Lots of lasts and Australia bound.

We had our last DRIME ministry night of the semester on Friday. It was a unique experience for me because I was facilitating that night for the first time! Facilitating just means that I, along with a fellow DRIMEr, was in charge of leading the evening, putting together the dramas, controlling music, and generally being the point person. It was a classic night of street ministry. Wonderful conversations, doing dramas in a different spot because the Shwarma truck was in the way, torrential rainfall, and technical difficulties. We also had a bunch of alumni out for ministry that night! Felt like my first year all over again. :) Because of the rain, our sound system decided to stop working. There was a moment when the other leader and I weren't sure what to do next because we still had an hour left of scheduled ministry time. After a few minutes of asking God to guide us, we sent our team on a prayer walk around the block, then figured it was time to pack up and head out. We ended up having a lovely night of community at Denny's. Having that time was good for my soul :) because not only was it the last DRIME night of the semester, but it was the last DRIME night for the next two years for me. Sigh. I love them all so much.

 

There are so many other "lasts" that I don't even really want to acknowledge...but nevertheless, my time in Canada is coming to a close for a while! It kind of blows my mind. 

 

The fact that I leave in TWENTY-SIX days has been hitting me in waves this past week. First shock, then sadness for all the people I am leaving behind, followed by "OHMYGOODNESS I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO BEFORE I LEAVE," (I think I'm still in the freak out stage) which I know will be followed by pure excitement as I look forward to all the things I will experience and the people I will get to know over the next two years.

 

Some people have been asking me how my funds are panning out for my trip, and as you may or may not know, every single person who works for or is involved with YWAM is volunteer. Which is mind boggling when you think about how far YWAM has spread all over the world! I am pleased to be able to say that I have about a third of what I need to make the next two years a reality.

 

God has been so faithful. I have had such a lovely summer and fall with my family and have had loads of catch-up times with friends since being home. I have been so blessed by all of the encouragement I have received since announcing my plans to return to serve with YWAM. It means SO much to know that the people in my life are excited for me and praying for me. So thankyou to all of you. Thankyou!

Much love!
Moira

 

Currently Digging...

...My blog's new look. Today I revamped my blog! Yes, the title changed, but the web address is the same. The title change is due to the news you will read next...

...The fact that I will be returning to staff YWAM DTS! I received my acceptance letter a few weeks ago and I will be heading back to the Sunny Coast in January. The minimum commitment for a DTS staff is 2 years (4 schools). I am super stoked to see how being in a position of leadership will challenge and grow me over the next two years. During my DTS I discovered a passion for discipleship. As I looked back over my life, I realized how much of an impact my mentors have had on my life and how important it is to have someone you can go to with anything. So thankyou. Thankyou to all the wonderful people in my life who have encouraged me, helped guide me, listened to me and believed in me over the years. Now I get the privilege of being a mentor to several girls each DTS and walking with them as they learn new things about God and about themselves. I know I won't always have the right words, but I also know that a listening ear is often exactly what is needed. And God is faithful. He will give me the right words and insight at the right time. :)


...The décor of my new bedroom. When I was born my parents bought a cute, white matching dresser and desk set. I've had it ever since, and because it was second-hand when they got it, it could be considered antique by now! I decided to go for a bit of a retro look by pairing it with a floral bedspread and a calming, yet bold, green. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. We have already spent a week in our new house and we have been fairly productive. We've been busy painting and slowly but surely our home is coming together.

...Spending time with my family. I seriously love them. A lot.

...How quickly my fingers healed. On Wednesday I gave myself a second degree burn on my left fingertips by touching a hot pan that (unbeknownst to me) had just come out of the oven at work. My fingers were an angry, tomato red for hours and it stung like all get out. My co-workers so generously doctored me up with some burn cream and salt water, then when I got home my grandma prayed for them. I wasn't sure if I would be able to be of much use at work one-handed, but yesterday morning they didn't even hurt! I was able to work as normal even though they still looked angry. This morning the blisters were gone! Power of prayer. :)

A Video Summary.

