On our trip to the orphanage one Friday, I was really touched by something I witnessed. There is a sweet little girl there who is unable to see, and one of the guys from church who always goes is one of our main song leaders and has a beautiful singing voice.

I watched him pick her up, put her in his lap and sing church songs to her. You could tell how much she enjoys this as she mentally focuses on him and would sometimes try to sing along.

It reminded me of the beautiful picture that is found in one of my favorite verses, Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

Isn’t that amazing to think God rejoices over us in song?

He also quiets us with His love…

He takes great delight in YOU.

And above all…He is mighty to save.

What a beautiful picture! As I watched Jack sing over this sweet girl, I could imagine God doing the same for us, but on a much grander scale.

Can you hear Him singing over you? I hope so.

I tend to not always focus or listen…my sin or pride gets in the way, and I pull away…fearful of what I hear if I am honest and open.

Yet, God is always waiting…with open arms, for us to climb in His lap…

To quiet us with His love.

Rejoice over us with singing.

Listen for His song today. He delights in YOU!!

1 year.

365 days.

That is how long it has been since I got off that plane to begin this new adventure of faith in China.

Hard to imagine it has been that long…it has flown by faster than I could have imagined!

Honestly, when we arrived, I wasn’t even sure I would last a week, much less an entire year!! I cried almost all the way over on the plane…wondering what I had gotten myself into…and the first month or so was rough trying to get settled in, experiencing culture shock & homesickness, figuring out where I fit in, and struggling to find a good apartment…

Yet, the constant theme is…God has been faithful. I know He led me here and continues to lead…and continues to call me to trust in Him and what He is doing.

At times I have wondered what I was doing here…and many other times I have known exactly why I am here. God has definitely affirmed over and over again this is exactly where He wants me to be…for such a time as this.

That does not mean it has not been easy, but He never promised it would be! This has definitely been the most challenging thing I have ever done…and I would not trade it for anything.

I have been blessed with new friendships, an awesome church family, great opportunities to share my faith, and in the process have grown closer to my Father. My faith has been stretched and has also grown in more ways than I could have imagined.

I pray that in the process I have been a good steward of the blessings and opportunities God has laid in front of me. I am amazed and humbled that I have been able to join in on what He is doing here in China.

I am not the same person I was when I stepped off that plane one year ago, and I am glad. I have been through just about every emotion in the book, and have truly seen that His grace is sufficient in my weakness.

I am incredibly thankful for His amazing grace and strength which I know has carried me over this last year. There is no way I would be here without Him. He IS the reason I am here. His message is so powerful and I have watched Him provide and have been amazed by His faithfulness. I should never be surprised when I encounter it, but I often am.

I will be going more in depth about my experiences here over the last year during this week, but for now, I leave you with our celebratory pictures from last night:

In one of my studies the other day with one of the ladies, we were studying in John 20 where Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb looking for Jesus. There is something which struck me that I had not noticed before. Mary is wondering where Jesus is when He appears to her, but she does not recognize Him. All it took for her to actually recognize Him was one word…her name.

He simply says “Mary”.

She cries out “Rabboni!”

He knows her and she knows Him.

If you do much reading in the Bible, it is made clear that names and the meaning behind them are extremely important. In the Scriptures, a person’s name identified them and stood for something specific. Naming carried special significance, which is evident in how God revealed His names to His people. This is also seen in the fact that God often changed the names of His people: Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, Saul to Paul, etc.

It is even more interesting to note that when God changed Abraham and Sarah’s name, He inserted part of His own. The “H” of “YHWH” (or Yahweh) is now part of their name. It is a close covenant that bonds them in a new way.

This also holds true for the Chinese culture, because names carry special significance. Each name is chosen very carefully for its meaning. It is the hope that the name will reflect what that person will become. Whenever you ask people their Chinese names, they will tell you what it is and then tell you what it means. We have even been given carefully thought over Chinese names, because the meaning attached to the name is really important.

God goes by several names in the Old Testament, all with special meanings. Here are some that I find especially beautiful. Some you may be familiar with and some may be new. Soak in each meaning as you read over these names:

El Shaddai: God Almighty. Stresses God’s loving supply, comfort & His power as the Almighty one.

