Well... yesterday we had a "heat warning" over the city of Cardiff complete with a heat stroke emergency number in case you can't handle the heat. The high today was about 26 degrees Celsius which roughly translates into about 80 degrees Fahrenheit... I laughed. I have however been able to accomplish some semblance of and idea of how to get around Cardiff over the last couple days and am at least under the delusion that I look and feel more British than I was when I got here! haha! I am starting to fall in love with this city more and more each day as Father is breaking my heart for these people! Father has really started convicting me of the sense of urgency that we should have when it comes to sharing His story. There is a city full of people that are desperately looking for something to fill the void and emptiness in their life and I have access to answer so why am I not out there spending every waking moment trying to tell them?
Today was one of the neatest days for me so far because I finally got to start a relationship! We went to an area that I hadn't gotten to go to yet but that teams have spent time at in the past and met a man who, for the sake of this blog, is named Ishmael. He is an African who owns a restaurant here in Cardiff and he is absolutely hysterical! First of all the fact that I have found an African here in Cardiff is providence but I really hope to be able to continue to grow my friendship with Ishmael over the next few weeks! Then tonight we went to an area of Cardiff called Butetown that is a mainly Islamic community and had dinner with a friend of the M there. We were able to ask him a lot of questions about his religion and it really was very interesting. Tomorrow we are going to a Mosque and we will get the chance to really learn a lot more about the religion that so many of the people we are coming into contact with believe.
The other day I found a verse that really sums up what I would like you to be Pring for me and my group. It's Colossians 4:2-6. I beg you to go and look it up and really Pr what Paul asks the Colossians to Pr for him about and then what he asks them to do themselves... that is my Pr for myself and our group as well. Within the next few days we will be selecting which area we will each be focusing on specifically and I ask you to Pr that Father will place me in the area that he wants me in and will allow me to learn that area quickly and establish relationships. Be Pring that Father would continue to speak to me and grow and stretch me as he has been doing enormously over the last few days and that our team would continue to be disciplined and use our time effectively and how and where Father wants us! I thank you for your Prs and I know that Father is listening to them and answering them!
Please feel free to email me at Kara_LeTournea@baylor.edu if you have any questions or want more details about anything. I would love to hear from friends and family from back home as that is very encouraging for me! I love you all and miss you greatly but Father is working here and I can feel it!
"Here Am I, Lord Send Me"... I'm just a girl praying God would send me as an instrument to bring Him glory!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Helloo Wales!
Well friends and family... I made it! After an amazing but grueling Base Camp followed by a long flight and an interesting bus ride (on the Left side of the road!) I'm finally in Cardiff! The best part so far would have to be a 3 way tie between the 60 degree weather, our M's 3 beautiful little girls, and being surrounded by British accents! We survived the iGosian Base Camp which was incredibly challenging but I grew a lot closer to Father and my team throughout the weekend. Our team already feels like family and we have had more laughs and jokes in the last 5 days than I thought was possible but intermixed between all the laughter has been some genuine sharing and encouragement. I am surrounded by 10 wonderful brothers and sisters in JC who I know will keep my accountable and walk beside me through whatever comes this summer. We are getting along so well and I can already see deep friendships growing with several of them.
I am so excited to be in the UK and driving across the country side from London to Cardiff I was in awe of the beauty that I saw. It was like scenery from a movie only I am actually here and I can't believe it! I don't know how people could live here and see the beauty of this country and not believe in the Father. Just walking down the street you can feel the difference between the coldness here and the southern hospitality of Texas and it only makes me more excited to get busy on tilling the soil here... no matter how hard it is! On the bus on the way to Cardiff today I was reading one of my novels and was thinking about 1Cor 13:1 that talks about how we can speak beautifully, have incredible faith, and give everything we have to the poor but if we don't have love then it means nothing. I was thinking about that and realized that I could have the best intentions for this summer, have the most eloquent words, and great conversations but if I don't show the Love of JC to these people then it will mean nothing. My prayer as I drove into the city was that Father would give me a love for these people that would be so evident through every conversation that I have.
Well, several of my teammates are waiting for me to head back to the hostel we're staying at so I should probably get going! I will try to keep this updated as much as possible but wanted to let everyone know that I have gotten to Wales successfully and am doing well! Much love to everyone... send me an email or post a comment because I would love to hear from y'all as I'm sure I will be getting homesick!
