Savior

Blessed.

Undeserving.

Grateful.

Humbled.

These are the words I would use to express how I feel this Christmas season. This year this season has been different then any other year for me. It has been one of reflection, learning and a humbling one.

As I listen to the Christmas music play on the radio declaring the joy this season brings, as I see the TV flash with commercials of families together on Christmas morning opening gifts and as I look forward to seeing my whole family this upcoming weekend, God has opened my eyes. Rather we realize it or not or just want to ignore it, that is not the reality for the majority for the world. For so many people Christmas is not a time of joy and love, but rather one of heartache and pain. A reminder of what they lost or have never had. I have many dear friends that have lost their mother, a sister, a brother, a daughter or a best friend. Christmas is far from a happy time. My heart breaks for these people that have lost someone so dear to them and Christmas seems to only serve as a reminder that they are gone. So, is that the end of their story?

Christmas will come and go and will be a painful time, and then it come back again next year on Dec 25th. Praise God it is not!

Jesus was born into the world that night, and became a human just like you and me, because He knew we needed hope. God knew we needed a Savior. God knew you would have pain, heartache and grief in this world so He came to earth to do what we could not do for ourselves.

He came to be our Savior.

He came to earth to die.

He came to heal our brokenness.

He see’s your pain.

He see’s your grief.

He came to carry it.

He came to carry your burden.

He came to take the hurt that circumstances in life that are out of your control have placed on you.

He died on a cross and willingly gave up his life so you could have peace here on earth in Him.

Jesus came because He wanted a personal relationship with you. He loves you so much that He sacrificed his very life so He could spend eternity in heaven with you.

He wants you.

This year instead of trying to carry the pain and heartache that Christmas brings, give it to Jesus. Let Jesus make Christmas a time of sweet surrender. And a chance to get to know your Savior that loves you without end.

His jewels

Words seem to fall short.

I am unsure how to somehow explain this injustice that goes on even as you read this. I just finished watching the movie Taken. It was one of the hardest movies I have ever watched. I felt uncomfortable. I wanted it to just end.

Sex trafficking.

The movie is about a young American girl that goes to Paris for vacation and gets abducted and sold into the sex trade. The whole movie is the story of her dad trying to rescue her and doing whatever it takes to get his daughter back. In the end of the movie he does. He rescues her. Though the movie ended with a “happy ending” I felt anything, but happy. That was one girl. What about all the others? What about the other girls that will never see their families again? Or the young girl that will never feel the embrace of her Daddy again? What about her?

Sex trafficking is a major industry. And not just in foreign countries, it’s happening right here in the US. Currently there are as many or more than 100,000 trafficked into the U.S. annually.

America is the third largest destination country for trafficked victims, behind Japan and Australia. Victims are trafficked around the world for purposes of forced prostitution, labor and other forms of exploitation. In a lot of cases the victims are promised a better life or a good job and then forced to become a slave. Today 70-80% of all slaves are sex slaves. Entire economies fueled by the sexual exploitation of women and children. These aren’t just numbers. These are real women, real children. Someone’s daughter. Someone’s sister. Someone’s mother.

This is happening today.

Now.

Young girls are being raped several times a day, having forced abortions, and living in a life of darkness. We can’t ignore this.

“For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt. I am mourning; astonishment has taken hold of me.“ Jeremiah 8:21

What are we to do? How can we possibly end this billion dollar industry?

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew19:26

Cry out to God. Fall on your face before Him. We need to repent of our own sins, and impurities. We must deal with our own injustice against God, before we can deal with injustice against others.

Talk to Jesus.

Have intimacy with the Father. When you and the father are connected you can clearly hear what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you.Listen to the Holy Spirit.

Obey.

