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We Must Go.

After I came back from Nicaragua in the spring I thought, “wow.. missions was amazing and I would totally do it again, whenever the chance arises.”

And here I am again, preparing for another mission trip.

This one is neither “better” because it’s long, nor “grander” because we are traveling during that month from city to city in various states. But it’s a whole new kind of mission that I had never expected to dive into this summer.

Our creative ministry at Living Water (worship, drama, body worship) and prayer team will be setting off on July 27 for one month to tour the southwest part of the US and minister at churches and youth retreats. Our theme and mission is “We Must Go.” God has commissioned our church to simply GO. To the ends of the earth, whether near or far.

• For this mission trip, first and foremost, my prayer is for God to just move in the music and the songs. Stir the hearts of youth we minister to as the praise, dance, and drama all come together harmoniously. And for the youth see God himself up on the stage instead of us individually.
• Part of my “role” on this trip is to worship through dance. Body worship has been a way for me to freely worship the Lord with complete abandon. Something deep inside of me cries out to God in joy as we move to his song. Even David–a royal KING–“danced before the LORD with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14). My prayer is for dance to be complete worship to God and nothing else. Not a show or performance, but truly our expression of joy and love to our Lord.
• Finally, we are a team of 20 traveling for one month in vans, driving between cities and states together, ministering together, eating and playing together, laughing together, crying together, and trusting in God together. I pray for deep unity, health, and love within our team under God more than ever.

A question I’ve been getting from a lot of people is.. “wait.. you’re not going to Africa or something? what do people in the states need from people who are the same as them?”

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. —Psalm 34:18

I’ve struggled with that question too–All I know and can believe in is that God has commissioned us to go into ALL the world. ALL nations. Brokenness doesn’t exist only in places where people don’t have enough to eat each day. Or in places where people are oppressed. I myself found God in my deepest times of brokenness, and as we minister to youth, we just want to love them as people who are just as broken. I don’t know the extent to which God will move in LA, TX, and AZ–I can only imagine and have faith.

If you’re reading this, I truuuly believe you were meant to hear about what God is doing, whether or not you consider yourself a Christian or even religious. THANK YOU for taking the time to read this, and please keep us in your prayers. More updates to come before and during the trip!

Lovelovelove,
June

Nicaragua Pre-post

So I’m still working on my own account of our trip to Nicaragua, but here’s an awesome recount by Pastor James from this past Sunday, in case you missed it. PJ hits home on some of the aweeesome things God did.
Check it outtt and I’ll post about Nic soon by the end of this week!

It’s here, it’s here!

The more I think about spring break, the more I want to dooo.

I wanna go home, spend time with my brother, roadtrip to socal forrealz, go to Disneyland, play in beautiful 70-degree cali weather, maybe even study a bit so I don’t feel so immensely screwed for my midterm the Monday we get back from break.

But hey. God has called me to something so much bigger than what I want.
It’s crazy! It’s my first missions trip ever and I am an eager beaver:

yea that's me! kinda.

Okay yeah so there’s a weird picture of a beaver in my blog post now.

BUT anyway, the point being that I am worried about a lot of things but also really really expectant to see where I’m taken this next week. I think I’ve said it a million times already, but it’s so true.

So if I could ask for your prayers as the Nic Team and I go tomorrow (Saturday) night:

• For health and safety: Spiritually and physically. Many of us are just getting out of sickness or may be catching something.. (along with yours truly lol) so.. just that we may be rested before we leave. Also that we are safe and sickness-free while we are there!
• For awesome weather: I think God has heard our prayers already on this, CHECK IT:

awesome, right?

Anything but the rain is so needed so that we can actually work and build the well during the day. Yay! Please still keep that in your prayers.

• For team unity: 20 of us will be spending every waking moment with each other, so that should help ; ) but yeah, that we work as an effective unit, gathered under one Banner and mission.
• For complete trust in the Lord: So many things will be up to God.. not all of us speak Spanish, not all of us have been on mission trips, and I don’t think any of us know what will really happen during the week. HE does. : )

Rawesome. The fact that I’m going to Nicaragua hasn’t exactly hit me, and I don’t know when it will. Whenever it does though, I’m sure it’ll be crazy cool. I’ll be back in a week with many stories and hopefully lots of pictures too!

Till then… Have awesome spring breaks/weeks!!

tres días: La Gran Plegaria.

El tiempo es hambre y el espacio es frío
orad, orad, que sólo la plegaria
puede saciar las ansias del vacío.

El sueño es una roca solitaria
en donde el águila del alma anida:
soñad, soñad, entre la vida diaria.

Alfonso Cortés, Nicaraguan poet

Time is hunger, space is cold
Pray, pray, for prayer alone can quiet
The anxieties of the void.

Dream is a solitary rock
Where the eagle of the soul nests:
Dream, dream, during
Ordinary life.

PJ said during one of our Nic meetings that if we really want to understand and learn about the heart of the people of Nicaragua, we should read the works of their poets. Alfonso Cortés was one of those timeless poets. This poem called “The Great Prayer” just emotes a certain hunger for filling the “void,” and a desire to dream in order to find hope. Everyone who’s gone to Nic before says the people there are just so hungry to hear the word and hungry to hear good news.

We are all hungry for more of You.
Living Water rain down on us and fill us up.

That is my great prayer! I AM READY : ) Move, Lord and we will follow.

quatro días: Cantamos.

Cristo, puede mover montes
Solo Dios puede Salvar
Mi Dios puede salvar!

¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

Friend of the broken, defender of the weak–You are the God of people who need you the most, and I pray that in Nicaragua we will witness to You befriending the people, quieting them with love, and rejoicing with them. You save, and that alone is a cause for rejoicing and singing. Cantamos a Ti!

cinco días: Se que me amas.

Hoy me postro ante Jesús
Diste tu sangre en la cruz
No hay otro amor igual
El murió y resucitó
Sobre la muerte venció
Nada me separará

De corazón
Me rindo a Dios
Todo consumado es

Hillsong – En La Cruz

Today I fell before Jesus
You gave Your blood on the cross
Like no other love.
He died and was resurrected
On death, beat
Nothing will separate me.

My heart
I surrender to God
Everything is consummated.

consummated – to be made perfect; brought to perfection/completion

With five days left until Nicaragua, I’m craaazily filled with excitement and anticipation. I was enlightened today to more things I might face there that will be completely new to me, and to be honest it’s pretty scary–but I want to go to with a free heart. Lord, use me and bring things to Your perfection and Your completion. I fall before Your cross, and I am Yours.

Hosanna

Colonia Cristo Rey is right outside the city of Managua

In just two weeks I’ll be spending spring break away from home and in the city of Cristo Rey, Nicaragua. This is my first calling out to the mission field, my first experience with God’s people outside of my own city, my first opportunity to just live an entire week for the Lord.

I just pray for God to break down my heart and feel such overwhelming compassion for these people I have yet to meet. Now that I think about it, I haven’t even seen such poverty before, and I don’t know how I’ll end up interacting with these people in Spanish, and I don’t know how I’ll fare in a country that has barely even been mentioned before in my life.

All I know now is that I am answering God’s tugging at my heart. To go and build a well of pure, living water both physically and spiritually for His people, my brothers and sisters, and just love them as He does.

Hosanna – “save now.” a cry for salvation, a declaration of praise.
Break my heart for what breaks Yours.