garments & oaks

A few years ago when I was teaching third grade one of my students approached me. We’ll call her Sally.

• Sally: Miss Quimba, you know, I think you’d be a great Canadian*.
• Miss Quimba:  Really?  Why do you think that?
• Sally: Well, you’re really nice and good and you help people.
• Miss Quimba:  Well, that is very kind of you but I already have my own country**.
• Sally: Are you sure?  Because you’d fit right in Canada***.  You’d be really good at being Canadian*.

Before you go ahead and tell me I actually live in Crazy Town here’s a helpful key:

*a person belonging to a specific religion

**faith and church

***that specific religion Sally wanted me to join

I was struck by a few things:

1. that it was pretty bold/sweet/cute of this tiny third grader to just up and talk about her religion and tell me I should be a part of it.
2. that all she thought it took was me being a nice/good/helpful person to join it.
3. that even when I told her I had my own faith and church she still was skeptical and tried one more time to change my mind.

I still think about that exchange. (Obviously…since I’m writing about it). I remember it often when I hear something like the following from the mouth of a follower of Jesus Christ:

“That Barbara, she has such a great platform and doing such great things….she would be such an amazing Christian.”

“Oh, he’s such a good guy…I would love to see Jimmy become a Christian.”

I think I get what people are trying to say here.  Okay, so, I actually used to say phrases like that all the time. I used to pinpoint all these people around me who weren’t believers and think what a great influence they had on others and what if they could just become a Christian and lead the way.  Or I would look around and see all of these really wonderful people who, man, if they only knew Jesus…

1. “She has such a great platform and doing great things…” It makes me question, why do we want influential, ethical, moral people to become Christian?  Is it because they have a voice in the room and that voice could be talking about Jesus and reach more people? And that makes their invitation more vital?

2. “He’s such a good guy…” Is that because “good” people already have a “leg up” on the path to living for Jesus?  Or because ‘”good” people deserve a Christian life?

It comes from a lovely place…desiring that they would use their good influence to further the work of God for His Kingdom.  But, it’s so much more than that.

Everyone, EVERYONE, deserves to know the deep love of God.  Anyone, ANYONE, can be changed, shaped, molded by Him. And it can happen in a moment.

My third grade student saw in me what was needed for her religion.  I can’t begin to express my gratefulness that God didn’t need anything when I turned my life over to Him.  He just wanted me.  I know it’s only through and because of that love that I do anything remotely worth noticing.  He makes me who I am.  At church last Sunday, I wrote down these words said by one of our pastors: “The ground at the foot of the cross is level.”

Really, the point of this is just to say, that every person may come just as they are to Jesus.  I want to step away from any idea that some people are better fit the Christian identity. I want to have faith that in Christ anything is possible, especially when it comes to His redeeming love transforming lives.  I want to believe that Sauls can still become Pauls.

Today is my birthday.  It’s the first time I’ve celebrated my birthday on my actual date of birth with my family in 13 years.  I’ve always been away at college,  finishing school before I sent all those crazy third graders to their parents for Christmas break, or living in Washington, D.C.  It’s been a special day starting with sitting next to my brother at church, a quiet dinner with my family, and now watching a delayed Seahawks’ game.

I feel like my birthdays haven’t really been special because I’m turning a year older.  They’re special because of the people who gathered around me, blessed me, reminded me of my of my value, and pointed me towards Jesus.

A few of my favorite birthday memories and presents through the years…

1. I think I was turning 7 years old and I basically invited the whole Filipino church to my house for my birthday.  I’m pretty sure it turned into a potluck.  My favorite gift was a stuffed white cat.

2. My least favorite present that year was when I opened up a gift that contained pajamas and underwear and I was so embarrassed.

3. I got a new bike for my 11th birthday.  I was pretty excited because the artistic swirls on my bike seat looked like a Jesus fish.  I also brought apples to my 5th grade class for my birthday treat.  My idea.  And looking back it was a terrible one.

