Haiti Peace Team Recap

Today had missions written all over it!

First, I received these in the mail, that I'd ordered a couple weeks back: 

yiieeeee! 

^ They're stickers. Yes, that's right... stickers. The 11-year-old Cori who used to go ape over Lisa Frank stickers resurfaced today in full excitement over her new stickers. At least as an adult, I'm selective about finding those with strong significance ;). 

nalgene

^^ YEP. I'm on my way to a fully-decorated Nalgene, but it will be with hand-selected stickers and in time, will become a sources of hydration as well as a reflection of much that I hold near & dear to my heart ♥

I was so happy all day, with new decorations; it primed me for a continued evening of awesomeness as we convened at SonRise to hear 5 of the 10 Haiti team members share with us their trip to and from, and how they both impacted and were impacted by all of it.

sonrise haiti team! 

What a blessing! I love, love, love that we have so many passionate people engaged in missions work here at SonRise; I'm so proud to have been one of them on the most recent trips, and am on board with many others as we pray for the opportunity to return.

Oh, and who could forget: It's Cinco De Mayo!

because why not?! 

^ Rob & I took advantage of the special occasion, and visited one of our favorite digs for a late evening dinner. ¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo, amigos!

My heart is full tonight.. what an amazing day!

xo | cmd 

SonRise: Doors & The Haiti PEACE Team!

My church. I'm falling in love every single week with the messages being shared. Trish joined us this morning, which was terrific! Girl, I'm so glad you were able to make it out! She reminded me of the time I told her that I wasn't entirely sold on the series my church was going through; at the time, I really wasn't sure if I wanted to stay, as I'd felt some of the content was starting to stray a bit, doctrinally-speaking.

It's been a 180 since then; I realized this morning when she brought that up, and looking back at that, it also hit me that I've been with this church for over two years now. Yay!

Today was the second installment of the newest series: Doors. Pastor Jeff, Pastor Chad and the rest of the team has done an excellent job of incorporating real, life-applicable teachings into a message built around God's word. I mean, we can all relate to what a door is, and how it's an access point either into or out of somewhere, something, someone... they're digging into this deeper each week, and illustrating the avenues in life that are either accessed or denied by our choice to open and close those doors.

are we listening?

AND, many many prayers of excitement went out today to the SonRise PEACE team that's headed to Haiti at the end of this week! Marissa's (from my Panama team) sister Tana is going, along with 9 others: Chad, Evan, Joy, Matt, Noah, Rachel, Jamie, Wendell and Jacques will all make their way to Haiti in less than a week to be the voice and presence of God's love among the people in need there. I am asking that you, my fellow blogbots, please lift them up in prayer the same way you did for my Panama team and me!

go team haiti! 

What a beautiful thing!! We are praying you guys to and from safely, and that God will do what He does best through your hands while you're there. I can't wait to hear your stories when you return! :)

For us, it was a nice day spent relaxing here at home: Getting a couple things done, and enjoying the weather outside for a bit.

Here's to a solid week!

xo | cmd

Happy NOVEMBER!

I'm a day late on ushering in November, but today seemed far more fitting a day to do so than yesterday anyway. 

yes! 

I woke up today with two immediate options: 1 - Early church service and then yoga at Rhingeist, and 2 - Regular church service and no morning yoga.

It's Sunday. I wanted to sleep in a few more minutes before five full days of up-at-its before 6am, so 11am church it was. Anyway, we walked into today's message not knowing what to really expect, and walked back out with a commitment to return in the evening for an informational session.

You see, November is National Adoption Month! Here's the little blurb I posted along with that collage earlier this afternoon:

#November isn't just my #birthday month; it's #NationalAdoptionMonth! I'll bid adieu to my 20's in a few weeks, but my love of and appreciation for my own #adoption will never age. 

My biological mother's choice to surrender me reflected courage & selfless sacrifice in hope for her child to prosper beyond her resources - the type of selfless love I can only hope to exercise in my own life. Her last declare of maternal rights was that I be placed in a practicing Christian home. I was an #orphan. A couple who valued family over biology were called to choose, #adopt and love me as their own. And with that, I was placed by grace into a home half a world away.

My life would have been exponentially different if not for adoption. I am among the SMALL fraction of orphaned children who are #blessed enough with a second chance to find life and #giveback.

I'm #HONORED to #CELEBRATE #family this month. Cheers, all my fellow #adoptees & #adoptive families! Happy November!

It's something that I often take for granted, when I'm flying at lightspeed through a day in the life that I live, in this culture of ours that is all hustle & bustle, with deadlines and consequences for missing them. I don't always think to count the opportunity to participate in this life as a blessing rather than a burden, because the alternative is a rather stark contrast.

Amen? Amen.

So after a morning message about our purpose in life to reach out to people... to love and honor people.. to give of ourselves to people, we decided to come back in the evening to gather information on the church's planned mission trips for Spring 2015.

I'm happy to share more in detail about these upcoming trips when the time is right, but for now, I'm going to only ask that anyone reading along today, for whatever reason you're here reading - just... pray. The two trip options as they stand now are either Haiti or Panama. Both have clear advantages, and drawbacks as well.

PLEASE PRAY! ... 

... For the leadership team at my church, whose planning well precedes the initial meeting they held today. 

... For the other people who sat there for an hour watching past footage and testimony of those who've been to these places and touched the mission with their own hands. 

... For those who are there, in the middle of unimaginable poverty, disease, famine and spiritual desolation, reaching into untouched groups of people with the purpose of enrichment & love. 

... For the orphans, who, like myself, are/were not responsible for their circumstance. Pray that they will find the peace, attention, love and adoration they both crave and deserve. Pray that they, like I as well, will by grace become a tenfold blessing to a family that's missing what will be completed by adding even just one, beautiful little spirit to its bind. 

... For Rob & me, as we pray together over this, to determine if.. and if so, which trip to commit ourselves. It will be a spiritual, physical & financial commitment that we won't make overnight. 

One of my truly beautiful friends Marianne leaves tomorrow for a 3-month Italy endeavor: a mission-bound trip on which I have no doubt she'll grow just as much as the kids she'll be reaching. We're called to step OUT of our comfort zones. We're called to do MORE than live in the safety of our own schedules. 

We're called to lead, to love and to LET GOD do the rest. 

Happy Sunday, to you & yours!! 

xo | cmd