“Whoever believes in me as the scripture has
said, streams of living water will flow from within” John 7:38
I am a new
creation, in God.
I am broken
but loved, I am rejected but accepted, I grieve but am held, I am weak but
strong, I am heard by God, the heavenly father who is Jealous for me.
I have come from a
loving Christian family, who desires to help me grow and inspires me to love
God. My family guided me along to follow Christ my whole life! My whole life I was
following Him, doing the “right” things but one day I choice the
Savoir of the world this was the day I confessed it! I was falling in love for
my first time.
I was born
and raised in Vancouver, living in Surrey most of my childhood life, learning
to serve the homeless and found the love for the local community, that God has for his
people.
In
high school I meant some of my closest friends for those years. We went to
church together. I found, that God loved
me unconditionally and wanted to shower His love upon me and His people. He
delighted in me! I delighted in Him. As
the years and days went by I kept perusing God, not saying there was not hard
times but I always knew whose hand I needed to hold and keep focused on.
I graduate high school in 2004. My friends
from school I drew farther and farther from. At that point in my life I was
involved in a Bilingual Church (they translation the entire service). Their
passion for Christ was amazing, coming to the front in worship, laying it all
down at His feet. I learned God simply wants us to come to Him laying our sin
down, not to accuse us but to take the guilt and shame from us and in return
give us freedom. I attended this church for four years, being a part of the
worship, leadership, youth and children ministry. At the end of the four years
I felt it was time to leave.
Istarted to pray and found Lifeteams: School of Urban Youth Outreach in a web search.
I prayed and prayed, visited and applied. Not knowing but knowing this is where God
wanted me. I remember visiting and the director saying, “ok well pray
and continue to seek if this is where God wants you , give it a week or so and if you feel right apply”. I said “This may be
silly, but I know this is where I am supposed to go, so I will apply”. I
applied within two days and got accepted a week later. This school is 8 1/2
months long, you live in a house with the other students (this was a small year
so there was only 6 of us). You learned about community living, about who God
created you to be, you do inner city missions, outdoor adventures, work in a
retirement home, go on a mission to a native reserve, work A LOT with the
homeless in downtown Vancouver and find out how to live a life for God every
day- walking with Him.
During that year one journey was
started. One evening my life had a major turn of events. I got a phone call telling
me that my dad had just gotten into a motorcycle accident and had died. I knew that
God had a plan for me to be in Lifeteams which I found out one
major reason that day! God used this community to lift me up and really
come along side this journey. Four days after that, my group went repelling and
it was that day I chose to live life to the fullest and not let fear conquer my
life.
A month or so
after that event was when God
asked me to get baptized as an adult. I put it off but God persisted and I
simply had to listen and say yes. I got a few people together; we found a hot
tub and did as God asked. My time there
God really opened my eyes and began taking the layers off of me that I put on
myself and I began seeing a new me. I found joy in life’s adventures, learning
to live life fearlessly and courageously. I learned how to be a child of God
who had Joy and laughter but not of my own self but from Jesus Christ, who is
the provider of those things. I
would never have asked for anything else in that time in my life. The community
I built that year I never thought I would love so much, a deep caring, that my
heart aches when they ache, have joy when they have joy.
I cannot begin to tell you
where I have been over the past few years to be where I’m at now. The journeys
that took place started a big adventure/season for my life- more than I can
even comprehend at times. It taught me to find God in the quiet, see Him in the
people I interact with and meet, and to find God in the adventure and beauty of
this world. These past few years
have been a journey that blows my mind most days and I just have to keep saying
yes!
My desire for the World Race
comes from God and an inspiration of my father to dream big and never give up. I am continually coming to a deeper understanding
of God, who I am, what true community looks like, and how to live life as a
daily sacrifice to God. It may look different than what we ever expect, but the
journey God is taking me on is more than I have ever dreamed of. I
learning how to be more firmly rooted in Christ and give control to God as he
guides my life.
Our heavenly father loves us and desires for us to truly learn to
capture his passion for his children. HE wants us to change for His glory and radite His
presence to bring hope to the nations, the people around us and everyone we
interact with along this journey we call life.
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