the global trek : A Time to Go & A Time to Stay

In early 2013, I was invited to be a part of a band playing worship music and Christmas carols at a Christmas festival in Kathmandu, Nepal called “Gloria Deo”. The stepfather of one of my best friends, Bob Boxer, was asked by a close friend over in Nepal to put a band together for this festival reaching the multitudes through creativity, song, and dance. Nepal is a predominantly closed nation when it comes to sharing with people about Jesus, but they happen to LOVE Christmas music. In fact, in 2010, Christmas was declared a national holiday for both Christians & non-Christians alike. Bob & I have collaborated and recorded together since 2011. He has blessed me tremendously offering his time to record and produce one of my first “raw” albums, Pure Simplicity as well as countless other songs. Over the years, Bob has made it a tradition to give out Christmas albums to friends and family as a creative gift around the holiday season; and in 2011 I did the same. It’s quite my style of gift-giving if I do say myself ;)

As you can imagine, I was super excited at the prospect of going to Nepal, especially since I haven’t been out of the country (apart from going to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls) for over 2 1/2 YEARS!!! I began to pray, fast, and seek God in regard to this trip and to share the opportunity with others. My friend Stephanie who I met through JCTV, (an international television station geared towards the younger generation) was also hoping to go. With a filmmaker on board, soon the vision expanded from being a part of Gloria Deo to making a documentary of both the festival and the lives of the people around us. We were both fascinated by the Sherpas, a specific people group that resides in the Himalayas at the base camp of Mount Everest and escort expert hikers to the summit. Over the years, churches have popped up at base camp as people have made the trek to share with those who reside there about Jesus. So that’s what we had in mind, and what we were looking forward to.

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

Proverbs 16:9 is a scripture that has marked my life. Time and time again throughout my journey I have recognized that while planning is not a bad thing, I have to be willing to allow God to direct my steps. I have to be willing to trust in the Lord with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding. To acknowledge Him in all my ways… allowing Him to direct my steps (Proverbs 3:5-6). That is precisely what happened in regards to this trip.

Something just didn't feel right. As time passed and the festival drew nearer… you know… like a month away… my friend Stephanie & I met together once again. We both truly desired to not strive in making this trip happen… but to allow the Lord to lead us. I mentioned to Steph that I was feeling a little unsettled in regards to the trip, and felt like we both needed to bring it to the table once more with God and listen to what He had to say. So Stephanie and I took 3 days to pray and be still before God… and listen to His voice rather than leaning on our own understanding. After the 3 days we connected once more & Stephanie asked me… “So, what did you get?”. I kind of laughed… and said, “You know Stephanie, honestly, the only thing that I received was a picture of a battery, and it was in the red zone nearing empty... I really feel like God just wants me to rest”. She interrupted with excitement and said, “No way… I got the same thing!”

Phew… thank God for confirmation.

While the trip to Nepal was a wonderful opportunity we were both pretty worn out. And in that moment, God was showing both of us that our value was not based on what we do for Him…but rather who we are in Him. And while there is a time for going overseas and going on crazy adventures… this was our time to heal, and to be refreshed.

As always, God knows what we don’t. It was on Monday that Stephanie and I spoke; that following Thursday, November 20^th, 2013, the week before Thanksgiving, I received news that only God could have known. I found out that my friend Zina had gone missing after leaving on a hike Wednesday afternoon in Ouray Colorado, and on Thursday morning, was found dead. While in the process of praying and believing that God could do the impossible and bring life back to Zina’s mortal body, I also received word that one of my best friends from Hawaii was getting married in California, and I was one of her bridesmaids. When was she planning on getting married? The day before the festival was scheduled to take place in Nepal. There was no way that I could have been at her wedding had I been on the other side of the planet.

Zina’s death was a shock to many, and we rallied together to pray, contending for a miracle.

The Lovely, Zina Nicole Lahr

The evening of Thanksgiving, friends and I headed via Mammoth en route to Ouray, Colorado to celebrate the life of our amazing friend & sister. It is truly incredible how in both life and death, God can receive glory. Zina Nicole Lahr’s life on this earth encouraged & inspired so many people. She was incredibly creative and innovative and was always ready to meet the needs of others using her many talents- the mark of a genuine inventor. She stayed in my home on more than one occasion while living in Los Angeles, and her authentic, faithful, diligent, creative self was an inspiration in my life. Zina, in her blog normallyodd.com, translates the meaning of the word ‘inspired’ to ‘breathed upon’. We are all God’s chosen instruments; His inspiration; and He fashioned, formed, and breathed us into existence. At the same time, this Creator God, our Heavenly Father, knows the day on which we will take our last breath. We all desperately wanted Zina to come back to life again. And she is totally alive… just not in the way we were hoping. We wanted to be able to fellowship with her again on this planet, but apparently, it was her time to go to the place that Jesus had prepared for her.

Jesus left us with these words as it was approaching His time to leave this world:

“In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3)

Jesus knew that His commitment to enduring the cross would provide a heavenly home for whoever believed in Him. And so He scorned its shame with JOY in His heart.

Zina and I shared this one thing in common: we, like those listed in Hebrews 11, have understood that our home is not on this planet; that we are foreigners and passers-thru on this earth. We have both experienced what it is like to be nomadic- to move from place to place, and allow God to blow us wherever he pleases (John 3). And in Hebrews 11:16 it says that this is a characteristic of those who are “longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”

While on this earth, Zina’s life blessed so many people. After she departed, her life continued to bless so many people, spanning to the outer-most parts of the earth. Both her funeral service on the Wednesday after she passed away and the memorial art show that we had the opportunity to attend that following Saturday brought so many people together in the little town of Ouray, Colorado.

Both Zina & her best friend Lizzy constantly spoke of their love for Ouray, and their desire for us to come with them to experience this beautiful town; to pray for the people, and to meet their loved ones. The previous October was the last time I spoke with Zina. I was flying home from a trip to the east coast with my family to see the leaves change colors. She mentioned how she was grateful to be home in Ouray with her mom and grandma, and how she was also enjoying the beautiful transition into Autumn. I had a stopover in Denver for just over an hour, and said, “Hey, do you want to get together?” (Halfway joking because I knew that Ouray & Denver were nowhere near each other). As I flew over the Rockies, I made sure to get a window seat and peered out searching for sheer, dramatic mountain peaks surrounding a little town- the way in which the girls had always described Ouray to me. I had no idea that a month and a half later I would be walking the streets of this beautiful little town for the first time.