Boston Begins :)

To say that I had been looking forward to this mission trip would be an understatement. I wish I could write down all the details and memories from those 6 days that I spent with 15 other people from my church. I truly intended to journal throughout the week in Boston, but any spare moments I had were spent recharging. The next few posts may not mean as much to you as they do to me, so you have my permission to skip them if you feel you must. If, however, you want to find out what God is doing through Boston church plants, READ ON!!

Day 1, March 17th - This may seem ridiculous, but one of the big challenges I faced was packing! We were only taking carry-ons so I had to put all my liquids in One. Single. Quart-sized. Bag. And then cram sheets, a towel, shoes, clothes, and all other necessities into my two carry on bags. That was difficult for me, in case you didn't catch on... :)  I realized that I use a lot of products. I'm such a girl.

After several minutes of struggling, rearranging, and removing, I finally got it zipped closed. I considered taping it so it wouldn't accidentally pop open when I went through security.

I had to keep taking things out of the suitcase to leave behind. Do you have any idea how fast a 22 x 14 x 9 bag fills up? Well, I am happy to report that I made it through security just fine. We flew to Minneapolis where we got on a connecting flight to Boston. Here are the pics from my plane ride! (I had a window seat on the first flight and middle seat on the second.) I. LOVE. FLYING.

I liked the Captain on our second flight best. He told us we would be flying over Chicago, the Great Lakes, Canada, and New York. I saw the Great Lakes from 33,000 feet altitude! The only part of flying that is not fun is all the pressure and pain in my ears. (And yes, I was chewing gum like crazy and trying to pop my ears...next time I think I will take sinus medicine before I go.) It was really bad when we descended into Boston. In fact, the pressure and pain didn't go away the rest of the night. ;(  Thankfully, I was fine in the morning!

We landed in Boston at 7pm, but by the time we got on the bus and subway and stopped to eat, it was around 10:00 when we finally got to the church. By the way, in case you don't know, Boston likes to celebrate St. Patrick's Day big time. So there was green everywhere, and there were also plenty of drunk and rowdy people on the subway that night and the next day. Welcome to Boston, Lauren! This is my first ground-view of Boston (taken when we came up out of the subway at Central Square):

The church we partnered with is called Hope Fellowship Church and Curtis Cook is the pastor. He is good friends with my pastor and moved from Stillwater to Boston 10 years ago. When we arrived at his church Saturday night, he did orientation with us and told us what our schedule would look like for the next few days. Then we got out the air mattresses and sleeping bags and finally turned out the lights sometime after 11pm...or was it midnight??

the reason

Yes, I promised to post about my Boston trip, and I still have every intention of doing that. I just haven't had the time to sit down and start writing, but I had to share a song that God played for me tonight. It was exactly what I needed to hear.

Maybe the reason for the pain is so that we would pray for strength

And maybe the reason for the strength is so we would not lose hope
And maybe the reason for our hope is so that we could face the world
And the reason for the world is to make us long for Home.

Boston

Boston Harbor. More to come.

Pit Crew

Friday, March 9 – When I got off work that night, I ran home, threw some stuff in a bag, and jumped in my car. The race was on. Topeka500. I had to make it to my brother’s tournament.

Not too long after I got on the road, I realized that I had not checked my tires before I took off; I like to check them before I leave on a road trip because of the terrifying blow-out I had less than two years ago. I pushed my fears aside and prayed for God’s protection as I drove.

I was making good time and enjoying some new cd’s when I noticed the vibration. I turned off the stereo and my dash continued to vibrate. Fear hit me deep inside. The vibration got worse as I was winding through the Flint Hills. I was praying that I could make it to a gas station (there is only one every 30 or 40 miles in Kansas). It was dark and I was alone. I truly believe I prayed my way into Emporia. I could see the lights from the city and finally came up on a sign for an exit. Two miles. The vibration was really bad at this point, and all I could do was wait. It was a race against the inevitable. I was gripping the steering wheel and keeping a steady speed.

Just as the exit ramp came into view, my fear literally blew up. The flashbacks grabbed me and I could see the world spinning by and hear the tires squealing all over again. However, it didn’t take me long to realize that this time was different. Completely different. It felt like angels were holding my car. When the tire blew out, there was no fish-tailing. No bouncing. No spinning. I felt an impact, but my car stayed steady and straight.

Foot off the pedals. Check mirrors. You are fine. You are fine. Slowly brake…slowly.

I had to drive a couple miles to get to the pit (i.e. nearest gas station) and then got out to assess the damages. Shredded tire. Hanging bumper. 9:15pm.

A few minutes later as I was pulling my spare out of my trunk, my pit crew roared up in their big, diesel truck and shiny box trailer. There were three guys. I call them Larry (like the Cable Guy), Mike, and Bob. They whipped out their shop jack and professional tools and had my spare on and properly aired in five. Y’all are hired. Then Sketchy Mechanic walked up and said “Hey, I do body work on cars, I can fix your bumper.” Ok. Nice. I was back in the race…only going much slower and on a different route…

I had Matt Hammitt’s cd Every Falling Tear with me so I cried along with it as I crawled through dark Kansas prairies and talked to Jesus. Maybe He just wanted more time with me.

