Harvest School of Missions February 25, 2009

I want to share the story of what has led me to attend the three-month mission school in Mozambique.  I was in the prayer shed sometime in December last year (the “prayer shed” is a shed behind Herb and Ethan’s house converted into a sweet prayer room), and I picked a book up off the book shelf.  It was called, “Always Enough,” by Heidi Baker.  I planned on reading only one chapter, the last one, called “All Fruitfulness Flows from Intimacy.”  Its name caught my eye.  That one chapter so captured my attention that I ended up borrowing and reading the entire book. As I read the stories and testimonies of Heidi Baker, God began to stir my heart.  Previous to reading the book, I was only feeling a desire to move towards Southeast Asia and other areas well known for a thriving sex slave trade.  Africa was not a continent that I was necessarily drawn to.

What changed my heart?  In Heidi’s words, I heard a longing and an immersion in Christ’s love so intense that I had never encountered the like before.  I felt the Lord telling me, “Go learn from her.”  So, logistics began to come together for me to attend the full three-month school called Iris Harvest School, founded by Heidi Baker.  I believe this missions school and outreach will be a pivotal time of preparation for myself and the ministry that God is calling me to.

So, here I am waiting, ecstatic to spend the summer in Mozambique.  Well, not quite waiting . . . there is plenty going on in ARC these days, but that’s for another post.  I know that the Lord is sending me, so the $4000 or $5000 that I need to get to Mozambique is no problemo!In the next few months, I am focusing on school with a spirit of excellence, doing ARC outreaches, and ultimately striving to grow closer to the heart of God.

Promise February 13, 2009

I feel like a little girl waiting for her daddy to get back from a long time away at war.  Many of the other household members secretly watch and fear for her heart to be broken, because they see how likely it is that her father didn’t make it through such fierce fighting.  The housekeeper watches her run expectantly to the window every morning, searching the horizon for His figure.  When she doesn’t find Him, she turns, disappointed, but confident, and says, “He’ll be here soon.  He promised, after all.”  That promise was all she needed for 100% certainty. Daddy is coming back for her.  And when He comes, He will sweep us off our feet, toss us in the air, and laugh with joy into our happy eyes.

I am not referring the the return of Christ, though there may be some similarities.  I am referring to a promise I believe He has given my family.  My little brother, Ian, is thirteen, and a year ago he was diagnosed with very rare and deadly cancer.  Through much prayer, chemo, and great doctors, Jesus miraculously healed Ian’s body from cancer.  Ian continued on treatment until the end of January this year.  The past couple weeks, they ran standard tests, and found some not-so-good things.  However, they didn’t think it was cancer, but some other type of infection in his brain.  They decided to do a second spinal tap, however, just to be sure.  The results came back on Wednesday.  The cancer has gone to his spinal fluid and brain.  Chemo is not an option.  Radiation would on slightly slow down the process, it would not be a cure.  The doctors gave Ian 4 to 6 weeks to live.

Here’s the thing: Sometimes Jesus heals and sometimes He doesn’t.  I have seen that fact first hand.  In this particular situation, He has come to myself, my mother, and many, many others and spoken life over and into this situation.  He audibly told my Mom that He will heal Ian as she was walking a few days before this came out.  His voice was so loud, she turned to look for who said it.  Through prayer and discernment, she knew it was God.  I have had dreams and visions for several weeks previous that have said that this situation would happen, and will be redeemed by our Healer.  Therefore, it is not even my faith in my own prayers that is holding me or my family strong.  It is simply trust in the Word of God.  If there is anything to place your hope in, it is hope in the powerful love of Jesus Christ.

There is one major difference with my picture of a little girl waiting for her daddy to return from war.  My Father is  yet with me now, filling me with such sweet peace that I can’t even describe, and I pray that it covers every one of my family members as well. The paradox is that even though we wait for Him to return and reveal His glory and power through healing, He is still with us, abiding in us and caring for our hearts.

Abba father, I trust in Your Word.  You have a perfect and complete love for every one of your children.  Therefore, I say, not my will, but Yours be done.  You see the whole picture.  You have finished it, and You see the end as well as the beginning.  I trust You! I love You, my Lord.

The Heart of God February 7, 2009

Anguish. Diamonds. Brothels.  What do these three things have in common?  For me, they all equal a calling straight from the heart of God.

At the beginning of January, God spoke to me and told me He was giving me a new pulse.  What does a new pulse equal? A new heart.  Starting the morning after He spoke to me, I started to physically feel strange things in my heart.  I have never had so much as heartburn, so these strange pangs and quickened beats were very noticable and overwhelming.  Through prayer and revelation, I began to understand that He had placed His own treasured heart inside me.  Specifically, His heart for emotionally/sexually broken people.  I now carry His heart’s anguish and desire for these people inside me, everywhere I go.

Diamonds have never captivated my attention like I have observed they do for some women.  They are absolutely beautiful, and I love their strength they are known for, but I don’t hanker for diamonds.  So, when someone prophesied over me before the new year that they saw diamonds, and diamonds, many more diamonds. . . a house full of diamonds for me, I did not know what to think.  I spent the following hours in prayer, absorbing the words given me, and during that time, the Lord showed me that the diamonds were each hearts of women and children He would ransom through me.  I was overjoyed, overwhelmed.  Then I spent some time researching how diamonds are formed.  In the ground, a certain amount of pressure and just the right temperature miraculously produces a diamond.  This, I realized, was not coincidental.  The shattered heart of a girl prostituted since childhood will take a literal miracle to mend and bring to Christ.  This, however, is exactly what Jesus has in mind.  Every Diamond is a miracle, and He wants many Diamonds.  A house full of Diamonds, in fact.  I say; so be it, Lord.

To the brothels I will go, in prayer and in the Lord’s heart. Thank You for Your Heart, my Lord. I will treasure and guard it with my life.

Victory and Rejoicing! February 1, 2009

I just have to report some amazing things!! I can’t possibly write down all the stories of what God is doing in and through ARC this week, but I’ll highlight a couple.

Last Sunday, after outreach we were pumped about what God was doing. But I felt Him say beware, as there are hardships and attacks to come this week!  Then, the week started and all hell (or at least a decent part of it) broke loose on many of us.  My car broke down, as did Ethan’s and Garrics.  The same day that my car blew a hose, my computer turned on and showed that it couldn’t find my hard drive. (I feel like saying, “Really? That’s all you got? A hard drive?  The hard drive means nothing to my soul”)  However, I did have a hefty powerpoint project due that was now lost somewhere in my computer.  By the grace of God, I was able to finsh the project on another computer in time.  Saturday night prayer and worship roled around, and we all caravaned up to Mama Dean’s.  We brought up with us a young man who we had encountered on outreach the previous Sunday.  By the end of the night, the Holy Spirit met him and we rejoiced over a new brother in the Lord!  God is so good.

Then this morning, I walked by my computer and felt the need to open it, lay hands on it and pray for its healing (I know, it sounds a little crazy. Its all for Jesus, though=) Sure enough, as I did just that, the computer turned on and its old self appeared on the screen.  I didn’t lose anything.  Now, looking back, I realized that I had been playing worship music in my room the morning the hard drive disapeared.  I left the room and came back and the music had stopped and the computer was off. When I turned on my computer, then it showed up missing a hard drive.  Now I see that the demonic realm just really didn’t like that we are making our home a house of worship.

Praises, Jesus!  You are good. Continue to come and meet us, God.