Money Talk

I just spent the past 2 hours pouring over my budget, listing the Christmas gifts we are getting everyone, silently groaning noting every time I subtract a dollar, calculating every last cent.

I know, it's blank. This was before all the scribbling :)

I'm pretty sure this isn't normal, but my heart beats faster when I see how money looks on paper. And I mean, it beats like a drum. Not in a happy, excited way. In a "ohmygoodnessthislookshorribleIamsobadatthishowwillIeatthismonth" way. Then I text Dustin.
"Hey, I don't think we can buy presents for extended family this year."
"Hey, it doesn't look like immediate family is going to work either."
"Hey, are you sure you want to do presents for each other this year?"

No, I'm kidding. It's not that bad. But all this to say: I GOT PAID TODAY!! That means most of my support is going towards savings for the next plane ticket I have to buy!! Thank you all so much! It just touches my heart to know that the people I love and pray for are also praying for me and supporting my passion to tell God's stories! Technically, I'm supported for the next couple months but I'm still in need of about 4 supporters (able to give $50 a month) who can carry me through until August. So please pray for that, friends!

Tonight, after having my budget heart palpitations, I just want to step back and praise my Savior for the reason I can celebrate this time of year. He was born and killed for a hopeless wreck like me. Not only that, but he resurrected to save my soul and prove that He alone is my Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord has provided for me over and over again. As I reflect over this past year and how He has given me all that I need, I would like to invite you to do the same. Maybe share with a comment on this post? Thanks :)

Love,
Chelsea

Reflection

I've been opening my laptop, going to my blog and looking at a white, blank text box since Monday morning. In the end, I close the laptop and tell myself I'll write this blog later.

Last weekend, I went to New York and New Jersey in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. I saw a lot of things. My trip to Colorado this summer was just a tiny glimpse of what it's like to be involved in a initial response to a natural disaster when the wildfires terrorized the city of Colorado Springs. I can't compare it to last week's trip at all.

I'm honestly not sure what to say. I could write about the gasoline lines. I could write about moms, dads and children carrying bundles of soaked belongings from their house to the curb. I could write about the woman who teared up, telling us that her teenage daughter was handling the loss of their home very well and that she was proud of her. And then there is the overwhelming response from people who want to help. Tables are set up everywhere offered free food and drinks. People are giving out donated coats from the trunk of their car. Amazing things happen in a community when there is a crisis.

One team from Pennsylvania really touched me last Saturday. I'm pretty sure Cornerstone EFC comes to New Orleans to serve at least once a quarter. You get the picture, they are there a lot and I've had a lot of interaction with them. But they really blew me away last week.

Hoboken EFC is located in New Jersey and the city itself is actually below sea level in most, if not all, parts. So, needless to say, Hoboken had a fair amount of damage after Sandy. Hoboken EFC had knee-deep water in their basement which was not only renovated a couple years ago but also the center for a lot of ministry that happens in the tiny, one square-mile city. The Pastor Paul I met on Friday (Nov. 2) was not the same pastor I saw again, 24 hours later. On Friday, I met a man whose heart was breaking and who was physically and emotionally tired and unsure of what to do next. As the penetrating smell of mold hung heavily in the air we breathed, he was discouraged and quiet. So...we set up a course of action.


Cornerstone's response was immediate and enthusiastic. They embraced the challenge of gutting out a dank, smelly basement and hosting a neighborhood block party. Quite possibly the first block party every in Hoboken! I didn't get to hang around much on Saturday in Hoboken because we were pretty much on the move all day, but for the short time I was able to stop in and visit I was so encouraged! Of course it's always nice to see old friends :) The block part seemed to be a huge success! Never have I seen strangers gather in front of a building just to hang out and eat some hotdogs in the northeast. Wow, what an incredible, practical way to show the love of Christ! These people had been stuck in their dark, powerless houses for days and just seeing another person and having a conversation was a delight for them!

I suppose I should have just started typing a long time ago...I discovered what I wanted to blog about! Again, this disaster just makes support raising more urgent. The ONLY reason I was able to travel last minute to the northeast is because of the generosity of EFCA paying for my plane ticket, food, etc. In order to be able to do this the next time TouchGlobal wants to respond to a crisis, I need to use the support money raised to get there. Please prayerfully consider being a part of the kingdom in this way. If  you are already supporting me and you plan to keep doing it for another year, you are AWESOME. Just shoot me an e-mail to let me know :)

chelsea.buffington@efca.org

Love in Christ,
Chelsea

P.S. - I took a million pictures, but they aren't uploading. Check back for pictures or check out TouchGlobals Facebook.

