Invitations from Jesus

God has a plan. He sends us invitations to go places and do things. We can try and say no, but like Jonah, it will not always work out. So we accept those invitations. Sometimes they are happy invitations, like a Birthday Party, sometimes they are sad, like a funeral. But nonetheless, we listen and go where he tells us to go. This summer I have received 4 invitations from Jesus that have taken me to some pretty incredible places.  

The first invitation came in early May when the Children’s Ministry director at my church asked if I wanted to be their intern for the summer. I immediately jumped at the opportunity, as I had been looking for ways to be more involved in my church. This invitation led me to being a small group leader on Sunday’s in June, being a VBS crew leader to 1st graders, co-leading a 6th grade girls bible study, helping with TACO (Taking Awesome Care of Others) Tuesday, and going into the office 2 days a week. Through all of this, God taught me to trust his timing and his plan. I didn’t want 1st graders, I wanted 3rd, but God moved things around to teach me patience. I had to rethink what it really meant to be patient when working with those little kids. He also taught me how to work on a team. As much as I love being a lone wolf, there are so many things you cannot possibly do alone. He taught me how to work with people I didn’t necessarily like. So, in those 150 hours I was their intern, I did a lot and I learned a lot.

The next invitation has been 13 years in the making and came in the form of my Chrysalis retreat.  My mom has been wanting me to go on this since she went on her Emmaus, when I was 2. But, honestly, the thought terrified me. Going to one of their gatherings was like coming in on a friend group that already had years of inside jokes. I had no idea what I was getting into. But, I felt a tug on my heart, so despite my fears, I went anyways. And it is one of the best things I have ever done. While there, God showed me his love in ways I had never seen before. There were people praying for me by name who had never met me. There were friends back home who didn’t know Jesus who were writing me letters. I have never seen a community so full of love before in my life. To give it a frame of reference, if God’s love is a hurricane, I experienced a drop of it there. But that drop was not tiny, it was overwhelming, and relentless, and more than I could have ever asked for.

The third invitation is a bit more unique and came in the form of a wedding invitation. My mom and I were invited to my cousin’s wedding out in Seattle. (I have a whole travel diary posted here) While I was there, exploring the Columbia River Basin, Olympic National Park, and Mount St. Helens, I realized how huge God is. He is the creator and he created all of that. He created the ginormous mountains, the pure blue waters, the endless expanse of sky, and trees, on top of trees, on top of trees. A God who can do that is powerful and awesome, and he is our God. One day, my mom and I decided to go and ride horses on the beach. During that 2 mile ride, we lost our keys (You can read the more in depth story time on the travel diary). While sitting in Ocean Shores, 2 and a half hours from Seattle, for 6 hours, I thought I would be having anxiety attacks. But, instead, my mom and I prayed and took action and waited patiently on the Lord. And God did it! He not only gave us peace, but he also gave us a way to our hotel that night. Praise the Lord!

My fourth and final invitation came in my working as a camp counselor for one week at a camp for kids in transitional homes. These kids come from rough backgrounds, often take care of their younger siblings when their parents are gone, and on that note, may not see their parents that often. So, our job as counselors was to be crazy and weird, but also take care of anything they needed. None of the girls had swimsuits, so we took care of that. We made their plates at meals. We made their beds. I even taught my camper how to swim.  They didn’t have to do anything. But, the most important part of the job was the weird part. My favorite song for years was “Undignified” by David Crowder Band, but I had never before understood what it truly meant to be undignified. Saying things like, “I like kind words in my happy bubble.” or “I’ll be your turtle.” Dancing like a complete mad woman to Pharaoh, Pharaoh and the Banana song. Things like sprinkling glitter on their heads before they go to sleep or having staring contests to see who throws the trash away. Those kids got everything we had. All of our energy, all of our love, all of our joy. In my fellow counselors, I saw them pour themselves out time and time again, only to come to the Lord and ask him to fill him again. I saw in them an undeniable love and joy that can only be found in the Lord.

God invites us to some pretty crazy things. Whether it be going to Nineveh, going to camp, going on vacation, or going on the cross, he can do amazing things! Where has God been inviting you? You don’t have to comment this one, but think about it. When you accept an invitation from God, you receive something you never could have foreseen coming.

Washington Travel Diary

Earlier this summer I had the amazing opportunity to go to Washington! It is the most beautiful place I have ever been and if you ever have a chance to go, I would 10 out of 10 recommend it! I was only there for 6 short days, but in those days I did a lot! Everything I did was super fun, so if you are looking for anything to do out in the Evergreen State, these ideas should help you!

