Once again I find myself a little pensive about my trip. I will try to share a few highlights though.
Building Hope:
The purpose of our trip was to build the second floor of a two story building that will serve as a church and a multi-purpose center for retreats/outreaches. With a handful of beastly men, a small group of volunteers from the church, and a mighty team of 4 girls (I count myself as one of the girls, even though you might have pegged me as a "beastly man"), we completed our goal. Framing in place, columns up, and second floor completed (they will complete the first floor with materials they are used to working with). Go team! A contractor stopped by one of the last days and said that it would have taken him two months to complete what we did in two weeks (with a largely untrained team). God is good!
Now, if you know me (and you probably do if you are reading this), I might forget to tell you that we built a building. Why? Because it was a detail. It was a fruit of greater things that God is doing.
So here comes the "good stuff" :)
This past New Year, Vanesa and Abigail (daughters of the pastoral family...and Vane was the one who God took home in February) did an activity where they made little signs with words like Strenght, Prayer, Faith, Friendship, Hope, Love, etc. And each member of the family had to pick one and give it to someone else in the family and explain why. Pastor Jorge was given two: Strength and Hope. You can imagine how significant these became at the loss of his daughter two months later.
After a series of God interventions, everything was underway with the purchasing of the property and the building. On the sixth month anniversary of Vane's passing, they signed the final papers to purchase the property. As they remembered her and reflected on past experiences, Pastor Jorge suggested that they name the building...Hope...after the sign he had been given at New Years. The next week our first builders from the team showed up to Argentina. Dennis (our head constructor), handed Pastor Jorge a newpaper article that had run in the Fountain Hills local paper. The title of it read, "Vice Mayor [Dennis] builds hope". The rest of the article does not mention hope in any way. It was just God's present and continued confirmation that He is all over everything that was transpiring (and has transpired).
I love when He does that. I love watching that He has been PERSISTANT and RELENTLESS in pouring out His grace, favor, and strength upon this family that is so dedicated to serving Him. He is just like that.
For me personally, it was wonderful. He was so near to me. He spoke constantly. Not about my future. Not about the plans. Just stuff that my heart needed to hear. I want more of Him. Always. There is nothing better.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Round Two- Ding!
A whole four and a half minutes later, I am on my way back to Argentina!
God is so good. He has been so amazing through this whole process. I am excited to go back having grown in areas of my heart and having seen some transformation in myself. The biggest transformation is that I know longer NEED to know the plan for my future. I am not in a hurry to find out the next steps. I am SO LOVING this process and loving the ONE taking me through the process, that I just don't care anymore. I trust Him. He is doing wonderful things. He will show me when the time is right. It is yummy. He is yummy.
I have been so bless by how many of you have really come around me in prayer. I am seeing the fruit! Please keep it up!!
Pray that:
1. Our eyes will be on Him and the big picture of what He is doing. That we would not get caught up or distracted with things that don't have eternal purpose.
2. He would speak TO each of us and THROUGH each of us.
3. The details of building in a foreign country come together. It has been a challenge and we need God to work it out.
4. That the team would be UNIFIED and protected from the enemy.
...and for me personally, please pray for eyes to see and ears to hear. I just want to know His heart. I want to be close and know what He is doing. I want wisdom. I want to be able to share His heart with others. I want to be used.
Oh, and pray that my man hands don't get any more manly with all the construction. I enjoy being a girl. That's not too much for a girl to ask, right? (translation- pray that I find my place in service. You might not realize this, but I am not pretty scrawny and weak. Pray that I don't get totally jacked up trying to keep up with people of normal strength!!)
Blessings and love to each of you!!!
God is so good. He has been so amazing through this whole process. I am excited to go back having grown in areas of my heart and having seen some transformation in myself. The biggest transformation is that I know longer NEED to know the plan for my future. I am not in a hurry to find out the next steps. I am SO LOVING this process and loving the ONE taking me through the process, that I just don't care anymore. I trust Him. He is doing wonderful things. He will show me when the time is right. It is yummy. He is yummy.
