Fearless: Crooked Trails

Ten Octobers ago, on the porch of our cabin at a Navigators' retreat, Katie Massey and I bonded over C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. I was drawn to her depth - obvious even then as a college freshman - and we became instant friends. We have remained dear to one another through a decade of relocations, heartbreak, jobs, illness, and faith realizations. There are a million adjectives to attribute to Katie, but to me she has remained faithful, full of wisdom, courageous and unafraid to ask and explore the hard questions. 

Last August I had the privilege to mourn with Katie as an entire community of people honored the extraordinary life and death of her father, Ronny Massey.

In the past year, Katie has grieved the loss of her father while exploring and serving in Utah's wilderness. I'm going to shut up now and let Katie share her past year's adventure with you. Whether you are currently dealing with loss, feeling stuck in a rut, or just wanting to be inspired, I hope you find refuge in Katie's story:

 “Courage is fear that has said its prayers”

-Anne Lamott

After my father’s death on August 17, 2010, for the first time in my life, I did not want to live abroad. Instead, I moved to the Utah wilderness.

I was planning and preparing to work overseas, when my family learned that my precious dad had a very aggressive cancer. Rather than an exotic land, I moved from North Carolina back to Alabama to help care for him and spend with him the little time that he had on this earth. Things went far faster than anyone expected and he died six weeks later. These were the most precious and traumatic weeks of my life.

I had already been restless and discontent with my job in NC. After my father’s death, editing reports in an office was unbearable. With international options out of the question, wilderness therapy made a good bit of sense.

Wilderness therapy is a unique approach to treating adolescents and young adults who are struggling with difficulties such as substance abuse, depression, family conflict, etc. Clients spend an average of 2 to 4 months undergoing therapy 80 miles deep in the Utah desert.

My thinking was: 1.) I could play a major role in the lives of people facing big issues and be a part of real, positive change; 2.) I could live in the West (something I have dreamed of for awhile), and 3.) I could have a lot of time to climb, travel and visit family.

I love rock climbing and I love natural beauty, Utah has plenty of both.  

It seemed pretty perfect; however, I was utterly terrified. This decision was stock full of unknowns and cold weather (I started in the thick of winter, now it’s an oven out here!). Two things I really hate. The choice of wilderness therapy was also a very non-linear step professionally for me, my two masters degrees and experience in public health research was not important of essential for this job. Despite these fears, there was excitement, inner peace, and a general “good feeling” about this move.

Within the two months of climbing on towering walls, viewing the sunsets of these wide open skies, and feeling the adventure of the wilderness, I felt life return to my soul. In addition, it turned out that my seemingly non-linear choice led me to an advantageous professional step. The company I work with was scaling up a research project and ended up asking me to coordinate it. It has been almost surreal how things worked out to incorporate another passion into life here.

I am not sure how much longer I will be in the wilderness, and I do not know what is behind this canyon wall. Such unknowns continue terrify me. I do know that I am inexpressibly thankful for the solace and adventure that the wilderness has brought to my life. I am eternally grateful that God unsettled my heart enough to make such a drastic and wild move. 

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets' towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you --- beyond that next turning of the canyon walls”

~Edward Abbey

Fearless: Creative Pursuits

Although I studied journalism and English at Auburn, I was surrounded by visual artists. Ashley (then Dykes) Bell is one of my dear friends who inspired and moved me by her creativity and her courage to pursue a career in painting and drawing. Despite a shaky economy and the pressures of job security, Ashley continued to pursue her passion going on to earn a M.A. in painting and drawing at LSU. Her work, which often depicts place, is a spiritual reminder that we are only on earth temporarily. We toil and live out our days here in this world knowing that we have a permanent home in store for us in heaven.

Loose Thread on Canvas, Oil on Canvas, 55x44 inches, 2010, ($1,200)

In Ashley’s Words:

“Paul wrote in 2 Corinthans that we live in earthly tents which will eventually be destroyed and believers have an eternal home with God. Paul explains the burdens felt on Earth are temporary. His burdens caused him to groan to be clothed in his heavenly dwelling. Paul is a tent builder and lives mostly in tents on his travels. He uses this ordinary object as a metaphor for the human body because of its temporary nature. Paul perceives the culture he lives in is fleeting. He encourages believers to remember what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal.

This reminder by Paul intensely pushed the content of my artwork. How can I paint the physical as temporary and how can I paint the unseen? These questions demanded further research into other artists and the theme of the sublime. I want to paint an ephemeral landscape.”

Ashley is from Auburn, Ala. and currently resides in Eufaula. She works as an associate professor of visual art at Andrew College but continues to paint and draw in her free time.

Uneathered, Acrylic on Canvas, 25 x 23.5 inches, 2011 (Exhibit at the FSU MFA)

“Time and place are constant themes in my artwork. The drawings and paintings are inspired by local places, which give me a sense of location. I imagine what is unknown to my eyes into the artwork. The ephemeral landscape is not painted in its true form. The landscape transforms with moving colors, lines, and shapes. It is still identifiable, but it is transitioning into the unknown element. This element could be a geological event or a movement from the physical to the landscape’s inner spirit. My body of work conveys a spiritual longing inspired by the temporary nature of everyday surroundings.”

