A Girl With A Dream

[ashleybabinat]

Being The Best You

Eating right is SO HARD. I know I am not the only one who thinks this. Everyone knows the common rule of eating their daily amounts of fruits and vegetables but when that donut appears in that store window, all that self-discipline seems to disappear.

In January, I posted on Facebook of my undertaking of the 1/80 Challenge through AdvoCare. I am not going to lie; it truly is a challenge. This 80-day challenge is basically similar to doing their 24-day challenge but for 80 days. In the past, I have only done the 24-day challenge once. When it was over, I was SO glad! I went back to my old eating habits, which weren’t bad. They could have been better. I love my fruits and vegetables but there is a huge sweet tooth that runs in my family’s genes. My main kryptonite is carbs. This girl LOVES some good ole bread and butter. Not kidding and I would justify my unhealthy choices by eating somewhat healthy most of the time. These justifications weren’t really helping me with my health goals. During the 24-day challenge, I focused on eating healthier and staying away from the “bad” foods. But the sad part was I didn’t really pick up any of those behavioral habits. I went right back to the habits that I knew from the beginning. It was a good investment at the time. I don’t regret it at all but I did not get as much out of it as I could have. 

This time there is 80 DAYS! Woah! Really got to commit this time around. This challenge is still not easy for even people who think they already have good habits. This challenge has opened my eyes to aspects of my health that I really (and I mean really) need to work on and probably why I am not able to be the best version of myself even with my current habits.

I have to be honest, the first few days were rough. The first week I tried not eat anything with added sugars which was hard since I am addicted to sugar.  The cravings were bad but eventually they subdued. I do still have them occasionally but not as bad as they were. And I am learning not to fall into these cravings every day. It is hard. The first 10 days were the Cleanse phase and after that it turns into the MAX phase. Heading to the MAX phase, I started taking the MNS vitamins through AdvoCare. Incorporating these vitamins and eating healthy, my energy levels changed. I used to have starve through the work hours and go for the easy to reach sugary snacks. But during the first couple of days of the MAX phase, I didn’t really have the hunger pangs. I also brought fruit and other whole foods to work as my snacks. My energy levels were steady and I wasn't really hitting a wall like I usually did during the mid-afternoons. I was hungry when I got off around 5pm but not starving. My appetite control and energy levels have improved a lot during this journey and I do believe that my energy levels have improved since incorporating the AdvoCare vitamins.

This challenge also expresses the importance of sleep and the quality of sleep. Sleep was never really an aspect that I thought was important to my health. I know it is important but never made it a priority to work on. I am currently still working on it and getting to bed on time is so hard for me. But are we not always working on something in life? Another aspect of the challenge is stress management and WOAH, I sure need help in this part. Being a natural worrier of the future and other aspects of life, stress seems to always be present in my life. I honestly think it will always be present but that is why it is called MANAGEMENT.  Instead of life stressors taking joy out of my life, I tried to figure out ways to manage this stress and control it. For example, running through the stress, talking through it with a friend, or giving this anxiety to God and trusting in Him. These are just a couple of ways I been learning how to handle my stress and making it a priority not to have it control my life and take the joy.

So through all this unexpected learning from this challenge, it got me thinking and I want to share my thoughts with y’all.

My original goal for this challenge was to lose some weight, (I have always been insecure about my weight, but who isn’t?) but I would say my goal now is to be the best version of myself that I was created to be. Whatever size. I still want to lose weight and be at the healthy weight that God has created me to be but it is not the main focus anymore for me. I want to sleep well, have fun while exercising, enjoy food and take risks and go for my dreams. I want to enjoy life and not have my insecurity of my weight stop me from doing anything of this. I don’t want running to be a burden and food to be the enemy anymore. 

When our bodies are well nourished with sustainable ENERGY, wouldn’t you want to go out and do things? I would always use the excuse that I am too tired to do things, which is a valid excuse when you ARE tired. Now through this AdvoCare challenge of taking care my health on a whole different level and with an AdvoCare community, it feels like I am not alone. My goals are cared about. My goals of aspiring to start guitar lessons, write a blog and being more comfortable expressing my quirky, nerdy self to people.  And so many more.

It has been a great journey through this but I think the main message I want everyone to get out of this is this question to ponder;

Shouldn’t we want to strive to be the best that we can be?

Shouldn’t we want to have the adequate energy levels throughout the day so then we can fully enjoy the life that was given to us? I am not praising AdvoCare solely since my faith in Jesus is also a huge aspect throughout my journey of life. AdvoCare is simply helping me. Everyone is different and my experience through this challenge is going to be different from others. However, I truly want to challenge everyone who is reading to think about it. Am I being the best version of myself that I can be? I want to help you! I really do. Everyone deserves to enjoy the life that was given to them. So are you?

