Arrival!

Hi everyone!! 

Apologies for the lack of updating but I have been busy!!...And very happy to be so.

First things first, I arrived safely and seem to be adjusting well.  I got here Saturday afternoon, unpacked some, and met my housemates!  I was loved in more ways than one, the first being that Jenn and Karen had made for us the cookies that I happened to post on the blog last week!  Seriously, so thoughtful.  They were excellent and you girls are the sweetest :)  Jill took Jenn and I out for dinner on Bethesda Row, where we chose a tapas restaurant, Jaleo.  I had my first sangria (!) and we shared lots of yummy tapas with delightful conversation!  What blessings these women are.  I'm already being challenged so much by them, and not only spiritually--today we went for a rejuvenating morning run.  Yay for accountability!

After a full Sunday at church (introductions, services, Sunday school classes, lunch), we left for our retreat at a house on the Chesapeake Bay! B-e-a-utiful! In short, it was awesome to get to know the 17 other people on summer staff as well as the full time staff.  (We're divided into middle school, high school, and college staff.)  We had time to play outside, go through training material, read, pray, and share three-minute condensed versions of our stories with one another.  I am blown away by each personality and testimony that God has assembled together on our team.  Although it's always tough adjusting to a new environment, it helps when those around are like-minded.  I especially have loved getting to know my college co-leader, Lindsay!  She is spunk from London, England and has a beautiful heart.  We went out this morning to an absolutely delightful coffee place (Le Pain Quotidien) with the woman that is going to be mentoring us this summer!  She is the middle school director's wife and a grad of JMU too, and  I am going to be so enriched by the times we hang out.  Can you say unexpected blessing?!  (Before the church picnic on Saturday, Kristen invited us to spend the morning on a hike along the Potomac with her!)

I can't really shed light on my daily/weekly schedule yet, because I'm still figuring it out!  Many things are being learned OTJ --aka on the job :) I am so excited about the college ministry though.  So excited.  I love seeing everything unfold.  We had our first get-together tonight and every Wednesday evening we'll have The Well- dinner/worship/Bible study (I'm leading junior/senior girls!!) followed by a hangout.

So, ways you can be praying for me: 

-a deeper understanding of the love of God in the gospel 

-HIS strength and endurance for long days and emotional investment

-that I would not compare myself to others and see my worth in God's eyes alone

-a servants' heart towards the college girls, fellow staff, and church leadership 

Okay, off to bed! This weekend I am going to try and make some personal contacts!  I miss you dearly and I'm thinking about you, my dear friends and family! Feel free to shoot me an email or text throughout the day as well and I will try and respond as soon as possible :) It would be such an encouragement to me!

Pictures to come soon! 

Three more days!

So, nothing too post-worthy occurred since last week except I started and almost finished The Hunger Games series and visited Williamsburg over the weekend!  And thanks to Shazam, I've discovered more of Ray LaMontagne, therefore would be doing you a disservice if I didn't recommend him to you!  You've probably heard a few (Trouble, You are the Best Thing, Hold You In My Arms) but you need more exposure. (Head over to the 'i recommend' page for some vids!)

First things first, summer is a temptress.  Why can't this be me?? 

 

Wait... this is me. But at age 16. Take me back to California, even on a rainy day--take me back!!

I want to learn how to windsurf, I've never had a bonfire on the beach, and I envy that girl for being the love object of two sweet dolphins.  Maybe I'll just sneak away to the lake tomorrow and pretend I'm doing all of these things.  Sounds like a plan :)   

More relevant-- I officially leave for Bethesda on Saturday! I can't believe it! I'm making lots of lists for packing and preparation.  (I just hate making lists ;) ) I've also been thinking about and praying over personal goals for the summer.  It's easy for me to write lists and lists of aspects I want to change about myself or habits I want to cultivate or cease, but the reality of my imperfections quickly becomes overwhelming.  I feel like I have to fit a certain mold in order to be valuable and useful.  The Lord quickens my spirit to grace, the merciful gesture of a perfect Heavenly Father towards his undeserved yet beloved child.  When I think that I have to be the one to change myself, I'm reminded of one of my favorite verses: Philippians 2:13--"For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." 

So if you pray, I would humbly ask you to pray for me in light of that verse! Pray that I am humbled by God's authorship of my life and my plans.  Pray that God's own passion for his Kingdom would become mine so that He can prepare to use me in whatever way for His good pleasure.  Thanks!

I'll post again in three more days once I've arrived in MD! For now, check out the 'i recommend' page for more updates!

P.S. How convenient.  Three More Days is also a new favorite of mine ;) Enjoy!

It's National Choco Chip Day!

In honor of National Chocolate Chip Day (thanks for the info, Twitter!), I am going to share with you my favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies.  My favorite way to make them is with dark chocolate m&ms, but for the following recipe I'll just use dark chocolate chips.

Chelsea's Chocolate Chip Cookies!

