Over the course of the 11 months that I was on the field I struggled with believing that I had any type of creative bone in my body.
As in, I denied being creative. Constantly said that I wasn’t.
I believed that creativity was for the elite few that could paint and play guitar. I believed that it was for those who could write books and sell their paintings for a million dollars.
You know, things that change the world.
I believed all of these things while I was trekking the globe with a camera in my hand snapping pictures of anything and anyone that I could.
Low and behold, when I started digging into my identity in Christ, not just a woman, not a missionary, not a social worker, but really getting to the root of who the Lord created me to be, He began telling me that I was creative.
And I wrestled.
For months.
Denying still, even though my Father was saying it to me and about me. Denying. Arguing. Talking to my mentor about how I was denying and arguing with the Lord. Talking to my teammates and friends about how I just didn’t think the Lord was right on this one.
But what I learned was, friends and mentors believe for you when you can’t believe for yourself. And they start to come alongside the Lord and speak that same thing about you and to you until you can believe it for yourself. They encourage you, that just because you can’t paint doesn’t mean that you can’t take pictures and just because you can’t take pictures, it doesn’t mean that you can’t paint.
I am creative because I am created by a creative God. It’s an attribute of the Lord that I don’t get to pick whether or not I have, because I just do. Because it’s who I am.
So, ladies and gentlemen, through that newfound creativity, I want to invite you to something the Lord has been stirring in my heart. When my mom first threw out the idea, I wasn’t so sure. It seems a little terrifying to me but you just have to know what the Lord did around the world for 11 months.
I have to tell you. I have to show you. Because, well, the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.
I am having a PHOTO GALLERY on September 23rd from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Central Baptist Church in Argo!
There are going to be a few pictures from each country, a caption to tell you all about it and me mingling with all of you to tell you more. There will be opportunities to donate to my squad leading account and some of the pictures will be for sale. But, my heart behind this isn’t for the money that it could bring, it’s for you to know the stories of the people I have met. For you to know how the Lord welcomed a Hindu woman into His kingdom that we will see again one day. It’s about street kids feeling the love of Christ and it’s about girls in a group home knowing their worth. It’s about that one-time a prostitute in the Red Light District heard that Jesus loves her so much.
I am hoping that as you walk through this gallery, you are stirred to love your neighbor. To love them enough to share the gospel. To love them enough to be patient. To be kind. To be gentle. I pray that as you walk through you feel a little of the brokenness of this world but that you also leave with a sense of hope. A hope that Christ is still glorified. He is still the center. He is still sovereign. He is still in control. Because, while the Lord has done some really great things around the world, He wants to do them right here. All He needs are willing people to open their mouths for what they know is right. To love their neighbors, no matter the color of their skin or the place that they come from.
So, tell a friend and come see what the Lord has done. Come hear the stories of the world. From Asia to Africa to the Caribbean. It’s a casual, come and go type of thing. We’ll have snacks and drinks and a whole lot of things to talk about. What else would you want to do on a Friday night? Not much that I can think of!
Also, I have about $1000 dollars raised and I am absolutely blown away, once again, by my faithful supporters. Without you, these stories, they wouldn’t happen. Thank you so much to the ones that have given any amount. Feel free to go up to the top and click that “support” tab! Also, subscribe to stay updated with all the things over the next nine months! I will be leaving for Georgia at the end of this month and then flying out to Ecuador, India and Zambia!
