Some Pictures to Introduce You to My Life

These are the kids I hang out with. These are the pictures from a class we have to take, we journeyed around spokane dressed as lunatics and took these pictures. The the other girl in these pictures is Alexis, she is my roommate; Alex, the one with sun glasses, he lives in the Men’s House; Chris, the really tall one with glasses, he is in the men’s house too; and Scott, the curly (or straight in some pictures) red hair, he also lives in the men’s house. These are some pretty sweet kids. Wish you all could know them too.

I Never Knew Fall Was An Accutal Season…

I apologize for not writing. Quite frankly, I forgot I had a blog. I’ve been so busy, and the moments when I am not, I try to sleep. I got an e-mail from a dear friend requesting I post something. I felt a little guilty. So I apologize. I will try to be more persistant in this, I know you all want to know what’s going on in my life. And I’m grateful to have friends and family like you all to be interested in my life even when I am not around.

Well Fall is here. I have never experienced a true Fall, and I think it might be my new favorite season. I love the smell of the pines and the colors of the trees. I hope this is what Heaven looks like. Fall. I feel like I’ve been thrown into a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. I feel very “kiddish” when I look at the beauty around. I want to take a day to just pick leaves. School has been good. However, I feel like I am living with no emotion. I think I like school, but I can’t tell. I think I like living here, but I don’t really know. I think I have good friends, but none that I feel close to. Things like that are in my mind. There is nothing bad about anything really, I am just waiting to feel God’s pleasure. I do however find extreme joy in one thing. Mentoring. I mentor a girl named Brianna, and she is my joy in the week. At times, I feel she is my closest friend because we really talk about life. She is equally as interested in me as I in her. I find her refreshing.

My friends at YFC are really the only people I have grown closer to. I don’t really know a whole lot of people at school, which may be part of the reason I feel disconnected there. But the Women’s Ministry house and the Men’s Ministry House for YFC get together almost every day (give or take) and we usually watch movies, go to the Library, the park, whatever. I like spending time with everyone, I really enjoy their company. I am the youngest of everyone here, and sometimes it is difficult. I feel undermined sometimes. I feel looked down upon sometimes, and I definitely don’t feel mature half the time. It is a strange transition from California, where I felt the exact opposite. It’s discouraging, but its humbling also.

Well thats a basic wrap. I’ll try writing more often, and I thank you all for caring so much about my life. I miss California and my friends and family there. But in seven weeks I will return for a month and a half. I rejoice in knowing I can see you all again. I look forward to your hugs.

Pray for me.

Under the Mercy

Miss Roper Goes to Washington

Hello all!

I apologize for not writing lately, I’ve been busy. Well, I went to San Fran, it was a great trip. If you are really interested, you can e-mail and ask, but I won’t go into much detail. We got to share the gospel quite a few times, and God definitely used us for His glory in that town.

The day after we returned, my parents and I flew into Washington and began unpacking. I love my house, its a lavender purple color on the outside and nice and big on the inside. The people I have met so far are wonderful. It will take some getting used to to be around them all the time, but I’m glad that they are the people I am around. We all seem to get along pretty well.

I went to the local Albertson’s for the first time today by my self on one of the girls’ bikes. It was quite n interesting experience. It was, of course, pretty hot so I built up quite a sweat, got the stuff I needed (like deodorant–how ironic) and came back. And immediately hopped into a nice cold shower. I thanked God the whole shower long for cold temperatures and realized how much I appreciate details like that in life.

Anyways, that pretty much it. I go to camp on Monday, so pray for us!

Under His Mercy

Here is my heart on a platter…

It is possible that the next time you hear from me will be after I have gone off to college. But I will write when I get the chance. In the meantime to keep yourselves occupied during the time that you would normally be reading this blog (admit it… you’re gonna miss this!) check out daily updates from the Going Public (San Fran) trip at www.magonline.com and see how we’re all holding up.

I quickly want to address to you what has been on my heart in lieu of my previous posts. I know that there was kind of a rush to post all the journal entires I took during Germany. But I ask from the bottom of my heart, please go back and read them. I really want you to understand that I really want to share with you about what has been consuming my life for the past 6 weeks. There were so many emotions and trials and good times that I want to share (but may not, for some reason, be able to) and this is where it is all written down. This is where I can relate to you how God Almighty has been working through me, and that is important to me. Most of these past journal entries are the depths of my heart crying out onto a paper prayerfully and thoughtfully, and I want you (my friends and family) to understand where I am at now. Because I can guarantee you, if you haven’t seen me since before Germany, I am not the same. God is radically changing me, and you will not catch up with who I am now until you understand what I have been through and what I have learned. So please, please, hear my heart; see how God has (and is) changing me; be a part of my life;

know me.

