Pictured: Swaminarayan Mandir is the first traditional Hindu Mandir in Europe. Visiting this temple was the first outing the WHM team took us to last summer.

We prayed for LEAP (London Evangelism And Prayer week) in our Tuesday prayer time this morning. It was this time last year that I was at LEAP. It’s amazing to see where I am now... working at the sending center at World Harvest. My experience at LEAP is the main reason I’m here. God weaves the tapestry of our lives. What a comfort. To read more about LEAP check out this link: http://www.whm.org/conferences/leap.html

Young Lives
I've started to volunteer with Young Lives. This is a a branch of of Young Life. I'm in training to be a mentor to a teenage mom in Philly. The mentors and moms meet once a month for club where we eat dinner, play games, have a Bible and parenting lesson. Once a month the mentors meet with the Young Lives leader for training. In addition to these meetings, mentors meet with their moms once a week. Last week I was matched up with a teenage mom. Latosha is 17 years old and graduated from high school in June. Her son, Terrell, was born the beginning of May 2006. I'm excited to spend time with them but I also feel the weight of responsibility. God's entrusted me with the opportunity to be her friend and in time, speak into her life. Please pray for us if you think of it. Thanks. http://www.younglife.org/Pages/YoungLives.htm

Don't Mess with Texas!

My cousin, Ashley Anderson, graduated from Regents (http://www.regentsschool.com/) High School in Austin, Texas. Christie and I flew to Texas a few days ago to celebrate in the joyous occation. Our grandparents and Aunt Ginger and Uncle Dan also flew down.

Left to right: Kirsten & Ashley Anderson and Monica & Christie Linde pose for a post- graduation picture. We miss you, Sara! Wish you could be here with us.

WHM Family taken in Greece

Ponderings from Greece...

"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." Jeremiah 2:13. This verse really spoke to my heart in Greece as I strived to work & minister out of a broken cistern. I try so hard to do life from a broken cistern and truly believe it will hold water. I have such a hard head! Lord, teach us that only your cistern will hold water- not only water but living water.

Christy and I testing the Greece cuisine. Christy is trying an anchovy and I'm trying some kind of crawfish. Not bad at all, actually they were quite tasty.

Last night three girls and I went dancing downtown Philly. Bethany (in the picture) is my friend at WHM that I've mentioned before on my blog. We had a lot of fun together even though drinks started at $8. Expensive!!! I love living in the suburbs and then being able to stay with Bethany for a weekend of "city life."

The Haymes Family has become one of my adopted families in Philly. I sat down with them at church this morning and Bob said, "Welcome home." I looked at him and realized Philadelphia is home. As I drove around Center City this afternoon I was proud of my new city. It's good to be home.

Jet lag hit me really hard this overseas trip. The fact that a few of us stayed up all night the night before we left Greece probably didn't help. I was up for 48 hours straight. When I finally was able to sleep at my home in Philly I slept for 22 hours. I woke up and was all discombobulated. I felt like I was on drugs. (I don't have any experience to know what that feels like; I'm just guessing what it feels like.) I was up for 2 hours to eat some food and take a walk and then I went back to bed for another 9 hours. Crazy. My body was fighting some kind of sickness as well so that should factor into the equation. Well, I think I'm over jet lag now. Praise the Lord.

Mars Hill

Mars Hill is the location in Athens where Paul preached his famous sermon about the alter to the Unknown God found in Acts 17. I got goose-bumps as we read the passage aloud from the same place Paul stood thousands of years ago.

Kim, on the left, Kimiko, on the right are WHM missionaries who I became good friends with during the retreat in Greece. Click on the link below to read Paul's sermon to the men of Athens.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%2017:15-33;&version=31

World Harvest rolled out our new mission and vision statements at the retreat. Rewriting our mission and vision statements has been a long process involving members of the board, sending center and leadership team, field directors, team leaders and missionaries. The statements came alive in Greece as the missionaries really grabbed on to them. As a mission we were united as we agreed that these statements describe what we do in our jobs and what we continue to strive towards. These statements aren't abstract but very tangible.

World Harvest Mission is a missions sending agency that has over 140 missionaries in 13 countries. We believe the motive and power for mission is the gospel of grace at work in the life of a believer. We are guided by the following mission, vision and values…

Mission Statement: Laying down our lives to proclaim the Kingdom of Jesus Christ through preaching, healing and equipping.

Vision Statement: Movements of churches empowered by grace for the world’s good and God’s glory.

Greece Sunset

I've done a lot of thinking since I returned from Greece. My mind is swirling from places I saw, missionaries I talked to, worship experience, prayer times and the emotions of reentering the USA. I'm going to post a series of details about Greece in the next few days.

