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IamKyrs10
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Name: Kyrsten
Country: United States
State: Illinois
Birthday: 10/4/1986
Gender: Female
Interests: God, relationships, smiling, singing, laughing, praying, love, eyes, baskin robbins, Waipio Valley, trusting, Hawaiian sunsets, speaking/learning Norweigan, purity, hearts
Expertise: playing outside, eating baskin robbins chocolate chip on a sugar cone w/ gummie bears on the side while talking with awesome people, laughing, volleyball
Occupation: Student
Industry: Other
Message: message meEmail: email me
AIM:  IamKyrs10
Member Since:
8/6/2005
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| Should probably write something...i've gotten a couple notices from some awesome people that i'm overdue for a xanga. it has been since early feb, so I guess this is legit!
My life has been nuts lately, but seriously wonderful. I don't even know how to put into words all that the Lord is doing on my campus here, in the hearts of believers and nonbelievers, and in my own heart. It's like i've actually REALLY been seeing people with His eyes lately...getting broken and burdened. But it's actually a joy to experience this, and it's not a bad thing that i want pity for. it's more of a blessing. Hearing people gossip about others has been really interesting lately as well. A couple weeks ago i was walking behind two girls early in the morning going to class and they were loudly talking about what a skank/"b-word" another girl was, and it was so crazy...God just spoke to me. Too often do we only see the sin and the label...the crap. We forget about the brokenness that causes that sin and instead we judge and label. it's sickening. really, pretty gross. God doesn't see the sin only, he sees the brokenness...why can't we ask God to give us His eyes daily so that we can see how he sees?
There's lots of other stuff going on. Journalism was nuts up until today...in one of my classes, my group and i were covering two women in the Mrs. Missouri pageant..that's right: MRS. Missouri. Married ladies from 22-57. That was the age range of the contestants this year...and some SERIOUSLY look amazing for their ages and having kids and even some with grandkids. Pageant world is kiiiinda "interesting" though, not gonna lie...hahah. That was an insane project though...went to bed at 5:30 am wednesday night editing photos, video and text w/ my group and creating our website for it all...then got up at 8 am to do 3 more hours of editing before our final presentation that day. CRAZY!! God is amazing though and I learned a lot and had some amazing conversations with two girls in my group who aren't followers of Christ.
This coming fall Lee Strobel is coming to my Uni to speak and basically be used however God sees fit. The directors of the Navigators (aka my parents/fam away from home and also my discipler) contacted him and actually felt the Lord leading them to ask me to head this up/be the pointperson and vision-caster. GOD HAS BEEN DOING INCREDIBLE THINGS!!! There is truly beginning to be unity within the body on this campus and it's AMAZING!!!! Impact (a branch of Campus Crusade for mainly African Americans) has been praying/expecting unity w/in the body since last semester b/c God spoke to them about this, and now it's actually really beginning to happen. It's not about Lee coming and sharing a great message/testimony, and then leaving w/out anything more...it's about hearts that are CHANGED for the Lord and it all has to begin in prayer...THAT IS WHERE BATTLES ARE WON!!! on our knees humbly before the Lord...how often do we neglect this?! how often do i neglect this in the business of life and our culture?! too often i think...it's gotta start on our knees and we work our way up from there. He'll meet us, we don't need to do it all ourselves...it's amazing, what God is doing. God is moving now and doing a work now...i've gone around to most of the campus ministries here and shared about what God is doing with this whole Lee Strobel thing and hearts are seriously catching the vision and gettting excited! our prayer times have been so rich with the Lord...He is literally like sitting there and His hand has been completely upon it. He is so specific...lots from 1 Corinthians, especially chapters 3 and 5.
Let's stop talking "about" God and "around" God...let's make sure we spend time WITH God. We don't need our lives to be "about" Him and talking around Him...they need to be WITH Him, and from there, the rest of the "about" and "around" will happen...if that makes sense. Let's just be with our source, the Rock of our refuge, our fortress, our stronghold...let's ask him to transform us by the renewing of our minds...to give us eyes to see.
I'll be coming home the 12th and can't wait to see everybody...those of you i haven't spoken with in a long time, i love you...i'm not just saying that, i can't really be fake, so just know that i'm serious when i say that. i really love and miss you all. each of your are a unique blessing to me, whether we're close friends, shared a few laughs, have a random handshake, had some great convos, or whether you're in another state or country...love you all and miss you. may you find the joy of the Lord as your strength. Let him be your Rock. He's got it. Just trust.
