2011- Another Chapter Ending of My Story

January 2011

Got a phone call from Curtis and Amanda where they asked me to move to Houston, Texas to become staff at the new church they were planning to plant in the fall.



February 2011


After seeking my California community, I made the difficult decision to uproot myself and move to Houston, Texas at the end of the summer.  I was officially a staff member at a church.  Weird.


March 2011


Traveled to Texas to attend a dinner that Curtis and Amanda hosted asking other friends and family to join their church that they just named Bayou City Fellowship.  That weekend we bought our website url, signed up for our twitter account, and prayed that people would say yes and join us!  It was such a sweet weekend of confirmation, excitement, and unknowns.  It was the first step towards actually building the church.

April 2011

Started making my California Bucket List, wrote furiously for my capstone paper, and spent my last month attending graduate classes.

May 2011

• Participated in a blog community that blogged everyday in the month of May.  Enjoyed the intellectual, philosophical, and fun community that emerged with complete strangers. 
• I got Hood. I graduated, along with my best friend Becka, from graduate school.  We both became Master Divers and Master Lohman.  Thank you Union University for my Masters of Intercultural Studies.  

June 2011

The goodbyes started.  I spent a lot of time at the beach soaking up my last summer as a Cali girl.

• Beach Time. I love the beach.  I think I was supposed to be born here.  One last summer where the most beautiful beaches in the nation are in back yard. 
• Surprise "Weekend" Trip to San Diego.  My best friend and Kim planned a surprise trip to San Diego for Jessica and I because we were both moving across the country.  The trip consisted of staying in a hotel downtown, riding bikes on Coronado, good food, kayaking in La Jolla, Dinner at a fancy restaurant, dancing and planking, lounging on the beach, and mexican food in Old Town.  It was soo much fun!

Beach Days of Summer.

Driving in our rented convertible down PC Highway 1

Nice Dinner with Sweet friends...

Me and my Bestie.  Love her.

Coronado Island.  

Ended our weekend with Old Town, San Diego

July 2011- The Month of Goodbyes

This month was eventful because I moved across the country.  So this might blow up my blog page.

• The Perfect Day.  My best friend and her work bestie, Bru, and I went to Santa Barbara County for the day.  It was the most perfect day.   We enjoyed picnics, a breathtaking scenic drive, local food, the beautiful wine county, and joy of taking time to put our toes in the sand.

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• I had my last shift at Starbucks.  I had over 20 people in my community come and say goodbye to me on my last shift.  I felt so loved.  And it was so much fun working with all those young students!
• Becka through me a going away party.  And she presented me with an awesome book about my years in California.  Best present that I consider top treasures that I would grab in a fire.
• I turned 28 and spent it in Las Vegas with several of my closest friends that could make it.  There was lots of crazy things that happened...But what happens in Vegas... stays in Vegas. Live-it-up late twenties!  However it did involve great poolside conversations, dancing, eating, and other fun shenanigans.

• The Ladies of 611 Reunion Tour. he two ladies that are more like sisters to me and love me more than I deserve made the LONG road trip with me Texas.   We made a few stops along the way and lived-up some of the fun Texas stereotypes.

The Beginning of the End.

Made it to the Grand Canyon.  We had to drop off another "member" over the edge.

The Riverwalk!

We Remembered the Alamo.

A Day at the Lake.

We all bought cowboy boots and went dancing!

August 2011

• Moved in the Wetherell's.  This basically means I got an upgrade in life with my living. 
• Started working at my New Starbucks.
• Settled into my new life in H-town.  
• This was my lonliest month in Houston.

September 2011

• Bayou City Fellowship was birthed on September 11, 2011.  We actually started a church and people came!
• Found out I got to travel back to India in December with As Own. 

 

 October 2011

• This month nothing significant happened.  But I do remember feeling at home this month.  Thankful for all the investments of relationships that were finally paying off.

November 2012

• Quit Starbucks and got hired at 1800 Plumber!  
• We launched our first activities with our local partners at Pine Shadows Elementary and Gracewood.
• I got to spend my first Thanksgiving with my family in like 6 years.