Hurricane Sandy Created a Mission Field

I am amazed at God's sovereignty. Today, I am completely and utterly amazed by that.

Just the front of a long line of people waiting for gasoline

I had emailed Mark earlier this week about doing whatever he wanted me to do in the wake of Hurricane Sandy to get the news out. I never expected him to ask me to come to the east coast this weekend. Within 19 hours of getting a phone call from him, I bought my plane ticket, packed, finished a presentation due the next day, did various other things I was planning to do this weekend, presented my presentation had one last meal with Dustin and hopped on a plane to Philly. Can I just say right now that I love my job? And air travel.

Today was definitely an experience. I've never seen hurricane damage so soon after the actual disaster. It was eerily similar to New Orleans and the pictures I've seen post-Katrina. People lined up for at least a mile at most gas stations, both standing and in cars. While driving through New Jersey last night, we would hit spots that were completely blacked out.

 I walked up a street today and people wandered past me, unsure of what to do with their soaking wet possessions piled up on the sidewalks. I saw the caution tape slapped onto a house that you could see straight through to the back door. I looked at pictures taken of a woman's house that was completely under water. And I watched a pastor light up at the mention of doing a block party and handing out food tomorrow in front of his church. I listened to the story of a woman who worked in a shelter for the past few days, helping people who had a home one day and nothing the next. I sat around a kitchen table and talked to a family who was excited to have us in their house and wanted to learn more about this ministry.

Photo taken in front of a property on Staten Island.
Things salvaged from the flood.

I don't think people realize how bad it is until they come here and see it for themselves. That's why I'm doing this. People need to know and see pictures and hear stories of real people that we've met that are suffering and struggling. People that are rejoicing because of their hope in Christ, not their hope in things. Today, I heard that 3% of Staten Island (which has a lot of damage) claims to evangelical Christians. That's 3% of over half a million people. We believe that a mission field is created in the wake of every crisis. This is a mission field. We have an opportunity.

Blink

"Show me, Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure." Psalm 39:4-5

Last night, Dustin and I were coming back from the shooting range (our newest, cheap date idea), listening to worship music, when "Blink" by the band Revive played over the speakers. I immediately started to sing along to it and tapped away at my smartphone. For the first time, the lyrics to that song really sank in:

Teach me to number my days
And count every moment
Before it slips away
Take in all the colors
Before they fade to gray

At the exact same moment that I understood those lyrics, Dustin pointed out the gorgeous sunset and suggested we pull over and watch it. Suddenly, watching a sunset was the perfect use of my time.
Follow that up with a class the next day that went through the theology and practical application of the book of Ecclesiastes and I realized even more so how we are just a vapor. All day I've been thinking about how anything apart from Christ is meaningless, just like the author of Ecclesiastes claimed (Ecc. 1:14). How often do I chase after things that never last? It's like chasing the wind. Never really being satisfied because the object you're chasing is always on the move. Sometimes I think I'm so Americanized that the American dream has fooled me into desiring a certain mold, a lifestyle that makes me 'somebody'. But that's an entirely different topic for another day.
Maybe the problem is not even desiring (and acquiring) material things but being so busy that you overlook blessings. Last night's decision was unusual for me. Normally, I would've protested and told Dustin that I had mounds of homework piling up, that we need to pick out wedding music and (finally) finish our website. That sunset was created for appreciation and enjoyment. Who am I to pass up beauty that God places right before my eyes?
The song "Blink" goes on to ask, "What am I doing with my life?" I don't think that's a bad question to ask on a semi-regular basis, just to be certain that I am focused on things that really matter.
This brings me to the topic of TouchGlobal. I'm still raising support and I'm around the 50% mark of being fully supported for another year. I have one more month of raising support until my goal of starting my work back up on December 1st. If you are interested in coming alongside me and offering financial support please comment on this post, Facebook message me, call me, text me, email me (chelsea.buffington@efca.org), tweet me -- doesn't matter to me how it's done :) My goal is to get a newsletter out this week, just a reminder that I have another month left.
If you read all of that you are one amazing person, so a special thanks to YOU!
Love,
Chelsea Buffington

Back to Blogging (And it feels so good!)

Ah, it's been a while since I've blogged. It feels good to be typing in this little text box again.

An update on my life: Bolivar living is a little slower than New Orleans, but I'm certainly enjoying my time here and being closer to my fiance. School is going well (all A's so far :) ) and I've been loving the mail I get from my super friends and family! It's an adjustment, but I'm praising God that He is faithful and always sees me through.

