning with headlamps! (Except for Nick who had to rely on Chad's light for guidance..) shout out to my new friend Samantha, welcome to Juneau! <br />
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Also welcome back to my main hiking buddy Sara, I have missed you! <br />
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Sad goodbye to Cole and Lisa... my craft teacher/buddy, faithful trilogy watchers, amazing chefs, and good friends they have become like family! Good luck with life back in "The Good Life" of Nebraska :)<br />
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Also to Connie who is embarking onto bigger and better challenges down in "The Land of 10,000 Lakes" MinnesOta! I will miss you greatlyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-29503333584696765512011-09-19T23:17:00.000-07:002011-09-19T23:17:24.426-07:00Summer 2011 Summary<div>
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CANNOT believe another summer has come and gone.. time to reflect on a few highlights</div>
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1. second annual Skagway trip with Rikkaela Ruby!! got to helicopter up to the Meade Glacier again and walk on it way too amazing :)</div>
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2. Earth Cruising.. Herbert trail, Boyscout Beach, Dredge Lakes , Thane, Eaglecrest Road</div>
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3. 50 mile road bike ride Auke Rec to Echo Cove and back with my buddy Brianna</div>
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4. Klondike Relay!!! 10 person (9 for my team since Bill did 2 legs) running relay starts in Skagway, AK ends in Whitehorse, Canada over 100 miles all together I completed 13.1 miles in the middle of the night</div>
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5. goes along with #4 BEST northern lights.. purple and green dancing all over</div>
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6. Bowling league.. except for the fact I think I got worse over the summer instead of better</div>
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7. Halibut fishing with my sister Kristi and Carl.. caught our limit all between 40-50 lbs on a beautiful sunny day<br />
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8. Kristi's entire week with me here! </div>
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9.. Hiking of course.. Best trail of the summer was Salmon Creek </div>
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10. Biking Perseverance Trail with Sara when she came up for a couple week visit in May, such an intense but beautiful ride </div>
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12. Disc Golf!!!!! my current favorite activity <br />
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12. Fires on the back porch with my Juneau family :) </div>
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13. Brenna coming back for a visit!</div>
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14. Morgan Fisher (now Ramseth) wedding having Chrissy and her mom come up</div>
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15. Jarah and Ann being leaders of the women project, means I once again got to hang out with those amazing ladies in Juneau! </div>
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Amazing but too quick of a summer.. but I am going to leave it at that for now </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-8621208081830830832011-02-13T22:50:00.001-08:002011-02-13T23:57:58.855-08:00Confessions. Prayers. Desires.I just want to write on here that once again somehow I have fallen into a patch of complacency in my walk with God. This past fall and again recently I have done things I only knew as a person I was capable of doing but never actually thought I would do. Here are some of my thoughts.<br /><br />"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come into the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes into the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."<br />~John 3:19-21<br /><br />Pastor Brian spoke this morning at church exactly what God has put in my heart many of times and extra hard yesterday, this I believe was God clearly speaking to me (and to others in our local body) through Brian. I cannot ignore this. I am standing at a crossroad, one way leading me closer to God and one drawing me away towards worldy pleasures that I know could never satisfy me or bring me joy. The big question, am I going to choose to serve my almighty God or am I going to choose to walk away from Him down a self distructive path that will only bring me hardship.<br /><br />Because I am a new creation in Christ, I can honestly say I do not enjoy worldly activities therefore I do not understand why I even do them. But I do. Against every grain in my body.<br /><br />The worst part seems to be avoiding true repentace. Rather than falling on my face crying out to God, mourning the things I have done, I just carry on as if nothing is wrong. As if I can just go on with my normal life, skipping this giant necessary step for me to truly make God the #1 pursuit in my life.