4. I received a Letterman’s Jacket for my 16th birthday.  It’s still hanging in a closet in my parent’s house.  I remembered being shocked to get one and so appreciative about my parents adding my volleyball number, 21, to one of the sleeves.  For some reason, that detail meant a lot to me.

5. In college, my freshman year, my friend Kenton gave me a panda bear for my 19th birthday.  My friend Kevin had a matching one.  We named them “Hey You” and “What’s Up?”.  I’m not sure which one I have and I don’t remember what super funny inside joke caused those names to be created but, that panda bear is still around too.

6. My junior year of college, I turned 21.  Sometime in February,  my roommates kidnapped me, blind folded me, and was driven to an unknown destination.  When we arrived, I was unblindfolded and saw a parking lot full of friends from every social circle I was a part of (oh, you know those existed) and was stunned.  My friend, Mandy, had been gone for my real birthday and organized the whole thing.  It was pretty amazing to see people sitting around tables that most likely would not have mingled otherwise.

7. Since then, I’ve come to understand and embrace my introverted ways.  I have been thankful for many small gatherings for brunches or dinners through my twenties.  

8. However, my 25th birthday was definitely a highlight.  My friend and roommate Sarah planned the whole day.  We had a tie-dying party as one of the events.  And my friends Jeff and Marc bought me a Magna-Doodle.  So, it was actually a birthday for a 5 year old.

9. My students over the years have colored me the most wonderful pictures and written me the most hilarious notes for my birthday.  One student in a note wrote to me: “I made sure my mom didn’t buy you pink socks.”  He (his mom) ended up getting me a Starbucks gift card.

10. I have loved homemade gifts over the years.  My friend Anna sewed a personalized rag blanket for me.  She had made one for everyone in her family and took the time to make one for me too.  Her daughter, Payton, almost let the cat out of the bag but I didn’t notice.  I cried.  I brought it to DC with me and it was my designated football watching blanket.

11.  My IJM intern friends surprised me a couple years ago with a yearbook of sorts of our cohort.  Each page filled with such kind words that still bless me when I read it.  I have it in my office drawer at work.  They may not realize it, but knowing them set a career path towards working in higher education.  And, here I am coaching college students professionally.

12. My work mug is teal and has a bicycle on it.  A pink heart floats up from one of the tires.  My friend Katie gave it to me for my birthday a few years back.  It has been filled with coffee several times over.  It’s followed me from a teacher desk in Kuna, Idaho, to a cubicle at International Justice Mission, to a teacher desk in Maryland, and currently, to a cubicle in Portland, OR.

13. Last year I spent my birthday with my roommates Kelli and Brittany.  They made the day so special for me.  From sweet notes left on the front door to a wonderful dinner to a surprise dessert at home.  It was a big number birthday and they did everything to make it simple but full for me.

I’m especially conscious on birthdays of the thoughtfulness, generosity, and selflessness of others.  God has blessed me with a life full of people who encourage me to truly live. I really can’t ask for more than that.

So.  I’m just going to put it out there.

Something really really sad happened in my life recently.  And since it involves the privacy of other people I can’t really go into detail about it publicly.  I know many people do know about the situation and I would appreciate no mention of the details in comments and such.

I recently wrote this to one of my best friends and I think it summarizes where my mind has been.

“Well. This has been a challenging season of life.  I’m trying to move from questioning and doubt to asking and responding.  I’m trying to make amends with how I feel about this happening and continuing to happen to [names removed]…people who have faithfully served God and his people their whole lives.  I’m learning more about the suffering of Christ and the suffering of his faithful servants…and if I’m perfectly honest, in this season it just really makes me uncomfortable and sometimes angry.  I know the truth….I know what is truth.  I’m just having a hard time letting it saturate my life right now.”

My heart knows a sadness that it has never understood before.  Even though I’m nearly two months removed from the event I still have moments when I really…just…cry.  The pain that I’ve gone through has seemed to swallow me up and hide me away.