I'm currently raising support for the  next year to be on TouchGlobal's staff as a part-time member. My duties will be:

1.       Writing articles for TouchGlobal's blog and the TouchGlobal Bridge (the newsletter).

2.       Helping to recruit interns and invest in my generation as they are called to be in the mission    field.

3.       Traveling to a response site to assess the damage and write stories.

It is a little less involved than as if I were actually living in Louisiana and working in the Covington office. Because of that, I'm raising less support than I did last year. This support includes the money that I will put back and access when there is a natural disaster or crisis that I must travel to (i.e. - Colorado wildfires this past summer).

Please let me know if you want to receive a letter from me with more details. If you are interested in supporting me, please email me at chelsea.buffington@efca.org.

I'm so excited about this opportunity! I'm praying that God will continue to use me and allow me to spread word of the work of his kingdom!

"He said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'"
Matthew 9:36 
 

One More Day

I've taken a break from staring at boxes and wishing they would pack themselves and now I'm sitting at our kitchen table, eating Skittles and telling Ronnie I can't believe we only have one more day left.

One more day.

This year flew by. It's hard to believe that there were times when my days seemed long.

It's not hard to believe how my God provided for me this year. I looked at my donor report this week and realized that there are people that I've never met, sending me support every month. Wow.  If you are reading this, and I've never met you but  you still faithfully pray for  me and help me do the ministry I'm called to do, THANK YOU. You are an amazing blessing from God!!

My time in New Orleans is drawing to a close and it's hard. It's hard not knowing when I'll be back. But I understand that there is a different plan for me right now. It's amazing how I've felt the Holy Spirit move me in certain directions this year. Just like I knew for a fact last fall that I needed to be in New Orleans, I know for a fact I'm supposed to be moving on now. I love New Orleans but this is not where I'm supposed to be living during this season of life. Although, I'm so so so so SO excited about this awesome opportunity to continue serving with TouchGlobal!!! I have a lot to look forward to: college, marriage, ministry...and this is only the beginning!

Enjoy some of the pictures from this year!

Thank you, everyone, for all the support you've given me both through prayer and financially this year! I thank God for you every time I think about you! I'm so excited for the next chapter of my life and I'm excited that I'll be able to continue to share it with you!

-Chelsea Buffington

Love is Marching and I'm Following

My eyes and ears were opened last week. I saw and heard Jesus.


Cardboard houses.


Jesus.


Blue, tattered tarps used as roofs.



Jesus.

A cerulean sea.


Jesus.

Tears wetting little faces that peaked around doors and watched me.


Jesus.

Tiny brown hands lifted high, clinging to me.


Jesus.


I learned that the poverty we see on television, the homeless, the orphaned, the widowed are not government 'problems'. They are a mission field for churches. Not churches, The Church. The Body of Christ.

The church sends people. She sends 'the called'.

"I'm not called to go there. I'm not equipped. I have my job, my kids, my parents, my house, my car to worry about. Someone else will go."



No, that someone is you. God commands it . I saw Jesus, I heard Him. He is every person that has ever needed help, love, healing (Matthew 25:40). We are called to action.

"He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing." Deuteronomy 10:18

 "Thus says the LORD, 'Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.'"  Jeremiah 22:3

 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’ But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry." Zechariah 7:9-12

I learned that compassion is not feeling badly. When Jesus had compassion, he went, he suffered with them, he healed them and raised them up.

I learned that I have this deep, God-given desire in my heart to get down on my hands and knees and love a person exactly where they are at. My heart is breaking -- breaking -- for the orphans that tugged on my clothes in Haiti, for the man on the street with one leg and a crutch -- watching cars race past, for the kids in New Orleans whose parents don't come home until midnight. I learned that this desire won't, can't and should not stop when I 'leave' this harvest in New Orleans. I need people to know that there is suffering all over the world. They need to go. We need to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Which brings me to the next step of my journey and my decision to stay on with TouchGlobal. I am commanded by God to use my talents, abilities and resources for His glory. I am still going to college and moving to Missouri in the fall, but I'll write stories for the ministry from a distance. This is one way I can use words to bring to light the desperate needs of people in crisis and poverty.

Because I am doing this, I need to continue to raise support so that I can travel for the ministry and take pictures and write down what I see.

Thank you for your prayers and support throughout this past year. Please pray about partnering with me, to let God's people know that they also need to step up and take action when they see something that breaks His heart.

"And when our hearts begin to break along with His, this world will change."

-"Love is Marching", Barlowgirl 

-Chelsea Buffington

The Travelling Summary

Hey y'all!!
I'm back from Haiti and Colorado and done with Challenge! Wow, what a crazy two weeks, but I loved every minute of it :) Thank you for the prayers that kept me going. I'm still feeling energized for my last 4 weeks in New Orleans!