On Wednesday, my mom and I flew into PDX around 11 o’clock. We picked up our rental car and began the drive to Multnomah Falls. We stopped at subway on the way (exotic, I know). Then, we hiked up to the top of the falls and then kept on going up to Weisendanger falls. I enjoyed the second falls, but we mostly went because it shared a name with my french teacher! When you get up there, you can play in the river or go over to a landing that looks right over the waterfall! It was so cool! We then hiked back to the car and drove up to the Vista house. It was a early 20th century rest stop that was converted into a historical marker and y’all have to stop here! You get the most beautiful view of the Columbia River Basin (the picture above was taken there)! Then, we drove back down the mountain and headed up north to Bremerton, WA. We checked into our hotel, then went out to eat at the Bremerton Bar and Grill. The food there wasn’t awesome, but it filled the void. After that, we went back to our hotel and crashed for the night.

Thursday morning we walked to the Family Pancake House and got a whole bunch of take-out sides for breakfast. It was the best bacon and eggs I have ever had! After guzzling down breakfast, we went grocery shopping for lunch foods for the week. That is my #1 traveling tip- buy your lunch at a local grocery store! It saves so much money, plus if you go hiking like we do, you can't just pull up to the nearest drive through when you get hungry! We then set out for the Olympic National Forest! We hiked along a beautiful river (see above) and spent most of our morning there. Afterwards, we began the trip down to Ocean Shores, WA. While there, we went horseback riding on the beach! It was so much fun and unlike anything I have ever done before! But, on the horses, we lost the keys to our rental car, which was parked on the beach. Yikes! We went to the Best Western that was nearby and the lovely people working there let us camp out in their lobby until we could get towed off the beach. While waiting, we got Dugan’s pizza, which was worth every penny! It is the second best pizza I’ve ever had (I’ll get to the first in a minute). Then, the rental company was able to send out a locksmith and after 7 harrowing hours in Ocean Shores, we headed back to Bremerton!

Friday morning, we had our leftover pizza for breakfast before heading out to Gig Harbor! In Gig Harbor, we went paddle boarding and saw seals in the harbor! There are lots of paddling companies out there, but we went to Lee's SUP and they were awesome! After we were done paddling, we went exploring in gig harbor. They have a really cute little uptown! The whole reason we went on this trip was because my cousin was getting married. So after a day in Gig Harbor, we went to the rehearsal dinner at Brix 25. The food there was so good! We bugged out a little early to go to the Rodeo drive in, where we watched Spiderman: Homecoming. It was my first drive in and it was so fun! If you have never been to one, I would highly recommend it! The experience was pretty great!

Saturday, we woke up, had breakfast at our hotel, and went hiking at the Newberry Hill Heritage Park. It was a cute little nature preserve near where we were staying! After hiking, we came back to the hotel and got ready for the wedding! On our way to the wedding, we stopped at the Gig Harbor arts festival. I go to a lot of art festivals, but this one had a lot of unique stuff! I was expecting the same old, same old, but the artists were incredibly creative! Then, we headed on out merry little way to the wedding! It was at a farm and was your quintessential pinterest wedding! They had a low country boil for dinner and it was pretty great (see picture above)! Around 11, we left and went back to the hotel to sleep!

Early Sunday morning, we took the ferry into Seattle and had breakfast at Lowell’s in Pike Place. After breakfast, we took the monorail to Space Needle (but we didn’t go in). After we left the Space Needle, we began the trek to the REI flagship store and stumbled upon outdoor church! We stayed for a few minutes, but then we had to head out. Finally, we made it to the REI flagship store! That place is what heaven will look like and you cannot convince me otherwise. After pining away at literally everything in the REI, we walked back to Pikes Place and did a little shopping along the way. Now, here is where we get to the best pizza ever! I can’t remember the name, but it is on the corner of the alley you take to go down to the gum wall. It is a cute little Italian lunch place and grocery store, where they make the best sundried tomato and artichoke pizza! After savoring our pizza, we walked to Columbia tower. We went up to the 70-something floor, and got to see all of Seattle! If you ever go to Seattle, skip the Space Needle and go to Columbia Tower! It is half the price, double the height, and you can take pictures of the space needle from up there! That’s where the above picture was taken! Then our ferry back was delayed, so we shopped along the pier and got some clam chowder from Ivar’s. To end our day, we hopped on the ferry back and went to bed!

Monday began with the dive down to Mount St. Helens. While there, we hiked Harry’s Ridge, which is an 8 mile trail. There were times when we considered turning back, but we kept going and boy-oh-boy was it worth it! It gave the most beautiful view of Spirit Lake and the crater! The picture above is of the mountain from the trail and all of the wildflowers in bloom! We hiked back down from the ridge and drove on back to Portland. We made a stop at  Powell’s city of books in Portland. If the REI flagship store isn’t heaven, then Powell’s is! After Powell’s we wandered the city for a while, had dinner at Fathead’s brewery, and went on to the airport.

We definitely had the adventure of a lifetime out West! Did you do anything exciting this summer? Go ahead and comment below! I would love to hear from you!