Wow- 40 days or so until I leave for Chille.
The days are sneaking by... I have 6 more days of work. My last one is next Friday the 8th. Then it is back to norman sleep schedule!!!!!! I can't imagine what that is going to feel like. I have grown to become quite familiar with running on fumes. Praise the Lord that when I am weak He is strong.
March 10th my dear friend Nathalia Diaz is coming my way for a whole week!!!!! I am so excited to have her here. She is Columbian who is currently living in Pemba, Mozambique working with the women creating sustainable jobs for over 400 men and women with bead work and various other jobs. We are her last stop before returning after a few month break here in the states with some of her family.
Here is a link to a short informative video of what she does:
Nathalia Diaz
I have been trekking around on foot here and there without a car. I wasn't sure how it was going to affect my spontaneous personality but so far it has been great! (Partially thanks to the generous house mates and family who have been giving me rides here and there as well..insert hand-crafted Good Samaritan certificates here). I love the fresh air and extra exercise as well.
I have been tackling some details with my trip that have been coming together rather smoothly. I was just surprised to see that it cost 80 dollars to get some extra visa pages put into your passport! I look on the bright side though and am so thankful that I have been able to travel so much to need the extra pages. The glass is more than half full ;)
I am also starting to think that I need to play the piano as much as I can before I leave for I feel there aren't going to be a whole lot of opportunities to play being on the road a lot for 6 months. I have also been taking up more guitar to be able to have that as a needed musical outlet. Also hoping and assuming that some songs are inspired on this adventure as I am bringing a journal just for song writing.
Hoping to see as many people as I can before heading out, so if you are in the area or would like to meet up I would love to see whoever I can.
Bless you all heaps and stay tuned....
2.27.2012
2.13.2012
A Good Heart is a Weak Willing One
Wow- I'm realizing how soon my trip is coming up! It is less than two months away.
I came home from IHOP with the itch to get going on selling my car. As I was thinking about the process of it, I hear the Lord say, "I can sell it within a week". I had also been praying about keeping the car in the family some how or at least with someone that I knew since the car had much sentimental value to me and such a great story to pass along. I just kind of disregarded it. I put my car up for sale on Monday night the 5th and by Wednesday morning the 7th, I get a voicemail and a Facebook message from some relatives that had just totaled their car and wanted to buy mine! Praise the Lord! So, we got to see them on Saturday (which was a treat in itself since we don't see them often) and I sold my car to them! TO FAMILY. WITHIN A WEEK. God is so good. This was incredibly encouraging and confirming that I am on the right track.
I also put in my notice as work which went super smooth and my last day there will be March 8th. The staff is very supportive and encouraging with this change. It will be a bitter sweet time leaving there for that job has been full of many trials and tests for me but also so many great people that I will miss.
It is bitter sweet thinking of saying goodbye to my family and dear friends. The Lord is so faithful to swoop in and encourage me. As my eyes swell with tears, I consider it a privledge to lay it all down for Him who did it for me. It is an honor to be able to have money,a job, great relationships, a home, and any other thing to lay down for him as a sacrifice. I think of Jesus who came to bring life to all by becoming a sacrifice and we are called to the same. By choosing to sacrifice, I am opening the door for God to come and bring eternal life through my temporal life. That to me is the biggest honor ever. I, as an individual have the ability and the power to act in faith and trust in order to see the impossible happen. As I step aside and trust him, I know that things are going to start happening that are out of my reach and out of my ability. That is where I want to live all the time.
It is opportunities like this that cause us to really ponder what it is we really want in life. We aren't all called to remote villages and tribes but we are all called to someone. That someone is the best thing that could ever happen to us because it is there with that person or group of people that we are forced to trust Him and get to know His character and see God do the impossible. It is all about relationship. Everything God does for us, around us, against us is all used to bring us into relationship with Him. It doesn't always look easy but I can tell you that being in the center of His will for your life is the best feeling every. You feel your own desires die off, you feel the raw flesh exposed and then you feel the Lord wash over those places with His love molding your heart to look like His. He knows what is best for us and we don't.