El Elyon: The Most High God. Stresses God’s strength, sovereignty, and supremacy.

El Olam: The Everlasting God. Emphasizes that God is eternal & has promised He would never leave nor forsake us.

Jehovah Jireh: The Lord will provide. Stresses God’s provision for His people (Genesis 22:14).

Jehovah Nissi: The Lord is my Banner. Stresses that God is our rallying point and our means of victory; the one who fights for His people (Exodus 17:15).

Jehovah Shalom: The Lord our Peace. Points to the Lord as the means of our peace and rest (Judges 6:24).

Jehovah Mekaddishkem: The Lord our Sanctifier. Portrays the Lord as the one who sets believers apart for His purposes (Exodus 31:13).

Jehovah Ro’i: The Lord our Shepherd. Portrays the Lord as the Shepherd who cares for His people as a shepherd cares for the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 23:1).

Jehovah Shammah: The Lord is present. Portrays the Lord’s personal presence (Ezekiel 48:35).

He even simply goes by “I AM“.

That is enough to encompass all of who He is.

He is The One who was, who is, and who is to come…forever…eternal.

Isn’t it amazing to think that God IS all of these characteristics and still calls us to Him as His children?! He is our Father and knows each of us by name. Psalm 139 tells us we are known by Him while He is still knitting us together in our mother’s womb.

Father is used in reference to God in the Old Testament only 15 times while it is used 245 times in the New Testament. As a name of God, it stresses God’s loving care, provision, discipline, and the way we address God in prayer. It is a very personal name that really solidifies the covenant we have as His children. I love this name and love talking to Him as my Father. We are adopted into His family. What an amazing gift!!

When I am trying to discern my Father’s voice or He is trying to affirm it is Him speaking to me, all He has to say is my name and I KNOW. If I ever wonder who is talking to me and am having a hard time discerning His voice, I hear him gently whisper my name, and I know without a shadow of a doubt it is my Father who is speaking to me.

I am so thankful He knows me by name and calls me His daughter. Because I put my faith in Him, I am His.

I am the daughter of a King.

You are His child.

His son.

His daughter.

He claims us as His own and puts His name on our hearts.

We belong.

What name(s) do you know Him by?

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine…For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. ~Isaiah 43:1;3

The Asian Mission Forum far exceeded any expectations I could have imagined. It was such a tremendous blessing-almost impossible to describe in adequate words, and since pictures speak better than I can, I am sharing many to help portray the awesomeness…

First, I found the Filipino people some of the most welcoming, gracious, funny, and enjoyable people I have ever had the privilege to spend time with. From the moment I arrived to the moment I left…I felt welcomed, encouraged, and uplifted. I still do…

Like I showed in my last post, I was greeted at the airport by an amazing homemade sign and sweet new friends. I stayed with them for the night, and I really wish I would have had more time to stay around and get to know them better. I know I will be back! They really do have a lot of great ministries going on there which are helping a lot of people, and I hope to be more involved with at some point.

The next day, we headed on the fast ferry to the beautiful island of Bohol. I have seen some amazing beaches all over the world, but this was by far the most gorgeous place I have seen. The pictures look like something you would find on a postcard or a commercial. Absolutely breathtaking! Blue skies, palm trees, perfect beaches, crystal clear water…Isn’t God an amazing artist?!




To top that off, I was blessed to spend 4 days there with some amazing people from all over the world who are seeking to spread His Good News to the masses. I made friends with people from the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, China & America.

It was instant family…automatic connections because of who we are in Christ. Truly one of the most amazing gifts God has given us is His Body…which we can find and know all over the world. I love my new brothers and sisters…the time was definitely too short with them & I cannot wait to be reunited with them again!

I have been struck by this before in China as we worship our Father together in multiple languages…but was struck by it again as children of our Father from many different backgrounds, languages & colors…gathered together to worship Him as ONE. We serve the same amazing Father who has created each of us in His image and transcends all of our physical differences. What a beautiful thing!!