I could choose to make this post about suffering but too many “whys” keep popping up.  I’ll save those for my prayers.  This is a post about a conscious decision I made.

A few days after I wrote the above to my friend, I woke up and decided not to be sad.  Maybe I was tired of it or maybe because the teachings on Sunday were challenging or the scripture I have been pouring over have filled my soul.  Maybe all three.  I still feel sad.  There is something about this situation that is forever, on earth, a sad thing.  But I am not sad.

Then there’s the thing about truth.  I know truth…I know what truth is.  If I’m being honest, an I am right now, sometimes truth is like it’s just floating around.  I acknowledge that it’s there and yes, God is good, and yes, He is faithful, and yes, He loves me, and yes, He has a plan, and yes, and yes, and yes, yes. yes.  It wasn’t enough that truth was around.

I decided to reach up, grab truth and have a confrontation with it face to face.  Well, when I did that I found Jesus.  I looked at what was real in my life…I let Him look at it too.   I don’t know how it was communicated but He let me know he was sad too.  He told me to believe. To not be afraid. To have courage.

Because of Jesus…the truth is:

• We are not forgotten.
• We are loved.
• We have been redeemed.
• We are valuable.
• I am an instrument of peace.
• I have a song sung over me.
• I have gifts and abilities.
• I have been asked to give my life away
• Jesus has made me who I am
• He has overcome
• He has won
• He has won
• He has won

So I’m not going to hide anymore.  I’m going to have a conversation and get triggered by words my friends and strangers say.  Then reach out and grab truth.  I’m going to get on social media and see pictures that make me cry. Then reach out and grab truth.  I’m going to get lost in my human thoughts and feel angry, frustrated, and sad.  Then reach out and grab truth.

His truth, His Word. His scripture is important, it’s a precious gift.  His promises, His story, my story…so thankful for the Bible.

I want His truth to lead me, protect me, and daily save me.  I have two requests I’m asking the Lord in the morning when I read the Bible:

• God, help me to accept your truth today.
• God, show me what I can do with your truth today.

I’ve done it the last couple mornings and  joy has started to bubble up again.  It’ll be day by day but His promises are true for every one of them.

Whoa. It’s been almost a year since I last posted.  I had a Macbook crash on me (after 7 years, it had a good run) and adopted a Chromebook into my life a couple months ago.  So. Figure it’s time to write again.  But, a whole year is a lot to cover so I decided to write a list of highlights.  But how many?  I sought out help from my best friend, Katie.

I’m happy she didn’t pick the number 2 or the number 86.  So, here is a list of 37 highlights from September 30, 2012 to September 20, 2013. Not necessarily in order.

