I am sitting at Caribou Coffee. I have my Black Thai tea latte made with soy, extra hot, and dusted with cinnamon in hand (well next to the computer when I type, in hand when I ponder). The sun is shining through the window, there is scarcely a cloud in the sky, and I am propped on a very cushioned stool, ready to write . . . life is good.
Right now in this exact moment I feel like I am about to absolutely BURST as I think about the goodness of my God. It’s a goodness that allows me to enjoy little pleasures like Black Thai lattes without guilt even though I know there are billions around the world without the privilege of sitting in a coffee shop sipping tea. It is the same goodness that, out of the abundance that God gives my hands, shows me how to freely give because freely I have received.
And today, I am really excited to share with you the GOODNESS (other than my latte) that God has poured out, is pouring out, and will continue (I pray) to pour out over me in the coming years!!!
At the beginning of my most recent journey in January I shared with you my love for Cambodia and the beautiful chaos I found myself in, in the midst of the bustling capital city of Phnom Penh.
Smack in the middle of my time there, I introduced you to the broken little hearts and lives of three precious, beautiful children with whom my heart had fallen in love.
At the end of my time in Cambodia, I honestly confessed the internal struggle that raged as I counted the cost of truly committing my life to obeying Jesus’ command to “GO and MAKE disciples of all nations.”
“The Christian landscape is strewn with the wreckage of derelict half-built towers, the ruins of those who began to build and were unable to finish. For thousands of people still ignore Christ’s warning and undertake to follow him without first pausing to reflect on the cost of doing so; the result is the great scandal of Christendom today- so called, nominal Christianity. In countries to which Christian civilization has spread, large numbers of people have covered themselves with a decent but thin veneer of Christianity. They have allowed themselves to become somewhat involved, enough to be respectable but not enough to be uncomfortable. Their religion is a great soft cushion. It protects them from the hard unpleasantness of life while changing its place and shape to suit their convenience. No wonder the cynics speak of hypocrites in the church and dismiss religion as escapism.” – John Stot
Today, with mounting excitement (so much I can barely stand it!) I proclaim the goodness of God yet again as I share with you the journey He has taken me on to get me here, where I am now . . .
AT THE END OF AUGUST I WILL BE MOVING to Cambodia
as a long term missionary for AIM!!!
The Journey: (the short-hand version- this is a blog after all- Call me. We’ll have coffee if you want to hear the long-hand version!)
Last year on the World Race, God broke my heart even more for an issue that was already heart-wrenching to me, sexual slavery and human trafficking. As I walked through personal healing and came face to face with other women who were being lied to about their beauty and worth, God began to birth a dream in my heart to restore to them what had been taken from them.
I fully believe that at the core of who I am- the very reason I was ever thought of and put on this earth- is to help these women; hurting, broken and lied to- women like me- discover that there is an imperishable beauty that God has put within them, which the world needs to see and experience; and that there is a deep wellspring of healing and restoration called The Life of Christ, bubbling over, ready to spill into their very lives.
Then I met these kids in January and my life was forever ruined again by the Lord. In meeting them I felt a love for another human being(s) that I have never experienced before- the sacrificial love of a mother for a child. God revealed to me in a startling moment of honesty that laying down everything: my dreams, my plans, my family, my friends, my comfort, my desires . . . everything is worth it if it means giving them a chance to truly live.
I learned in January that preventing human trafficking is just as important and close to my heart as restoring the lives of those wrecked by it.
So in August I go. . . . I must go.
I am moving to Cambodia with a vision and determination to start a business that will help victims of sexual slavery begin to dream and realize their God-given beauty and talents. Through the business we will give them an avenue through which to express themselves and unveil that beauty. We will provide them employment with dignity that is built upon their dreams for their lives. And not only will this business provide employment to women coming out of the sex trade, but it will provide employment to mothers from the slums, so that the supply of children sold to traffickers is cut off, so that families stay intact, so that children go to school, and so that communities are transformed.
I am keeping this blog and will continue to update it regularly. It is my desire that you would continue to journey with me, pray for me, and support this endeavor financially if the Lord leads you.
I am looking to raise $2000 in monthly support in order to meet my budget requirements. You can set up an automatic monthly withdrawal from your bank very easily by clicking the “support me” tab on the left. And please make sure you choose: STAFF SUPPORT.
All support given by the Body of Christ-
prayer, encouragement, financial
– is greatly appreciated!!