To sum it up, life is hard when you are tired and not feeling your best and we were not meant to struggle alone. Let's help each other.

[ashleybabinat]

What is Normal?

Wow, I am in disbelief! I certainly am. This summer went by so quickly and it breaks my heart that my time in NOLA has come to an end. A little piece of me will always be in New Orleans and it just makes me want to visit as soon as I can.

I am just blessed by this summer and what God has revealed to me. The areas of my life that was still filled with sin of mistrust or idolatry. Areas where these sins were taking real estate of where God should be. It is not always easy to find these areas that lack God but that is the only way we can become more like Christ His Son.

It has been kind of strange coming back home to Iowa. I don’t really know how to explain it but I am going to attempt it. It has been weird driving everywhere and not just walking a couple blocks down the French Quarter to get coffee, lunch, or anything else that is needed. It was an exciting feeling when I first drove my car from not having driven for about two months. It is nice to have the freedom to go to places that require transportation but I also miss the accessibility that the French Quarter gives someone. The change in noise has also been a change. I got so used to living so close to noisy Bourbon Street that I don’t know what to do with the quietness that I get here in Iowa. I would say the thing I miss most out of this summer, is the ministry that Vieux Carre Baptist Church (The Vieux) on Dauphine Street does and allowing me take part in it.

First of all, I would say that The Vieux is not a normal church. It opens its doors to anyone who wants to come on in. You could be someone on vacation just looking for a place to worship or someone who slept on Royal Street last night. There is no judgement. I wouldn’t say this church is “normal” or whatever you define normal. My definition of a “normal” church is that the worship/sermon is great, everyone basically appears to be at the same social class, and there are no rude, loud interruptions during the worship/sermon. Every week is in the most park identical just different messages. Oh, and another thing is that you only go to the church building just on Sundays and not any other days. The Vieux is not your (or I guess mine) stereotypical church at all and it has been hard to come back and go to “normal” church. It is hard to go to church without not having any distractions during service, without having random harmonic playing, without having the church doorbell ring every day from people who are in need of food and/or clothes, and without having the church doors open to the homeless community every Friday for them to take showers. It has been hard not having all that and just going to service with great worship, no one talking during the service other than the preacher and then not coming back to the church building until the next Sunday. The Vieux is a true gem and what God has called them to do for their ministry. I am so blessed to have been a part of it for the 8 weeks that I was there.

I have come to the conclusion if it was not for The Vieux, I don’t think I would have found a passion God has given me. One of the main reasons why it was so hard to leave was because of the people I met over the summer. It wasn’t the brilliantness of NOLA (and the city is pretty cool), the weather, or the history. No, it was people and I would not have met them if it was not just this internship. Some of the people I met this summer was Mama Rose, Tommy, Rita, Monica and the many homeless folks that I interacted with throughout the summer. All the people had a great impact on me. They showed me how spread out God’s love is to His people and how ours should be as well.  The majority of the folks I met this summer were homeless, recovering addicts or current addicts, or considered the lower class of society. For instance, Mama Rose was homeless for around 30 years, a very tough woman and addicted to alcohol. Through human beings showing her God’s love and no judgement, she now is a regular church member of The Vieux and has a house with her dog, Gracie.  Tommy, who is in his mid-70s and a member of The Vieux, could be spending his days doing other things than helping with clean up after shower Fridays. But, instead he uses his gift of time to allow The Vieux to run their ministry smoother and have a committed spirit. Monica is a worker at one of our site this summer and has told me she doesn’t have this job for the salary but works with her mentally disable clients for the joy of it and to break down the stigma that is placed on them.

All the people I met this summer probably are not considered “special” in the eyes of society and seen as different from the rest of the “privileged” and maybe even inferior.

The thing is, God doesn’t see the difference. He sees past these “flaws”, the lack of material things, good hygiene or the ability to understand and process things like everyone else. He sees them as His Children; Mama Rose, the homeless community in the French Quarter and the mentally disable. When He looks at me and you, he also sees His child. We are all his children and are loved so deeply by Him no matter what box society puts us. I recently graduated from college with a B.A. (Woot! Woot!) and still have no idea what I am doing when my life which is against what society tells everyone that you should have everything planned and figured out by now. You need to get a stable job, get married and have kids. God didn’t create these stigmas; we as humans did through the result of the Fall. We start to judge each other when that is not our position but God’s. We judge each other with what we have or do not have, how we look and so many other “important” things. We judge people to the point that we call them inferior or scrum but God still loves that group of people. I mean even Jesus hung out with the outsiders of society in Matthew 9:11.

