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...

“Giving to those in need what they could be gaining from their own initiative may well be the kindest way to destroy people.” - Robert D. Lupton ***        A lot of times, people have a certain mindset regarding mission trips. "I'm going to save people," they think to themselves, "I'm going to change the world." But, in reality, you're not.  Long-term missionaries spend years building relationships and working among people in order to learn their culture and earn respect. Spending two weeks in a country you know little about does not make you a hero nor will it spark some major revival. Do not go if you think you are going to "fix" their country or do something they cannot do for themselves.        Whatever it is that we are going to do, there are people already in the country who could do it just as good (and probably better) for cheaper than the price of our plane tickets to even get there. More problems arise when people show u...

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 ...

    I stood in line, waited, went through security, and found myself at the Temple Mount looking at the Dome of The Rock. We weren't allowed to wear crosses or bring Bibles and our clothes had to be very modest.      Looking at the giant mosque did not feel how I expected it would. It wasn't scary. It was just... empty, I guess. There were kids outside playing soccer and women sitting in groups talking. There were older men in going places and people visiting the site from different countries. I was walking around observing when the sweetest group of young Muslim girls came up to me and said, “you take selfie?”     “Sure,” I said.       I started getting in picture after picture with these sweet girls with their joyful smiles and white head scarves.      It was so strange. I can hardly explain it. From the moment those girls spoke to me I felt like I loved them so much  — It just came over me. It was some...

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...

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)   

    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...

Photo Taken by Selah Kramer     To start off the month we were able to spend a four-day weekend playing games, getting to know each other, and looking at cacti in Canada.     Oh, there was also an exciting two-day adventure involving a high ropes course and zip line. But that's beside the point.     Just kidding, it was basically the whole point.     We had a lot of fun, learned how to work together, and built up a lot of excitement for the trips we will be able to go on as a team in the future.   ***     The weekend (for me) was filled with one constant reminder from God: these people are the ones He chose for me to spend this year with -- traveling the world and all -- ever since before He told me to come here two years ago. And I need to realize that.  They aren't for me to criticize, they aren't for me to hide from, they aren't for me to impress. They are what God wants to use to build real relations...

 And here arrive the days I have been talking about for so long.     I would like to say thank you to everyone who has supported me this far -- financially, emotionally, whatever it may be -- without you in my life I would not be able to be here. I wouldn't have the funds, the gumption, even the desire. So many people have poured into me, prayed for me, encouraged me, and given to me. And I cannot say thank you enough. I know I am where God wants me to be, and there is no sufficient way to express how much peace that fact holds in one's life.      It does not matter where or what circumstances you are in. It is whether or not you are in the will of God. And that is exactly the calling I feel placed on my life that brought me to this program.    The burning passion inside to go where God goes and do what God says whether I live out of a backpack, have little sense of financial security, am disliked, or simply humble enough to serve where no o...

"Stanton Lake" by Becca Brander Sometimes it feels as if I have  eight hundred trillion and twelve  things on my to-do list, and only  fourteen seconds  to get them done. But, then I realize I'm exaggerating and there's only like twenty-something things to do and I have two months or so. Which can still be overwhelming, but it's a lot less daunting than eight hundred trillion and twelve.   The other day, I decided to finish getting my passport   -- because it seems like a good idea to have a passport when I'm planning on traveling to Africa and such this next year.  You see, I had already filled out my passport application and gone to the courthouse, but the lady and her desk informed me that my birth certificate was not chill and my driver's license was an insufficient photo ID. So I grabbed my better birth certificate, and (because I do not have any other photo ID) headed back to the courthouse a couple days later to figure this thing ou...