1. I lived .9 miles away from the Capitol Building of the United States of America.
2. Baked and Wired offered me the best strawberry cupcake I have ever eaten in my life.
3. I played charades with a blanket over my head for an audience. It was hilarious and terrifying.
4. I watched the Seahawks beat the Packers with my two roommates who are also Seahawks fans. We were loud and proud.  Then we watched them beat the Redskins.  We were louder and prouder.
5. Autumn in DC is gorgeous.
6. For my roommate’s birthday, we watched an opera on the baseball field where the Nationals play.
7. I went to a great coffee place on Capitol Hill, Peregrine, with my roommate, Brittany, every Sunday morning.
8. My friend Matt Chitwood came back for a visit and we toured the National Cathedral.
9. My friends Hannah and John got married.  I love them.
10. We had a Hurricane/SuperStorm/Storm Sandy roar through DC.  It was a lot of wind and rain.  We, my roommates and I, mostly just didn’t have to go to work and watched Downtown Abbey.
11. Oh, yeah…my roommates! Brittany, Kelli, sometimes Kirsten. Those girls were God’s grace to me.  I loved living with them and treasure their friendships.
12. One of my best friends, Sarah Walker, came to visit me for a few days and we laughed and laughed.  Not unusual.  But we were around historical monuments so I think it’s worth mentioning.
13. I could have eaten at Pho 14 every day of my life.
14. My roommates gave me the best Birthday Day I could have ever imagined.  I really miss them.
15. I loved continuing to attend Church of the Advent. My small group community became really great friends to me.
16. I played football on the lawn of the National Mall with some of these great friends.  It was so cool to see the Washington Monument on one end, the Capitol on the other, and then great Smithsonian Castle and museums lining the sides.
17. My students and I turned our classroom into Viking World complete with a cardboard Viking longship that took up the whole room.
18. I went on a personal retreat to a sleepy town on the ocean called Hampton, VA.  It was my first time touching the Atlantic.
19. I baked a four layer cake for an Easter celebration.
20. Church of the Advent hosts one of the most amazing Easter Vigils.  I’m already sad I wont be there for next year’s vigil.
21. My friends host great parties.  From Friendsgiving to Fairmont Christmas to small gatherings on decks…we really knew how to have fun together.
22. International Justice MIssion’s Global Prayer Gathering was again beautiful and miraculous.  I plan on going back for that in 2014.
23. I made it down to the Tidal Basin during the height of the Cherry Blossoms.  The Tidal Basin is lined with cherry trees.  The wind swept the blossoms all around and they landed in my hair.  Dream come true.
24. My best friend Katie and her husband had a bitty little boy named Gatlin.  I cried when I received a text that he had been born.
25. One of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning, passed away in the last year.  This except from The Ragamuffin Gospel helped changed my relationship with God. “My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.”
26. One night at small group we had a Meat-Loaf off.  It was amazing.  So much meatloaf and I just love my friends.
27. Over Memorial Weekend I ventured to the Outerbanks of North Carolina with about 30 of my friends.  We rented a gigantic house and played on the beach, played volleyball on the sand court, did puzzles, ate great food, danced into the night, and enjoyed each other’s company.
28. I finished my 8 year teaching career.  For now.  We’ll see.
29. My friends Stuart and Amaris got married.  I love them too.
30. A little baby girl named Claire stole my heart and I miss her.  And her parents.  And her parents’ friends. Who are also my friends.
31. I learned some good lessons about relationships this year.
32. I am thankful to know some incredibly wonderful women in DC who talked with me and supported me.
33. I am thankful to know some extremely good men in DC who made me laugh and cared for me well.
34. I decided to move back to my hometown of Portland, OR to go back to school and get a certificate in Transformational Coaching and to be closer to my family.
35. My friend, Sarah Moore, did the cross country road trip with me. We hit Nashville, Kansas City, Denver, and Boise along the way.  It was so good.
36. As of a week ago, I am employed.  I start work in a couple days.  I am so excited to be working again!
37. I am confident I have found a church to attend.  It’s called Solid Rock.

So, there you go! One year, 37 highlights. I should also add that I am really happy living in Portland. God’s timing was perfect for me to make this move.

Almost two months in and this is the first anyone has heard from me. Well not anyone. But this blog anyway. I decided I want to keep writing here as I’m still trying to be faithful living in DC. I need an outlet and maybe, just maybe, this is a public cry to keep me in your prayers.

Moving and transitioning to DC this time has been pretty difficult.

My job has been provided for by God. One of my earlier posts is a reminder every day on how God orchestrated me coming back to DC. But it’s difficult being a teacher again. I’m having a harder time transitioning back than I anticipated. For a few reasons. And this is beyond just the amount of work I’m doing preparing and creating lessons. That was a given. I realize how much I depended on my reputation as a teacher working in the same district for 6 years. This has been humbling as I’m desperate for God’s help in this season. I know what I am capable to do as a teacher but am not able to reach that point because I haven’t mastered the little things working in a new school environment and culture. And. I just want to be a good teacher! The transition to private school has been weirdly difficult. I’m trying to be patient and know these things take time. But it’s hard to make that okay when I know I only have one shot with these kiddos and I want it to be the best I can do and my “normal” best isn’t up to par. When I finally chill out from my mental freaking out I manage to remember that my best is really pleasing God and glorifying Him with my day. But it’s hard. This whole paragraph is a daily routine right now and it’s exhausting.

