Pain is Gain

Have you ever prayed for a quality, prayed real boldly for it too... but then hope that you didn't have to go through the work for it?? i.e. "Lord, give me patience." Yet under your breath you pray, "Just don't make it hurt, don't let this lesson be a painful one." About 4 weeks ago I prayed for humility, and it the back of my head I hoped it wouldn't hurt. Silly me. As a leader, it's scary to ask for humility, there's a chance that you'll get humbled and look and feel like a fool (like I did this week) to those you are trying to mentor. Be that as it may, I'd hate to lose out on this refining process because of my pride. Much like the Lord promised to refine and purify the Levites, so I must go through the same process. I'll take it Lord.

We are still so busy, so I thought I'd catch you up with our activities, not all of them are work :) We find time to play a little!

Here we are on one of our field trips to downtown for our City in Context class. We have also taken a tour via Lolly the Trolley, done a prayer walk on West 25th and visited the West Side Market.

Some play time at the Indians game to see Thome get entered into the hall of fame and fireworks. We were blessed to have some family and friends in town as well!

Here's our classroom. Right now we have about 13 students and interns taking classes with us.

We have started a partnership with Scranton Road church. Here we are helping them at a health fair- we made over 500 sandwiches for this event and face painted. Through out the course of the semester we will be there weekly, helping them with their after school program. Truly an amazing church with amazing people making a great impact on Cleveland.

Twice a week we go to a school in Cleveland who, for most students, speak another language besides English, so we are mostly helping them to read. It's an incredibly eye-opening experience as we learn about these students and their history.

Here we are helping with the renovations at a church property that has been closed and will now be reopened to house believers in the area with the hope of reaching Cleveland for Christ. We could possibly be living here next semester as well!

The Agora Group has been quick to teach us that a lot of time in ministry, schedules change and we need to be flexible. We have learned to be great time managers, taking advantage of every free moment we get- whether that be to study, write, nap, exercise, eat, play, etc.

Also, with each outreach we are a part of, we want to make it a point to stretch ourselves and share our faith with those around us. We like to hang somewhere between Matthew 25 (meeting physical needs) and Matthew 28 (The Great Commission/meeting spiritual needs and evangelizing).

Lord give us the strength and wisdom to live out our day for you, make our hearts as one who wants to be refined by the fire.
"But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver."
- Malachi 3:2-3

Introducing...!

I'd like to introduce you to The Agora Groups first year of staff and students:

From left to right you have me (female leader and student), Theo (male leader and student), Trinity (student), Josh (student), Brianna (student), Randy Young (founder), Becky Young (founder), and Braylin (student).

The first weekend the students arrived, we took them to Heartland in Columbus for a couple days. Here is a picture of us doing a team building and problem solving course.

When we got back, I took some of the students to East 4th where we had dessert and great conversations!

These students are such a blessing. To sacrifice a year of their life for an abnormal education, a constantly changing schedule and a trip to the jungle shows the heart of these young people. As Randy likes to say, "we hope to ruin these students for the ordinary". May their lives and the lives of those around them never be the same.

Thank you so much for your continued prayer and support.It means so much to have you partner with me!

If you would like to donate, please send a check to The Agora Group at 6310 Hampstead Ave, Parma, OH 44129 and put my name in the memo:)

"Teach me, Lord, the ways of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end"- Psalm 119:33

T- 20 days

Today marks the last day at my old job. Bitter sweet, of course, but there's nothing like moving on to your dream!

Our students will arive in 20 days, there are still a few things that need to be figured out but everything is in God's timing, and He has proven Himself more than faithful.

For the fall we have great outreaches set up, tutoring in schools, possible homeless outreaches, food banks,etc. Anything to show our students that Jesus came as a servant. And we are very much looking forward to our second semester being spent in Peru!!

I've been so blessed by the way God has provided for us. Knowing that He is in control and that this is His will for my life has allowed me not to fret while fund raising.

I've been able to get in some great family and friend time before being full time with Agora, here are some pictures:

4th of July in Michigan with the entire family!

Slip n' slide action:)

Trip to Florida with favorites!!

More trips to visit friends!!

----serve one another in love, Galatians 5

It's Go Time!

Since coming back to God, my prayer has been that He uses my past to bring Him glory and help others. Because of those experiences, God has given me a new passion: seeing our youth follow God and help them figure out His plan for their lives. This takes me to the next phase of my life... a full-time missionary!

