Dear Family and Friends

This is a letter that I have written to many of you, which you will be receiving shortly in the mail... For those of you who I don't have addresses for, this is for you.


Dear Family and Friends,

I am so excited to be sending this letter to you! I am writing to tell you about an extraordinary opportunity that God has presented Elle and me with. The past year has brought so many events into our lives. We have moved four times, we have gone through three cars, we have taken a couple road trips, and we have been through some of the hardest times in (my) life together. We have had so many adventures and experiences! Some good, some not so good. Through all this, our bond has proven to be stronger than ever! And amidst all the chaos of daily life, God has been our rock- a gentle father and guide... Sufficient and faithful through it all!

So what is the next adventure we are going to embark on?

We will be taking 5 months away from our comfort zone in present reality to step out and fully focus on and devote ourselves to Jesus... To learn who He is, how much He loves us, how faithful He is, and how to serve Him. He has done so much for us, and I feel like He is calling us to give back to Him. Elle and I are going to be involved in an organization called YWAM (Youth with a mission). They have bases worldwide, and they all have the same goal: "To know God and make Him known".

Elle and I will be going to the base in Weyerhaeuser, WI (Also known as YWAM Northwoods) for the first three months. I will be in a DTS (Discipleship Training School), which will teach me how to be a disciple of Christ. It will challenge me to dig into The Word, to deepen my walk with Jesus, and also to be a better "Christ-following" mother to Elle! I feel that it will be so good for her to live in a community where she is surrounded with people full of God's love all day, every single day. She has been through so much in her short life. Different people in and out of her life, relationships broken, daycare switching to a different place... And I feel as a mother, this is the absolute best thing I could ever do for her. This past weekend we went to visit Weyerhaeuser to see how it will be when we go there, and had a mighty hard time getting there! (Ask me about it later if you want the full details!) But as soon as we stepped foot on campus our spirits were calmed. We felt contentment and peace in the decision to go there. I felt like God was whispering in my ear, "Kelsie, just surrender everything to me. I will take care of both of you., I will provide all you need. Just trust me." So that is what we are going to do!

The days while I am in class for 4 hours, Elle will be in a daycare center about 100 feet from my classroom, playing with other children her age and learning about Jesus. This is such an answer to prayer! I will be able to fully soak up and focus on what I learn in class. After three months of intense training, Elle and I will have the opportunity to put what we learn into practice right away. For two months, we will be going with a group of people to northern Thailand! We will be living in a small community over there. Building relationships, spending time learning about the people there, and also talking to them about what God has done for us! We will be able to see firsthand how God's love can transform, heal, and take hold of people's lives.

This is the coolest opportunity Elle and I have ever had! I am asking you to REMEMBER Elle and me in your prayers... Pray for safety, submission to the Lord, health, and anything else God puts on your heart. The lecture phase for Elle and me including personal expenses will cost around $3800. The outreach phase for Elle and me will be around $4200. (Airplane tickets to halfway around the world are expensive!) The lecture phase money is due by September 26th. Any prayer and/or financial donations you make will be a HUGE blessing to Elle and me. I will try to keep you updated throughout the next five months, and you can also follow our adventures at our blogspot. www.kelsieandelle.blogspot.com. I will try to update it frequently.

Thank you so much and God bless you all!!

Love,
Kelsie Joy Hultberg

**Our address in Wisconsin will be
YWAM Northwoods
C/O (Kelsie or Elle) Hultberg
W14580 County Highway D
Weyerhaeuser, WI 54895

You can also contactme directly on my cell:
763-479-9732


Any financial donations you make before September 26th can be mailed to my home address: 160 166th Ave. NE Ham Lake, MN 55304




.......

So... How do you like THAT for change!? This is going to be an awesome adventure. God closed all other doors, and flung this one open right in my face.
Thank you, Lord for presenting this to Elle and me.
THANK YOU!

Times are a changin'

The above statement is fully true.


After a two week period of having no internet connection, it feels good to be back on here.


Today. Is a day of new exciting opportunities.
I applied for University of Utah for spring semester.
Do you know how much of a change that would be? I'd be on my own. Fully on my own.
I live for change. I love change. If I get in, that means this whole winter I would be going to school and lovin' every minute of it! I would be super close to the best skiing in the US. I went on a vacation to Utah last winter and loved every second of it.
This weekend I am going to Weyerhaeuser possibly to learn more about the Thailand trip. Not sure what is going to happen...

