Stay At The Table.

Picture something with me for a moment. Picture a table set for two- candles are lit, flowers in a vase, plates are out, forks, knives, and napkins all folded and placed perfectly in their spots. Being Valentines Day, it’s not hard to picture this scene- its romantic, welcoming and frankly exactly where most people want to be on a day like today. A man can make this all happen- set everything up but it is still the choice of the woman if she wants to show up and partake in what was done for her.

When Jesus walked the earth, He spent a lot of time around tables- making them and sitting at them with his disciples and lots of others. He knew what it meant to make covenants and to do life with others. A couple of months ago I said yes to not only sitting down at the table with God which I have done for quite a few years now- but I made covenant not to leave the table. Something that seems so simple isn’t something that I’ve taken lightly- covenant means forever. Staying at the table means that no matter what, I choose to walk through the plans He has for me- to not look back but to tabernacle with God (or commit to His presence) through it all. That means listening to the voice of God in every step of everything I do. That means intimacy with Jesus everyday, and that means one crazy adventure with my heavenly Father.

Lately God has been beginning to bring out the food to the table, and it hasn’t been scraps or crumbs. It’s been real food. It’s been big promises He’s spoken over me, new gifts, and greater depths of His love and the Holy Spirit and to be honest it has scared me a little. It scares be because its foreign territory to me- I’ve never been romanced like this before or had someone so willing to just sit and be with me, the real me- flaws and all, and at the same time feed me the best of what He has for me. The beauty in all this is that He has been so patient with my heart and just sits with me and talks through it with me. My heart is beginning to love this constant feeling of butterflies in my stomach, head spinning, and heart pumping in my chest as I listen to His voice and grow deeper in love with the one who created me.

“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:11-13

**Stay tuned here for some exciting news coming soon about more of what God is doing next. 

I Want To Be A Millionaire

I want to be a millionaire. 

This statement looks pretty lofty for a missionary and honestly I never thought it would be something that was going to come out of my mouth. My hearts desire is to be a millionaire but not in the form you are probably thinking. As my teacher here told us a story of a man who wanted to reach a million people for Christ in his lifetime, I found my heart aching to reach out to a million being trafficked.

The numbers in human trafficking are astounding if you sit down and read them- 27 million people are in the bondage of slavery and that number is only growing daily.

Looking at the multitude of the problem I find myself saying, I do want to be a millionaire- saving a million children from the yoke of sex slavery in my lifetime.

Crazy you say? It is a pretty bold statement that honestly looks unattainable. I’ve learned in my time here that if I want to make a dent in this worldwide problem I’m going to have to fight for things that look unreachable. I’m going to have to look past the numbers, past those saying not to bother fighting a “losing battle” and see the hope that I bring to the table for these children. Jeremiah experienced something similar to this when God first called and spoke to him.

“And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” Jeremiah 1:11-12

An almond branch is something very unique- it blooms beautiful flowers in the middle of winter. In the middle of a time where there should be no fruition at all, no blooming of anything, it stands as a sign for the hope and new life that is to come. Jeremiah looked past what his physical eyes could see and the problem in front of him to see what was coming- and that was hope and life through him. The Lord knew Jeremiah’s heart and in that trusted what He said so much that God spoke that He would make it come to pass. What a crazy amount of trust for a young man, with little confidence being called to something that was going to affect nations.

The same rings true in my own life. I know that God trusts me, and that He trusts my heart with this large of a calling. So I choose to speak out hope and life. I see and almond branch for Cambodia and for India. I see hope for a million children that are trapped in sex slavery right now, and I know that hope starts with me. 

Where do you see an almond branch?

Shaken and Dislodged

This is a recent article that I wrote that was put in the G42 quarterly magazine summing up my last three months here in Spain. 

Shaken: to become dislodged and fall off or down

If you spend more than five minutes in a classroom at G42 you will feel some things being dislodged from you and if you stay much longer than that you will see those things start to fall to the ground. My first three months here at G42 has had a shaking effect on me. What has not been founded on the rock, Jesus Christ has been falling to the ground. Lies I’ve believed about myself, about God, and about others have come off me like dry sand off the bottom of my feet. You see, I didn’t realize that in my three years of really chasing after my King, so many things have stuck to me; so many comments spoken over me, false teachings brought to my ears, and doubts presented to me were picked up by my feet as I walked through them. Hebrews 12:27-28, says

“This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful in receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken..”

The Greek word for shaken that is used in this passage is saleuo and it literally means to agitate or provoke and to cause to totter. Honestly when I first felt things starting to dislodge from me it felt a lot like agitation, questioning and tottering. But in all reality God was shaking the things off of me that were never meant to be there because they didn’t come from Him. The truth is they aren’t going to glorify Him in my future work in ministry either. There comes a point in everyone’s walk with God where they are either going to choose to let those things stay and start to stink on you or let the Holy Spirit remove them and place beautiful garments on you. I’ve chosen the latter and in that He has started to build upon what has remained from the shaking. My foundation is strong now because nothing else is lodged in it that is affecting it.

“Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house that dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and COULD NOT SHAKE IT, because it had been well built.” Luke 6:47-48

**If you would like to be a part of what God is doing through me here and my future plans you can hit the partner with me button and read more. 

