Lilly Cristy

Category: Adventure

  • A New Adventure, Part Two

    A New Adventure, Part Two

    Today, I come to you all overjoyed as I pack my bags and get ready to move to Montana. Yes, I said Montana…and yes, this sunshine loving, California girl is pulling out her winter coats and heading north, way north.

    It has been my genuine and heartfelt desire over the past few years to live life on mission while demonstrating the love of Jesus through the talents He has blessed me with. Since receiving my Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from California Lutheran University in August of 2011, I have found myself blessed with opportunities to learn and grow in different work settings and I strongly believe that each of these experiences has prepared me for a role in a story much bigger than I could have ever imagined.

    And here is where the story gets really good…After deliberate prayer, mentorship and meditation, I have decided to faithfully pursue a new opportunity to combine my unique professional skill-set with missions. I recently discovered 100 Fold Studio, a non-profit architecture firm that provides innovative and affordable design services to charitable organizations around the world. They are committed to demonstrating the love of Jesus by designing safe, efficient, and inspiring structures for all, regardless of religion, ethnicity or tradition.  On June 1, I will be moving to Lakeside, Montana to serve with 100 Fold on the Youth with a Mission (YWAM) campus. (100 Fold Studio partners with YWAM and all their employees go through YWAM’s discipleship training school for cross-cultural missions training. The offices of 100 Fold are on the YWAM campus.)

    My Role: I will serve as the Office Administrator & Donor Relations Officer at 100 Fold Studio. It will be my job to share the story of 100 Fold Studio through digital media while representing their gospel centered mission and values. I will also be a liaison between 100 Fold and its donors while providing general office support and administration.The initial phase of my commitment is a three to six month internship. I will then participate in a six month Discipleship Training School (DTS) where I will spend four months studying the Bible while equipping myself with the necessary tools to better share the Gospel while on mission. The final two months of my DTS will be spent serving overseas in international missions. Upon my return, I will make a two-year commitment to 100 Fold Studio and YWAM and be welcomed on as a staff member.

    And here is the really exciting part…This story includes YOU. Would you consider partnering with me & 100 Fold? The operational costs and salaries of 100 Fold Studio are supported solely by donations. As the majority of 100 Fold projects serve the poorest nations in the world, they rely on financial partnerships from churches and individuals who have a desire to invest in what God is doing around the world. With faith in God as my provider, I am raising $2,000/month in support for the duration of my time with 100 Fold. It is my hope that you would partner with me as I embark on this new mission, whether financially or in prayer I truly value your support.

    So my dear family & friends…this is my new adventure. A complete and total faith walk, an act of obedience to the call on my life, a grand adventure with our loving & faithful God. Come alongside me and watch this adventure unfold. I am only one small piece in a much larger story that is taking place at 100 Fold…so please PRAY BOLDLY with me as I step into a new season of life. I believe God is forming a team of financial supporters, prayer warriors, sojourners, and friends who simply help to spread the word. Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement!

    If you wish to donate please go to http://100foldstudio.org/donate.php

    **Please select “Staff & Intern Salaries” as your gift designation and “Lilly Price” as your staff contact**

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  • A New Adventure, Part One

    A New Adventure, Part One

    For the last year, there has been a quiet rumbling in my life that I couldn’t quite get a grip on. Between different jobs, different relationships, different apartments, different churches, God has uprooted a lot of the certainty in my life this past year. He took me from a place of misaligned identity and brought me to a place where I could firmly stand on the shakiest ground and still know who I am in Him and Him alone.

    Last year was a trying year to say the least, one where life seemed anything but easy but led me to a place where I’ve realized my life is fuller than I could have ever dreamt of. Through this uprooting, I felt like God was pushing me to go….but where though? First I looked in Texas…thinking; I like country music, I have cowboy boots, I like barbecue, this must be the place for me. Then it was North Carolina, then South Carolina, then Virginia, then Tennessee, somewhere….anywhere but here, I kept thinking.

    I never would have thought that a die hard, beach babe like me could ever possible uproot and move away from the place I came to call home over the past 5 years. But the funny thing is that when God gets a hold of all the little parts of your life that you’ve been holding onto…He can really stir things up.

    After a while, I knew it wasn’t Texas, I knew it wasn’t any of the southern states I had dreamed about, it wasn’t Virginia, or Washington, or Colorado, or any of these places I had been looking. So I took a step back and recognized that I needed to wait. I knew that a grand adventure was on the horizon, but I didn’t know when, where, or really even why.

    Months later…here I sit, in an airport on the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and about 40 degrees colder than my beloved beaches of California. I’ve just spent 4 days in the most amazing place. Praying, searching and deciding what God has next for me.