It was a small glimpse into what heaven will be like…what an incredible time that will be!!

I have rarely had the opportunity in the last 8 months to worship in English, and singing is one of my most favorite things on earth. I don’t believe there is anything that can strike as much emotion as music can, especially praises to Him. There is an awesome group of students called the Heartbeats from the Bible college in Cebu who led us in worship, and they have truly been given an amazing gift! It was a real blessing listening to them and singing praises to our Father with this talented group!!

After the first day, most of the ladies had to go home, so I had the privilege of singing on the praise team with those who were left. It has been a really long time since I have been able to do that, and I soaked up every moment of every word we sang. It was a much needed shot in the arm, and definitely churned up emotions as the Spirit filled the room and we lifted our voices up together in praise.

We were also encouraged and inspired by the words of Jay Jarboe, Ed Poblete and Barrett Coffman as they helped us see how the Spirit is working & moving in our lives and the world. We focused on John 15 and were reminded that God is in control & apart from Him…we can do nothing. We were encouraged to join in on what God is already doing as we practice the ministry of presence and learn how to partner with God in His mission. We submit to His power and let the Spirit move through us to fulfill His mission. We were challenged with the reminder that everyone who declares to follow Christ should have the goal of making disciples; as we are transformed by the Holy Spirit and strive to be salt & light in this world.

Of course, we also had a lot of fun swimming, snorkeling, dolphin watching (at 4:30 in the morning!), enjoying time in the hammock and just taking in God’s amazing creation. It was also great to spend time with our Beijing team in a more relaxed setting.

On Sunday, we were able to eat lunch as we floated on the lake & then visited the Chocolate Mountains (I expected chocolate to be flowing out, which there was none-but it was a beautiful location!) where we took fun pictures & admired the amazing view while we spent time in fellowship & worship.


I cannot thank my wonderful Filipino friends who planned, organized, and carried out this terrific conference. Thanks to Chito and the entire awesome crew!! It was such a wonderful refreshment and blessing for each of us who were able to attend, and I look forward to the day we gather again…on either side of heaven!

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” ~John 15:5

I am in the Philippines this week for the Asian Mission Forum. It is a conference for missionaries all around Asia and some surrounding countries. I am SOOOOO pumped and thankful to be here, and extremely grateful to Garden Ridge for making is possible to be here!!

This was my awesome welcoming party last night at the Cebu airport:

What an awesome surprise!! The people in Cebu are just absolutely wonderful!! They have been so welcoming and gracious. I know it took a lot of time to put that awesome welcome sign together! This morning, the sweet girls brought me breakfast and coffee. I don’t even usually drink or like coffee, but this was AMAZING!! I feel so spoiled and blessed.

The church I grew up at in Fort Worth supports the missionary who lives here, Salvador. His team has been totally awesome and I am really grateful. They are doing some wonderful things here, which I would love to tell you more about later.

For now, I am going to go explore some more of this beautiful place and get to know the wonderful people better. This afternoon we head to Bohol for the Asian Mission Forum!! I am super excited to meet more missionaries who are spreading the Good News to Asia, and learn about how we can be more effective and recognize the Spirit moving.

I see more and more every day the way God has and continues to intricately weave each part of my life, and I truly stand in awe of His design. It is beyond anything I could have ever fathomed or imagined. Well, that is a whole other post

I am truly blessed and God is great! Can I get an Amen?!

There is a great site I found last year about Seven specific ways you can pray for your missionaries. Having now been on the field for 11 months, I can say that I can most definitely personally relate to each category…

1. Relationship with God:
Loving and studying God’s Word
Strong prayer life
Walking in the Holy Spirit

2. Physical/Emotional:
Adaption to climate
Health
Safety in danger
Victory over loneliness and depression

3. Family Relationships:
Husband/wife
Children/parent
Family life as a model to nationals
Coping with singleness

4. Ability to Communicate:
Language Study
Continual improvement in fluency
Cultural adaptation / understanding

5. Effective Ministry:
Teaching, preaching, witnessing
Boldness, open doors
Prepared hearts, fruitfulness

6. Team Relationships:
Other missionaries
Nationals

7. Country of Service:
Government- national and local
Political situation
Visas, continued open door
Outreach to city, village, tribes
Help Them Feel Connected