This summer will start my adventure with a brand new ministry called The Agora Group. It is an accredited college for freshmen from all different career paths but who have the same desire: to see every Nation come to know God. I'll join them as a Missions Leader as we do outreaches in the Cleveland area and then spend the 2nd semester abroad, reaching Indigenous tribes in the Amazon.

It always amazes me how God designs us to be a certain way with different talents, gifts and desires so that we can do what God has called each of us, specifically, to do. I'm encouraged to see how other Christians serve God, whether it’s by honoring His call on their life to minister to family, community, the church, the homeless, the widows and orphans, the forgotten, etc. Truly we make up the body of Christ!

I'm also so grateful for a Savior whose grace is endless and whose love has the power to redeem. I'm humbled to take this verse as my own: Philippians 1:6 "He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ". Amen and Amen :)

For more information on The Agora Group please go to www.theagoragroup.org

If you’d like to make a donation to my fund-raising goal of $1,000/month then please make checks out to The Agora Group and put my name in the memo line and send them to:
The Agora Group
6310 Hampstead Ave
Parma, OH 44129

Lovin' that fall!

Fall has been hectic and wonderful as usual.

Here's what's happened so far:

A group of us went square dancing and on hayrides to celebrate a friends birthday. Great night!!!


Costume party :)


Favorite night, sibs night. We had a ginger bread competition- on the left you have Lis and Trav with their PERFECT manger scene. Next is Steve and I with our Frank Lloyd Wright Falling Water House. Finally you have Laur and Mike with the ever so traditional Log Cabin. They won and we are all salty.

God has been so good and faithful over the years. Each year on Thanksgiving we state 3 things we are thankful for in these categories: physical, material and spiritual. So physically I'm thankful for running the half marathon. The training and actual race taught me a lot of discipline and it felt like a great accomplishment when it was over. Materially I'm grateful for the car I received in February and also the opportunity to work a second job so I was able to pay off large amounts of debt!! And spiritually God has shown me so much this year and I've been able to grow and share my testimony. I'm excited to do more of that and excited to see where God takes us next year.

I've been reading on Moses and frankly, he's the man. I want his words in Exodus 33:15 to be my prayer, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here." Dear God, all I need is your presence.

Summer Happenings!

Summer was amazing. Easily my favorite summer yet. So blessed to share it with so many truly wonderful friends and a loving family!

This lil scooter finally sold! Here my parents are giving it one last hoorah :)


Lis and I kayaking in Indiana with friends and family. Life is good.

Sarah and I getting ready to take on the giant mud pit in Chicago!

Hit up a few Indians game this summer :)

family breakfast...chaotic and wonderful

My friends surprised me by taking me out to eat down town for my 25th birthday!



I have been given the opportunity to share my testimony to 2 youth groups as well. That is huge for me because I hate public speaking! But God has stretched and strengthend me and has caused me to dive deeper into His Word- which is full of more goodness than I remembered from reading it back in Missionettes!

I took some great trips around the Mid West this summer, but my favorite of all was going to Chicago with my sister Lisa and her sis-in-law Brooke. We had a great time wandering around the city- and most of all... seeing Beth Moore live! We left feeling completely refreshed and ready to show kindness to any bystander.

I will never underestimate the power of God and the impact He has on a persons heart, life and those around who are watching. This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!

To the Kokomo Team

Dear Y.W.A.V,

Solely because of your group and your loving kindness I have completely fallen in love with the city of Kokomo. If the rest of the people there are anything like your group, then Kokomo is an incredibly rich and blessed town. Part of me wants to move there to hang on to the memories of Guatemala and to continue to serve along side of all of you! Thanks again for including me- I felt like everyones daughter, sister, and sometimes mama bear :)

If I may, I'd like to give a personal yet public shout out to each of you individually:

Brent- I appreciate you as our fearless leader, who put up with days where you felt terrible and also when you were at your best as far as being in Guatemala goes. Besides the first day where you tried to stick me in a room seperated from the team, you made me feel part of the group and I am so grateful! I enjoyed all your antidotes, your silly song shout outs regarding waterfalls, and opening up to us about how if you were a vegetable, you would be a green bean. I feel extremely close to my brother in law now that i've spent 2 full weeks with you and you remind me of him! Much love to you and Addy and I wish you both a lifetime of Cilantro and limes!