Smoke rising out of the canyon. All the trees in front are burnt.

Colorado was a great experience. It was a quick, 14-hour trip but I learned a lot about our ministry and why we do what we do. The people I met there were incredible, the way they trusted God even without knowing if their houses were still standing. I hope I have that kind of faith! Please continue to pray for them and read the story I wrote for EFCA after coming back from CO. I was extremely impacted by my time there.

Jess and Liz and I at Challenge. I met them at our
awesome Haiti experience!

Challenge was just as awesome. I think I thrive on youth, or maybe I'm just subconsciously missing my youth group days as well. But being surrounded by over 5300 teens and lifting high the name of Jesus corporately was something I never experienced at their age. Plus, I was able to meet some of our Haiti staff before I even got to Haiti, practically live at the New Orleans convention center, and spend almost every waking moment with Katie Hooks.

Anika and I. This little girl attached herself to me. So cute!

And last, but not least, Haiti was incredible. At Challenge we set up an entire exhibition hall to look like Haiti. While I think we did a great job, it's nothing like experiencing it in person. If you saw our Love Moves Haiti exhibit and were impacted, go to Haiti. You will fall in love just like I did. What a beautiful country with an ongoing list of problems. Please, pray for Haiti.

Next week, my blog will be about the new direction I'm headed. Sorry for missing a week, but please keep checking back!

Love,
Chelsea :)

Wild Fires and Craziness that Ensues

The last blog post that I wrote, I had thought that the next place I was headed to was Haiti. That's been changed.
I heard the incredible story of Pastor Rob fleeing from the wild fire that broke out in Colorado and immediately my heart went out to him, his family and the people in Colorado Springs. I was able to write a communications piece for EFCA (check out www.efca.org and the TouchGlobal blog) on the Waldo Canyon Fire. I knew that Mark Lewis was headed there this weekend on a trip to assess damage and minister to those affected along with coming up with an action plan for response. I'm going to go with him and Ella to help and learn and listen. Yes, TouchGlobal is responding to this disaster.
Please, please pray for me, Mark and Ella as we visit Colorado. I leave tomorrow night (Friday) and return the following day. Right after, Challenge begins. It will be a busy week. I've had a lot of responsibilities with designing our booth and working with the Love Moves Haiti exhibit (to learn more, visit www.challengeconference.org), so I'm so thankful for the people who will be adopting my New Orleans duties while I'm in Colorado.
Thank you for your prayers and support!

Chelsea

Running Blind

Meet Simon Wheatcroft:

Simon was chosen to be a torchbearer in the 2012 Summer Olympic games. He'll be carrying the Flame through a small English village on June 26th, cheered on by friends and family. There is one thing that makes him pretty special: he's blind.

I thought about Wheatcroft as I was running today. I looked at my feet and watched them avoid every dip, step over sticks and roots and turn with the sidewalk. I couldn't imagine closing my eyes and running the rest of my route in the dark, even though I run it every day.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm running blind when it comes to my life, though. I really don't know what this next year will look like, exactly. Who does? I have plans...marriage, for example. A lot of things are unknown, though. I know what I want to do, I'm just not sure if it's what God wants me to do. But, I do have confidence. I know that Christ has gotten me this far, and I could not have done it myself. I depend on Him for strength and guidance. Proverbs 16:9 keeps coming into my head: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

One thing I feel like I'm running blindly into is Haiti. I've decided to go there with Ronnie and Katie in less than 3 weeks. It wasn't necessarily in my budget and it took almost my entire support for the month to buy the ticket, but I firmly believe that I'm called to go there this summer. I'll be there from July 8th - 12th. Please join me in prayer that, if it's His will, God will provide the funds to make up for the ticket I purchased.

There are various other decisions that I need to make that I feel in the dark about. Again, please pray for me, for wisdom and that I'll act on that wisdom, seeking the will of my Lord. I'm thinking that maybe we have to run blind in order to bring Christ glory. Because if we could do it all by ourselves, we wouldn't need Him.

Simon Wheatcroft is quoted, saying, "Belief in yourself gets you a long way. Don’t achieve what someone believes you are capable of, achieve what you believe you are capable of.” (ABC article about Simon Wheatcroft)

In my life, I want to say that belief in CHRIST gets you a long way. And that I don't achieve anything without His power and the passion for Him that burns inside me.

-Chelsea

Tearing Down Idols

"'Now then,' said Joshua, 'throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.'
And the people said to Joshua, 'We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.'" 