In His Service,
Kara
I am so excited to be in the UK and driving across the country side from London to Cardiff I was in awe of the beauty that I saw. It was like scenery from a movie only I am actually here and I can't believe it! I don't know how people could live here and see the beauty of this country and not believe in the Father. Just walking down the street you can feel the difference between the coldness here and the southern hospitality of Texas and it only makes me more excited to get busy on tilling the soil here... no matter how hard it is! On the bus on the way to Cardiff today I was reading one of my novels and was thinking about 1Cor 13:1 that talks about how we can speak beautifully, have incredible faith, and give everything we have to the poor but if we don't have love then it means nothing. I was thinking about that and realized that I could have the best intentions for this summer, have the most eloquent words, and great conversations but if I don't show the Love of JC to these people then it will mean nothing. My prayer as I drove into the city was that Father would give me a love for these people that would be so evident through every conversation that I have.
Well, several of my teammates are waiting for me to head back to the hostel we're staying at so I should probably get going! I will try to keep this updated as much as possible but wanted to let everyone know that I have gotten to Wales successfully and am doing well! Much love to everyone... send me an email or post a comment because I would love to hear from y'all as I'm sure I will be getting homesick!
In His Service,
Kara
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Ghana... Take 2!
Hello everyone,
Well I'm sorry I haven't been posting anything on here yet... life has been kinda crazy as I'm sure many of you can relate to! I just wanted to give a brief update of the Ghana trip that I went on at the end of May and let ya'll know what's going on with the Wales trip!
First things first... Ghana. The trip was incredible, as anyone from my choir (Baylor Religious Hour or BRH) will tell you. Father did some incredible things both in and through us during the 10 days we were there. First of all for those who may not know what BRH is about, we are a choir that is made up of students from every organization, major, and walk of life all united by one passion: worshiping the Father through song. We travel around Texas singing at Chs on the weekends during the school year and then every May we go on a M trip. This year, because I knew I was looking at going on a longer trip with iGo, I didn't think I would be able to go on the BRH trip. So when they announced that the choir would be going to Ghana I literally felt like someone had sucker punched me in the gut because I had been wanting to go back to Ghana since I went there for my first M trip in 2005! But through Father opening door after door and lining up everything just perfectly I was able to go to Ghana with the choir and it was such a blessing!
While we were in Ghana we teamed up with a Ghanian choir called the Excellent Youth Outreach Choir (or EYO) and an organization based in Chicago called One Way Ministries. Within the first couple of days we recorded a CD featuring both choirs using One Way's studio in Accra and once that CD has been finalized and produced we will be able to sell it both her and in Ghana and all proceeds will go back to One Way to help them further their ministry there in Ghana. If you are interested in buying one of these CDs let me know and I will contact you once they are available.
We also traveled around to various schools, orphanages, and Chs with the EYO choir singing and playing games with kids and holding concerts. It was really cool for us to learn some of their songs both in English and their native language of Twi (pronounced more like Tree) and they really enjoyed learning a couple of our songs as well. One of the most profound things I heard on the trip that I felt really described our time there with the EYO choir was "If you play on a piano you can use only the white keys and make music, or you can use just the black keys and make music... but it's when you combine them both that you make the most beautiful music of all." That perfectly defines what we experienced in our partnership with EYO! And not just in the quality of music we produced but in the quality of fellowship with each other and the quality of growth in our relationship with the Father.
Both choirs learned more from each other than we ever imagined we could or would and it was so encouraging! For me, my relationships with several members of EYO taught me about the Power and Authority of the Father and how that power and authority are available and active in our lives. They challenged me think differently about the HS as well. In the past I realized I tended to view the HS as hardly more than my conscience or moral compass, or as the Newsboys song says, "a Circuit Judge in the brain". But I realized that He is so much more than that! He is the key to us being able to access the power and authority the Father promises us through JC! The other major thing the EYO challenged me with was a continued and renewed passion for the lost. The members of EYO live their lives day-in and day-out looking for ways to add to the Kingdom and reach the world for JC and it is so inspiring and challenging! Needless to say, I had plenty of things to process and think through on the 16hr flight home and in the weeks since.