But I am anticipating that whatever I end up doing will be right for me. And Elle.

I embrace change. So does Elle. :-)

My heart hurts

The house.
The only house.

It is pending to be sold.

I know there was like... a zero percent chance to get that house.
I know that it was too good to be true.

But it was a devastating blow to see it "pending".

That is where MY children were supposed to grow up. Those 4 acres are where MY dog was supposed to run.

That beautiful 5 bedroom house was supposed to be a home to nine.

Now its going to go to waste.

I know i'm being ridiculous. Just let me sulk.

"Big Girl!"

It is so weird to see Elle fully-functional. She is only 2 1/2 and she acts like a teenager. She says "I want to watch Full House!" and she has opinions about what matches and what doesn't in her wardrobe. Elle uses words like "inevitable" and "frustrated" and she rides her bike up and down the street crazy fast. She drinks coffee in the morning with her mommy. I know lots of parents say this, but it really does seem like it was just yesterday that I was taking her home from the hospital, with Grant driving 35 mph down Bunker. She has grown up so much. In a few months, we will hopefully be going to Thailand. In September we will be moving to Weyerhaeuser, Wisconsin. She will be facing so many different situations with so many different people. It will be so cool to see how she can even change peoples lives that are older than her.. We'll see how the next year changes things...

So many different things could happen. So many different situations. So many different roads to go. What should me and Ell do? Out-of-state school? Finish my degree in business? A full year of YWAM? I don't know what this year entails. We'll see how it unfolds!

Elle isn't a toddler anymore. She is like a mini-PERSON. It is so weird. She does grown-up things with her mom. She goes to grown-up places and has a grown-up attitude about most of it.

I am holding on to every second I have with her. Because the seconds seem like they are slipping away quicker than I want...

Triumphant Surrender

Today, as I sat in church, the pastor spoke about... Well... THIS.
My life.


My heart has been hurting. Some of you may know what is going on, some of you don't. I'd rather not go into detail. All I know is that I am still trying to fully surrender everything. Into God's authority. Other people don't have to- that is fine. but I'm gonna. No, I am not going to do it perfect. I guarantee I will continue to mess up and fail. But. I am giving it my best shot. If you do have something that frustrates you about me, though, please don't hesitate to talk to me about it. I am cleaning the slate. Starting fresh...

That is one of the many great things about God... He is ALWAYS ready to start over at ground zero with you.

So... To start over..
I have been fighting temptation. Doing much better. Feeling much better...

To LLL:
I am sorry that I ever hurt you. I am sorry for everything that I have done to misuse your trust. I am asking your forgiveness. I want to be able to talk and joke around and feel welcome in your house again. I deserve it now. Let me prove it to you. I love you so much and thank you for being honest with me about how you felt. It only shows how much you care about me and value my life. I hope things can go back to their original state though... Because that was awesome. And you are too wonderful of a person to be angry at.

To my mother:
I am sorry for hurting you and being irresponsible and taking for granted all the things you have done for me. You are so wonderful and I can only hope that I am as good of a mother as you someday.

To Deb:
I miss talking to you. I miss laughing and eating SALADS with you. There is so much that has been happening in my life, and I think we need to have lunch soon.

To RDM:
You are one of the greatest people ever made. Period. You mean so much. I appreciate you opening your home for me. Thank you for putting up with my mess for 6 months. Thank you for being Elle's godmother.

To S.E. :
I hope your trust will be restored in me. I hope that you understand I never tried or am going to try to hurt you or anyone in your family. I am sorry for whatever I did to offend you or anger you in any way.

Now that I have said my peace, I start over...Politely taking my spot back next to Jesus Christ. At His right hand. In full surrender to His authority. He is the only one I am under authority to. And I am surrendering my whole entire life to Him... Very random, but it doesn't matter. This is how I feel right now. And this is what I wanted to say.

Camp-outs

Lastnight Ell and I slept in a tent. Made out of a down comforter and some pillows and books. As I laid there, looking at her in deep sleep, I just got this feeling of comfort. Of normalcy. This is where I am supposed to be. This is where I should be focused. This is what it is all about... I am a mother.. Who has random campouts in her child's bedroom... I am a mother who makes lunch and gives naps and provides fun activities for her child. I am a mother who will cuddle with her child while watching a VeggieTales movie. This is a wonderful life... (!!!) Thank you, Jesus.