An...ti..ci...pa...tion.

I love airplanes. 

They take me to beautiful places and the waiting arms of my favorite people. They transport me across mountains, oceans, plains and valleys. And since my life is what it is, I'm usually in the state of aching for someone or somewhere or both. I spend my time off and my spare cash on plane tickets. Seriously. 

I also love the anticipation of planning a trip. 

Buying plane tickets? such a happy day. 

it's really happening! I have literally danced all over public places because I have purchased tickets. It's pure joy. It's worth every. single. penny.  (though I wouldn't mind if those tickets cost less pennies!) The real anticipation usually begins with a ticket purchase, though in some cases it starts long before that. But it builds. The ache of missing someone? The excitement of going home, or to a new place? There. For sure. But there's no complaints. I'm not sad or frustrated by the separation anymore. Because the reunion is in my sights! It's coming! So.. I wait. Sometimes, not very patiently. But.. it's worth it. And a few days (or even a week before) I get SO EXCITED I can barely sleep. When I lay my curly head down on that sweet pillow, the rush of anticipation floods my head and my heart. I have to calm myself down. Deep breaths. Think of something else. Anything. Eventually, I fall asleep. Oh, and the night before? Good luck. haha. I usually only get a few hours of sleep.. because I am so excited I can barely stand it. I can't stop smiling. :D I'm nearly jumping up and down. Sometimes I am jumping up and down. Because it's coming. Together again: two of the sweetest words in the English language. And, oh, glory, there is absolutely nothing like running across an airport into someone's arms. (Or frankly, any establishment whatsoever.) The running tackle hug of reunion is the BEST THING EVER. just about. Oh goodness. My heart is so full of joy just thinking of it! 

And yes, it is pure bliss. The best. THE BEST. oh… goodness. And yet, it's a shadow. It's a shadow of what is to come. The best reunion ever. The one we've waited our ENTIRE LIVES for. The ache, the one we carry around in our hearts… it will finally be filled. We will really be going home. Home, home. Not just some place we live. The place where we belong. It's His arms, we're flying to. It's Him we're running to. And oh, glory. It will be better than the best reunion on earth. No matter how many years you've waited for a plane ticket, for the airport run, (and I've waited years, sometimes) as perfectly sweet as that moment is, it's nothing compared with what is to come. 

And so, in this season of Advent, I'm waiting. And it's true, I'm waiting on a plane or two (hooray!!!) but even more than that, I'm waiting on my Saviour. I'm waiting… with the same breathless anticipation, because He's coming. He's coming to visit from worlds away, coming down to our home, and I'm waiting to welcome Him. My heart is aching.. I am longing for Him. I'm longing for Home. And, so, on Christmas Day, I get to celebrate His arrival. I won't be at airport, but I'm running to His arms.  

And so, for the next 22 days, I'm embracing the ache. The longing. the separation. the homesickness. Because it will end. He is coming! Hope is on the way. He is coming! 

Apparently, God Answers Prayer.

So I was going through some of my old journals this afternoon.
I found this entry from February 2006, when I was 16 and a Junior in high school. I actually remember sitting in my old silver Volvo in the parking lot at Whatcom writing this... but little did I know what God was doing... 

2/13/06
Daddy, I've never had an overwhelming passion for Africa. I never really felt called or wanted to go there. But ever since that night You've started a fire in my heart. I want to make a difference there.  When I found out today that every day 6500 Africans of AIDS and 9500 contract it! How many of those 6500 don't know You? And how many of those 9500 will be part of tomorrow's 6500? Or next week? Or next year? And who will save them? Who will share Your hope with them? I hope it will be me! "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'' - Isaiah 6:8.
Daddy, let Your consuming fire burn in me!  Deepen my brokenheartedness for the people of Africa, give me a broken-hearted love for them. Help me to love them like You do. Help me to love the fatherless and the orphans and the widows. Open up a road that I might take...
I lift up this continent to You. I pray for unity among all of the countries. I ask for healing in the AIDS epidemic. I also ask for the nation of South Africa. God, show Your healing hands and loving heart there. Send people to answer Your call. Provide doctors and nurses and teachers of Your word. Fill this nation with Your glory.  "But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish." - Psalm 9:18. "You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more." - Psalm 10:17-18. 

