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Well, Amanda & I are back in sweet southern Virginia!

It's incredibly surreal... Has it always been this green? Where did all of these trees come from?! Who are all of these Americans?

This ain't Texas anymore, y'all.

This summer has been quite the adventure. There were so many good moments, & a fair share of difficult ones. But isn't that the case in any God-sized adventure? I've loved each moment of it-- the good, the bad, yes even the ugly. Each of those moments has changed me forever. Some moments broke my heart, & some filled it more than I thought possible.

There was that one semi-embarrassing moment when Amanda & I almost missed our flight & had our names paged a few times over the loud speaker... {Our pilot takes punctuality to a new level...our dads thought the situation was hilarious.}

There were the moments when I realized that different people from my intern team & the community had become my second family. Heart-to-heart conversations, house church, milkshake runs, English classes, evenings spent at the playground & soccer field, endless rounds of UNO.

There was the moment when I gave my Iraqi friend her first Bible & watched her receive it with an amount of joy I've never seen before. So many moments come to mind when I think of her. The day I shared the Gospel with her. The day we watched the Jesus Film together in Arabic & she remembered all of the parts I had shared with her. The day I shared my own story with her. The day she asked me to tell her the story of the wandering son {Luke 15} again, because she thought it was beautiful & couldn't stop thinking about it.

There were moments spent, memories made, & friendships created with many of the short term teams. It's been a privilege to get to know them, lead them, & watch them grow through their experiences in Houston. So many of them have blessed & encouraged me more than they know through in-depth conversations, their eagerness to learn, exposing me to Whataburger for the first time, & watching their passion for Jesus & the nations pour out & make a difference in the community.

There were the moments when my favorite four year old Iraqi boy rode his little bicycle to our apartment at 7 o'clock every morning to draw "pitch-cures" {pictures} for us on our dry erase board. There was the moment that really tugged on my heartstrings when he begged to move with us at the end of the summer. And there were the countless moments when he tackle-hugged each of us & said, "I like you!"

There were the bittersweet moments on the last day of Kids Club, when I realized just how attached I'd gotten to each of the children. My heart melted as I sat in the floor with them, making bracelets & laughing & craving more time with them. And there was the moment when it was time to say goodbye. Tears were shed. Hugs were shared. Many of the kids didn't want to let go...neither did I. Those children taught me that love knows no language, race, or culture. They taught me to see the beauty in life, & that the littlest things take up the most room in your heart.

And there was the moment in the airport when I saw my family & best friends for the first time in two months. There's nothing more refreshing than sharing hugs & happy tears, followed by dinner & ice cream, with the people you love most. The people you can call {& have called on multiple occasions} when your heart is breaking from a situation beyond your control, or when you're feeling a little homesick & need to hear their voices. The people you can count on to pray with you & for you, to encourage you in the midst of frustration, & to give you a little bit of tough love when you need it. {Thanks, Dad.} This adventure wouldn't have been what it was without them & their support.

Like I said, each of these moments has changed me & blessed me beyond measure. I still can't believe God would choose me to be part of this incredible journey, but I'm thankful that He did. He's definitely used it to grow me & mold me more into who He wants me to be as He revealed to me things about Himself that I had forgotten or had yet to learn. Through all of the twists & turns, He's been faithful & He's been good. I'm excited to see what kind of adventures He has planned next!

{I've attached a few pictures that I haven't shared yet. I hope you enjoy them as you catch a glimpse of the various moments that have touched my heart.} :)

"You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of living & loving people in more than one place."

Full hearts & stomachs

Tonight has filled both my heart & stomach. My Iraqi friends  family invited a couple of my roommates & I over tonight for iftar {the evening meal eaten at sunset by Ramadan-observing Muslims}. We hung out together for four hours. We talked, we ate, we talked some more, we laughed, we drank tea, swooned over my friends incredible artwork & watched a movie.

So many more memories were made tonight that I'll cherish for the rest of my life.

I'm so, SO thankful for this close-knit relationship & the way it has deepened & blossomed throughout the past year. For each visit, each conversation, each cooking show & episode of Top Gear & CSI. This family has taught me how to truly love. They've taught me to open my heart & celebrate life for all that it's worth. They've showered me with so much kindness & hospitality, & it overwhelms me.

These people aren't just my friends anymore. They've become my family. 

Continue praying for them with me, that more followers of Jesus will enter their lives, that the seeds that have been planted will be harvested as they understand Christ's love.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. {Eph. 3:12}

Loose Threads

If there's anything I've learned this summer, it's that life is made up of lots & lots of loose threads. And on their own they look like nothing more than random knots & snarls that don't make any sense, but together they create something meaningful & unique & beautiful.

