Ink'd Again

Over Christmas I decided to get my second tattoo. I already received one that was I was thrilled with and they aren't lying when they say it becomes addicting.

This one is a finch who represents Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. (It's placed on my left shoulder). TKAMB is one of my all time favorite books because of its power in storytelling and its relevance even today. Atticus Finch to me is a literary hero who stands up for justice and what is right no matter the cost and no matter if knows he's going to lose. He reminds me we too must often do just that.

"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do." 

This serves as a reminder to me that courage not giving up, that standing up for justice is always important, even when we do lose. After all, Jesus stood against injustice and his accusers murdered him on a cross.

And this reminder hurt significantly more than the first one that's for sure.

Faith

My mom was the one who told me about having a word for the year. Last year for her, it was joy. This year it's make every square count (yes, she had 4 words, but she's my mother, she can do that). 

I've thought about what word I wanted for 2015. I was an English major in school words are very important to me. Words have power and meaning and strength. It couldn't just be any word. But as I wracked my brain for the best word I could think of, one came in a whisper. 

Faith. 

Not cheesy, Hallmark greeting card kind of faith. I'm talking about Hebrews 11 kind of faith. "Now Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." 

Faith, pardon my language, is badass. As I look throughout scripture and throughout history, I see how those with strong faith are some of the toughest people. Abraham had faith God would provide a sacrifice and is about to kill his own son, with complete assurance of what he does not see. David had faith that God was good even as he running from a madman trying to kill him. The bleeding woman had faith that just the smallest touch of Jesus garment would heal her. 

This is the kind of faith I want for 2015. Confidence in what I hope for and assurance of what I do not see. I want the kind of faith that is strong, rooted, and deep. The kind that keeps me assured of who God is, and who I am created to be. Instead of being rooted in insecurity and lies - having faith. As everything seems to shift in my life as I live the wonkiness of being in my mid/late 20's, I want faith to accompany me as I take this journey.

Oh and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious came as a close second. 

Half-Marathon

I decided about a month ago to run a half-marathon in May. As a kid I hated running and I ran 2 cross country races in junior high because they made the basketball team do it. It was the most painful thing I remember about junior high athletics.

Two years ago I decided to give running another shot. Honestly I did because some of my students were doing it and I was eager to bond with them. Then I ran my first 5k race and I kind of started to like. Of course it was hard to keep the habit up so I signed up for a bigger race to train for. Therefore the half marathon.

But it became so much more. I realized I couldn't just run the race, I wanted to run for a charity. So after searching for a charity to support, I came across AFSP: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I knew this was my charity to run for and run with because I have had some dear friends attempt or commit suicide, wrestle with depression, and I myself wrestled with depression several years ago.

My best friend Sol, knows too well the pain of losing a loved one to suicide. When Rachelle committed suicide, it felt as if the world came to a sudden stop. I had just met her, but she was a deep friend of Sol's. We had actually just hung out a few weekends before - laughing, eating Korean BBQ, making fun of students moving out of college, listening loudly to songs on the radio. So when I got the phone call that she had died, I could hear my best friend's heart break over the phone. We were confused, distraught. Everyone was. We wondered what would we have done differently? What could we have shared? What could we have said?

So it is for Rachelle, and for the many others facing this depression, that I run this half-marathon. It is for them that I put my own body through pain, to be in solidarity through their emotional pain. It is for them that I raise money for this organization to help those who have no where else to turn to.

I miss Rachelle. I was just getting to know here and we all miss her dearly. We miss her smile and her laughter and her sarcasm, and her wit, and her friendship. Join me as I prepare to run this marathon - reading my reflections on running, sending encouraging texts, even donating to support me. All of this can make a difference in the lives of people we haven't met yet, and the lives of their friends and loved ones.

To donate online click HERE.

Twenty Fourteen

2014 was a good year. It had a lot of joys, a lot of new experiences, a lot of growth, some pain and fears - as do most years. But overall this year felt like a stepping into myself, more of who I am and growing into the person I love being. 

So here are 14 highlights from the past year. 

1. Full Time Staff and Fundraising 

After some very difficult seasons, I felt a sense of joy to step into full time ministry. With that came fundraising. Fundraising was a great way to teach me about story-teling, dependence on Jesus, and humility. 

2. Maintaining and Making Friends 

Making friends outside of college is just hard. This year I've had a lot of new friendships occur, many mature and grow, and taking risks as some prepare to move away. But the friendships I've maintained over this year have been so sustaining to me this year. 

3. Pentatonix Concert 

They are just awesome. It was amazing. There was screaming and shouting and singing. Best mini road trip of the year.

4. Getting a Tattoo

I actually got 2 tattoos this calendar year. It feel surreal sometimes but both carry extremely special and important meaning to me. This is the story of the first one. The second one's story is coming soon. 

5. Supporting Sean and Jenel in the LA Marathon 

In March two of my students ran the LA Marathon. I was so proud of both of them for their perseverance, their training, and their fearlessness. They both inspired me to sign up for a half marathon in May of 2015. Also I got to randomly volunteer hand out water to runners! 

