WOW JAM #1

Today we had our first WOW JAM. There were so many people there. It was the most amazing thing when we did the altar call to see how many people gave there life to the Lord today. After they gave their life to Christ we got in groups of 3-4. I was up in front and I got to pray for three little kids. There was Keyo(age5), Christopher (age9), and Christina (age 7). I got to pray over them and they had all committed to being baptized. As I was walking them over to the pool their other brother came over and said he didn't get a Bible and that he had given his life to God. His name was Israel. After getting him a Bible I was walking them all over to the pool and the mother of the three siblings came over and grabbed them. They said they were going to get baptized and she said no. The aunt of Keyo came over and told me that she needed to call his mom before he could to make sure that it was ok. His mom said no. The four kids were told that they couldn't be baptized. Keyo began crying so hard it broke my heart. I saw him a little bit later and asked him how he was doing and he started crying again. All I could say was that it would be ok and that he would have a chance to do it again some other time, to keep Jesus in his heart and that I loved him. He walked away and I was just so frustrated. Why were these kids families not being supported? It's the kids decision! Then during dinner it hit me. I am blessed. The people in my church they are blessed. The people on this team on this missions trip they are blessed. We have all been blessed with supportive families that allow us to believe what we believe. It is not always like that. More often than not people have to go through heck and back when the accept Jesus, and for so many of us it has just been a cake walk accepting the Lord. Not that any one has had any easy road, it's just been easier to be a follower of Christ. Remember that the next time you are hesitant to share your faith because you are free to do so, where as many in the world will die for the Name of the Lord. If you are reading this I ask that you pray over the people that are being brought to God's kingdom because of these WOW JAMS, but please in particular pray for these kids who have had the anointing of God placed upon their lives. Today the heavens rejoiced when they were saved and hell became so afraid that the enemy messed with the only thing he could which was their mother. Please remember how blessed you truly are. My favorite quote so far: "Live your life like someone else's depends on it because it does."-Stephen Trivoni

landing in New Orleans

So yesterday I got on the plane in LA and after fighting so hard to fall asleep and failing I woke up in New Orleans this morning. We have been fighting against the enemy since we arrived at the airport last night. One of the girls had to stay behind because she didn't have and id. One of our guys thought he lost his id after going through security. Then our plane was delayed. And in all of this we still couldn't wait to get going. We got on the plane and landed in New Orleans this morning at 7 am. We left for breakfast after grabbing our bags and sat there for quit a bit of time waiting for things at the hotel to clear up. We arrived at the hotel thinking that it would be just moments until we would be laying our heads on a soft pillow for the first time in 24 hours. It's been and hour and half and we are still waiting to be checked into our rooms. Everyone has been struggling to keep their best attitude, especially me. It has been driving me nuts and I have wanted to just scream. Luckily I have been able to contain myself and hopefully hide the strain this is all putting on me. I know that this is a major attack from the enemy. He's trying to get a rise out of all of us and see how far he can mess with this trip. Please keep praying for us. We haven't even been gone a day yet and we are being tested.
On the other hand New Orleans is such a strange place. It's so different already from anything that I have ever experienced. People have southern draws and call you baby. I feel so vulnerable in a place where I don't know where anything is. I have to depend solely on the leaders of the trip. This is definitely testing my control issues. I know the Lord is going to be doing something here. If the enemy is already trying to fight us then it must be something big. What though I can't even begin to imagine.

New Orleans...

So today is the day. Tonight I will be heading down to the airport to jump on a plane that will take me to New Orleans. I can say that I am super excited, but I cannot exclude my nervous feelings. The Lord has put it on my heart to go on this trip although the closer I get to it the more I cannot understand why he is calling me to be in this city at this particular time. It's a bit overwhelming to think that the God of the universe is going to use me in some way to advance his kingdom. Me? The sinner and barely saved Christian that I am is going to help bring people to Christ? Is anyone else hearing this? Doesn't anyone else know that there are a million more qualified than I am? It's hard to believe that this amazing God is going to use someone like me to bring his love and hope into the lives of those who have undergone so much pain and sorrow.That I would be of value to help those who have gone through more than I could ever imagine and have been under far more oppression than I would ever want to believe possible. How will I be able to make a difference in these people's life? Now I am not second guessing God's abilities, that would be dumb. I guess I have yet to see how my life can help other people. I just feel way that I am in way over my head. So with all of this I ask that you be praying. Pray that I allow myself to be used as his tool for the places we go and the people I meet. Pray for our protection against the enemy. Please pray that we are all awakened by this trip and come back changed. Thank you in advance for your prayers and I can't wait to talk to you all when I get back.

goodbye childhood

So in a matter of hours i will soon turn 21. In our culture today 21 is a big birthday to celebrate because that's the last milestone you look forward to. From here on out that is it I am an adult. There is no more just "oh she's young she still has time to learn" but rather this is the time that i need to be learning and figuring these things out. Yea I cold probably get away with still having a child's heart, but that's it. It is such a weird concept to fully grasp. I am now becoming an adult. My life is changing and reality is starting to hit. The things I always imagined that I would some day get to are soon to be the days that I am going to need to start getting around to them. I never thought that I would be the kind of person to freak out as I aged, but here I am so blown away by this concept of growing older. With age comes wisdom and wisdom is something that I am so desperately seeking, but i guess I just always saw everyone else getting older as I stayed the same. Almost as if there was no sense in aging for myself that it was just the world around me. Now I am realizing that I am growing older right along with the world. I guess I always saw people who were older than me as a lot older even if they were a couple years older. Mainly because I thought you had to be at a certain level or look a certain way to be their age or anywhere near it. As I write this I realize how dumb that sounds, and yet those were my exact thoughts. Age is such a crazy concept. It's probably not as complicated as I am making it out to be, but still there is just a strange feeling. Goodbye childhood hello adulthood. I guess I really should have listened to people when they told me to enjoy  my youth because it really does go by faster than you can even realize.