I am sitting here wondering about how I suppose to sum up
the past couple of months in a blog. Where do I begin? If I were to start from
the beginning this blog would probably be equivalent to a book’s length. So, instead I would like to take the time to
honor someone who is VERY dear to my
heart. I probably would have not made it through this past season with out
her. Most of you know her to be the crazy Asian…Liz Martin! 
Liz was one of the four of us that came back from Kenya
completely broken for the Internally Displaced and wanted to do something about
it. She wouldn’t take no for an answer especially when it came to helping God’s
people and loving the forgotten. If you know anything about Liz, you know that she
is a fire starter! The
Lord has given her the gift of making change around the world, even if it’s her
just stepping into a room, a change will happen, because the Lord is on her
side and she knows it.
So, the Lord allowed her to be a part of the birthing
process of what is now called the Kenya Initiative. A lot of hard work was put
toward this vision. A lot of time,
resources, and energy. But all of that did not go unnoticed, especially from
the ONE ABOVE.
When the team left for Kenya in July, both Liz and I were
held back for some further training. During that time a decision was made for
Liz not to go to Kenya. While that wasn’t part of the plan…God quickly reminded
me that His ways are not my ways and His
thoughts are not my thoughts…even though sometimes I think my ways are
better than His.
All I know is that God’s
plan is always better. Even though I might not understand, He sees the big
picture. So, needless to say, the past couple months have been really hard. I
don’t ever think I have been stretched,
broken, refined, like I have in this season. But God has shown me what it
means to be someone who truly reflects Christ in everything I do, and to live
in the fullness that He has called me to. And Liz has been someone who has
helped me learn these things.
There is something about the way Liz lives her life, in
which the glory of the Lord radiates off of her. She knows exactly
who she is, and she’s not ashamed of it. She knows that she has a place in the
Kingdom that NO ONE can take away from her. She understands that God’s ways are
better, even if it means postponing a dream. She understands that God’s work
needs to be done, and that she is a vital vessel for the job. And most of all,
she knows that people matter and that God loves people.
In the past three months God has used Liz to pour into my
life, to encourage me, to invest in me, and to truly love me as Christ loves.
He has used her to speak words of life, when I couldn’t do it myself or when no
one else was. The Lord has used her in more ways than I could write on a blog,
and because she was willing to be used, I am forever changed.
On October 11,
I will be rejoining the team in Kenya! Through these three months, the Lord has
been preparing me to go back and reminding me of all the things I have learned and am going to take with me. It hasn’t always been easy, but the Lord has been
faithful in every step. I know that I might be saying goodbye to a teammate,
but I am NOT saying goodbye to a friend, someone
who will always have a place in my heart. And I am so thankful for that.
So, thank you Liz. Thank you for being willing to be used.
Thank you f
or all the work you put into this vision that God placed on your
heart; it definitely does NOT go unnoticed and the people of Kenya are changed because of it. Thank you for taking the time to
invest into my life; I will never be the same. And thank you for showing me
what it truly means to be the hands and feet of Christ and love like He loved. God
has such huge plans for you and I am confident that people and places will be
forever changed because of you!
Love.Love.
Please check out her last Kenya Initiative blog posted HERE.
If you would like to follow what the Lord is doing in her
life, follow her new blog! Click HERE.
