Today I had an awesome time in DC. It was kinda disheartening, but I saw Jesus' hope shining through. Storytime:
I walk up to my friend Brian and ask him how he was doing. He looks at me, with his awesomely clear blue eyes, and asks me if I really wanted to know, and I tell him I do. I walk closer to him and he grabs my hands and tells me he's really scared. As I move closer to him, I smell alcohol on his breath. His eyes are droopy and he looks really out of it - not the Brian that I have talked to in past weeks. He says me he can't live this way. My heart drops. I let him talk for a little bit - a lot about how he doesn't feel like people get him, how relating to people is hard. I am not sure, it was a little incoherent. Still, he has a really great attitude about it all and says he loves God. As I was getting ready to leave, he grabs my hands and bends over and touches them to his forehead. He tells me that I don't know what I am doing out here and that he loves me.
I want to cry thinking about it. They don't know what they are doing for me - it's such an experience in humility, in friendship, in seeing God's hope. It's amazing to me to see people in such positions seek God as refuge, as comfort. I am going on Friday, since we will not be able to go on Saturday.

To our weaknesses, He is no stranger.

So I had forgotten to post about this a long time ago; but I think it's quite beautiful.
Saturday mornings, a group of us go down to Union Station and hand out bagged lunches to our homeless friends down there. It is usually a pretty convicting experience. There are two super cool guys named Hunt and Erik. They are best friends and are usually found sitting on this wall near the street. Hunt also always notices my necklace and asks me about it, haha, which is really endearing. Anyway, a couple of Saturdays ago, I was talking to them, and they started feeding the pigeons cupcakes they had. They also gave away the foods in the lunch we gave them to a family.
Wait, backtrack. What? The homeless were giving away the little food that they had? A lot of the time, we are unwilling to give away what we have, even if we have much of it. Hm. I feel like I learn a lot from these experiences, from people who are at different stages of their lives, in different positions. It's quite humbling; I am not sure if they are Christians or not, but it's an amazing and encouraging example of of giving and complete reliance of the One who provides eternally.

Retreat just happened. The topic: Throw your life away. I was very challenged. Jesus kind of rocked my boat, especially in thinking of the future. It's all in His hands, but He definitely opened my mind up to the different possibilities and ways to use the talents He has given me.
Acts 20:22-24 is sweet. Despite how uncertain Paul is in going to Jerusalem and his past experiences in every city (hardships and obstacles), his life is worth NOTHING compared to being able to carry through with what Jesus is telling him to do, which is spreading the awesome love of Jesus. Gives me a lot of perspective to the questions/doubts/fears I have in my mind.

Through a couple of conversations, I have realized just how much I love talking about Jesus and what He is to me and what He has done for US to people. To non-believers. It makes me really excited and I definitely feel the Spirit's presence in all of those interactions.

Today was beautiful.
I have much new music to listen to.
And a lot of homework to do.

Listening to: If I Am Brave, Alli Rogers