This past year was the best year of my life, GOD transformed me and changed me from the inside out.
God taught me a lot this year (it would take a lot of blogs to list all the lessons). HEre are ELEVEN lessons I learned this year
1. Pure joy and peace only come from GOD.
2. True love is to give wholeheartedly of yourself.
3. Love and music transcend cultural and language barriers.
4. Love is a choice.
5. Spiritual warfare happens today, not just in the Old Testament (See Ephesians 6:12) and it is very important to put on your armor everyday (Ephesians 6:10-18).
6. GOD is quite the romancer and if you want him to and allow HIM to romance you HE will.
7. GOD is the ultimate healer and provider....
8. Love is the language of CHRIST.... love brings people to CHRIST.
9. The gift of salvation due to Jesus' death on the cross is free but CHRIST will cost you everything.
10. GOD never intened surrender and submission to be a bad thing..
This year I've cried and laughed more than I ever had, GOD stretched me and transformed me.... the World Race season is over and I am adjusting to being back in the US.... GOD has revealed bits and pieces of the next season but not the whole thing which is great because if HE did I could not handle it.
I just want to say thank you to everyone who supported me this year. I felt your support. Thank you for every prayer, financial donation and encouraging blog comment and email. GOD used you in a mighty way to transform my life.
Here is the last lesson
11. Living in community is AMAZING AND WONDERFUL. It stretched and grew me into the CHRISTIAN woman GOD was calling me to be. The 7 women I spent this last year with have encouraged me, interceded for me when I could not intercede for myself, showed me what true love is and showed me what the body of CHRIST is suppose to look like. Jenn, Becca, Renee, Tonya, Stephanie, Kim and Jenni you have been my coworkers, dates, musical movie buddies, prayer partners, EAT club members, brownie batter
connoisseurs
, pushup partners, crunch club partners, mentors, hip hop dance partners, literally a shoulder to cry on and true sisters in CHRIST in every sense of the word. You pushed me to climb mountains when I did not want to and called me out in love when I needed it and encouraged me and were a huge part of me walking in my true identity in CHRIST. I LOVE AND MISS you girls more than you will ever know and I am so blessed to have spent the last year with you.....each one of you are the walking definition of Gentle Warriors. (Matthew 10:16)
Here is a video my teammate Renee made that is an overview of the GENTLE WARRIORS 2009 WORLD RACE EXPERIENCE.
You can also see the video by visiting http://www.vimeo.com/7818561
GOD THANK YOU FOR AN AMAZING SEASON AND FOR THE START OF ANOTHER FABULOUS SEASON full of adventures, love and surprises
It has been an amazingly sweet year, full of adventure, surprises, GOd's favor and provision and sweet desserts. I have been blessed to enjoy chocolate no bake cookies in Dominican Republic, naturally sweet, cheap fruit in Thailand, Swensen's delicious ice cream sundae creations in Cambodia, freshly baked warm cookies in Croatia, best brownie I have ever had in Poland, delicious candy apple in Romania and decadently rich dark chocolate and pastries all over Europe...
In honor of Thanksgiving and the wonderful desserts that will be served around the country tommorrow, below is a video of some of my favorite desserts from around the world. Bon Appetit.
Happy THANKSGIVING !!!!!
You can see the video also at http://vimeo.com/7820097
One Month, Four Countries (Poland, Italy, Croatia and Austria)
This month my team is blessed to be able to minister in four countries, Poland, Italy, Croatia and Austria. We have had the opportunity to be involved in several different types of ministries. This month has opened my eyes to the fact there are different ways to minister to others, serve GOD and share the lifechanging message of salvation.
I have been blessed to help promote a CHRISTian hip hop concert in Poland, assist with teaching English in Poland, enjoying tiramisu, pasta, gelato and crepes in Venice, Italy. We are in Croatia working in a cafe owned by missionaries. We make coffee based drinks (caramel macchiato, caffe late, etc) and bake brownies and chocolate chip cookies (hmm). The cafe allows us the chance to share how GOD has transformed our lives with customers and locals.
This month reminds me sometimes GOD is calling us to think outside the box, whether that is enjoying the beauty of his creation by walking with a friend in the park during fall and admiring the beautiful colors of the leaves, sharing the Gospel message through a rap song or how GOD transforms over a cup of coffee and freshly baked chocolate chip cookie.