One thing that was unique to my experience on the trip was that this was my second time in Ghana. My first trip was 5 years during the summer of '06 and I had been dying to come back ever since. I had started getting discouraged that God kept closing the door for me to return but still felt that same small tug in my heart that I knew was the Ghanians still holding my heart and giving it a tug every now and again. Father showed me His faithfulness on this trip not only by allowing me to come back to Ghana but by allowing me to see 2 of my friends that I had made when I was there 5 years ago. I have kept in touch with a couple of them and really furthered and grown our friendship through emails and facebook and such and getting to see them while I was there was an answer to Pr for me! I remember journaling and telling my mom when I was there last time that I just wished that my American family and my Ghanian family could intersect and I could have both at the same time but admitting that I knew that wouldn't happen until we get to Hvn. Well the theme for our BRH trip this year was "Someday" based off a song we sing about what Hvn will be like and rooted in the idea that whether or not we ever see some of the people we came into contact with on this trip again on this earth we WILL see them in Hvn someday. Father gave me a taste of that in getting to see my friends again after 5 years of longing, and it just made me all the more anxious for the day when we are all reunited in glory! I hope I will have the opportunity to return to Ghana again but regardless of whether that is the Father's will for me or not I know that I will have a joyous reunion with all of my Ghanian friends Someday in Hvn; and that is a comfort to me.
So that was my Ghana trip... now about Wales. I leave for Base Camp on Saturday the 18th and will be there until Tuesday the 21st when we fly to London! Base Camp is an iGosian Rite of Passage that is shrouded in mystery and suspense. I have heard many a story about the infamous Base Camp and the legendary training that goes on there but have yet to experience it myself. I know that I will receive some of the most intense and thorough training for my trip that I will probably ever receive but everyone I talk to has said that they are so grateful for what they learn at Base Camp. So going into this I'm slightly nervous but extremely excited! If you would like to be Pring for me over the next couple days I would ask that you Pr for calmed nerves as I am starting to realize the magnitude of the trip I'm about to take. Pr for continued focus on the Father and His Word. And lastly you can Pr for finances... I still owe $490 for this trip that I am trusting that the Father will somehow provide in the next 4 days. As several of my friends reminded me recently: we serve a Father who is in the business of working miracles, and he likes to do them at the last minute! I think the reason He likes to wait till the last min is because then we can't take the credit for it because it's obvious that it was only because of Him. If you would like to be a part of the way He provides this miracle let me know and I can tell you how you can do that. Also if you would like to subscribe to this blog I believe by clicking the link that says Follow. Or you can send me an email at Kara_LeTourneau@baylor.edu and I will send you and email notification when I have a new post. I will try to post as often as possible while I'm gone but I've been told to have low expectations as far as internet access is concerned.
I thank you all for the support and encouragement you've been to me throughout this whole process. I know that we serve a mighty Father who has bigger plans than I can imagine for this summer and I can't wait to find out what they are!
Well I'm sorry I haven't been posting anything on here yet... life has been kinda crazy as I'm sure many of you can relate to! I just wanted to give a brief update of the Ghana trip that I went on at the end of May and let ya'll know what's going on with the Wales trip!
First things first... Ghana. The trip was incredible, as anyone from my choir (Baylor Religious Hour or BRH) will tell you. Father did some incredible things both in and through us during the 10 days we were there. First of all for those who may not know what BRH is about, we are a choir that is made up of students from every organization, major, and walk of life all united by one passion: worshiping the Father through song. We travel around Texas singing at Chs on the weekends during the school year and then every May we go on a M trip. This year, because I knew I was looking at going on a longer trip with iGo, I didn't think I would be able to go on the BRH trip. So when they announced that the choir would be going to Ghana I literally felt like someone had sucker punched me in the gut because I had been wanting to go back to Ghana since I went there for my first M trip in 2005! But through Father opening door after door and lining up everything just perfectly I was able to go to Ghana with the choir and it was such a blessing!
While we were in Ghana we teamed up with a Ghanian choir called the Excellent Youth Outreach Choir (or EYO) and an organization based in Chicago called One Way Ministries. Within the first couple of days we recorded a CD featuring both choirs using One Way's studio in Accra and once that CD has been finalized and produced we will be able to sell it both her and in Ghana and all proceeds will go back to One Way to help them further their ministry there in Ghana. If you are interested in buying one of these CDs let me know and I will contact you once they are available.