He sees everyone (rich/poor, popular/nerd) as equal because Jesus paid it all through his death and resurrection. We are equal and white as snow in the eyes of God through the price of what His Son, Jesus did for us.

This is one of the many growing experiences God has given me this summer and I am so blessed by it. These people are people, just like you and me. They deserve love just like anyone else does. I have this love for people who are seen as the scrum or outsiders in society. I am drawn to the people who may think they are overlooked and do not deserve love. I want to combat the lies they are believing and show them God’s love for them. I want to help them realize that whatever they are going through, Jesus is stronger and far more better and for them to experience the love from the Father that so desperately wants to spread His love to them.

[ashleybabinat]

What does it mean to trust in the Lord?

Dear Family and Friends.

Wow. It is almost July. This summer is going by so fast and it is makes me sad. New Orleans will always have a piece of my heart and that piece makes me not want to leave this wonderful place.

First of all, I want to take the time to thank you all so much for the prayers and support for me this summer serving with Kaleo Missions. This organization is so special to me and I am blessed to be a part of the NOLA team. In my support better I mentioned that I would not be alone this summer, but would be on a team with other interns. To give you an illustration of the team this summer, just picture five girls and a wonderful couple. This is the first summer with an all-female intern team and it amazes that I have only known these girls for four weeks, but it feels like I have known them for years. Each of us bring a unique aspect to the group and God knew that when forming this group. The wonderful couple, Tom and Sonja, makes up the city directors for NOLA site and they are like our parents. We are basically a family. I have been truly blessed with a great community this summer and don’t know what I would do without them. I will miss them deeply when we part ways.

This summer is so different from last summer when I served with Kaleo and it makes sense since New Orleans is not the same as Minneapolis; as the South is not the same as the Midwest. God is also teaching me different things this summer than last summer. This summer has a lot to with trusting in Him and letting Him take the steering wheel of my life. I always have thought that I was putting my trust in God with my life but He has shown me that I don’t always do. I am believing the lie that I do. When I first got down here in NOLA, I was in disbelief that I was even here and was so blessed to be here. This is one of my favorite places on this plant. However, through the excitement, panic was always there since my mind would always wonder off to what was going to happen after the summer ended. What was my plan? I didn’t have a plan and I still don’t. The panic started to become severe and I was unable to really enjoy my time here in NOLA. Fear was taking the place of joy. The fear would turn into anxiety and it literally felt like a spiritual battle in my mind; the Spirit battling the flesh. I was so worried about what job I was supposed to get in August that my mind was not focus on what works God had for me in this present time.

But, praise be to JESUS, God is growing me in this area of my life and teaching me to trust Him and what it means to trust in Him. After opening up about this struggle with Tom and others, weight came off of my shoulders and realization of sin occurred. I wasn’t trusting in the Lord. If it wasn’t for opening up and sharing my burden with Tom, I might not have realized that I wasn’t fully trusting in the Lord.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

I have a generally fear of being a burden to others and I am sure I am not along in this struggle. When we bring a struggle out of darkness and into the light, a sense of freedom comes with it and it is quite peaceful.  

Suppressing this sin would have been the death of me and as an external processor, talking with Tom or anyone here was the best step to start combating this sin of fear and control. As a stated earlier, I realized, I was believing the lie that I was trusting God, when I really wasn’t. I was not wearing the Armor of God and my mind was being infiltrated with lies from the enemy. Realizing this lack of armor, I read the Word more, mediated on it more, worshipped to Him more and prayed more. I made it a priority and not a task. The Word is truly the beard of life and without it, we will starve. Trust me. It is really hard to explain a lot of what is happening in me but God is truly transforming the way my mind works. I was letting the lies from the flesh win the battles but the Spirit is winning more and more battles each day.  Peace is beating anxiety and if you think about it, Jesus has already won the war.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

“So do not fear, for I am with you;

   do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

   I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

These are the verses that resonated with me this past week as we hosted our third team of summer.  I wanted to fully engage myself with the team and not worry about anything after this internship. I wanted to remember the promises that God is with me, He is my God and He will strengthen me in times of need. With this Truth in my mindset, this week was AWESOME and one my favorites. There is a sense of relief when you give it all to God and just step back from the steering wheel. The second half of this summer will be filled with even more joy if I don’t reach for that wheel, but just fully with all my heart trust in the Lord.

I really want to share about the team this past week but I will send it in another update when my mind has had time to fully process the awesomeness of this past week. My goal is to get out by next week. There will be many more to come!

Love you all and talk to you all soon.

With love,

Ashley

Prayers Requests:

           Homesickness: I miss good ole Iowa

           Trusting in the Lord: He is our ultimate provider

           To love/see the people I interact with as God see them.

