What’s Next?!?!

Thank You so much for all of the prayers, encouragement, financial support, laughter, tears, ups and downs that you shared with me this past year! 
 
Thank You for letting the Lord use you in my life, your heart for the Lord is incredible for me to see. I pray blessings, peace, joy, and love over your life!
I pray that in this year of 2013 the Lord would blow your minds, and do a work in your hearts and lives that you didn't see coming! 🙂

OK!  Time for some exciting news!

 The Lord has been blowing my mind! Literally blowing my mind! 

Twenty days ago on December 30th I hopped on a bus and headed down to Atlanta, GA to attend Passion 2013 , a conference that over 60,000+  college students attended to hear and do something about the 27 million people who are being trafficked and sold everyday. Before I left I asked God to give me the direction I needed to take the next step. The only thing I felt the Lord saying was " Wait, and be ready, I'll tell you when". 

During that four day conference I kept praying a prayer that I've been continuously praying since I got back home from my race. A prayer in which I asked God
"Lord what do you have next for me? I know that you don't have just an ordinary life for me to live, so what is the next step I need to take? I'm scared God, but I'm also ready…. use me".       About the second day into that conference I started weeping, like literally could not stop, makeup all over my face, weeping that lasted all day. At first I thought I was just tired and probably sad from some of the stories I was hearing. All day I asked God " What is it God? Why am I weeping? What are you trying to say to me? Is it the stories I'm hearing?" these questions went on in my mind the rest of the day. Later that night during a worship song, I heard "Now Go."

I was confused. Go where exactly God?  I got no reply. 

The next day a speaker named Gary Haugen got up and spoke about his organization International Justice Mission (IJM),  http://www.ijm.org/  and the entire time I had this weird feeling. I don't know how to explain it, but it was like the organization was mine, had been mine for forever. 

Our lunchtime was right after Gary's session, so while I was waiting for it to be my rows turn to get up and go get our lunch I prayed. I asked God to help me hear clearly, to give me a word. 
Not 5 minutes after I prayed that, the lady sitting in front of me which happened to be one of my wr teammates mom's turned around and said these words to me:

  " I feel that you are supposed to work with International Justice Mission"

and that was all she said. 

I just looked at her. My heart was trying to explode out of my chest, and I was pretty sure that everyone else around me could hear it throbbing. 

Now let me tell you. Whenever I used to hear about people hearing from the Lord through another person, I questioned and doubted it. I learned a lot about God using people to speak through while on my race, I also learned that I had the gift of discernment. That I could usually discern whether a word for me was from the Lord or not. 
  Well when Mrs. Charlotte said those words to me, I had no doubts. I just said " I know". 

 Passion Conference ended the next day and I said goodbye to the friends I had made while there, and got in the car with my squad mate Katie and drove back to my wr coaches house where we had been staying during the whole thing. The next day I drove out to Gainesville, Ga where my squad and our two sister squads were meeting for 5 days of reuniting, worship, and figuring out what was next for our lives. 

In all honesty I didn't want to be there. I felt like God has already revealed that I was suppose to work with IJM, so why did I need to stay and try and figure out my next steps if I already knew them?? But I went and now I am soo glad that I did! During those next 5 days the Lord showed me something. 

He showed me that even though he has big plans for my life, and even though I really want to get started on them now. In order to get to those big things we can't always just leap into them, sometimes we have to take all the small steps that lead up to them first. 

The Lord has clearly showed me that those next small steps are for me to attend a discipleship training program there in Gainesville for the next 8 months. The name of this program is Community for Global Action or CGA. It's a brand new program birthed by Adventures In Missions with world race alumni specifically in mind. 

With this program I will be able to take all the small steps needed before working with a big organization like IJM. Steps such as: creating a resume, discovering my God given skills and honing them, building confidence, recieving discipleship and advice, and becoming stronger in my faith. If you want to know more about CGA then click here http://adventures.org/globalaction/ 

I have also just finished making my newest newsletter which is specifically about this next step, if you would like one then please let me know on here or facebook, email etc. and I will make sure to send one to you!

So here's one last surprise for you guys!

I am moving to Georgia TOMORROW! Yepp that's right TOMORROW!! 

When God called me to attend CGA is wasn't down the road in a couple of months when I had money saved up, and everything was packed and ready. Nope it was for this month! CGA officially starts its courses on January 21st, that's this MONDAY!! Which means I have to go ahead and move into the housing they are providing tomorrow and Sunday so that I can be ready to go to class come Monday morning. 

I know, I know this is CRAZY RIGHT?  
I was not planning on moving down to GA within such a short time, especally when I have no money and all of my stuff was still up in Virginia. But here's another part of how God has been blowing my mind. God allowed my parents to be able to come down here a few days ago and bring all of the rest of my stuff that I will need in order to live in GA. He provided a way for me to get down there through my best friend Nataliegh, and He provided someone with the resources to make and print out 100 newsletters so that I can send them out to you guys! 

God is Incredible and He is providing in crazy ways, and I know that He will provide the money that is needed to attend CGA.

I can attend CGA for the next 8 months for $450 a month or a total of $3,150 , because the first month's fee has been waived and is free of charge. Because the program is through AIM all the money that is donated can still go to the same account that was used for my WR, plus I can keep this same blog and continue to use it for my CGA updates. 

As of right now I am heading to GA with absolutely no funds, but I am trusting that God will provide. 

If you would like to make a donation then just click on the *Support Me Tab* and make sure to put my first and last name Emily Hix in the who it's for line.

I love you guys and I can't wait to continue with updates on the things I will be learning while living in Georgia! 

God Bless!

                        Emily 🙂