Life with Jesus

Hey friends,

God has been doing crazy things in my life everyday. It is so amazing knowing Christ, and being in relationship with Him. He doesn't let one day be normal when you're friends with Him. I just don't know what I would do if Jesus wasn't my savior. This all occurred to me in a crazy way a couple of months ago back in Spokane, Washington.
Here's the story.
        It was an ungodly hour of the morning and I woke up to go watch the sunrise with a friend. Those plans ended up being cancelled a few minutes after I got ready, so I was going to go back to bed, but then God nudged me (He's God-so it's pretty obvious when He nudges you). So I stayed awake and sat infront of my bedroom window and watched the sunrise. Then God started taking me on a little trip with my thoughts. I began thinking of life. What is life, why are we here, what do we do with our time here? Then the question came to me that boggled me the most: What does everyone want the most out of life? According to our natural human instinct, what does a great life look like? And how do I obtain that?, God aside. I began to ponder it more and it occurred to me that people want to know great people and be known by great people. But humans also want to love and be loved. To be known and to be loved are our greatest desires. If I could just know people high up in society and they recognised and loved me, then I could be somebody. That made enough sense to me. But who is the greatest person I could know and be loved by? The president of the U.S.? Mr. Universe (hahaha)? Maybe Oprah, I don't know. Those are certainly great and influential people, but in that statement lies the problem. They are just people and can only do so much-no, I want to know and be loved by someone even more powerful and influential. The only person that matched that description was Jesus Christ, who is Lord. It dawned on me (yeah, I'm quick) that knowing God and loving God was the greatest life I could possibly have. This is because He RULES the ENTIRE universe! He created it ALL! Who has more power and influence than that? I know that guy! We hang out! Man! But it didn't stop there (at this point my head was spinning with excitement) No, it doesn't stop there. He knows me, too! And He's not just aware of my presence, or just acknowledges that I exist and leaves me alone. He PURSUES an intimate relationship with me and LOVES me! He created a way for us to be together through His son Jesus dying on the cross! (the good news) And this isn't human, unfaithful, limited, selfish love. This is real love, the holy, selfless, furious, passionate, jealous, relentless LOVE. I do life with the King of the Universe, who is absolutely head over heals for me and wants to hang out with me and be involved in my life! Bah!!! Life is amazing! I am living the greatest life I could possibly live because I'm living it hand in hand with the Creator of the world and the greatest Lover of my soul.

I can't enter into each day without expectations for greatness anymore. God is too big and exciting to not expect amazing things each day. And the closer you get to Him, the more there is to learn about Him. And He wants an intimate relationship (the most intimate relationship you could ever have) with everyone! No one is left out, He wants everyone with Himself, at His very heart. He's crazy and I love Him.

So, I am going to go do something crazy amazing today simply because I know Christ and He knows and loves me. I hope that you do the same.

Farewell adventurers,
Demetria

Here in Maui

Aloha my lovely friends,
  I am currently in Maui, Hawaii (if you couldn't pick that up from the pictures.) I've been here for a month now, but leave in a week. It's been incredible. I came out here with my best friend Hannah from Chicago. It's been amazing how our friendship has grown through this trip, we literally spend every waking moment with one another. I feel like I'm married. Anyway, I'll recap most of the trip in the most concise way possible.
Great feats of this Maui trip:
-overcame fear of being on a surfboard in the water (now I can't wait to get out there on a board)
-got to meet up and spend quality time with old friends
-got my first sting from a Jellyfish (I felt pretty badass the rest of the day ;D )
-had great communion and worship at the YWAM base here and at New Hope Church
-made new friends from all over the world
-Hiked through the West Maui Mountains
-had my first acai bowl
-the hitchhiking ministry we were able to be a part of

Hardships of this Maui trip:
-Its hot up here in Haiku
-my toes were busted the first couple of weeks here (making it painful to do most activities)
-being away from my new home, Spokane and all my friends there
-HAVING TO LEAVE MAUI

That last one was a bit dramatic, but you can sympathize. Hannah will be heading to Chicago next Thursday while I head back to Spokane, Washington. I am very excited to head back, but as you can tell, it will be hard to leave here again. Especially with my new surfing addiction. Spokane is 6 hours from any waves to shred on. I will begin school at Spokane Falls Community College at the end of September and will be there until I finish my Gen Eds, so that way I can be a part of my Moody community in Spokane for a little longer. Then I will head to a university to pursue a degree in International Business. (hopefully WWU). Well, that's the gist of my life right now. Stay tuned for my next post where I will update you on my spiritual life. God is doing crazy things! I love it!
Naturally,
Demetria

Suffering

I wrote this paper for one my classes at Moody, and thought it might interest some of you. Let me know your thoughts.