LOVESMILESANDBLESSINGS
p.s. everyone needs to listen to this song by Sia... : ) | | |
| The Lord has been teaching me so much lately...
I've been kind of sick for the last 2 weeks and it's much much better now, but I was asking the Lord about a week ago why I was going through all of that. He totally spoke to me in the last 4 days. He showed me that I have been created to bring energy and life, yet these things cannot come from myself...the energy, the joy, the strength, the LIFE. None of these things can come from me. I've been so weak and tired physically b/c of being drained with 18 hours of classes (6 classes, 3 of them being nazi (to avoid confusion: extremely hardcore) journalism classes with tons of work outside of class) and also because of my sickness, thinking of the Bible study I'll be doing with girls on my floor, discipling two girls aside from that, being discipled still, and meeting with wonderful friends from all across campus; in sororities and fraternities, on athletic teams, in different Christian groups, in other residence halls, people off campus, and finally the people in my hall. It's nuts...I've been realizing how much I love people. But with all of these things overwhelming my heart and mind, and me being physically weak, the Lord has spoken so much to me. I've been feeling so small and so weak....like I'm nothing. I feel like I'm just curling up before the Lord's feet when I get under my covers at night...I feel like I can't even curl up small enough before him...I just feel so meek and so humbled and His Spirit just blankets me. He spoke to me one of these nights, "I am your stronghold. I am the Rock of your refuge," and my heart just melted. I can't do anything on my own strength...everything needs to come from Him. It's all because of His Love. That's it...we did not choose Him, but He chose us. He called us by name. He believe in us. You did not choose Him, He chose you. I did not choose Him, but He chose me. I feel so small and insufficient and unworthy, yet He called me by name...just as He did all of us. If this isn't humbling, I don't know what is. I've been having insane divine appointments with the most random people all over my campus; the Korean girl across the hall from me, the big football player at some party; my friend from Church; a phone call from my best friend who is studying in Paris at the moment; a prayer with my manic depressive, former-cutter, medicated, and nonbeliever suitemate Kelley; and so many more. I realized all of these amazing divine appointments have happened in the last few days only because it is during these days that I have really begun to understand what it means to be broken and for God's power to be perfected in all of this...it's less of me and more of Him. The circumstances I'm in do not determine or change the blessing of His Holy Spirit...it pours out of me because I've been blessed in Jesus' name to not only know what He knows, but to be LIKE Him...to be covered in the dust of my Rabbi. Nothing can change the Holy Spirit in me and how that transforms me from the inside out and by the renewing of my mind daily without even me trying to do anything...no circumstances can change this blessing. It's not about what I can do. It does it's own work through me and pours out like a waterfall b/c that is just what the Holy Spirit does. That is beautiful. : ) It is humbling.
I'm really dwelling in John 14 right now...also in the Psalms. It's incredible how you can read something over and over and then suddenly, it all makes sense in your heart. The Lord is doing quite the work in me at the moment. There's so much to it, and it's so deep and very complex...I love it. I'm really learning how to be broken and how it is in this that His Spirit truly moves and His power is seriously revealed. Rather than worrying about how we're going to reach the promises the Lord has laid before us, let us instead, "Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector (finisher) of our faith and He will make our paths straight..." We don't need to know HOW we are going to get to the promises before us...we just need to trust in WHO is going to get us there. He is creative. He is faithful. He sees the whole tapestry while we see only the present thread being weaved in our lives. He is beauty.
"But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge." - Psalm 22
Let us allow Him to be our dwelling place...let us allow our hearts to be His dwelling place that our joy may be complete in Him.
We don't have to be the rock of our refuge. Let Him.
