The One with Love.

I love sitting in Central Park.
    I love taking my Ukulele with me as I try to learn how to play it.
  I love reading my Bible hidden among the trees in the midst of the big city.
                  I love walking through Central Park with my dear friend Kjirsten.
     I love relaxing in the middle of a city that never sleeps.
I love love walking through the streets of the hustle and bustle.
       I love people watching.
     I love the fact that Jesus knows every person better then they know themselves.
I love the fact that we all share so much in common yet they are a stranger on the streets.
   I love watching the sun set in between the buildings.
I love the sun.
   I love thunderstorms.

I love my days with nothing to do but wander.
   I love chatting away with God, no matter the subject.
                I love my God, the God of Jacob.
       I love the fact that He is always with me.
            I love that He is my constant companion.
        I love that He brought me to NYC to grow close with Him.
   I love what He is doing in my heart.
I love that I am more confused then ever about my life.
      I love putting all faith in Him.
                  I love how God takes care of me.
              I love the bizarre things that God bestows upon me.
        I love how funny He is.
    I love how much He loves me.

The One when the Welke Parents Visit NYC

My parents came to visit this past weekend.

            I thoroughly enjoyed their visit.

       I took them to see some of the sights of the city.

               We played tourist a lot. 

                  They weren’t here very long so we didn’t get to do everything, 

but I showed them a lot considering the amount of time they were here.

                       We went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway. 

                              It was quite awesome!

          Showed them time square ( I still don’t understand the point of that place)

             Took them to some yummy Thai food and the UN.

             We also went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

We went around the World Trade Center and visited a couple memorials.

                       Ventured off to Central Park and showed them around a little of it.

And finally took them to the church and clinic I came to New York to serve.  

 

                                                   

It was a busy weekend, but quite fun!

The One with God of this City.

The other day as I walked through Central Park, a butterfly landed on my arm.
                  It didn't stay too long, but it was enough to excite me.
 I walked to the other side of the park and sat down on a bench to read a book.
            As soon as I opened it, the same looking butterfly landed on the book.
   I didn't even know what to think or do.
              I was far from where it had landed on my arm before.
     I just stared at it in awe until someone walked by and it flew away.
                                  I sat there over an hour.
Throughout the hour, the butterfly would come and land on the book,
     when someone walked by it would fly away until the coast was clear.

It just kept coming back! 

I texted my mutti asking her what it means. 

She thought I should just ask it.
                        Feeling a little silly, I did.
All it did was flap its wing and then it spread them all the way out onto the book staring at me.

It was beautiful. 

        Sadly, I don't speak butterfly so I have no idea what it means.
I've been praying God will reveal this to me.
He hasn't yet, but as I told my dear friend Candice about this, she told me God will reveal it to me in due time.
                 And I think HE will. I just need to practice patience.

                As I mentioned before, I get on the subway with no place to be.
                       So I ride until I get off and wander around. Pretending to be a local.
                 The other day, I landed near the World Trade Center.
                        As I walked around the site, my stomach felt sad.
                                                    Which is to be expected.
              Sometime while I was there, the song "God of this City" came on my iPod
 At first, I didn't realize the significance of this or the fact that Jesus played it for me.

And honestly, I wasn't paying much attention to the music playing in my ears. 

I was texting, walking, thinking about the evil in the hearts of many people, and looking at a location where thousands of people lost their lives.

My iPod was just background noise. 

                           All the sudden the lyrics,
"Greater things have yet to come and Greater things are still to be done in this city"
sang loudly into my ears, catching my attention, my heart.

I stopped my thoughts, my text, my feet. 

                 I just stood there in awe.
God is in control and He is working among the people.
         Lives are transforming for His glory.
And He's not done working here.
I could ramble on and on about this moment & all the things He shared with me,
but I think it's better I keep that as a tender moment between me and God.


Peace.

The One with A New Best Friend.

Jesus is working on me this summer.

        He is showing me things about me, His love, His heart, His plans, His grace.

                        I am in New York to be transformed for His glory.

 Here, it is just Him and me 

I am here with little distractions

By this I mean, no school, no 3 jobs, no friends
I have an internship here,  

but they generously give me time to explore the city.

I have a lot of open time to be with Jesus.

                                  Just Him and me.