<br /><br />I greatly desire to draw closer and closer to my Maker and my Savior. To only have my sights set on Him. To be completely in the light and not hiding in the shadows. To be pursueing Him so hard that my thoughts and actions constantly reflect Him. To rely on the body of believers He has surrounded me with, to draw strength from Him through them. To listen and discern and act on the things His Spirit reveals to me. To constantly be looking for ways to serve and minister to the people around me out of the love God fills me with. To encourage my brothers and sisters to be doing the same.<br /><br />I am so thankful I serve a loving, patient, merciful God who knows me inside and out. I need prayers right now that I do not lose sight of all of this, that God makes clear to me my limitations on what situations I can handle and which ones I cannot so I faithfully avoid them. Constant choices. Constant crossroads. My prayer is that in the near future I can write an update reporting that God is once again my life. That everything I do stems from my roots in Him and in His Word. That I have truely repented and turned away from the things drawing me away from the True Light. That I would once again be living out of a heart of ministry.<br /><br />Today I am making the choice to quit being complacent, to quit just thinking about all of this all of the time but never acting on these thoughts. God constantly reveals to me what He wants me to spend my time doing but it seems I rarely actually do just that. I sadly let those thoughts pass right on by. By keeping all of this to myself, I have helped Satan keep a strong hold on my life. Not anymore.<br /><br />Until my next update, know God is good. God is working all around us. Let us recognize that and give Him thanks and praise for it all! :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-62170076255312120402011-01-29T15:54:00.000-08:002011-01-29T16:05:34.672-08:00Colossians 1:9-14<div style="text-align: center;"><sup class="versenum" id="en-NKJV-29471">"</sup>For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; <sup class="versenum" id="en-NKJV-29472">10</sup> that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing <i>Him,</i> being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; <sup class="versenum" id="en-NKJV-29473">11</sup> strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; <sup class="versenum" id="en-NKJV-29474">12</sup> giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. <sup class="versenum" id="en-NKJV-29475">13</sup> He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed <i>us</i> into the kingdom of the Son of His love, <sup class="versenum" id="en-NKJV-29476">14</sup> in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-384699090788139702010-11-07T16:54:00.000-08:002010-11-07T17:08:04.687-08:00To Do List..1. work on my art skills (more accurately obtain any form of art skills)<br /><ul><li>find a place in Juneau that offers classes and take one or two.. thinking of starting with painting </li></ul><p>2. run at least 3 times a week to maintain some sort of in shapeness</p><ul><li>sign up for the Juneau marathon next summer and finally check that off my goal list</li><li>maybe even go all out and do the aukeman sprint triathalon.. but then i need to add learn swimming strokes to this list </li></ul><p>3. finally make it to the very end of the lemon creek trail</p><ul><li>its been attempting 4 times now but never plan enough time to get to the end.. its going to happen asap </li></ul><p>4. look into the Juneau bowling league (or something similar.. scrabble club?)</p><ul><li>not a good bowler but i don't think that completely matters.. its about having fun and learning right</li></ul><p>5. learn how to ski/ snowboard</p><ul><li>this is pending on snow fall and when i can recruit local friends to patiently teach me how</li></ul><p>6. read at least a book a month</p><ul><li>get a library card.. funny i haven't already done this since my roommate works for the library :)</li></ul><p>7. finally get my alaska driver's license</p><ul><li>i mainly blame the dmv hours for why i have yet to do this.. </li></ul><p>8. cook myself a decent healthy meal at least once a week</p><ul><li>i love to cook but just don't take the time often enough..</li></ul><p>9. go back and beat all the mario levels to obtain all 3 star coins in each so we can defeat world 9</p><ul><li>this may take some time.. </li></ul><p>10. keep improve my knitting skills </p><ul><li>try out different patterns to stretch my abilities</li><li>a few more scarves then move onto hats eventually socks for my dad :)</li></ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-16211231871612517662010-10-04T23:14:00.001-07:002010-10-04T23:32:54.320-07:00Summer SummarySo its been a while since I have come on here.. its only appropriate to include a summary of my summer adventures in Juneau Alaska:<br /><br />1. summitted 5 mountains<br /><br />2. hiked countless trails mainly with my one main hiking buddy and friend Sara :)<br /><br />3. king crabbing with Brandi, Carl, Katy, and Evan.. pulled the pot up assembly line style :)<br /><br />4. salmon slaying<br /><br />5. shrimping<br /><br />6. helicopter ride up to walk on the Meade Glacier with Rikkaela Ruby :)<br /><br />7. bought a road bike and have done some sweet long rides<br /><br />8. boated out to tracy arm to see the Seward Glacier with Kara and Stephanie, my friend Deborah also was randomly on the same little tour! saw