Please pray that the woman at Queen of Hearts Bar will come to our english classes, and that no stronghold prevent them from the work that God is doing there!!!
A god fashioned life: A life
renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately
reproduces his character in you.
Lately I have been pursuing a
righteous life in God. I had an epiphany… in order to be apart from the world
and look different… I have to actually live apart from the world and look
different. Funny huh? But for some reason it is something I am afraid we do not
take seriously. Instead we spend all of our energy justifying what we are doing
and saying, how far I can push this or that before I believe it offends God. We
even spend time finding the right scripture to convince ourselves that what we
are doing is right. We don't put him first because it is easier to live for
ourselves we don't ask for his input because we think we can come up with a
better solution without him. It is easier to let the desires of the flesh reign
in our lives instead of letting the God who created us and SAVED us reign in
our hearts. It is easier to accept our get into heaven card and live the life
we want anyway. But if we are living this way, have we actually truly been
transformed and allowed him to enter out hearts?
There is a battle waging. God
the creator of the universe has authority over everything. He owns everything…
BUT he also gave you a free will. We must understand that because of his Love
for us he wants us to choose him, I mean afterall don't we all want to be
chosen? I feel that our love is more genuine that way. But because of this
freedom and free will, a battle has begun and the enemy is also raging on, his
entire goal to get you to do his will instead of Gods. This is not a joke, this
is real.
The funny thing about
righteousness in God is it starts from the inside out. You see I think that
before I was trying to do it the opposite way, which led to battling self
righteousness and a constant need of surrender because I would so quickly make
things my own, try to control them and boast in them. The scary part is I did
this all without realizing it.
Lately I have realized that
there are areas in my life that I thought I was free from but in fact they are
just masked, covered up etc. It is easy to not struggle with something if you
remove the temptation or remove the trigger. The other thing we do is decide,
OK YES LORD I desire truly to be this or that, because it is of you… and we
change our behavior, environment and mind set for a short term… but it
eventually fades… and we are right back where we started. I decided that this
was not good enough and it was not the goodness, the freedom, or the
righteousness that Papa desired for me.
This has not been an easy
process. It is painful at times. Back in Romania I prayed and asked God to
remove anything in me that was not of Him, and let me die to myself so that He
could come and manifest in me more and more. Whoa, Bold prayer right!? that was
5 months ago and he has revealed so many things… and it has been painful but
amazing. I have freedom in areas I never had before and it is amazing.
But then, last month in China
as I was reading the word I realized that the righteous, or a life of
righteousness is mentioned over and over and over.I began to ponder, What exactly does this mean? I found that
the answer wasn't easy for me to accept. I believe that if we live in the
righteousness that the Lord has in us because HE dwells inside of us and has
given us his spirit to lead us into the way everlasting…. we will in fact be
apart from this world, we will be more and more like Him with each new day… all
well and good but what is the catch!? We have to be willing to really die to
ourselves and be open to the Lord changing our desires from the world to Him.
The bitter and hard to admit truth is that the world is so attractive, I like
the idea of not needing God and being able to be in control, It is way easier
to be selfish than selfless and when I examine who I am and the life I live,
although it has flaws, is pretty good.
I must choose to have Faith
and believe that the life God has planned for me far surpasses anything I could
ever plan. I have to desire righteousness as a response to his spirit, not to
look good or have something to boast in. And I have to be willing to let Him
transform me, in his timing and in his perfect way.
So here I am today. Without
asking and inviting God into an open door in my heart, He will not force
himself in. But today I asked him to shine his loving light on the dark shadows
that are hiding and the deep places of my heart. As he reveals them to me I
must confess them, repent and choose God. Without this important step, I will
only carry the burden with me, instead of living in the Grace and Promise of
the Cross. God shines light on things so that they can be transformed into
light… not so that we can feel shameful and hide, not so that we will feel
guilty and NOT so that we can try and fix them ourselves…. wow.
God is actively trying to
produce his character in you. I am confident that if we actively seek Him and
live in intimacy with Him we will not be able to deny his loving and gentle
transformation. He will help us be more like him and be unlike the world. He
wants to use us to change the world, to bring justice to the oppressed, to have
joy despite our circumstances, to have peace in the chaos, to offer hope to the
hopeless, to bring freedom to the captives, to bring life to the dead. To be a
disciple…. means to conform your life to be like the one you follow. Where are
the desires of our heart? Do we truly desire to look like Jesus? Is it easier
to be ourselves and settle for the lives that we can create on our own, without
His glory and goodness in us or do we truly desire to look like Him and be
apart form the world?
I am not sure if the title of this blog is truly fitting... it should be... What God is doing in Thailand and I get to be a part of.
