a worthy investment.

Invisible Children fancied up their website. It's way more user friendly and grants you access to the valuable purchase of a made-in-uganda promotional bracelet.
all 3 members of the lovell family will soon be seen wearing these long-awaited reminders, thanks to the prompting of my globally conscious mother!!!
look into this...it's a very powerful story. and if you want to see the dvd, let me know. i have a few extra copies lying around.
:)

jesus people usa.

Cool Heather just introduced me to my dream life. I had no idea it already existed. I'm now either moving to Chicago or starting this somewhere else in the country--maybe Northern California! Chances are it already exists there.
Anyways, this is JPUSA (pronounced "j-poo-zah"). I'm in awe.

Prepare to be completely disturbed.

Last Wednesday, the Human Rights Watch released their annual World Report from Washington, D.C. I'm completely disturbed by what I'm hearing, and I"m not sure I have adequate time to explore this issue. If you cannot find me for the next few days, it's likely that I"m listening to the audio version of the annual meeting.

And this sentence caught my attention: "New evidence demonstrated in 2005 that torture and mistreatment have been a deliberate part of the Bush administration’s counterterrorism strategy, undermining the global defense of human rights, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing its World Report 2006 ."

"May our God come and not keep silence." (psalm 50:3) With hands tied and lips stuck in a jaw-dropped position, what else is there to say?

just over $6,300.

January 19th was the big night!!!! I hope that, if you weren't there, you have a VERY good excuse. The only qualifying excuses will be that (a) you live in a foreign country, (b) you are in law school in texas or nursing school in san diego or college in colorado, (c) you work the night shift at williamson medical, (d) or you spent all day praying that it would be a great night and just lost track of time.

Clint Alwahab took the pictures for me, which turned out great. The entire night was somewhat of a blur to me, almost a surreal event that I look back on as if it was only a dream. It didn't feel nervous or uptight, I wasn't worried about logistics, I didn't dread getting up and telling 200+ people about my past. Each moment was a self-contained piece of heaven for me. Music. Food, Community, Children playing. People laughing and talking. Everywhere I looked was someone I love very much. How lucky I am! I truly saw God's many blessings in my life that night. Thank you for being there.

Here are a few pieces of heaven for you to enjoy...

ok, so i cannot get the pictures to load. i'll try again later.

this is me ice climbing.

meet chris.

chris worked with me at it's a grind, until he moved to boulder last month. chris is one of the reasons i thank God for keeping me home a few more months. if i had moved to myanmar, i'd missed the chance at knowing this guy. chris is pretty dang cool. he's the only ice climber i know, which makes him really good in my mind, but i think he's really good in a lot of people's minds too. he's devoted lots of time and money to this passion in his life.
so, this past weekend i went to colorado and wyoming to visit some friends, one of which was chris. as part of our fun, we went ice climbing in estes park.

here's me. weapons strapped to my hands and feet, a helmet haphazardly attached to my head (my head was not made for helmets), and a lot of warm clothes on my body. climbing up a wall of ice.


here's me trying to start an avalanche. as chris said, the caption for this photo should be "before the accident." it looks like that those fangs of ice above me are about to devour me where i stand.


round 2. it was so thrilling. i just wish i had stronger arms.


the expert. this was like a sleep walk climb for chris, i'm sure. but he let me enjoy it and was quite the encourager. we celebrated with a mexican dinner and a drive to cheyenne. nothing says "victory" like a boring interstate drive to wyoming. luckily, some of my greatest friends live in cheyenne, and we had a really good time catching up and cruising cheyenne.


and here' me when i finally realized that my hands were NUMB. it was like 10 degrees. note to all you future ice climbers: if your hands loose all feeling, stick them in the clothed armpits of a more warm-blooded person. it'll warm you right up!


thanks to blake swanson for the free flights. thanks to kevin for the motivation to go. thanks to chris for the ice climing, the yummy curry that made me sick, the multiple layers of clothes, and the meaningful conversations. thanks to olivia and kai for a thrilling day in wyoming and an afternoon drive to ft. collins.

more on the concert soon. i'm downloading all the photos. you won't believe how much fun we had!!!

a sampling.