My dear friend and teammate Amber just posted ALL of the videos from our DTS and outreach in one blog post!

HERE is the link if you want to see them all in order.

Enjoy!
<3 Moira

Back at Home Base.

I have now been home for a week and it has been a good mix of resting (aka getting over jetlag), catching up with family, unpacking, journaling, organizing, coffee and reflection.

 

As I look back over DTS, I can categorize what I learned into three sections.

• Lecture phase was a lot of recognizing where different insecurities and lack of trust originated and dealing with them. Letting go of certain past experiences that I hadn't even realized were still having an impact on my life and how I viewed myself.
• During outreach I began to once again build up that trust between myself and God. I began to truly grasp how much he actually loves me and started building up trust in Him again.
• And thirdly, debrief week. Debrief week was a wonderful blend of emotions as we reunited, shared stories and then began our goodbyes. The leaders did a very good job of giving us time to share with the group, process what we had all seen and done, and think about what we actually like to do and what we want to do with our near futures. It was a time of reflection and becoming aware of how God has gifted and talented me for a specific purpose. That makes me excited! God is a good God. He loves to give His children good gifts for His glory. :)

 

To get an overall snapshot of what my outreach experience was like you can watch Team Philindia's outreach video by clicking HERE.

 

Again, THANKYOU for your love, prayers and support as I embarked on this journey.

God bless you all!

Moira

 

“Goodbye Together.”

Last night marked the end of our DTS journey, and what a wonderful night it was. We spent the day packing and cleaning our houses, then in the evening we got all dressed up for our graduation. The staff had decked out the blue room and had a wonderful program prepared for us. :) There was lots of laughter and a few tears as we said 'goodbye' and 'see you later' to our fellow students and the wonderful leaders.

Looking back over the past five months, I am blown away by God's faithfulness and how much all of us have grown. It has been an absolute pleasure doing life with all of the people on the Sunny Coast base and getting to be a part of what God is doing there and all over the world.

I want to share one particular story from my outreach that I shared at grad last night:
 

It was our second last week of outreach. Team Philindia was in Vizag, on the eastern coast of India, doing house-visits in the neighbourhood and praying for people. We came across the local pastor sitting with a paralysed man who was lying on a mat on the side of the road outside of his house. He beckoned us over and asked us to pray for healing for the man. So, of course, we prayed. Nothing happened. We prayed again and still nothing happened. We ended up praying three times with no results. A little discouraged, we began to walk away to finish up our last couple house-visits before our open air program when one our teammates stopped and was like, “Woah, woah...has this guy ever heard the gospel?” To which the pastor replied, “No. He hasn't.” He proceeded to explain the whole gospel to the paralysed man while the pastor translated. The man became a Christian! Right there on the side of the road on his little cot. We prayed for healing one last time, but he didn't get physically healed. In that moment God was reminding me of His heart for His children. Yes, He does care about our physical needs and ailments, but He cares so much more about our spiritual health. God's ways are so much higher and more beautiful than mine. Always. All glory to God!
 

I'm currently just beginning my travels back home. I will be home in a few days! If you would like to hear more about my DTS and outreach experience, I'd love to share!

Thankyou again for all your love, prayers and support.

Much love,

Moira

More News.

Click HERE to check out our team blog site for more news and prayer requests!

Much love,
Moira

First week in India!

It has been a full week since arriving in India. We are all decked out in the traditional garb and it's super comfy. 

So far we have checked out the local prayer centre, visited some house churches to pray for them and encourage them, and yesterday we drove up to three tribal mountain villages to share the gospel. Six people accepted Christ! I personally led someone to the Lord for the first time. COOLEST experience ever.  

Our prayer-for-cows count is at 2 now. People ask us to bless their cows so they will produce more and provide for their families more. :P 

In India, if you kill a peacock you goto jail for life because it is their national bird. 