some of the biggest calving, shooters, and swells also saw a huge iceberg flip over! :)<br /><br />9. went off roading with Rikki in her jeep<br /><br />10. played sardines at the castle playground all hours of the night with my sweet cycle alaska friends :)<br /><br />11. countless bonfires under the Alaskan Sky saw some sweet sunsets, stars, a comet, a meteor shower<br /><br />12. amazing northern lights casting a reflection on mendenhall lake and framing the mountains<br /><br />13. late night canoe adventures with rafting friends, walked on the biggest iceberg<br /><br />14. camped on a couple different islands<br /><br />15. shot clay pigeons<br /><br />16. toured the coast guard boat thanks to Mitch my coast guard friend<br /><br />17. Climbed in icecaves multiple times<br /><br />18. Mountain biking with Bradford.. questionable trails too extra adventurous :)<br /><br />19. semi illegal night activities with my partner in crime Michael :)<br /><br />20. mine ruins and sketchy tunnels exploration<br /><br />21. Kayak adventure with Debbie, Mego, and some of Debbies friends<br /><br />22. River Rafting (lame river.. but great guides Jess and Kara)<br /><br />23. Oktober Fest on top of tram with Brandi, Carl, Katy, Nick, and Megan<br /><br />Such Great Times and This Hardly Does My Amazing Summer Justice :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-45763350994810773502010-06-25T20:51:00.001-07:002010-06-25T21:13:04.130-07:00Juneau Update #6Trail #7 Mount Roberts<br /><br />So this one started as the campus crusade prayer hike which was absolutely amazing. Hiking through the woods surrounded by fellow believers all lifting prayers and praise to our God and Father.. it doesn't get any better then that! We focused on many different aspects of prayer and our Christain walks. On top of that we practiced different styles of prayers sometime praying silently by ourselves, as a group outloud as we hiked, or my personaly favorite Korean style.<br /><br />Only 5 of us decided to continue on to summit the mountain: Rikki, John, Robin, Jonny, and myself. I could not have asked for a better group of hiking buddies to continue this experience with. They are all so full of passion for missions in the here and now sense meaning wherever they find themselves around the globe. This spoke volumes into my own life thinking about how God can and does use me where I am at and how essential the power of prayer is. Looking around my daily life I constantly come across people who desperately need to be filled with the hope, joy, and peace our Savior offers.. coworkers, store clerks, gas station workers, tourists, my haircutter lady, basically Juneau population as a whole. I am His hands and feet here specifically in Juneau at the moment and it is endless what God is capable of doing. I want to be in constant prayer for the Spirit of God to be moving in these people's lives, readying them to accept His gospel message as well as for the believers here to be emitting the light of Jesus to all the people around them, for their community and fellowship here, for their desire to be used by God and to grow intamtely closer to God because He desires those things.<br /><br />Random Life: Cole, Lisa, and I are suppose to hit up Toy Story 3 tomorrow now that I have finally seen the first two movies. Biking is becoming a favorite activity of mine and I have Cylce Alaska to thank for that. I finally bought all the baking supplies so now I am going to be making a batch of snicker doodle cookies for a picnic sunday evening and then some caramel apple cinnamen rolls just because I want some and enjoy baking so much.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-80718265030586941692010-06-18T18:44:00.000-07:002010-06-19T12:07:18.051-07:00Juneau Update #5Trail #5 Peterson Lake<br /><br />Roundtrip: 8.6 miles<br /><br />This trail is pretty amazing, it has the sound of a creek in the distance and goes through thick trees. Very very muddy however and many trees have fallen over the path. Right in the middle there is a little meadow/bog area. I actually hiked this on one of my days off by myself. Talk about wonderful alone time it took almost 4 hours so i had a lot of reflection and prayer time. Blessing from God.<br /><br />Trail #6 Thunder Mountain<br /><br />The route we took was probably only 3 miles to the top, it was the steeper option but honestly this hike was very enjoyable. Of course it is up a mountain so I can't say it was completely easy but compared to McGinnis and Juneau i thought this one was easier. We got lucky and it cleared up enough to see part of the view from the top! I hiked it with Morgan, her mom Melissa, my coworker Sara and her twin sister Melissa such a great group of ladies!!