A Christmas Update

For anyone who did not get my Christmas letter in the mail (probably because I don’t have your address…hint hint….) here is my update!

Hello all!

I’ve had a lot going on in the past year, so I thought I would write a little letter to keep all my friends and family updated! I hope you enjoy the update and don’t get overwhelmed – I have become rather long-winded and will write until my fingers give up, especially in the last year.

As most of you know, I made the move to Colorado in September of 2012 and started my own antiques business out here. I have been working as an independent dealer, traveling around to auctions and sales and then reselling directly to collectors and customers. It has been a blast! This job also a wonderfully flexible schedule that lets me fit in all of my volunteer and social activities, such as trail work in area parks, running lights and sound at church, helping with Samaritan’s Purse and disaster relief groups, and of course, spending a healthy amount of time just building community with my friends in the area!

Although I loved my new home in Colorado, the wanderlust hit me again last spring, and I felt the need to have a sabbatical and reorient my priorities and habits. So, I went to Montana! With little notice, I decided to go up north to work on a dude ranch for the summer near Big Sky, Montana. I spent my work time cooking and being the best ranch hand I could be, and spent my play time hiking around Yellowstone and the Gallatin mountains, biking, reading, swimming, learning to fly fish, and enjoying a summer unplugged from almost all technology. I did keep a blog while I was up there, and if you would like to get all the details, you can check it out here: www.zerisha.wordpress.com

One of the habits that I formed over the summer was keeping in touch with many friends via postcards, letters, and especially nice, long emails. It was a pleasant change from the quick status update or text message conversations that most friendships depend on these days, and the habit has helped me form deeper, more meaningful relationships with several people. I think that is part of why I wanted to send all of you an update letter as well! (And please, if you are at all inclined towards postcard or letter exchange, feel free to write me!)

Last May, I was on a plane flying back from Indiana where I had a whirlwind visit with everyone there. I ended up seated next to a gray-haired gentleman who sported a gentle smile and a thoughtful look. We started talking, and it ended up that he traveled around teaching Creativity at several training centers throughout the world. He encouraged me to come check out the local center in Colorado Springs, and I said I might just do that after my return from Montana. Although it was a long summer filled with many distractions, the meeting never left my mind, and I felt compelled to visit as soon as I got back. The organization ended up being Youth with a Mission (YWAM), a group dedicated to training and placing people in locations where they could both contribute to the local community and be a beacon of God’s love. The people they train go overseas to start everything from anti-human trafficking groups to ice cream shops, focusing their time on building relationships with everyone they encounter. You can read more about their group here: www.ywam.org

After a lot of prayer and reflection, I realized that this is something I was made to do – my love of travel, my passion to build community and dedication to sharing God’s love where ever I go all points in this direction. I know it won’t surprise many of you to hear that I am finally pursuing something that has been a strong interest my entire life! So, one of my long-term plans is to attend YWAM’s Discipleship Training School which prepares people for overseas work (so that we aren’t just tossing untrained volunteers into difficult situations). The DTS program will include 3 months of full-time local training for me and then a 2-3 month overseas mission. All of YWAM’s work is entirely self-supported, and I will be saving up everything I can to attend. If you would like to help me out by donating to my tuition and mission trip costs, I would love it! You can donate by sending it to me or through this site (The site charges a 2.9% fee though, so sending direct to me is always preferred!)

Now that I am back in Colorado, I have returned to my antiques business, and once again am spending my time haunting local auctions and flea markets and then cleaning up everything to send off to customers. I also dove right back into all my volunteer activities, and have been filling each hour with fun and fulfilling people and places! Thanks to my summer away, I feel like everything I do isn’t just a good activity, but also serves a greater purpose, a bigger plan that I just need to follow. I’m excited at all the opportunities coming up, especially the chance to make a difference in the mission field! I also hope to get some time free to visit many of my friends and family during the long weekends I sometimes have free, so make sure to let me know if I can visit! =) And make sure to keep tabs on my blog and mission trip status too if you find the time!

I hope that love and joy and excess amounts of laughter are yours this Christmas season and beyond! Thank you for being my friends, my family and my loved ones – you all are the ones I live for and the highlight of my days.

Much love and many hugs!

niki