status.

current location: home, amidst, well, snow. do you appreciate that sentence? it looks like a list, but in all actuality it's a statement! nevertheless, home i am, and it's good. i get to share at my church this sunday about going to england!!

ca trip: was wonderful! it included:

-super late night at the lovely miss christa b's house upon arrival. we always have great conversations. i love her. she lives next to mexico. and she drove me to murrieta in the morning. and we had adventures, as per usual.

-calvary chapel missions conference 2011. it was excellent! it included:
.people! friends from california, germany, england, ireland, finland, peru, japan, mexico, croatia, etc, etc....
.fellowship! it was so encouraging to hear what the Lord is doing around the world through His church and His people. and to be able to meet, and share, and ask questions, and pray with so many dear friends. i was blown away at how vast a work is going on through Calvary Chapel in the world. it's not just america or europe....!
.worship! what a delight and a sweet blessing to be able to sit and receive during worship times, and to worship alongside my brothers and sisters.
.teaching! they sure brought the Word! i feel strengthened in my calling, challenged to trust the Lord more wholly and share the gospel more boldly, and exhorted to carry on more faithfully in my ministry. i'm getting the mp3s.
.hot springs, coffee, fun, sunshine, some of the dearest friends in the world? those but added to the goodness!

-an amtrak trip up the coast from oceanside to santa barbara. super fun! i would do it again. only two complaints: very loud and talkative man [we're talking extreme here, without exaggeration!] in front of me for 4 of the 4:40 hours!! and the sun set less than an hour after we took off. i wanted to see the coast!! but that first hour was glorious. i was blessed with an absolutely stunning sunset out the window over the pacific ocean, as we sped along through beach towns.

-3 whole days in santa maria with the berrys!! my dear friends hannah and conor picked me up from the train station and i spent the weekend in their hometown, with them and their darling baby girl fae, and got to know their parents a little bit as well! they hooked me up with an awesome little apartment to stay in, showed me around the central coast [san luis obispo, morro bay, and santa barbara], and took me to lots of their favorite places. the fellowship alone was worth the entire trip! we had so much fun. and fae and i simply had to meet. they are moving to bristol, england, in the very near future, and we'll be less than 2 hours apart! almost neighbors again! it was wonderful to talk about moving, ministry, the uk, home, family, music, food, games, random ca trivia, and lots more. loved it.

-one last night in santa barbara with the guziks! i had gotten to see david and inga-lill and aan-sofie at the conference earlier in the week, so this was the icing on the cake! they're practically my adopted family- i love them! it was great to see their home and go out for late-night fro-yo [frozen yogurt] with the girls, and be prayed for as i left in the morning. aan-sofie and i grabbed some delicious acai breakfast bowls on our way to the airport in the morning and enjoyed our last couple of hours together in beautiful LA traffic! we were able to spend most of the conference together as well, so it was a lovely send-off. i think both of us have learned not to take like-minded friendship for granted, so whenever we're together we try to pack in as much fun and encouragement as possible. can't wait to visit her in ireland!

visa: i think i've handed in everything pertaining to my visa sponsorship, so i'm just waiting to hear back from York about that! hooray! after i'm cleared for sponsorship, i'll be able to officially apply for my visa. i'll be using a visa agency, to make sure everything goes smoothly and gets done correctly the first time! in the meantime, i'm praying for wisdom and God's timing in everything.

house hunt: is still on! but i know it'll be great! i have a lovely flatmate!

crazy pills: are a thing of the past!!!!! woohoo! praying that the Lord will continue to have His hand on me and enable my body to make platelets all by itself again! i'm very hopeful and very blessed. i'm also pretty tired- but knew that would come.

sooo, that's the story. i've also been thinking in the past 24 hours about decision/decisiveness. i know i have a lot of room in my life to display more decision, whether in writing or thinking or accomplishing things or simply deciding. i'd like to grow in decision this year. i feel like a spend a lot of time in indecision, which generally causes stress and worry. so i'm going to try to write more purposefully on here as well. i'd like to continue posting regular updates on my visa process and prayer requests. i hope that suits you, dear reader. i think you'll appreciate more decision. just trust me.

kram!