We also traveled around to various schools, orphanages, and Chs with the EYO choir singing and playing games with kids and holding concerts. It was really cool for us to learn some of their songs both in English and their native language of Twi (pronounced more like Tree) and they really enjoyed learning a couple of our songs as well. One of the most profound things I heard on the trip that I felt really described our time there with the EYO choir was "If you play on a piano you can use only the white keys and make music, or you can use just the black keys and make music... but it's when you combine them both that you make the most beautiful music of all." That perfectly defines what we experienced in our partnership with EYO! And not just in the quality of music we produced but in the quality of fellowship with each other and the quality of growth in our relationship with the Father.
Both choirs learned more from each other than we ever imagined we could or would and it was so encouraging! For me, my relationships with several members of EYO taught me about the Power and Authority of the Father and how that power and authority are available and active in our lives. They challenged me think differently about the HS as well. In the past I realized I tended to view the HS as hardly more than my conscience or moral compass, or as the Newsboys song says, "a Circuit Judge in the brain". But I realized that He is so much more than that! He is the key to us being able to access the power and authority the Father promises us through JC! The other major thing the EYO challenged me with was a continued and renewed passion for the lost. The members of EYO live their lives day-in and day-out looking for ways to add to the Kingdom and reach the world for JC and it is so inspiring and challenging! Needless to say, I had plenty of things to process and think through on the 16hr flight home and in the weeks since.
One thing that was unique to my experience on the trip was that this was my second time in Ghana. My first trip was 5 years during the summer of '06 and I had been dying to come back ever since. I had started getting discouraged that God kept closing the door for me to return but still felt that same small tug in my heart that I knew was the Ghanians still holding my heart and giving it a tug every now and again. Father showed me His faithfulness on this trip not only by allowing me to come back to Ghana but by allowing me to see 2 of my friends that I had made when I was there 5 years ago. I have kept in touch with a couple of them and really furthered and grown our friendship through emails and facebook and such and getting to see them while I was there was an answer to Pr for me! I remember journaling and telling my mom when I was there last time that I just wished that my American family and my Ghanian family could intersect and I could have both at the same time but admitting that I knew that wouldn't happen until we get to Hvn. Well the theme for our BRH trip this year was "Someday" based off a song we sing about what Hvn will be like and rooted in the idea that whether or not we ever see some of the people we came into contact with on this trip again on this earth we WILL see them in Hvn someday. Father gave me a taste of that in getting to see my friends again after 5 years of longing, and it just made me all the more anxious for the day when we are all reunited in glory! I hope I will have the opportunity to return to Ghana again but regardless of whether that is the Father's will for me or not I know that I will have a joyous reunion with all of my Ghanian friends Someday in Hvn; and that is a comfort to me.
So that was my Ghana trip... now about Wales. I leave for Base Camp on Saturday the 18th and will be there until Tuesday the 21st when we fly to London! Base Camp is an iGosian Rite of Passage that is shrouded in mystery and suspense. I have heard many a story about the infamous Base Camp and the legendary training that goes on there but have yet to experience it myself. I know that I will receive some of the most intense and thorough training for my trip that I will probably ever receive but everyone I talk to has said that they are so grateful for what they learn at Base Camp. So going into this I'm slightly nervous but extremely excited! If you would like to be Pring for me over the next couple days I would ask that you Pr for calmed nerves as I am starting to realize the magnitude of the trip I'm about to take. Pr for continued focus on the Father and His Word. And lastly you can Pr for finances... I still owe $490 for this trip that I am trusting that the Father will somehow provide in the next 4 days. As several of my friends reminded me recently: we serve a Father who is in the business of working miracles, and he likes to do them at the last minute! I think the reason He likes to wait till the last min is because then we can't take the credit for it because it's obvious that it was only because of Him. If you would like to be a part of the way He provides this miracle let me know and I can tell you how you can do that. Also if you would like to subscribe to this blog I believe by clicking the link that says Follow. Or you can send me an email at Kara_LeTourneau@baylor.edu and I will send you and email notification when I have a new post. I will try to post as often as possible while I'm gone but I've been told to have low expectations as far as internet access is concerned.
I thank you all for the support and encouragement you've been to me throughout this whole process. I know that we serve a mighty Father who has bigger plans than I can imagine for this summer and I can't wait to find out what they are!
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