Too Light of a Calling

Teaching has always been my passion from as long as I can remember. As a young child, I used to line up my stuffed animals and play teacher as I

dreamed at what that could really be like. As I went through college and started to travel the world, I found Jesus in the most astounding places and my passion started to shift. To be just a teacher felt like to light of a call on my life and my heart ached for something more- and felt it as I read these verses…

“It is too light a thing that should be my servant,

to raise up the tribes of Jacob,

and to bring back the preserved of Israel;

I will make you as a light for the nations,

That my salvation may reach to the end

of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6

As I left for Spain 3 months ago, I thought that the ache for something more meant trading in teaching for missions- but once again God amazed me as He got rid of that poverty way of thinking. The God I serve is a God of abundance, of increasing favor and power, and a God who personally loves me enough to combine all of my passions into something that glorifies His name.

In my time here God has broken off the lie that I don’t deserve good things or that when good things in my life happen they are only temporal. That’s not in the character of my savior, and I know that He only wants to lavish great things over my life. The favor that I felt for the first time over my life in India has only increased ten-fold since being here in Spain, and I’ve started to see the blessing that is in every situation that I’m in.

God has brought the blessing of teaching back into my life and continually shown me in my time here that He wants teaching to always be a part of my life in some form. For now that means teaching English to two amazing brothers, Julio and Pablo. I have learned more in 3 months of teaching these boys, than I have my entire college career of preparing to teach. Julio has a form of autism and from day one has challenged every part of my teaching. Similar to how G42 has shaken my beliefs until only was is true remained, Julio has shaken who I am as a teacher. For the first two months of teaching him, we didn’t have one day that didn’t end in a tantrum of some sort and me reluctantly giving in so they would “at least learn some English.” But one day I was sick of the tantrums and frustration of not understanding why he was doing it, so I ignored his tantrum and decided to just continue practicing English vocabulary with Pablo. After a half hour of screams, cries, and rolling on the ground Julio snuggled up next to me and started to learn beside his brother. From that point on, the relationship between Julio and I was different because for the first time in his life he realized someone was fighting for him to really learn and grow.

Man has Julio shown me how I’m going to have to be fighting for the girls being trafficked that will be entrusted to me. I want to be a safe place to find peace and freedom amidst the chaos of hopeless circumstances surrounding them. Although daily people are fighting Julio and his way of learning- often calling him disabled and stupid- I get the honor of being a safe place to listen to how he needs to learn and purely create a place of peace for him. Creating a place where He can experiment with his learning without getting reprimanded for it and be the creative, brilliant little boy that Jesus has made him has been vital to his growth. And it’s going to be vital to those little girls’ lives as well.

I am being equipped daily for life on the missions field, and my adventures have already started here in Spain. If you want to be a part of all that God is doing in and through me- you can hit the Partner With Me tab and get further information. I am so grateful to all those out there praying for me and sacrificing time and money to see the dreams God has placed in me come to fruition.

Living in Abundance and Need

The transition between India and Spain was quick back in October, and I’m not really even sure I knew why specifically I was coming here, except that I heard the Lord’s voice to go.  I was having coffee with Andrew, the founder here at G42 the other day and he asked me what my expectations were coming here- we both laughed as I answered that I honestly didn’t have many because I hadn’t really even researched where I was going- I just dived in because the Lord said so. It’s amazing what God chooses to do with those leaps of faith- usually they bring some of the closest community, grandest adventures, and greatest moves of God in your life. Most of my walk with God has been just that- hearing the Lords voice and just going with no idea what I am getting myself into, and it hasn’t disappointed me once- I’ve grown leaps and bounds because of it and met some of the most amazing people in places I never thought I would be. God has moved in Guatemala, Honduras, Thailand, India, and Spain right before my eyes and I’m nowhere near the person I was 3 years ago. That’s the wild adventure that comes when you put your yes on the table without even knowing what that really entails with God.

Spain has been some of the hardest 3 months of my life and the best. I’ve experienced increasing favor and blessing from the Lord in ways I absolutely never expected.  God has revamped what I thought I knew blessing and favor meant. I used to think blessing meant having great things, being surrounded by the best people, and seeing God heal the sick and blind in front of me. Boy was I wrong. Blessing is the continual presence of God, its being content in any circumstance, and wholeheartedly loving anyone who is put next to you. I could have absolutely nothing and still be blessed beyond measure. Philippians 4: 11-13 says,

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Paul nailed it here.  He knows how to find the presence of God in all circumstances, and in that Paul knows that he can do anything that God asks of him because The Source of strength is the one asking him.  

It has been a hard three months here at G42- I’ve been pushed past myself so much that at some points its hurt, I’ve had to find my voice, and God has broken some of the ugly parts in me off, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I live in a community of truth speakers, kingdom bringers, and beautiful people that are unwilling to let me stay where I’m at, ever. That’s why I am here. Yes, I am learning how to be content wherever God places me or calls me to, but more importantly God is shaking me to see what parts of me stand. The past three months has been the shaking- it’s been painful, frustrating, and hard but these next three months here are going to be vital to my entire future. He is going to strengthen what made it through the past three months and add what I need to dive into a lifetime of fighting for His kingdom and people in the nations.

My tribe here at G42 

 God requires much more than just putting our yes on the table to what He asks, He requires our covenant to never leave the table no matter what comes our way. To be content in all circumstances, because He will strengthen us for what He asks us to do. I’ve made my covenant; I am staying at the table. How about you?

I am still in need financially and prayerfully for these next three months. They are vital to what God is asking of me long term. If you want to be a part of this wild adventure and what God is doing through me, you can click the "partner with me" tab above. I deeply appreciate all your support- I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without my supporters! Be blessed this Christmas!