Adventures in wonderland…

Last Sunday I made my way back to the midwest after wonderful trip to northern California. This trip had been a year in the making in my heart. I had been wanting to go visit Bethel Church in Redding for quite sometime, but making the cross country trek seemed like quite an undertaking. God had been stirring my heart for writing over the last year as well, and when I saw a little blurb about the Writing Conference at Bethel it seemed like a great opportunity to make a trip. When three of my teammates shared a desire to go, we found the cheapest flights we could, found blessed free housing and reserved a rental car. I took out most of my savings and it was a done deal.

I was honestly filled with a holy trembling of sorts weeks before leaving for Redding having this sneaking suspicion that my week there might dramatically alter my life. And in a few moments I will share how it just may have.

Redding was beautiful. Surrounded by mountains, lakes and rivers, every morning I woke up either gasping “Wow” or muttering “You’ve got to be kidding me,” as we drove around town. It’s been a while since I’ve seen mountains up close and personal and I am beginning to think they are one of my love languages from the Lord.

While in Redding we were able to take in some sights (Mt. Shasta, Lake Shasta, Oak Bottom Lake, the Sundial Bridge) and of course Bethel. Bethel was actually smaller than I expected and quite intimate, familial and understated given their renown. I really enjoyed spending time at the Alabaster House (24-7 prayer house) and garden. It was so peaceful, restful, and the Lord spoke some very significant things to me while I spent time with Him there.

The Writing Conference was great. I was pretty profoundly impacted by the speakers, especially Paul Young (author of The Shack) who has such an amazing testimony of God’s redemptive work in his life. Between the worship, the speakers, and the breakout sessions I left with a renewed conviction to write what the Lord puts on my heart and to understand the vehicle of writing as a means of transformation for the Kingdom. I was also blessed and encouraged to have won first place for a fiction piece for the writing contest they held, which awarded me $500 and my story being posted on their website. I know the writers who submitted stories are full of the Spirit and gifted by God, so for whatever reason it may have been my day to receive that blessing, I was thankful, and encouraged to continue to write for His glory.

We met many wonderful people while at the conference, a fellow Midwesterner, a family from England, public school teacher with a heart for transformation in the high school and resourcing Christian teachers, a woman from Korea…We stayed with some wonderful women who had just finished their first year at the ministry school at Bethel and it was great getting to hear about their experience and enjoy their company.

Because of some things God was doing in my heart to bring freedom and healing to some areas of my life that week, I felt a release to go check out Simpson University’s Education program, right down the street from Bethel. I have been for the last year praying and seeking the Lord about the possibility of being certified to teach. Initially I had been looking at Simpson and very drawn to life at Bethel for a variety of reasons, but had somewhat closed the door on this option because of fear and some issues of my heart.
My time at Simpson was wonderful. Got a better picture of the program, met some of the professors, was able to get in for an interview, wandered around the small but beautiful campus and tried to imagine life there for a while.

My time in Redding finished out with a sozo appointment and a trip to the RedHOP, the house of prayer (like our ministry here in Cairo) in Redding. I was encouraged by hearing how interconnected Simpson, Bethel, and the RedHOP were, and how they support and encourage each others’ ministries.

On the last Friday in California, we traveled through the Trinity Mountain Range to the Pacific Coast and then up to the Redwood National Forest where we stayed in a sweet hostel right on the coast. Saturday we traveled down the coast again, seeing the sights in Mendocino, and eventually heading on back to Sacramento for our flight home.

And just like that, the journey came to an end. Or maybe a beginning…

My time at Redding was very precious, and my heart, honestly, very much longs to go back. I have been praying about being certified to teach and honestly for the last few months have been preparing myself to move back to Texas, live with my family and attend a community college to be certified. Something that seemed reasonable and honestly spending time with my family was a huge appeal, but in my spirit was never quite settled. While in Redding and at Simpson, despite the fact that moving there would place me so far away from family, I was filled with a simple peace. So, after a year of prayer, fasting, and going back and forth, I have made the decision to apply for school at Simpson in the fall with a desire to get involved in life at Bethel and also to write amongst the beautiful mountains.

This is no small thing for me and I COVET your prayers right now in this season!

I ask that you would join me in praying that if this is not where God wants me or His timing, the door would be shut.

I ask that you would join me in the preparation of potentially leaving Cairo, it will not be easy to say goodbye to my spiritual family here or the community I’ve labored for and with over the last six years.

I ask that you would join me in praying for God’s provision for this move. Me moving to California will be a miracle in and of itself for the finances to move, housing, job and wheels once I get there. I’m excited to see how He will do this – God has ALWAYS provided all that I’ve needed and I really have no credence to not believe Him in this, so I’m praying for more faith and courage!

Trusting and on my knees. I will keep you posted as this leg of the journey unfolds. Thank you for your prayers!!