WELL HEY YOU GUYS :)

 oh.. my.. in about a month I'm going to be side by side with you all serving our LORD and King, You can't shut me up about this. I'm way too ecstatic!!!!!! (hense the !!!'s and CAPS) Well It's hard for me to articulate who I am in a blog, and describe my intimate story with Christ, but I'm ready to start this trip today and begin our story together so…. I here I go. 

Well I live in Atlanta, Georgia with my mommy, Cheryl and Daddy, Dan. they are just fantastic, they're kinda crazy about Jesus and I love it! and my they're my  bestfriends too, which is awesome. I have an older sister too who is 21 and she is just great too, we are complete opposites in many many many ways, so she stretches me and I stretch her, and thats cool!

So me and the fam have lived in Georgia my wholeeeee life and Georgia is great and all but its been 18 years, Im so ready to live some where different… even if its for 2 months.  This past year I have been feeling more and more trapped and insulated where I live. I feel like  God, religion, and the church is presented to me in a very predictable way. It's boxed up, routine, and formalized.  But as you guys know our God is mighty, powerful and will shake the place up with his presence! who are we to try to get into the mind of God and predict what He is doing?  who are we to try and trap  God in a building and make him fit our schedule, ideas, or a certain sinners prayer? Im dying to graduate from High School and five days later meet up with you guys and get on our knees out of desperation and cry out  for the power and gift of GOD! 

Oh and yes, I am a senior and high school which is fabulous. I loved High School, and if you knew me freshman year and then saw me again this year, I think you too would understand why I loved high school so much. Because during high school Jesus radically entered my life, and changed me.. dramatically. I now  have been seized by the power of a great infatuation with my God, he is ALL to me,  and thats something to rejoice in! 

So after our trip  I plan to  be home for nine days and then pack up and attend school at Moody Bible Institute in Washington.  Not DC, washington washington, basically the farthest place away from home. So much is about to change after I graduate and i can't wait to see where my path will lead. It's exctitng that it starts of with y'all. ( oh yeah y'all, im from the south)! :) I REALLY hope I am the youngest on this trip and can be  officially titled as the "baby" on the team! This is  because I'm in desperate need of some leadership, and friends that are a couple years ahead of me. People who not only proclaim and believe the gospel  BUT live the gospel. And By already reading y'alls ( sorry.. y'all again) I can praise and thank God for future friends who are the answer to my prayers and pleas. For real, you guys are truly such beautiful people! How encouraged I am!!!! 

SO why africa? and more specifically why Expeditions? you might ask. hey! thats a great question!  well, God has been molding my heart to fight specific injustices not only in the world but that happen in  our church. Growing up In a very very very wealthy area of Georgia,  I have been raised  with the rich in a very wealthy church. After 18 years,  I have come to the conclusion that  the rich are not evil greedy self-centered people, but people that are just blind. They have no one else in their environment modeling a lifestyle where they find pure  joy in investing their money and resources in their vulnerable neighbor. Basically we don't have a lot of modern day (matthew 13:44: " The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field"). So through out the years i have grown into some what of an understanding of who the rich are (being one myself) and now I'm ready to experience and view poverty through Jesus's eyes in Africa. As paul put it, I'm ready to "become weak to the weak". I want to grow tired, hungry, thirsty, and pray to our Provider for our daily bread together.  I find so much Joy to be posting this the day after Good friday, because we have been invited to follow Chirst's example and pick up our own cross: “That though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians. I want to experience his poverty with you guys, and in the process produce abundant fruit for His Kingdom. The desires of my heart kinda matched up with description of this trip. Our mission is sit at the poor's feet and learn from Jesus.  I'm praying that the Holy Spirit will fall on us, anoint and empower us in miraculous ways! After this trip, I'm excited to  incorporate my experiences and understandings, and take part in bringing together my two polar opposite brothers and sisters, the wealthy and the destitute, and help them discover the infectious love and joy of knowing one another. How cool would it be for this too happen: "Right now you have plenty and can help those in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. Then, there will be equality.” 2 Corinthians 8:14

:) 

Oh yeah fun facts about me:  I love quotes, I free style rap, fedoras don't fit my head, in my opinion thunderstorms are just the coolest thing ever, I'm just awful at freestyle rapping, I want a pet lion, I enjoy improv and acting (I have two full time jobs currently doing this), sleeping and eating are my 2 favorite things and I get to do it every day yay!, my favorite letter is q, oh yeah i just got baptized in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit on March 27th check out my vid (http://vimeo.com/22441831)  the Chronicles of Narnia  has completely captivated my imagination and I'm some what obsessed, sometimes I secretly jam out to KeSha in my car.. alone.. (okay thats embarrassing.. i should of never told you guys that… thats way to personal) and I love you all :) 

I'm praying for joy in our discomfort and hope to conquer our fears. Can't wait to see your faces soon :) hollaaa!!! 

2 corinthians 3:3 "You are a letter from Christ...written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets on stone but on tablets of human hearts."