He is Risen!

He is risen indeed! Today is Easter, the day we celebrate the empty tomb as Jesus Christ is resurrected from the dead. I figured today would be a good day to write about the faith aspect of my journey. Some might think it isn't important or necessary, or that I'm pushing something that should best be left unsaid. I'm sorry, I love you, but I wholly disagree. It is because I love you and because of my faith that I publicly document the importance of my faith over these last few months.

When I first arrived to Australia and opened my suitcase for the first time in 48 hours, I saw two things that I did not expect to see. The first, a shrunken head that has found itself in many a strange place as my family and I attempt to scare each other every Halloween. The second, a letter from my sister. Since I don't have the letter right next to me I can't pull the exact verse Natalie included in it, but she reminded me to go forth with courage and fearlessness in God's love. She reminded me that no matter how alone I may feel over the course of my experience, I will never be alone. Friday afternoon I arrived in Australia, and two days later I went to South Barwon Church for the first time.

I walked into South Barwon a couple minutes late in the middle of a song, and found a seat in the back. The next song we sang was, "Who You Say I Am" by Hillsong. There are no coincidences. That song specifically has lifted me up and spoken to me in my hardest times at home. I knew right then I was safe and remembered that God was with me. During the offering, the older man next to me introduced himself and asked if after the service, I'd like to be introduced to some young adults and students. I agreed and now I regularly attend a small Bible study with those same people every Monday night. Everyone that day welcomed me with open arms and showed me the kind of love and acceptance churches around the world strive for. The people of South Barwon Church have welcomed me into their lives without a second thought, and I will always be grateful that God put them in my life when He knew I would need them most.

After living in Australia for a couple of weeks, my sister encountered a miracle and immediately FaceTimed to tell me about it. At our home church (Lutheran Church of Hope) over the last year or so, people have been praying for signs of God's love and miracles and encountering this love in the form of a simple yet undoubted miracle: a ring on a wall. Natalie prayed for a miracle before dinner, got an urge to put one of her rings on her wall, tried it, and the ring fell to the ground. She went to dinner, said nothing of it, and prayed again after dinner and again got the same urge. This time, it stuck.

To my knowledge, the ring stayed up through the night and didn't fall until the next day. It wasn't the miracle itself that shook me, it was my sister's faith to pray again and try again even though the first answer she got was essentially "no." I don't know if I would have the faith to try it again. Though she be a fiery thirteen year old who wears my clothes without permission, I often look to my sister for examples of unwavering faith.

Romans 8:38 tells me, "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love." Not even the Pacific Ocean or the absence of my family or being 10,000 miles away from home can separate me from God's love. Today, Easter Sunday, is the most important holiday for Christians. The most important. Without it, we would have nothing. Though it pains me to celebrate my absolutely favorite holiday away from my family and friends, I am reminded yet again that God's love supports and encourages me everywhere I go.

This morning Em and I went to a local church in her town (because I'm staying with her family for the first half of break) and I was reminded again that there are no coincidences. Every single song we sang today, I have played piano for at Hope. Every. Single. Song. There are no coincidences. I was exactly where I needed to be. At Hope we save the song, How Deep the Father's Love for Us for once a year on Good Friday, and it is one of my absolute favorite songs. Not being able to sing it with my congregation made my heart a bit heavy, but by God's sense of humor I sang it with a congregation that I "randomly" chose out of a newspaper ad the night before. There are no coincidences.

By the time I publish this, it will be close to midnight at home on the day of Easter. It is with love that I ask you to spare a thought to what the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ means for you personally. It is with love that I share how instrumental my faith has been to me, and how it is grown over the last three months. It is with love that I say, please let's talk about this post together. It is with love that I say finally, there are no coincidences.

He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!