polepole ndiyo mwendo

I just have to write this little post in honor of my friend, Matthew LaBorde. What a servant of the Lord, he never wants to get caught in a sticky situation, so to avoid that he wears a bracelet to remind Him at all times the actions of Christ. . .

yep. thats right. Matt STILL rocks that WWJD bracelet. haaa
i guess at least its not lime green or rainbow?
I know most of us wore it at one time, but does anybody else still cherish those delightful reminders of the Lord?!
I just couldn’t help it. that was too perfect.

let me just start by saying that seriously, God has completely blown me away lately. in so many ways, and it has just left me speechless. i know i wrote awhile back that i was probably going to Tanzania this summer.
well it is definite, I am. and i was so worried about finances and just logistics, but God. . . is God.
DAILY He is giving me signs just affirming to me that I am walking in His will, He has everything under control, and it is all by his strength.
I feel like I am walking out Romans 8:28 each day!
One thing was i have been worried about my scholarship application to get money from LSU to go, and didn’t know which professors to ask for my reccomendation. I decide to go ahead and ask my English teacher since I wrote a paper about missions in that class and she knows my goals. As soon as I ask her, not only is she more than happy to do it, but she also starts telling me how she supports missionaries and has sister-in-law in Russia. ahh, total God moment.
That was grand, then i go to my first Tanzania meeting with the group I wil be going with. I have been so worried about not having any people I know going and wondering if there will be any Christians that I can relate to, right?
So i pull out my Elevate folder to get something out and this girl sitting next to me said, “Hey, are you in that?! that is so weird because I’ve been really praying about maybe doing that!” SAY WHAT?! So i am going to Tanzania with a girl who wants to do Elevate. yesss, God amazes me.
Here is the cherry on top. When i told my Dad’s mother I was going she was basically like, Leah that is a terrible idea. you are going to die because the entire continent is dangerous and I really hope you change your mind. i responded with, well it is a passion in my heart and I don’t really think you can just change those! Which was refuted with, “Yes you can!” So, obviously stubborn and set against me going.
catch this.
She called me the other day and I just called her back. When she answers the phone she says, “Well, Leah, I’ve been thinking about it and if I were your age I would be doing the same thing. I’ve decided I want to give you money for your trip, how much do you need?” WHAAAATTTT
basically my grandmother who was 100% against me going wants to pay a large portion of my trip. insane in the membrane.
oh my Lord, see what I’m saying? its continual. Hitting me left and right. it just hit me that God is more faithful than i EVER give Him credit for.
He is standing outside of my comfort zone just waiting for me to step out of it and walk in His will so He can get His work done. All i have to do is step out, like Peter in the boat, and walk towards Him. He has it ALL under control.
wahhh. im speechless.

ha! this is my lovely friend, Sarah Andry. she is quite a doll, and i like her alot.
if you ever want to smile, just make her laught really hard cause she makes a hilarious face when she laughs hard.
She is kind of in love with Jesus, and Baptist, which means she is always up for a good church bulletin or Bible memory game. she loves games.
One day she shall be called Dr.Head (I think). that will be a good day- I’ll probably laught alot.
She loves the country of Romania, continent of Africa, girls in high school, work out videos from the 90s, homeless, the book of Romans, hurting people (not hurting them. helpng people who are hurting. . .you know), adoption, cooking even though she doesnt, and pretending like she eats healthy even when she doesnt.
im a pretty big fan of her- just thought i’d share

here are a few photos of whats been haddening lately. . .

• the delightful Tori Ohlerking on a little stroll downtown to visit mi madre a few weeks ago.

• one of our friends from Thursday morning homeless breakfast rocking his mittens sarah gave him. she brought a whole bag of gloves and mittens she bought a few weeks ago when it was really cold and everybody was so pumped. This guy loves his new sassy pink mittens

• (Here is your picture, Lydia!) this, ladies and gentlemen, is miss Lydia Gomez. probably one of the most hilarious people you’ll meet. here she is de-thorning roses for all of the Valentine’s Day outreaches we did. What a servant, im pretty sure she won that award in Elevate one month?. . .yeah she is that hardcore.

•Who ya gonna call?

and here are some pictures from this weekend at amplified:

• basically, we represent the ghetto across the world. about to crank that Holy Ghost. you know

• some of the amazing girls in my house and i went downtown after the outreach Saturday and got some ice cream and sat on the levee to just relax.

