You've heard about these two lovers and their magical wedding on the beach. But how was it all, really? Well, this is my perspective. This is how I saw it all unfold. The view, at least, from land.

I met Joel in Belgium on a missions trip when Shannon, Cec and I were traveling Europe, shooting video for Greater Europe Mission.

I will indulge you with bits from my journal. And those who know me, know this is quite an accomplishment, for I rarely share my soul and a strange minority have ever been allowed near my precious journal. Notes in [ ] were added "after the fact" for your enjoyment and understanding. "Choose your own adventure" and follow the story however you like. . .



Well, here I am! They say it was only about 12 hours ago that I was in Denver, Colorado, getting ready to leave and now here I sit on the patio in Brussels, Belgium! It is absolutely beautiful here and we have a wonderful place to stay for the night. We are very tired and quite out of our comfort zones...

I was reading before we left and I came across some verses in Matthew that I think will help me keep the whole trip in perspective in terms of what I get concerned about or let bother me. "So why do you worry…..therefore, do no worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'….For your Heavenly Father knows all that you need all these things. BUT SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED TO YOU. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow…." (Matthew 6:28-34)

It looks like this summer will stretch me physically, spiritually, and probably emotionally at times [oh, I had no idea!], but I know that God is my Protector and Provider and He's already seen what lies ahead. Lord, please keep me open and willing to be used by you always!






We've spent 2 nights sleeping in teepees at L'Arcada camp in the Pyrenees mountains in Spain. Absolutely beautiful. I am the most "fluent" in Spanish, which is completely hilarious (and scary) to me!

I'm on a bus from Grenoble, France, to Camp of the Peaks which is near all the ski resorts, but I'll have to get back to you on the name of the town. At the Camp of the Peaks, we met Tom and Brenda and their 3 children. He is an artist and uses his gifts to make pottery and tell about how God uses the campers. His passion for video was clearly evident, which was encouraging. Tom taught me some valuable lessons in our two hour conversation:


 He talked frankly about being a missionary, raising support, stereotypes, and being a supporter of missions. Tom explained that it was probably harder to be a supporter of missions than to be a missionary. Tom "gets to see the light in the eyes of a French boy as the Holy Spirit works in his heart and life and there is no reward like that. All Tom can do is try to relate this experience with the supporter, but there isn't the same excitement and motivation to keep giving when you don't have the privilege of seeing the results.

About the use of video for missionaries: keep pursuing and being persistent. They need to not only keep up-to-date, but it'd be nice to get a step ahead. We need to get the attention of MTV watchers and show them the need for missions. [Cheesy video doesn't attract media-savvy viewers.] God has to do the calling, but it may take a well-made video to spark their interests.

Needs in France: They need people to come and do video, web design, art and all sorts of things that aren't frequently mentioned. If a team of 5 could come for just one month, he would be so excited! Or internships??

So many good things that really encouraged us. I still don't feel the "calling" to go into missions personally, but I have been given a real burden for supporting those who do, after seeing firsthand what the needs are and how those needs can be met. I would love to be a recruiter or something that made a difference indirectly, at least.