<br /><br />Other recent adventures include Kayaking with Debbie Douglas, Megan, two seasoned sisters and their husbands. We went acrossed Mendenhall lake up to the glacier, around icebergs, pretty much under nugget falls! Sooooooo much fun and afterwards we all hit up bullwinkles pizza for some good conversationAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-70491049755966640382010-06-11T20:32:00.000-07:002010-06-11T20:44:54.196-07:00Juneau Update #4Trail #4: Granite Creek<br /><br />Roundtrip 7 miles<br /><br />This trails starts with the first half of Perseverance trail then branches off, following along Granite Creek to its basin. It is my new favorite, extremely gorgeous, just the right feel to it. Part of it is through woods, you always get to hear the sound of the creek, mountains are right there surrounding you, the trail is well kept yet still rugged, there is a waterfall towards the end. I did the full trail with Morgan Fisher and Alison joined us just for the first half. <br /><br />I feel right at home in Juneau, it's rather amazing. I feel as if I have lived here my whole life somehow. It really is my perfect spot on this earth.. perfect weather for me, plently of trails to hike, fish to catch, breath-taking scenery, people to hang with.. I could easily see myself living here for a good chunk of my life. <br /><br />Thursday night women's Bible study at waffle co. is a highlight of my week. We discussed Romans ch 2 this week. Talk about a convicting chapter in a good sense though. Read it so you can know what i mean :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-54469525439603588952010-06-06T00:33:00.000-07:002010-06-06T01:03:28.180-07:00Juneau Update #3Trail #3: West Glacier<br /><br />Roundtrip: 6.8 miles<br /><br />This is a fun, quick trail out to the Mendenhall. Brenna and I went out there, hung out for a good hour exploring ice caves. Sadly, the ice caves are not nearly as sweet as they were two years ago.. best part of the trail is scaling a rock cliff, we took a more dangerous route up<br /><br />Work story of the week: during my Wed morning bike tour, we saw a black bear!!! he walked across the street towards us and then went into the woods<br /><br />Life Update: thanks to Cole and Lisa, I have officially seen the movie Toy Story.. in the near future I will finally see Toy Story 2. My life is getting closer to complete. Also I am now first aid and CPR certified.<br /><br />Prayer: Thanks to God for all the amazing people who live up here, for my great coworkers and job, for being surrounded by mountains!! for Crossroads church group and reaching downtown Juneau, for Project Golf and all the work God will do through them, for our Thursday night women's bible study and the book of Romans.. that i would constantly be watching and waiting for the return of my Lord and that my life would reflect Him.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-10663504065183603042010-05-30T18:36:00.000-07:002010-05-30T18:45:49.420-07:00Juneau Update #2Trail #2: Mount McGinnis<br /><br />Round trip: 10 miles<br /><br />Yes that would be a real mountain. Recommended climbing season is not until summer and fall. There is a reason for that, once we got past the treeline it was pure snow to the top. Let me tell you that the added snow resistance makes the hike up a lot harder but once at the top it was the most gorgeous view! Nice sunny day so we hung out at the top for a while and enjoyed it, I even got sunburned. Climbing buddies were two of my coworkers Sara and Kristin.<br /><br />After the Mountain, Morgan and Nick took Brenna and I out crabbing! We got 10 keepers and I cleaned 2 of them. Its kind of intense, you have to grab and hold back all of the claws then rip of the shell, break the crab into two pieces and then wash out all the guts. Soon we will be having a nice crab dinner<br /><br />Thursday night we had our first women's bible study at the waffle co. I am looking forward to those every Thursday for the next 3 months. Earlier that day I spent at least 3 hours swimming in Auke Lake!!! It was been that nice out this week to make that experience enjoyable<br /><br />Now I have to go pack up my tent and gear for an overnight camp trip to Aaron Island. More details on that and more to come!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-43766055655846660872010-05-24T02:54:00.000-07:002010-05-24T03:02:49.589-07:00Juneau Update #1Summer Goal: complete every trail in the trail book.<br /><br />One Trail Done: Windfall Lake Trail, 7 miles roundtrip, easy, nice path goes through trees along a river some of the way, across a few bridges and ultimately to the lake. Hiked with Brenna and Mego.<br /><br />First day on the job: drove a 15 passenger van no problem but still have yet to try it full of people with a trailor full of bikes on the back. Successfully biked one of the routes with tourists, nice route starting at Chapel by the lake, through campus down the back loop first stop at west side of glacier and then back around to east side. met some sweet tourists from England in the process and confident i am going to like my job<br /><br />First sunday, attended just the sunday school portion of Douglas Island Bible Chapel with Alison and Sandon before rushing off to work. Saturday night attended Cross Roads service where Andrea attends. First night of ultimate frisbee, always a good time! Had a fire down at Auke rec where we saw flourescent algea lighting up by any movement! quite possibly the coolest thing i have ever seenAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-49795982059343045262010-05-21T11:51:00.001-07:002010-05-21T12:37:05.863-07:00Roadtrip!!!Route: across ND to Shelby, MT where we camped one night. I randomly have a friend who lives there and it just so happened to be his birthday that night so that was a nice surprise and addition to the trip. Got up drove right into Canada on Mountainous roads through Banff Canadian National Park and camped in Jasper. One of the cars had alternator problem so we stayed there all morning while the car was in the shop, took off eventually getting on the Alaska Highway and camped in Fort Nelson. Made it to Skagway the next day with extra time to enjoy. The next day spent on a Ferry was excellent, nice hot sunny with a breeze. Sat out on the top deck the whole time staring up at more mountains, arrived at Destination Juneau, Alaska.