I have come to this place where I desperately want to see how weak I am without Him. This last year at my job I began to see a glimpse of that. They Lord gave me some impossibly situations that taught me to really pray and believe Paul's prayer, " When I am weak then I am strong." I realized that I went into the year praying for faith, patience and a good heart. Looking back on the year at my job, I can see how God answered my prayers. I began to understand that a good heart is a weak willing one. I learned that if I really want to see the depths of His love, I need to understand the depth of sin and weakness in my life that He has covered and wiped clean. I want to be clean and clear of all the selfish ambition and the little thoughts that think I know what is best. It's a lie! We have seen it over and over again in the Bible of God's people thinking they have got it right as they pursue the temporal satisfaction and lose sight of his plan for their lives. I think of the story of Achan in Joshua 7 that paints a beautiful picture of God's heart and jealousy over us. Here is a man who decides to steal some of the gold that the Israelites have won while in battle with a people group that are between them and the Promised Land. The Lord stops Joshua in his tracks and tells him who stole some gold and hid it in his tent. The battle stops and all the tribes of Israel come to a halt to find this hidden bit of gold. The battle couldn't be won until they got rid of him and all that he considered his. There was no way that the Israelites could enter the Promised Land and win the battles they were in until they all had their eyes on the end goal, the Promised Land which is ultimately Jesus. This to me, tells a beautiful story of how God pursues us. He brings us into battles that cannot be won unless we look to Him and keep our focus on the prize, Him. We are then tempted to make our own plans and hord some gold that we think we deserve. It is here in the battle we determine that we are weak and we need Him, but it is also here in the battle the Lord brings hope, relationship, blessing and promise of the eternal life with Him. We are all tempted to stop and settle for the temporal things that we know don't bring full satisfaction but bring comfort and are able to be controlled by us. Since we cannot escape the battles and nowhere in the Bible says that the Christian life is a walk in the park, lets embrace the fact that we are weak and we are nothing without Him! Let's look at every obstacle and battle as a chance to dance with Him. Let's find him in every circumstance. Let's consider it an honor to serve and work and battle now for the promise of eternal treasures and enjoyment with Jesus. With all this said, I want to encourage you all to hang in there and don't give up with whatever you are battling now. Find him and embrace your weakness for then we can see through the blinders of pride and selfish ambition to the one who can carry us through anything.There will be more coming soon, but bless you all as you find Him today. I appreciate any prayers too as I prepare to leave for South America within the next couple months.
Given for love,
I came home from IHOP with the itch to get going on selling my car. As I was thinking about the process of it, I hear the Lord say, "I can sell it within a week". I had also been praying about keeping the car in the family some how or at least with someone that I knew since the car had much sentimental value to me and such a great story to pass along. I just kind of disregarded it. I put my car up for sale on Monday night the 5th and by Wednesday morning the 7th, I get a voicemail and a Facebook message from some relatives that had just totaled their car and wanted to buy mine! Praise the Lord! So, we got to see them on Saturday (which was a treat in itself since we don't see them often) and I sold my car to them! TO FAMILY. WITHIN A WEEK. God is so good. This was incredibly encouraging and confirming that I am on the right track.
I also put in my notice as work which went super smooth and my last day there will be March 8th. The staff is very supportive and encouraging with this change. It will be a bitter sweet time leaving there for that job has been full of many trials and tests for me but also so many great people that I will miss.
It is bitter sweet thinking of saying goodbye to my family and dear friends. The Lord is so faithful to swoop in and encourage me. As my eyes swell with tears, I consider it a privledge to lay it all down for Him who did it for me. It is an honor to be able to have money,a job, great relationships, a home, and any other thing to lay down for him as a sacrifice. I think of Jesus who came to bring life to all by becoming a sacrifice and we are called to the same. By choosing to sacrifice, I am opening the door for God to come and bring eternal life through my temporal life. That to me is the biggest honor ever. I, as an individual have the ability and the power to act in faith and trust in order to see the impossible happen. As I step aside and trust him, I know that things are going to start happening that are out of my reach and out of my ability. That is where I want to live all the time.
It is opportunities like this that cause us to really ponder what it is we really want in life. We aren't all called to remote villages and tribes but we are all called to someone. That someone is the best thing that could ever happen to us because it is there with that person or group of people that we are forced to trust Him and get to know His character and see God do the impossible. It is all about relationship. Everything God does for us, around us, against us is all used to bring us into relationship with Him. It doesn't always look easy but I can tell you that being in the center of His will for your life is the best feeling every. You feel your own desires die off, you feel the raw flesh exposed and then you feel the Lord wash over those places with His love molding your heart to look like His. He knows what is best for us and we don't.
I have come to this place where I desperately want to see how weak I am without Him. This last year at my job I began to see a glimpse of that. They Lord gave me some impossibly situations that taught me to really pray and believe Paul's prayer, " When I am weak then I am strong." I realized that I went into the year praying for faith, patience and a good heart. Looking back on the year at my job, I can see how God answered my prayers. I began to understand that a good heart is a weak willing one. I learned that if I really want to see the depths of His love, I need to understand the depth of sin and weakness in my life that He has covered and wiped clean. I want to be clean and clear of all the selfish ambition and the little thoughts that think I know what is best. It's a lie! We have seen it over and over again in the Bible of God's people thinking they have got it right as they pursue the temporal satisfaction and lose sight of his plan for their lives. I think of the story of Achan in Joshua 7 that paints a beautiful picture of God's heart and jealousy over us. Here is a man who decides to steal some of the gold that the Israelites have won while in battle with a people group that are between them and the Promised Land. The Lord stops Joshua in his tracks and tells him who stole some gold and hid it in his tent. The battle stops and all the tribes of Israel come to a halt to find this hidden bit of gold. The battle couldn't be won until they got rid of him and all that he considered his. There was no way that the Israelites could enter the Promised Land and win the battles they were in until they all had their eyes on the end goal, the Promised Land which is ultimately Jesus. This to me, tells a beautiful story of how God pursues us. He brings us into battles that cannot be won unless we look to Him and keep our focus on the prize, Him. We are then tempted to make our own plans and hord some gold that we think we deserve. It is here in the battle we determine that we are weak and we need Him, but it is also here in the battle the Lord brings hope, relationship, blessing and promise of the eternal life with Him. We are all tempted to stop and settle for the temporal things that we know don't bring full satisfaction but bring comfort and are able to be controlled by us. Since we cannot escape the battles and nowhere in the Bible says that the Christian life is a walk in the park, lets embrace the fact that we are weak and we are nothing without Him! Let's look at every obstacle and battle as a chance to dance with Him. Let's find him in every circumstance. Let's consider it an honor to serve and work and battle now for the promise of eternal treasures and enjoyment with Jesus. With all this said, I want to encourage you all to hang in there and don't give up with whatever you are battling now. Find him and embrace your weakness for then we can see through the blinders of pride and selfish ambition to the one who can carry us through anything.There will be more coming soon, but bless you all as you find Him today. I appreciate any prayers too as I prepare to leave for South America within the next couple months.
