Ahem...TOOT TOOT.

In case you didn't know, I'm planning on going to culinary school once I get back from Estonia.  I want to specialize in baking and patisserie, and I'm pretty sure I will become the next big Food Network star.  I'm not talking about being a Rachael Ray type or anything (honestly, I just don't understand why I find her so irritating), but I'm thinking my show will be more along the lines of "Ace of Cakes" or something like that.  I'll probably incorporate some musical numbers into the baking, too, since nothing is better than a delicious dessert with a little music playing in the background.  Maybe I'll choose a song by the band Cake for my theme...

Now that I'm (almost) done rambling, I should probably get to the point.  Last week marked a monumental occasion in the life of this Baker (pun intended):  

I made my first cake using fondant icing.   

While the thought of using fondant may not thrill you--you may not even know what fondant is--or even remotely grab your interest, I feel it is only fair for me to tell you that it's not as easy a feat to accomplish as you might think.  Imagine rolling some very stick play-dough into a 1/8" pancake, then trying to lift the play-dough without tearing it and covering a cake with it.  Like I said, it's not as easy as it sounds.

Anyhoo, I decided to take on a lofty challenge and make a two-tiered cake for a bridal shower my mom and I were hosting.  Instead of buying some nasty pre-made fondant from the store I wanted to make my own from scratch.  After many hours of hard work and sweat (the secret ingredient to my oh-so-delicious cake), this is what I came up with:

Okay, so maybe I'm not the best at taking pictures, but you get the idea, right?  And while I'm not usually one to toot my own horn, I feel a TOOT TOOT is in order.  It's by no means perfect, but overall I'm quite proud of my work and thought you might enjoy seeing the fruit of my labor.  

That's really all I felt like sharing.  I don't have much else to mention, so I guess I'll just sign off now.

Peace and Love,

LB

P.S.  I'm just going to sign as LB from now on because I looked at my friend Holly's blog for the first time in a while and realized that she already calls herself a Sojourner; if you know how Holly and I roll, you know that she and I have similar taste with a lot of things and we constantly joke about how we want to be each other (and I can't add any fuel to that fire).  So yes, I'm just LB now.  Okay, bye.

Coincidence

Coincidence: (noun) a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection

I don't believe in coincidence.  I don't think something "just happens."  I think that the omnipotent, omnipresent Creator of the entire vast universe puts His personal touch (let's call them God moments) on even seemingly small events.  I believe He has a sense of humor, and sometimes I think he just wants to make sure His presence is known.  Yesterday there were a couple of cool God moments I feel like sharing.

Last night I went to Midtown Community Church with my friends Haylie and Melanie.  Since it was Easter the service was mostly focused on worship, and it was an incredible time of fellowship and praise for the Risen Lord.  After the service everyone walked a couple blocks to the pastor's home for a baptism service.  The baptism was different than anything I was used to for a couple reasons: A) the baptismal pool was, in fact, a hot tub on the pastor's back porch, B) plenty of people chose that night to make their outward declaration of the faith instead of the typical routine of going through classes and whatnot before being allowed to be baptized, and C) people of the church took time to tell stories of how each person being baptized had personally impacted them through friendship and service.

One of the last people to be baptized was a man named Samuel.  Samuel is at least six-foot-five, and, to quote the pastor, he would be one of the most intimidating people to encounter if it weren't very his ever-present smile.  As person after person shared their stories about how Samuel has been a true representation of Jesus to them, all I wanted to do was give him a hug.  He didn't revel in the attention or anything, but he humbly glorified God as people sang his praises.  The pastor finally intervened and said that if everyone present shared how Samuel had affected their lives then we would be there all night, so they asked Samuel if there was anything he wanted to share before being baptized.  He simply thanked everyone for being a part of his life and said "Long Live the King!" (which was the topic of the sermon at church).  

When Samuel was baptized (by two men, for that matter), the coolest God moment happened.  As he came out of the water, he threw his hands in the air and let out a joyous yell.  Right as he did that a HUGE gust of wind swept over the crowd.  Some skeptics might say it was just foreshadowing the storm that would come later in the evening, but I believe God was just making his presence felt instead of just being known.  It was like He was saying, "I am here.  I am powerful.  My servant, Samuel, is living proof of the great things I can do if you will just relinquish control to me."

So obviously that was pretty powerful.

Later on I was driving Haylie home when she asked me how I was feeling as I prepare for Estonia.  I told her I was excited, scared, and a little bit of everything in between.  I said didn't know how to appropriately describe exactly what I was feeling...and that's when it happened.  