I am working with an amazing ministry this month in Phuket Thailand. Phuket is a province which would be similar to a state in the US. Within Phuket is a city called Patong. This city is well known as a VERY popular vacation spot due to its beautiful beaches, great shopping and fun party scene.
Unfortunately when you peel back the surface layers you begin to find out the truth about what is going on here. The reality is simple. Thousands of woman every night sell themselves to men who have come to exploit them and use them as objects. These woman are here for so many different reasons... some have come from far away... to provide an income for their families. They come with big dreams of working in hotels or getting a great job but come here to find that they are lacking the skills and education they need to get the job they wanted. They find themselves working in the bars. From the looks of things they are just half dressed girls working the bars, but if you know the truth, you know that for less than $20 a man can "purchase" this girl for the night and use her as he pleases. Bleh.
What my teammates and I do is nightly go into the bars and build relationships with the girls. THis looks different for everyone. Some of the girls speak english, some do not. We visit them regularly and have conversation with them. The goal is to outreach to them and offer them opportunities that will allow them to leave the work in the bars and find an income elsewhere. The ministry offers many different opportunities including english classes, jewelry making, hotel training and certification and other job opportunities based on need.
Here in Thailand 95% of the people are Buddhist and it is VERY rare to find someone that has heard about Jesus. Buddhism is so much a part of who they are, so deep rooted in their culture that talking about Jesus is just, well... so foreign to them. Unlike other months where we are really up front about our religion in more of an evangelism way, we attempt to show themJesus with our actions and the love that he pours out of us. When the ladies get plugged in with the ministry they are taught and are given really personal teachings on the TRUTH and the majority of the woman start a relationship with JESUS. YAY.
The toughest part about this ministry is that it is a long process and we are only a little part of it... by this point in our trip we have learned that a life of ministry is not always about results... so we just press in to each day, trusting that the Lord is using us to do one of the very important steps... preparing the land, planting the seeds, watering the seeds or collecting the harvest. It is amazing to get to walk in what He has each day, never knowing what we are going to get, but knowing that it is GOOD because it is His plan.
Please understand that this place is very dark. God gives us hope and He IS MOVING... but here the spiritual battle is VERY REAL, it is tangible and you can see it with your very eyes every single night as you walk those bars... evil vs good... so your continued prayers for my mind and heart as well as the girls is so greatly appreciated.
I am really struggling with getting out the words of all the things God is doing. I wanted to write this and just fill you all in. Thank you for your patience... I am really trying to get some things written out.
Love you and miss you all! Can you believe I have been gone for 9 months already!
Sorry for my lack of blogging. I spent the last month in China where I was not allowed on the internet in order to protect my Contacts. I plan on writing many blogs in order to share what God did all of last month. Please be patient with me as I attempt to recap what happened last month and also keep you posted on this month.
I AM IN THAILAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am SO excited to be here. I have been wanting to be in Thailand for so long, even before I was a Christian so it is amazing to have this opportunity now and be able to do it for HIS glory!!!
Everyone on my team is doing really well. I had a bit of a sinus infection for about a week in China and it was hard to get better because it was so cold and the air was so filthy but I recovered and am enjoying to hot humid weather here in Thailand!!!
I am turning 23 this month, how fun but what is even better is that 1 month from now (May 4) I will be celebrating 3 years of life in Christ!! Thank you Lord for saving my life!!!
I will be traveling from Bangkok (where I am currently) to Phuket where I will be for the month tonight. Our ministry will be focused around bringing hope and freedom to woman in prostitution and the sex trade. I will give you more details when we arrive and get briefed!!!
PLEASE PLEASE be in Prayer for me. I know you are all probably getting tired, I know I am. This has been a long and incredible journey!!! But I ask that this month you dive in for me, more than ever before because Thailand needs you!!! Did you know that only 1% of all the people in this nation are Christian and that most people in Thailand have NEVER even heard of our God or Jesus!? It is hard to fathom for us, because we come from a place where God is part of our culture whether you choose him or not, every american knows or has at least heard of Him. Also, we will not being a light and fluffy ministry, we are coming up against serious strong holds, serious injustices and serious darkness and confusion... so I am asking you to fight with me this month!!!
I love and miss you all so so much!!!! MORE COMING SOON!!! Spread the blog to your friends, the more prayer this month the better!!!
Rach
So we left Africa and got on a jet plane and landed in some country in Qatar for a little layover... this is what it looks like when we travel together!!! CRAZY CRAZY
Then we finally arrived in the Philippines where they people are AWESOME!
A place where many people are in need of HOPE
Serving in Manila, a beautiful city full of millions of people!
We spent the month helping with feeding programs. The people were hungry not only for food but for the GOSPEL!
