Joy

I am experiencing joy like I have never experienced if before. There is a new freedom in my life that I didn't think was possible. I feel more ready for God to guide me than I have before. And I still have a long way to go in a lot of different areas in my life. This life is about living for God not my own desires and things that I think I have a "right" to. I want more revelation of this...

That's all for now.

Gifts from Daddy

Well I am in Washington! God completely provided in amazing ways! I still need some money but He is so faithful. I even have my ticket to go back to Mazatlan already. I am just blown away by how God just blesses His children so much. It breaks my heart really because He is just so full of love and wants us to be fulfilled...this fact still amazes me.

So far this trip has just been the most amazing, God-filled trip I have ever taken. It has been very peaceful ever since yesterday morning when I got up to get ready for the airport. I had time to really get ready and look nice for the first time in the last...well, who knows how long. I'm such a girl sometimes...I just love doing my hair and wearing make-up! Anyway, throughout the day I would get these feelings of sickness but I would just ask God to take them away and they would go. Just like that. I am realizing how often I forget who my Father is and that He wants me to be whole and not sick. I just need to ask Him and He will take care of me. Granted, we do live in a fallen world and sickness is part of that...but that's a whole other topic. So then when I was checking in and getting my tickets there was a mishap and I got to fly first class on BOTH of my flights all the way to Tacoma! It blessed my heart so much. I've never flown first class and it was pretty nice. Then once I got here it was instant blessing again. The girls I am staying with are so sweet and generous! Tricia even had a bottle of Fiji water waiting for me in the car when I got in! The little things are what get me. Tricia and I had a great talk about their church and what God is doing in the Body right now and it is just getting me so excited! God is moving in mighty ways, preparing us for BIG things. I am so ready and I want to be a part of this.

I'm sure I will be updating more often this week as I will be learning great new things and getting even more excited about what God is doing.

A Clear View

Sometimes I wonder what it would truly be like to see through God's eyes. What would it be like to love the undeserving so unconditionally? How do you see an unjust situation and not find someone to judge? I understand that God is the ultimate judge but right now through the covenant of Jesus Christ all God sees is His Son. One of my favorite speakers (and good friend of mine) puts it bluntly and explains that we need to see each other and treat each other as though we see Jesus. To love each other with a respect and caring heart. What a challenge...though I am convicted to do this to the best of my ability I am realizing right now that the only way to do this is to spend more time with Jesus Himself. How do we see Jesus in others when we don't the detail of His character and heart. He loved us so deeply He truly gave up everything. Can you imagine interacting with someone with such a huge heart? Such an unconditional love? What revelation it would be to simply know someone like that...let alone have a beautiful relationship! I consider myself unbelievably blessed and completely blown away. I am so thankful for the way God is opening up my eyes right now.

In news about my life, there are a lot of things coming up in the very near future. One of my best friends getting married in September, a seminar in WA state this month, a family cruise in November, my roommates wedding in BC, Canada in late October...the list will probably go on forever as these things just keep popping up. Life seems to never slow down and I also seem to not be staying healthy. I still have no clue what is wrong with me! But it is all in God's hands. I trust Him fully with my life and my health comes with that.

My new position is going beautifully! I get to work with one of my dearest friends every day and it is such a blessing to be able to get input from the wisdom God has provided her. We not only get a ton of work done but God has blessed me with being able to process different things that He is teaching me and growing me in every day life.

The biggest lesson I could ever learn right now is about His grace and how deep His love goes. No matter what I could ever do or even think about doing He has already covered it! This is something that we all know...but for me it is truly clicking right now. I am understanding that love on a whole new level! It is so excited for me because I feel like there is a whole new world to view through these opened eyes. God is just so good to me.

Prayer Items:
Supporters- Since I am going to be starting a new year here (August starts my next term) my supporters are done with their season of giving to me and have chosen to not keep supporting me. I respect that a lot and know that they are going to be blessed so much for giving so generously. But I am now needing more support.
One time gifts- For the next few months I have many things to do outside of Mexico (fore mentioned events) and I need air fare and ways to pay for these things. Since support is my income this is the only way I have to pay for these things.
Health- Though I went home to get better this didn't necessarily happen. We eliminated quite a few possibilities and I actually started feeling a little better until now, while I am back in Mexico. I also know that traveling so much in the next few months is going to be hard on my body as well. But God is bigger than the bacteria that keep making me sick.
Rest- I need rest but I haven't been able to sleep much at all. (this could have something to do with me not feeling good all the time)

Please be praying with me about these things. Sometimes it is just easier when you know those you love are praying with you.

Love you all and good night.

A flame in my heart

I have found that I am just a very passionate person. I get excited about the great things and quite undeniably angry about the unjust ones. This blog is dedicated to something I find absolutely repulsive. Something that I want to see a difference in and hearts set on fire to fight for those being treated unfairly. There are children all over the world being trafficked (bought and sold like they are just some drug to get a fix) only to be raped and brutally beaten...these children should not have a price placed on their lives let alone have their childhood ripped from their hands. For many of these children, they lose their "value" once they are used for a certain amount of time and tossed in the garbage like a used up dirty rag doll. I hate to be so harsh in what I say but it is how they are viewed in the eyes of their kidnappers. There are some that are kept and used for farther prostitution as they grow but rarely see the sunlight. Some children in Russia do not even make it through their first hour of life because they are kidnapped from the hospital for use of their organs in different nations around the world. I know many of you have heard plenty about this, but for those of you who haven't I want to challenge you to research this, to find out what you can do to help. There are many easy ways to help organizations save the lives of these children. For those of you who know about this already I challenge you to dig deeper, to let the passion of saving their lives set aflame in your hearts once again.