Our first video from India! Enjoy! 

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=LuONhfUMVs8&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DLuONhfUMVs8

Sorry to be so short, I'll try to go into detail next time. 

Thankyou for your prayers and support! 

<3

 

 

Philippines today. India tomorrow.

That's right folks! It's hard to believe, but our time in the lovely Philippines has almost come to a close. The youth camp was a blast and we all made some pretty cool friendships. The theme this year was Kingdom Investors and we listened to several great speakers teach on how we can effectively invest our time, money and energy into furthering God's kingdom. The small group I co-lead was called "Team Naira," and I am pleased to announce that we came in third for the most points at the end of the week after having the least points for most of the week. A

We head out for the airport tomorrow morning and we will have to purchase some traditional Indian garb upon arrival in Chennai. Ysanne expects it will be cooler there than it has been here...we are looking forward to that! 

Some funny quotes from the past few weeks. Enjoy!

• Upon arrival in the Philippines on our way to our hotel in Manila, Hollie exclaimed: "I love the lack of laneage, it's liberating."

• Mizpah taught us the word to say when there is an awkward silence:  "Cricket." 

• "The reason I dont like cats is because they are so sexual."  -Rylee

• While sharing the gospel, Daggi said "God didnt want us to be roboters."

• When Julie does something silly or forgets something she says: "I pooped the bed on that one."

• According to Hollie, people do a lot of things "...like a casual seal."

• Dear diary! - Julie's choice of words for when she's surprised or frustrated.

 

•  One night we were all casually getting ready for bed when Rylee shouted: "There's a chicken in the kitchen!" There literally was a chicken on the kitchen counter. 

• "How many YWAMers does it take to flush the poop?"...Hollie and Julie and Corsin took turns trying to make the non-flushing toilet flush. 

• "I was thinking about how we could have used our sign-language at the blind-centre...then I realized." - Ysanne

• "What is wrong with that chicken? It's perfectly deluded! It's not morning!" - Hollie at 9PM. 

• Rylee has taught all the local kids this phrase: "Rico Matiko Amasing."

• "Inflateable pools being sold beside caskets. Fascinating." - Julie as we were riding in a tricycle on our way to Starbucks. 

Prayer Requests:

• General health. Several members of our team, myself included, are having trouble kicking our sore throats. 

• Safe travels to Chennai. 

• That we would build friendships at our next location quickly. 

• Continued team unity. 

Thankyou for all your prayers and support! They mean a lot!

Love you all!

24.

Week Two of the Philippines:

Twenty-four lives saved. Twenty-four souls transformed. Twenty-four people who have recognized their need for Jesus. Hallelujah!

Evangelism for our team has consisted of dramas, songs, games, testimonies, the gospel message, and times of prayer for healing. It's been cool to see how our team has functioned as a whole. We are seeing the fruit of all our preparation and prayer times asking the Lord to unify us and equip us for His plan. Continued prayer for us in this area is appreciated! :)

Evangelism yesterday was super fun! We did some funny dramas for the kids and taught them some songs. Then did our intense gospel dramas and a few of us shared. And THEN! 7 kids and 2 adults gave their lives to Jesus. It was precious. I had the opportunity to pray for several babies and hang out with some of the younger boys for a bit. They were hilarious. We got to hand out samaritans purse shoeboxes! It was so cool to see that end! Though it was hard because we had a limited amount and there were so many kids.

Today is our rest day. We slept in and, after breakfast (which was rice), had team time and practiced some new dramas. As a team we are studying the book of Ephesians. So we went back to Acts 18-19 where we first read about the ephesian church to get the background. Then today we picked apart verses 3-10.

All glory and honour to God!
Love you guys,
Your support and prayers bless me!

Beautiful Beginnings.

http://teamphilindia.wordpress.com/

Check out our latest update!

Round 1 of the Singapore airport.

Current Location: The Singapore Changi Airport.

Current Activity: Getting my feet and calves massaged.