Below are pictures of this fabulous month
Polish Hip Hop Concert (so much fun helping promote and worshipping GOD with hip hop music)
Me and Becca enjoying caramel apples and hot cider during break from teaching English in Poland
Me and Sammie Enjoying GOD's beautiful creation during Fall in Ukraine
Tonya and Jenn having fun in GOD's creation in Poland
Me and Tonya playing on the huge furniture outside Ikea in Poland.... felt like i was in a fairytale
GW'S enjoying pizza in ITALY (GOD has blessed us with pizza in all 15 countries except Haiti)
Me and Renee eating chocolate and caramel gelato in Venice, Italy
This looks like a border crossing.. no it is the bathroom in Croatian bus station
It costs 3 kunas (about 75 cents) and they give you a receipt after you pay
Notice the lady shaking her head for me not to take the pic but i had to photograph the entrance to the
paying toilets
Be thankful for free bathrooms in USA
Me and Becca as baristas making Kava S Mlijekon (Coffee with Milk) in Croatia
Caramel Macchiato made by me and Renee in Croatia
Hmmm Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Me and Jen as Quality Control Inspectors... have to taste the chocolate chip cookie dough
make sure it is good enough for the customers ha ha (Croatia)
Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies at the Cafe in Croatia (SO GOOD)
GOD blessed us with free opera tickets and so we got all dressed up and went out.. it was a fantastic opera and so much fun
We clean up good
GW's enjoying brownie batter hmmmmmm good
To see more pics and read more about what we are doing, visit my team mates blog
TODAY IS MY MOM'S BIRTHDAY. .. I HOPE ONE DAY TO BE HALF THE WOMAN AND MOTHER SHE IS.. SHE IS THE STRONGEST CHRISTIAN WOMEN I HAVE EVER MET. SHE HAS SUPPORTED ME IN EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER DONE. SHE IS A LIVING EXAMPLE OF THE PROVERBS 31 WOMAN !!!!! MOM I LOVE YOU AND I MISS YOU !!!!
LIST OF TOP 10THINGS I LOVE ABOUT YOU MOM
1. You have more energy than anyone I have ever met ( By 7am, you have walked 7 miles, walked the dog and done a load of laundry and I am just rolling out of bed late for work )
2. You are HILARIOUS... YOU MAKE ME LAUGH SO HARD I CRY SOMETIMES.. As Aunt Edna Mae says Mom you are so funny you can make CHRIST laugh
3. You have a heart of gold and will do anything for anyone
4. Your life is a real life example of living a selfless life
5. YOU SURVIVED my teenage years..... THAT WAS A ROUGH TIME FOR ME AND you ... remember when you had to go look at my baby pictures to make sure i WAS THE SAME PERSON HA HA it is funny now but it wasn't them
6. YOU are a wonderful teacher and full of patience... Almost everytime we go out one of your students which range from ages of teens to forties say how great of a teacher you were....
7. Loving Jordan even though he is crazy !!! ( I LOVE HIM TOO BUT HE is out of control) !!!!
8. Showing me that CHRISTianity is about the relationship not the religion
9. Supporting me and Loving me through the highs and lows
10. Just being you !!!!
Mom in Lesotho I sat through a sermon about the Prayer of Jabez Increasing Your Territory and the pastor talked about letting GOD lead and guide every aspect of your life... and I instantly thought of you singing Lead Me Guide Me every Sunday after church and it finally clicked why you sing it with such enthusiasm because you live it out and you let GOD LEad and Guide You and every step of your life. Thanks for showing me how to do this so I shared how great of a woman you are with the congregation and then the pastor requested I sing the song.. so here you go LOVE YA
As I walk the streets of Kiev, Ukraine I see some of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Their natural beauty is enhanced by the right amount of makeup, colorful stilettos and trendy coats. Any one of these women could be on the cover of Vogue or Glamour. I look at the women on the subway and notice there is something missing, it is not this season's Prada purse or Chanel heels. A smile is what is missing. These women are beautiful and succesfull by the world"s standards (they look fantastic, have wonderful and affectionate boyfriends and husbands and "good" jobs). However, you can look at them and see they are not happy and defenitely not joyful. You can see how the strongholds of lust and materialism have tainted their defenition of happiness and joy.
I look at these women and I see me 11 months ago, I was sucessfull according to the world's standards, fantastic job, nice car and enjoying expensive dinners and vacations on a regular basis.... I had all these things but I was not happy. I have found true happiness and joy this year and it has not always been comfortable or easy but worth every tear that was shed. I have learned the difference between happiness and joy, happiness is based on circumstances like your job or relationships with friends or significant others and true joy comes from walking in your identity as a beloved child of CHRIST. This year, There have been tears and sacrificies, I have had to say goodbye to a man who i loved for 14 years , delete songs off my ipod because i no longer walk in lust and try not to curse( it was hard to let go of Lil Wayne and Kanye), I had to throw out my Sex and the City the Movie DVD and let go of defining myself as the character of Carrie.