Addy- I loved getting to know you and your hippy ways. It was awesome to see you lead kids time in Spanish and also lead the girls from the team. Right away it was clear to see how much they respect you and it's obvious why. Can't help but notice that you are fun, flexible and relatable- all great traits for someone who serves along side her husband while working with teenagers! If I lived in Kokomo, I'd insist we'd be friends- I'll settle for long distance buddies though. P.s. is your butt bruised at all from the teeter-totter? Keep up your great posture- Lots of love lady!

Kent- Everyone knows that I'm going to say something about you and babies. You are good with babies :) But besides touching every little baby that you held, you also touched so many of the workers in the baby house and every house you went to. Your willingness to serve in the unpopular areas was noticed and I'm blessed to have met you. If I ever have a baby- I would trust him in your most capable hands, you baby whisperer!

Jamie- For a while I thought you said inappropriate things, turns out I just misunderstood- what a relief! Painting with you was great, you are a great delegator and supervisor. I am so glad that you went back to work yesterday. God is truly a God that provides!

Jen- We had some great conversations in those small rooms with lots of paint fumes and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I loved hearing you talk about your children, you were so full of pride. I'm also so impressed with how you and Jamie adopted Nathan into your family. If only more people had your heart, the world would be a much better place!

Becca Smith- Always remember that a happy hand is a good hand. For Christmas I am going to cross stitch that on a pillow for you so that you'll never forget :) What can I say Becca, I love you lots! You are so caring and considerate of other peoples feelings. Always one to do the jobs nobody else wants to do and such a lover! I loved climbing down to the waterfall with you and making tons and tons of memories!

Shannon- You are so sweet and wonderful! I loved painting with you and working with you in the garden. You had a great attitude, I don't think I ever heard you complain. I was so sad I didn't get to say goodbye to you- but I plan on seeing you again in July! Enjoy your summer!

Kayla Price- If I had to go into a place where I needed to meet a bunch of new people... I would take you with me! It was so great watching you meet new people, talk Karin's ear off in our room and work your spanish while talking to the older girls. Some of it was funny (if we are being honest, some of your questions WERE funny, i think you know that ;) ), but other times it was really touching to see how much you care for other people- to make them feel welcome and to genuinely want to get to know them. We could all take a page out of your book and get to know our neighbors!

MK- I loved hearing about your trip to the waterfall and how you were hugging that tree with all your might! You always had such a positive attitude with every job you were doing and you took such good care of your fellow room mates- I know you gave me ear plugs when someone (I forget who) was snoring and when someone else was all congested. It was so great to get to know you! You are a gem!

Angelina- I honestly loved to come in to the room and find you sitting in a chair by the window just taking in all of Guatemala. I think it says a lot about your personality that you like to meditate on what God has done and don't want to miss the quiet moments. I enjoyed you so much Angelina and I'm sorry for the one day you were taking a nap and I came in the room and acted like I had the place to myself! My bad :)

Gracie- It was great to hear you share about the trip, I loved how you found the most random person to love and appreciate (the woman who mopped the floors after us). When you recognize and notice people that other may have over looked, you truly are seeing people through God's eyes. How awesome! I was also glad to hear that even though you were afraid of heights, you still agreed to climb down to the waterfall- what an experience! Proud of you!

Josh- In some areas you really put yourself out there and were stretched- I couldn't be more surprised each time you volunteered for the baby house! I can't wait for the day where you get really really hungry and realize food is your friend and you try all sorts of new foods such as potatoes, apples, meat and other staples :) I kid, but for real- I was really impressed with your willingness, keep it up! p.s. keep on working on those euchre skills too!

Drew- You were another one that surprised me for volunteering in the baby house that morning. I remember one day I was in there with you and you had Louis and he was fussy and it didn't phase you in the slightest. You requested (demanded?) a bottle for the boy, patted him on his belly and back until he calmed down and then gave him his bottle. You were completely confident and it showed! What a shock coming from someone who only 2 weeks ago had such trouble changing a diaper. Very very impressive!

Ryan- I didn't see you much buddy which means that you were working hard!The time I did get to spend with you I enjoyed quite a bit. It was great to hear you share at devo time and I was really blessed by your willingness to work and be used by God. And GREAT GREAT GREAT job at the soccer games!

Nick- What was cool about you was that you treated everyone equally- and by that I mean whether you were playing a little kid in card games or an adult, you showed no mercy equally. I watched as you stole cards and fruit from little Maya while we played spoons and I thought... "that right there is an equal rights kind of guy". Ha but in all honesty, you were a good worker and flexible and it was great to see you grow and be stretched!