I love it! I cannot help but just sit here and laugh, grinning from ear to ear. Boy, did God answer those prayers!!! And how about that crazy prayer for South Africa? I didn't know pretty much anything about that country. I had gotten a magazine from Global Expeditions, a ministry of Teen Mania (who I now happen to be about 30 minutes away from in Texas. haha!) and had cut out all the countries they had trips for and glued them one by one in my journal, so that I'd pray for some nations. And yet...  how perfect was it that South Africa was in the right place in that journal. And how I'm even seeing that prayer answered. I just spent time with many friends who answering that prayer. Exactly one month ago today, I was sitting in class at UCT with 200 people who are studying to be doctors in South Africa! This is ridiculous. How amazing is God?!

So, the moral of the story is this... God answers prayer. He is faithful. And His timing? Incredibly perfect. The passion He's put in your heart? It's there for a reason, and if you commit it to Him and ask Him to grow it, He will. It may take a long time before you see it come to fruition, but, man oh man, when it comes...  you'll be blown out of the water!

Greetings from Zambia!!!

Hello from Zambia!!
Things have been fantastic thus far.
I arrived here late Wednesday night. And the rest of my team arrived Thursday & Friday. (There are 4 of us)
It has been an absolute blast. My heart is so happy to be back on African soil. It's so amazing how this all feels so familiar and comforting to me. The sights, sounds and smells. I was wondering how similar Zambia would be to Uganda. And thus far it seems like the difference between the US and Canada. On the surface, many things look the same, and yet as you sink deeper, the cultural differences come out.
Zambia is economically and politically very stable and growing. There are a lot of well to do people here, and the middle class definitely appears. Many people have smart phones (which are really expensive)  and the prices of some goods are quite comprable to US prices. There are many nice cars around and fancy shops (the mall is HUGE and is fancier than many malls I've been to in the US).  Crime rates are lower here than in Uganda, and you can just feel the difference as you are out and about as a foreigner.
Many things though are very similar. We still have regular power cuts here (3 nights weekly), we still eat Posho (though here it is called Sheema) :(  church is still loud and crazy and full of dancing and singing and sound systems entirely too large for such small buildings. But, oh how I love it.  Today we visited the youth group of a church in a village called Roma. We were supposed to just come and meet the people, but of course the pastor wanted us to preach. We were unprepared, but God gave us all a short word, and it turned out well. We then had a fellowship time with the youth. They were so much fun. I met with some girls, most of whom were about 15-16, and we talked. They played with my hair (because it was so different than theirs) and it of course turned into a giant frizz ball. haha.  They taught me some phrases in the local language (there are several common ones here, and at the moment I can't remember the name of the one that is most common) and then they decided it was time I learned some African dances. OH MY GOODNESS. It was hilarious. We laughed and laughed and I did my best to dance. These girls were amazing dancers. And I had fun trying. haha.  Corey and Rachel played with the kids who showed up, and Brandon spent time talking with the guys. We all had a blast.  We're going back tomorrow and I am so excited to see these precious girls again. We all hugged and laughed and didn't want to be parted.

Next week (as far as the plan now stands.. hahaha)  we'll be working in a nearby village called Gripps, doing lots of teaching. Monday & Tuesday are national holidays here, so those days we'll have lots of teaching opportunities in the village. We are hoping to set up a discipleship program in the village. One of the organizations we are working with here (Grassroots International) does tons of community development programs in the village. They run a school for ages K-8, have adult basic education courses,  run a program of animal husbandry, sponsor students in secondary school, have installed boreholes (wells for clean water), have a tailoring program, and are about to start a carpentry program. Life in Gripps is definitely improving. And yet... something is still missing. The community & NGO leaders recognize that changing external circumstances does make a difference, but until a person changes the way they think, they will always be trapped in a poverty mentality. So, this is no small task we are undertaking. Please pray for us!

