A season of IMMENSE JOY

It feels good to sit and write a blog post after all that has happened in the past weeks.

By the title of this post you can probably tell that all has been well with me, but I think BITTERSWEET describes it better. It's been a roller-coaster to say the least.

Right now the weather in Seattle is glorious. Things are blossoming, welcoming spring, and it seems the general mood of the city is beginning to change. Winter lasts nine really long months here, and you almost begin to forget what the sun feels like and question why the hell you live here in the first place. The newness motivated me to clean my room, and put up new pictures on my wall-- things that make me happy.

We're having Lynn over tonight for movie and corned beef. I guess we're a little late on the St. Patrick's celebration. Whatever on the green beer thing. I don't care much for it. Apparently God used St. Patrick in PRETTY AMAZING ways.

So, I'm going to Mars Hill Church. I like it a lot. When Daniel and Acacia were here, my big bear of a brother encouraged me to start attending. The make up is of a younger crowd, which contrasts greatly with what I found at the church I was going to in Rainier Valley. Emerald City Bible Fellowship is small and diverse, and I liked it for those reasons. Mars Hill is young and large, and I feel like it's more community oriented. I was approached on my first day of going alone and asked if I wanted to serve. ON MY FIRST DAY. Yeah, I felt totally welcome. I realized that I just needed to be needed.

I'm serving on the greeting team. I hand out programs and float in the sanctuary to help new people find their way. It seems fitting, as it was a "floater" who approached me on the first day comforting me and making me feel more welcome and safe in a place than I ever have before.

Last Sunday was a really bad day. I didn't have the opportunity to go to church in the morning, and spent the day in a slight emotional delirium. Interactions with Pa were not pleasant. In the evening I felt I had to get away. I ended up running to the only place I new that I would be SAFE: yeah, Mars Hill. They have an evening service I had never been to. I jumped on next bus to downtown, got off in the underground tunnel, and ran 10 blocks through rain and hail, arriving drenched. Actually running through the rain lifted my spirits and I was able to stop crying to listen to the sermon.

A blessing awaited me when I went up for prayer afterwards. A gift. A surprise.... Like hearing the audible words of the Lord saying to me "I love you KALLI!" Of all the prayer deacons, I approached a kind red-headed lady named Amanda, whom I talked to about my life for a couple minutes before she prayed for me. Then she asked me if I was able to connect with a community group. I told her I couldn't because I work and have school in the evenings usually, but I was really needing people and community at this time in my life.

She said, I'll be right back. Stay here.

She came back with a young women named Lauren Day who said she was interested in hanging out with me during the day. She lives in Beacon Hill, about a mile uphill from G-town, has two kids, and is at home in the afternoon. "Come hang out," she said.

I connected with her on Wednesday, and we had a really great conversation. What the conversation entailed is a wonder of God:

She's from Maryland. I was immediately excited by this and I told her I would be going to St. John's next fall and my family is living over there. It took some time for us to put it all together, but eventually I mentioned the name "Daniel Elkins" and her eyes widened.
"NO WAY! You know Daniel Elkins!?"

Lauren's husband Colin mentored Daniel back when he first became a Christian, and they sponsored him when he went on mission over seas. Of course... While he was here, I had heard Daniel mention a man whom he knew and was trying to connect with at Mars Hill. Colin Day. That name had sounded so familiar.

What were the chances of me being in the Days' house at that moment, in my time of need? Probably like 1 in a katrillion. Lauren normally never went to the 5pm service, she was just there to talk to Amanda that day. That day I had had a really bad day, and called upon the Lord with the song by Rush of Fools:

"Come like the DAY.
Come chase away the darkness..."