GOD has not fully revealed what the next season of my life looks life and to be honest that is exciting because I know He has all the details worked out... I have an easy part ALL I have to do is do what GOD tells me to do. There are no gurantees but CHRIST in this new life.... BUT I WOULD NOT CHANGE ANYTHING !!!!!!! I told GOD in July I am giving my life over to HIM and that I will do whaterver HE calls me to do and go wherever HE wants me to go. One of the best quotes I heard this year was Jesus will cost you nothing (the gift of salvation) but CHRIST will cost you EVERYTHING !!!!!
I am going home in 6 weeks and I am mourning and celebrating the end of this season.. I love the sisters on my team. These 7 girls have laughed and cried with me, sang and danced with me, served Jesus right beside me, watched High School Musical and over 60 other movies with me, they have interceded with me and for me and I have spent 24/7 with them the last 10 months. They have seen me at my best and at my worst. They are my family !!!!! This has been the best and hardest year of my life !!!!I am excited and sad to go home, I am a mix of emotions.
My prayer for the women of the Ukraine is that their lives are wrecked for Jesus like mine was, that worldly beauty and worldy success are not enough for them. I pray they discover true joy and happiness that comes from a life sold out to CHRIST. I pray they are the start of the True Beauty and Joy Revolution in Europe. I pray they not only accept Jesus as their personal Saviour but they go a step forward and live for CHRIST.
I AM REPOSTING THIS BLOG BECAUSE THE BEGINNING PARAGRAPHS WERE EXCLUDED BY MISTAKE. THE FIRST THREE PARAGRAPHS WERE WRITTEN BY ME AND THE REST OF THE BLOG WAS WRITTEN BY MY TEAMATE KIM JERKINS.
This year GOD has allowed me to bring to HIM my issues, my junk, my past and my view of myself and he has HEALED ME, FILLED ME, ROMANCED ME AND TRANSFROMED ME.
It was quite a process, it was painful at times digging up and working through past hurts and sins and there were a couple freeing but ugly cries. Even at the hardest points GOD never left my side. GOD has broken me and now my life is built on HIM as my foundation. I am at the best point spiritually, physically and emotionally I have ever been at in my life. I am now living and walking in GOD's joy, purity and freedom and it is AMAZING!!!!!!!!
Below is a a blog written by my teammate Kim Jerkins. It is the best blog I read all year and gives great insight into How GOD CAN Transform You IF YOU ALLOW HIM TO. I was going to write a blog about this transformation but it cannot be written more eloquently or honestly than Kim's blog BELOW. THE GREAT THING IS THAT GOD CAN TRANSFORM YOU WITHOUT GOING ON A MISSIONS TRIP, YOU JUST HAVE TO OPEN YOUR HEART, MIND AND SOUL AND ALLOW HIM TO MOLD YOU INTO THE PERSON HE WANTS YOU TO BE !!!
ENJOY!!!!!!!!
Dear Future World Racers,
Yes, what you hear is true! You will travel to different nations and meet people from many cultures. You will meet little orphans and they will hug you and soak up your love. You will plan church services, preach, do construction, evangelize, pray and everything else under the sun! You will proclaim the truth about Jesus Christ and many will choose to follow. As you speak of God's freedom people will come against you but you will persevere. You will pray and intercede for the multitudes because of who God is. You will see people set free from the grasp of the enemy and turn to the light. You will see God's power as you do the good work that He has laid out for you. You will see the Holy Spirit move in ways that blow your neat little ideas of Christianity out of the water. Yes, you will see God's power work as you trek through the nations!
The thing that you would never expect is that the biggest change is you. I would have never expected to be transformed so much. Now at month 9 I am in Romania looking back at old pictures and I cannot even recognize that person anymore. Through it all God has sifted me, grinded me, put me through the fire, mended me, restored me, and THEN renewed me. The thing no one tells you or at least no one told me was that this trip will change YOU. You will NEVER be the same. Ever. Praise God!
Through this year God will move and you will see Him work. He will ask you to surrender those parts of your life that you hold on to so tightly. He will ask you to surrender your dreams for the future, your family, your friends, your (precious) time, your expectations for tomorrow, your past and most of all yourself. He is asking for all of you - every part of your heart. He is asking for it again and again. He wants to redeem those broken parts and mend those areas we tried to patch up ourselves. He is constantly filled with love and compassion for you, but He is ready to move in now and uproot those weeds that have entangled you. He is ready and waiting. Through this race you will be brought to a place of surrender.