• rocking their serve shirts while just sitting and talking on the levee. It was such a great day outside

• This is one super snazzy girl, Micki Firmin at Dalton Elementary where we did our outreach. this incredibly creepy guy was in their main hallway, im pretty sure micki is in love.

basically, its been an amazing couple of weeks that I’ve been meaning to write about. God did such incredible things at amplified, set people free, released burdens, called people, loved on people. it was so powerful to be a part of it, loved it.

thats all

this is my friend Mandi Ash. i love her dearly, have gotten the oppurtunity to do mission work with her in Mexico, do Bible studies with her, drink coffee made by her, serve with her, go to school with her, and see God do some pretty nifty things in her heart. She has always had a heart for China, and she just left for 6 months to study at the University of Bejing and meet up with some missionaries after.
im SO excited for her. its amazing to be able to watch God birth dreams in hearts, and I love when I am able to see them come to pass. So, just keep this pretty ladyface in your prayers. Cant wait to hear her stories.

this is of my heroes.
Leon Harold Bombet. grandfather extrodinare.
pretty much one of my favorite people on this planet. yeah, he is one of God’s chosen people and he even says, “In Jesus’ Name” at the end of his prayers, thus solidifying (in his mind) his spot in Heaven.
other ideals dont match perfectly and he has made his fair share of poor decisions, but that doesnt matter. because he is one incredible man who has saved many kids lives (hes a retired pediatrician) and everybody that knows him basically adores him.

what can i say, he is pretty cool.
if you don’t know this snazzy fellow, you are definitely missing out.

do you have any heroes in your life?

here are a few photos i’ve taken recently. nothing on the level of Master Song, but its what i got.

this is a paper i wrote on poverty awhile back. just found it, think it holds some truth. yes, it is quite wordy. but its just how i feel, yo.

If you flip through the television, it doesn’t take long to find a commercial featuring small African children with bloated stomachs and flies swarming their eyes. There is typically a well groomed American holding a child, begging for money to feed them. And what is your first reaction when you see this commercial? I know it doesn’t take me long . . . switch. We have become so desensitized to the grief and poverty around this world due to the mass amounts of media shoving it down our throats, begging for charity rather than action. But, poverty and hunger is no joke. 2.8 billion people in the world live on less than two dollars a day. We have become so self-focused and worried about acquiring the highest paying job, buying the newest high-tech gadget, driving the sleekest and fastest car. If this self- absorbed global society does not take their eyes off of themselves and their possessions, recognize and join together to fight against poverty, and empower those suffering from it, then we will not see a change for the better in this world.          
Take a look at the fast-paced American life style. People come here to try to live out the American dream. Get a top-notch job, buy a big house, and wear the newest Chanel shoes. This generation of youth, who will one-day control this hegemonic nation, have Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie as their role models. But it’s not only in America that this trend exists. Look at the rising nation of China, even Japan, and the European nations. They are some of the fastest economically growing nations in the world. These countries all appear to be extremely successful. One overlooked commonality between all these nations is the level of poverty that exists within. It is a problem that is very prevalent in third world countries like India and Uganda, but its real in developed, “first world” nations as well. Even in America as many as 700,000 people could be homeless on any given night. Yet, to the world we are the picture of prosperity and success. This fact holds true with other “industrialized” nations as well. How can we continue to turn our eye from the injustice that surrounds us?
     I believe that if nations that have the economic ability would unite and sacrifice some of their own personal interests to benefit the world as a whole, we can begin to bring to an end the effects of poverty. If these nations would put forth financial backing and human power to a stronger program against poverty and hunger, it would change the future of our world. We would need to help fund a stronger education system for underprivileged people, so that they would be equipped to stand up for themselves and make a change in their communities. If these people who do not have the economic means to pay for even a simple education were granted the opportunity, they would be able to actually take a stand against the inequality they endure. Not only that, but these people should be trained in practical skills that they could use to generate an income of their own. This is the only way that a lasting impact will be made in communities with impoverished people.      Poverty is not an incurable disease, it is something that we can and should take steps towards healing. It will take sacrifice and cooperation, but is something that we should work toward as a global community and that should be attainable in our future.

oh man, i just found this picture of elizabeth and i from summer camp 06 praying together. it breaks my heart.

for those that don’t know, that is my little sister. she has had a battle with depression and anger for years, but she has always had a great heart. she used to be so full of joy, and was in love with God long before i cared. her passion was an inspiration. but somehow she fell away, anger got the best of her. last year she tried to commit suicide and then decided to move to wyoming with my dad.
Now she no longer believes in God, claims an atheist, surronds herself with negative, life and people-hating weirdos and thinks we are too Holy. It has been hard to watch her walk through this, and probably harder to watch my mom walk through basically loosing a child. but through all of this God has encouraged me tremendously through the story of Jairus, the man who had faith for his daughter to be raised from the dead. (mark 5:36-37)

God just taught me so much. Jairus’ daughter was dead, uncapable of using her own faith to heal her as others had done for healing. here it was necessary for Jairus to have faith FOR his daughter to be healed. i love that. my sister is spiritually dead, incapable of trusting in God right now. She has in the past, but it is gone, she let it go. and as desperate as the situation seems, i have 100% faith in Christ that He is going to restore her heart and she is going to turn around back to her Father.
another prodigal daughter.
i have no idea where this post came from, but i just thought i would share. if you are facing a trial in your life, just be encouraged that God is faithful to his promise, He never lets go, and “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

thats all.

ahhh the beloved Julia from Germany has returned back to the states for a delightful little visit. She got in Saturday night and of course the first stop was Hello Sushi that she had been missing for the past 6 months.
It is so great to see her again, what a snazzy girl