I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
-Revelation 19:11-16

Strong, Mighty, Omniscient God.

tease.

before i went back home to california i kept telling my rooomate "you know, i am not that excited to go home because i am loving it here and just want to soak it all in." that has not changed. but one thing has... my less then 48 hr stay in california is slowly capturing my heart again. i am in love with the beach, the people, and well the beach. haha, i could swim forever and eat pedros burritos. i could play frisbee, body surf, and enjoy, a good sandwich on the beach any day. d.c. is not exactly like that.

it has its ups and it has its down. as of now, i know God has me here for a reason and i know that God may have me here in the future.

i am so thankful that God has put certain loves in my life where all i can do is praise Him. there is no other place in the world that makes me want to scream and yell, "God is sooo good" (the ocean that is). He is good all the time, but that is just my happy place. it is a clear place for me to see God's beauty, to be in His stillness, and to enjoy the beauty of silence (when you are underwater that is). floating as the waves go under you may be one of the best feelings. diving under the waves might be the second best feeling. i am getting a rush of excitement just writing this.

that being said, going back to orange county for my dad's wedding was a tease.
being back in d.c. the last few days has been great though. i am learning lots and lots about life in general and how God wants to use me, shape me, and mold me while i am here.

i do not want my ways to get in the ways of God's ways. the other day in class we talked about the character of God (one of my favorite things to talk about) and how God cannot be a God of justice without mercy flowing from His heart. i wanted to cry. i felt like my spirit was being renewed. passages of God healing the lame, helping the brokenhearted, caring for the poor, and dying on the cross... were flashing through my mind... and all i could do is praise Him.

Abide.

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
John 15: 9-11

Throughout the last year, God has continued to put the word "abide" on my heart. When I am at church, when I am taling to the metro, when I am singing praises to God, when I am writing a paper, when I am talking to a friend or a stranger, when I am going to bed... I constantly am thinking of this word "abide." I do believe that the Holy Spirit has put this word on my heart for a reason.

What does it look like to abide in the Father? To love like He does? To remain stable in Him? A hundred different answers could come from this. I am continually amazed by how much the Father loves me, how much He loves His people, and how much he desires for us to love others the way He does.

Fruitful. The only way a fruit tree can bear fruit is if it is planted correctly- with the right soil, if it is watered enough, and if it is taken care of. It is as simple as that. This is exactly how God desires us, His beloved, to be.

I could write a lot, but I am choosing not to. I am just amazed and speachless as the momment. I have always loved John 15, but since January I have grown deeper in love not only with this passage, but with Jesus.

This love is so raw, intimate, and beautiful.

the marvelous khaled.

So all of my roommates are in a serious relationship. Haha, this seems to happy to me often. Somehow I end up becoming friends with people who are always in a relationship. Why? I have no idea. Although this would bother most people, it does not bother me. Today my lovely apartment mate got flowers sent to her (with a vase!) from her boyfriend. Adorable? I think so! My other apartment mate’s boyfriend made her a scrap book of all the stories she wrote over the last year that he collected, so precious! And then my other roommate, who is actually married (her husband is in the navy), is so nice too. I am surrounded by girls who are in healthy good relationships, so I am happy about that.

I started my internship this week and it has been such a blessing. On Monday I arrived ten minutes early and was surprised how people came to work thirty minutes later than expected. I am finding out that the office is pretty laid back about a lot of things. I work with two other general interns, two are graduate students, and one if a congressional research intern. Although I absolutely love my internship, it is has been quite tiring, but completely rewarding. On day when I thought that all I would be doing is making copies. Little did I know that as the days progressed I would be able to go to a discussion with Khaled Hosseini. The discussion as sponsored by MPI (Migration Policy Institute). The people that filled the room of about sixty were people from other NGO’s, universities, and the government.

