Showing off my niece

This melts my heart! 12 days till I get to meet her:

My Country Tis of Thee ... which one?

The 4th of July always brings with it such mixed feelings. I am extremely grateful to be an American. More than anything, I know what privileges my little eagle-embossed, blue-stitched passport bears outside these borders, not to mention the incredible opportunities and freedoms I've gotten to experience within this country. I've gotten to travel coast to coast and back again in one summer, seeing sights such as roaming elk in Yellowstone, the crack in the Liberty Bell, the view from the top of Space Mountain, and the chance to lie in four states at once. My education is another thing not to be taken for granted. I'm nearly finished with my master's degree - how many people around the world can claim that? How many of them female? And of course, who can forget the American staples such as national security, religious freedom, and apple pie?

However, a part of me feels more homesick than ever on this particular day. And with each passing year it gets harder and harder to pinpoint where I'm homesick for. Austria to be sure, but each trip there reminds more and more that I've moved from resident to visitor status, so it's hard to be HOMEsick for a certain place anymore. Germany and BFA? Not yet. My parents' house? Maybe that gets a little closer, but it still doesn't explain the way I both burst with pride and feel riddled with guilt when I try to sing "My Country Tis of Thee," which has nothing to do with where my parents find themselves at the moment.

The longing to have a home country and, more than anything, to BELONG somewhere is so strong sometimes. Once again, the only place I can find solace for my aching heart is in God's word and the promise of the place he's preparing. I trust that he knows me so well that he's going to make my house in heaven exactly what I need on all levels - spiritual, mental, emotional - and that upon entering it, I'll know for the first time in my life that I'm HOME! It will fit me like a glove and wrap me up in a warm blanket. Until then, I'll gladly cheer the fireworks, mumble as many of the words as I can remember to the Star-Spangled Banner, and stand tall and proudly when I watch the waves roll in on an Oregon shore, but oh how I long for that day of being finally in MY country! The one that ironically truly is of sweet liberty.

Olivia Marie

It is with so much joy and more pride than a spinster aunt probably should feel that I get to introduce the newest member of my family: Olivia Marie Custer!!! She was born on June 25 after 33 hours of labor (Fiona, you're my new hero) at 21 inches and 7 lbs 12 oz. And she's adorable if I do say so myself.

Summer Reading and Reflections

It's been a long time that a book as moved me to tears as often as Too Small To Ignore by Wess Stafford has. In it, he tells his testimony starting with the blissful months he spent living with his family in tropical West Africa, being loved on and cherished by the African village his parents were ministering to, and growing both in his conviction of God's love for him and the calling on his life to help the poorest of the poor. I actually laughed out loud at some of the stories, especially the one where a clothes donation arrives from America, and the chief, who gets first choice of course, selects old women's nighties to wear.

However, his testimony also includes the dark months spent at his MK boarding school several hundred miles away where he encountered child abuse of the foulest kind, both physical and emotional. It broke my heart and just added to the mounting resolve I felt this past year to keep fighting for children around the world. They are under so much more attack than I ever realized. Wess Stafford makes the point that the most common age in which people turn to Christ is under 18. Ask most believers today when they became Christians, and you'll receive a "pre-adult" answer. That's why he's convinced a spiritual war rages over children because the enemy knows if he can keep them from trusting God before 18, half the battle is won.

I went to BFA thinking I was serving missionaries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa and helping them stay in their ministries, and that's still 100% true. But it's so much more. I've found MY mission field in the 320 kids who attend our school, many more non-believers than I expected. So many of them have seen and experienced deep hurt already in the countries they come from: friends oppressed, families divided, war, murder, constant threat, and adamant refusal of the hope-bringing gospel. If Satan can get to them in these years, he may be able to destroy not only the ministries of their parents (who can't concentrate or ethically stay on the field if their kids are hurting), but also the spirits of these kids entrusted to BFA.

My child advocacy may not be among the poorest of the poor as Wess Stafford's is, but I believe in it more assuredly today than even a year ago! If you're looking for some not-so-light-but-excellent summer reading, I highly recommend this book.

Summer Plans

My summer is slowly taking shape, and I thought I'd put up some dates just in case any of you wonderful, loyal readers want to come to anything or possibly get together! I really want to see ALL of you this summer.

6/18: Update Evening at Grace Church Roseville in Roseville, MN
7/6: speak at Women's Missionary Stewardship at Grace Church Roseville
7/8?: leave for Nebraska, see friends and family along the way
7/11: speak at two churches in grandparents' home town?
7/13: arrive in Colorado
7/15: speak at Deborah Meeting at E-Free Church Colorado Springs, CO
7/15 - 7/17: Training at WorldVenture
7/19 - 7/23: Renewal Conference for WorldVenture
7/27: start journey back to Minnesota
8/1: speak at Cedar Creek Church in Hayfield, MN
8/4: speak at Bible Study at Hayden Heights Baptist Church in St. Paul, MN
8/4-8/8: Family Vacation (hopefully with my new little niece)

I'd love to fill in all those gaps. :-) E-mail me! Much love,
Katrina

Lizzie's Big Day

My whole reason for coming back to the states before BFA's school year was up was so that I could share in my old roommate's Big Day. It actually started 2 days earlier with the bachelorette party. Ask me sometime about how lost I got on the way there.
Here's a better shot of the beautiful bride on her wedding day:
I really enjoyed my time as a bridesmaid in the stunning blue dresses. I laughed so much! Though part of that could've been the jet lag. Rita (in the picture below) was usually the main reason for my laughter. Ooh, and they had the cutest chocolate-covered strawberries ever!
What a gentleman Ben was to help her into her shoes before their first dance and the father-daughter dance.Loved the shock when Lizzie discovered it was HER car that got smeared and not Ben's. I think he loved that, too.
All in all, a very fun day! Friends of Lizzie, if you want more pictures, see facebook.

Moving Day

I once again forgot to take pictures of the actual apartment, but it's a mess now anyway. Here are some shots of the move though. Thanks guys (AC, KK, TC, TA, HP, SS, and EH) as well as all my WorldVenture colleagues who showed up to move and pray. Love you all.

I had forgotten about the carrying the mattress down the street. It and two chairs were the only things that didn't fit into the truck. Fortunately, I didn't move far.
Enjoying my first outdoor dinner at the new place with Doner pizza. Yummm.