Also, we've been joined by a girl named Lydia. She is from PA and was part of a team that was just here for two weeks. She'll be joining us in ministry and she's a lot of fun to have around.

Prayer Requests:
-Teaching!! We need to hear from God what to teach, and how to teach it.
- Health & physical protection (right now we're all fine, but these things always tend to crop up)
-Cultural adaptation. We want to be able to navigate the culture well, and build awesome relationships. With teaching this can be a very tricky area, so please pray for wisdom.
-Finances. We're a little short on what we need still.

*Hopefully we'll get some pictures up soon.

Thanks!!

I Can't Wait

The journey of planning this trip has been ridiculous. So many ups and downs, so many twists and turns. Our current focus has by necessity been fundraising, which can be really difficult. And with a to-do list that is a mile long, as I am still in school that's going full swing, things have been pretty crazy.

Tonight, in an effort to focus my heart,  I was browsing some Zambia pictures and this one jumped out at me:

I caught sight of the sign. Shop Rite. oh joy of all joys. I was overcome with an ecstatic joy that soon I'd be in Shop Rite again. (There is one in Kampala I got to visit several times and it was like a magical wonderland. It's just a normal grocery store.. but when you've been living in a smaller town with only supermarkets, it's overwhelming.)

And then I was flooded with reminders. And I just can't wait.

I'm excited to hear Mzungu! Mzungu! everywhere I go (Or perhaps a different word for white person. I'll find out quickly I'm sure. haha)  I can't wait for crowded taxi rides, eating chapatis, and MTN signs everywhere. I want to buy some Omo washing powder to wash my clothes with (it smells the best for sure!) I'm excited for the ever-changing plans and the steady rhythm of the Zambian day, run more by relationships and less by the clock. Bring on the mozzy nets, the squatty potties, and the Ugali (Posho). Oh my heart is leaping at all of these things. I cannot wait. Fresh pineapples, mangos, and passion fruit. YUM. People whose hearts are huge and smiles are as big and warm as the sun. Jajas wrapped in their colorful clothes. Goats. Chickens on the taxi. Having a million reasons to shrug it off with "T.I.A!" Life in the bush bush. I cannot wait.

And yet, these memories are all from far away lands. Zambia will be similar to Uganda in many respects. And yet, I cannot wait to see the differences. Zambia, I cannot wait to meet you. To learn your phrases, names, places, sights and sounds. I'm excited to meet your people, hear your stories, and sing your songs.

Then there's South Africa. Ahhh. Words fail me. I seriously can't even wait. Dear ZA, I've been dreaming of you for more than four full years now. I've heard so much about you, I've basically already fallen in love with you, I can't wait to meet you for real. The anticipation? Be still my heart. I just might jump out of my skin. :D

My first trip to the beloved continent found me an 18 year old, bright eyed optimist ready to change the world for Jesus. I had great intentions but was so clueless as to where I was really going. Not only that, passion & good intentions will only get you so far. This time, I'm 23 and I definitely don't even remotely have it figured out. I've realized that while Jesus lives in me, He also lives in you. And we can help each other see Him even more clearly. This time I don't just come with passion, I come trained and equipped to serve you. I have gifts to give you, beloved ones, and I can't wait to give them!

Oh, beloved continent, I've been waiting a long time to see you again. :)
and I'm overjoyed with anticipation!
See you soon!
Love,
Kati Rose

up to date!

Oh me, oh my.
Once again, I have completely neglected this blog.
My apologies.
Life has been crazy. If I ever thought it was crazy before, I had no idea!
Let's see...
I am 3 days and 1 exam away from being a Latin teacher for an entire semester.