As my remaining time in Houston is {all too quickly} coming to a close, I've been reflecting on all of the "loose thread" moments. Moments of discouragement & frustration because on some days, ministry just wasn't happening. Days when I questioned my call to be here because I wasn't meeting many people in the community & the Lord didn't answer my prayer for that as immediately as I wanted Him to. Moments that turned into memories that will last forever. Visits with my Iraqi friends who have become my family. Being served an African feast by the sweetest Congolese family. Getting caught in the rain on the way to visit someone with one of my roommates & using Rubbermaid lids as makeshift umbrellas. Teaching English to the most incredible refugee ladies. Relationships formed- with my intern team, with the short term teams, with the people in this community.

All loose threads on their own, but woven together, these moments make up the most extraordinary tapestry. A tapestry full many different colors & flavors; one full of life & joy, tons laughter & some tears, & an enormous amount of love. A tapestry more beautiful than anything I could possibly dream up on my own.

It hasn't always been easy. There's been a significant amount of sweat {I mean hello, this is Houston} & tears & heart-to-hearts with my team & with the Lord. But I'm thankful for those moments, too. They've caused me to grow in ways I never would, had I not experienced them for all that they were.

And now here I am, looking at my last days of ministry in Houston, Texas. {At least for the summer of 2014. Who knows what God has up His sleeve for the future?} It's incredibly bittersweet. My roommates & I taught our last ladies' ESL class today. Tears were shed, hugs were given, & laughs were shared as we remembered so many of the memories that were made during the past two months. It has been such a privilege to be part of these ladies' lives; I honestly feel like they've blessed me more than I've blessed them. They've taught me so much about love, kindness, & friendship, & I'll cherish those lessons for the rest of my life.

That's just a small glimpse of the beauty of the people & places I've fallen in love with. My heart has been filled to the point of overflow, & I wouldn't have it any other way.

I will sing to the Lord, because He is good to me. Psalm 13:6

Untitled Ramblings

Has it really been an entire week since my last update? Goodness, time is FLYING by these days... 

I discovered something recently. I've fallen even more in love with this place & these people. I wasn't even sure that was possible. So many of these precious people have claimed a piece of my heart, but the most beautiful thing about it is that they've allowed me to claim pieces of theirs as well. 

Since it's been a while since my last update, I thought I'd share the highlights of the past week. :)

I was able to visit with my Iraqi families a few times & have some incredible conversations with them over homemade coffee cake & Coca-Cola. It really touches my heart that although they are observing Ramadan {which means fasting from any food & drink until 9pm}, they still pour out so much hospitality with every ounce of warmth that they have. 

Sunday: Each short term team begins their week by visiting mosques & Hindu or Buddhist temples to expose themselves to the faiths/people groups they'll be reaching out to during their time in Houston. We took this week's team to a Hindu Mandir & a Vietnamese Buddhist temple {which I actually visited on my own short term trip last summer}. 

During our visit to the Mandir, one of the leaders of the temple led us through a very detailed exhibition about the origins of Hinduism, & he invited us to stay & observe the worship service. I'm still struggling to find words to describe what I witnessed & the feelings I felt; it was incredibly heartbreaking to watch as those precious people chanted & bowed to mere idols that can do nothing to save them. My eyes were opened to just how seriously Hindus value their faith, & how much devotion they pour into it.  

Re-visiting the Buddhist temple brought so many flashbacks from my first visit there. I remember the worship service, the singing & the bowing. The fruit sacrifices to the statues, the incense, the prayers. Fragrances & images that will stay with me forever; things I don't enjoy remembering but hope I never forget, because they opened my eyes to the reality of spiritual depravity & deepened my passion for Jesus like nothing else ever has.

Monday & Wednesday: Two of my favorite days! My roommates & I are still teaching English classes for refugee women. Our classes have grown, & so have our hearts. I feel so, so blessed to be a small part of these women's lives. It has been so fun to watch them excel in their new language as they speak, read, & write. Today one of the ladies told me that I am her favorite friend. These ladies have filled my heart with so much joy. I've loved getting to know each of them & watching them learn as they've taught me so much in return. 

Ongoing {and new!} adventures

This has been such a good week.

On Monday a few of my roommates & I got invited to eat dinner with a Kurdish woman from one of our ESL classes. There was chicken, homemade bread, & dolma {a traditional Iraqi dish} galore. We all ate our fill plus some. The entire meal reflected all of the time & care this sweet woman poured into preparing it; she had no idea what parsley is, but she bought some to go with our meal because she knew it was American. To her it was merely a small gesture, but it touched my heart in the deepest way.

