Preparation

It's an interesting season, being home, working at a coffee shop and raising support. It's preparation in many ways! It's hard to believe December is almost here, and after that comes January, which means, time to travel to VIENNA! I'm about at 70% of my total budget so it's becoming more and more of a reality!

Currently, I'm still working a lot at Mugz and loving it! It's awesome how God is using that as a place to meet people. Today I started painting a lady's house whom I meet at Mugz. It's cool to be able to have an art outlet! I'm also getting ready to have a table at a big craft show at the local country club. I'll be personalizing Christmas plates and other gift items for the holidays.

Yesterday I got a german poetry book from my dad- it's so cool! It's love poems to God, and one side is in German and the other is in English. It will be a cool avenue to connect with people in Austria. I'm so excited to learn the language and to meet new people!

Denver

I sure love Colorado. It's been good being back here with family and friends, reminiscing about old times and hand-crafting new memories. A special someone came and surprised me this week: Jeffrey Beiler! He was driving a van up from CA to IN and CO happened to be on the way. :) I'm thankful for the time I've been able to have with him.

Tonight I got to hang out with four of my Austrian Teammates. It was really awesome to connect with them and share our hearts from these past few months raising support at our homes. It's been challenging for all of us, so it was strengthening to meet together to support one another and pray. God really has some amazing things in store for Austria! I found out tonight that there's a woman who lives in the apartment we'll be housed out of who has an art ministry, so I'm excited to see what opportunities God might have for me in that avenue. I've become more and more passionate about art and so I'm looking forward to how God will use that.

I'm not at a little over 60% of my support-raising goal! Austria is on the way! I'm so thankful for all of you! November 30th is my 100% deadline. I am confident in God's ability to care for me and provide for the ministry He's called me to. He continues to show Himself faithful in so many ways.

Hurricane Ike

We went through our first hurricane! Took lots of preparation! Kiellor was at work and Colin's at school, so I got the pleasure of helping my dad board up the windows. :) I actually enjoyed it!

I miss the good ole' woodshop days, so it was fun to have a saw in my hand again!

Haha, exposed by Andy...due to time constraints I didn't get a chance at the saw after all, only got to pose with it for a picture. :)

The big ole' neighborhood dog.

Awesome thing about hurricanes: they bring people together! Our whole neighborhood was out and about preparing, and since school and work got called off, we got to spend a lot of time together.

The sky was incredible!

Then it got a little ominous....

Then a little scary!
I went inside and made an "ike cake" to share with the neighbors. What else is there to do?!

Thankfully we all made it through unscathed, though many others were far less fortunate. We lost power for two days, didn't get much sleep the night of the storm (boy it was loud!), and the roads were obstructed for awhile with branches, but life got back to normal pretty quick and we're thankful that we didn't have any permanent damage (except for a broken window that got hit with a rock while I was mowing...before the hurricane hit. Isn't life ironic?) :)

Our church offices, however, lost their roof!

My dad's office was in pretty bad shape.Thankfully not much was ruined and insurance is sure a good thing!

Garage Sale!

If you live in Houston and would like to donate anything to my garage sale or come help out, let me know!

Home away from Home

In less than four months, this will be my new residence!!! This is the house that my teammates, mentors and I will be living in for our time in AUSTRIA. It's divided into four apartments and our missionary supervisor's, Robert and Ulla Suhonnen, live just down the street.

But this is my home now,

and I'm enjoying the time I've been having with these lovely people!My brother Kiellor (who works at Quiznos which is next door to Mugz! We have a trade route for sandwiches and coffee :)

My parents :)

And tonight, I get to see these two!!! Colin is at the Honor Academy in Tyler, TX and Chelsey is finishing up her last year at Texas Women's University in Denton, TX so their both coming home for the weekend!

And some time soon this fine gentleman from Indiana is coming to see me! Can't wait! :)

Filling my Cup

I went for a run this morning. I love the peace that engulfs the atmosphere, as if all of creation is eager with quiet anticipation for a new day. With the rising sun comes a living promise that God's mercies are new for this day; hope permeates my being as light penetrates the newly awakened world.

I'm learning how to rest in God.

I'm learning how to live in the present and live one day at a time.

As I daily fill my soul with truth and experience the fellowship that comes from conversing with the Living God, I'm coming to truly believe and live that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He'll do! Such rest and peace comes from trusting God. I'm daily blessed and thankful for the ways that His character is displayed in my life-- from divine encounters with people to a $25 Walmart card that some kind unknown person left in my wallet to toothless baby smiles from a little girl accross the counter at Mugz. God sure does know how to care for me. :) What a relief to know that not only do I not have to clutter my mind with obsessive thoughts about what I'm going to do during the day and how I'm going to do it, etc., etc. but I'm COMMANDED not to! I tell Jesus my worries instead and let thanksgiving well up in my heart.