The Necessity of Suffering

Suffer. No one likes this word. It is the last word that you want brought up in conversation. We replace it with words like; trial, tough-times, and difficulty. No one wants to suffer. I have never heard of anyone waking up in the morning with a strong desire to suffer that day. Suffering means pain, vulnerability and humility; all things that we as humans try to avoid. Growth, growth is a word  people love. The idea of progress and good change is something people aim and work towards. People understand the importance of growing and embrace the concept. Growth does not just occur on its own though, popping out of nothing. Growth is a product of something, but not just anything. Growth can only come when there is pain and hardship, growth can only occur through suffering.

Think about movies, books, or even video games. The character in these stories usually grows throughout the story, but its never because they have some happy event happen to them. In order for a character to grow they need pain and trials. Take Finding Nemo for example, Nemo didn’t understand the importance of family and Marlin lived in fear. In order for the family to learn these important lessons they had to go through all sorts of pain and trials. Nemo had to miss his dad immensely in order to understand how grateful he should be for Marlin. And Marlin was forced to be courageous in order to overcome his fear. These characters could not have grown without these events in the movie.

The Bible also supports this concept. James talks about the importance of suffering in his letter, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4). This verse has always reminded me of how we build muscles. In order for muscles to grow stronger, you need to tear them down. Lifting weights, and engaging in strenuous activity causes the muscle tissue to tear. It seems like such an awful thing. But where the muscle tore more muscle will grow, causing the muscle to be stronger than before.  Suffering is a testing that causes growth.

I have seen how suffering affects my own life. Three years ago, my brother got into a serious car accident. Chad broke his neck in the accident, causing him to be paralysed from the chest down. It was the hardest thing my family has ever gone through. Suffering is the only word that explains what we went through after that. All of my doubts about God came to the surface. I realized how much I didn’t actually trust God, that I didn’t really believe that He is loving. I had never faced trial, so it was easy to say God was loving and faithful when things were peachy and bright. It was in the dark, depressing nights when I heard my mom screaming in her room at God that I needed to believe that God was faithful and loving. It was through the pain I felt when I saw my father sob over his broken son in the hospital bed that I came face to face with my need for a good God. I would never understand that if I had not faced trial and pain. I would never have grown in that area of my life if I had not suffered.

Stories attest to the need to suffer in order for growth to happen. The Bible supports the importance for pain for our faith to grow. My own story proves that growth does not spring up out of easy times. We cannot grow unless we go through pain. Suffering is a necessity.

(photo taken by Lauren Crabill)

Spokane, Washington

Peace, from Spokane~
         I arrived here on Wednesday of last week. I live in an adorable bungalow with 10 other girls, with Moody Bible Institute across the street. I will be attending this lovely school for the next two years, aiming for my associates in Biblical Studies. The people here are amazing, so welcoming and loving. I cannot wait to become a part of this school family. Class starts on the twenty-eighth, it will be strange for me because I have not been in school for a year and a half now. But I am ambitious and hardworking, so I think I will be able to handle it. God is so good, it is obvious He has lead me here, I have never felt so at peace. I have began my prep work for a New Testament survey class I am taking this semester, which entails reading the whole NT and writing 100 words on every chapter. I have finished three books thus far and am making my way through Matthew currently. Even though I have just began, I can already see the impact it has made on my daily life. The Word truly is living and it really is as sharp as  two-edged sword. I would highly recommend that everyone seriously read and meditate on Scripture daily.
              I attending a church called Life Center with my good friend from YWAM (who lives here now) on Sunday. The pastor spoke about the importance of reading the Word. He gave 7 ways you should be in the word:
1-Hear the word (1 Tim. 4:13)
2-Read the word (Deu. 17:18-20)
3-Study the word (Ezra 7:10)
4-Memorize the word (Col. 3:16)
5-Meditate on the word (Ps. 1:1-3)
6-Obey the word (Luke 8:21)
7-Share the word (1 Peter 4:10-11)