Sleep Count over the past 24 hours: 7...roughly. With about 10 interruptions.

We arived in Singapore at 8:30 PM local time and wandered through hallways lined with Gucci, Burberry, Rolex and Swarovski feelig a bit overwhelmed and looking for somewhere to crash for the night. We found the "snooze lounge" and slept on the floor. The airport is air conditioned and we all froze - but it's nothig a brief step outside can't remedy. During the night we were awakened by some security guards who wanted to make sure we had passports and weren't just living here (which one could, quite comfortably). After refreshing ourselves this morning we went out in search of breakfast. I ended up eating a soft boiled egg and a smoothie while most everyone else had donuts. :P Since then we've visited the butterfly garden, sunflower garden, koi fish pond, entertainment centre and we've only been in two of the terminals!

We have 4 1/2 hours left of our 19 hour layover until we leave for the Philippines.

Your continued support and prayers are so appreciated. <3
Love you all!

Our team blog:

http://teamphilindia.wordpress.com

It may not be published yet due to poor internet connection, but this is the link that you all can check out for updates about how and what our team is doing. I shall do my best to post the link here when a new post is written, but I'm not making any promises.

All packed! Here's to living out of a backpack for 2 months! My team leaves for the Philippines in 2 days! Prayers for unity, grace and spiritual readiness are welcomed. :)

Love you all!

Well. Here we are.

"Well. Here we are." - The filler for any time there is a silence or lull in a conversation - by Hollie. I've been keeping a list of all the funny sayings I've heard since coming here. Maybe I'll share them with you sometime. ;)


I'm sorry for my inexcusable lack of blog posts in the past month. It has been a full and busy past few weeks and we are in the second last week of our lecture phase! I head off to the Philippines in 11 days...but who's counting?



Since I last wrote, the weekly lecture topics have been: Kingdom, Missions, Impact Byron, Relationships and we are currently in The Living Word (It's blowing my mind!).

Impact Byron week was crazy. 130 youth gathered in Byron Bay from several DTS's to “impact” the city with free BBQ's and live music and the love of Jesus. It was freeshly cold in Byron Bay. And we, from the Sunny Coast, were not at all prepared for the damp chill that assaulted us as soon as we arrived. We slept on the floor of a church for 5 days and froze, but there were some awesome testimonies of conversations and healings that happened over the course of the week. Emotions were all over the place and I don't think that we, as a group, were prepared for what we were getting ourselves into. But we learned a lot and I think we all grew a lot. I personally did. I learned more about how God speaks to me and about how His timing is always perfect, no matter what. And we went to a United Pursuit concert. (Yes).

After Byron Bay my wonderful family visited me and we spent the weekend together in between their travels. It was a blast. So good to see them, give them all hugs and show them around. <3 <3 <3

I have been so blessed by my outreach team. (I can't believe I haven't written about them here yet!) There are 10 of us in total. Three guys and seven girls headed off to the Philippines for three weeks and then off to India for five weeks. While we are in the Philippines we will be working at a Christian kids camp with kids ranging from 7-17 years old. We will have the opportunity to hang out and mentor these kids while we are there and share our stories and experiences with them. We don't have a specific plan for India yet, but we will be crashing at a YWAM base while we are there for a bit.

One scripture that my team has been focusing on is Ephesians 6 – The armour of God. We want to go into the war zone as prepared as we can be; spiritually as well as in our ministry plans. (Shout out to my DRIME fam jam...the dramas you sent me are going swimmingly! Love you guys.) Obviously we don't fully know what to expect, but I am confident that everything will work out in God's perfect timing. You can pray for our team that we would be unified so that we can be ready for whatever will be thrown at us as we spread the gospel for the next month and a half.

 

Our team will be setting up a blog specifically for our outreach time for all our families and friends. I'll be posting the link to that on my blog ASAP.

Thankyou guys for your support and prayers and love.

<3 

A deeper understanding.