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (I've used light before, and it's fine!)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 12 oz bag of dark chocolate chips
2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp fine salt

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Position two racks in the center of the oven.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or if you don't have that (which I usually don't) just lightly spray with cooking spray.
-Melt the butter in microwave safe bowl on the medium setting until melted.  Let it cool slightly.
-Whisk the sugars, eggs, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.
-In another bowl, mix your dry ingredients together--flour, baking soda, and salt.  Then add the combined dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, using a wooden spoon.  Don't over mix.  Then stir in your chocolate chips.  (Or if you're doing other mix-ins, add them in here)
-Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart and form them into balls.
-Bake for 12 minutes, or up to 16 if you like your cookies more crunchy.  When done, they should be golden on the outside and still soft in the middle.

Here they are all dressed up for Christmas! (My freshmen year attempt at being artsy)

Like I said, this is my absolute go-to.  The dough is so versatile, so I've successfully used it as a base with other mix-ins as well as used it to make a killer Twix-stuffed cookie.  (All you do is make the same recipe with or without chocolate chips, then stuff a mini twix bar in the center of a ball of dough!)

Enjoy and eat some chocolate chips today!

wedding bells!

Was yesterday full of fun, or what?!  Our Saturday started with a 6am wake up call in order to drive to Maryland, but I love road trips! And I also love Sam and Jordan :-) The weather was too perfect, especially for a ceremony overlooking the bay. It's a sincere privilege to witness Christ-centered weddings, because I'm always challenged and invited by the Lord to repent. The traditional wedding ceremony itself is such a beautiful display of the gospel--a pure, radiant bride and the bridegroom being joined together just like God joins us together with Christ for eternity. (Ephesians 1) I'm so thankful to God for demonstrating His love through Samuel and Jordan yesterday.


Cute wedding favor alert--Jordan hand-painted Kerr jars, filled them with lemonade mix, and provided little straws for us to drink with after we added the water! So after celebrating with friends (some of them long lost!), we headed back to Harrisonburg...but not before Mere and I took a detour to Bethesda!  I'm. In. LOVE. 


The church is literally a two-minute walk from my lovely host home!  I've already been encouraged by Jill, the woman I'm living with! Then, only about five minutes down a runner-friendly sidewalk, we hit downtown.  Leave it to Meredith and I to literally freak out.  Could we have ever dreamt of such a trendy place?! This picture isn't too detailed, but that's because I had to pretend like I was playing it cool. 

After rummaging through Francesca's Collection (yes, please!), we ate at CAVA Mezze grill.  Being sheltered Roanokers, we were amazed at this establishment, a bit more cultured than Chipotle.  I ordered a bowl with basmati rice, falafel, eggplant/red pepper dip, and diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions. Mmmmm. You can even get more toppings and dips, and it's all eco-friendly, local, and compostable!

Bethesda Row Bucketlist? So far, Puree House of Juice, Paper Source, American Tap Room, and an adorable caddy-cornered Starbucks with bold storm shudders.  :-)

Oh, and don't worry, I found my local coffee house-- Quartermaine Roasters. It's a bit more expensive, but that's probably because the coffee and food they offer is local, insanely fresh, and highest quality.  

See that face? I became an official coffee club member! :-) 

But most of all, I can't wait to explore all of this with new friends and girls I meet through ministry in the area.  So many things to do with people I can't wait to get to know!  Praise the Lord!

Approaching Scripture

The other day, I came across this article by Jen Wilkin on The Gospel Coalition and thought it was really spot on!  She challenges readers, especially women, to examine the ways they have been taught to approach God's Word.

Here's the last paragraph of her post found here--
"Stop waiting for your community of believers to call you to be what Christ already has. Be a student. Be a good student. Read repetitively and in context, line by line. Keep the God of the gospel at the center of your study. Strive for comprehension before interpretation. Give application ample time to emerge from a passage. Watch ignorance flee and transformation flourish. Study the Word. Master it, master it." 

Go read the rest of the post and share with friends! And expect a new post tomorrow about the Kerr/Smith wedding and my mini-trip to Bethesda! 

Shalom!

Shalom, friends! 

Today was gloriously spontaneous.  Mikaela, Jess, Becca, and I cruised to Afton Mountain to Veritas Vineyard.  Not only was the weather perfect and the wine tasting frugal, but we witnessed a bride and groom getting ready for their big day!  So much joy!  Unfortunately we didn't snap any particular pictures of them, but I did do some Instagramin'. 

Then we took a stroll on C-ville's Downtown Mall.  Every time I go, I love it!  Great bistros, cafes, and shops to enjoy one another's company and appreciate some local fare!

Oh, I'll miss little trips like this with my housemates and friends! Ecclesiastes 3:1 says that for everything there is a season.  Thankfully, I can transition from this chapter of my life to the next under God's loving and sovereign hands!

So, through this blog, I hope to capture and share joys, challenges, surprises, and #YOLO moments of my "next steps." I may not have specific direction, but for the first time in my life I'm excited about a little uncertainty.  God is faithful and He leads to freedom--ultimately Himself. 

Feel free to read more about my story on the 'Freedom Footsteps' tab. Thanks for keeping up... until next time!