For more where these came from, go here or here and click on 'south africa'.
(Thanks Aaron and Kim.)

happy mlk day.

Say it, brother!

kick the habit.

"There is good news from Avril in our Muizenberg branch. " A very happy and united spirit prevails at Muizenberg. We celebrate for any occasion and have lots of fun. The Holy Spirit has been working in the lives of both the facilitators and clients alike, changing lives and behavior.

"Although alcohol and drug addiction is rife we have seen a real desire by many of our clients to 'kick the habit' and to move forward with their lives. This makes all the hard work and sweat worthwhile and encourages us to continue sowing into the lives of the poor and needy.""

This is an excerpt from the November newsletter from Living Hope (www.livinghope.co.za)

This makes me so happy and excited, and even more convinced that the time is ripe to redeem the lives of these addicted people. What better word to receive than this from the wife of my new boss, Avril.

Very cool!

whiplash because:

I have been hit in the front, sides and back by the following 4 things today:

1--Desmond Tutu &

2--his autobiography

"During the dark days of the struggle, when the morale of our people was often low in the face of rampant evil, I used to say: "This is a moral universe--the upholdrs of apartheid have already lost." I also used to appeal to our white fellow South Africas: "We are being nice to you. Join the winning side." Those of us who struggled against apartheid have been vindicated in the most spectacular fashion. And the victory was for all of us, black and white together--the rainbow people of God. It was theology that enabled me to assert that this was a moral universe. That theology undergirded my work in the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC)."

3--this city (the nook of Cape Town I will inhabit in one month)


4--Acts 3:19, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,"

Today, unlike any day I've known before, God surely has inhabited not only my heart, but my arms and legs, my brain waves and synapses, my typing fingers and my crying eyes, my disposition and my breathing. God is inside of me so strongly today. It's nearly an audible voice I've been conversing with all day long, I kid you not. And it's not be redundant conversation, aimless wanderings of one friend to another. It's been direct and immediate direction, revelation, exposing of sin, and redemption.
At one point, I felt him in the music i was listening to. At another point, his warmth covered my tear-stained hand. Yet another point, he spoke a universe of truth and healing through an old Anglican priest.

God is real. I've never experienced anything like this.

honest confessions and praises.

ok, so plans have changed just a tad. my NEW departure date is one month from today, feb. 13th! this is because John Thomas, the founder of Living Hope/the man who I will work under, is coming to Nashville on the 12th to visit my church! Which is really cool because we will hopefully get to sit down and make some plans and get all excited about my move to South Africa. I'm so excited to see him and for my friends and family to meet him. This is a gift from God to all of us, to make the leaving process less impersonal. It will be really great to see him and then leave the next day.
Today a woman, Wanda Stone, who works at Brentwood Methodist, brought me 5 books and one documentary on South Africa. She goes there each year to work in small villages as a nurse. She heard about my concert and my move through her daughter who works at It's A Grind. George, my boss, has let me hang up and hand out the super cool flyer and many people who come to get coffee have asked about it and offered to help me. I've been so thankful for such a kind hearted boss at work. That job has been quite possibly one of the neatest learning experiences of my recent life.
Through that job I've become good friends with Robin--who is HILARIOUS and fun. We are 2 movies into our Indiana Jones marathon, with Last Crusade coming up next week! Also, we share a heart for God's word and for growing in our understanding of God. It's been so encouraging. She's watched me walk through tough times lately, and been an irreplaceable part of the healing process.
Seth, whose mom has made a huge impact in my Christian life and growth, shares his love of film with me and I've become so much more interested in this and appreciative of it through watching Seth. He's so talented and good at his work, and he's a really good friend. Gentle and a good listener and just really willing to walk with you during hard times. And he's coming to South Africa in March to film LIving Hope, so that is really cool!
Chris, who has moved off to Colorado, has been an instrument of learning in my life. We share a love for adventure and doing random things like climbing dead trees. I'm flying out to Denver next weekend b/c one of my good friends bought me a plane ticket for free!! So, Kevin and I are spending 4 days exploring the west!!! I'm so excited about this, and I get to ice climb with Chris!
Kara, Josh, and all the great employees I've gotten to know...I could go on and on.

