LIONHEARTED LANDLOPER

        Recently , I had the opportunity to spend eight days in Lomé, Togo, serving at the West Africa Advanced School of Theology (or WAAST). First of all, Togo is a beautiful country full of beautiful people. Even the dirt is my favorite color. All the plants thrive and there are shells on the ground when you’re not even on the beach. There’s lizards of all sizes and colors and more shades of green than you probably realize exist. Everyone wears vibrant patterns and big smiles. The people and vehicles flow down streets in a way that can either look like chaos or the most impressive feat you’ve ever witnessed (depending on your mood). But the most beautiful thing is how quickly the kingdom of God is advancing in that country. Every single church tries to plant at least one more church a year. The alter calls are consistently bringing life-change. The Christian community is marked by unity, kindness, encouragement, and passion. We met missionaries who had been in min...

        Something inside of me is starting to feel restless. Partly because I don't feel very "Beccca-y" anymore, and partly because I miss the short, refreshing adventures that gave me a break from the humdrum of daily life last year.        I feel like I don't get to be myself. I feel slightly too common. All I do is go to school, do homework, go to work, and sleep. Markers, dictionaries, and journals are collecting a little too much dust. There's not any free time to set up a hammock and spend an hour doing Beccca stuff like I'm so used to. Part of that is okay and just necessary in this season of life. But also, having that time to fully be myself is very important. The lack of it leaves me feeling slightly unfulfilled and unsatisfied. I need some sort of outlet to express my manymanymanymany thoughts, opinions, and feelings. I need time to draw pictures and play with cardboard and sing as loud as possible. But I also need to understand t...

Me and Jaren have a holiday called "Double Eight Date Day" which occurs on the eighth of August every year. This year, we did something crazy. Something crazy awesome

a few things I love     I've been home for a couple months now, and I love it. I loved being at school and I've loved being at home. The thing is, I just love being where God takes me. God is equally at work in my life and in this next season as He was when He took me to the other side of the world.      It's nice to see mountains and sunshine. It is nice to hear the river as I sleep in my hammock outside every night. And in an odd way, it's a little bit comforting to live somewhere where people shoot fireworks at each other frantically on the Fourth of July.     I miss my friends -- and sometimes it's weird to go from being with so many people all the time to trying to find someone who will even hang out. But at the same time, I've made new friends (including two hermit crabs, Ripsnorter and Archie), and I've been able to get really involved in my church and with different areas of ministry.     Sometimes I worry about paying for sch...

Old Faithful Recently, I had a birthday. One of those significant birthdays that make you sit and think for a second "wow, I'm older." I turned 20. I am no longer a teenager. I'm just one of those people in their twenties who have their whole life in front of them and have to take responsibility for it. Like, there's no excuse anymore. And that's a good thing. I had the wonderful opportunity to go with my sister and camp in Yellowstone National Park and also visit the Grand Tetons. I've had so many incredible opportunities in my life this far and I cannot wait to see all the different adventures God brings along while I'm "in my twenties" I mean really, anything could happen

view of Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives     Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Israel. I was there for almost two weeks and saw amazing things -- from the Sea of Galilee to the Weeping Wall. this trip changed my life and I don't know how to even talk about it. It's so difficult to try and explain amazing experiences to people who weren't there.     Basically, I went to the country I have always heard stories about. I went to the land and the area that God promised to His chosen people in the Old Testament.  I saw ruins of things that may have been around when my Savior walked the earth. I went in the Jordan river. I saw and learned so many things that have to do with the whole entire reason I am saved. The whole story that led to my salvation happened in areas I was able to walk around.     I experienced a culture that felt more foreign than any I had experienced prior. I rode a camel. I talked to God and I saw people who were ...

