My Silver Lining.

Last week Pepperdine's chapter of I(nternational)J(ustice)M(ission) hosted Anti-Human Trafficking Week.

I may be biased, but IJM is basically the best thing out there.

We handed out price tags for students to wear symbolizing that they were taking a stand against human slavery, hosted speakers, screened an anti-human trafficking movie, and hosted a Rock Opera about human trafficking written by one of Pepperdine's own.

Praise God for last week!

Abolition!

Pepperdine has some passionate people :)

Besides this being one of the biggest things on my heart, that is not the point of this post.

As part of Abolition Week, Anne Bissell, a sex trafficking victim, came to speak at Pepperdine.

Her story and recovery completely ripped me apart.

I have heard it said by multiple pastors in a wonderful city about 9 hours north of here, that your passion is what moves you to tears. When you hear a certain subject matter and it moves you to tears...well...that's passion. And it is not just the death and resurrection...because as the bride of Christ, we should all be moved to tears by His sacrifice.

Well, for me, it is sexual slavery/rape/sexual exploitation. I will break down every time. Guaranteed.

I really do not know how to convey what I want to say.

But you know what, Anne Bissell does...

Check out her organization, The Silver Braid, at

www.thesilverbraid.org

Stand up. Support. And fight.

Homer is where the heart is...

That summer I...

Ate bear meat.

Had no idea what The Shack was...who knew I would be hugging Paul Young roughly one year later.

Fell head over heals in love with Him...again.

Realized what Beauty was.

Worshipped.

Knew academia could no longer be lord of my life.

Felt intimacy.

Finally opened the ears and eyes of my heart.

Did not realize how interconnected that experience would still be to this very year, day, and moment.

Encountered Him.

More often than not Homer and the Arctic Mercy staff is on my heart.

I did not have to travel to Alaska to have my eyes opened...

But I am more than a little bit thankful that I was able to encounter God's Holy Spirit in an untouched tundra shrouded in beauty and ceaseless summer.

I am also thankful God spoke through these people.

(+Bethany!)

Who is this God?

King of glory.

You are Holy.

The Lion and the Lamb.

Hallelujah.

Oh Messiah, You are the great I Am.

L is for the way He looks at me...

My lesson for the past 2 weeks has been on Love.

Sounds so cliché. Yet so incredibly necessary.

I cannot even begin to define or iterate what I would like to say, because I still lack any sense of the entire matter.

All I know is that intimacy has manifested itself within my soul, and an incredible spark of Holy saturation has occurred upon my spirit.

This Love…

Love.

My heart wants to pound right out of my chest.

I cannot even express what I want to convey on this paper.

I feel incredibly weak typing all of this up, because all I want to do is sing this at full voice with arms held high and feet whirling me around the floor in pure adoration. That is the only way I can think of conveying this feeling without bursting into tears.

And this still does not capture even the essence of an introduction for what I could possibly say about this Love.

This Love that brings healing and restoration in every aspect of my personal life.

This Love that pursues and holds my trembling hand through my most vulnerable and honest moments.

This Love that has seen all the ugly that I truly am and still shakes my soul each morning with the scriptural whisper of, “You are wonderful.”

This Love that I cannot possibly give due credit to.

In all seriousness, words will never do this justice.

And I am well aware I still remain so incredibly ignorant to what this Love truly is.

I will never understand the web of interconnectivity.

I will never understand the depth.

I will never cease to be surprised, amazed, shocked, and in awe of the things He does, even though they are completely natural.

But in all seriousness…who would take such an active interest in my life?

Who would craft such an intimate, beautiful, manifestation of “coincidences” and connectivity in my life in a way that absolutely delights my soul?

Who would cast aside the past and condemnation to present me with grace and mercy?

Love, that’s who.

Hey Jesus thank You for connecting:

That one trip, with that one leader, with that one country, with that one book, with that one couple, with that one mission organization, with that one church, with that one city, with that one worship group, with that one school, with another school, with all those lives, with that one life, with everything I do, and with You….

And it has been less than 2 years.

“If you think this is crazy Heather…just wait and see what I will do…”

WHAT?!

Due Credit:

Recent circumstances, Rachel, Furious Love, unhindered worship, Galatians 5:6, Isaiah, Psalm 139, Hosea, & Romans.

Oh…and Jesus. Duh.

TOMS

I have become obsessed with TOMS.

If I had a million dollars, I would own every design and then buy them for everyone I know.

