oh where have you been?

Tuesday, February 28

Just a quick post to share some amazing things that have been happening in our lives:) We are so blessed to be with "family" as we journey through life!!

1) Two sweet girls in our neighborhood were baptized in my in-laws hot tub a few weeks ago. It was an incredible time of transformation! Truly, baptism symbolizes the incredible truth that we were once in darkness, and now we are brought into the light- we were once dead, and now we are ALIVE in Christ! Amen, Hallelujah, let's party! And party we did...50 people at my in-laws home came to witness the change in Jess and Jenny's lives, and to celebrate the miracle. Two girls now walking with Jesus!
{ love these girls }
{Jess sharing her heart for Jesus}
{Jenny getting baptized! Ah, such a sweet moment!}
{the girls sharing their stories! }
{the "family" all standing with them}
{celebrate!}

2) This year for girls group with the lovely ladies in our neighborhood, I had it on my heart to do more of a structured Bible Study with the girls. Many have grown up with a strong catholic background, and my prayer is that they would meet Jesus is a sweet and personal way. I began praying that the Lord would help me find a good book to go through that I could get the girls. One week, I read out of a book my co-worker had written, called Overflowing Fullness. The girls loved it, and one asked if she could get a copy. I then realized God had showed me what book to get the girls! We've only been going through the book now as a group for a week, but tonight one lovely lady came over, and as we were chatting on the couch, she told me how God has spoken to her through this book. She said "Katie, it was like I felt God speaking to me, like he was bringing freedom in my life!". Wow, prayers are already being answered. Thank you Lord!

And...if you are looking for a sweet book probably unlike anything else you have gone through, then you will love Kierra's book. You can buy it on amazon, just search OverFlowing Fullness, by Kierra Blaser!

3) I was asked to speak at a week long missions conference in the Fresno area, and it has been an incredible week so far! I spoke a few times this weekend, am speaking tomorrow, and then ending the week by speaking at a church on Sunday. Kevin and I were blown away by our hosts hospitality and welcoming spirit! One sweet highlight was getting to explore the sweet little Swedish town of Kingsburg. Seriously, this place is amazing (especially if you are Swedish or love all things Swedish!) The Dahla horse is everywhere, they sell Swedish pancakes at more than one location, AND their water tower is a Swedish coffee pot. But the most beautiful part of the weekend was feeling immediately like family...isn't it amazing that we can go all over the world, and as Christians we have this connection that makes us family? So incredible!

{haven't had my name on a marquis since I was student of the day in 7th grade}
{ the family we stayed with were orange farmers, so we got to taste the fruits of their labor- literally! yum O}
{ getting my speak on in Kingsburg!}
{happy Swedish girl at the Stockholm bakery!}
{ not going to lie, the thing I miss most about going dairy free is whip cream, and this fantastic bakery had dairy free whip cream! Trust me, they are going to score extremely high on yelp!}

{our native Swedish tour guide Corey taking time out of his day to give us the grand tour of Kingsburg!}

{ if this place isn't repping Sweden, then I don't know what is!}
{the sweet Stockhom Bakery...love it so!}

How is YOUR week going? Has God been answering prayers in your life? I'd love to hear!! Much much love, Katie

2 comments :

  1. Thank you for visiting my blog! That is so great that you are planning to visit Ireland... email me if you have any questions or need suggestions for places to stay! We had a blast!

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  2. Hello Katie! Wow! God's tapestry! So I was having my morning coffee...and googling images of "Baptism Tubs". (Long Story)... when I come across a thumbnail of a dala horse. Because this horse stuck out like a sore thumb... or a welcoming old friend... I clicked on it for a better view. I immediately recognized this particular dala like one of my own relatives. I knew exactly where this picture had been taken... this was my old neighborhood. In front of the McDonald's just down the street from my old home. But who was this girl? Did I know her? My curiosity led me to your blog.... which led me to your visit to Kingsburg. I could smell the Swedish Pancakes as I scanned your plates and as I began drooling over your Lingonberry Sauce... Wait! What? Cory Engstrom? LOL My kids grew up with Corey! He is one of their dear friends. What a small and crazy world! As I continued to get to know you... It became clear what God was up to! I know how He works! LOL There's no such thing as coincidence! We're both in SoCal, we both loved Radical, we are both passionate about rolling up our sleeves and being the church outside the walls, and we both have a passion for speaking. Curious to know if you've read Kisses From Katie and if we can meet for coffee? With Love ~ Carol lovenationministries@gmail.com

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