“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19)

[ashleybabinat]

A Message to Rend Collective

Dear Rend Collective, 

You don’t know me and might never read this. And that is honestly, okay. No harm done but I just need to get somethings out in the open. First of all, I want to say thanks.

Thanks so much.

I have been under a heavy amount of stress lately of worldly things. God knew that I needed to go to your concert and hear your music. One song that stuck out to me that Labor Day Sunday was “Every Giant Will Fall”

Something that I am passionate about other than music is helping people see the value in them. Helping myself is a little different and difficult. It always seems easy to help others achieve their goals but my own goals, it is struggle. Seeing others succeed gives me joy. Helping young girls see their beauty and worth, gives me so much joy but why is it so hard to see the same beauty and worth in myself? Maybe because I believe in the lies that are placed in my thoughts.

“I have to this certain size or look this certain way”

“I am never good enough”

I have always struggle with my weight and this has led to some dark paths in life and have overcome those dark paths but I never really have overcome losing the weight or being satisfy with my body. I feel so entrapped to be someone that the world experts me to be. I lose weight and gain some and lose some and gain some. It is a cycle that never ends in my life and I always feel enslaved to it. As a Follower in Christ, we are free from sin and death aren't we? Then why do I feel like so entrapped?

And I finally figured out why. It is because I forgot something really important and this song helped me remember.

 “Over fear, over lies, we're singing the truth

That nothing is impossible with You (woah)

With You (woah)” (Every Giant Will Fall)

Nothing is impossible through Christ.

“You break us out of our cages

Into the wide open spaces

We are free

Free as a bird on the wind

No prison wall can contain us

Your beating heart makes us fearless

We are free

Free as a bird on the wind” (Free as A Bird) 

The truth is that I am not entrapped. Through Christ I am not. And recently I have let this wanting to be accepted by the world sin bring me down. Yes, I aspire to lose weight and have not succeeded (yet) and I think I keep forgetting to involve someone in this battle, God. Through God and with God, I can overcome this. I am not alone and God gives His people strength. Your struggle may not be wanting to lose weight but we all have our own struggles in this life and need to remember the truth. We are free through Christ and He helps us carry our burdens.

“Turn your burdens over to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will never let the righteous person stumble” (Psalm 55:22).

I am not saying this is an easy fix. I have been struggling with my weight for my whole life and keep getting stuck into what the world expects from me. But the thing is I don't center my aspiration to lose weight around God which might be why I feel alone in this battle.  Rend Collective, nothing is impossible with God and God has sent me strength. My strength comes from the Lord. The joy of the Lord. Thanks for reminding me that I have been set free and need to refocus on my Savior who has overcome sin and death. 

Babs

[ashleybabinat]

The A-Team (Part 1)

WEEK 4!!! It is already week 4. Oh. My. Goodness. This summer is going by so fast and I am in disbelief. After week 3, there were two weeks of relaxation since no teams signed up and one was a holiday week. I headed down to good ole Iowa for most of the restful two weeks to spend time with my family in Waterloo and Iowa City. It was such a blessing time to be able process the past three weeks and to catch up with friends. I got to go to Summer Salt Co. and that was sweet. 

Near the end of the two week break, I became anxious to get back to Minneapolis. When I got back to the Great North, it was so great to see Tyler (after three weeks), Maggie and Chris.  I was ready for the upcoming weeks but part of me was still in vacation mode and not in the best mood. I did not know if I was ready for the team coming in.

Was so pumped to get back to the beautiful lakes up North.

No matter if I was ready or not, Sunday came and the team came. This week’s team was from Indiana and a big team with roughly 30 people, the majority age range was high school age. It kind of reminded of the first week when we had 30 middle school students. The schedule that I got this week was pretty simple and consistent. Everyday my team went to a Salvation Army location and prepared a Vacation Bible Study (VBS) for the kids camp during the week. The VBS lasted all day except for two afternoons. In the afternoons off,  we were able to do other activities with other ministries. We handed out water bottles to the homeless through In Love and In Deed and (like every week) had the Culture Activity (Somalia Mall and Hmong Market).

When the team arrived, the same feelings that go through my mind were in no doubt flowing through. Excitement and also nervousness. You just never know what to expect. Am I going to make any connections this week? Are these people going to like me? Are the leaders and kids in my group going to like me and my leadership skills? You know, just some insecurities flowing to the surface.

So this week, I got paired up with three leaders from the group which was new for me, since I have always have had  been paired with one group leader. This week though,  I got paired up with three group leaders, Solomon, Jen and Josh. Each with very different strengths and personalities.