The site also says: “The most frequently mentioned source of encouragement by missionaries are letters (especially those with pictures) and/or e-mail. Letters help the missionary feel supported and connected to the people who they have left behind. A lot can change while they are gone. Letters and photographs help them feel less like strangers when they return. Another benefit of letters is that they are durable, and can be read over and over. I have talked with a number of missionaries who keep a stash of particularly encouraging letters in a box, and pull the letters out (to reread them) whenever they are feeling that things are hopeless, and they should give up and go home.

What to write? Tell them about what is happening in your life. What God has been teaching you recently. Send them a short list of issues that they could pray about. You could write about your work or hobbies, anything that would let them know more about who you are. Remember, letter writing is two way communication. Ask questions about their lives and work. Ask for prayer request. Find out what God is teaching them.”

Can I just say…Amen?! Of course, I can-it’s my blog!! AMEN!!

I cannot even begin to express how meaningful each word on twitter, facebook, e-mail, any kind of correspondence is. A letter would be even more a-mazing. Unfortunately, as time has gone on-this correspondence often seems to become less and less.

If you have or know a missionary you or your church supports, please take time and check on them, correspond with them. Of course pray for them, but then let them know you are praying for them. It does not take that long and will mean more than you can imagine. Speaking from experience, you often feel cut off from so many people you love being so far away, and with all of the technology we have, there is no reason not to stay in contact.

Money is a wonderful investment and a blessing. No missionary would be able to carry on without it and are very grateful for each supporter. But, that should only be the beginning of the investment-they are now YOUR missionary. You have adopted them! Spiritual and emotional investments are also important-prayer and encouragement go even farther. Let them know you care, that they are not forgotten, that you appreciate them. It may seem excessive, but any time you think or pray for them-let them know!

Missionary work is incredibly rewarding in so many ways, and challenging in many others…and sometimes we need to be the support like Aaron & Hur were to Moses that keeps the arms lifted up so that God’s will can be carried out. That is what community is all about it and a wonderful gift we can offer to each other!

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. ~James 5:16

***I found the information above at: http://www.ccminternational.org/English/perspective/AdoptaMissionary.htm It is a little outdated, but a great resource. I hope this has helped you know how to pray for YOUR missionary!

Blessings on you all~

The Cooper’s left last Monday. They moved back to Texas to do youth ministry again. It was definitely hard to see them go…we moved here together and they have been my family. It has been amazing to watch God weave our lives together through the years.

The first time He brought us together was 12 years ago at Lubbock Christian University. Susan and I were in the social club, Lambda Omega Alpha (LOA) together. My Senior year she was the President while I was the Chaplain. John was in our brother club, Kyodai and I remember that he made awesome Master Follies faces! I remember sitting in Susan’s room in our dorm as she expressed interest in John, while John is telling me how much he liked Susan. Now they have been married almost 10 years and have an awesome son named Nash. We have some great memories from our time at LCU!!

As life goes, we went our separate ways and would run into each other every once in awhile at camps, Homecoming, and youth ministry events. John was the youth minister at Garden Ridge, so when I moved to Denton in 2007 (which was supposed to be a temporary relocation), I would go visit Garden Ridge sometimes. Little did I know what God had in store

As I could see that I was going to be in the metroplex for longer than I planned, I decided I needed to find a regular church to attend. Having known John, Susan & the other ministers (who are all LCU alumni!), I felt pulled to Garden Ridge. I visited off and own for awhile before I placed membership in December 2008, and then got a phone call in January that would change my life. It was the associate minister asking me if I would round out their LST team (which consisted of one other guy, Josh, who is the youth intern and now one of my good friends) and I said yes. What an amazing experience that was!! It is where God planted the seed for us to move to China and continue to share the Good News with the people here. I honestly was not sure if it would happen; and was amazed as I watched them make the decision, leave their jobs, sell their house, cars & many of their possessions to answer the call of God in China. How Biblical does that sound?! It was also wonderful to serve with them in the youth ministry at Garden Ridge. Their kids are now my kids and Garden Ridge is my home. God opened that door through them to make that possible (I’ll also write more about this later).