He will ask you to forgive those who hurt you and allow Him to take over that area with His love. He will ask you to surrender the control, the pride and the stubbornness, that you so dearly hang on to, so that He can be your faithful master. He will ask again and again "Do you trust me with this?" and continue to say "Let go my child. I did not design you to carry such a heavy burden. Surrender it to me." Finally, when you find yourself weary and exhausted of your old self and you finally realize that every attempt that you have made to fix it or repair the damage has failed, you let go. You begin to realize that HE is the designer.
Will you surrender? Or will you hold on to the past?
When you come to a place of true surrender and find your cup empty and say, "Lord, I am here, mend me." He takes you and romances your heart. As you trust Him with your broken, battered and bruised heart He goes to work. He begins to take off those man made patches that we used so desperately to patch up our own heart wounds and He meshes His heart with yours. He begins to heal those holes in your heart. Where your heart is weak His is stronger. Your hearts begin to beat as one. He strengthens your gifts and begins to reveal to you more of Him. He is going to bring up the bad and evil things that have happened in the past not to be cruel but to solely redeem them. He is going to show you how He designed you to work in those areas. Although this process is painful, vulnerable and messy He is good, perfect and faithful. Let's face it; He knows what He's doing.
He will show you the roots of the anger, envy, jealousy, selfishness, inadequacies and guilt that are surrounding you. He wants to tear those strongholds down so that you walk in victory in those areas that the enemy is trying to paralyze you in! God is tearing them down to lead you to victory.
He is showing you what it means to be grafted in. He is digging deep to every lie that you believe about yourself. He is going after those generational curses. He is searching after every hurt people have caused you. He is looking for all those insecurities so that He can show you who He claims you as, who He says you are, what your identity is in His power and to show you the authority that you walk in. All of this is not by confidence in you but in Him, in His name and His glory. He wants to show you what He can do.
So when you go on this trip, remember that you are signing up for your hearts to be wrecked and broken and to love like God loves, You are signing up to be transformed by the designer. He will lead you, transform you, mold you, put you through the fire and make you new. Will you go? Actually, Are you ready?
Summary
Will you go?
1)Brokenness- you will be sifted, grinded and put through the fire
This month my team was called to do ministry in a small
country in Southern Africa called Lesotho. It was an eye opening
experience and a blast to the past. This month was definitely about getting
back to the basics and foundation of life. This is a country where most people
live in mud huts and do not have electricity. This is a country where people walk up and down mountains to get to
church. There are village chiefs and most people live in small villages on top
of huge rock formations.
We lived in mud huts, cooked by gas tank, walked over 3
miles to town to buy food, ate dinner by candlelight, handwashed our clothes
and most importantly got to enjoy GOD's great beauty. We got a glimpse into the
life of Jesus and the disciples, walking to villages telling people about Jesus
who had never heard of him, reading Bible stories and praying over kids, making
picture scrolls of the Gospel for people who lived in the village, praying and
asking GOD on most days what he wanted us to do that day. We really pressed
into community living, we prayed and
layed on hands and prophesied over one another once a week, studied the book of Hebrews Bible Study once
a week, we served one another in many ways including washing each other's feet
just like Jesus did to the disciples. We battled spiritual warfare together and
interceded for each other. We celebrated three birthdays and even had a brownie
mix cake. Jen rededicated her life to Jesus Christ and got baptized by water
and the Holy Spirit. Gentle Warriors I love you and thanks for showing me what
true biblical community living is.
Below are some pictures highlights of the month, enjoy.
Landscape in Lesotho.. it is beautiful here
Hut with Mountain
Me and Jenni in front of our Hut
It SNOWED !!!! IT WAS GREAT !!! SNOW IN AUGUST IS A BENEFIT OF COMING TO AFRICA IN THE WINTER
MY GW FAMILY and Cameron my Brother in CHRIST
Laying on Hands and Praying for Each Other (GOD gives us great visions and Bible Verses for each other). It is amazing !!!
Laying on Hands and Washing Each Others Feet.. another form of serving Each Other.. Remember JEsus washed the disciples feet
Jen one of my Gentle Warrior sisters decided to get Baptized by Water and the Holy Spirit it was a beautiful experience.