"trust and obey...there is no other way."

That about sums up the current aspiring life of McKenzie Conn.

May you all enjoy the rest, peace and joy that comes from our Father who knows what we need!

Faith

It seems like everyday I'm hit more with the realization that life is hard. But with every revelation of difficulty, the Holy Spirit is right there to present hope, to offer grace, to paint a picture for me of what matters, of what is true.

I was talking the other day with my boyfriend, Jeff about how as I go about the day, doing the different things required, my soul will get hit with a disatisfaction... there's something more. I realized that these times of discontent happen when I lost my focus from Jesus and am not remaining in him. Jeff and I were talking about our ways of trying to remind ourselves to abide in God and stay in constant communion with Him throughout the day...and we both felt frustrated with the results! Things become commonplace so easily; routines and plans lose their true meaning as I just go through the motions.

Why is it so hard, we wondered?

Then I realized that it's about f a i t h.

And the grain of our culture is so totally opposite of faith. We live in a realm saturated with instant gratification, materialism and all sorts of ways to meet our every whim, desire and need right NOW. On top of that, we are so full of visual messages- we can see, touch, feel everythign. But faith means wait... faith means believing in what we cannot see. Faith REQUIRES patience, waiting, persevering, trusting, standing firm, delayed gratification.

It was cool because after I hung up with Jeff, I just so happened to be in Hebrews 11 for my Bible reading plan. :) I'm not exactly sure what it's going to look like, living by faith, but I'm chewing on Hebrews and I'm thankful for the constant presence of my good friend, the Holy Spirit. I love learning, so I'm so glad He likes to teach me all throughout the day!

So there's some throughts for the day. :)

On another note, I did indeed get a job at a coffee shop, called Mugz. I love it! It's fast-paced, efficient, and customer oriented. I'm still learning the ropes, but I love my co-workers and manager and am so blessed by how God set it all up for me!

Other than working, I've been renovating my room (which will be the guest room when I leave), keeping in touch with friends and my boyfriend (we're two weeks into four months apart! God's been teaching us a whole lot, so though I miss him, I'm thankful for this time), and spending time with family and being involved at Christ Chapel. I sent out an update letter this week, so I hope you enjoy it! I'll keep you posted on further developments. :)

Much love, and may God empower you to walk by faith and not by sight today!

Home Sweet Home

I'm back in Texas!

After wrapping things up at BCOM for this first year, I got back to Houston with my family late Tuesday night and have been unpacking and unraveling here at home. I'm excited for these next four months! I'm looking forward to plugging back in with Christ Chapel (my home church), finding outlets for :::creativity::: and artistic endeavors, hopefully getting a job at a local coffee shop (I have my interview tomorrow!), and seeking potential partners to support me as a missionary through Bethany International Ministries in my upcoming adventure to Austria!

I'll keep ya'll posted, but I just wanted to say a big "howdy" from Texas. :) I must say it's good to be home!

Texas in the Windshield

Just about two years ago I saw home fade away in the rearview mirror, and now, an Honor Academy internship and 1 year at BCOM later, Richmond, Texas is soon to show up in the windshield; I'm quite excited!

This year at BCOM has been one of the most enriching, fulfilling, satisfying, and deepening years of my life. God has tilled the soil of my heart and I feel chalk full of seeds! I'm excited to watch them grow and bear fruit that will last. God has been so faithful to keep me for Himself and I've been greatly encouraged to see prayers that I've been praying since I was twelve start coming into fulfilment!

These last two weeks at BCOM are filled with...

1. Quite invigorating and unpredictable classes with Tony Hedrick on the topic of apologetics. He's an awesome artist who says things as they are and is about the most non-religious follower of Jesus that I know. :) It's quite refreshing.

2. Time with Jeffrey Beiler! We've almost been dating for 3 months and I have been so blessed by his friendship. This past week we enjoyed horseback riding, painting, running (he's a challenging but encouraging running-buddy :), and a fancy night out to the Cheesecake Factory with two other couples from BCOM. I'll be making a pit-stop to his house in Indiana after we graduate, and from there I'll head home with my family! It will be sad to say goodbye for four months, but we're both excited for what God has during this next season and for the challenge of growing closer together while being a part.