I Love you. | | |
| 2006 was a brilliant year...and that's an understatement at home and it's wonderful hope everyone had a merry merry merry christmas!! it's been a while, as usual, since i wrote on this thing...this weekend will be exciting...two of my best friends come home, one from south dakota and the other from a college football bowl game he's playing in, and it will be hysterical to see them both along with everyone else i've already seen and will be seeing. im excited for souled out...the heart of those who continue to go is beautiful and it's amazing to feel the intensity of the Holy Spirit in that small, intimate room. Also it's New Years Eve on sunday, which will be tons of fun...hard to believe 2006 is coming to a close after all of the crazy awesome experiences that i've been so blessed to have had during the last year of my life and the changes that have been made, both good and maybe not so good, in the lives of all of the people around me who i love so much. One year ago today I went to Kona, Hawaii...THAT'S crazy...time seriously flies.....SERIOUSLY. On the second of January I'll be off to London to visit Annabel and Steph who are two of my best friends from dts and who also went to Thailand with me...plus another one of my best friends, Ingvild, (from dts also) will be flying down from Norway to stay with us, which will be absolutely amazing!...haven't seen her since March b/c she went to the South Pacific for outreach. 10 days in London with beautiful, awesome friends who I met exactly at this time, one year ago on the Big Island...yay for reunions, im so excited! can't believe that was one year ago...again, time seriously flies!!! hope everything is going amazing for you and it would be great to hear what you've been up to recently. I really love people and honestly hope that you're doing well, or better than well. speak soon : ) p.s. listen to the acoustic version of the song on my profile...mm mm good Using 3 words, how would you sum up your 2006? | | |
| HELLOOOOOO!!!! i never seem to get around to writing on this thing anymore....how is everyone?
Mizzou is great and journalism is definitely a challenge, but the Lord is so amazing and I'm really learning a ton here personally and in all my academic classes! it's SO MUCH FUN!!! Can't wait to be back in sweet home Chicago for Thanksgiving though!
For Halloween I was a gladiator...yes that's right...i said it: a gladiator. It was actually hysterical, but quite stylish, i'm not gonna lie! I just want to reaffirm how much I love music...right now it's so essential to my life. It always has been, but even more now...it's beautiful! Even running...I NEED music...it just moves me in all the ways someone can be moved!
Time to go, I'm gonna go play volleyball with some friends from my hall. Oh by the way, I live in a hall with most of the scholarshipped football players and it is hysterical. Tons of huge black and white guys, most of whom are actually black, and it's quite a difference from my all girls dorm last year! These guys are awesome and literally almost all of them love the Lord and it's beautiful to see them...sunday nights some of them and I sing gospel music in one of our rooms and it's one of the most interestingly joyful things ever. Also, it's funny b/c these guys are all huge and can just pick me up and throw me around like it's nothing...and i'm 5'10" so im not used to it! Thank God they're all gentle giants...haha. All of the guys and girls on my floor are awesome and I'm totally seeing why I've been placed here. Also, I've contributed some of my energy to my suitemate Sarah who now stays up late with me and we'll do random yoga at like 1 or 2 a.m. and it's hilarious.
Also, my dad came up last weekend and took me fly fishing in Arkansas and i got a 19" rainbow trout among some other trout...that whole area is beautiful and it was the peak weekend of the fall so the colors were electric in the sunset!! Listening to "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol literally made me cry while we were driving...it was gorgeous!! hahah, anyways, to me, that alone is proof that there is a God and He is alive!
Let me know what you've all been up to and hopefully i'll see ya over Thanksgiving! LOVE TO YOU ALL!!!!
(note: still NOT "ya'll") : )
P.S. The video for "Tell Me Baby" by the Chili Peppers is one of the most AWESOME things I've ever seen!!! this song is one of those that makes me move! | | |
| I'M 20 TOMORROW!!!! on 10/4 ; )
it's crazy huh?! : ) for some reason, it's hard to believe that i'll be 20...2 decades old...hahah, weiird! yet at the same time I feel like I've been 20 for a while now...just the actual realization of it is kiiiinda crazy!! haha.
my roommate bought us tickets to see Bob Saget live tomorrow for my bday in a theatre on campus....ohh man this will be nuts!! good old Danny Tanner from Full House, who apparently doesn't have the cleanest humor like his more-than-mildly cheesy yet loveable character on the show. I'll be in a room like 20 feet away from the guy....it will be hilarious!!
Journalism is going great here at Mizzou and definitely challenging. People are awesome here and it's just SO important to connect on a deep and real level. God is amazing...I love Him, he's alriiight! : ) I miss you all and hope that you're really excited about whatever you're doing and wherever you are. Love you all so much and be blessed today!!
"Do not despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity...do not neglect the gift that is in you... " -1 Timothy 4:12 & 14
love and smiles ..... "that's a 10/4, over and out..." : )
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