Liesel Elena

(Shirt : Old Navy / Jeans : American Eagle / Ear ring : Homemade from Ezer Kenegdo / Rings : Israel, Turkey, American Eagle / Purse : Marc Jacobs / Jacket : Charlotte Rouse)

This is Liesel. She is beautiful. At this point, you’re probably thinking “Wow, all of Rachel’s friends are gorgeous,” and you would be absolutely right. Telling their stories has become a bit of an addiction. Liesel is dear to my heart for many reasons, the primary one being that she possesses an undeniably infectious hope throughout all circumstances. (Not to mention her hippy/chic/urban style.) This girl knows exactly how to mix label and vintage. I stole Liesel away yesterday afternoon to pick her brain about an upcoming move to London through a ministry called YWAM (Youth With A Mission) and also about past international adventures through this organization.

R : Tell me about YWAM in a nutshell.

L : It is a faith-based ministry that seeks to bring people back to life. The first community was started in Switzerland in 1965.

R : What intrigued you about the ministry?

L : I was unsure about the next step to take out of high school and fed up with people my own age who had no long term perspective on life.  YWAM brought together all nations and generations, so every place I lived gave me new families of mothers, brothers, sisters and fathers.

R : How many places did you live or visit?

L : Spain, Switzerland, I unknowingly walked with protestors in Greece, Turkey, Rome, post-revolution Egypt and Israel.

R : Wow, what was your favorite story from all of those adventures?

L :  Cairo was one of my favorite cities. It was like living in a fantasy world. Everywhere you looked there were men with guns and women with their faces hidden under headdresses. I was sick of living in a perfect, clean world everyday, and in Cairo I found a family of real desperation. Being desperate in America is seen as pathetic, but being desperate in Egypt meant waking up every day.

R : Would you say it changed you?

L : Egypt was the breaking point of my life. I was able to speak to a heartbroken Muslim man about the revolution and find freedom in our differences, and hold a helpless baby at the Mother Teresa Orphanage.

R : It sounds like you identified with their helplessness.

L : I was always fearful as a child, but after going to the orphanage I realized what it meant to fight for your life. I couldn’t be quiet anymore.

R : Tell me about your excitement surrounding London and that culture of art and fashion.

L : My heart aches and burns for so much. So many things that I want to do and now I can finally speak the language and meet people. Talk to anybody I want. I’m not doing ‘ministry,’ I just want to hang out with people.

R:  A more subtle approach?

L : Yes. Christianity is beautiful. But when you use that word, sometimes people choke. I want people to know that I actually want to get to know them. I want to find the person who is hidden. The black sheep. I always go looking for the person no one’s talking to. Bringing them out of the darkness they’ve put themselves in. I want to go walking and find someone who intrigues me. I’m not going to immediately institute Jesus into every conversation, but invite them for a drink and love them for who they are.

R : And the fashion? How excited are you for the street styles of this city?

L : I am excited for the diversity. Walking past people who have money and people who don’t. Old ladies and observing their fashion on the train. Even the lady with an entirely purple outfit, but still appreciating her personality. I want to look at the heart behind personal style. I can’t be influenced by someone else’s style until I know their heart. I want to be a bright light in an industry that seems so dark.

R : Do you feel changed and encouraged by this decision to move?

L: Yes. If I'm still moving and living and breathing, I have hope. No one is left behind.