In our downtime we would take the local transport to do fun things around the city
including getting to spend the day relaxing at this beautiful waterfall
But the best part was building relationships with the people in our slum, Cuatro!
This is one of my students, Christian!
Sorry there arent very many of me, but I wanted to give you a sample tasting of some of my experiences here. My ministry including teaching and running a small group of 11-13 year old girls. Lucky for me they were very hands on ministries... but that meant I didnt have much time to stop and take pictures!!
As
I have explored Jesus more and more I find that the things he did were opposite
of what everyone else was doing. I know you have probably heard this message
preached at least once... but we are supposed to be opposite of the world, we are
supposed to pray for eyes like Jesus had, we are supposed to shape our lives
around his. But lets be honest... Do we?
Do we choose not to conform by
putting down even the things that bring us pleasure, by surrendering the things
that bring us fulfillment in the world (for me its things as small as chocolate
and as big as my insecurities and fears) in order for God to come in and give
us fulfillment that will last forever, to allow him to manifest more in us. Do
we actually want what it means to put down our own agendas and obey the spirit?
I know for me it was inconvenient sometimes to go meet the person I was
supposed to and speak life into them and pray for them because I was tired, I
was running late already and was too stressed with my own "problems" to notice
the depressed and lonely single mother in front of me who just needed some
hope.
Do we actually pray the prayer to
have eyes like Jesus, then live in the faith that He will give them to us and
then intentionally choose to see like him... and then, the hard part, DO
something about what we see!?
Am I actually willing to inconvenience
my life, and be bothered in order to share the Gospel.
Am I actually willing to give up
something that in reality is SO insignificant like coffee or the latest
greatest new best thing in order to save money and give it to the needs I see
in the world?
Am I actually willing to start
letting God transform my life and walk as redeemed even though it is SO easy to
live in the world and believe what the world tells me about myself!?
These are the things that I am
starting to think about as I am beginning to think about coming home. Am I
willing? I have seen the world, I have experienced God in so many ways... but AM
I, ARE YOU, actually willing to do something about this CALLING on our lives?
Are we even willing to pray the
bold prayers and invite God to do works in us that make us die to ourselves and
start serving others, loving the world, and giving everything we are blessed
with to glorify God?
a humbled missionaries thoughts...
blessings,
Rach
ALSO ALSO
Please Please Please take the time to forward this to 5 friends ... my following is down, I know that things are getting busy but lets spread what God is doing!!!! Thank you for your endless support and prayers!
Ever since I was a little girl I knew I was different.
Lately people have been encouraging me with my uniqueness, what that means I am
not really sure. Before I loved Jesus I spent my entire life trying to find my
purpose in life, now I have learned that simply living life, loving God and
letting God love me fulfills my purpose here on earth. He is satisfied with my
just being in love with Him with every part of my heart. (even though I am
still learning how to do this and probably will always continue to learn how to
be more intimate with Him). The great thing about God is that He chooses to
blow us away with the things, opportunities and callings He gives us. My
opportunity of the season happens to be the World Race, spending the month in
the Philippines. It happens to be being the HANDS and feet of Jesus.
I
realize that my only real job is to allow myself to be the best manifestation
of Jesus that I possibly can be. I do this by loving God, allowing myself to be
Loved, walking as redeemed and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and move
through me. When you show up anywhere, when we change our position in life and
are surrounded with people, whether it is from one country or the next like it
is for me here on the race, or it is from your living room to the grocery
store, it is in fact an opportunity for us as Christ followers to change the
atmosphere, because Christ is in us and we carry authority over darkness. It is
also an opportunity for us to bring healing, freedom and hope to the people of
our world, given to us by God because He loves us, and he loves everyone else
just as much.
Some
special moments that I have gotten to experience is visiting a dying woman,
comforting her in prayer and giving her medicine to ease the pain. Hugging her
daughter and letting her know she is strong even though everything seems so
hard. Praying for countless children because they have an eye infection and no
medicine... trusting and then seeing God heal them! Holding the hand of three
beautiful little girls, Sunshine, Sanjie and Angel, being pure love to them,
showing them Jesus. Helping a child color in art class. Using my hands to hand
over thousands of bowls of food to hungry people, their only meal for three
days. Teaching a child how to read and seeing them fall in love with it for the
first time. The list goes on and on.
I
am thankful for the things I am doing. I am grateful that Jesus Christ died on
the cross for me, that I have been transformed by His love and that I now carry
the love of God inside of me. I pray that I can continue to spread the love as
people would say... bringing Hope, Joy and Peace to those who are just waiting
for something more.
Now think!? What could you be using your hands to do for the
Kingdom of God. NOW GO DO IT!