As I was sitting there I could not help but think back to all my international development notes. He spoke of the situation of the Afghan government, the political unrest, refugees, IDP’s, the infrastructure, etc. The list could go on forever. People were given the opportunity to ask questions at the end of his talk. People stood up, said their name, and where they worked. People from homeland security, professors at American University, people who worked at UNHCR, and many relief organizations asked questions. I was so encouraged. I want to be that person who has that job who is asking those tough questions. I want to be that person who is being challenged and trying to help the world one step at a time.

I took about six pages of notes as I frantically tried to write down important information to report back to the Afghanistan advocate at my internship. Even as I write this now, I have the chills. There is a beautiful thing when God brings together people who care about His people, whether you are a Christian or not. We all care about these people, that is why we are in these organizations.

When Khaled was done with his talk everyone clapped and then he said “and if anyone wants a book signed I would be happy to do so.” I jumped right on that! Ha, I was so stoked. I bought the book “A thousand splendid suns,” which is not going to be my metro book. We will see how long it takes me! Probably not long.

Needless to say, today was a good day and my blogs continue to be random…. As usual.

9:30 and I feel like I hit a rock.

The title explains it perfectly. I started my internship this week and I am exhausted. My eyes feel puffy, I feel like they are going to pop out and I am going to collapse. A bit extreme one could say, but it is the truth. Although I am tired, it has been a great xperience thus far. A few things I have learned...

That I am not a policy person. I am the kind of person who wants to be on the people level and experience life with others.

I am very proactive and can't sit still. If I am interning someonewhere I want to be able to help out the best I can.

I hate waking up early, especially because I have to walk twenty minutes to the metro.

I love love LOVE riding the metro alone and doing my own thing throughout the day. There is something about being in "corporate america" that is powerful and yet very depressing. Haha, luckily I am working for a great organization.

Hmm, that is not that informative. But if I kept the list going.... well it would be forever. Because I am learning a whole lot here.

DC life thus far.

I absolutely love it here. And while I am writing this I am realizing what a horrible communicator I am when I leave and move onto another place. I get wrapped up in the moment, in the people, and forget to communicate with my other loved ones at home. So I apologize in advance, just know that I do love you, am thinking about you, but I am soaking in all that God has for me here, haha. I hope that works out.

Since being here I have been able to realize that I scream California girl, cut off shorts are not the norm, rainbows are not everywhere I look, and that froyo is not on every corner. I have also come to realize that the boys are different here. More dark brown brunettes, polo shirts, and nice cargo shorts. Girls seem to be paler with very nice clothes. Just a general observation.

Coffee shops close earlier, people are on the town eating and dining more often, and the architecture and brick are still captivating me.

DC is completely different than the bay area, to say the least. But I love it here. I know it’s only been a week, but I can see myself working here.

In the last week and a half or so I have been able to make fun friends, bond with others, and explore the city. We have been quite a bit of the city looking at the monuments, listening to the national symphony, seeing good old Ab at the Lincoln memorial, relaxing on the mall while seeing the beautiful reflection of the Washington Monument, playing Frisbee on the mall, and much more.
I have been a complete tourist, which I am completely okay with!

On Friday about eight girls and I went to an Irish Pub and stuffed our faces with fatty food, which is actually okay because I feel like I have been walking four miles every day, so I have been justifying it. Haha. On Saturday I did my lovely little cleaning job for forty bucks. In the afternoon I took a stroll on over to Eastern Market and bought fresh meat and produce! It beats Farmers Market in Pleasanton like crazy. I also found a pool I can swim in for free not to far from my apartment, super score! That evening a few girls, one of the guys, and I went to 9:30 club and danced to funk music. If anyone has a chance to go a Funk Dance Club, dooooo it! It is an excuse to dance horribly and no one cares. It was awesome. But I am pretty sure someone slipped a little something into my water because I felt a little out of it! After that we strolled on over to Ben’s Chili Bowl and I consumed the most divine vanilla shake my taste buds have ever tasted. Obama and Bill Cosby are supposedly the only people who eat for free there.

Yesterday was AWESOME because a few girls and I walked to Capitol Hill, just a few blocks from here, and saw the National Symphony play for free. It started to rain but we endured it…. It was so worth it. All of this said, I love it here. God is good.