But this blog was about South Africa. I got off track.

So I got some cool books today,and people are really being generous. Today I pick up the check from BBC that will go towards my first few months in Africa, my flight over, and my immediate needs as I prepare. This is a huge blessing and I continue to really love how the support missions. I'm pretty sure we hit the million dollar budget last week for missions. That is amazing!!!

God is showing me lots about myself during this time, mostly things that gross me out. Like my sharp tongue, my defensiveness, my fear of someone breaking their word to me, and residual thought patterns from when I lived in the pit of sin. It's kinda hard to see these things, and I just am trying to pray that God would strip me of them before too long. Who knows how many of you have seen these things in me, and I'm thankful for your patience as I try to learn who Christ was in these areas and pray for his grace to help me as I try to change old habits. I really want to be able to listen well in Africa, to put aside my wants and needs for the sake of this cause I'm going to be fighting for, and to be willing to not have all the answers and to know that I cannot change anyone and to let people hurt me as they try to learn how to NOT hurt God through their actions.

Ok, that's alot. Apparently I'm a window today. I'm tempted to close the curtains and shut off the lights, but another thing i'm tired of doing is being arrogant. I'm really sinful and just need God to speak to me all the time. And he's doing that...I hear him almost audibly these days. And that's been awesome.

Love you guys.

my little friend is moving away.

This was my best non-american friend in Myanmar. I guess he still is. I've told you about him before. About how our connection transcends language and culture and goes straight from one heart to the other. Seriously, this man CAN read my mind. He knows my facial expressions better than I do. He understands sarcasm, a rarity for most foreigners.
He is so kindhearted. He is so generous. He is SO loyal. He's SO stubborn, which is why we got along! He demands consistency and loyalty in friendships. He taught me more about spiritual discipline and sacrifice and living a life devoted to your beliefs than except my dad, I think.
I have told you before I'd give my life for this man to know God. And I mean that. Just sitting here now, having not seen him in almost a year, my heart starts breaking for him again and again. It hurts, physically hurts, to think of not being with him in eternity.
One night a few years back I had a dream about him. I dreamed I was in heaven. And I remember it so vividly. I was there, and God was there, and that was all I knew. And I asked God if my friend, seen above, was there too. And I heard God say "yes, my child. He is here."
I woke up crying. I hold on to this most days. I believe God. I believe that my friend will be there. And that means a whole lot for a whole lot of people. That means a whole lot of other people will be there too! And that is so exciting.

SO, he's moving to Sri Lanka in like 3 days, according to my dear friend in Myanmar. Please pray for him as he leaves his country for a long time to live abroad. Rumor has it that his first plan upon arriving in Sri Lanka is to buy a phone to call me with!!! God opens another door. He just doesn't give up on those lost sheep.

please come.

One month from today, I will fly to South Africa and begin working at Living Hope Community Centre in Cape Town. I will be counseling patients who suffer from drug and alcohol addictions.
A few nights ago, I decided that for the next 30 days, I would document my process of leaving on this blog. God is doing way too many cool things for me to let them go unknown. You will be completely in awe of all that God is doing.
Yesterday, Seth sent me the flyer for our benefit concert on January 19th. Here it is!!!! Thank you Seth, it looks so good.

Also, yesterday at BBC, a man offered to give me his zip drive and at least one, if not two, webcams for my family and i to stay in better contact. He is even coming over to show us how to use it!

I got my support letter written and printed, and my good friend Kevin came over and addressed 230+ envelopes with my name and address to include in the letters I send out! So, today or tomorrow I will send out the letters and the flyers.
Today is Monday and if all goes according to plan, I will be sending off for my visa today and purchasing my plane tickets this afternoon. I will keep you posted.

So anyways, that's where we are today. I'll write more later. God continues to give me more than I need. And as I read Richard Foster's "Freedom of Simplicity" last night I found my attention captured by a sentence about trusting God, something I know I don't do well at all. The line said something like "Simplicity requires an ever-deepening level of trust upon God to meet your needs. But only then can God give you more than you asked for, because you see you were asking for too little." (very rough paraphrase!)

passion '06.

Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws,
       we wait for you;
       your name and renown
       are the desire of our hearts. (Isaiah 26:8)

Passionended Thursday. Over 18,000 college students attended, from every state and a handful of foreign countries. Unlike last year when I attended as a student, this year I was a volunteer in the prayer intercessory room.
I spent 3 1/2 days with some of the most amazing Christian women I've ever encountered. God spoke to me about many things and I really feel a renewed confidence in his calling on my life. God seemed to be saying some very promising things to me. I've had some really vivid dreams and visions over the past week....some things more overwhelming while other things were exciting and confirming of my move to Africa.
I feel led to ask you to pray for the country of Myanmar, the people who live there, and the people who rule the country. I fear upcoming change in the country through violent means, and I need to know you are joining me in interceding for the people.
I also want to give you all this word of encouragement, a very familiar verse but one who's words are very life-changing:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."


this was the last night of passion as all 18,000 student walked in silence into the arena. it was a beautiful evening.


this is liz, my dear friend i met in Myanmar. here we are with the deceased Adoniram Judson, first missionary to Burma!!! she and i attended passion last year, and this year she got a free ticket at the last minute. i cannot believe i haven't seen her in a year. it was really great, and i'm excited for her and her future. she's in law school in texas.

this is for arley.

arley,
thank you for calling me. thank you for hearing me. thank you for your wisdom.
chapter 94 of Life of Pi, page 285, about 1/2 way down until the end of that paragraph. thank you for reminding me of that.
"it's important in life to conclude things properly. only then can you let go. otherwise you are left with words you should have said but never did, and your heart is heavy with remorse. that bungled goodbye hurts me to this day....i wish i had said, "Richard Parker, it's over. We have survived. Can you believe it? I owe you more gratitude than I can express. I couldn't have done it without you. I would like to say it formally: Richard Parker, thank you."

yuck.

this makes me feel really sad.

LONDON - Bono said he feared his commitment to campaigning against poverty would force him out of his band, U2.
"They (the band) are hugely supportive spiritually and financially of the work I do, but they are in a rock 'n 'roll band, and the first job of a rock 'n 'roll band is not to be dull," Bono told British Broadcasting Corp. radio on Saturday.
"So we have to be very careful about just letting me go too far."
With fellow musician Bob Geldof, Bono was one of the leaders of this year's international Make Poverty History campaign and Live 8 concert, and he frequently makes on-stage statements about global poverty during U2 concerts.
"When I do my rant on making poverty history, I have got Larry Mullen, our drummer, behind me looking at his watch, timing me."
"I thought we would wear our audience out, but it hasn't happened," he said. "People are smart out there. They know what you are doing, they know the compromises you are making, they get it."

God's recreation of the new day.

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the word

Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day
(Cat Stevens, Morning has broken.)

after spilling 1/3 of a bottle of scented bubbles, asher and i started making jokes about it being a bubble tub. so this is asher washing his hair in the bubble tub.


if you don't think this is the most beautiful little girl in the world, something is wrong with you. this is lainey hunt.


and this is her older brother, asher. and yes, he's the cutest 4 year old out there. look at that face!
five things i think about asher:
1--he's going to change the world.
2--he's going to be a really good athlete.
3--he's going to be good at anything he does. examples include skateboarding, drums, guitar, public speaking.
4--he's going to really love jesus. look at his parents.
5--he's going to be a missionary. sorry, julie :)


this is lainey dancing. this picture makes me smile so much, because this is julie hunt as a child. five things i think about lainey:
1--she's going to be BEAUTIFUL and natural.
2--she's going to be the most compassionate adult.
3--she's going to write cookbooks.
4--she's going to love listening and really investing in people.
5--she's going to be a writer.


"in the presence of God there is fullness of joy." in the hunt house, God dwells. therefore, joy is amongst them always.


This time last year, I lived with the Hunt's. For most of the day yesterday, I hung out with these kids. Last night Julie cooked an amazing dinner for a lot of people. Julie is one of my best friends. In this world, I try to remember someone who has impacted my life more than her. There is no one outside of my parents. Julie taught me how to love people really well.

So, on this first day of 2006, I want to acknowledge some people who have made my life a better life. Thank you Hunt family.