In the past few weeks we have had five baptisms, one guy gave his life to the Lord, a trip to the zoo, a trip to the markets, and many a trip to the beach. This past week was Prayer Week and, boy, it was intense. Our teacher for the week taught us how prayer and worship go hand-in-hand and it has revolutionized my whole idea of prayer. I am excited to pray now!

• So last Monday, we had a 24hour prayer day, where we each had a three hour shift with several other people and spent those three hours in prayer for nations, each other, our friends/family and our outreach coming up. Three hours have never passed so quickly! It was amazing. ALSO, that night during night lectures/night worship sesh, one gal prayed for my back and the spot that had been giving me grief was healed instantly! Hallelujah! SO faith building.
• Tuesday, after lectures, we had individual prayer time. So we each went off by ourselves for four hours and just hung out with the Lord. It was so refreshing. :)
• Wednesday afternoon was house prayer. I just love the ladies in my house. We had a lovely time of encouraging each other and praying for each other. <3 Wednesday evening saw a release in worship and prayer like never before. You should ask me about that sometime. ;) It was epic.
• On Thursday morning it was my teams turn to lead intercession for a nation and we spent the morning praying for Moldova. Those times of interceding for various other nations has taught me about faith and believing even though we don't always see the results. Very cool. Thursday night was the conclusion of our lectures for the week and we spent the evening praying for family members and friends.
• Friday was a relaxing day. We watched "Father of Lights" in the morning and then had a bbq at the beach that night.

God has revealed so much of Himself to me and through that He has revealed a lot about myself and how He has equipped me to do whatever He will call me to. I am excited to see where He takes me!

Victorious!

Our wonderful DTS group!

God has been slowly and surely picking away pieces of the wall around my heart that were holding me back that I didn't even know existed. Two days ago, while on my one-on-one with my lovely friend, I was able to deal with and surrender to God one of the lies that I had been believing about myself for years. So right there in the CUTEST coffee/tea store (seriously Mom, you'd love it) I had a good crying sesh and I've been flying on a cloud of joy and freedom since. I just love the Lord! ^_^ I know that it was just the first step in a process of realizing what God wants me to let go of, but I am content to rest in Him and let it happen in His timing.

What has God been teaching you lately?

After our first week of lectures.

This morning we went wakeboarding at a cable park and had an absolute blast! Kneeboarding was super fun and easy to get the hang of and I did that a few times, so that by the time I got around to wakeboarding my arms were like jello. I almost-sorta got up :P It was fun regardless. Keep your eyes out for Bryan's video.

Last night we headed on down to the surf shop for their trial run of the new coffee shop they added to their store. They also had a sale on all clothing so we had fun trying on hats and such. :) The store is a local ministry focused on reaching the surfing culture here on the coast that was started by some guys who did their DTS a few years ago.

It is super cool because there are several ministries that have emerged from this YWAM base but aren't directly associated with the base. A coffee roasting ministry, the surf shop, the wakeboard park I talked about above and a few others. All of the people involved have a heart for what they are doing along with a heart for the community and for following the Lord. They are great examples of how our everyday life can be a light for Jesus. God promises to bring us life and life abundantly if we are willing and ready to give it all to Him.

This past week has been a whirlwind of new ideas, being challenged and discovering more about how to listen for God's voice. Our teacher this week was Jason Solari. (You can check out his website: http://www.jasonsolari.com/)
His teaching incorporated something for every learning style which I really appreciated.

Tonight we find out where we are going on outreach! Pray that the Lord's will would be done as the leaders are meeting this afternoon to put the teams together. Thankyou all for your support and prayers! They are very appreciated!
Much love,
Moira

Currently Digging...

Hanging out with all the new and wonderful people I have met here...This morning our house had a pancake breakfast together which was super sweet. I have definitely been connecting with the other girls and I'm so stoked to spend these next months living with them.