3. Friends, friends, friends. I've been so blessed by Godly friendships of all kinds this year! Some of my favorites...my friend Emily Ona whom I'm currently at Panera bread with (we enjoy hazelnut coffee, cinnamon rolls and good conversation together:)...my teacher, Nita Steiner, a missionary veteran who has Jeff and I over for Brazilian food and offers up many a faith-filled prayer on my behalf...my lovely roommate Heather Hall whom I have enjoyed growing with and fighting through the hard times on our knees together. We went to an adorable Nepalese restaurant this past weekend and were both encouraged as we reminisced of what God has done in our lives over chicken and curry. :)...and last but not least, Lindy Beamesderfer, a spontaneous but disciplined lady who walks with Jesus and loves life, people, and juice. She's been a very enjoyable friend, and I look forward to continuing our friendship as we'll be teammates in AUSTRIA!

I'm getting more and more excited to invade Vienna here in just a few short months. I'm really excited for this upcoming time of preparation and planning and am excited to see a lot of you all very soon!

If you could be praying for me this week for God's direction, inspiration and creativity as I prepare for this next season at home. If you could also pray that God would give me a steadfast spirit to sustain me, and for great endurance and perseverance to remain in the Lord!

Love to you all!

-McKenzie

The Truth and Nothing but the Truth

It's a great day to be alive!

Summer is here, and after a prolonged winter, we're enjoying spring weather up here in Minnesota. I've been enjoying...

daily bike rides and walks in the glorious back 40 acres of the BCOM campus

weekend picnics, enjoying the outdoors with good friends

creating and innovating and experimenting with making videos (I'm currently working on one with my Global Internship team to express our upcoming trip to Vienna, Austria!) and other artistic endeavors (spray paint has become my new favorite art form :)

Hanging out and getting to know Jeff Beiler. :)

Currently I'm taking a class called Biblical Worldview, and I'm learning about prominent worldviews in our day today and how they came to be. We've been focusing on post-modernism and naturalism, and I'm enjoying growing in understanding in these philosophies and testing them against the truth. I've really been enjoying the fact that truth is TRUTH-- you can test it, question it, and poke at is as much as you want and it will still be true. As I do this, I'm finding out what in my life has been built on the firm foundation of Christ, and what has been built on the shaky sand of worldly beliefs. It's invigorating to know and understand more of God, and in that getting insight into how reality works. I'm so thankful for this class because I know it's going to benefit me greatly as I journey to the greatly post-modern world of Europe...

exciting news on that note! Jeffrey has joined the team to come to Austria! Please pray for us as we continue to get to know one another and seek the Kingdom of God in our lives. Please also pray for unity within the 15 of us going to Austria and that God would continue to speak to us about His plans for us during our 16 months overseas together.

By the end of June I will need to have 25% of my budget for my 16 months in Austria. The total amount for the Internship is $29,161.63 (this includes all expenses) so 25% is $7,290.40. If God is leading you to support me financially, you can make a check out to Bethany International Ministries (please don't include my name on the check) and send it to:

McKenzie Conn
6820 Auto Club Road, Suite A
Bloomington, MN 55438

Thank you for your time and consideration!

*love

Jeffrey Lyle Beiler!

This is Jeffrey! He's a very good friend and we are :::together:::

I've never had a boyfriend before, so this is a new experience for me, but I'm finding that it's natural and good! It's incredible having him as such a good friend. It's cool that we've both come from similar backgrounds, went through the Honor Academy together last year and now are sitting under the same teaching and experiencing the same things here at BCOM. It's exciting having a friend who has the same values as I do: loving God, loving people, serving, giving, learning, growing, changing...

It's fun to walk this life with him. We've been praying together and have the awesome opportunity of having quite a few incredible, Godly couples here on campus who are willing and delighting in investing in us and our relationship! We're excited to seek out more counsel about how to walk uprightly and wisely in this season of life and do the will of the Father.

A big thing we're praying through right now is concerning our Global Internships. Currently, Jeff is on a team (of which he's the only guy!) to go to Indonesia, and I am on a team going to Austria. Our internships are 16 months long, plus a previous 4 months of home-based support raising. That would mean that we'd be apart for almost 20 months! We've come to the conclusion that with the direction that we feel God is leading us in our relationship, it'd be wise and beneficial for us to be on the same team, so we're praying about where that will be. Please pray that God would clarify His will to us both so that we can walk in it!

Ministry Week!

Ministry Week!



As a part of the training here at BCOM, all of the students participated in a week devoted to living out what we've learned and are training for: being missionaries! We broke into 4 teams, stayed at four different churches, and hit the streets of the Philips neighborhood, seeking to do the will of the Father by building relationships and sharing Jesus through our lives and words.



I had the privilege of leading one of the four groups with my good friend Jeffrey Beiler under the leadership of our awesome Pastor: Norris Rose!





Here's my and my good friend Lindy. We went together during the day to take door to door surveys of the neighborhood we were in, asking the people what the needs in the community were and how the church could help meet those needs. It also opened the door to share with them about Jesus!