-Joshua 24:23-24

My theme this week is tearing down idols. This passage in Joshua really convicted me. Joshua asks the Israelites 3 times whom they will serve. Each time they answer with an emphatic "We will serve the Lord!"
Joshua even calls them out, challenges them saying that the Lord is holy and He is a jealous God and the Israelites are not able to fully serve Him if they will turn to foreign gods so easily. Again, their answer is the same.

How often do I tell God I'll serve Him and only Him? And how often do I say that and keep those little 'g' gods in the back of my head? Music, movies, friendships, worry, fear, pride....the list can go on forever. I don't care what it is, if it's taking the throne of God, it's an idol.

In the book of Judges, taking place directly after Joshua's death, we see the Israelites fall again and again and again. The vicious cycle continues for years and years. The Israelites replace the God of Jacob with idols, they are enslaved by another nation, they cry out to Jehovah, the Lord raises up a judge to  lead them, they are freed, and then they fall back into sin.

What happened to that commitment to serve the Lord and obey him? What happened to the fervor that gripped their hearts and the remembrance that kept them in awe of the God that rescued them from Egypt? What happened to my fervor? Where is my awe in remembering how Christ brought me up out of the miry clay and redeemed my soul?

I've had a couple goals in the past week to help me throw away my foreign gods and return to my First Love. One of these goals included cleaning out my media. I did it and it was surprisingly easy. As I looked at each song, it wasn't necessarily a question of whether or not it was 'bad' by any standards. The question was "What is distracting me from my walk with God?" What feelings or emotions does it evoke? What do I think about? When I considered what I was doing, I realized that of course my God is more important than any entertainment I own! How could I even compare the two? It made it so easy to listen with disgust to the songs that I ended up permanently deleting off of my computer.

So, now I want to ask you...What are your foreign gods and what will you do with them?

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve..." - Joshua 24:15a

One Year Anniversary

One year ago, today, I stepped off a plane in New Orleans, Louisiana. All I can say is that it has been a crazy adventure since that day. Because of my internship and staff position here in NOLA I've grown in my walk with the Lord, first and foremost, I've grown in the field that I'm studying in college, I've fallen in love with a city that will never leave my prayers, and I've met the man I'm going to marry. I've moved 3 different times, I have made a lot of sweet memories and a lot of sweet people. There are friends that I will keep for the rest of my life that I met here. There are things that I have learned that I will never forget. And today I'm going to share some of those things with you :)

1. Don't worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34) - Because, who can add a single hour to his life by worrying? Through Paul, Christ commands us to focus on what is true (Philippians 4:8). What is true is what is present, what is happening right now. If we worry about something that hasn't happened yet, we worry about something that's not true.

2. If there is conflict with another individual, always go to that person first (Matthew 18:15) - It's a lot easier said than done. For some reason, we as humans love having people agree with us or fuel our fires. Is it ok to 'vent' to someone about another person (Proverbs 29:11)? The Bible doesn't say so. It's so easy to go and complain about some wrong that was done against you, but the best way to handle conflict is to go directly to a person and lay out the problem with them in a Christ-like manner.

3. Never make assumptions - Unless you are assuming the best of them. People have backgrounds and stories that always play into their words and actions. Think about the person first and realize that you don't know everything (Philippians 2:1-4). It doesn't make what they are doing right, but it does give you a different perspective.

4. God moves, He works, and He is faithful (Lamentations 3:22-24) - There have been times when I was scared I wouldn't have a place to live, wouldn't have food to eat, wouldn't have money to live on. I was scared that I would fail at school or at work. A car caught on fire 30 seconds after I got out of it, I've lost in the city multiple times, and not in the best neighborhoods either. A tree almost crushed me. I've felt exhausted and been really sick. Every single time, God proved himself faithful. I was never lacking and He always provided for me. And He'll continue that, even when I'm off 'the mission field'.

5. Be content in every season (1 Timothy 6:6) - I posted about this a few days ago. I'm learning that God places us in a certain season for a reason (yes, that rhymed). We are never lacking in anything. Ever. God gives us the grace to embrace (I know, another rhyme) every situation, every day. In fact, the grace given to us will overflow our cups, falling into our laps (Luke 6:38). We have enough grace for our day and then some. Let grace flow out of your life into someone else's and be content. It's not something you are born with...it's a skill that you acquire, sharpen and hone (Philippians 4:11-13).

So, there are a few things that I've learned in the past year. Learned doesn't mean perfected, because I am working on every single one of these points. Pray for me as I close out my time in New Orleans in less than three months. Pray that God stretches me and I grow in my walk with Christ. I want to be a bright, burning flame. Unashamed and heart abandoned for the cause of Christ.

