Looking ahead...

"We need the resurrection," she spoke gently with tears welling,  "everything is broken, and I am looking ahead to Easter like never before." That's it. As my friend described the brokenness of life around her, and the hope she knows has been won for her, I couldn't help but feel the weight of her words. Our hope, the resurrection of Christ. The One who reconciled us to God, not only in His life & death, but in the finality of His resurrection. 

My heart aches for the coming of our King, to make things right, but mostly to see His face. To hear, "I have loved you, and always will, you are my beloved bride..." Whew. Can you imagine? 

If you don't mind me being vulnerable for a moment: Last night, Austin whispered to me, "K, you are a gift." He has said it a million times before. Just a few minutes earlier I had been praying that God would help me to receive His Love through Austin. This time, it hit me. I heard God saying that I am His prize. Whew. I wept. Immediately. (Austin's face was priceless).

This lenten season we are walking through scripture as a church, each day having different verses- and overall divided into three 'movements'. We are now delving into "reconciliation with God". 

Here are the verses from today: 

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.

 Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

and 

Romans 8:1-8 (We are reading this everyday for all 40 days)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

and a line from Valley of Vision on reconciliation:

...Thou hast taught me the necessity of a Mediator,

   a Messiah,

   to be embraced in love with all my heart,

     as king to rule me,

     as prophet to guide me,

     as priest to take away my sin and death,

   and this by faith in thy beloved Son

     who teaches me

   not to guide myself,

   not to obey myself,

   not to try to rule and conquer sin,

   but to cleave to the one who will do all for me.

Thou hast made known to me

   that to save me is Christ’s work,

   but to cleave to him by faith is my work,

   and with this faith is the necessity of my

     daily repentance

   as a mourning for the sin which Christ

     by grace has removed...

Thanks so much for reading. I hope this encourages you. Here are some photos from the house! 

Dining space; our barely-started curtain project. Note all the chairs have different colored cushions!

A housewarming plant from Carolina's mom, sweet friends...with a view of the living room.

Sharing a bottle of champagne to celebrate the LORD & this house, thanks Shawn & Shayna!!

All of our art, yet to be hung. Perhaps now we have space for all of it?

A MOUND of clothes, ready to be washed! This is what happens when we don't have a washer just yet.

K 

..."can I have this?"

Bright-eyed, dirt on cheeks, full of energy, the two little girls came running up to the porch, to sound the bell we hear every day at about 5 pm. I laugh as I walk to the door, knowing the chaos about to pour into our home. When I asked God to make this our home, feeling less like a temporary house, I did not have this in mind. I chuckle. 8 and 6 years old, our neighbor's kids, they come over to check in and play most days. I pray we get to see them grow up into women who love and delight in the the "One true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent". As I sit on my bed this morning, I can hear one of them in her backyard, filling the neighborhood with the sweet sound of children's laughter, welcoming in the ease of a saturday.

We have had quite the week. Moving into the house, hosting several Destino events, a full work week among other crises. Yet, it is well with our souls. We are so thankful. I, Kayla, feel stretched and beyond myself, yet without striving & stress. Thanks be to God.

Austin's brother, Tyler, is in town this weekend. They are shredding up on the mountain today, a long-awaited escape for A in the midst of responsibility here.

I am taking ballet on friday nights. Most of you know, dancing remains a life-long dream. I am enjoying the challenge, though it is so hard!

Last week, as I met with a student in my house, the girls came over again. Chay came into the living room holding a handful of cookies asking, "can I have this?...". After talking about manners & not spoiling our dinner, I stopped and thought about how grateful I am that they could always come to my house for a cookie. If nothing else, I hope we can be a place to escape for a cookie.

Here are some photos from the house (before we moved in) and an overnight we took up to the mountains (to save some sanity)...

It was freezing, but we couldn't miss out on the view of the mountain at night.  Warm coffee helps most things.

Sun peeking in on an early, relaxing morning.

The back patio of the house...where we hope to hold LOTs of barbeques. 

this is it! the front of our house.

Inside, the kitchen.

Living room, where we fit 14 comfortably on wednesday night for Familia dinner with Destino.

First night in the new house!

Our first night in the Umatilla house brought excitement and thankfulness. Austin & I hope so deeply for the community potential in the neighborhood. We have already met several neighbors, all of which have been warm & inviting. One even praised God that we were there, as they have been praying for years for believers to move into the neighborhood! How amazing is our God. When following God to this house, we never could have dreamt for words like those.

Here are some photos from last night! After settling in from church, we sat down and ate tacos from the taco stand outside a carwash just a few blocks away. Gracias taco-guy!