Epilogue: Life After the World Race for Angie

It has been a very long time since I’ve sent out a post updating all you lovely readers about my life. I’ve decided a report is long overdue and that I need to catch you all up on the goings on in the life of Angie Blattner. As most of you know, I got home from the World Race (and India, to be more precise) on August 31st at around 10 pm. The reunion at Denver International Airport was amazing and my family, God family, church family and best friend all were waiting for me at the passenger pick up! So I got home, and had two weeks of American luxury. I had high speed internet, hot showers, my own car, the ability to communicate with ANYONE because I know the English language and Starbucks DRIVE-THRU…what!?!? WHAT!?! Life was good…but after 14 days of this I went to Tanzania with some of my church family at First Pres. to do two weeks of mission work in the area of Arusha. 

This was a phenomenal opportunity I was blessed to have been apart of because I was able to see all the fruits of my church’s work over the last 10 years. I stood in buildings First Pres. in Greeley funded. I sat in desks my Vacation Bible Schools raised money for. I loved on children and teachers that have known and loved my home church for years and it was such a special time. After Tanzania I was praying about what to do next in my life. Initially coming off the field, I felt like if I wasn’t living permanently overseas in a hut somewhere that I was failing the Lord and not serving Him, but after realizing that’s not God’s plan for everyone, I prayed and came to a peace about applying to seminary school. I had planned on getting my Masters in Divinity and becoming a pastor before the World Race but I had been battling the issue, going back and forth on whether or not to stay in the United States for most of the 11 months and I realized that God has called me to the US for the next large chapter in my life. So I applied to Denver Seminary and began doing research on scholarships for their program. 

I was told that the scholarship I would need to attend the school was only applicable to students beginning seminary in the fall semesters and that I would need to wait until Fall 2012 if I wanted to get any financial aid. OK, God…what am I supposed to do for six-eight months?!? So, I prayed and thought about leading a “Passport Trip” that Adventures In Missions does for college students. Maybe I’d go to India or Africa for four months. Well, I didn’t have a peace about that at all and just thought of doing it because “it sounded like a good idea at the time…” That’s never a good enough reason to do anything. Ever. For any reason. 🙂 So I was sitting in the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia airport on my way home from Africa with my parents and I typed into Google “colorado human trafficking ministries”. And a ministry in Lakewood, Colorado popped up called “Streets Hope” and I fell in love with their mission. 

“Streets Hope” is a safe, transition housing program that helps women who have previously been in the sex industry. The women live at a home together with a housing director and they get rehabilitated and transformed through the healing and redemption of Jesus Christ. This was PERFECT FOR ME. I had such a heart for prostitution ministry, human trafficking and anything that had to do with discipleship the entire year I was on the mission field and I could not have come up with a more perfect ministry than “Streets Hope” for this next season in my life. Well, I e-mailed the current housing director, told her my life story and gave her my blog, and she e-mailed me back with an offer to interview for the position of assistant housing director! After some interviews at the house in Lakewood I was given the job and agreed to start working and living their full time with the women at the beginning of January 2012! You can check out their website here at: www.streetshope.org…

In November I took two trips. The first trip was two Peru with my former WR team mate, Alana Lusted, squad mate, Emily Toles, and Alana’s family/church family. This mission trip was absolutely incredible and I still cannot get over how much the Lord used us in only SIX DAYS on the field. We saw a boy who was deaf and mute all his life get completely healed and his first word ever speaking was, “JESUS”. We watched the Lord heal a man who had been crippled and wasn’t able to walk on his own. After prayer and the Holy Spirit doing His miraculous thing, the man who had previously needed the help of his wife and his cane was walking with the strength of a healthy young man. Praise Yaweh!! It was an extremely beautiful time getting to be with Emily and Alana who I missed so much and together with the group from Crosspoint Ministries, we got to serve in orphanages, women’s shelters, revivals and crusades, medical clinics, schools and on the street. Needless to say, when I got back from Peru I was blown away by God’s love and power but EXHAUSTED. 

After Peru I almost immediately got on a plane to Missouri with my family to see my extended family on my mom’s side. My grandmother who will be 94 in February is still doing so well for her age but every time I see her I remember to cherish each moment I have with her because we never know how long we will be here on Earth. It was great to see my grandmother, my two aunts, uncle Lenny, cousin Craig, cousin Lena, cousin Anna, the Guests, the Hoovers, and all other 50 relatives I got to visit with over Thanksgiving. Now that the Holidays are here things have just gotten even more hectic and crazy! I just found out yesterday that the current housing director at “Streets Hope” has decided to pursue other ministries and that she will be leaving the day before I start. This makes me the interim Housing Director until the Executive Director and board at “Streets Hope” can find a replacement. This means I will be living with and “directing” the ladies on my own and could really, really use some prayers for wisdom, patience, and discernment. 

I know the Lord has put me in this position for a divine purpose and after much prayer being poured over the situation, I have peace with it. Please keep the previous housing director, Bernie and her husband, Chris in your prayers. I love them both very much and I pray God continues to do amazing things in them and through them! With all the changes going on with my new job, I will be moving most of my things down to Lakewood in the next week and do a crash course training with Bernie before she leaves. After training, my family and I are going to Jordan and Egypt (specifically the Sinai peninsula) for Christmas this year on a religious pilgrimage so I will take a short break from ministry, spend time with the family, and then on January 1st hit the ground running with work at this amazing organization!! 

Obviously, I need your prayers now more than ever it seems. Last year I had a team with me, and I no longer have that support and “family atmosphere”…pray that I find a good church community to support me in the Lakewood/Denver area. I need prayers of spiritual, physical and emotional protection as I go into this “war zone” and fight for these women who are coming out of brutal and horrific situations. I need prayers for the Holy Spirit to speak to me and work through me, directing and guiding me in every aspect of this position. Please also pray for the entire staff at “Streets Hope”, the women that are coming out of the sex industry and going through the program, and that we will all come together as a united front against the attacks of the Enemy and with full force to bring the Kingdom of God to Denver, Colorado! Pray for my mom, dad and sister as they deal with the effects of this new job and move and pray that they stay strong and safe in the Lord’s arms. It’s been so good to be home with them these last months and I will truly miss seeing the three of them every single day. 🙂

I am so excited to form relationships with each and every one of the women down in Denver. There are currently eight women at the house but the Executive Director informed me yesterday that they are expanding the house to hold ten women! WHOOHOO! I am confident that this is exactly where I’m supposed to be and that even though I feel completely unprepared and a little crazed the moment, God has got this and He always, ALWAYS comes through for me when I am in need. I will continue keeping a blog as a way to keep you supporters updated on how to pray and how God’s moving in my life and in Denver. I love you all so much and it is because of YOU, LOVED ONES that I got through the World Race (and the four months after the World Race) as strongly and successfully as I did! Your prayers are powerful and effective, and that’s why I NEED YOU. I need you to fight with me on this and I need you to stand in the gap and intercede as I’m on the front lines for the Lord….let’s watch God unfold His miraculous plans for the women at “Streets Hope” in the year 2012!!!