I am going to be totally honest in the beginning, this was not the easiest week for me. It was probably the hardest. This week was the week that broke me but this is week that I see the most growth in me, personally. Our VBS on Monday went well and it was cool to meet and get to know my group and the kids at the VBS. We left early on Monday, to head out with In Love and In Deed to speak to the homeless. During the time before heading off, I got into a discussion about evangelism with one of my leaders.  We both had different ways of evangelizing which is fine since God makes each one of us different. However, during that talk, I felt under attacked and thoughts of doubts on my leaderships skills began to set in. Thoughts of comparison began to creep in as well.

The afternoon went well though with In Love and In Deed and I pushed some of the students out of their comfort zones. It was awesome for me to see these students stepping out in faith on the very first day of the week. Tuesday though was not an easy day for me. As I said before thoughts of inadequacy began to fill my mind and I started to believe these lies. And obviously is was the Enemy plotting these thoughts in my mind. I never felt so spiritual under attack and so many insecurities just clouded my thoughts and confidence. So after coming back from the VBS, Chris literally took me aside and knew I was hurting. It is weird when you try to hide the pain but someone sees right through that. I am not huge at expressing my feelings and hate to be a burden to people with my problems but when I was with Chris, I broke. I broke down crying of all the inadequacies I was feeling the past 24 hours. I also ended opening up to two of my leaders about my feelings of not being good enough for them to lead this group. After I opened up to them, all that I had was flows of encouragement from my fellow leaders. I have never felt so encouraged in my life.  The next day was a huge flip and I felt more prepared to tackle the day. This just shows how important confessing sin and asking for help is. It just reminds me of one of my favorite Tenth Avenue North songs, “No Man Is An Island”.

“I won't run, I will stay I'm not leaving you I know there's friction here The struggle makes us new

I wish you never thought you had to go Wish you never thought you had to leave Together we can lift each other up We can build a shelter for the weak

No man is an island, we can be found No man is an island, let your guard down You don't have to fight me, I am for you We're not meant to live this life alone

I see fear in your eyes There's no safety here Oh, my friend, let me in I will share your tears

I wish you never thought you had to go I wish you never thought you had to leave We can always lift each other up We can build a shelter for the weak, come on”

I encourage y'all to listen to this song... 

We are not meant to live alone and suffer alone. There is such a sweet beauty when there is true community with fellow believers and that is how I felt when I opened up about struggle with my leaders, and Chris. We are just not meant to live alone. Together we are stronger.

The rest of week was so good and the Enemy did not have his strong ammo that he had earlier in the week.  Another thing I noticed when opening up to Chris and my other leaders, I see so much truth in putting on the Armor of God that is described in Ephesians 6.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:11-17).

Yes, this is a long scripture but seriously this so relates to what I was feeling. If we do not have the Armor of God equipped how easy is it for the Enemy to attack us. I needed the belt of truth to fight the lies coming in, and you know without a belt what is going to hold up your pants? Nothing. Then that leads to stumbling. I needed the breastplate of righteousness to know the value that God has for me to be here this summer and to lead the group that He has given me. I needed the shield of faith so then I know that I am saved by grace and faith and not by my works. I also need the helmet of salvation to know that sin has no hold of me and the sword of the Spirit which is God’s word and that is the ultimate weapon against any of the attacks from the Enemy, the world or even ourselves.  

This passage is so true and is needed for me not just for the summer but always. The Enemy is always on the move and wants to destroy what is good.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10)

This week had a huge impact on me and would be a very long post if I jammed packed it all in one. God really has taught me a lot of things this summer and this week was jammed back full lessons. I have decided to write this week into parts since there are a couple more topics that I want to cover. So Part 2 coming soon.... Peace Friends.

Babs

[ashleybabinat]

Just Call Me Chef Babs

WEEK 3!!! Cannot believe that it has already been three weeks. I mean I am writing this a few weeks late but still.  

This week was very different from all the others. Tyler left to go home early and Maggie and I had a small group from Wisconsin coming. It was weird without Tyler but Maggie, Chris and I rocked this week out. This Wisconsin group was really different from the previous two groups. They were an older group in the age ranges of 40 to 50 years of age. This group was also really independent and did their own thing most of the time. It was a huge shift from the previous two weeks with middle school students. 

This week, I was on hospitality and my main worry was to make sure the food was out for the group and that they did not go hungry. I did not have to go out and serve with the group but had the choice if I wanted to. This week was relaxing and I had a lot of fun preparing food for the group and hanging out with them during the meal times. I also got a lot of training in for my marathon during this week. 