My parents have even become obsessed with the pair Dani crafted for me.

They are comfy.

They are wonderful.

AND they help people.

I will be wearing them at my wedding...and my entire wedding party will be wearing them as well...be excited.

My firsts: Designed by the lovely Miss Danielle Hicks

Late but it is still Lent

I do that whole Lent thing. I am not Catholic, and that whole denomination thing does not mean much to me (although I do develop a bit of pride when one talks about John Wesley…Blame it on my early socialization in the Methodist church).

But I still do that whole Lent thing. I like it for numerous reasons. If you want elaboration…just ask.

Anywho…back to the point of this post. I mulled over many ideas in preparation for the 40 days leading up to Easter. I had really wanted to do a Daniel Fast for the entire 40 days, but after partaking in one at the beginning of the semester I found Pepperdine’s caf lacking in even vegetarian friendliness. So essentially, I would starve. I am all in favor of actual 40 day fasts, but uh…unless God writes it in the sky for me, I will not be trying to kill myself through fasting any time soon.

40 days of Daniel is a different story though, but Dorm living makes it incredibly difficult. When I have an apartment and am allowed a rice cooker, blender, and George Foreman this will be an entirely different story. Better luck next year!

Anywho…back to what I am actually doing for Lent. In attempts to become a better communicator, I felt led to give up a form of communication. Tricky huh?

So, for Lent I will be fasting (ha…had to get it in there somewhere!) from conversational text messaging.

Yes, I still want to hear about your day, but please just call me. 15 minutes on the telephone is so much more personal than 15 text messages.

Do not leave me lonely because your phobia of phone conversations triumphs over talking.

If you have a funny story to tell me…I would much rather hear you laugh out loud than reading “lol, bahaha, or lmao” twelve times.

If something is actually not going well, how I am supposed to be able to interpret that in a text message?

Oh, and do not even get me started on text message sarcasm, context, or interpretation…

All in all…let’s talk. Let me hear your voice, and you can hear mine.

Happy Lent season folks: let’s make this last longer than 40 days.

Let’s communicate.

Let’s have Jesus’ resurrection on the brain all of the time J

Bippity Bloggity Boston

Traveling just seems to cry out in a pure simplicity that defines my ecstasy. Adrenaline pulses through my body at each take off, leaving me breathlessly content. Chai tea lattes await me at each terminal. Books cannot escape the intimate caress of my fingertips, as my eyes lustfully absorb their content. Must I even elaborate on the hoards of people that are scrutinized by my mind and eye?

I have said it before and I will say it again: I would adore just spending a day sitting at SFO.

But, I am not currently in the Golden State.

I am on the Eastern Seaboard!

And as my time here in Boston comes to a close, I cannot help but feel a little tug at my heart. This city is honestly quite beautiful. I have spent time in NYC, and well, frankly it was a blast, but it is nothing in comparison to Boston. The architecture, the river, the parks, the churches, the shops, the schools, the ice-skating, the museums, the dessert, and the love.

The fact that my nose and ears have been incredibly numb the past few days brings me nothing but joy. My legs ache from walking, but my eyes glisten with the wonders beheld. The exploration of this unknown has given me great pleasure. Stripping off layers each time a building is entered, zipping a multitude of zippers, and knowing my North Face jacket loves me as much as I love it-can you imagine the smile that has scarcely left my lips these last few days?

I am still so incredibly amazed at the wonders God crafts. This city is so rich in history. I cannot even iterate my thoughts on the beauty of brick buildings and heavenly flakes that coat my hair as Danielle an I shop, talk, giggle, and eat (and by eat…I mean eat dessert. Let’s hope everyone back home thinks I look great with 15 extra pounds-damn cannolis).

My point with all of this is: I am transferring. Just kidding! My heart is belongs to Pepperdine momentarily.

But in seriousness-this entire city is incredibly delightful, and I will be returning here within the near feature. I would even love to live here for a small period of time.

I am so thankful for the opportunity and adventure of travel. Besides the fact that I can sleep 10 hours on a dorm couch or drool through an entire flight, the nature to “go” seems inherently laced with my being. I love going, seeing, and living this life I have been blessed with.

My visit to Boston has allowed for me to indulge the spirit of adventure and travel God has placed within me. Thank You Father!

Adventures I am still seeking in cities I have yet to visit:

Denver, Colorado

Portland, Oregon

Las Vegas, Nevada

San Diego, California.

Let’s make it happen.