I visited my Iraqi family yesterday, & I'm convinced that I fall more in love with them each time I visit. We've been having some really good {& DEEP} conversations about Jesus & faith lately. Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, began Sunday, & my friend shared a lot of details about it with me while I was there. During Ramadan, Muslims {who are physically able to do so} fast from all food & drink from dawn to sunset. The main purpose is to focus on God & strengthen their relationship with Him, while allowing their physical hunger to remind them of the poor.

So, please be praying that while Muslims {& this family in particular} are spending this time intentionally searching for God, they will find Him & He'll change their lives forever.

I've been helping one of my roommates teach a ladies' ESL class, & it has been SO fun. Most of the women are either Muslim or Kurdish, & I've fallen in love with each of them. I've especially bonded with one woman in particular. She is a 56 year old Muslim woman who travels partway to class by bus & walks the rest of the way. She's always the first woman to arrive, usually 15 to 20 minutes before class even starts. She is so eager to learn & I've enjoyed getting to help her. Today there was an empty seat next to her; she looked up at me & smiled {as always} & said, "Sit down, Teacher Rachel!" Y'all, my heart melted. I feel so blessed. Continue to pray for all of the seeds that are being planted, watered, & harvested. It has been so exciting to watch God work & move. Even greater things are still to come. :)

Sunday Sweetness

During the past month, I've come to realize that there is never a dull moment when living next door to two eleven year old Iraqi boys. This week alone I've played endless rounds of UNO, refereed impromptu relay races, engaged in a water gun massacre, laughed until my sides hurt, & felt more love than my heart ever thought possible. {I've also come to realize that as long as I live in Houston, I'll never have to do my laundry alone, because one of them is always with me; walking, talking, & helping me fold my socks.}

These boys are best friends; wherever one of them is, the other one isn't far behind. They're both incredibly full of life & mischief, & I've actually started writing down the things they say because they're just too funny. 

This morning the boys showed up on our porch {which happens more often than not} to ask Amanda & I to hang out with them {which also happens more often than not}. They wanted to read Colossians together, so we grabbed our Bibles, sat on the steps outside our apartment & had the sweetest church service I've ever been part of. One of the boys, A., is Muslim, & it's so amazing to watch him soak up God's word as he discovers its truth in such a fresh way. The other boy, F., is a follower of Jesus {you may remember him from this post} & the definition of childlike faith. He's crazy about Jesus; he reads his Bible every chance he gets, whether it's out loud to us or quietly to himself. He loves talking to Jesus & prays the sweetest, most heartfelt prayers I've ever heard. And his heart is set on leading A. to Jesus if it's the last thing he does. It's the most precious thing I've ever experienced in my life.

Both of these boys inspire me in my own life; A. inspires me to open my heart & enjoy God's word like I'm hearing it for the first time, & F. inspires me to love God more & view every day as an opportunity to celebrate His grace. These boys have stolen more pieces of my heart than they realize, & I wouldn't have it any other way.

"This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard it & understood the truth about  God's wonderful grace." Colossians 1:6

Transformation.

I realized something this morning. 

Exactly one year ago yesterday, my feet hit Houston soil for the first time, & my heart began to change forever. And exactly one year later, I'm back in the place so many pieces of my heart belong to.

I realized a few other things today as well. 

A year ago I had no idea what refugees or unreached people groups were; today they're something I think of a lot. A year ago I was ignorant & stereotypical; today some of my closest friends are Iraqis {No, they're actually NOT terrorists.} My life is so different because of Houston & the millions of things God taught me through it. 

Among the many chaotic moments of this weekend, my eyes were opened to just how beautiful grace really is. My Ethiopian roommate & I were sitting on the stairs outside our apartment having an incredible conversation with our Iraqi neighbor & a young African woman. Both of them are followers of Jesus; our neighbor & her family came to America after being exiled from their own country because of their faith, & my new African friend accepted Jesus last week. While I was sitting with them, it hit me: the four of us are completely different. We each have different backgrounds, different stories. But one thing binds us together like nothing else can: Jesus. I think I tasted a small piece of heaven that night as I sat next to these girls, listening to them share how much God's love has turned their lives upside down in the most beautiful way & I realized, these girls are my sisters. We laughed, we cried, we listened, we shared, we spoke encouragement & poured out all the love we had to give. There's truly nothing sweeter...other than watching our little Iraqi neighbor {who loves Jesus more than any eleven year old I've ever met} study the Bible this morning with one of my fellow team members. This boy sits outside & reads his Arabic-English Bible everyday. {Several times a day on some days.} It's been so overwhelmingly amazing to watch him grow as Jesus' love literally spills out of him & floods every single conversation he engages in. {Quite literally the most precious thing, ever.}

Life in Houston is a grand adventure, & I'm loving every single minute of it.