Missouri Archives - Fragrance Arise

Hello, all! I know it’s been awhile since I last blogged, so here’s the quick rundown of my summer:

Lots more babysitting
Lots more SEEP
Lots of internationals living at our house

For real! My family has been hosting exchange students for several years, and this summer we had a girl from Germany with us for a month, as well as several U.K. football (“soccer”) coaches with us for a week here and there. It’s been absolutely wonderful to have the sound of German in the house again–we hosted a German girl for 5 months a few years ago, and now the accent feels like home to me. And of course we all enjoyed the amazing Brits we got to spend time with. We had a girl and a guy that were both from the north of England, up near Manchester. I was pretty excited to identify and understand that accent, and kept hearing Christopher Eccleston in my head: “Lots of planets have a north.” Our third coach was from Scotland, and it was great to hear him and our English guy argue about the proper way to make tea. I kid you not, it was pretty iconically surreal.

Anyway, I finished my classes on Friday, August 9, and hit the road on Saturday, August 10. That whole last week was busy, beautiful, and bittersweet. I will miss my family. I’ll be home for Christmas, but God only knows when or if I will ever properly live there again. My family is wonderful. I will never forget them all laying hands on me and praying for me to give me a proper send-off.

Yesterday I drove an hour and a half from Rancho out to the desert to have lunch with my grandma on the way to Arizona, realised I forgot my laptop, drove halfway home to meet my gracious brother to pick it up, and then finally made it to Phoenix. I met my friend at her apartment around 6, and then was whisked off to a birthday party at a local outdoor diner to meet all her friends! Seriously, this community here is so beautiful. It’s a whole bunch of intellectual, open-hearted, organic-lovin’ hipsters who go grocery shopping together, hang out on each other’s couches as much as their own, and make friends with all the local small business owners. I love it. I’m so glad God brought this amazing group of people into my friend’s life. This is the kind of closely knit community I’m hoping to find in KC.

So after spending all day Sunday soaking up the eclectic Phoenix atmosphere (and 105° heat!), I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning for Roswell, NM to spend a night with another friend’s family. It’s about a nine hour drive, but that’s completely okay with me. I use the time for listening to cds I never get to hear all the way through, trying new harmonies, singing my own songs, and of course praying. Driving is my favourite time to pray out loud. And maybe go on long rants about the Bible and/or Doctor Who to my imaginary friend in the passenger seat. I just can’t get away with doing that when I’m carpooling, y’know?

So anyway. This journey has been amazing. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this. God is faithful. Kansas City, here I come!

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When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
(2 Chronicles 7:13-14)

For those of you who haven’t heard, the American midwest is in the middle of what is being described as the worst drought in a hundred years. Crops are being devastated, power is being lost, and the heat is becoming especially dangerous to children and the elderly. IHOP has been interceding for God to end the drought since last weekend (we jumped on this a little late, unfortunately) and on Wednesday night we got a breakthrough.

That night during the 8:00 intercession set we spent some time corporately praying out of 2 Chronicles for the ending of the drought. A few hours later, in the second hour of the 10:00 worship set, a spontaneous chorus was released that grew and grew until it launched the room into a 30 minute crazy dance party. “You have loved me so well, I’ve never another love so sweet. You have loved me so well, I’ve never known another love so great.” We danced ourselves into a glorious sweaty mess of JESUS JOY ‘SPLOSION till a good ten minutes past the time the next worship team was supposed to come on. Many of us hung out till about 12:30 still worshiping, even though we’re supposed to head back to the apartments at midnight. (The leaders gave us permission. There’s lots of flexibility for whenever the Spirit decides to knock plans out of the way.)

As I was exiting the prayer room with one of my roommates, I saw lightening crack through the sky. I was just enjoying God’s display of glory and didn’t even realise what it meant until a minute later when I felt the first drops. Within ten minutes the FLOODGATES HAD OPENED and it was pouring rain!!!! Interns came pouring out of their apartments to dance in the parking lot and laugh and yell worship into the sky.

As awesome as that was, though, the midwest is still in a heavy drought and still very much in need of intercession. Please join with us in praying that God would have mercy on everyone depending on the rain and send us what we need!

But now hear, O Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!
Thus says the LORD who made you,
who formed you from the womb and will help you:
Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
(Isaiah 44:1-3)

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Fragrance Arise

Tag: Missouri

The Road Home: Phoenix!

Open the Floodgates