Some of my students performing a skit in Latin. It's about beards. :)

Which is crazy. I am so stretched and challenged in more ways than I could ever imagine, every single day in the classroom. It is a time for me to learn grace, to learn to lean on God, and to walk humbly before everyone, including my students. I feel like I am constantly making mistakes, some with the actual language work, and some with the teaching, which is hard. However, I am definitely learning 1,000 ways NOT to teach Latin, as well as few ways to actually teach Latin. I do have some consolation in that my students actually know more Latin than they did at the beginning of the year, so we are actually learning! Yippee!

Last month I went on a week-long pastoral outreach in Michigan!

Jess & I at an amazing coffee shop called Lemonjello! :D
It was amazing. I got to visit my lovely lovely friend Jessica and work with her church. Having been on staff at a similar-size church previously, it was very cool to see how another church did things. I learned a lot and got to work with amazing people! And on either end of this outreach, I got to stop in Chicago and spend time with my wonderful friend Brian who is attending school at Wheaton College. The whole thing was amazingly divinely orchestrated and filled my soul to the full. Oh, it was glorious. :D


Brian & I at the Bean in Chicago!

School of the Bible itself has been great. We have excellent teaching and I am learning to see God in a whole new way. He is so incredibly gracious and loving and kind.
Last week and this week we've been tackling the Nature of God, which primarily has had to do with God's foreknowledge. It's intense to say the least. We've been examining different views of what it means that God is all-knowing and the implications of each view. My brain hurts constantly. But it's been a time to really ask the hard questions and find out if my thinking lines up with what the Bible expresses on the issue.
Looking Ahead:

OUTREACH!
We've got two more outreaches in this school! And I am excited for both of them.

THe next one is coming in March. We'll spend a week doing teachings and working with local ministries.
We were just presented with location options yesterday, so I am still praying through them.
our choices?
-Houston, TX
-Florida
-Mexico

And... our main outreach in July?

I am going to ZAMBIA! That's right, folks, my return to Africa is imminent!
:D
Also, I am tacking on a 2.5 week trip to South Africa to visit a friend and check out ministry opportunities.
Hooray!!
So.. I'll be spending 6.5 weeks in Africa this summer. Woot Woot!

And...
We'll be doing the Proverbs Project
which is a scientific inductive study of the book of Proverbs.
Before Christmas break.
Oh my.
I am excited.
It will be crazy.
But I know I am going to learn heaps!

Hooray! Christmas Break! I CANNOT WAIT to come home to the glorious PNW and see my wonderful family and friends. :D

What I Did on my Summer Vacation...

I sat in the car for a reeeeeeaaaaaaaallllllllyyyyyy looooooooooooooooooooooooooong time.



And saw some of the most amazing places on earth. And met some amazing people. Oh, and hung out with some of the most fantastic people ever. I decided that these three weeks beat five hours on an airplane, hands down.

(I'm not awesome at chronicling everything we did in specific detail like Mama D. But I had fun summarizing things on FB. So, I'm putting in all of my descriptions and linking to Mama D, Ben and Hosanna for more pics and details, that way you can see all the fun we had!)

"And we're off, like a herd of turtles! I'm armed to the teeth with audiobooks, new music, and some great kiddos. (Thanks, friends!) Next stop, one of my favorite places in the world: CRC! Farewell, fb world, no internet until at least Monday. Let the adventure begin! :D"

Day 1: Drive farther than ever before? check. Days 1-5 take lots of naps, play games, swim in waterfalls, absorb amazing teaching and spend time with friends at one of my favorite places ever? check. California tomorrow? YES. YES. YES. Hooray for adventures!

The whole crew at Silver Falls (Ben is hiding....)

I got some much needed Vicky Time! (and we were tourists. Notice the sign behind us!)

