ramblings on a summer of justice and love :)

Lately I have been posed with the question what is justice? What does it mean to promote justice? And while I don't really know the exact answers to these questions, there are a few things that I do know. 1-Part of the mission of me going on this trip is to be able to better answer these questions. I think one way to define justice would be to say it is the absence of injustice. While I'm at YWAM some of the specific issues of injustice that we will be looking at are slave labor, displaced people/refugees, human trafficking, corruption, human rights, oppression, gender discrimination, and racism. Not exactly light issues to discuss that is for sure. But issues that need to be talked about in order to better promote justice. 2-I know what the Bible says. The Bible says we serve a God of justice. God is just. And so this battle for justice is temporary. But while we are here, if we want to truly become more like Christ, then we must also strive to become more just. One of my life verses right now is Micah 6:8 "And what, oh man, does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." So that is what I (well...we all) must strive to do. Act. Love. Walk.
Speaking of love. Some of you may be wondering what I have been doing all summer. And a lot of what I have been doing is attending some of my dearest friends weddings. It has been such a blessing to witness the union of these amazing people. Lindsay, Amanda, Cara. You were all so beautiful. Words cannot describe. And its not just on the outside. Inside you are even more beautiful, displaying God's love, grace, and joy daily. Thank you for being such amazing friends :) Jonathan, Tito, Justin. You guys are so awesome. You each demonstrate such deep care and affection for your wives. Thank you for showing me how Godly men live. I cannot wait to see how God uses ALL of you.
So now to everyone else...a few pictures for you to see what I mean when I said beautiful :)

The Mikhail's :)

The Mendoza's

The Shonamon's :)

Peace, love, (and justice)!