I am here

And I'm there, too.

Hi friends, sorry for the lack of posting lately; it is certainly not because I am not working through/experiencing all sorts of things. Quite the contrary! Two weeks in Vancouver really shook me -- unmasked some things I am working through, renewed my commitment to loving Jesus among the urban poor, opened my eyes to beautiful demonstrations of the kingdom of God, shattered some of my own fears, moved me to belly laughs and tears everyday. It was a beautiful time of feeling surrounded by like-minded people who want to follow Jesus to the slums in order to usher in with others the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. My heart feels full from these two weeks, and I am excited to share stories and reflections from that experience when I have more than a few minutes to report about my current happenings. Please expect to hear more about this!

Currently, I am on a train from Portland, OR to San Francisco, CA, and everything is green and lush and bold outside the window. We will be on this train for the next 16 hours, and Doug has graciously allowed me to use his computer to catch up on some e-mails and type some thoughts here. I have been on our very memorable AmTrip (Amtrak Adventure - www.traktothefuture.blogspot.com), beginning in Pittsburgh, passing through Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Whitefish/Glacier (Montana), Seattle, and Portland. It has been good, full of wonderful and new experiences for me, a few dreams come true -- Glacier! train-tripping across the country! exploring the Pacific Northwest! -- and only deepens in me hunger for new experiences that God will lead me into in the coming months/years and strengthens my desire to trust God, my Rock and Constant, to be my home everywhere. It has been an energizing several weeks, and I have a few more weeks before I make it back to the East Coast.

During these last few weeks of movement and daily change, I am steeped in learning -- from the lady I sat with on a recent flight who burst into tears over her husband's suicide to the rich teaching in Vancouver; from the great suffering of some of the homeless women I interacted with on the streets to the kind Amish girls who sat behind me on the train; from my study-abroad sisters I saw in Seattle to the wisdom I am reading from great writers; from the capacity in me to love others to the capacity in me to hurt others. And something someone said in Vancouver remains at the forefront of my thoughts in all these things -- We are all beggars searching for bread together. But for God's grace.