      I love that he spoke about this, because I often ignore the importance of the WORD OF THE LIVING GOD. I do it all the time. I am tired and do not feel like reading it or thinking about it. But if I am serious about following Jesus, shouldn't I know who He is? And how do I get to know who He is? By reading His letters, His poetry, some of His story. Sometimes I feel like an idiot because of how little I know about this God I swear that I follow.
     So anyways, back to Spokane life. I love it here, the streets are blanketed in snow, the trees are all frosted with ice, frozen in their magnificent splendor. Mountains are in every direction, lazy rivers wind about the town, pine trees line all the roads. I am supposed to be here. It hurts me that I've been missing out on this beauty for so long. But its the people, the people are the aspect that wow me the most. They are so laid back and thoughtful. Quick to listen, they always interested in what you have to say. Welcoming to new things, instead of turned off. What I admire the most though, is how genuine everyone is-what you see is what you get. So different than where I lived before this, where envy and sneers are often hidden behind the white smiles. And what you do is much more important that who you are.
   I think I will be here for a while.
I am not working yet, but I will begin looking for a job in March. But as for this summer, I think I will travel for the first month but then stay in one town and just work, hopefully on a farm, as it has always been my dream.

I miss you all, please don't be shy to call or write.
All my love.
Naturally,
Demetria Angeline

This is a photo from a spot we call, Seeker's Point on South hill. My RA, Taborah, took it on Saturday night.

Update from Nashville!

Hello Everyone!

    It's been a while since my last entry, so I thought I would update followers and give  those who are new to my blog a little summary of my life thus far. I graduated high school a year early & left for YWAM, where I studied in Hawaii for three months then served with Samaritan's Purse in Japan for another three months. Immediately following that, I spent a couple of weeks in Maui trying to figure out what to do next and ended up moving to Nashville, Tennessee for work. I have been here for the last six months just making money to save for college. While here I found my passion for art and my great desire to counsel women who come out of human trafficking in other countries. I have since decided to pursue a career in art therapy, as a tool to help rehabilitate those women. So, starting in January I will (God-willing) attend school in Washington state to start working towards my masters degree. I am currently applying to Moody Bible Institute in Spokane, where I will hopefully attending if I am accepted.

         While I have been in Nashville I've been spending my time working, reading a lot, studying French and speaking to as many professionals in the psychology field as possible. 

I do miss missions very much right now, but I believe that God puts us through certain seasons for a reason, and I believe that right now I just need to be preparing in whatever way I can for whatever is next. I do hope to find an internship or job at some counseling center while I am in Spokane, so as to get exposed to the psychology field more. But we shall see what God has in store. 

 Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments you have! 

Much love,

Demetria

demasdemi@gmail.com 

Hello from Nashville!