Monday: drove 500 miles and drove 1st mtn pass ever. Tuesday: Yosemite National Park. GORGEOUS BEYOND COMPARE. GO! Also met ranger Dave Crockett. No joke. Wednesday: drove 300+ miles and 2 mtn passes, Kings Canyon NP, and saw Giant Sequoias. Tomorrow: Big Fat Greek Family time with Jeremiah Diacogiannis and Ashleigh Newton. Woot Woot. This road trip stuff is pretty great... :D

General Grant Tree - 2nd Largest in the WORLD.

3 lovely days in Santa Barbara with fantastic people. bad sunburn. OUCH! 1 stinking hot night in some town in Arizona. Route 66. GRAND CANYON. Oh, so AMAZING! Now a couple days with the lovely Barbara Ellis in Phoenix. First car issues, but all is easily fixed. Thanks Jesus! :D lots of fun in the sun!

Flat Cat and I at the Grand Canyon!




My Grand Canyon shot of the day:




Hosanna! The coolest almost 14 year old I know. (we used to be roomies. It was fantastic!)



Swimming in Pastor Barb's lovely pool!

Rain storms in the desert are crazy amazing. So is the CONSTANT lightning. Things that are not so amazing: cranky children, tent trailers in New Mexico in August: muggy, hot and sticky. And water leaks in said tent trailer. oh my. thankful that each day we are given sufficient grace. (and swimming pools!)

drove by the place they tested the Atomic bomb. {sad} went through a police checkpoint {weird} got kicked out of a national monument because they were testing a missile {eerie}. got stuck behind a "snow plow" & went sledding in New Mexico {unexpected & FUN}. Ate at Chili's for the first time {yum!} I ♥ crazy, random, awesome days!

White Sands. The sand is a really different consistency (made of Gypsum crystals).

It really looks, like snow, hey?!

my shot of the day:

Today: 2 more police check points (one looking for illegals, one for DUIs), nearly making roadkill out of a tarantula, time zone change twice, downpour rainstorm, a couple hours in Texas, and a trip to Carlsbad Caverns (AMAZING ^2). :D good day.

Sunset in Carlsbad. {Photo by Hosanna}

A cool bug Elijah found at Carlsbad:

Saturday: woke up in New Mexico. drove over 600 miles (filled up with gas 3 times in 3 different states), got 32 oz slushies for $.69 in Texas, almost got hit by a 2 foot high tumbleweed blowing across the highway. Discovered how obnoxiously loud cicadas could be, and went to bed in Oklahoma. Sunday: BBQ with friends and basically the entire day spent in pools. Huzzah!

in Texas. Melting. Tomorrow is my last day with my Greek family {sad}. We'll be spending most of it in the pool {hooray!!!}. Then Wednesday morning, I finally arrive at YWAM. {Wohoo!!}

KatiRose now officially lives in Texas. weird. It's been a wonderful couple days settling in at the base and meeting awesome people. Orientation starts tomorrow! :)

me in my new homeland!

Today is the Day!

It's here! It's here!

Let the adventure begin!

In case you are fuzzy on the details, here's what I will be doing again.

What?: Another YWAM school. The school is called Teachers For the Nations (henceforth referred to here as TFN)

It's a teacher training school that prepares teachers to go out and disciple nations through education of children. :D

Where?: Texas. Tyler, Texas to be exact.

That's about an hour and 1/2 east of Dallas.

and I'll be at the Dayspring Campus of the Tyler base.

When?: TODAY! Actually my school starts August 26th, but my Greek Family and I are road -trippin it up, so we're taking our time to get there!

How Long?: 9 months +2 month outreach phase = 11 months

(August- May lecture, outreach June & July)

Why?: My heart passion is for Uganda and the children there. I believe that this training will be greatly beneficial to better equipping me to serve there. I want to do the best I can to be prepared and come with the most that I can offer, and this seems to be a great stepping stone. My hope is that after this school, I will be able to go back to Uganda long term and help in discipling the next generation and equip them to be world changing followers of Jesus Christ.

any more questions?????

I'm happy to answer them!

Please, please, please keep me in your prayers!

