It’s an open door for grace

First OFFICIAL day of Atlantafest:

Big D & I reunited!:

Nature girl, my way: iphone 4s in one hand, coffee in the other:

Turn to the right:

Turn to the left:

Oh, Stone Mountain…you’re so pretty:

So I guess you guys have finally guessed this was my first time seeing a mountain…:

This is what lunch looks like on tour…apparently no one uses plastic knives at Christian music festivals…or plates:

Royal Tailor’s set:

My lovely summer tour team: (Kaley, Kevin, Erin, me, and Ryan)

comp bracelet (thanks to Red):

Erin & I sporting the new Rock for Life tanks:

Vendor passes:

 

ALSO: While this is all a complete & total blast, I am still not yet to 50% funded for this.  And I know God has it completely taken care of but if you lovely people could be praying about if supporting this mission is for you, that would be WONDERFUL! ANDDDDD TO THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE ALREADY, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I am so incredibly blessed and impressed that God worked so quickly to get that 47% funded.  AND Crazy God story: This man’s mother came up & requested to take a picture of us for him.  So she took a photo of Erin & Kaley (the rest of us were really busy) & I guess sent it to him.  5 minutes later, I had an instagram comment from him & he was following me on twitter.  My worldly views jumped right on ahead of my gospel-y views & his overwhelming interest sparked slight suspicion in me.  He commented that he would come by later & visit us.  Even creepier (in my own, warped brain).  Turns out, the gentleman works for a company that totally backs our cause & he wants to help Erin & I fund our trips this summer!!! So he plans on returning this weekend with the money we need for food for the rest of the summer.  Obviously, can’t get toooooo hopeful for something so insanely kind but God is just crazy sometimes.  I have had so many (in the words of Corinna Sanders): “Oh, Jesus…” (in a sassy, comedic tone) moments lately.

Oh, also- there’s a 7 week old staying at our host home.  He’s awesome & soooo precious but it’s now pretty late & if i don’t make it to sleep before he wakes up screeching for food, I’m doomed.  So that’s all for tonight… (as a baby starts fussing).  Love you all! ❤

Day1

Day 1: travel time.

Presidents plane:

Daydreaming in the clouds:

Itinerary:

First airplane:

First journey:

I must admit; I was slightly fearful of the initial meeting of the crew today in Atlanta.  After all, I just flew across the country to spend two months with complete strangers.  Fear and God aren’t buddies and He constantly reminds me so I don’t know why I keep pushing that off.  Anyways, I was pleasantly surprised.  Kevin, Ryan, and Kaley are all wonderful! And Erin will be here tomorrow!!! Our host home here is in Clarkston, Georgia.  For those of you that are unfamiliar with it, I HIGHLY suggest that you do some research.  This town is the home to tons of really rad ethnic groups, most of which literally hangout in the back yard of this home.  Our hosts greeted us with hot tea fresh out of the garden in their backyard, where hundreds of refugees farm their own food! The hosts both work in ministry at a mentoring program, of sorts.  Their job is to make sure the refugees feel comfortable here and find ways to support themselves without feeling the need to be put on welfare or something else.  The hosts were explaining how he thinks it would be great for us to go out in the community and experience the love and community all of these people have to offer and hear some of their testimonies.  I’m really pumped to see how God works through us and all of these incredible people.

But anyways, Kaley and I are sharing a bed and she’s a sick little one.  So I’m going to finish this Airborne (God knows I don’t handle being sick and away from home well. So please be praying it isn’t contagious), say some prayers, do some reading, and get some rest.  It’s 11:07 here & we have to go set up tomorrow & pick up Erin from the airport! 🙂 Please keep praying for me and let me know any way that I can pray for you guys also.  I definitely plan on keeping this blog updated with photos, videos, and short stories but you can also check out what’s going on over at rockforlife.org.  Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement.  The overwhelming love via text/call/hugs today has been incredible! You all rock. 🙂

Sweet Dreams!

xo

Ta-da!

Well it is that time…

Moving the rest of my stuff to my parents since my roommates will be renovating our house this summer while I’m gone. Also attempting to get a ton of other things done and spend some time with loved ones. And on that note, I’ll be adding to this later but heading out for now…

I am aware, far more aware than I have been…

 

Photo Credit: Paula Willems 

I just finished a 45 minute phone conversation with Erin.  And yesterday, I spent some time on the phone with Kevin.  And I cannot tell you how absolutely excited and blessed I am to spend the summer with those two lovely people.  I have yet to talk to the other gent that will spend his summer alongside the three of us but I hope he’s ready for the madness that will ensue. 😉 

It’s incredible how God works through situations.  I was reminded of my salvation when Erin and I were talking about our testimonies and where God has us now.  Our stories align in so many ways but are so beautifully unique in others.  I can’t explain the peace that comes with God simply whispering “it is well,” into your soul after the torment of years of chasing the promise of stability.  

I had the pleasure of talking to Mr. Andy Hull (Right Away, Great Captain, Manchester Orchestra, & Bad Books) on Monday.  And part of our conversation was about how we have struggled in our lives and God has consistently revisited us and used those struggles to glorify Him.  It blows my mind how creative and perfect everything in our lives is made.  It makes me anxious to think about how I am going to move all of my things so that my landlord/roommate can renovate my room while I’m gone, all the while packing and preparing for my trip.  But God has our entire lives figured out, start to finish.  And the difficult times aren’t Him working against us but His attempt to let us realize how much we need Him.  It’s so hard to remember that sometimes but its not our responsibility to understand, it’s just our responsibility to obey.  And that’s just the hardest realization of all sometimes.  