Also. I really miss my friends back home in Idaho and Portland. I also miss chai lattes and almond lattes from Flying M. Idaho sunsets. Idaho pace of life. Wider traffic lanes. People who follow the speed limit and not exceed it by 25 mph. My third grade teaching team. Crossroads. The cost of living.

But, God has proven to be faithful. I LOVE my two roommates! God has blessed me tremendously with these two fine ladies to live life with. I also have wonderful friends at church still. I also am thankful to be living in a part of the city where a lot of IJM folks live. It’s been fun still being invited to hang outs and parties and maintaining those relationships.

There feels to be a question mark over my time in DC right now but I’m trying to believe and praying that God has some sort of other punctuation coming over the clouds soon.

I really appreciate all of you who read my blog and either called or texted me.  I’m sorry I have not personally responded to most of those but I can assure you from the bottom of my heart that it meant the WORLD to me to know how supportive my friends and family are about my faith journey.

A few things to be mindful of on my behalf…

1. My last day at IJM is tomorrow and I’m really, so sad to be leaving this organization. Please pray for me as I say my goodbyes.  It’s hard for me to describe how honored I am to have worked for this organization.  I hope that a lot of you will continue following this great organization by Liking them on Facebook or subscribing as a Prayer Partner.

2. I have a second interview at a Christian school in DC this Friday at 9am EST. Please pray that I would have peace and clarity through those interviews and God would give me wisdom on whether to accept the position or not.

3.  I don’t really know how to say goodbye to my friends here.  Will I see them again?  I’m not sure.  It’s quite unsettling.  I fly out at 3pm EST on Monday the 21st.

4. I’ll be in Idaho a week from today! I hope to see a lot of you at church or around town.  I’m SO looking forward to the time there.  Please message me if you want to get together!  I’ll be there for a couple weeks.  Which.  I should probably work on finding a place to stay. Ha! 🙂

5. Thanks again for journeying with me through one of the most formative years of my life. I can’t thank God enough for the privilege of knowing so many people who dearly love and cherish me.

Recently, a colleague at IJM asked me what I considered to be the most critical process teachers needed to establish in their classrooms to set their students up for a successful school year.  Classroom management is always my knee-jerk answer.  Trust me, I can go on and on about why I think establishing classroom procedures and expectations non-stop for 2-3 weeks of the beginning of the school year is the most critical thing to do.  However, even classroom management won’t solve the problems of the day if my students don’t trust me.

Every year on the first day of school I make two promises to my students within the first three hours of school.

1. I promise that I will never compare you to anyone else.
2. I promise that there is nothing you can do to make me not like you.

Whether they recognize it or not, I believe every child desires to matter and to be known for what makes them so uniquely wonderful.  Nothing destroys that better than an ill-mentioned comparison.   If children are constantly worrying about how they size up to someone else they move farther and farther away from who they should be and closer and closer to becoming someone else. 

Some of you are reading that second promise and thinking, “Seriously?  You make that promise?”  My honest answer to that response is that I must make that promise and only have the ability to do so because I have a Savior who promises me that every day.  If Jesus can tell me that He loves me unconditionally when I don’t deserve it, certainly I can restore hope in a child who has let me down.

I hope by making those two promises that my students will learn to trust me.  I hope that they will feel safe in my classroom.  I pray that I don’t, in turn, let them down.

This week I realized how crazy it is that my students have trusted me.  It is literally crazy to me that they make it through a whole school year trusting me and do not fall to pieces with anguish, frustration, or annoyance. 