Love,
Chelsea :)

Moving In (For once, I'm not talking about myself)

I just got off the phone with the most delightful woman! One reason why I love my job is that I am blessed to be able to record and document how God moves so powerfully in New Orleans.

Miss Pat is one of our homeowner's who is well on her way to moving into her house. She's an incredible woman of faith who excitedly told me how God moved and worked in her situation after Katrina. She was at a point of hopelessness and despair and God lifted her out of the pit and set her feet upon the rock. Miss Pat told me that she knows that God brought TouchGlobal to her even when she thought the enemy had won.

Please pray for Miss Pat as she works a lot on the North Shore and also in the city. She has the capability of moving in, but has not purchased the furniture and other things that she needs in order to do that.

Miss Pat with a team from California in October of 2011

How powerful. Today, I'm just praising God for bringing more and more homeowners to us. Or vice versa.

This summer, we have a projected number of at least 700 volunteers. Please pray that as we, as a staff, impact those volunteers and in turn, they impact the people they come in contact with. The glory is all HIS!

Love,
Chelsea

A Time to be Content

Right now, I'm sitting on my bed and talking to Jen (Who is laying on it. Guess she's commandeering it for the time being.) and listening to Casting Crowns. Tomorrow, she's leaving for Alabama, then I'm following on Sunday. It's time for my (what seems like) quarterly trip around the United States!
I've been thinking a lot about being content in EVERY situation and in EVERY circumstance. Wow, wouldn't life be so much easier if we could just say, "You know what, God placed me here for a reason, so I'll make the most of it."
My favorite phrase is, "I can't wait". I guess I don't mean it literally. I can wait, I'm just excited. I say, "I can't wait" to Dustin when we talk about getting married, or my next visit. I say it to the people I'm coming to see in Pennsylvania. I say it when I tell people where I'm going to college. I say it when I talk about this coming summer.
While my intentions might be innocent, I've been feeling a little convicted. I find myself looking forward to the fall when I go to college, or next spring when Dustin and I get married. There are so many exciting things happening in my life, it's true. But what about right now?
I can't believe this is happening, but I really believe that sometimes I take my time in New Orleans for granted. But it recently hit me, I'm only here for a season. This is a time in my life that I can do things I will never be able to do again. I'll probably never be a single girl out on the mission field again. After these next four months comes college, marriage, graduating, a job, kids, etc. Now (and while I'm on this earth) is a time to live intentionally, impact others and be content in where God has so divinely placed me.
I'm reading The Resolution for Women and the very first section of the book talks about contentment in your current situation in life. Here's an excerpt:
"I do solemnly resolve to embrace my current season of life and will maximize my time in it. I will resist the urge to hurry through or circumvent any portion of my journey but will live with a spirit of contentment."
Feeling challenged? I am.
"True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth." 1 Timothy 6:6
"If we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content." 1 Timothy 6:8
"Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, 'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.'" Hebrews 13:5

From One State to Another, and Then Another...

Last week was spent in Alabama. We had a team from Carlisle, Pa come down and build a house from the ground up for Miss Karen, whose home was destroyed by the March 2nd tornadoes. It was a challenging week for sure and full of growth. But seeing Miss Karen's excitement light up her face and her smile grow bigger with every passing day was worth it all. I'm praying that we had an impact on her life and that she will see Jesus because of it.
Plus, I was able to get up on a roof, which is always fun!! :)

Earlier this week I was in New Orleans with teams from Maryland and North Carolina. And the nice North Carolina guys let me help them put in a ceiling. They even took pictures for me! :)

Right now I'm in Missouri visiting the husband-to-be and his family, talking about wedding things and picking out classes for when I attend Southwest Baptist University in the fall! Also, Mark Lewis and Katie Hooks made the trip to SBU to train a team of college students who are soon leaving for Japan on a mission trip! I was able to take some pictures of the training session and also them as a team. Please pray for them! 

Katie, Mark and the Japan team

I have 2 more weeks of school left. There is light at the end of this tunnel. I'm so pumped for summer and lots of volunteers and hard work! School is the only thing standing in my way :) Please pray that I finish out this semester strongly!

Also, please continue to pray for my support to come in. Unfortunately, it has not been as regular as it should be, and I am getting about half of what I should be receiving I would love to get a new camera before this summer is over so that I can do my job better, but at this point I will be using my support for just food and housing.

As always thank you for your prayers. They mean so very much to me and they keep me going! I'm praising God for the people that read this and continue to support me financially and with prayer!