I don’t know if I would have come back if they had not also made the decision. I knew God was calling me back, too, but it was a scary leap. I am SO glad we made the leap together!!

The rest is history. It has been a tremendous blessing to serve with them here in Beijing. It definitely is not the same without them here. We have great memories of leading Bible studies, fun game nights, teaching children’s classes, learning Chinese and then attempting to have conversations with others in this language, trying to figure out how to travel around Beijing, traveling to Xi’an, exploring new foods and sights of China, watching the crowds throng around Nash, taking crazy pictures, and laughing until wee hours of the morning.

They left an impact on this country of China that I know will last for many years. I am excited to see what God will continue to do through them as they minister to the teenagers in Texas and raise Nash. Their passion, humor, talents, energetic spirits, and servants hearts are great assets in the Kingdom!!

I know God will bring us together again and look forward to that day…God is not finished with our story, and I cannot wait to see the next chapter!

Blessings to you, sweet Cooper family-I love you guys dearly!!

Wanna know what is going on in China? The easiest way to show you is through the thing I do most…take pictures!!

This is a picture from our last Monday night study with John from this past week:

Please pray for these seekers as we continue to dig deeper in God’s Word.

We are rejoicing with our new sister, Ruth!!

Susan and I with our sweet Thursday morning ladies:

This was Susan’s last time with them and my last time before the summer break. Please pray for these ladies and their families as God continues to work on their hearts through His message.

There is a lot more going on, like having our 4th LST team in a row here right now, with 2 more to go through August; plus the Cooper’s are leaving to head back to Texas on Monday (I will blog more about that next week) Also, another couple who is part of our Beijing team will be headed to the States next week, a week after they return they will be moving to Shanghai and then delivering their first child in November.

Please pray for all of these changes, transitions, families, and churches as it will effect so many.

Thank you for reading and your continued support and prayers. May God continue to surround and bless you with His great love, grace and mercy~

I saw this while on my way to church this morning, and just had to snap a picture!! How ironic that I would see this plate on Father’s Day…or is it?!

Happy Father’s Day to all of you awesome dads out there!! You play a critical role in your children’s lives. I am thankful for mine and for my heavenly Father-He really is the #1 Dad!!

Here is the latest update of the crazy happenings in Beijing:

We had an LST Texas themed party on Sunday. We taught them how to say “Yee haw!”…or is it “Yee hao!” ? Here is a pic of my roommate and I who we are converting over to Texas!

Yesterday, we went to the Bird’s Nest and ran on the same track where Usain Bolt and all of the athletes walked out during that amazing opening ceremony…

Tonight, we had another beautiful thunderstorm…something that is becoming pretty common around here lately, but should not be! I decided that I would go frolicking in the rain…seriously, everyone should experience this! I skipped, jumped, danced, and sang (appropriately) Singin’ in the Rain while the rain landed on my face…all with a big goofy grin on my face! Sorry, I don’t have a picture of this…just use your imagination It was inexplicable JOY…which I know has only come from my Father, because my day certainly did not begin that way. I love watching God provide and work!!

Then, tonight…at about 12:45 our electricity went out. You see…you prepay for pretty much everything here. You put money on a card, then insert it into the meter, which then adds electricity. I had been running the A/C a lot more lately, and yesterday I thought that I probably needed to look at how much I had left, but never did.

Lesson learned.

Thankfully, I have an awesome roommate and we caught a cab and went to the “state grid” where you can go to add money at 1:00 in the morning (I am grateful it is open 24/7!) and we now have electricity again!! The awesome thing is I had put about 200 yuan on there last time (which is about $30) and it lasted about 2 months. Isn’t that amazing?!

Oh, the adventures of China! Stay tuned, I am sure there will be more to report…

Good night from Beijing!!