He is becoming my constant companion,
                    my best friend.

I know this should already be so,

but I’ve always had so many distractions around me

that I compromised my relationship with Him.

And now, I am here to spend time in His presence.

                                  And grow a tremendous amount for His glory.

   I know now this is why I have been called to this big city. 

                  I am in NYC for me- for my relationship with God.

         I am so grateful.

            He gets all the glory!

He is transforming me to be more like Him.

                I’ve been praying to live more faithfully.

                             Why is it so difficult to have faith?

                This is something I am constantly struggling with.

      Maybe it's because I'm scared.
    
      Maybe it's because I'm selfish. 

 Or maybe it's because it's hard to listen to honest truth I don't always want to hear. 

  

Through His Word, 

                          I am learning more and more about the importance of faith,

                                                                   even in the littlest and mundane things.

             I’m learning to listen to the whisper He so often speaks with.

To have faith in this whisper.

A couple weeks ago, I felt the spirit telling me to give a homeless man $20.

  To be honest, I didn’t really want to,

     but I did because I knew it was what I was being called to do.

The next day,

                    I was coming home and there was $20 lying on the subway platform. 

                         Everyone walked right by it.

                                    I picked it up.

                  I know He gave me this $20 to show me what faith is.

                                                                             To confirm His ways.

On my free days,

                        I usually end up walking around Manhattan and Central Park.

                              I’ve started only going the directions the whisper tells me to go.

                                                It’s a time to learn how to listen to Him.
         I find that when I start to stop listening I walk in circles or have to back track.
       It reminds me of life.
     In times when I don't listen to his will for me, I always end up having to go back. 

Today, as I sat in Central Park, 

        God showed me how much our relationship has grown, 

        has transformed in just a few weeeks
       It seems like I am constantly praying.

       I am constantly in dialogue with Him.

           I am spending a lot of my day in the Bible too.

Never before have I spent this much time one-on-one with Him.

It’s actually pretty sweet.

     I am learning so much.

                         He has revealed so much to me of what is to come.

        Of who He is.

                     Of where I am headed.

                     Of His love and glory.

          I have been greatly changed in such a short time.

                                It’s amazing how He is at work in me.

   I am so excited to see His plan be unveiled in time.

           I know there are some things coming that are going to be beautiful

           And only the redeeming blood of Jesus will deserve the glory! 

The One with the Love of a Mama Rat

The other day as I stood on the subway platform, 

     I watched a mama rat with her 3 babies for a good 15 minutes. 

She was constantly running after her babies, 

        trying to keep them together. 

When one would run off, she chased it down and brought it back to the others.  

   As I stood there watching, I couldn't help but be grateful for my parents. 

                                   The mama rat desired to keep her children on track,

                      even risking her life as a train came to find her child. 

My mother and father raised 3 children too. 

                (I guess I'm comparing my parents to this rat... no offense mutti and daddy)

    This rat showed me something about the love of parents. 

We may not get along all the time, but I know they want the best for us.  

          I also noticed the energy the mama rat used chasing her babies around. 

   My brothers and I have always been everywhere, 

            as kids, one at soccer, one at boy scouts, the other at swim practice. 

to more recently, traveling the world. one in Iraq, one hiking Machu Picchu, one hanging out in Africa. 

 to one living in California, one in North Carolina, and the other in Virginia Beach. 

Between the 3 of us, one of us always seems to be going somewhere or doing something. 

                         It's been this way since I can remember. 

My mother was always behind us, supporting us, and running in all directions. 

                     She still is. 

                                      And my father too. 

This rat family, living in the subways of New York City,

                                   made me grateful and showed me what a blessing my parents are. 

SO thank you Daddy and Mutti

                     for everything throughout my 21 years. 

I am so honoured you love us the way you do and 

     I find great joy in the way you brought us up to love Christ and 

                                                                       live for the one who shed HIs blood. 

          When one of us strayed the other way,

                    you guys always ran after us like that mama rat, trying to bring us back. 

If it weren't for the love you guys have for us and more importantly for Christ, 

          None of us would be were we are today. 

                                                               Thank you! 

Oh, and we love you! 

It's funny the things God can use to show us something. Even Rats. 

 I guess I should pay more attention to the little things around me. 