Love,

Chelsea

ENGAGED

I'm sure most of you have heard the news by now :)
Needless to say, I had an excellent Easter weekend in Pennsylvania with my family and Dustin!
On Thursday morning, Dustin and I went for a hike. During it, he asked if we could sit down and read some Scripture and listen to music. When we sat down by a pond, he told me he bought me something and pulled out a very pretty journal and said that he would like me to use it when we get engaged, to write my thoughts down, etc. (As if he wasn't going to propose in about 5 minutes) Of course, I thought this was very sweet and gave him lots of compliments about the idea.

After that he read to me 2 Chronicles 34:31-32:

"The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord -- to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book. Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors."

Dustin told me that he wanted these verses to apply to his life, then mine and then our family's. Then he played the song "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real. After that, he told me that he also wrote me a letter. He read out loud to me how he felt about me and the past 8 and a half months of pursuing me and how he wants to cherish me, protects me and love me in the future. At the end of his letter, he explained that he talked to my parents that morning and they gave him their full blessing to marry me. And with that, he asked me to be his wife!

As you can probably tell from the picture, I was very shocked and excited and I said YES :) :)

When we got home he had a dozen roses waiting for me along with a framed picture of the two of us.

I'm so excited to begin this new adventure with my amazing fiance! God has truly lavished his love and grace and blessings upon me and I will always be praising him for that!

Thank you for your prayers and support, as always. But please include Dustin and I in your prayers as well, that we will continue to abide by HIS statutes and rest on HIS promises! 

Picture Happy

Things I am thankful for:

1. I'm so thankful for this house that Jen and I had in Covington. And also thankful for the family that allowed us to stay there for 5 months!












2. I'm thankful for this house in Mandeville. Praise God for orchestrating events so that Miss Sharon was able to let us live here and take care of her house while she is gone! We will be here for 6 weeks, until May 1st.

3. RIP the Lewis's Buick. It had a good run. I happened to be driving the car when it caught on fire (for the whole story, make sure you get my newsletter. Email me at chelsea.buffington@efca.org if you don't get it), so I'm praising God that I am alive and well and writing this blog right now!

4. So thankful for the college kids that are willing to give up their spring break to come down here and serve in New Orleans! Please pray that God will raise up interns for this summer!

5. I'm praising God for New Orleans and the fact that He has called me here in this season of my life. Plus, what a gorgeous place!

6. I'm thankful for yummy, home-cooked Cajun food that you can't get anywhere else!









Thank you for your prayers and support. I'll be sending out my newsletter this week, too!
Love,
Chelsea :)

I'm Back!! (in Bama)

I need to take a lesson from the devotions that the teams have every week. I should just go into my days without any expectations!
On Thursday, I found out that Jen and I would be making the 6 trip to Alabama on Saturday to pick up a truck and bring it back to New Orleans. The very next day (Friday) several tornadoes hit Madison County in Alabama again (the last time being April 27th, 2011. To read about this, see my blog post: Hope in Bama). Tornadoes are an amazing thing. They don't discriminate, but one side of a street could be completely wiped out, while the other side has not even been touched.
So Jen and I made the uneventful drive to Alabama yesterday, despite choosing a huge diesel truck with no cruise control (definitely a mistake). Today we attended the service at Hope Church, our partner here in Madison County. But, of course, we can't go a day without an adventure. I was skyping my family, when Jen called and told me that one of our trucks broke down (leaking brake fluid). Ironically, it was the truck that Jen and I originally came up to Alabama to get.
THANK YOU JESUS, for not letting us drive that truck back down to Louisiana!!!
For those of you that are wondering, the damage is extensive. Families who have just gathered up there lives from the last tornadoes had them ripped apart again. PLEASE pray for these people!
I'm headed back down to Louisiana tomorrow with Jen. Please pray that we will have another uneventful drive :)
Thank you for continuing to pray for me as I work in ministry. I can't do it without my team of people committed to pray for me! Praise God for this opportunity I was able to seize with TouchGlobal :)

I Love it When God's Like, "No worries, I got your back."

The past two weeks have been awesome visiting Dustin and also John Brown University. I was able to meet with their team leaders and also the girl who will be our next intern. It's funny how quickly time flies...I find it hard to believe that I was on a flight to New Orleans to be an intern 9 months ago. But enough about that! Let me tell you the latest story of how God's been working in my life.
Two blog posts ago, I mentioned that Jen and I will be able to stay in our house until March 15th. This is awesome and a huge answer to prayer. The problem was that we would be homeless after that until May 1st, when our summer home opens up.
Well, I found out that - through some connections at my church here in Covington - one very gracious woman has opened up her home to Jen and I for the month and half that we don't have a home. The house is in Mandeville, a block from the lake, and a reasonable distance from our office in Covington.
So once again, God's sovereign way of showing his power and love amazes me. While visiting Dustin, we were able to listen to a message by Louie Giglio where he goes through the Doxology in Romans 11:33-36. This passage came to mind again as I typed this blog:

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

'For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor?'