    Now, I’m saving the juicy details for part 2….but I’m about to embark on a journey that will take me far from home, far from the familiar, and plop me right smack dab in a place I told myself I would never live. But, God has a sense of humor like that, He delights in taking us to places that we never expected to be and showing up in our lives in the most fantastic ways. This decision will be the biggest leap of faith I have ever taken….and I pray through this time that God will show up in such miraculous ways that only He could claim the glory of it all. So friends & family, follow me on my journey and see what happens next…I promise this is gonna be a story you don’t want to miss.

     

  • My Summer Story

    After almost two months of no writing, I was kind of hoping for some kind of epic return to the blogging world. So I’ve waited and waited, hoping that words would come to me, or ideas would flood my mind, or maybe, just maybe my creative spark would be reignited….but no words magically came to me overnight, no ideas rushed into my head, and my creative spark seemed to resemble a wet match. In short, life has seemed flatter than last months surf in southern California.

    It’s been a hard few months. Major disappointment mid-summer left a pretty bitter taste in my mouth, one that I just couldn’t quite seem to get rid of. (Cue Lana Del Ray’s “Summertime Sadness”) And through this time of sadness, hurt, and confusion, I waited and waited, hoped and prayed that God would show up and change the outcome of this story, that He would bind up this worn and tattered heart.

    For me, there is always something about the change of seasons that brings about a new sense of hope. And as summer slowly fades to fall, I am reminded that sometimes God is quiet. And in these quiet moments, when life feels hard and God feels far away, we learn. We learn and we grow and sometimes we find out who we are really supposed to be.

    This summer was about losing myself to find something bigger, something better. It was a time to realize that my life doesn’t need to fit in a neat little box, I don’t have to color in the lines, and perfection is an unattainable standard that should be reserved for Heaven. This life has been entrusted to me and it is my job to shape it, mold it, live it, love it, appreciate it, and dream about it. I want my stories to be wild and free, full of love and light, packed with adventures and overflowing with joy.

    So here I stand. Summer slowly slipping away, but the weight of its lessons heavy on my heart and mind as new season begins. And now I realize I don’t need to write something beautifully poetic and moving, I don’t need to wait for the right words to fill up empty pages, I don’t need to wait for my story to start. My story is now.

    So, here’s my life, here’s my heart, put on display. I will struggle and I will triumph, I will have good days and bad days, I will hope and dream and wish on stars, I will drink too much coffee and eat too many sweets, I will forget to put sunscreen on and my hair will always be a salty, wild mess. I will run too many miles and take up new hobbies every week, I will laugh and I will laugh hard, I will smile at strangers, chase every sunset I can, and spend as much time on a surfboard as possible. It is my promise to the world and to myself, that I will always let these simple joys be a part of my story. This is who I am; a unique, creative, and beautiful child of God and that alone is what defines me and defines my story.

  • Taking the long way…

    Life has a tendency to just get so busy sometimes. With this rush of go-go-go I know I tend to lose sight of the beauty in each moment. It’s way too easy to get sucked into the 9-5 doldrum of life and just wander aimlessly from place to place. After spending some time thinking about this and seeing my own life fall into this slump, I knew I had to wake myself up, grab the biggest coffee I could find, and set out on an adventure.

    There’s something amazing about going outside of your comfort zone, switching up your strict routine, and just going somewhere with a little less familiarity than you’re used to. The last few months for me have been a constant roller coaster of ups and downs, changes, and big decisions…but reflecting on this, I looked at an old journal entry….”I think that maybe the best things are found outside of our comfort zone.”

    So, lately I’ve been taking my own advice. I’m not going to tell you it’s been easy…I’m a shy kinda gal. I mean, I love people, I love making new friends, I love exploring new places and trying new things, but it’s a challenge. A fear of the unknown sometimes taps on my shoulder and reminds me that the easy road is just around the corner, but I know that the long way, the hard way, the twisty-turny and uncomfortable way…well that’s a road worth taking because when you get to the top….the view is breathtaking.

    So take the long way home, try a new restaurant, reach out to a new friend, explore the unfamiliar, try something new, rediscover the beauty of each moment by stepping outside of your comfort zone and seeing things with new eyes.

    I promise, it’ll be worth it.

  • Welcome Spring.

    The only thing that separates us from the dark, cold, blustery winter and the bright, warm, glorious summer has arrived…spring is here.

    Thank goodness for the cheer and happiness that spring brings forth. Gone are the dreary days of sweaters, heavy jackets, scarves, and the dullness that hangs in the air as we all eagerly await the brighter days to come.

    And now, we welcome the abundant sunshine, blossoming trees, and clear blue spring skies with open arms. These long awaited days bring more light into our days and allow more hope into our hearts as we get our first glimpse of the beloved season of summer just peaking over the horizon.

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