Because, frankly, trusting God is painful, desperate, and agonizing.  I told Him so last weekend.  Like, multiple times I told Him that trusting Him is, as I like to say, “the worst.”  Please don’t misunderstand me, I have never been more convinced in my life that God is trustworthy.  The fact that God is trustworthy is not something I question anymore.  But, yeesh, the actual trusting Him part is just hard because I am so human.

Here’s why trusting God is painful:

I have so loved my 10 years in Idaho and the decision to not come back, breaks my heart.

After over a month of deliberation, and tear-filled prayers, I am responding to God’s call…which is to follow Him out of Idaho.  Generally, I feel like I’m usually called to something.  Like I was called to IJM which is why I left teaching for a year.  That’s not the case here.  I don’t know what’s next.  I don’t have a stable job.  I don’t know where I’m going to live.  I have no idea.  I just know I’m not to go back to Idaho. 

Here’s what I do know.  I want to pursue justice.  I want to develop leaders.  I believe in the promise of the meaning of my name: Jolleen, He will increase.  I believe God will increase His Kingdom through me.  And I want to do that.  I feel very strongly about pursuing Leadership Coaching soon and perhaps Higher Education in the future.  I will be pursuing job opportunities in DC and in Portland, Oregon.  I’m looking for teaching positions, education program manager positions, or training/coaching specialist positions in both places.  DC because I have community here and can stay close to the work of IJM and Portland because it’d be great to be close to my family for the first time in ten years.  Basically, where I get a job is where I’ll go. 

I’ve given my verbal resignation to the Kuna School District.  Just this week I sent in my formal letter of resignation.  My colleagues and administrators know.  They’ve been very supportive and excited for what’s to come for me.  It’s been a privilege to work with some of the finest teachers, administrators, and staff in the state of Idaho.  I have dear friends I’ve made in my six years there that I’ll miss working with every day.  I’m so thankful for the opportunities the district has provided me to become the teacher I am today. 

I’m leaving a church family that gave me courage to get my ankles wet and turn my palms down, was a refuge in my darkest times, rejoiced with me in successes, developed me into a worship leader, allowed me to walk alongside their young people, and sacrificed in order that God’s love of justice could be communicated to children and their teachers and Sunday school leaders all over the country.  Thank you, Crossroads Community Church. 

And my friends.  I’m not even sure I know what to even write in this space.  Friends who laugh with me, laugh at me, and watch me laugh at nothing.  Friends who love Harry Potter.  Friends who play freestyle bocce ball on beautiful sunny days in Hyde Park.  Friends who understand when “I’m done” for the night and don’t take offense…they just know.  Friends that sit and drink coffee with me for hours at Flying M.  Friends that have let me sob in front of them.  Friends that have prayed over me.  Friends that have trusted me.  Friends that are best friends.  I can’t imagine life without you and I’m thankful that I don’t have to.  I love you all.

Leaving all this in God’s hand, trusting Him with a future so unknown…I’ve never felt so desperate.

Yet, the above is also why it’s exhilarating to trust God. 

Out of this obedience, with this open life and heart, what will He do?  I don’t know but He will do something.  It’s what makes the pain of trusting worth it.  I don’t know where I’d rather be than where I am right now.  I pray my faith increases as I put my trust Him. I pray my faith increases as my belief turns into action.  I pray that faith and trust is reflected in my decisions and choices. 

I think of my students who trusted me.  They trusted that I would teach them what they needed to learn.  They trusted that I’d lead them somewhere safe as they fell into line behind me.  They trusted that I would show up the next day. These children had faith in me.  They believed I’d do what would be right for them and they followed me, they acted on their trust. The faith of children.

And that’s where I am, friends.  I trust Him because He has promised to be trustworthy and proven Himself to be faithful.