    Once upon a time, we decided to venture into Paris. We had a twenty-hour overnight layover, so why not? We took the train from the airport and found ourselves in a world speaking only François. We found a charming restaurant and all sat down to a three-course meal! And for the first time in my life... I had real, genuine, french fries. Actually French fries. Wow. I also got calamari and this desert that was cheese and honey. French people are so fancy. I looked to my right and watched a woman use her knife and fork to cut a piece of lettuce from her salad. Nobody cuts their lettuce.     Dinner took awhile, but we finally got out into Paris after the sun went down and started to walk around. We saw Notre-Dame and eventually found the Eiffel Tower -- but it kept being farther away than we thought. We walked, walked, and walked -- and somehow the tower was always behind a building and never around the corner we thought it was. But eventually, after walking across ...

me and Osvaldo me and Miss Amanda my favorite marula  scrubbing the monkey handprints gotta love those butter sandwiches Osvaldo again

    We spent the rest of our few weeks in the beautiful country of South Africa with many different ministries all over the area.     I honestly don't know where to start in describing the past six weeks of my life. I don't know how to communicate the things I have experienced. I don't know what to tell you or how I would begin to do so. I am simply able to tell you what South Africa is to me. South Africa is full of children that are smiling when your knowledge tells you they have no reason to do so. South Africa is a place where servants of the living God are working hard every single day to care for His sheep and spread the good news of our Lord and Savior. South Africa is a place where the sand gets in your bedsheets no matter what precautions you take. South Africa is beautiful. South Africa is full of memories I want to always remember. South Africa is a place where the air smells different. South Africa is where God took me to teach me mo...

            After our first week in Pretoria, we eventually piled into the vehicles and moved to the Africa School of Missions campus near White River in Mpumalanga, where we will be staying for the rest of our time in South Africa. The campus is beautiful, full of mango trees, and right under the shadow of Legogote Mountain.             We spent our first couple days just settling in and helping out in the ASM library with various cleaning projects. We then spent last week helping Reverend Roger at Saint Mary’s Anglican Church with gardening and making house visits to pray for people. Rev. Roger was one of the funniest people I have ever met, and he saw every moment as an opportunity for all of us to break into song.             I have been nearly eaten alive by mosquitoes, but I haven’t gotten any diseases yet so all is well. There is a bea...

She held the phone up to her ear a little tighter. “What do I call this feeling?” she asked him after a moment of silence. The room she occupied was quiet and dark, and it was already far into the night -- the night before her next big adventure. “I think we can call it ‘Traveler’s Anxiety…’” he paused. “It’s like ‘wow, I have to leave everything…’ mixed with ‘wow, I get to see everything...’” And he was right. ***     This adventure has really been so incredible so far.     All twenty-something of us piled onto flight after connecting flight until our lovely 10-hour layover in London. It was really cool to explore the city and see the sights and adventure for a day before getting on another plane. ***      As soon as we landed in South Africa I knew I was not in America anymore -- which is probably an expected reaction. The air is different, the trees are different, the plants are different, and the people are di...

Scratch-off map of the world     I am officially back at school and getting into motion for this next semester of adventure. Just two short weeks until we leave for our month and a half trip to South Africa.     I am getting really excited for this experience and the things I will be able to see God do. Sure, I may be nervous about the petty stuff -- like the time difference or the implications of wearing so many long skirts for such a long period of time -- but even those small things add to the big picture and make it seem slightly more exhilarating. I like changes and things you can't plan for no matter how hard you try. Or, I at least like them for the most part.     Please be praying for our team as we prepare our hearts these next two weeks for where we will be going, what we will be doing, and who we will be serving.

Wednesday 11-9-16 after 40 hours of poverty     That evening, we started our poverty simulation. We were allowed one hygiene item (I chose my toothbrush), a notebook, pen, sleeping bag (I brought an emergency bivvy), and one extra item (my Adventure Hat of course).     The budget of a person in poverty was explained to us, and we were given $45 in “real-fake money” to use in different parts of our simulation. We were brought to a mock thrift store and told to buy new shoes and a shirt to wear for the rest of the 40 hours. I found a raggedy shirt with lovely pockets. I actually really loved the shirt. I also found some huge pink water shoes and I was drawn to them. We set up camp in a concrete room. I slept in a homey nook with Maddie and Michelle. Thursday 11-10-16     I woke up slightly cold. It was dark, and I had no way of knowing what time it was. I wanted to stay up if it was a reasonable hour (by Beccca’s standards), but I also didn’t want t...