Lamb Chops- I had a great time making you feel uncomfortable, thanks for being a team player. And thanks for volunteering for the baby house with my gentle prodding. You were a lot of fun to be around and I loved all the things on your list to do this summer. I was really really really proud of you playing soccer with the rest of the locals, you are very talented. Keep up the good work and I hope to point hair dryers at cars with you and Bootsie when I get to Kokomo :)

Kayla Howard aka Big Spoon- Lady you spoiled me this trip! Both with your thoughtful gifts and your words- I was so blessed by you! You are such a lover and so generous and you wear your heart right on your sleeve for all to see. You have so much to give and I'm so glad God has given you such a strong passion for the people of Guatemala- you will be so useful there! Maybe when I visit kokomo we can have crackers and chiz??? Remember: Guard your heart ;)love you!

Mel- I said it before, I'll say it again... You are small but mighty! There is so much to you, so much strength and knowledge and gratefulness in your heart, it is a privilege to have gotten to know you! You were such a tough cookie going down to the waterfall- up for any adventure! Love you like a sister and I hope to see you when I'm in town!!

Bootsie- you so crazy! Haha I love your enthusiasm for life! You were so refreshing to be around, you made me laugh so much. I loved trying to dodge people so we can just have a few moments to pepper (don't get pepper in your eye-josh). Your list of things to do this summer is hilarious and I hope you get to accomplish every single one of them- even building a raft and floating it in the lake that Kokomo doesn't have! Make sure that years down the road, you find me once you have kids so I can see you be a crazy mama. I also loved when you got serious and I saw your softer sweeter side when you shared about holding the little 5 year old boy and how you thought of your brother. Theres a lot to you Boots, don't ever change! love you like
a Guatemalan loves soccer ;) (a lot a lot).

Resey Cup- Oh Resey Cup Resey Cup I love youuuuuu! Reese you really touched me. I didn't know what to expect from you when we sat on the bus from the airport to the orphanage and we didn't talk at all. But you knocked my socks off! So loving and sweet and caring. I see so much Jesus in you it takes my breath away sometimes. I'm also so impressed with you and how you've handled yourself as a young woman of God. What an example you are! Love you so much!!

Pam Pam- There was such a noticeable difference when you and Dave had to leave! Tons of my favorite memories are with you in them and I'll remember them forever. I loved how you took charge going down to the waterfall- clearing the way for the rest of the group, completely fearless! Seeing you in the baby house was such a treat. You were so good with the babies and showed them so much love. I loved getting to know you better and having really great talks and bonding over how similar we are and how we love the same way. You are a treasure and always so positive- You are like a close sister to me- love you tons!

Dave- I knew I was going to like you when Pam introduced us and you said "Hi Linny Honey" :) By far, I have never even come close to laughing so hard in my entire life like I did when you tripped and landed sprawled out in Tony's garden bed on the way to the waterfall. It was a pleasure to laugh with you and cry next to you at devotionals and just be touched by your presence in the childrens, staffs (espeically those kitchen ladies) and team members lives. You have a servants heart and you clearly love to love. All the best to you and Pam!

Case- Something that was really touching was how much you shared during devotionals. There was one day where you talked about affirmation and the very next day you were out there affirming the kids, playing with their hair, picking them up, and getting in the poopy water with them. Another great thing was that you didn't show favorites... while the rest of us maybe preferred one kid over another, or one age group over another, you spread yourself out to all the kids and made it a point to get to know everyone- including all the workers and even the members from other teams. You were a great example to everyone who saw you; and I think all of us will forever look at the lyrics to Hosanna and Inside Out a little differently. Thank you.

Becca- Oh Becca my Becca. Lis did neither of us justice when she told us about each other. All she said was keep BOOM an eye out for Becca, you'll like her. What a fool! I love you! You were easily one of the favorite BOOM parts of my trip. Every moment I picture of us singing, gardening, crying, laughing, showering, hugging, confiding, BOOM eating, and sharing with you is easily a favorite memory. You are such BOOM a strong, positive and caring person with a huge heart! God BOOM is going to do so many great things through BOOM you and I'm so honored to know you. Love you with all my heart and our friendship has only just begun ;) BOOM.


Lots of love to you all and thank you so much for making the trip so special!

lin