Just grab Jesus and go!

Photo credit: americanpostcards.info

EEEE! I leave for Anchorage in a little over a week now. And to be completely honest, I am terrified. I don't know what I'm getting myself into, or if all the things I want and need with me will fit into a duffel bag and a backpack to take on the plane with me! (I suppose it doesn't help that I wait to the last minute to pack things otherwise I forget them...) There are just so many unknowns... this is all part of the adventure I know, but  sometimes I don't like to jump out of my comfort zone, even when I know that it is what God is calling me to.  Just call me human.
God has continued to show me that Alaska is where I need to be this summer. He is answering prayer in ways that I could never have imagined. I am 400 dollars away from being fully supported at this point, and I am confident that God will provide that money by the time I need it. God is so wonderful, I know that I can always trust in God's  promise that if I pray something in His name it will always be answered (Thats found in John 14:14 in case you were wondering) but being tangibly reminded of that promise in a way like this is amazing. You know when I prayed for God to provide $4000 dollars for me to go on a mission trip I didn't know what that would look like of how He would provide that money, but the response has been wonderful and I praise God everyday for fulfilling that promise.  This has been a huge encouragement for me to know that I am doing the right thing in going to Anchorage for the summer.
As I deal with the fear that comes from not knowing exactly what I am getting myself into, I think of a phrase that is really common in my house (if you know my mom pretty well you've probably heard this a lot), and that is "just grab Jesus and go". This is something I need to remember when the details get to be overwhelming, that God is going to challenge me this summer, that's why I'm going to Alaska, but He is also going to sanctify me and He is going to strengthen me for the journey and through the journey. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (NIV). Praise God!
I would appreciate your continued prayers for my trip, I know it is going to be amazing and only so through the power of our awesome God.
Thanks ya'll and God Bless
-Kristen

Consistency is key.

I am a firm believer in the idea that the mission field is wherever you are, that you don’t need to go somewhere to find people in need. There are people in need of healing and there are people in need of Jesus everywhere, especially in our own backyards. I am doing something a little different this summer though. I am going on a trip to Alaska with Cru (formerly Campus crusade for Christ) I am going to Anchorage to live and work and share Jesus with people there.
I’ve been thinking a lot about consistency lately. Consistency is something God is good at. God does not change. Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” Consistency is not something I excel at… especially when I am at home. There are so many things to distract me, and frankly there is something about the comfort of my home that makes me just plain lazy. Jesus often takes the back seat to checking e-mail, shopping to prepare for my summer project or  probably most often… naps. I am definitely human. I definitely change my mind, and I definitely fall short of the perfect righteousness that is my wonderful God.
With that said, I think the biggest reason I am taking this trip to Anchorage this summer is to get me completely out of my comfort zone, to go somewhere that is going to challenge me in every way possible, especially spiritually. I know that I can share my faith here at home, but the truth is that I don’t. God has made it possible for me to go be a light in Anchorage thanks to some really awesome family and friends that have supported me financially and  through their prayers which I am so thankful for. I think I would be a nervous wreck without them. I have about $2300 raised so far thanks to you all. This is about half of the support I need to raise by July, I am praying that God will provide the rest. If you still want to support me,  you can give online by going to: ccci.org/give and searching for my name, Kristen Halvorson

Such is life.

I feel like it is customary to title a blog with a particular cliche or attempt at a witty comment. So here is mine. Call me lame, or uncreative, but I like the idea of the statement "such is life" when it is in regards to a relationship with Jesus. The thing about a relationship with Jesus is, it is nothing like anyone ever expects. A relationship with Jesus is so much more than going to church, it is so much more than just a friendship or a being that gives you what you want. Knowing and believing in Jesus is a lifestyle. It is a scary and a hard lifestyle, because Jesus does not call us to be comfortable all the time. In fact Jesus calls us as his followers to be imitators of him (1 Corinthians 11:1, 3 John 1:11) even to the point of death. Matthew 16:24 says, "Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Sometimes I think we forget to tell people that truly living for Christ is going to be a lot of work and it is going to be the most challenging undertaking in their life. In fact, if I'm honest, I forget to tell myself that on a daily basis. But Jesus also says that he comes to give us life, and life abundant. Jesus doesn't just want us as his followers to be a live, but to really live. To do something important, to do something meaningful, to love, to laugh, to experience the beauty of the intricacies of things that God has made. A relationship with Jesus allows us to be all that we were designed to be in the world, and even more importantly, a relationship with Jesus allows us to live forever in heaven with Himself, our Heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit. Eternal life is our free gift from Jesus. Never heard about this gift? Heard about it, but just never understood? I would love nothing more than to tell you all about this amazing relationship Jesus has blessed me with, and help you find this relationship too. Contact me.