    We recently returned from our inner-city mission trip to Chicago and Milwaukee! We experienced so many different cultures and ministries -- and learned a lot about ourselves and God.     Here are a few highlights from my journaling of this adventure: Saturday 11-5-16     I woke up freezing cold on my air mattress in the Grace and Peace Center. It was so early that it could not even be described as “bright and early” because it wasn’t technically bright yet. The thought of a hot shower was more compelling than the thought of sleep at this point. Thus, at 5:45 AM, I rose to hop in the shower. This shower was not as hot as I had hoped, but after maybe twenty or so minutes of relentless prayer, the temperature rose (with my attitude). My day moved forth per usual. I went downstairs before anyone woke up and sat on the granite countertops in the kitchen while I did my devotions.     Chicago is an interesting place. I remember from th...

[leaf]     We will be leaving for our next trip on Friday! We are gone from the 4th through the 13th. Please keep these cities and our team in your prayers as we are gone! We are praying for God to move in lives and reveal Himself everywhere we serve. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] (Matthew 11:28 AMPC)   

 Life can be repetitive and seem dull, but the power to break out of routine and see everything differently is all inside. Adventure is out there, but it’s also right in each day. I believe in imagination and seizing opportunities, hence I shall employ such philosophies. ~***~      “Adventure is a decision,” I thought to myself. I looked down at my toes, inching their way across the decaying log that seemed so halfheartedly strewn across that deep gap – as if nature forgot to care about the safety of lionhearted hikers such as I.      In front of me stood my adventure partner and the very rock that was my goal. We had dared to cross the unconventional log-bridge over the daunting crevasse betwixt our newfound prospects of adventure. The world was green, the color of good memories. And from giant rock to giant rock, I was determined to be bold. But really, things such as boldness are only a matter of opinion anyway.     In reality, or...

    For years, God has been cultivating a passion for lost people within me. The closer I get to God, the more my heart breaks for the people who have yet to hear of Him. Since I got to Trinity Bible College, that passion has grown substantially. I am constantly reminded of this great need for the gospel among the nations -- and challenged to act upon that very conviction daily.     God is showing me how to use this passion that I have even though (at times) I may feel secluded from opportunities.         Right now, I do not know what step I need to take after Pack Your Bags. I know I want to head toward missions, but there are many ways to get there. I have yet to figure out what degree I want, or what route I will take to get out on the mission field, but I know I need to head in that direction. I am still praying and thinking about what exactly I will do after Pack Your Bags is finished.    This is a big part of the reason I joine...

    Our first mission trip was a blast. The week was filled with serving in areas from kids ministry to roof repair  — and everything in between. Here are a few of the highlights from my time spent there: Thursday   Pastor Gus Craven was running out of jobs for us, but I do not think he had quite realized it. Three of us girls were assigned one very daunting task: to sit with the cats. Eventually we could try to find the lost kitten, but only if we wanted to. We found the kitten and placed the family in their assigned home. The nameless cats received names and a little bit of love that day. The mother was dubbed Marge, and her two kittens Ellenore and Rupert   ***  We sat quietly in the run down shack. There were dust-filled boxes of items from years before our time. There were intriguing stacks of letters as old as 1929. "To my dear wife..." I read out loud. It was really fascinating to explore the shadows of a time before our ow...

    On Monday, my team will head to South Dakota to spend a week on the Pine Ridge reservation. We will be serving at a church there and doing all sorts of things -- from children's ministry to a short drama. This will be our first official mission trip, and I am getting so excited as we prepare and pack. It's approaching so quickly. Please join us in prayer this week.

84th Street     The 15th of this month was an event called Serve Our City. All classes were canceled, and the day was to be spent working on projects to help people and businesses all around Ellendale.     Three of us girls were given the opportunity to serve a woman named Margie by pulling weeds and doing yard work. We were handed a small piece of paper with a brief description of the job and the address we were to go to: A trailer on 84th Street North.     Now, 84 is a lot of Streets for a small town, and we soon discovered that walking was not going to work, and hopped in the car. Before     -- I don't know if we were suspicious of the reality of this address since the first time we typed it into the GPS, or if it was when we had to go through a different town to get there -- but I do know that our curiosity was affirmed when the robotic "in 100 feet, turn left onto 84th Street North" took us to some grass-covered tire tracks al...