I’m in Hungary now, as I have been for the past week and a half. Before this conference I was at my stint Midyear and now I’m at a conference in Tihany, Hungary (about 2 hours from Budapest) with about 1200 people, national staff, international campus staff (ICS), and stinters. There are 19 countries represented here at the conference and it truly is a taste of heaven.

It’s been fun to hear of the stories of life change that God is producing all over this area. I am increasingly aware of the fact that God is at work even when we can’t see it. I feel encouraged.

I feel hopeful for the salvation of Slovaks, Czechs, Croatians, Serbs, Russians, Israelis, Romanians, Ukrainians, Bosnians, and others.

Just the other day I heard a story of 35 students coming to Christ in Russia and 100 in the Ukraine. I feel truly amazed and blessed to be a part of a ministry that is so deeply committed to evangelism, discipleship, and multiplication. The process which has the name; movement building.

We’ve heard talks by speakers who have a deep passion and desire for us to understand the doctrine tucked inside the gospel. Which takes us back to the essential core of who we are as believers. I believe that we do need to preach the gospel to ourselves daily. I’m not so good at doing this type of thing. But, I do believe, if I’m ever going to really succeed in a lifetime of ministry, I will need to develop a deeper understanding of the gospel and who I am because of Christ. Isn’t this what we all need to get back to?

I’ve been so encouraged by the Global Leadership of Campus Crusade. As an Area of Affairs (including Eastern Europe, Russia, and Israel) there has been a general expression of our need to depend on God. That as an organization we need to get on our knees together and petition before the One who is able and ask in His name for the salvation of these countries in which we are serving.

In a global context songs like, “You Said” those that we tend to not sing any more, really get to the very core of what I feel like my heart is crying out.

“You said, ask and you will receive, whatever you need. You said, your glory will fill the earth like water the sea. Ask and I’ll give the nations to you, Oh Lord, that’s the cry of my heart, distant shores and the islands will see your light as it rises on us.”

I’ve really enjoyed the worship here. The other day we sang “Holy, Holy, Holy” each of us in our own language. It was a beautiful chorus that struck deep within me, my heart felt so encouraged by the reality that one day in heaven, we’ll listen and see something much more glorious, but it was a taste and at this point I’m very thankful.

I just went back and read my tumblr from 2007 & 2008. It was really cool to take a look back and hear about my journey of going to South Korea, my prep for Slovakia and many other things. I was very introspective in those days. I took a lot of time to write & journal and blog. Now, it’s become less of a priority and I fill my time in other ways. I’m hoping to get back to the journaling, the blogging, the sharing. Life is sometimes mundane, but I find that it’s not if it’s recorded, and if it’s chronicled and captured in a way that later can be read, like pages in a history book.

I found that I blogged about God, about His work within me, about life change and openly about many spiritual issues that can’t just be wiped away. I want to experience life that deeply because it will happen regardless… and I don’t want it to pass me by.

Here’s to a more intentional blog in 2011.

it’s been beautiful here. snowy. rare for this little coastal town. i snapped a few pictures before the beautiful whiteness melted away.

and a project that took me a few weeks to round up supplies for, but i truly love the outcome. plus that little birdie is just what those feathers needed!

how are you celebrating this snowy & cold season?

I have long -loved desktop wallpaper designs! Smashing Magazine has a great collection of them every month!

I decided that this year for 2011, I would give it a shot as well!

So here are my two (one with the calendar & one without) January desktop wallpapers for your downloading pleasure!

January wallpaper with calendar

January calendarless

For the first 4 days of 2011, I’ve spent under the weather. For those of you who are not southern, I’ll let you wikipedia that.

It’s so quick how Christmas, New Years, and the years fly by. We must take time to capture them and realize what God did in our lives or else, it’s just all a blur.

In the coming days I’ll put together my 2010 year in review and my 2011 goal list. I’m trying to ease into the swing of things.

But, I’m glad it’s an odd year again. Those even years always seem to last so long, can I get an amen?

Here’s a glimpse into one new ritual we’re starting for new years day.

What are your new years day traditions?