I left My Heart in San Fransisco…

Well.. not really. But Saturday I will be leaving my HOME for San Fransisco. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am once again leaving to tell people about Jesus. I have to be honest, however, that my heart doesn’t seem to want to leave. I am ready, I know that. But there is something corrupting my heart that just makes me not want to go; I know great things are going to happen, I know it’s going to be a great trip, I know that God is going to use me and my teammates immensely. But for some reason my heart is ripping itself from where it should be. I pray that God would have mercy upon my unwilling heart.

I think the Devil doesn’t want me there.

Here’s a recap

Here is a visual recap of the past 3 weeks that I made. The video is only 7 or 8 minutes long. Please take the time to watch!

Thursday, July 11

Today we went to Wupperthal to prayer walk with David’s church. It was so pretty– it was a beautiful day and the weather was perfect. Then we came back to Düsseldorf to meet the other 2 teams who had just arrived; then everyone headed over to David’s house for debrief. The Munich team worked closely with a very good friend of Kristen’s (leader Kristen) and one of the “founders” of GS2 named Theresa. Ever since October, Theresa has been battling Colon Cancer. The Munich team said that if Theresa had been in a consentration camp, she would have looked better than she did. All skin and bones. Yet Theresa still got up (weakly) to get them water, talk with them and invest her everything into their lives. I have heard stories upon stories of her godliness. When we were debriefing, Kristen got the call from Theresa’s parents that she had passed away. It was so emotional for everyone, especially the Munich team and Kristen since they knew her. We spent a good 2 hours playing worship songs on Davids guitar, weeping, praying, comforting, and grieving. Within that emotion, I think we were all crying out the stresses we all dealt with the past 3 weeks. It was a hard day, but it was nice to know we were finally coming home. It was nice to be with the other teams and exchange stories, tears, and laughter. I am ready to be home.

Wednesday, July 9

Today we went to the German version of the YMCA (it was the CMJW or something) We taught baseball, did crafts, played piano, talked with the kids and just had a good time. Then after lunch things really started to slow down, and honestly–we all couldn’t wait to leave. The kids were playing baseball on their own now and we were all so pooped. Kristen and I fell asleep on the bench a few times. But we were all looking forward to later tonight, and finally it came. Dinner at a really nice Italian restaurant where the food was soooo good and in very large proportions (something we said goodbye to in the US–Germans eat in small proportions). Then we went last minute shopping in the Altsdadt, and as it started raining, we headed over to the local waffle place (I don’t know what the Germans call it) where Chelsea and I shared a Nutella Waffle–the best dessert in the world. From the end of the YMCA and on, it was a perfect day (except that Chase went to the hospital because he busted his hand playing baseball, but he’s ok–no worries).

Tuesday, July 8

Today we went to Doak’s house to help clean and pack (they are moving back to the US). Then we went to Cologne for sight seeing, and boy, did we see some sights. We toured probably the largest church there in Germany (I don’t know for a fact though), it was so gaudy, but so beautiful. Then we were in for a nice surpise, we came back to Düsseldorf to have a home cooked dinner with the German youth! We were so happy to see everyone again. It was a great time.

We are still recovering from yesterday. Part of me is trying to forget what we saw…

Monday, July 7th

If you can believe it, today was worse than yesterday in Amsterdam. We went to pray for a newly built Mosque (supposed to be the largest in Germany). We were all dumbfounded when we were told that it was supported by the local Catholic church, they also suspect that the Catholic church is financially supporting it too. After this, we went back to Dusseldorf over to Julie’s friend’s home to eat a homecooked dinner (the best part of the night, it was so good). Then we went out with them to prayerwalk for a very dark part of Dusseldorf. It was still light out, so it wasn’t as horrible as it normally would be later on in the night, but even still. Gay bars were like Starbucks, there were so many. People on the streets shooting heroine, shouting, fighting and picking up prostitutes. We visited a brothel (we didn’t go inside, don’t worry) and prayed there for a while; I have never cried so much at one time before. My heart was so broken towards these women in the brothel, I couldn’t keep myself together; I can’t imagine the amount of brokenness in God’s heart–I can’t imagine the weight He must carry. As of right now, I have no emotion left. These past two days have taken everything from me. I could never explain with all the words and languages in the world what my soul is going through. We are being tormented by the weight of sin on our shoulders; I must say we have been privileged to experience a minute portion of the weight God must carry. It has made us even more grateful that He is able to bear our sins so that we might be free. As awful as it was, I pray that every Christian might experience this; perhaps it may put us all into place at how much we take Christ for granted.

I have nothing left.