Jump.

Everyone has a name. Wether it be the king of England or a lonely beggar on a sidewalk, everybody has a name. I realized that this past week while going on a mission trip to San Francisco with my Youth Group. 

Matthew 16:24 says, "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple my deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow me.'" 

I honestly never quite understood what it meant to "deny" ones self. But this whole trip taught me exactly what i needed to know. In the beginning of the trip, during our 20 hour drive, we stopped at a breathtakingly beautiful lake. Crater Lake. Now, i had been their before when i was very young, but getting to see it with a wider brian circumference, I realized how artistic God is! Crater lake is basically a huge volcano with a lake in the middle of it. The water is crystal clear blue with highlights of greens and yellows that give it the perfect "pop". It was so inviting! So, my youth group decided that we were gonna take a hike down to the water and jump in. 

"This will be fun!" I remember thinking, not worrying about the difficulty of it. 

Well, when we got down, i realized that really, the only way to get wet was by literally jumping off of a 20+ foot cliff...! Ah... ha, yeah i was not going to jump. Plain and simple, its too cold of water, i could hit my head on a rock, I could slip and fall to my death!, or worse! (Looking back i was totally over exaggerating.) One by one, all my friends were taking their leap and there i was, telling everybody i "didn't wanna get wet.." So, it was about time to get going and continue our trip and before i knew it, i was standing toe edge on the cliff unable to budge. 

"Jump Katrina! Come on, you'll regret it if you don't! Jump jump!!"

I can still feel it.. that free flying feeling, in the air with nothing to grasp but my good friends hand who was also falling with me. The fall was longer than i thought and i was begging for the water to come quicker. Once hitting the water and covered by the blanket of icy cold mountain water, i began begging for the water surface! I was alive! Hallelujah!!!

That night I couldn't help but see myself jumping off that cliff over and over again, believing that God Above would keep me in one piece. He told me something that night. He told me that i would be taking leaps of faith all week down in San Francisco. Step out of my comfort zone, talk to people i would never imagine myself talking to, give up myself and fall for someone who needs it. And believe me, that one week in San Francisco, i jumped.. a lot. And i can't regret it one bit, because God made me see so much more that i never even knew! I met so many amazing people that taught me so much more than i could teach them! Edgar, the desperate consumer, Radio, the lost and wounded, Phil, the fighter, Li and T., the broken beggars, Earl, the lonely traveler, Marcos and Mell, the hope seekers, and Bedee, the hope finder. Each one of them will forever and always will remain in my mind and in my prayers, God bless them all. 

"God is good. We all know that. He takes care of us, He protects us, He loves us. God is good. Btu the real question is, are we good to God..?" -Paul, the story teller. San Francisco