Mini Update

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you were able to celebrate the birth of our risen Lord! My Christmas was great and spent with Dustin's family. I'm realizing how awesome marriage is going to be. Dustin and I always talk about how blessed we are to be marrying into families that are supportive, generous and kind! It's wonderful to feel apart of a family, even while you're away from home.

Merry Christmas!

On Christmas day, I milked a cow with Dustin's cousin, Callie! 

Right now, I'm preparing to move back to Pennsylvania for the next, almost 5 months. During that time I'm looking forward to visiting New Orleans in February, visiting our Hurricane Sandy site in Galloway, NJ a few times and of course, planning my wedding.
This weekend I'm sending out a newsletter with an update on our Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. If you would like and update and don't receive my newsletters, just give me your email address and I will get one to you!
My latest project for TouchGlobal is writing an article for EFCA Today, EFCA's online magazine. Check out the magazine here. I'll provide an additional link when that article is published.

Prayer Requests:
- I can always use prayer for more support! Please pray that God will raise up people who can give financially and commit to praying for me.
-Safe flight back home (Friday, Jan. 11th)
-Easy transition back in Pennsylvania.

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