Playing games...We actually have a ton of free time during the afternoons here to hang out, go to the beach, go shopping, or read. One of the guys brought a fantastic game called "Jungle Speed" and it's a blast! "Ligretto" is basically a version of "Dutch Blitz" but you can play with eight people. And today we played a tedious game of "Risk." :)

Going for walks...to the BEACH. For coffee, to Maccers, or to the grocery store. I'm getting to know the area and everything is very accessible.

It is only the beginning.

I am beginning to understand why people fall in love with Australia. Specifically the Sunshine Coast. It is beautiful here.

This Sunday marked the commencement of our YWAM DTS. In the past few days I have met the other wonderful students and we are starting to get to know each other. They are all great. The leaders have also been super welcoming and have made us feel at home here. I room with 3 other lovely ladies in a house with about 12 other girls. We all live in houses in the community rather than dorms or in some communal building. The idea is that the YWAM Sunshine Coast base is decentralized so that there are no limits on who we can reach in the community. Also, it is to make our time here as little like a camp as possible. I really appreciate that.

God has something huge up His sleeve for all of us and I am eagerly anticipating what He is going to do in and through all of us.
Much love!

A is for Aquarium; Z is for Zoo.

We got to see koala bears, kangaroos, cassowary's, puffer fish, dugong's, kookaburra's, and loads of creepy snakes. I think my favourite part was learning about the dugong's. They are cousins to manatees and there are only six on display anywhere in the world...and we got to see two of them. ^_^

Cool (or not so cool) story of the day: While at the zoo, Beth pointed out to me that my nose ring was missing. Gone. Nowhere to be seen. I figure it must have fallen out in the night and I didn't notice. By the time Beth told me it was already noon. We walked back to the harbour mall and found a jewellery store, only to be told that nose studs weren't sold anywhere in that mall and we that we would find one if we went farther into the city. So we walked. Finally we found a store that sold nose studs and I bought a new one. But my hole had already closed over. Long story short, I repierced my own nose using Beth's earring and lots of sanitizing cloths from the piercing store. Ouch.

Sydney is beautiful.

Before arriving in Sydney, I had heard from several people that Sydney was quite similar to Vancouver. Yes, it is a metropolis and is very multicultural, but it is also very unique. Most houses, including apartments and townhomes, have intricate wrought iron fences and window bars that give Sydney a funky feel. Guys wear their shorts quite short. The weather is humid and hot. People here don't seem like they are in a rush to get anywhere. It is a very beautiful city. Some of the animals we have seen are quite bizarre and we are looking forward to seeing even more when we go to the zoo and aquarium tomorrow! So stoked. The seagulls here are actually cute. As opposed to the big ugly ones back home. So far we have walked all over the city, visited the Olympic park, gotten lost a few times (not really), attended Hillsong church, visited the Opera House and eaten a ton of cultural food. Tonights dinner was greek and it was delicious!

God has answered prayer already since we have arrived! My card and Beth's card weren't working the first couple days we were here, but yesterday they started working again and we were so relieved! Thanks God!

Thunderstorms and sunscreen.

We arrived all in one piece and made it to our hostel no problem. We've been mooching wifi wherever we can and taking in the sights. Today we stopped at a grocery store to pick up some fruit and snacks and such and we bought weeklong transit passes so we won't have to worry about that over and over. Currently we're at the COOLEST water park (that has free wifi) I have ever seen. We are going to the city Hillsong campus tonight!
Much love,
Moira

Are you waiting?

 

Isaiah 40:28-30 (The Message)

 

"He energizes those who get tired,

gives fresh strength to dropouts.

For even young people tire and drop out,

young folk in their prime stumble and fall.

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.

They spread their wings and soar like eagles,

They run and don’t get tired,

they walk and don’t lag behind."

 
To wait:

• "To call upon or visit."
• "To remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens."

The immediate definition I think of is literally sitting and waiting for something to happen. Sitting quietly to hear God's voice. Spending time in silence. Waiting upon the Lord.