I believe that each week God teaches me at least one thing about myself. I really enjoyed being on hospitality and I think God revealed to me that I am gifted in this area. It just came naturally to me and I want to be more hospitable during the school year. After the third week, we all had a two week and I ended up going back to Iowa. It was such a great time and I got to process what had happened in the past three weeks. During the break, I identified a huge barrier that has kept me from being hospitable. Money. Greed. I believe many of us struggle with this and may not even know it.  I like material things and so ashamed to say sometimes I like them too much and when I think about my greed, I am just reminded about some passages in the Bible about money. 

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6: 24)  

These two verses have it all right. Where your treasure is, is totally where your heart will be. Being a college student, I have always had this belief that I am poor. On the way home to Iowa, I listened to this sermon about money by Breakaway Ministries in Texas and something stuck out to me. I am not as poor as I have always believed. We, as college students are still in the top 10% of the world’s wealth. Yep, TOP 10 percent. So, why am I hoarding this money that I have been blessed with even though to my sinful self is not much? Yes, being smart with finances is important but there is need for a balance in my life and many others. We as Followers of Jesus need to remember what is really important and that is to lead people to Christ and not to overflow our “earthy” purses and set treasures here on this earth that will just pass away. 

“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys” (Luke 12:33). 

This week really helped me realized this gift from God and that I need to be using it for Him. I don't want to be holding this gift back from people because of the fear of spending too much money. My sin of greed has been keeping me from serving God and I am so thankful for this week to have revealed that to me. I have it on my heart to open my apartment doors to people this upcoming school year. I am still going to be struggling with this sin of greed for a while but through Jesus I can overcome it. I have learned to choose Jesus and not just dwell in this sin. I want to grow in this gifted area of hospitality and though God I know without doubt that it will happen. He is faithful to us when we choose Him over sin. Our world is full of greed and as a believer of Christ, my citizenship is in heaven and God has pushed me this week to be a light and have open doors to serve people this upcoming school year. I am full of excitement to see what He has in store this upcoming school year for me in this area. God bless. 

Babs

[ashleybabinat]

We Are All The Same

It is time again to share. Yep, so soon. This summer with Kaleo has been fantastic and need to keep on updating about it. 

This week was so different than the first week and it is super cool to look at the differences and see how God is working in me and working in different groups of people from different locations. For week two, there was another group of middle school students but this time they came from Austin, Texas. They came from a pretty big church. The week started out about the same and I got paired up with the youth pastor of the group, Nate. And just like Jack from last week, he was great to work with. 

The places we served are listed below:

Good In The Hood

Salvation Army St. Paul Citadel 

Mary’s place

Sharing and Caring Hands

In Love Word and Deed

The group that I had this week was really different from the previous group. I would say that the first group all had or a majority had a great foundation in their faith for middle school students. This group, however, it was really different. Many of the students came from non Christian households and did not have as strong of a foundation in their faith. It was hard to get the students to serve since at times it felt like they didn’t understand the meaning of the mission trip and just wanted to get done serving and then go on adventures. I mean, I like adventures but at times the true meaning of mission work was a little distorted. I also had some tough discussions about women’s rights, marriage, and homosexuality with one of the students and lets just say they are not the most comforting topics to talk about but I feel God did this to work in me to be able to deal with these tough questions. Especially leading up in this new school year. 

This week my group and I had three early mornings at the Salvation army helping out with their breakfast program. This program started earlier than other programs that we help out with and let’s just say those early mornings were not easy. My attitude towards the early start could have been better but God had great plans for these early starts that I didn’t even think would be coming. Monday was the first early morning and getting up was decent. We helped serve the food and then I asked if we could eat and interact with people there. The kids were very shy and gathered all at one table. There was no room for me and I decided to go sit with these guys a table over. It was kind of awkward at first but then I met this homeless man, David. He was very soft spoken but really curious of the group that I was with and why we were there. I explained what Kaleo was about and he didn’t really say much after that but I just continued to talk to him.  I ended up seeing him the next two times we had the early mornings and would sit and talk with him. Each time a friendship would grow more and more and little by little he opened up to me. It was really cool to get to know him each time we came. 

David was not the only new friend that I made this week but through the people I met God taught me such a special lesson. We are all the same. We all people. Homeless, Muslim, Christian, male or female. Doesn’t matter the differences that we have as people but God loves all people. ALL His people. Not just me as a college student but also my homeless friend, David.  We are all the same in God’s eyes, people who need a Savior and He loves us equally as much. It just really reminds of the Tenth Avenue North song, “All The Same”.