6. How I Met Your Mother Series Finale 

I had watched the show starting in season three. I followed the gang from New York for years. It was both exciting and sad to see the series finally come to a close. But I did finally get to meet the mother and that was legendary. 

7. Teaching Mark I at Catalina

I love teaching manuscript study. And preparing to teach the gospel of Mark was amazing. The text came alive for me again as I saw Jesus' compassion and power throughout the pages. 

8. Orientnation for New Staff (ONS) 

This was one of the best conferences I've been to with InterVarsity. I made lasting friendships, had an amazing breakthrough about my multi-ethnicity, and became reaffirmed in my calling to ministry. Table 9! Yeaaah! 

9. Visiting Nashville

Every year my best friend and I take a vacation. This year we broke our Portland/Seattle tradition to visit somewhere new. Here I grew to love country music, bought a pair of boots, and ate a ton of BBQ. 

10. Hiking to Glen Aulin 

We've talked about it for years and our family finally made this happen. It was a beautiful hike to see parts of Yosemite I had never seen before. I grew up camping here and I loved seeing a new things. 

11. Developing InterVarsity Leaders

This has been the year to develop new leaders in IV. We took on apprentices, taught leaders about intercession and prayer, took risks together. One of the most challenging and fulfilling seasons of ministry so far. 

12. Intercession and Prayer 

Thanks to Molly Ramos, I've learned a lot about intercession and prayer. I'm not an expert at it but I'm growing to see a deep need in my life to commit to interceding and praying on a much deeper level. 

13. Fall Conference 2014

This has been the most memorable Fall Conference I've been to date. Our speaker not only challenged our students to see God as immeasurably more, but I was able to seek healing from Jesus in some deep places. This was the start of some very important growth and seeking more of Jesus not just for my students but for me. 

14. My 27th birthday

I love birthdays and celebrating birthdays. This year was one of the best birthdays I've had. I felt celebrated and relaxed all at the same time. Pizza, card games, and Fast and the Furious movies will do that to a person. And yes even 27 year olds can still have sleepovers. 

Here's to many more adventures in 2015! 

December Insta-Review

Instagram photos in the month of December (follow me on instagram - @melissamonte)

To see the previous InstaReviews
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November

A Great Light

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing their plunder. For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and pace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. 

Isaiah 9:2-7

When Jesus entered the world over 2,000 years ago, he entered a world covered in great darkness. Israel was harshly oppressed by the Romans and God had been silent for almost 400 years (between Old Testament and New). Women were treated poorly, those who were not Jewish were barely allowed to worship in the temple, and as the Romans oppressed Israel, Israel oppressed others - the poor, the sick, the possessed, and the hurt. 

We also live in a world of great need. A world that feels still covered in darkness. The race tensions in America are at a high, with young black men being killed at an alarming rate, with women still out of reach for true equality, with injustice imbedded within our government systems and in our hearts. We too are living in a land of darkness, one we may not be able to recognize. We are again in a time in desperate need of Jesus. 

We need a Wonderful Counselor. We've made some really bad decisions as humanity, as a country, and as individuals. We've let a lot of bad theology, ideologies, and the like get into our minds and hearts. What was supposed to be "love God and love your neighbor" has been replaced with "look out for my own". We need Jesus' wise counsel to flood our minds once again. To have the wisdom to truly understand Jesus' commands in scripture and to live them out fully. 

We need a Mighty God. There are a lot of crappy things happening in our world today. Powerful and overwhelming systemic injustice feels impossible for the single person to change. We need a mighty supernatural God to bring waves of change in places we had not imagined possible. We need justice in the places were there isn't. We need Jesus to bring about reconciliation and restoration. We need to admit our own faults and shortcomings and look to Jesus. 

We need an Everlasting Father. Many of us have had poor father figures, and all the more leads to a distrust of those in positions of authority. We've seen fathers and those in authority abuse, neglect, torment, abandon, and betray us. But Jesus promises an Everlasting Father. One who will never leave, who will never neglect, who does not torment or abuse. We need redemption and a true Father. 

We need a Prince of Peace. It's not hard to look around us and see chaos. With young black men being killed on what feels like a daily basis, with terrorism, with power abuse, with human trafficking, with drug use and abuse, and even natural disasters that we have no control over, our world sometimes feels too chaotic to handle. Jesus promises peace and comfort. Not just for eternity but for the here and now. 

When Jesus was an adult and began his ministry he said the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe. The Kingdom of God - this kingdom of restoration, of peace, of justice, is not just one for heaven. It's one for the here and now. It's for our present and for our future. We must still repent of our sins - both individual and communal and believe in our deep need for Jesus.

I want to have the answers of how that will happen. To solve the problems I see on my newsfeed every day. I want to use the privilege I have to make a difference. When we admit of our desperate need for Jesus, we see things in the light. We no longer live in the darkness of bitterness, of hatred, and of chaos. So Jesus come, bring your wonderful counsel, your might, your fatherly love, and your peace into your hearts so our world may turn more towards your light.