December 2012

• I traveled to California to see one of my best friends/sisters get married.
• Bayou City Fellowship fasted together as a church and we had our first public baptisms.
• I traveled to India again with a team from Houston's First Baptist to see how BCF can partner with As Our Own Ministries.
• I got to spend Christmas with my family.  Finally all three Divers' girls live in Texas again!

We made it to the end.  This post has made me so nostalgic and honestly just overwhelmed with the feeling of how blessed I am.  If I could coin one phrase to sum up this year it would be "A year of deep unbearable loss but sweet gain."  I started the year with no idea that I would uproot myself to Houston and I am ending feeling the love of a new family that I have found in Houston.  

God gave me the sweet opportunity to visit California and India this month of December.  Two places that have such a deep and precious place in my heart because they have shaped who I am today in my current season.  You can never gain seasons back, but you can look back at them with such intense love and gratitude that God loved you enough to give you such tangible richness in relationships, experiences, and growth.

2012, I don't know what you hold, but I can hear and sense the rustling in the wind.  God, I hope you breath on my sails with the wind of your Holy Spirit and you do more things for your kingdom in 2012 through me, your servant, than every before.  God here I am, giving you everything I have this year...use me. 

 Anticipating. Alert. Ready.  

Tangilble Christmas Gifts of Redemption

Christmas in my older age has become a little bit tricky.  Between living states or countries away from the familial unit and being poor, my Christmases have been unpredictable at best.  My first two Christmases after college were spent in Delhi, India.  I cannot tell you how much you miss family when you are stationed far away and in a country that is still discovering how to celebrate Christmas. But what I gained during my time in India is the joy of truly celebrating Christmas through the story of Jesus' birth.  My two Christmases spent in India were not filled with many gifts, or lights, busy malls, or caroling.  Instead it was replaced with prayers for opportunity to share about the lowly birth of a King, his life of perfection, and his blood spilled for forgiveness.  The Christmas season became a season of sharing and trying to accurately live out to a people what Jesus is all about.

For this reason, my first Christmas home from afar was kind of a let down.  Don't get me wrong, it was AMAZING to be with the family again, but I really felt like we had missed the mark.  I remember longing for India and the joy of the season.  Somehow Christmas since returning from India has been lacking.  Which is because I haven't been as intentional in America to share His story as I was for those two years. 
But this year, I was blessed with a gift.  I had the opportunity to travel to India again this Christmas season and visit a few girls homes.  These girl all come from places of injustice (most trafficking)  where the powerful have preyed on the vulnerable. Because of God's grace however, they were rescued not only from physically harm, but have been rescued from death to life because of the birth of King.  I have never experienced such tangible redemption in my entire life- to have physcially seen the brothels where they were born and to see them set apart and placed in a place of dignity, safety, and restoration. Beutiful incarnational redemption was in the eyes of these girls.  All because of a birth.

On our last day with these girls, I got to actually be one of the many judges for their Christmas program.  I just about died with the amount of cuteness between their dancing, singing, and choreography. The live nativity scene and song they choreographed was probably the best in the world and brought my heart so much joy.  Immediately following the program the girls got their hearts desire- McDonald's was delivered.  Somewhere between the Christmas carols playing in the background, and the joy of sharing a meal with these girls, and witnessing their performances, I was all the sudden overcome with emotion and tears.  As I was surrounded by 35 tangible stories of redemption, all because of  a King, I found myself begging God in that moment to not let me forget this memory.  I begged him to keep it etched on my mind forever and that I would remember this exact feeling when I returned home to celebrate Christmas.  I kept thinking... This is Christmas. This is why we celebrate.  I didn't want the moment to end.

I pray that each Christmas as I get older, that Christmas is always culmination of celebration because of the story of Christ that I have been sharing all year long.  That many new people will be redeemed because God sent his son in flesh to dwell among his people to rescue them.  Christmas should be a season of rejoicing with the redeemed.

Merry Christmas everyone.  I pray you find joy in the fact that you are redeemed and given new life in Christ because of this baby boy's birth, death, and resurrection.