Wednesday, March 27, 2013

He > I

 My SOS journey thus far has been difficult, but SO good. Originally, I had everything set up to go a very rural area in Kenya, and I was so pumped. I believed that Kenya was God's plan for me and I was very invested. Well, there has been a lot of unrest in Kenya lately and for several reasons my trip was no longer possible. I was so bummed. And here I was, 4 months away from June with no where to go. For those of you who know me, know that I like to be organized, have my plans, and worry when I don't. Well God knows this better than anyone else and knew I would not fully trust Him until I was on my knees with no where else to go. So that's where He brought me, and that's when I fully trusted in Him to come through and He did. This is an excerpt from my journal after I found out, "I know you have a plan, God. But I don't get it right now." I think we forget that it's okay to not get it. No one ever figures it all out, but trusting is enough.  Right after spring break I heard about Rahab's Rope, in a country I've already fallen in love with and with people I have a passion for. God is so good. And He always comes through! I'm currently reading "Greater" by Steve Furtick and it reminded me that God knew I wasn't going to Kenya this summer before I was even born. He knew my plans, and He knew I would be disappointed...but He had something so much greater in store. He is so much greater than I.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths."

Isaiah 55:9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

ALSO--check out this wonderful video. END IT: Shine a Light on Slavery

Friday, March 22, 2013

Did you know?


Did you know that approximately 200 girls and women in India are forced into prostitution each day?
Did you know that the average age that a young girl is forced into prostitution is eleven?
Did you know that approximately seventy percent of the young women forced into prostitution develop HIV aids?
Did you know that South Asia is home to the world’s largest population of slaves?
Did you know that there are more human slaves in the world today than ever before in history?


These statistics are devastating. They are mind-blowing. But what is even more devastating is that each and every one of these statistics has a face and each face has a story. Sometimes, I think it's easier to ignore these statistics than face them because they're scary.  So what can we do? We can become involved--there are so many organizations out there, go check them out! We can talk about it and we can pray about it! There is power in prayer, people. As 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray continually." This summer  I will be in direct contact with women who have lived these stories, and this summer I will be able to put faces to these statistics. My prayer for this summer is that God will prepare my heart for all I am going to encounter. I'm completely unsure how to prepare for this, but I'm trusting that God will do this for me, after all...He never fails. My prayer is that Jesus Christ will fill me up with His love so I can pour it out onto every person I encounter this summer.