I've known about this for a very long time now and have been praying about what my part is in saving these children's lives...but I am finally seeing that it starts here. I am going to try to do my part in letting those I love and care about be aware of the injustice happening around the world. Please be praying for those who are working with the prevention and abolition of these horrible acts.

There are many organizations working to restore these children and abolish the trafficking but my suggestion is to start researching love146.org It is an organization that many of my friends and I have become very aware of and is leading many different movements in saving the lives of these children.

Praise God for the lives we are able to live and the freedom we experience every day! I hope this awareness refreshes your view of life and the blessings God has given you.

Love you all.

Where Did Neverland Go?

Everyone is growing up. A lot of my friends are getting married or having babies. This year is the year that is marking new territory for many of my loved ones. I'm realizing that I fit in this category as well. I'm barely squeezing in but I am definitely growing up. Though I am not engaged and definitely NOT pregnant, I am being placed in leadership, being stretched, and going to the next level on all my gifts and passions. God is placing more responsibility on my shoulders and I am learning what to do with it. The hardest thing is knowing that nothing is going to be the same. I love change but I would like for the things I am moving from to stay the same...yes, I am very selfsh. I just want my lost boys to stay lost and not have babies!haha As in the movie Hook I would like to move on and become that business woman but when I come back to neverland everything is the same. In my neverland tale I wouldn't forget my lost boys though. I would visit often. With all of this nonsensical talk I am just saying that I never want to say bye. Like I said before, I am selfish.

God is ridding that in my life though. Teaching me how to cherish friendships but not hold on. To give Him glory even when I don't know how to say my farewells (in most cases my, "see you laters"). So in line with my life lesson for the day...Farewell Neverland. Hello today.

My favorite part is that in my Neverland, my lost boys are growing with me and I will see them very soon. Never saying good bye, because we are all living for the same purpose. We are all found by the same one that is teaching us how to live in glory.

As our ministry is growing we are needing to expand our resources! It's really exciting to see God provide the things we need and the creative way things come in. There are a few things God has challenged us as staff to raise money for. We've turned it into a fun little competition. We are in 4 groups; air conditioning, shade (for our eating area), bunk beds, and vans. Most of these things are to accommodate our visiting teams and Homes of Hope teams. We have so many people coming in this summer so they're all necessities for the next couple months. The team I am on is raising money for the vans! It's exciting because this is the project that requires the most money. We are seeing our faith stretched to different limits. I would like to invite you guys to be a part of our team. We need prayer teammates and people that know people. We are really looking for people to donate the vans or to give us a good discount. If we buy the vans in the States then it will cost $3,000 just to bring them across the border. I mainly want you guys to pray with me about this because we really need them but, if you know anyone that has a generous heart and a 12 passenger van let me know.

With other news, I am coming home! I'm really excited about it though my main reason to come home is to go to the doctor. I've been sick and I'm finally going to be getting better! This will also give me a break so I can rest a bit before the busy summer starts and gets crazy. If you are from Ohio and want to get together and chat just let me know!

Covered in Feathers

<sup>One of my most common struggles is fear. What do I have to fear? Nothing. But I still struggle and I still need to be reminded of who my Father is. Harmony (a good friend and mentor of mine) told me to read Psalm 91 a couple times a day until I have a better understanding of who God is as my protector, and just reading it a couple times this morning has blown me away.
In every way possible He protects us. He allows us see what happens to the wicked in the world but keeps us from any harm they could do. We have to choose to be protected. I have to choose to trust Him and trust how mighty He is. In verse 1 it says, "Those...will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty," that word "Almighty" is Shaddai in Hebrew. Though Wikipedia is not always reliable, I found a definition of Shaddai on there that I really like.

Shaddai- a form of the grammatical plural of excellence; commonly used in the phrase 'El Shaddai' (omnipotent divinity).

Not only is God a protector He is excellent at what He does. He has every angle covered and He is divine. He is beautiful while He protects. The phrase "omnipotent divinity" opens my eyes to a different view of God, so holy and so beautiful. He chooses to protect me and I choose to love and trust Him. It's quite the Cinderella story. God chooses me, covered in rags, to be His princess because He only sees what He has made me to be, the image of His son (beautiful, perfect, pure, holy, and compassionate). What wonderful revelation to know my Protector protects me because He loves me. I know this revelation seems so obvious to most people but to me it's life changing and I feel like my eyes are being opened to see colors brighter and more clear.</sup>


Psalm 91
¹ Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
³ For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
⁵ Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
⁶ Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
⁷ Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
⁸ Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.

⁹ If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
¹⁰ no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
¹¹ For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
¹² They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
¹³ You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

¹⁴ The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
¹⁵ When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
¹⁶ I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”