This is my awesome team during lunch. We grew really close together during the week as we worshipped and sought God together in the mornings and afternoons and shared with each other what God was doing during the meal times. We had a lot of fun too!

Here's a team going out to take surveys of the Philips Neighborhood.

Here's my awesome teammate, Warren. He has a cool beard and a hilarious laugh so I thought I'd share his coolness with you!

Every evening for dinner we went to a local soup kitchen to hang out and hear the stories of the people who are at a rehabilitation center to get their lives back on track. We made some cool friends and we're mutually encouraged by the people we met there! These two gentlemen were gracious to serve us food!

Here is our wonderful Pastor Rose! We had a great time meeting with him over coffee in the mornings and he did far more than encourage us for the days ministry: he shared his life with us. He's full of wisdom and graciously shared it with us (often with a great laugh!)

Here's part of our team at the park. We did sidewalk chalk and brought along some balls and frisbees to play with the people there. We had a good time!
Here's a woman named Victory that we met at the park. She was incredibly strung out on drugs and was barely coherent. Here I was embracing here and praying for her.

The girls!

Lake Street=Base camp. Met a lot of people and had some awesome conversations here.

Team Solid Rock!

I got to play the drums a little bit during one of our team times :)

Pastor Rose and myself- what a blessing he was!

Ministry Week!

Hi Family! We (the BCOM students) have an exciting week coming up for us! Tomorrow the freshman class will be heading to downtown Minneapolis to divide and conquer for the Kingdom! We split into four groups and each group will be staying with a different church for the week. We'll be helping out at the church and then dividing yet again to go conquer two by two:

Walking by the Spirit

Asking God what's on His heart for the afternoon and what He has planned for us to do

Listening

Obeying!

I'm excited for divine encounters and to sow into others what has been so richly sowed into me. God is alive! I'm excited to be a part of His expanding Kingdom. Please pray for us as we seek to touch heaven, bring it to earth, and give it away. We've prayed to the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into the field, and we are being sent!

Stay tuned for updates...!

The Lord bless you and keep you and may He make His face shine upon you and give you peace.

God is Here

God is here

:::right now:::

Today I'm searching what it is to seek God with all of my heart.

For if He is my only and ultimate pursuit, I will find Him. And if I find Him, I have everything.

He's here, He's found me, I've found Him...but there's so much more to find.

There's so much more.

Today I enjoyed an easter egg hunt and a celebratory dance party in honor of the risen Jesus. :) On Thursday's we meet in small groups, but today all of the female small groups joined together in the church. One of the mentors taught about the resurrection in Jesus, bringing up that during Easter we so often focus on His death-- but He's alive! We served each other communion and celebrated His resurrection.

The Body of Christ is so powerful. And so messy. But how it ministered to my heart to have a sister look at me with sparkly eyes and offer me a representation of Jesus. This morning I was reading in John 17, where Jesus prays for His disciples and then for all believers. Out of all that He could pray for, He prayed again and again that "they may be one as We are one" -- that Jesus would dwell in us as the Father dwells in Him. Oh that the Body would be joined together under the Head of Jesus Christ!

On another note, it's been really cool to be apart of the Admissions department here at BCOM. We're hosting a campus visit weekend next week of which I've been a part of putting together. We've been improving the aesthetics of the campus in preparation for that, so I've also been able to offer creativity and help in that process- it's been fun! I look forward to posting pictures soon. We've had tripple the applications for this next August as we've ever had, so it's really exciting to see this school grow! I'm SO thankful and delighted to be here and apart of what God is doing!

I’m learning what Jesus’ yoke is.

I’m learning what boundaries are…how to say no, how to say yes and to fulfill my yes, fully engaged, with all of my heart.

I’m learning how much I depend upon myself to love God, to follow Him, to figure out and control my life...I'm learning the soul's sigh of relief when it realizes that God is God and I am not.

I’m learning what it means to let go.

I’m learning to rest in God.

I’m learning how big God is, how sovereign He is, how good He is, how gracious He is.

I'm tasting and seeing that the Lord is good.

I always wondered if knowing God could truly be good, even enjoyable. I wondered if I could actually feel something for Him. I'd read the Psalms and be baffled that David could be so ardent and consumed in his love for God.

For me, being a Christian was more often than not burdensome, exhausting, full of obligation and even harsh.

I'm so glad that following Jesus isn't like that.

Because His yoke is easy and His Kingdom is of righteousness and joy and peace in the Holy Spirit.

I like this God I follow. In fact, I love Him. I enjoy Him. And He likes and enjoys me.

Rain or shine, He will never leave. And His presence is all I need. For real.