<br /><br />Animal sitings: multiple moose, tons of caribou, 4 bears, 3 mountain sheep/rams, a few buffalo, whales, dolphins, sea lions.<br /><br />Group traveled with: Brenna Malaney (good friend from UM), Mego Pace (new good friend and project Fox-trot Alum), Stephanie Woebbecke (friend from NE, Fox-trot alum and project Golf staff lady), Jacklyn and Armand (newly weds from MO and project Golf staff), and Robert, Steven, and Steele aka Scubes (3 Fox-trot Alum and Golf staff)<br /><br />Total Miles: <strong>2,835<br /><br />Praise the Lord for: Safe travel, car problem quickly fixed and no real damage done, wonderful group of people traveled with and great conversations, an upcoming summer full of adventure, growth, and furthering of His Kingdom, the beauty of His creation, how great and awesome our God is and how that is seen all around us.<br /></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-60954592454265003232010-05-11T23:45:00.000-07:002010-05-11T23:53:43.657-07:00Things of this world..So this past weekend I went to my family's lake home with a mission.. to go downstairs to the gross, damp, creepy, dirty basement and start cleaning. I put on a pair of rubber gloves and felt invincible. Went through boxes and boxes of junk.. many of them filled with decomposing papers, dishes, old christmas decorations.. It just reminded me of how all in this world will rot and decompose and eventually turn into nothing. <br /><br />"Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where theives break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where theives do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"<br /> ~Matthew 6:19-21Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-71325097988606477032010-05-06T09:47:00.000-07:002010-05-06T10:02:55.127-07:00At this momentAlright so I am sitting here thinking about how I leave to head up to Juneau in 9 short days.<br /><br />1. it makes me think about my friends at UM that i won't see again for a very very long time.<br />2. on the flip side, i am super excited to get back up there to see friends i haven't seen in a very very long time<br />3. it reminds me of the most special women in my life.. project Echo, and how we spent an epic summer up there furthering God's kingdom on all sorts of different levels :)<br />4. have to also give a shout out to the men's project '08, the greatest brothers i will ever know.<br /><br />mostly i am excited to see all that God has instore for me up there! i get to travel with an amazing girl Brenna Malaney, my job at Cycle Alaska might kick my butt but i am guaranteed at least 3 sweet coworkers: Morgan, Alison, and Sandon. the famous Rikki Ruby and i will be having some great times! i also can't wait to catch up with Tessa, Andrea, CJ, Ruthie.. once again have a sweet women's bible study at the SE Waffle Co! dominate a few more mountains. slay some salmon, halibut, and crabs. meet a whole bunch of new people. just live the life!<br /><br />real details to come as the summer progresses :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-14522156478900444222010-04-01T00:05:00.000-07:002010-04-01T00:10:41.257-07:00B-StudThis is another night I want to document answered prayer and God going above and beyond in doing so. I am omitting details except that Anna and I had planned a special night, spent a full week praying for it and God once again blew me away with how He was at work in the room.<br /><br />My women: Morgan, Colleen, Katelyn, Lindsey, Pang, Yoyin, Sarah, Beth, Valerie, Sharon, and Brenna. I am so thankful for each and everyone of them, how I have seen God working in their lives, transforming them into greater and greater women after God and His will in their lives. It truely is a huge blessing leading such an amazing bunch :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-82916707770593215302010-03-02T20:38:00.001-08:002010-03-02T20:55:27.744-08:00PTL!so for about the past week the weather has been beautiful outside, sunny and getting dangerously close to 40 degrees! though this is not my favorite weather at all.. (i prefer rainy cloudy days).. but it still has been a smile from God because it has allowed me extended time outside, this has just added to a wonderful week! PTL! :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-55656340304782599262010-02-27T23:55:00.001-08:002010-02-28T00:16:11.590-08:00Best Day Ever :)So today (Saturday Feb. 27th) was an all day women's retreat that I helped plan with my friend Sara. It was hands down a HUGE answer to prayer! We cast a vision for the day, choosing the theme of having an 'undivided heart for the Lord'. <br /><br />We prayed for a big turnout (40 women) and we got at least 65! Amen to that :)<br /><br />We prayed for the speakers and the lessons. Our friend Amelia gave one of