If you didn’t read my last blog, I’m continuing to work for IJM as a temp in the Student Mobilization department until May 17^th.  I’ll hop on a plane to Portland on the 21^st, drive to Nampa on the 22^nd and attend a graduation on 23^rd and celebrate some marriages through June 5th.  So I’ll be in Idaho for at least a couple weeks then and then another time in August. Thanks for joining me on this journey.  I would still appreciate your prayers for God’s provision: financially, job, etc.  Thank you!

1. Sometimes riding the bus is awful. Sometimes, the conversations I overhear when I ride the bus make it worth it.

2. When you live in DC everything is called “National”. Such as, The National Cherry Blossom Festival. The National Pillow Fight (which I missed and TOTALLY was sad about it). And National Kite Day (FUN! I LOVE KITES!).

3. IJM’s Global Prayer Gathering…it was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve even been a part of. I sat in a room with 1,000 people who paid their way to join us for a whole weekend just to pray for God’s work of justice. Amazing. I’m going to do everything I can do make it every year.

4. I attended my first Easter Vigil the evening before Easter. It was a beautiful service. Out of the darkest night we ended up celebrating with bells and singing! Just so wonderful.

5. This morning I witnessed a table of parents with little boys and girls. One little girl got awfully sad and started crying and next to her, a little boy who was just watching her carefully, burst into tears himself. He put his hand on her head. She pulled away. My heart melted. I totally know how he felt.

6. Tomorrow is my last offical day as a Education Fellow at International Justice Mission.

7. Tuesday is my first day as a temporary Student Mobilization Project Assistant! AHHHH! I don’t have to be sad about leaving IJM just yet and I will get PAID for my work the next three weeks! Praise God for this for so many reasons but He’s totally provided in a way I wouldn’t have dreamed of. I just signed the offer papers on Friday.  YAY!

8. May 21st. I get on a plane in Baltimore and arrive in Portland.

9. To be continued.

A week ago I stood nervously in the elevator of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.  I was on my way up to meet with a legislative assistant from Senator Risch’s office.  I had my talking points in hand and super professional business suit on.  A colleague of mine from IJM came with me.  I was about to ask Senator Risch to co-sponsor two very important pieces of anti-trafficking legislation.  One, the reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and two, the End Trafficking in Government Contracting Act.  We were greeted by the aid and lead into a meeting room.  Walking across the deep blue, plush carpet I sat down at an imposing table.  Then I remembered the stack of IJM Advocacy Cards that were signed by hundreds of Idahoans that were in the bag next to me.  I wasn’t the only one who cared these issues. YOU CARED!  And you signed those cards proving it!  I went through the cards and saw my best friends’ names, friends from church, and favorite baristas names from Flying M among hundreds of others.  Having those cards gave me the courage to speak with confidence that anti-trafficking legislation is important to constituents in Idaho.  My favorite moment of the meetings was when I stated that Idahoans cared about these issues and then plunked down a 6 inch stack of advocacy cards on the table in front of them.  One staffer even smiled and said, “Nice touch saving those for the end.”  It actually was a thrilling experience to meet with staffers from Senator Risch and Crapo’s offices, as well as Congressman Labrador’s office.  I had positive feedback from one staffer and neutral feedback from the other two so please pray that they’ll jump on board with co-sponsoring these bills!

 In the same way, IJM is hoping to bring to President Obama 72,000 letters from Americans who are standing up for freedom.  As of today, we’re only 3,000 signatures away from our goal!  Please, please, please, take one minute to sign your name!  We want our Government Relations team to go boldly and confidently to the White House!  Will you sign?

Jesus! I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
  Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For, by Thy transforming power,
  Thou hast made me whole.

Jesus! I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
    Of Thy loving heart.

Oh, how great Thy loving kindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea:
Oh, how marvelous Thy goodness,
  Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
  And have made it mine.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
  Satisfies my heart,
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings,
  Thine is love indeed.

Ever lift Thy face upon me,
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ‘neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
  Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
  Fill me with Thy grace.

Hymn Lyrics by Jean Pigott, 1876