***I feel I need to preface the next part by saying that I have 2,672 songs on my iPod currently, and music is pretty the best form of therapy I could ever ask for.  I feel like there's a song for any emotion or situation, as made evident by my penchant for spontaneously bursting into song (a trait I inherited from my mother, no doubt).  That being said, what happened was a total God moment.***

So I told Haylie I didn't know how to appropriately describe how I was feeling when my iPod shuffled to the next song: "I Have Confidence" from The Sound of Music.  Yes, I love showtunes and I'm not ashamed to admit it, but that's not the point; as the song started, Haylie and I just looked at each other, shocked and elated, and began singing along.  I replaced the line "A captain with seven children" with "A country in eastern Europe" and it was a perfect match.  The song ended, and Haylie and I burst out laughing.  We agreed that God's sense of humor is way better than ours, and our conversation moved on to the next topic.  

I think as I continue to prepare for this summer, I really just need prayer for confidence more than anything.  I feel like once I get the hang of things I will be good to go, but it's the fear of the unknown that has me feeling a bit like the Cowardly Lion.  Please just keep praying that I'll have confidence in both sunshine and rain and that God will continue to mold me into the woman he has made me to be.  

Peace and Love,

A Sojourner  

The Journey Begins...

While I'm not sure who will actually be reading my blog, I will be updating it fairly often nonetheless.  In case you aren't already aware, God has been working in my life in some pretty serious ways recently.  After feeling led to quit my job last year, I took some time off to try to figure out where the next step of my journey would lead me.  I did a bit of traveling around the U.S. only to discover that God had much bigger plans for me.  

As I tried to figure out where God wanted me, I went through a very draining period of brokenness and rebuilding.  I felt like everything was going right in everyone's life but my own.  I was sad; I was lonely; I was confused; I was mad at God.  Finally, after many different doors began to open for me, I felt like I was finally being led somewhere (albeit, not somewhere that I had even remotely anticipated going).  I was being led to Estonia.

Up until February of 2008 I wasn't even aware that Estonia existed.  Maybe I was ignorant, or maybe I was just like most people (quite possibly YOU) and had never heard of the little country in eastern Europe.  I learned more about Estonian life when one of my best friends went there on a mission trip.  She fell in love with the culture and the people, and she returned to Atlanta telling me how much I would love it there.  I trust my friend's judgement, but I never thought God would lead me to spend my entire summer in Estonia...

Until now.

In February of 2009 I spoke to my college pastor at Buckhead Church about feeling led to do some sort of missions work during the summer.  A couple of days later he told  me about an internship opportunity in Estonia that would involve me using my gifts to witness to Estonian students while establishing meaningful relationships with them.  The internship sounded like every little detail I had hoped for all put into one job.  After further investigation and prayer, I felt like this was the opportunity that God wanted me to pursue.

That leads me to where I am now.

I am leaving on June 5 to spend approximately two months in Estonia working with students across the country.  I will be an intern with an organization called Josiah Venture, and I will help run "English camps" for Estonian students; our goal is to help students feel more comfortable speaking in conversational English while presenting the Gospel to them in a non-threatening way. 

Estonia is arguably the least religious country in the world, and I am hoping to be a part of changing that.  Many Estonians feel threatened by Americans; they think all we care about is converting them.  My goal is to be a beacon of LIGHT through my actions more than anything else.  I want my new friends to see the joy I have found in Jesus Christ without me having to tell them how much God has done for me.  I know I won't be able to witness strictly through my lifestyle, but I'm hoping that God will work more through my work than through my words.

As I continue to prepare for this incredible experience, I want to ask you for your support in the following ways:

1.   PRAYER for the TEAM ---  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pray for strength, courage, endurance, and unity for everyone on the Estonia team.  We will grow tired and weary, but our strength will be renewed.  Please pray for us as we stretch ourselves mentally and physically.  Ask the Lord to protect us and to continually remind us of who He is and why we serve Him.

2.  PRAYER for the STUDENTS --- Please pray for the students to be open to the Lord both as we work with them and after each camp is finished.  Ask God to continue to work in their lives long after the summer.  Pray for incredible life change for every person we encounter.

3.  FINANCIAL SUPPORT ---  I was very late in the application process, so I have to raise $3,300 plus the cost of airfare (approximately $1,500) by May 1st.  I know that given the way the economy is right now it is going to be quite a stretch for anyone to donate support, but I appreciate ANY help you can offer.

4.  CORRESPONDENCE --- Please stay in touch with me throughout the summer!  I would love to hear from you, and I will try to check my email (LoBake@comcast.net) and my blog as often as possible.  Any glimpse of home life will be quite a comfort, especially since I will be gone for both the birth of my nephew and for my mother's 29th (*cough, 50TH!, cough*) birthday.  Send me pictures, updates, ANYTHING please!

Thank you so, so much for your support as I begin this incredible adventure.  I can't wait to tell you more about it as everything progresses.  

Peace and Love,

A Sojourner