After just a couple days in the Philippines, we all found out Taylor Swift would be here in concert on Feb. 19th and the tickets were only $12USD! I was so excited… I mean who ever gets the chance to see Taylor Swift for $12 and in the Philippines!?!
Then a reality hit me.
There was no possible way I could go.
See, my girls (and the boys too) all love Taylor Swift. How could I leave them for a night to go do something that they have huge dreams of doing. I couldn’t leave them out and I couldn’t afford to pay for all of them to go. So one night while talking to my dad on the internet he told me some of his friends were coming to the philippines for a vacation so I of course told them about the concert and how they should try to go. He then asked if I was going and I explained how I would love to, but I just couldn’t do that to my kids. ( and yes, I call them “my” kids, even thought they are teens and definitely not mine, they have my heart so I kinda think that makes it okay to call them mine)
Then my wonderful dad amazed me. He asked me one little question. ” Could you use this concert for ministry?”
My heart dropped. Of course I could use this for ministry!! I’m on the world race! I’ve been in Africa the past 3 months and before that preaching in Haiti and the Dominican Republic! I’ve been preaching until I was blue in the face! I’ve come to a point in my life where anything God, or anyone else, throws my way I can turn into ministry.
In a lot less words I explain to him that I most definitely can use it for ministry. He responds by telling me the money for all of us to go to the concert will be in my account tomorrow and as I shower him with thanks he directs my thanks to God because HE is the reason we’ve been blessed enough to give.
So I would love for this blog to end in we all went to the concert and rocked out to T-Swift and lived happily ever after, but it doesnt.
God had other things in mind. It ended up being impossible to find tickets so I asked my dad if I could use the money for something different and he agreed.
So this weekend Sami (my team leader) and I took the 3 younger girls (MariaFe, Donna, and JoAn) for a surprise day while the 2 older girls went to have their own fun with Christy ( a World Race Alumni who has come back and is working with KIM ministries). Our day was going to consist of going to see Tangled in 3D but after our taxi took us to the wrong cinema/mall we let God arrange the rest- and HE did:)
We started out at starbucks. I bought the girls their favorite drinks and then we sat down and made a game plan. It wasn’t long until 2 of the girls told me their stomachs were upset, which led me to ask if they had even eaten- they told me no. Thankfully we hadn’t gone to the movie because there was no way I could’ve afforded to pay for the movie and lunch. It was definitely arranged by God that we didn’t make it to the right theater. So Sami and Donna went on a resturant search for a nice place we could have lunch while I stayed back with JoAn and MariaFe. After about 15 minutes they came back and said they had found the perfect place- California Pizza Kitchen! ( Now, this might not seem like a really nice restuarant but here, it is. Even pizza hut is a nice sit-down place here.)
As we are sitting there enjoying our appitizers of hummus and chips and dip, one of my girls says she is fat. Its crazy how no matter where you are in the world, people tend to be the same and worry about the same things- apperance, love, money, ect. It catches me a little off gaurd and makes me very thankful Sami is there with me because she uses it to open good conversations. Before long we are all talking about our insecurities but more importantly the things we are secure about and the things we love and how we know God created everything about us beautifully. It was awesome!
The girls were able to open up to us and tell us somethings that people have said to them and just some of the hurts they have from people their own age. It was good for me and Sami to be able to speak God’s truths into those pains and love them where they need it most.
After lunch, we went around and tried on some clothes and walked around the shops. We even stopped by Body Shop for makeovers. It was such a girly fun day. Then to top it all off, later that night we all got dressed up and had a Taylor Swift dance party since we couldnt go to the concert. It was great!
I’ve told my girls so many times how loved they are by their Father in heave and how HE gives them good gifts because He loves them. It was such a blessing to be a part of a day that made them feel like princesses, beacuse in reality
we are daughters of the MOST HIGH KING,
and even though we’ve done nothing to deserve it
we are princesses🙂