It sounds simple right? I can speak from experience its not always easy. The Holy Spirit will ask you to do things that make you feel uncomfortable. He might ask you to stand up like you never have before. He might ask you to go before a group of people and spread awareness about the sex trade. He might ask you to give away all your earthly possessions and rescue these precious girls. I don’t know what the Holy Spirit will speak to you, but I do know you can trust Him. He is always faithful. This is the very thing He has called us to as his children.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is one me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness the prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1

If we don’t, who will?

He is our Light

The other night I was driving home from work and it was blizzarding. It was almost impossible to see further then one car in front of me and the wind was strong enough to blow my car off the road. As I turned onto the gravel road one mile away from home, the conditions grew worse. The road was drifted over and wind now blew directly at me instead of to the side of me. I couldn't see. At that moment I had a choice. I could pull over and wait for the wind to die down and hope it cleared up or I could contiune on for the last mile and preserve through the storm. I choose to drive through.

The Holy Spirit spoke to me in that moment. He told me how this is just like life. Throughout my life I have had various struggles and storms come and every time I had a choice to give up and just hide in the corner, or else I could perserve on through and get to the light at the end of the road. That night as I drove I couldn't see my farm lights, or any glimpse of light, but I KNEW that my house was only a mile away and that if I contiuned on, I would make it eventually. God allows storms to come into our lives and its up to us how we are going to handle them. Sometimes the storms in life are so painful or hard that the future looks completely and utterly dark. It looks like their is absolulely no hope. But that is when God calls us to hang on to what we know to be true. Himself. He is our Hope. He is our Light. When all you see is darkness and hopelessness around you, remember that Jesus promises HE is the light of the world. That he came to be our HOPE.

Keep perserving, their is Light. He is our Light. When the future looks dark, call out His name. He is there. Even when we dont see it.

Christ's love compels me

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who lived should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."
2 Corinthians 5:14-15

This verse explains my life. My heart. I realized the other day that I had never really introduced people who are reading this blog to what my journey is all about and what I'll be doing.

For those of you who don't know, I returned in May from spending nine months in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa. I went with an acceptant heart. Ever since I was very young I remember feeling called to missions overseas, so as I left for Africa last year I went with an open heart, telling God I would stay there long term if that is what He called me too. I think it was only by the second month being there I knew God wanted me there. Not just for those nine months, but longer. My experience in Jeffreys Bay changed my life forever. I returned in May confident in Jesus Christ, compelled to share Jesus like never before, and broken over thelost. After seeking Jesus' heart and will for my life and really meditating on:

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 34:7

I became to know Jesus in such a more intimate way this summer. I came to know Him as my Abba Father. As my Husband and my Beloved. I came to know deep down in my heart that He is crazy about me. That He wants every piece of my heart. He delights in giving me the desires of my heart when Him and I are truly one. How gracious He is!

So! That brings me to now. I am walking by faith as I journey back to Jeffreys Bay, South Africa on February 10th.
Here all are the details and information:

--I will be flying out on February 10th

--I am going to be part of a program called Leadership Experience( LXP).
It is a servant leadership program designed for Africans or people with a heart for Africa.
The basic layout of LXP is teachings and lectures in the morning and ministry in the afternoons.

Ministry will be with the youth, children and familes of Jbay. A big ministry they are involved in is Beat The Drum which is a huge AIDS awareness/ teaching campaign in the schools and communities to South Africa. The country is plagued with HIV/AIDs and Beat The Drum brings teaching on the disease, hope in Jesus Christ, and each person's identity in Jesus and not their disease.

--I will be living with my team in a house in Jeffreys Bay. Right now I am unsure how many students will be on the team. Since LXP is a African program, I will most likely be the only American student on the team. I am so excited to be completely immersed in the African culture and be stretched and challenged like never before.

--The program ends Nov 5th with a graduation and celebration service.

So, that is a little rundown of what my next year will look like. I am so excited to walk by faith and see the amazing things God is going to do!

Praise God for the funds and support I have received! I am at 65% of my needed funds! If you would like to support me and what God is doing in South Africa please let me know and I will give you the information! Please join me as we further God's kingdom!