'Or who has given a gift to him

that he might be repaid?'

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."

AMEN!!

Love,

Chelsea

Mardi Gras

My favorite city in the world is so deeply rooted in history, something that I absolutely love about it.

One of the many traditions there is the Mardi Gras celebration. This is what today's blog is about. I'm on a mission to bring to light the redeeming qualities of Mardi Gras (which, by the way is in 4 days. Happy Mardi Gras!). I'll be honest, when reading about Mardi Gras I felt that this blog was a bit like a research paper, but don't be deceived! I promise it is interesting (and fairly short) :)

The celebration of Mardi Gras goes way back, originally being a pagan ritual that was incorporated into Christian Rome. It was sort of used as a last "hurrah" before the penitential season of Lent. Although its roots aren't solely French, Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") was brought to the New Orleans area by French explorers. And no one does it like New Orleans now, that's for sure!

Mardi Gras didn't get it's bad reputation until the 19th century when masked paraders demonstrated violent behavior during the celebration. Because of this, the press demanded that Mardi Gras celebrations should be stopped. Fortunately, a group of men known as Comus made Mardi Gras a beautiful celebration, proving to the public that it could safe and enjoyable for all people. "Krewes", which are kind of like secret societies, were formed. These krewes get to plan their parades, choosing themes, costumes, floats, etc. 

In recent years, the general public knows Mardi Gras as an excuse to go to New Orleans and do inexcusable things. The media highlights this behavior making it seem like New Orleans is one big, dirty place during the Mardi Gras season. I want my readers to know that this is NOT the case. It happens, yes, in certain places in the French Quarter. I also want my readers to know that the people that are doing these things are out of town, foolish tourists. Northerners, mostly. NOT the people of New Orleans that I work with on a regular basis.

Every person from New Orleans that I've talked to has told me the same thing: Mardi Gras is a time of celebration. A holiday when the family can go outside, grill, pass football and share time with their neighbors. Especially after a thing like Hurricane Katrina, wouldn't you like to see your city dressed up and brought together? New Orleans natives rarely go to the few crazy parades. Most of the parades are kid and family friendly. Kids will sit on shoulders and reach up to floats as the people on them hand out beads and stuffed animals. I know! I've been to one :)

Me, Bethany and Jen at our first Mardi Gras parade!

Hopefully this post gave you a little more insight to the city I'm ministering to. It is a pretty awesome place :)

Thank you for your prayers and support as always and I hope your week is going well!

Love,

Chelsea

3 Things I'm Thankful For

Some of you who received my last newsletter know that the past month or so has been a little difficult for me. The theme of January, for me, was Romans 5:3 "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance." It felt like I running into problem after problem, trial after trial. I walked into a different wall every time I turned around; it definitely started to hurt after a while.

But today I am praising God for 3 three things specifically:

1. Jen and I found out that the house we are living in won't sell until March 15th now. Which means another month we weren't expecting of living in a home!

2. I was approved to drive ministry vehicles even though I'm (slightly) under 21. So if I need a car or something to get me from Point A to Point B (or C or D or E. I'm always going somewhere!), I have that option. Thank you, Jesus!!

3. The grace God gives us in the moment that we need it. Whether it's myself needing grace or that I need to give grace to others, Christ always supplies that.

"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16

What an awesome promise! Thank you for your dedication in praying for me and supporting me. I'm praying that you will also approach the throne of grace with confidence!

Love,

Chelsea :)

A Family for Christ

During my second week back in New Orleans, Dustin's family came to serve with TouchGlobal.
I've really been blessed by the Moshers in the past. They've welcomed me into their home and made me feel like part of their family. The week they were here opened my eyes to see their hearts even more so.
What's awesome is how they came down as a family and were lights for Christ together. Dustin has been coming to New Orleans for 3 years now. They recognized his passion for the city and for TouchGlobal and decided they wanted to see what it was like for themselves. The way they worked together, at the same job site, prayed together, ate together, and even toured the city together, displayed Christ.
Along with the Mosher family, Trinity International (a university from Illinois) came to serve. I'm so thankful for the teams that keep coming down! Seeing the Moshers serve that week made me realize how involved I want my future family to be in missions.

The Moshers, Trinity International, and the interns

Today today I live for one thing


To give You praise


In everything I do


Yeah all the praise goes out to You 

-The Time Has Come, Hillsong United