“Different faces Different fears Different failures lead us here Show us how We’re all the same All desperate for a change We’re all the same We need your love We’re all the same With hands held out for grace We’re all the same We need your love” (”All The Same” Tenth Avenue North)

I care for David and during the time I got to know him even though it was small and quick, God gave me a chance to share the Gospel with him and it was so cool. He wanted to know why I was willing to talk to him and basically I shared that Jesus loves the him and it would not be Christ like to not show compassion towards him like Jesus would. 

Reflecting on the week, it amazes me so many times I can go out in public or even my classes and purposely ignore people around me to just focus on my own agenda. This week helped me realized how selfish I can be and so absorbed with my own problems and be so blinded that all of us are broken people. As I stated earlier, David was not the only friend I made that week but I also made a Somalian friend and he ask if I could teach him English. Usually, I would be so concerned with my schedule and would have to fit him in but that is not at all Christ like. 

Christ didn’t have to rearrange His schedule to take my sin on the cross and be my ultimate Savior. I am currently reading through the Gospel of Luke and so many times Jesus was heading somewhere and people always came to him and ask for healing. Jesus didn’t just ignore them and kept walking to where he was going. No. He stop and helped these people. The blind. The lame. The deaf. Why cannot I  be more like that? Yes, life gets busy but day after day this summer God is revealing to me what is really important in this life. Yes, looking to this upcoming year, school is important and I want to be successful but just maybe a little bit less selfish and more intentional with people. God has given me the gift of being a student at the University of Iowa and He has a purpose for me being there and that is to tell people about Him and show people Christ. I guess what I am really saying is that God has taught me that I am a people person and love to hear peoples’ stories. I feel so many times during the school year I get caught up living for the world and not for God. I get so absorbed in my studies and need to do well in them so I can get a good job after graduation and fulfill what the world expects from me. Yes, doing well in school is important but who I am really living for? School? The World? No but for God. I need to be doing the work that He has laid out for me instead of getting caught up with what the world expects from me. And I don’t think I should be the only one but all of us should do that. Just remember God prepared great works for all of us as long as we walk along with Him. 

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, what we should walk in them” Ephesians 2:10.

Babs

[ashleybabinat]

The Flying Penguins (Or Was It Ted and the PunchBowls?)

Ok, where to begin? Where to begin? That is the main question here. It has been a totally of three weeks in this internship and zero blog posts. Wow, I really need to step up my game. To make this blog easy to follow, I am still going to go week by week.

Looking back to the week of training, I feel so blessed this summer with the team that God has brought together.  During training, I got to know my coworkers and boss more and gosh, they are so great. I also got the chance to meet Ronnie, the founder of Kaleo and work with him for a bit. Training was fun but I was ready for the first team to come and get this show on the road. 

So the first week, June 5th through the 10th was a good one. The team that we got for this week was a huge group of middle school students and that made me nervous. Let’s just say my middle school experience was not the best. Not. One. Bit. I assumed these kids were going to be hard to work with. When the team finally got to Minneapolis, there were so many thoughts going through my mind and I had no idea how to act. That night we went through the schedule, and got assigned to our team leader for the week. I got paired up with Jack, the youth pastor. The middle school students were placed in three groups and each of the interns were assigned to help lead one group. 

Monday was showtime! We got our teams and headed into the city to serve! 

The places where my team served for the week are listed below:

-Salvation Army Adult Daycare Center

-Mary’s Place

-St Paul’s VBS

-Good In The Hood

-Salvation Army St Paul Citadel 

All these places have a special place in my heart and if you want to know more, just ask me.

Serving with this group this first week was such a blessing to my life. It is so refreshing to see middle school students who are mature in their faith and seeking the Lord this young. After this first week I don't see these kids as just the group I got paired with but as brothers and sisters in Christ. I loved our inside jokes, the car rides games, and just the random adventures that we had. Even though there was hard times this group was the best and would not want any other group and I need to make a shout out to my squad. We had many good times that I will cherish for a long time.  (Grant/Billy/William, Mirak, Carah, Gabe, Chris, Josh, Chloe, Caitlin, Ian, and of course Jack)

You all are the best. Every time I see a yellow car now I yell “Bingo” even when the others may not even know why and stare at me.  Or sometimes I am just alone and laughing to myself. Love you all and do not stop seeking HIM!!

It was a blast to serve but God is doing so much in the team’s lives and my life for sure. God has seriously answered so many prayers in this first week that I thought were going to take a while to be answered. God timing is always the perfect timing even if you are not even ready for it and I sure was not. 