Given for love,
2.04.2012
Given to the Wind
I am extremely excited for what this year holds. As I have been seeking direction from the Lord, I can confidently say that the Lord is calling me somewhere this year. I have been going through all my journals and putting all the words I have gotten through the years together into one document on my computer. This process was such an encouragement and made me realize that God has spoken so much over my life from people all over the world. I strongly recommend revisiting your old journals! I feel extremely blessed and convicted that I ever doubt that God speaks. He is so faithful to provide encouragement and direction when we ask. As I was revisiting all this the last couple weeks, it was confirmed 5 different times that the Lord is calling me somewhere. The Lord led me to Gen 12:1. To paraphrase, basically God calls Abraham up and out to another land. I feel like the Lord is calling me into a season of going and coming. I don't fully know what that is going to look like or for how long but I say, "bring it on"!
I am more than thrilled to be a dead leaf blowing in the wind resisting nothing, willing to blow anywhere the Holy Spirit is leading me.
I also noted several tines in my journal that Latin America and specifically South America has been spoken over me or has showed up my dreams. I guess I will start there! I strongly feel I am to join up with my Iris friends/missionaries that are currently headed to Ecuador and continuing on into all of S. America. I don't know the exact timing yet, but I feel that if it works out, I will be joining them for the remainder of the trip starting within the next couple of months (time to be determined). This trip will tentatively end in August or September. They are doing a bit of everything from inner city ministry to jungle outreaches doing things like showing the Jesus film, blessing churches, any practical help they can provide and praying for the sick. They are just following the Holy Spirit as well as connecting with various other like-hearted organizations along the way.
Along with this, I feel a green light to sell my car. I also have been cleaning out my closet and getting rid of unused things and any excess that I have. I want to be ready to go when the Lord says to go. I get butterflies when I think of what this year could look like. Woooohoooo!
I just spent the last week with one of my dear friends in Kansas City, Missouri at the International House of Prayer. She is apart of the missions school/ University there. I was able to sit in on some classes as well as be immersed in the prayer room that has has continual prayer and worship for 12 years now. I also got to receive some prophetic ministry that just confirmed what the Lord has been saying about this year. The atmosphere there is so refreshing and thick with the presence of God. I feel so refreshed. It warmed my heart to be able to spend that much quality time with her since it has been almost two years since we have had that. Thank you, friend :) It was such an honor to jump into the flow there of hundreds of young adults pressing into the word and pursuing the Lord with all that is within from all over the world. I soaked as much teaching and revelation in as I could. As well as the good spiritual food, I got to eat at some good restaurants. I got to enjoy some blues music, deep fried pickles and green beans, hot wings, meatloaf hamburger and truffle fries(that came in a little car as pictured below). I also go to enjoy some delicious Vietnamese food. Kansas City is a beautiful town with incredible art and restored brick buildings with a lot of wealth in its neighborhoods. Korynne is a great tour guide!
I am headed back home with much anticipation of what the Father is going to do and release back home. Although I may be in and out for the next while, my roots are here in Walla Walla and I have such a deep deep yearning to see the saints of the valley arise and be the glorious shining church we were meant to be, leaning hard on our Beloved, willing to do whatever it takes to have more of Him. I feel a great awakening in my spirit over this valley and I wait and rejoice with much excitement for what is about to happen here. Its an honor to be apart of a family that has plowed and sowed many many hours and even years of prayer and work into seeing freedom and the Lord come and receive his reward here in Walla Walla. My parents are so inspiring as they have laid down their lives over and over again unrelenting to see God move over this land. Its an honor to walk into the heritage of parents that plowed so that I could reap...who walked out the hard years so that others can enjoy the freedom that His Spirit has brought and continues to bring. Thank you Ma and Pops, your reward will be great! More for Walla Walla Lord! Its coming, I know it.
I guess that is all for now. I will follow this with some other personal revelations/words the Lord has been giving me lately (this last week at IHOP as well as leading up to). Bless you heaps and may you be overwhelmed and stopped in your tracks today with the depths of His love over you.
Overwhelmed and undone in His love...
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