I spent the next morning looking for the perfect match. The perfect tire match, of course. I called 6 different places and no one had my tire so I had to get a different one. I missed my brother’s first wrestling match, but I got to spend a few precious hours with my family before I had to get back on the road and head back to my world. I made it back without any major disasters; just saw four prairie fires and one deer.

I am still exhausted.

Lauren's Continuing Education on Home Emergencies

The theme for the month of February was "Plumbing Problems at my House." Yes, it was quite exciting. It started off one weekend with my tub drain plugged up and, therefore, not draining (meaning no showers for this girl). I called the plumber who came on a Saturday to fix the problem and replace the old pipes in my bathroom. *I am now familiar with the pipes under my house and can run a snake if need be*

The next weekend I discovered that the pipes under my kitchen sink were leaking and flooding my basement. The plumber came on Monday to replace the pipes. *I am now familiar with my kitchen plumbing and what it should not be doing and know where it hooks into the city lines outside the house*

The next weekend I was shocked to find that my hot water heater was spraying water everywhere and flooding my basement (the good news is that it is in my basement so it didn't flood my house...I am still waiting to find out the bad news which will show up in the form of big $$ on my water bill). I finally got a hold of my uncle who came over and showed me how to turn the water off. Then I pumped all the water out of my basement, and piled my dishes on the cabinet until I had hot water to wash them. At this point, I told my landlord that I was not trying to sabotage the plumbing...promise. When it rains it pours...That was actually an easy fix because we just had to get a new valve for the tank. *I now know how to turn the gas and water off to my hot water tank*

Living by yourself is an exciting, never-ending adventure. I was nervous all weekend about something else going wrong but nothing did...except that I got sick and missed work today and had to lay in bed and listen to the cars and trucks barrel down the highway 15 yards from my front door. There are a few things in this life that irritate me to no end, and constant highway noise is one of them. Give me the country life, please and thank you.

Here is a picture of me trying to cover up my bed-head at work on one of those mornings that I couldn't take a shower because of the plumbing disasters. :)

Oh March, what do you have in store for me?

rare-ness

This is rare. I am blogging on February 29th. This won't happen for at least another 4 years. I just couldn't pass up such a great opportunity. ;)

Today is Rare Disease Day. If you didn't know that, don't feel bad because I didn't know it either before today. I am glad they are trying to raise awareness, because these diseases don't have cures and don't get much research or funding.

I have Solar Urticaria (read: I am allergic to the sun). I started having symptoms when I was 16, but wasn't actually diagnosed until I was 17. The dermatologist said there was really nothing he could do for me. He said it is so rare that there are not really any statistics, so he said it may go away after a few years or I might have to deal with it the rest of my life. So I am on 8 years and counting. Eight years...wow, I had never stopped to count that before.

This is a rare disease because only 4% of U.S. patients with photosensitive disorders have solar urticaria.

I have been pondering all day, and I asked my mom and sister how I should celebrate a day that feels, in a small way, like it is dedicated to me. My mom said I could go out in the sunshine so I could "celebrate" my rare-ness in its fullness...JK. I thought that would be a great teaching moment for my Cubbies at church tonight... ("Look kids, this is what happens when someone has an allergic reaction.") Here is my sister's suggestion: "Spend some of your rare free time blogging about your rare experiences."

So here I am. Blogging at 10:40pm. Because that is the only free time I have. I am going to go crash now so I will leave you with the current "cure" for my disease. (actually, I just think the vocabulary in this paragraph is humorous...especially the judicious-application-of-sunscreen part.) Happy Rare Day, friends.

Sun exposure must be avoided or minimized because it is the primary causative agent of solar urticaria. Educate patients about practical measures such as wearing protective clothing, judiciously applying sunscreens with adequate protection against the causative wavelengths, using UV protective shields over glass windows, and altering lifestyle to minimize time spent outside during the day (ie, changing job hours, shifting to indoor recreational activities).

wilderness lessons

A certain song has been playing its way through my head the last couple of weeks. I call it my "wilderness song" and it describes where I am right now. The wilderness can be a wild and bewildering place, but I am believing that good things can be born from my experiences here. I have heard many other people talk about the wildernesses in their journeys. They can now look back and see how God was working in the midst of that difficult situation. I will be able to do that someday. So while I still feel lost in it right now, I will sing.

Beautiful Mercy
by Laura Hackett

There is no pit too deep
That Jesus cannot reach.
There is no sorrow so strong
That would overtake His beloved one.

And He’s brought me to the wilderness
Where I would learn to sing.
And He lets me know my barrenness
So I will learn to lean.

There is no pit too deep
That Jesus cannot reach.
There is no sorrow so strong
That would overtake His beloved one.

And He’s brought me to the wilderness
Where I would learn to sing.
And He lets me know my barrenness
So I will learn to lean.

(So kind.) Beautiful mercy
Do what you have to do.
Jealous lover
Do what you have to do.
(You know the best way)

You’ve brought me to the wilderness
Where I would learn to sing.
And You let me know my barrenness
So I will learn to lean.

So I will sing
Even in this brokenness
Even in this loneliness