One major prayer that He answered this first week is confidence in myself and in Him. This first week I was really nervous and did not know what I was doing in general. Jack, my co-leader gave me all the ropes in leading the group during the week and had trust in me which I never really experienced before. I was so scared to cross lines and wanted to respect his authority but through out the week, push after push, I got comfortable leading the group and taking the leadership role that was meant for me. I learned that if I don't have confidence in what I am doing as a leader and what we are doing then the group will not have any confidence as well and feel lost. I wanted this week to be perfect for the group but in reality, they would have no idea if it was “perfect” or not and that is not the purpose of this trip for them. It is not up to me to stir something in these kids but God is the only one with that power. He has the power to do that and I am just His worker doing the work that He has provided for us to do. I was the one judging myself and my performance when the kids probably did not think twice of how I was doing. They were more concern with what they were doing and wanted to have fun during this week. 

God is good and this first week was AWESOME!!!! When these kids left on Friday, I cried. Yep, I cried. God can really give you friendships and bring people together. There is so much more to this week that this post would be so long but these are some the highlights. Be blessed! 

Babs

[ashleybabinat]

Jumping In The River

Hey family and friends. It has been a while since I have gotten the time to write. More than a year. Yikes!

Summer is here! Oh my goodness did it come up fast. This summer is going to be wonderful and I can not want to see what God has in store. Many of you might not know or maybe you do but I am interning this summer with Kaleo Missions up in the Great North. Minneapolis. I am super excited for this summer to grow more in my faith and to be stretched to ends that I never thought were possible but you know, through Christ everything is possible. Haha. God has given me this desire to be challenge and I know for sure He will fulfill that promise.

So last night I arrived in Minneapolis and literally, guys I was shaking because of nerves. I don’t know why. I think it might have had a part in coming up here and not knowing anyone. It was kind of like college but worse say. Cause at least you have your parents for support up to the part of stepping on campus. I love meeting new people but I honestly was thinking "What did I get myself into.“ I honestly felt and still feel so overwhelmed and don’t know what the cause. My emotions are just in a whirlwind.

So enough about my nervous breakdown last night but God is on the move here in Minneapolis. I can already feel it even though I have only been here for not even two days. I have meet my team that I will be working with and they are just on fire for Jesus as I am and ready to serve the area and be stretched. There are only three interns, Maggie, Tyler and myself, and the city director, Chris. I am super excited to serve with these folks for the summer and get to know them on a deep deep level. God is good and even though j been here for a short while I am full of joy and excitement for what He has in store. It is going to be a great summer and cannot wait to update as much as I can on what He doing here this summer. Love you all and seriously praise GOD. He is a good good father indeed. God bless, friends,

Babs

[ashleybabinat]

The Start Of Something New About Something Old.

Hey, a few days ago I just got this impulse to start a blog and just to write down my thoughts instead of keeping them locked in my head. I feel like this blog just has to be about one central thing though and that is JESUS. My main man. I don't see any other reason to write. He is why I want to write. Jesus, is just so amazing and this should be spread so far across the internet that everyone should read/hear it. I am currently a senior at the University of Iowa and this semester so far as been filled with so much joy and I really don't know why. This only has to be the joy that I get from Jesus and what He is doing this semester at Iowa. I actually have this joy in my classes that I have never experienced before and the same through the dreadful midterms that every student get. It HAS to be Jesus. It HAS to be Jesus that is working through this campus. The University of Iowa is such a unique place and is real dear to my heart. 

Less than a week ago, I went to see Tenth Avenue North and WOW was God there. God’s presence during that worship still gives me chills to this day. I am so thankful for the gift of music and for Tenth Avenue North or anyone who takes the time to travel all over to spread the Gospel. I don't know if I could do that. You guys, have no idea how much I respect you on what you sacrifice for people you don't even know. For me. Tenth Avenue North, you are probably, no you are, my favorite band out there (even though I don't like picking favorites). God has used you guys to speak truth to people, to me. To bring darkness to light. That is exactly what God did with you guys for me. God, used your music  and many others artists to bring me back into His arms and I am so thankful for that which I don't think you guys from Tenth Avenue North will know. God can really use people to change people.  You guys are so encouraging with your music and it speaks the truth to me every time I listen to it. I once almost cried while listening to “I Need You, I Love You, I Want You”. Seriously! You know, just getting emotional.

Everyday I need Jesus, EVERYDAY! Without Jesus, I really have nothing. This joy that I been having would be gone. The stresses of this world would overcome me and sin would overtake me like it did before. BUT NO! Jesus is here and always has been here. He is our Savior and I mean OUR Savior. Not just mine but everyones’. God sent down His Son, Jesus to take on all of ours sins on the cross and it is finished. We are broken people but through Christ can be redeemed. The deed is already done and all we need to do it accept the unfailing love and grace that God, Our Father has for us. 

Wow, did not expect my first post be so... I don't know. I mean if no one read this, that is totally fine. If you even hate this, that is fine. BUT God is still SO good. God Bless! 

Babs