Cup of Jo

Jello,
Portland - Day 2 - Crossing into Washington.
Today was a really good day. Jesus taught me a lot.
I can be quick to judge people, but Jesus told me that he brought the people he brought on this trip for a specific reason. I don't know what that reason is, I may never know, but there is a reason. I've been learning that more and more, that God is a purposeful God. :)

Today, our task was to move furniture from a house in Portland to the house we're staying at in Battleground. (The house we're staying at will house homeless kids that are making progress. This will begin in September.) It took about 2 hours to load the moving truck that Gary, the Transitional Youth guy, rented. Then, we got lunch at Subway and went to unload the furniture and stuff. So we worked on that till 2:45ish. After we finished, we went to Gary's house on the Tualatin River. It was the coolest house ever. He had a 4 story tree house (that he built). Rachel and I explored it. The spaces were quite small, a tight fit, but we made it to the top. Because he lived on the river, he had a dock and canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, and such. It was a lot of fun to hang out there and the water was so nice, so beautiful. I kayaked with Nialls, Ashton, and Rachel.
I've come to Portland to serve, but God has blessed me with his creation to enjoy as well. (It's raining right now by the way, my favorite).

After we hung out at Gary's house, we went to a life group that is part of The Door church. While we were there, we fellowshipped with Walter and Jenna, Reese and Sarah, and Margo (Sarah's mom). Then we split into mixed groups (ABQ/Portland) and shared prayer requests.
Ashton: Opening up, letting Christ work through her, reaching out.
Shawn: Being a leader, wisdom, God teaching him through his leadership.
Walter: Finding a full time job

After we shared, we prayed. I've come to love the ways that other churches pray. At the Door church, they all pray at the same time, out loud. It's different, but I love it. It takes the spotlight off me and puts it on talking to God. I don't have to worry about what others think of my prayers or vise versa. And God hears it all, that's a testament to how great He is. I love how that type of prayer is unifying.

Also, something that has struck me, is how cool it is to fellowship with people I don't know. It's cool that I can go to another state, meet with people I've never met, and feel so comfortable because they are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We're all part of one body. God is so amazing.
Well, the car is getting shaky, I might write later, might not.

♥