Today's post is some ramblings of mine that I shared with a friend in an email yesterday. God wants us to enter the mess of life with us. I strive so hard to get my ducks in a row and to figure out my life. I think I'll have more people over when I'm in my new house; I'll start to run again when I have a running partner; I'll have my quiet time with the Lord when I know I can spend a large amount of time with Him, the list goes on and on. Our father doesn't care that we don't have our ducks in a row. He loves me right now- "Monica, who's not in control." He takes my bundle of mess and loves me. Yes, God continues to sanctify us but he loves us amidst the mess. That blows my mind!!! I'm thankful for the God we serve even though his actions towards us don't make sense.

Some of my pictures from Greece are posted on this link. I will post more pictures on flickr as I go through the 400 pictures I have on my camera. http://www.flickr.com/photos/monicatulip/

HANDLE’S Messiah at 10^th Presbyterian Church

Some of my new friends and I went to a concert at 10^th Presbyterian Church downtown Philly on Good Friday. Their choir and orchestra performed part two and three of Fredrick Handel’s Messiah. The concert was absolutely wonderful. All the musicians were in the balcony. My friends and I sat on the side balcony so we could see their faces and hear the music well.

I love that all the words Handle used came directly from the Bible. You’re bathed in Scripture as you listen to the Messiah. My favorite part of the Messiah is “oh death where is thy sting, where is your victory?” Praise God for the Resurrection!

Coffee's my best friend today...

It was a 14 hour drive from Chattanooga to Glenside, PA. Bethany and I did it in one day. Crazy. The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful and the time flew. Even after 13 hours of sleep last night I still needed 4 cups of coffee so far today to make it.

The MOB (mobilization) team goes to VA for an intern retreat

Below left to right: Bethany (I wrote about her a few posts ago), me, Heather (recruiter for MOB), Dan (senior recruiter of MOB), Matthew (recruiter for MOB)

The MOB team from World Harvest met the WHM summer interns in Virginia for a weekend of praise and worship, sharing, eating around the fireplace and playing team building games. WHM is sending about 30 interns to various countries this summer for two months. Below are the interns that were able to come to a retreat. It was so much fun to get to know these college students who have a heart for the Lord and are exploring missions.

They will be heading to countries such as Uganda, England, Ireland, Prague and Romania. To read more about the internships go to

During one of our times of praise and worship...


This was a team building trust game we played outside in the snow...


The cabin we stayed in was on top of a mountain overlooking this beautiful valley...

50 “United” States?

Getting your driver's license and new car plate is always an adventure when you move to a new state. My experience was no different. I thought I had done excellent research before going to the Pennsylvania DMV but I soon learned I was wrong. I drove at least 25 minutes one way to be told I was missing some pertinent information.

On my way back to Glenside, PA I contemplated these “United” States of America. The 50 states are united in so many ways but when it comes the DMV, our country functions as 50 separate states. I’m not sure why the Pennsylvania DMV wasn’t able to take my valid, up-to-date Georgia driver's license and transfer it to Pennsylvania without having to prove my U.S. citizenship. Does anyone have any answers as to why the DMV is such a challenge?

At least the PA license plates are good looking: http://www.dot4.state.pa.us/license_plates/index.shtml

My birthday weekend started with hanging out with Bethany and some of her friends from church. Some background on Bethany: she is a friend and co-worker and lives downtown Philly. Bethany returned from Uganda a few months ago. She works at the Sending Center of World Harvest Mission (WHM) and is also going to Westminster for her counseling degree.

One of the first things Bethany did when she moved to Philly was pierce her nose. She says it was an outward sign that symbolized all the other kinds of changes going on in her life. I resonated with what she said and had been thinking about piercing my nose for a while. When we were downtown during my birthday weekend she asked if I wanted to pierce my nose and I said “sure.”

Now those of you who are shocked that I did this don’t worry I did think about it for a few hours while we were shopping on South Street. It was late in the afternoon that we went to the body piercing store. The place I went was a very clean, sterile place. The procedure was painful but I think it was more uncomfortable to have watering eyes for the minutes following the procedure.

To complete the “Philly Monica” I bought an outfit, including cool shoes, which were outside my typical style. Nothing too wild, just not the “Banana Republic- Ann Taylor Monica”. Since Philly is a new place for me it’s been freeing to think I could change my physical appearance and no one would know the difference. Don’t worry, I’m not going extreme- just experimenting a bit.

This picture was taken the afternoon I dropped my parents off at the Glenside train station after a weekend of moving me in to my new home

We'll, I've joined the world of blogging!!! This is going to be a new adventure that I'm sure will prove itself to be enjoyable.

When you have a blog there seems to be pressure to be creative and thought-provoking in your postings. (At least I feel this way because so many of my friends who have blogs are very creative) I will do my best to succeed in this challenge.