For it is with a small voice God tends to teach us, show us, and communicate with us. 

The One with a Running Life

        Life is an Adventure.
                         And God is good.

          This semester was a whirlwind.
       It passed so fast, yet so slow.
                             In that time, a lot happened.


        I worked 3 jobs the majority of the semester
            while trying to be a full time student.
     It was most definitely challenging.

Hawaii.
             However, God blessed me with a 2-week trip to Hawaii.
   It was the Sabbath I needed and kept forgetting to take.
          I went to Hawaii to visit a dear friend of mine.
                 We got to go on many adventures-
They involved::
        Hitchhiking.
        Running from wild boars.
        Walking around lost in the rain. Yes, LOST on an island ;)
        Biking through the jungles & beaches of Kauai.
        Paddle boarding.
        Snorkeling (makes me upset I’m not a mermaid).
        Doing the tourist thing (Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, etc)
        Camping on the beach.
        Hiking.
        Getting sun burnt.
        And more.
                                     I must say, it was a blast!
                         And exactly what I needed.
  It was a time of renewal and finding myself in God again.
                And for this, I know Christ sent me to Hawaii.


Missions Conference (MC).
                  Every spring semester, Biola halts classes
    and has a 3-day conference put on completely by the students.
            This past year,
                      I had the privilege of being a coordinator.
This means another girl and I were
                          in charge of the interactions department.
        We had 14 girls in the department
                                    who did an outstanding job!!

A couple weeks after the conference,
        I turned in an application to be next year’s co-Director of MC.
             Only a day after an interview with the SMU president,
I received a call informing me I got the position.
    My co-director and I will be the leaders of the
                largest student-run missions conference
(about 4,000-6,000 attendees coming and going).
          I am honoured God selected me to be a tool used for His glory.
         I look forward to the challenges and miracles I will experience.
                               I will learn and grow as a leader
               but more importantly, as a follower of Christ.


New York City.
                  I am currently living in NYC for the summer.
    I am an intern with New Life Community Health Center in Queens.
                            The clinic is connected to a church.
                                   It is completely free to the beneficiaries.
                                      It is run by donators and volunteers.
Doctors, Dentists, Nurses, EMT’s, Social Workers, Secretaries, etc.
          It caters to mostly immigrants and
                                      those with no form of health insurance.
But we will take anybody that walks through the door.
                                  So far, I’m enjoying it here.
                 I’m quickly getting acquainted with the subway system.
The clinic wants me to have time to explore the city
                                                   so they give me 3 days off a week.
                         I’ve already been on some great adventures.
            The first 5 or so days I was here,
                                             I felt so dizzy and a little nauseous.
I eventually told one of my friends who is here from Biola
                          for a couple weeks and he had the same issue.
He had determined it was from the constant movement
                                  of the subways that live underneath us.
                                                          I think he is right.
Fortunately, I am getting used to it b/c I no longer feel dizzy :).
 
 I have so much more I want to say,
    but there is no more time right now.
    
 I’ll try to update this more often now that I’m interning in NYC.

The One with fame, beauty, money, and lies

  I have been on many adventures lately (just around LA)

They range from running into Johnny Depp, 

         to sitting at the train tracks for 2 hours, 

   to lovely days at the beach,

 to the Dream Center, 

to fashion shows, 

          to late nights at McClain's (coffeehouse), 

and the latest was for work= the Oscars. 

I have spent the last week going like crazy--

Working 54 hours. 

Sleeping 5 hours. 

Skipping classes. 

Not writing papers. 

Finally finishing a paper and sending it in exactly at midnight, the last minute late papers are excepted. 

Much of this week was spent down on Hollywood Blvd. guarding the red carpet. 

           Yes, I walked the red carpet. 

       Yes, I saw it all. 

And yet, something was wrong. 

Watching them put this one event together was quite intriguing and a little disgusting. 

          They closed down the street. 

They had more security then the president. 

    ((300 guards, 200 police, 100 Marines, & the bomb squad)) --guesstimating 

   They spent a quarter of a billion dollars. --not guesstimating 

  And now, it's all over. 

It all seems so pointless.

            I couldn't help but think about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey as all these people rode into a dirty town in fancy cars, in their expensive clothes, to be greeted by the world. 