When asked why she is an artist, Ashley replies “It is not so much that I have to paint or draw. It is about being creative and true to myself. Being true to myself makes art a journey for me.”

Ashley has also used her craft to bless the lives of others. She painted this waterfall painting for me when I was going through a very dark time my junior year of college. It still hangs above my bed as a reminder of God’s faithfulness. To me, this painting is the springing forth of new life and hope. It is beautiful, colorful and active.

This August through October, two of Ashley’s paintings will be exhibited in the 26th Tallahassee International at Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts.

You can visit her website ashleykathleenbell.com for more information and to commission her work.

Rhythm and Yesterday’s Space, Acrylic on Canvas, 16.5 x 24 inches, 2011 ($900)

Ash & her hubby Wes.

Fearless: Life in Africa

I have been extraordinarily blessed to have a plethora of godly examples in my life. Individuals who are not afraid to live lives less ordinary for the sake of the gospel.

Sarah Dunn is such a lady.

In a few short months, she, like my friend Kate, will be leaving behind all that is familiar because she believes the Lord has called her to minister to the Ugandan people.

Sarah is a compassionate, sincere and detailed-oriented woman, a successful architect for a local firm in Birmingham, and a completely devoted follower of Christ. Since I've known her, she has never failed to amaze me with her out-of-the-ordinary skills. Though she's slight of frame and meek of disposition, I’ve witnessed her man a tractor, start a campfire and lead a work crew. And somehow, she looks like a natural and is still every bit of a lady in the process! She’s pretty impressive.

Here’s a little of Sarah’s story, which, along with more on her plans as well as info on how to donate, can be located on her blog: http://dunnsar.wordpress.com/

As an architecture student at Auburn University, I discovered a Christian organization that utilizes the skills and education of architects and other design professionals. During the summer of 2002, I interned with that organization – Engineering Ministries International (eMi). While there, I visited and helped design an addition to an orphanage in Guatemala. The next year I completed my thesis project at the Rural Studio in rural west Alabama. After obtaining my architecture degree, I gained experience at an architecture firm in Birmingham, Alabama and completed requirements to become a registered architect.

Over the years, God has increased my desire to share the hope and love of Christ through the practical skills I’ve received as an architect. Building on my internship with eMi, I volunteered on short project trips to design a school in Kazakhstan, a clinic in Kenya, and a clinic/rescue center in Haiti. These short-term trips were instrumental in leading me to envision my life as a full-time staff architect with eMi. After much prayer and God’s work in my heart, I decided to follow God’s calling. I applied for a position and was accepted as a staff architect with the eMi East Africa located in Kampala, Uganda.

The support of my family, friends and church family is very encouraging to me. I am excited and honored to use this unique opportunity to help meet the physical needs of the poor and support other mission organizations. Serving with eMi is a small, yet tangible, way for me to share the love of Christ and make Him known.

I am excited to prayerfully and financially share in Sarah’s faith journey and hope to post updates on On.a.Whim throughout her tenure in Uganda.

Sarah and Kate, have both, by their life examples, been encouragements to me to push past my own earthly comforts, myopic nature and “knowns” to seek the Lord's will (not my own) in this life. I am currently praying for wisdom in where He is leading me to push past these boundaries and fears and live more fully for Him.

What about you? Have you been challenged spiritually in your life lately? It doesn’t have to necessary be in a call to the mission field. It could be in a new marriage, choosing to stay home your children, in a new job position, in singleness, in courage to share your faith. I would love to read your responses and think they would be an encouragement to others!

Please know how thankful I am for you and that, believe it or not, you are in my prayers. I want On.a.Whim to not only be an outlet to find recipes, silly stories and creative ideas, but also a place where you can be encouraged in your faith and share with others.

I’ll leave you with a pic of Sarah and I from two years ago. Enjoy the beginning of your week!

~Laura K.

Fearless: A Voice in the Streets

"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." ~Isaiah 1:17

This is my friend Kate.

Kate and her pup Barnabas will be leaving their home in Birmingham, Ala. later this year to serve in La Ceiba, Honduras.

There are over 50,000 street children in Honduras. That means there are 50,000+ children without a home, without three square meals a day, without a place to rest there little heads at night, without a mother or father to tell them how special they are or give them a hug.

Kate, believing Christ has called her to be His hands and feet in La Ceiba, is compelled to serve these little ones.

To learn more about Kate’s heart, what she’ll be doing and the organization she will be serving with, visit her blog A Voice in the Streets.

I also highly recommend checking out this very special video she has created.

The main reason I have committed to supporting Kate is –

Not because she loves street children.

Not because she’s fully qualified having served on multiple short-term mission trips.

Not because she speaks Spanish fluently.

Not because she’s great with kids and has been teaching them for almost 10 years.

Not because she is giving up all the comforts and ease of an American life.

But because she loves Christ and because her love of Him compels her to serve Him by serving His people.

If you are looking for an opportunity serve the Christ through the needs of the street children in Honduras, please join me in supporting Kate.

For Online Giving: Click here.

Make sure you put "Kate Defuniak" in the designation box.