But there is another definition of the word 'wait':

• "To perform the duties of an attendant or servant for."
• "To supply the wants of a person, as serving a meal or serving a customer in a store."

During Sunday morning worship at church two weeks ago we sang several songs that were based off of the last few verses of Isaiah 40 including this song, as well as a song the worship leader had written himself. At one point he stopped the music and said to us,

 

"I have a friend who, after hearing the song I wrote, said, 'Man, I just love to sit in my room and wait on God. I just spend hours waiting on him.' To which I replied, 'Yeah man that's awesome and I love to do that too, but that is not what this particular song is about.' This one is about being a servant. Being a waiter."
 

He told us that in the original Hebrew text of this passage in Isaiah, the literal translation was to be a servant. Now, I don't know Hebrew so I can't back up that statement. But even so, it was a perspective I had never heard before...and I like it. (If you can translate Hebrew, verify this for me?)

Mark 10:41-45 

As Christians, we are called to be Christ-like. Christ came to be a servant to mankind. So should we be.

Matthew 25:37-40

God says that when we serve the people around us, we are serving Him.

Colossians 3:23
SO: We will be strengthened as we serve others in our community; as we put other people's needs in front of our own; as we seek the Lord; as we sit in silence to hear His voice; as we go on that missions trip; as we go to college and university; as we go to work and interact with our co-workers; as we do everything as if we were doing it for the Lord.

Are you waiting?

Australia you say?

As most of you know, starting in two weeks I head off to Australia for a five month excursion with Youth With A Mission on the Sunshine coast near Brisbane. While I am there I will be participating with 32 other students in a three month Discipleship Training School where we will learn more about God and His heart for the nations. I know that it will be a time of significant growth for all of us. I am anticipating to learn more about myself and God's unfailing love while I am on this trip. Following the lecture phase, we will be split up into various outreach teams and sent to a location yet to be determined to put what we've learned into practice and practically bless the people we will meet there. After our two months of outreach we will meet back at the base to debrief, graduate and then head back home! Thankyou all for your support and prayers, they are so appreciated!

I will be updating my blog to let you all know what I am up to, update prayer requests, and the lessons God will be teaching me along the way as often as I can. If you are interested in receiving an email notification every time I post, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and click "Join This Site," or pop your email address into the white box.

Much love,
Moira

Being a bit touristy.

Today, after a wonderful "leftover" lunch, we went to the new Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Center and learned more about the area we are living in, where the good hiking and biking trails are, the wildlife in the area, as well as the history of the valley. It was all very informative and very well done. Fun fact: Under some of the main freeways here they have built tunnels so there is a safe way for animals to cross the busy streets without getting hit. The counters inside the center were all made of recycled glass from old government buildings - very cool! There was also a lovely tile-fountain outside the center that looked like it belonged in Greece.

After the visitor center we drove down to the coast to sight-see a little bit. We ended up parking along the side of the road and walking down the shore of the FIRST beach we have been to since arriving here. We took a lot of photos and had a marvelous time. :)

What is your favourite outdoor activity?

Currently Digging...

...going to Starbucks. Starbucks = Free wifi. It's turning out to be a whole lot more complicated to get wifi at our place than we were anticipating. So off to Starbucks we go! My faves are PTL's with a pump of raspberry syrup and soy Cinnamon Dolce Latte's with whip. ^_^

...Sunshine. Sunshine and more sunshine! Today was absolutely GORGEOUS outside. My grandma and I played Yahtzee for at least an hour and a half this afternoon. We sat in the sun for the first while but ended up having to move into the shade so we wouldn't completely burn ourselves.

...Smoked salmon and goat cheese on gluten-free crackers. I felt very fancy when I whipped up that snack today.

...Karah's sick volleyball skills. We all drove out to her first tournament this past Sunday. She enjoyed playing with her new team and had some awesome blocks!

...the scenery. Every night there has been a stellar sunset. I can't get over it. So much beauty all around.

What are you digging?