I started imagining the world covered in a red carpet for Jesus when He comes back a second time. and everyone bowing to HIm. AWESOME!!

As I stood guard tonight, something came over me that was building over the week. 

Anger. 

          It just blew up. 

          I was ticking all week and I didn't even know it. 

    I was angry at the celebrities. 

       I was angry at the production people. 

         I was angry at the general public. 

                                 I was angry at Hollywood. 

                                                             I was angry at it all. 

                               This anger turned to bitterness. 

It seeped. 

It got too deep for comfort. 

                     I  was unsettled. 

I was so mad. 

      I was mad that so much money, time, and life went into this one event. 

           Then I became mad that so much money, time, and life went into Hollywood. 

                 I was made at the lies this town has told. 

              I was mad so many people fall for them--including myself. 

      I was mad how much influence they have on the world. 

       I was especially mad about the money. 

            so many people are hurting in this world. 

     so many people are in desperate need for a meal to survive until tomorrow. 

so many people are broken. 

   

This bitterness started making me vengeful. 

I started to scare myself. 

     That's when I decided I needed to calm down. 

    I began praying. 

        By the end of the night. 

 My heart had changed. 

I no longer felt bitter or angry. 

     I felt sad. 

I felt broken hearted. 

I was shown something tonight that I never thought about. 

                        Hollywood is in trouble. 

They need to see the light. 

They need Jesus. 

             They need to realize their glamor, fame, and money is NOTHING. 

                         They need to see that Christ is ALL. 

               We were all made in the image of God. 

                                 For one town to tell the world what is beautiful and what isn't is wrong.

              They have no authority over me, over you, over anyone. Only our Saviour does. 

Hollywood is a town of beauty and glitz, yet it is so dark. 

It is corrupt. 

It is evil. 

The sin we have brought upon ourselves is clear in this town. 

They (we) have lost sight of truth. 

                  Honestly, Skid Row has more light then Hollywood. 

                                     That mission field seems way easier then Hollywood. 

But really, I realized Hollywood needs missionaries. 

    They need Christians who are strong and won't compromise anything. ((I'm sure there are a few))

They need Love.

                                        They NEED Jesus. 

They need what they came to Tinsel Town looking for=

 They need to fill that gap.

They need to find their hope and joy. 

They need to see it was already bought for them with the blood of our saviour. 

                   My heart is breaking for them. 

And it's not because I wanted it to. 

It's because Christ broke me in order to pray for them. 

This town is not one many people think of when they decide to go live incarnationally.

This isn't a town they think of when they chose to do ministry. 

This isn't a town people think to send missionaries too. 

                                                        This isn't a town people think of when we think of the suffering. 

But they are suffering. 

Just not in the ways we think of. 

Hurting, dejected, poor, broken, afflicted. 

In reality, this town is poor.
They are lacking Christ. 

     They need the CHRISTians as much as Skid Row, Thailand, Haiti, etc. 

    Why is that our hearts break for the suffering in 3rd world countries and not for those suffering in our own backyard? 

       Don't misunderstand me, my heart breaks for the socially, financially, physically, afflicted in underdeveloped countries, but why didn't my heart break for Hollywood until tonight? 

                                                      I may not see their pain physically, but it's there. 

They lack the on thing all in this world desire: Hope, joy, peace.

 They lack Christ. 

It's easy to get caught up in Hollywood. What was the first thing I said when I went on many adventures? Running into Johnny Depp.                             His life is in that town. He is that town. 

This is a huge challenge that lies in front of us, but anything is possible with Christ who strengthens me! 

This town will be tougher to reach then Skid Row or the people of Malawi. 

                   It's in this town that the rejection to the Christian is strong and influential to the world. 

                     I think that's why we as Christians are so afraid to get involved, to try and bring them Jesus. 

    I think we are afraid of rejection. Of people making fun of us. Of our reputation. 

But really, we need to be brave because He is our rock! He is all that matter!

And in the end, all that matters are the choices you made here on earth--did you choose to believe in God, in Christ's blood spilling for you?

                   The land of Hollywood was originally owned by a church. 

       Now it's time we pray for it to be brought back to the kingdom of Christ for His glory. 

                  I pray to see it belong to the church again. 

Please pray with me.