Hey ya'll! (ok I dont actually ever say ya'll, it just seemed appropriate..)
   I am so sorry that it has been so long since my last post. Life is crazy as usual and remembering to update my blog is not one of my strong points...The rest of our outreach in Japan was amazing. We went back down to Narashino Church in Chiba for our last week there in February, it was there that we debriefed and kind of let ourselves breathe before we went back to Hawaii. We arrived in Hawaii on March 3rd, which was our second March 3rd (time change-we went back in time a day!) I left the next day for Maui, where my family was waiting for me. It was so great to be reunited with them, but it was very hard to leave my Japan Outreach family. Because that is exactly what they had become, my second family. That is one of the factors of traveling and short term missions that I struggle with the most. I get so attached to the people I meet and so leaving is like ripping a piece of me away. But God is good, and shines through that. Amen? Amen!
Anyways, the reason my family was there in Maui waiting for me is because I was planning on moving to maui directly after YWAM, and I didn't know the next time I would see my family, so they used it as an excuse for a vacation and came out. I bet you're wondering why I am writing this from Nashville then..hahah me too! Well, while I was with my family in Maui I was desperately looking around for a job and an apartment, but things were just not working out, so I was praying and I really felt like God was saying "Not yet." It was hard to submit to that. But I have learned my lesson in obedience to God, He knows what's up, so I told my dad and he brought up the idea of going to Nashville. I told my sister Jessica who was already living there and she loved the idea, but my family was going back the 14th of March, and she didn't have a place for me to stay until the beginning of April. I had to decide if I was going to go back home with my parents until April and basically do nothing except for catch up with friends and wait for april to come or couch-surf in maui. But I only knew of a few people I could stay with in Maui and only for a couple of nights, and I had fifty bucks in my pocket, so it was definately going to be a faith journey. When I was trying to make the decision my friend back in Chicago called me up and said she was spending a couple of weeks in Cali with her family and wanted to know if I wanted to join her. She would be there until the first week of April. It worked out so perfectly, but I still had a couple of weeks in maui after my family left that I would be on my own with no where to stay. But God was so good and totally came through. It was one of the best weeks of my life. I made great friends and it was really nice to be travelling on my own because I got to spend a lot of alone time with Jesus. He was my travel buddy. It was hard to leave the islands because it felt like my second home, but I clung to the "not YET" God had given me. I still had that 'yet'...so i have hope hahaha. California was great, I hadn't seen my friend Hannah (the one who invited me out there) since I had left for YWAM in September so it was great to be with her. She is my 4th sister basically. Then I headed over to Nash, where I am now, I am living in a small college town just outside of downtown, I have an amazing roommate, I just got a job as a waitress and making great friends. I don't know what is next, as soon as I am settled I am going to start looking for some kind of internship I could do in another country helping out at a halfway house or something for women who got out of prostitution. Or maybe i'll just go straight to college. God only knows. Much love!
Demetria

me in starbucks in Nashville-

Ishinomaki-shi

Hello again!
Ohio Gozaimasu from Japan Ishinomaki-shi!
We have have been here for a little over 2 weeks now. We are
staying at a home where a missionary family is temporarily
staying, they call it the Be One house (the name of the
ministry they are with) Below is a picture of the room we
(aka my team) sleeps in. We have to pack up all those
blankets and foutons every morning after we wake up so
that we have a little more room to meet in.

We have been doing a lot of hands-on work here.
We have breakfast at 8 then leave for the worksite to
either move rubble to the dump (one of the many huge ones here)
(little fact: the tsunami created the amount of trash that
this town alone would create in over 100 years!) or we gut-out,
or mud-out a destroyed house. We have also been helping a man
named Cameyama-san rebuild his shed for his car shop, which
also involves digging for water lines in rock-soil. So we
have all been very tired physically from all the labor but
it is such satisfying work that you don't even care that
you can't feel your hands or have a forest of knots in your
back. The ministry here is amazing because the people are
so ripe for the gospel. Just yesterday a young woman who hangs
out at the Be One House a lot was asking us openly what we
thought of God and why we loved Him so much. It encouraged
us as much as it encouraged her because we were reminded why
we were here in the first place. We love because HE first loved
us. Amen? Amen!
 Oh I forgot to tell you guys! The last day we were in
Narashino-shi we had a goodbye night with the kids who came
to the church for english class. None of the kids were christians
so before we said our last goodbye we presented the gospel to
them and told them why we were here. Then at the end we asked
them to bow their head and close their eyes and told them
we were going to say a blessing prayer for them and at the end
of the prayer we asked them (while their eyes were closed) if
they wanted to accept this Jesus into their heart, and AT LEAST
2/3 of the class raised their hands! They are young but definately
old enough to understand what was happening. Praise God!
Thank you Jesus we got to see some of the fruits from our
ministry! He is so good and faithful. Please, if you remember,
pray for these children who accepted Christ, that they would grow
up to be strong men and women of Christ, expanding His Kingdom.


We as a team are getting very close too, unity is definately
a gift God has given us. Praise God!
Its snowing here and the heat isnt working so  my fingers are too cold to type
any more, so sionara!
Naturally,
Demetria