We baptized her in a beautiful river in Lesotho surrounded by flowering trees and mountains . .. it was amazing
US celebrating after the baptism.. one of the best things I have ever been involved in my life
This is a miracle story.. we came out of our huts one day and there was a teacher with her class of seven 4-7 year olds waiting for us.. THE TEACHER "MARIA" hiked two hours down the mountain with these SEVEN kids.. JUST SO WE COULD PRAY FOR THEM AND OVER THEM
THAT IS FAITH AND HUMBLING... MY FAYORITE PART OF MINISTRY
Us Praying for High School Girls.. Such a Humbling Experience.. its a 2 way learning experience
Laying on Hands on our Brother in CHRIST Cameron
We hiked up 2 mountains every time we went to ministry... I am defenitely in the best shape of my life.
HEre is a view from the top down of one of the mountains
Celebrating Becca's Birthday by candlelight.. no electricity.. it was awesome
Reading Bible Stories to the Kids.... it was so much fun.
WE made scrolls for the people in the village to help explain the Bible .. we started with Creation because some of the people had never heard of Jesus
Me with the High School Girls.. they were so precious
THis gives new meaning to heating your house.. a common site in LEsotho.. kids carrying firewood or river water
We had great food this month, Indian food roti and dhal, homemade tortillas, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese fried chicken. THis isus making ROti (Indian Flastbread). I love having a team with people with so many ethnicities
This month I prayed and asked GOD to teach me about LOVE. I asked GOD to teach me about HIS LOVE, Pure Love, love that does not require praise or material gifts. I wanted to learn about LOVE that is unconditional and gives and gives. I wanted to learn more about the love of 1 Corinthians 13.
GOD BLEW MY MIND this month..... not only did I learn about LOVE but I EXPERIENCED LOVE IN A WAY THAT I DID NOT EVEN KNOW WAS POSSIBLE. This month we were ministering at the Rehmar Center in Swaziland. It is an orphanage for over 150 boys and girls, the kids range in age from newborns up to age 20. These are kids that have nowhere else to go, kids that society has turned its back on because they felt they were difficult or no different than any of the millions of orphans in Africa.
I FELL MADLY IN LOVE WITH THE KIDS. They are so full of joy, hope and love. They showed me what GOD's true love is. There were 3 young girls who I became very close to.. I prayed for them and think about them everyday like they are my own kids.
THESE THREE YOUNG GIRLS OPENED MY EYES TO HOW GOD LOVES US AS HIS CHILDREN. GOD LOVES US WHEN WE DO RIGHT AND WRONG, HE IS ALWAYS IN OUR CORNER AND ALWAYS THERE TO LISTEN, NO MATTER HOW FAR WE FALL OR STEP OUT OF HIS WILL HIS ARMS ARE WIDE OPEN AND WILLING TO TAKE US BACK. HE LOVES US UNCONDITIONALLY
Below are a couple of ways I experienced GOD's love this month
1. Drawing pictures in the dirt with my 3 daughters
2. Having a slumber party with the teenage girls at the Remar Center and watching High School Musical 1,2, and 3 (it was great so much fun)
3. Dancing with the Kids.. . we danced almost everyday.. it was so much fun
4. Seeing beautiful sunsets almost every night.. GOD you are an amazing painter, you paint the skies with beautiful colors of yellow and pink and flocks of white seagulls gliding past the cascading mountains
5. GOD using me to deliver the sermon at church about how GOD calls us all to use our spiritual gifts and to work together as the body of Christ to encourage and lift up the body of CHRIST. I am usualy nervous when I speak in front of people but GOD took all the nervousness away and used me for his glory.
6. Listening to the kids read to me
7. Seeing the children write the salvation prayer (that was amazing)
I CAN NOT EVEN EXPLAIN HOW GOD HAS TRANSFORMED MY LIFE AND VIEW OF LOVE THIS MONTH BUT
I miss you so much. I could not ask for a better father. Your love is unconditional and unending.
You are an example of a true man living for CHRIST.
You were the first man to love me.
There are so many things I miss about you, here are only 10 of them :
I MISS and REMEMBER FONDLY :
1.Father/Daughter nights watching Bonanza
2.Singing next to you at church... because you knew all the songs by heart and sung them with so much joy
3.Going to Baseball Games and eating Stadium Food with you
4.Our Eagles/Cowboys rivalry
5.Hearing you tell mom and Aunt Dot jokes
6.Going to IHOP after church on Sunday Mornings
7. Father/Daughter night watching movies
8.Our trip to Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam (one of the best trips of my life)
9.Hearing you tell perfect strangers how proud of me you are and how I don't need any makeup I am beautiful just as I am
10. Watching you put up the Christmas tree
I know it has been three years since you passed away and I know I will see you in Heaven but I miss you so much. The wonderful memories and your love will live on in my heart forever. I miss you and are so proud to be your daughter.