the talks, our friend Rachael shared a personal story and our bible study leaders friend Melissa gave the other talk. Each lesson flowed perfectly from one to the next. Melissa started off the day talking about lies we believe rather than patiently waiting on God. Rach openly shared a personal struggle that had divided her heart from God and how once she started listening to God, He drew her out of it and closer to Himself. Then Amelia dove into the subject of sin and how that is the root of everything that keeps us from our Lord. Though none of these women knew what the others were exactly teaching, we could not have planned it to go together as perfectly as they did. Praise the Lord! :)<br /><br />To top it off, all the women came with open minds to learn and all had the greatest attitudes. There was no complaining, no drama, no problems of any sort. God was able to work in the lives of the women who came, and now I pray for life application. There was a ton of encouragement throughout this day and I pray that would not stop now that the day is over. Same with the women loving each other, being open with each other, and the healing and learning that springs from that. It was so beautiful to hear the voices of Christian women singing praises to God!!<br /><br />Ladies, lets not forget the lessons that were learned today.. lets be there for each other in order for us all to grow closer to God :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-31430128880744833322010-02-23T22:50:00.000-08:002010-02-23T23:17:34.522-08:00Life right nowSo I am sitting here just thinking about life. I can tell I have fallen into a rut which is never a good thing. I have my daily routines, not much changes from day to day. I am content. Not joyful not sorrowful not searching for excitement not changing peoples lives.. being content really isn't good enough. God has so much more in store for me then just coasting but I have to be open, actively looking, and ready for those opportunities. He brings so much love and joy to my life, its dangerous to lose sight of that. I don't want to be a lukewarm follower of Christ, that brings absolutely no glory to God..<br /><br />now my number one prayer is against this rut of being content, that I would seek God first in all that I do, that I would bring Him glory in all that I do, that I would constantly desire more of Him in my life, more of His love and joy so that it would overflow to every person that crosses my path, that my faith would be hotter than fire and consume any thoughts or feelings that my life is just fine as is. I NEED God in my life, I NEED Jesus as my Savior, I NEED the Holy Spirit to guide me, comfort me, intercede for me, reveal truths to me.. and I am so thankful that I do.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-69758505696663213312010-02-13T21:56:00.000-08:002010-02-13T22:41:35.406-08:00~The Day of Love~<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0xSc2hmGYys/S3eaXH4MSzI/AAAAAAAAAA4/vTit7xEtXEo/s1600-h/love.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 243px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 153px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437984797115566898" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0xSc2hmGYys/S3eaXH4MSzI/AAAAAAAAAA4/vTit7xEtXEo/s320/love.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Well we are heading right into Valentine's Day, the day of love. Here are a few, brief thoughts on the topic, starting with a few verses from the love chapter in the Bible:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." ~I Corinthians 13: 4-8a </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This describes the perfect, unconditional love that God gives us. It never ceases to amaze me that God loves us in this way. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" ~John 15:13</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This is exactly what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross to pay for our sins, He literally layed down His life for each and everyone of us, demonstrating the greatest love that exists. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Set aside some time today, first read Luke 10:25-37, write out how you see love demonstrated in this passage and how this should translate into your own life, then read and meditate on I John. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the day of love :) </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338833859697527639.post-83472341938597674232010-02-04T13:35:00.000-08:002010-02-04T13:39:17.432-08:00PrayerThere are many things that come directly to my mind on this topic.<br /><br />My thought today is how prayer is an act of faith. When we pray we are actively showing our belief in God, that He hears us, that He will answer us, that He cares for us, that we do have an intimate relationship with Him with open communictaion. It is a direct form of praise and worship. It has a way of revealing part of God's character to us.<br /><br />What are you praying for? What are you believing God to do in your life, through your life, in the life of the people around you? Our prayers really are endless and that is a beautiful and powerful thing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763390478646605518noreply@blogger.com0