A dear friend of mine reminded me, recently, that my life is not supposed to be dedicated to planning out my next step.  God already has the plans ready, I am just supposed to prepare myself for the steps he has planned.  It’s like a trust fall.  I have to close my eyes and cross my hands across my chest and shift my center of gravity, but I have no control over whether or not I hit the ground.  

Anyways, this is becoming a lot of rambling.  Just remember that, sometimes in the moment, its terrifying.  But it’s always worth it.  And it will ALWAYS be worth it.  Even when it doesn’t seem possible.

Tour

If you are reading this, you have probably found my page based on my fundraising needs.  So I appreciate you taking the time to read and pray for my missional adventure this summer.  I also challenge you to continue praying, as the struggles will change and grow, but most likely continue.  Also, please don’t hesitate to voice any prayers, needs, or praises with me.  If I asked you to help, it is because I love you.  As silly as that sounds, it is true.  And I am interested in helping you, as well.  I would also like to let you all know where all I will be this summer.  Dates are pretty tentative still, but these are the confirmed absolutes:

June 14-16. Atlanta, Georgia. Atlantafest

June 20-23. Wilmore, Kentucky. Ichthus Music Festival

June 27-30. Mt. Union, Pennsylvania. Creation Northeast

July 2-7. Bushnell, Illinois. Cornerstone Music Festival

July 11-14. Willmar, Minnesota. Sonshine Festival

July 15-? TBD

August 1-4. Gillford, New Hampshire. Soulfest

August 5-8. Williamsville, New York. Kingdom Bound

Will I be anywhere near any of you this summer?! Will any of you be attending any of the festivals?! Please share your experiences, advice, etc. with me.  This is all VERY new to me and I am super open to any insight offered.  Thank you again for your prayers & possible funding & I hope to spend some time with you all in the near future!

Rock for Life Summer 2012

To help make me a Rock For Life Pro-Life Summer Missionary click here!

For those of you that don’t know me, I have an obvious passion for music that has been growing in me since my younger years.  However, it was not until this past year that Christ really showed me that He would like me to use that passion to serve Him.  This summer, He has opened a door for me to serve Him through Rock for Life.

Beginning June 12th, I will spend the next two months touring Christian music festivals across the country serving with Rock for Life.  For those of you that aren’t quite sure what Rock for Life is, I will explain a bit: Rock for Life is a christian non-profit pro-life ministry founded in 1993.  They spread the human rights for all (born and preborn) message through music, education and action.

Confused as to why I am suddenly so passionate about a pro-life ministry? Rock for Life has taken a gospel stance on the subject of abortion and convicted the hearts of pregnant teens and others with a graceful love and informative conversation.

So what will I be doing this summer? I am going to travel America challenging our youth to love the way that Jesus did with a boldness that informs their peers of future decisions.  I will be spending each and every day talking about Jesus and building relationships with believers and non-believers, alike.  And my favorite part is that I get to approach these people with a common interest, regardless of their religious views.  We share a mutual love for music and hopefully (if not, eventually), an incredible love for our Lord and a love for human rights.

I will be traveling over 6,000 miles to attend 7 major Christian music festival (and possibly more as events may be added!) with the opportunity to reach tens of thousands of my peers with the pro-life message!  I will be traveling to Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia, New Hampshire and New York (and, again, maybe more!). This is such an amazing opportunity to make such a positive impact on such a huge amount of young people!

The one big challenge for this trip, currently, is my funding.  I have calculated that in order to make this happen I will need to raise $1,300.00 by the end of the missions trip, August 11th.  I have to raise at least $300 by June 12th.  This will cover my travel costs and meals to get me going for the first week.  Rock for Life has set up a ChipIn page here.  Each contribution to Rock For Life for my mission trip is tax-deductible.  You can simply donate through the ChipIn page, call Rock for Life (540-322-3761) with a credit card, mail them a check or money order made out to “Rock for Life” with “Christyn Trelow Pro-Life Summer Missions Trip” in the memo and either hand it to me or send it to them at: PO Box 333, Locust Grove, VA 22508-0333.

Unfortunately, Rock for Life is not currently funded by any major foundations so my food, travel to meet with the tour, and any other costs I may encounter must be funded individually.  Many of you already know that I simply cannot afford to fund myself the entire summer without a job.

So I would encourage you to pray about whether or not God is calling you to help me in this. I would also encourage you not to do anything out of empathy or guilt.  I am positive that God has assigned me this journey with all intentions of fulfilling my needs.  If that is through some of your finances, spectacular.  If not, He has a backup plan.  And I would love for you to pray for me and with me for my spiritual growth and the hearts of the people I will encounter this summer.

I will be blogging my experiences throughout the summer as well as keeping you up-to-date on my fundraising goals.  So please check christynnicole.wordpress.com often for updates on this amazing journey.

Thank you for loving me,

Your friend,

Christyn Trelow

P.S. To help make me a Rock For Life Pro-Life Summer Missionary click here!  Thanks again!