(due to facebook's new picture policy it is very difficult for me to get pictures to put up... I am working on getting a photo blog up, stick with me!!!)
As I mentioned in my previous blog the ministry opportunities are tremendous both in number and quality here in Quatro City in Manila Philippines. I decided to teach art class to pre-k, kinder and pre-1 classes, AWESOME. I was also blessed with my small group of Angels, ages 11-13. The last thing I chose to do was partake in the feedings in the tent cities, not sure what to expect but excited to serve physical needs and see what the Holy Spirit could do.
The days have come and gone and the people have won their way into my heart. The ministries that I chose to do this month were all things I figured I would be good at. Teaching... well I am golden there, pre teens... not so great but I have a ton of patience so I figured it would be great, and feeding people... that just takes a little effort. Little did I know that each of these things would change me forever.
I am personally going through an extremely intense time. The Lord is really wanting me to understand and start walking out my identity as a redeemed daughter. GREAT! Except it is way easier said than done. In order to do that I have to face the old me, which includes the good, the bad and the ugly. The old me includes my mistakes, my pains, my fears, everything. The new me has been encountered with God's mercy and love and grace. The new me has been purified and made righteous through Jesus Christ. The new me walks in authority, changes atmospheres and carries God's love with me everywhere I go. LOVE, such a scary thing to the old me but for the new me, it is the very key that will set me free.
As for the people here in the Philippines. Many are sick, many are hungry, many are in abusive situations but have nowhere to go, many are desperate for Hope. Many are starving for the very intimacy that I am learning to accept and am here to share. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will lead me to the people He wants me to meet while I am here. Pray for divine appointments. Pray for miracles. Pray for freedom for these people. Pray that God's Kingdom will come here on Earth like it is in Heaven!!!
Check out my next blog to read about some of the Love Encounters I have been blessed with it will be up by Saturday.
Please pray for me that I can open my heart to God and all that He wants to do. I know that I am standing at the edge of what my future holds. I have HUGE dreams of glorifying God, but everything is in His perfect timing and completed and perfected in Him.
Also, You could do me a HUGE favor and email 3-5 friends the link to my blog... or sign them up yourself if you don't think they would mind... God is doing great things and it would only be fair to Him to spread this blog so people can share in what God is doing!!! Thank you
Blessings
Rach
In 2009 God told me to go to Swaziland. I didn't know where Swaziland was so I googled it. I learned that it was this tiny kingdom in Africa. I learned that Swaziland had the highest AIDS rate in the entire world. I learned that over 8000 children are being orphaned every single month because of the epidemic. I knew that this is where I was supposed to be.
In December of 2009-January 2010 I traveled to Swaziland. I knew that God had something very divine for me. I knew that I would serve... I knew that i would love people with the love of God... I knew my heart would break... but I never expected that my life would be changed forever.
I met a little two year old boy named Benjamin, we call him Ben Ben. Ben Ben didn't smile. The moment I saw him he was already on his way to embrace me, but without joy and without a smile... I knew, right then... that is why I had come... to bring gods love, touch his heart and watch joy flourish.
despite my efforts this was his usual face... sad, empty, alone.
But things began to change!
This picture is Ben Ben (on the left) and this moment is actually one of his very first smiles... It took me a few solid days of loving him and earning his trust... amazing moments of him brushing my hair and hugging me close, swinging him on the swing and just letting him entertain me. Then it came... the smile.
In college I wrote a memoir about Ben Ben. I like to call him my spirit child. I dont know if I will ever actually be his mother, but in spirit we are connected and I promised myself and him that I would do everything I could to come back at least once a year to visit. This meant more to me than him... he was two and not talking yet.
ENTER HERE a ton of life, graduating college and signing up for the world race... an 11 month trip that started in july. swaziland was not on my list of countries to visit and i was devastated... To the best of my knowledge i was obeying God and coming on this trip... but I wouldn't be able to see Ben Ben like I had committed.
Then. Here I am in Malawi praying and asking God where he wants my world race team to visit for our "ask the lord" month in January. God is so good and faithful and he led us to Swaziland... to the very home that Ben Ben lives! We arrived EXACTLY a year to the day that I was there last!
I spent the entire month loving on him. He remembered me, i must admit i was afraid he wouldn't... and it was like no time had passed. He fell asleep in my arms... we were together again, things were perfect. I love this little boy with everything I have. He has changed my life forever...
Enjoy some of the pictures of our time together!!
full of smiles and joy!!!
him helping me not fall as I come down the playscape... look how big he is getting!!!
HELLO WORLD!
stylin with his cool beanie!
Just a typical day full of love!!!
Hope you enjoy these, they melt my heart every time!
