seasons and reasons

Hello Blog Readers :) Happy end of September...I cannot believe how fast time has gone by this year. It really does seem like just the other day I was in meetings preparing to leave for Sierra Leone, reading books and listening to tapes on healthy births! Isn't it incredible? How a simple moment of inspiration turns into a dream...which then leads to commitments and finally, reality? This pattern has seemingly been the very one my life has taken the past two years. I cannot believe how much I have accomplished by just pursuing possibilities, relationships and potentials. It has been truly wonderful. Within wonderful, however, you're unfortunately also bound for disappointment and hurt. Many paths for me have come up empty in the midst of my pursuits this year - and it has forced me to also learn not let those moments bother me. There are always new possibilities and in time, any dream can be revisited. Right now, as another month comes to a close, I am definitely in the season of revisiting and re-trying - picking myself up from past hurts and getting ready to run again. Really, that's the beauty of living - we can't do it all in one shot!

As a result, September has been all about pursuit for me. At the beginning of this month, I closed my chapter with Freedom Tree in an official sense and was thrown right into my six-class semester! (Don't worry, one of those courses was a block week, and another is an online course). Nevertheless, it has been a hectic time. Not only did classes come upon me full force, but many new changes have come about simultaneously. For one, diving into a new church community this season. This was a big and somewhat frightening step for me, but it has been one which has given me such a fresh sense of intentional purpose guiding my involvement. I am so excited to get involved in a new community (one that most of my closest friends are also a part of) and also to expand my talents and use them in a collective of supportive people. I feel filled to the brim with anticipation to form new friendships and take my personal faith and endurance to new levels. It was the exactly right time for me to take this intentional step as I traverse my current theme of pursuing. Perhaps the most exciting part of this new season, however, is that my EP is starting to get wrapped up! We only have one more song to record and then it's all production after that. I am anticipating a November or December release and... The first single is out next week! That's right! I will finally be releasing the first taste of my new music next week after such a long time of waiting for so many of you! The song is called "Freed," and some of you will definitely recognize it. Unfortunately, due to the proximity of the release - I have privatized my SoundCloud so you can no longer listen to the demo version of the song. As a first single, though, it will be available for free streaming on YouTube once released. Thank you so much to all of my friends who have been so supportive this week in ramping up the excitement alongside me. I just did the photoshoot for the entire EP album today as well (where the photo is from above) and had an amazing time discussing my life journey and the heart I have for these songs with my dear friend who did the photography for me. The EP album in full will be up for purchase on iTunes and other digital music vendors when everything else is finalized. I cannot wait to give you all a first taste of something so close to my heart. I never thought this day would come, but we are here! Stay tuned next week for an update on the Music page. Lastly, I just wanted to quickly mention an upcoming event I am a part of. In partnership with A21, I will be doing the #WalkForFreedom Calgary! The walk takes place every year worldwide in order to raise funds for A21 - an amazing organization that directly combats human trafficking. For those who know me well, you know that this issue is one that is extremely close to my heart. Even today, I was discussing with a friend that in my opinion, this is the worst injustice in the world today - especially when it comes to children involved in the sex trafficking industry. It has always been my heart to somehow be involved with abolishing this horrific crime and this year, this is my means to do so. I am hoping to raise $500 for A21 in doing the Walk for Freedom, so if this issue is also on your heart, please consider donating to my campaign! It's a super easy way to send money directly to help rescue and rehabilitate those caught in modern-day slavery. I will participating in the walk on October 15th, 2016. Click here to make a donation. Thank you so much for reading my little update for the time being! I can't wait to hear what you think of my new music and I am looking forward to seeing people over the next month of October. If you aren't yet connected with me on other social media mediums, you can click the circle-icon links that show up on the bottom of any page of my website! I would love to connect and keep you updated. All the best, - j o s i a h