In the past, I have clipped Christmas cards to ribbons and displayed them.

This year Censational Girl, made this cute Christmas tree card holder, and I wanted to try my hand at it.

So, I got out the paper, the ribbon, and my bulletin board and got to work.

Yes, that is truly what it looked like, just a bunch of stuff everywhere! It was fun to be messy! Oh, and by the way, we’ve only had these 4 Christmas cards sent to us, so I’ll just think it’s because you don’t have our new address yet. If that’s the reason, email me, and I’ll get you that address!

And this is how it turned out:

It’s a fun & different take on the tradish mantle display or the ribbon display. Plus it was fun to get creative.

I think next year I will try a jingle bell display idea. Guess you’ll have to wait till next year to see what I mean!

Now, on to make my wreath, time is running out! Here is my wreath idea, stolen once again from CG!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love a good bagel! My favorite is everything, paired with honey almond cream cheese. This morning, I decided to take the adventurous route to see if I could make a homemade version.

Here is the recipe I used:

No but seriously, check it out, host your own fashion show with google + projector. Genius!

I grew up with my mother making fresh bread, from a starter. In my adult life, I’ve wanted to do the same, gifting it to those around me for the holidays. After all, who doesn’t like bread? So, I set out to make some, and to give it away.

hot out of the oven

It was really so delicious. Now to perfect the rising process & the gift packaging! It will be a winner this holiday season!

The recipe:

this is my bread starter!

Sourdough Starter:

1 package dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 tbsp sugar
2 cups warm water
2 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Mix yeast with 1/2 cup warm water. Mix sugar with 2 cups warm water and flour. Add yeast mixture, let set in a glass jar covered with a lid with holes poked into it for 5 days.

Sourdough Potato Feed:

Put the initial sourdough starter (above) in refridgerator for 3-5 days. Take out and feed with this mixture:

3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp instant potatoes or mashed potatoes
1 cup warm water

Mix well and add to starter. Let starter stand out of refrigerator all day (8-12 hours) or until very bubbly. Remove 1 cup to make bread and return remaining to the refrigerator. Keep in fridge for 3 to 5 days and feed again. If not making bread after feeding starter, throw away one cup, but it may be fed 2 to 3 times before using any for bread. This is to avoid depleting your starter.

Sourdough bread:

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn oil
1 tbsp salt
1 cup potato fed starter (above)
1 1/2 cups warm water
6 cups white bread flour

In a large bowl, blend sugar, oil, salt, potato starter, water and flour. This makes a stiff batter. Grease another bowl, add dough and turn it over so that it is greased on all sides. Lightly cover with foil and let stand overnight. Do not refrigerate. Next morning punch down the dough, knead a little. Divide into three parts and knead each part 8 to 10 times on a floured board. Put in 3 greased loaf pans and brush with oil, (dough can be made into rolls, if desired). Cover with waxed paper or tea towel, let rise until doubled, 4 to 5 hours or all day, since the dough rises very slowly. Uncover bread dough and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until bread is done. Remove from pans and brush with butter. Cool on rack. Wrap well and store in fridge. Bread may be frozen.

slice it up, & serve!

I give my momma, full credit for this recipe! She is the true cook in our family, my dad too, both of them have inspired me to cook more & better!

A few weeks before Jeremy and I moved out of the OC, this beauty appeared by the dumpster. Well, it wasn’t exactly the prettiest thing in the world, but it did appear to be a good storage unit for items like…. hm, laundry detergent? We took it in, knowing that if we didn’t end up using it, it could just go back out to the dumpster. (in the image shown below the doors had been removed as it was being prepped for painting)

So, again, we grabbed the white paint, and some hardware from anthropologie, and started the renovation.

In our new place, we are blessed to have a beautiful laundry room, and especially with our new front loaders, it’s a wonder that I don’t just move right into that room.

Behind those doors are extra laundry detergent, stain remover (aka dish detergent), extra dryer sheets, and some other miscellaneous items. Hid quite well. The anthro hardware finishes the piece nicely, as well as a single roll of wrapping paper from AC Moore for the backing.

This project is complete in less than $20!