It's beginning to look a lot like August...

my plans for August include:

dance parties, tearful see you laters, ghetto paintball, waterfalls, lots of naps, excellent teaching, 3000 miles of driving, SoCal beaches, loads of camping, the Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, three new states, one crazy Big Fat Greek Family, little girls with a million questions, lots of use for the bluetooth headset, visiting old friends, packing my life into my car, good books to be finished, ending up two time zones away from where I started, and another amazing adventure with Jesus. Yes please.

{5 days!}

Your faithfulness endures... even in London

Hello! So I am currently in England... chillin at Heathrow waiting to go on to Uganda! And what an adventure it has been thus far! My flight from Sea-Tac to London went well.. long.. but not bad. I had an entire row to myself so I got to stretch out and sleep.. or attempt to. I got really excited as soon as i looked through the clouds and realized that the land I saw was England! The plane could not land fast enough! (I saw Buckingham Palace.. and this weird building that I think you should find out about. It was shaped like a black artist's palate sitting atop a pie tin filled with teal something. (if it were a pie, it would be jello, but this was a building so obviously some sort of building material..))

Then I got to London, and this is where my faith was put to the test. I was supposed to meet Megan, a fellow DTS student, here before our flight to Uganda. We had planned to meet at our departure gate. The only problem is, Heathrow does not give out departure gate numbers until around two hours beforehand. Thus with an 9 hour layover in a HUGE airport we were in major trouble. I looked and looked and looked and looked and couldn't find her anywhere. Then I tried to use my laptop to see if she had emailed me.. and all the internet costs money. So I tried to pay for some.. but my funds for my trip that were in savings haven't been transfered yet! So I couldn't use the internet. Then I tried to use my phone card to call home, several times.. but the pay phones here don't work with pre-purchased phone cards! I had even gone to the airline's customer service desk and had them page Megan. I stood and waited for ten minutes, but I was pretty sure she hadn't heard. So here I was all alone wandering in this HUGE airport.. with no Euros... no debit card.. no phone.. no email... and no Megan. Yikes! But what I did have was God! Finally, hot, sore, and exhausted (it was about 4am Pacific time.. and I had gotten about 6 hours of sleep in the past 36) I sat down and poured out my heart. And just then, a louder announcement came over the intercom.. paging Megan. So I grabbed my stuff and hurried to the desk as fast as I could. Finally... there she was! A traveling buddy!

Things have still been a little sketchy here.. I ordered a 12oz Soy Chai Tea from Starbucks and it cost $8.00!! (this further reaffirms my support in Wood's.. yes, Starbucks, I will remember how you ripped me off in London when I return to whatcom county!) And to use the internet it's a Euro (which is a lot more than a dollar!) for "ten minutes", But, God is SO good and so faithful to me! On the plane ride here I was just overwhelmed so many times at just how awesome and powerful and majestic and huge He is! I am just reminded over and over that He is all I need- He is my everything!

and get this: in 4 &1/2 hours... I will be on a plane headed for Uganda! YAHOOO!!

love you, miss you, Blessings!!

[edit: I am now actually in Uganda.. I will update more later... but I have to recharge the battery before I can post more!)
(PS. IT'S AMAZING HERE. AND I AM TOTALLY JET LAGGED!!! )

Here I Go!

So.. I leave in less than 24 hours! CRAZY! I am still packing and getting things in order. But it all doesn't seem real! I've had some crazy last two weeks, jam-packed with all my amazing friends, crazy family, and wonderful "adopted" families! I'll share more of my adventures later.. but, my next blog will, hopefully, be from another country! (London or otherwise!) Thank you for all the amazing prayers and support! You all bless me SO much!
Prayer Requests:

Safe Travels:
* No SNOW for the drive down
*restful flights
*an easy connection in London (I am meeting a girl, Megan, from Colorado in London. We have the same flight to Uganda!)

Goodbyes with my family

Cultural Adjustment

SLEEP!!

Blessings on you all!