I have been so bless by how many of you have really come around me in prayer. I am seeing the fruit! Please keep it up!!
Pray that:
1. Our eyes will be on Him and the big picture of what He is doing. That we would not get caught up or distracted with things that don't have eternal purpose.
2. He would speak TO each of us and THROUGH each of us.
3. The details of building in a foreign country come together. It has been a challenge and we need God to work it out.
4. That the team would be UNIFIED and protected from the enemy.
...and for me personally, please pray for eyes to see and ears to hear. I just want to know His heart. I want to be close and know what He is doing. I want wisdom. I want to be able to share His heart with others. I want to be used.
Oh, and pray that my man hands don't get any more manly with all the construction. I enjoy being a girl. That's not too much for a girl to ask, right? (translation- pray that I find my place in service. You might not realize this, but I am not pretty scrawny and weak. Pray that I don't get totally jacked up trying to keep up with people of normal strength!!)
Blessings and love to each of you!!!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Deep Breath
Thank you all for your patience in getting this update. It is a soft spot for me even still, but I want to be able to share it with you.
This journey started so long ago for me in my traumatic uprooting from Colombia. These past two years have been (and still are) about healing, growth, and the refining of my calling. God birthed in me a desire to go down with the team to Argentina, and miraculously provided for me to go not once, but twice. As the plane was landing, the song playing in my ipod was "Tu has sido fiel, tu has sido fiel, siempre has sido fiel..." (You have been faithful, You have been faithful, You have always been faithful...).
From the moment we landed, I was just overwhelmed with GRATITUDE that He would have picked me for this experience. That feeling of "who am I, Lord, that You would pick me for this?" It was such a special, intimate thing to be a part of, that I often felt undeserving (in a good way).
Ministry Highlights-
The motive for this trip was to reopen Punchinello. Punchinello is an arts school for children, opened by Vanessa Szczecko three years ago. Amazing woman of God. A couple of years older than me. Just a woman that left imprints on the hearts of every single person she met. And about four months ago, the Lord decided that He couldn't resist having her away from heavenly home any more and brought her home. He healed her cancer permanently. So we went down to be a support to the pastoral family, and to throw the re-opening party. Out of privacy and respect of the family, I am not going to go into detail here and will just focus on my own experience.
I just felt very CONNECTED and honored to be a part of it. I had been praying for the school and over the new leader (also named Vanessa), so it was good to be able to see first hand that the Lord is being faithful to raise up the Joshua (as He had given me to pray), and that He is being faithful to give her the same grace and anointing to lead these children to the "Promised Land".
It was also super fun to involved with kids. Not my full-time calling, but I love to speak/teach for kids. (Pastor Bobby spoke, and I translated both into Spanish...and into children...and I love that!)
Another highlight was speaking at Rivadavia, one of their church plants in an impoverished (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) neighborhood. Months ago, I had an impression that I would speak there. I prayed about it for a couple of months and for the life of me, God would not show me what He wanted me to talk about. Minutes before service started, David asked me if I was going to share or not and it became clear to me. It was to be the first time I would share about my last two years in a public setting, as a form of praise and worship to God for having carried me thus far. I had a woman come up to me after and tell me that she was not from the church, but God told her to go to this service that night. She said that it was exactly what she needed to hear. I walked away from the experience reaaaally missing preaching. I didn't realize it, but man, I am so passionate about sharing about God's character and testifying to His goodness to a captive audience. I hope my roommate likes the new pulpit I've placed outside her bathroom.
The night before we left, I had quite a break down. I felt so...conflicted. I had so much expectation going into it (come on...you don't provide miraculously for me to go down and not have me wondering what You're up to...). I was hoping for writing on the wall. "YES DESTENI, THIS IS WHAT I HAVE FOR YOU! DEPARTURE DATE...MARCH 3, 2011 AT 7:14AM!!!" But that did not happen. I felt like God had opened up all these desires and began to question whether or not He was ever going to have "a place" for me (where American/Latina Desteni gets to be one whole person). So I had a bubble of emotion and doubt swell up in me. And beautiful God, so faithful...I opened my Bible and it landed on the verse "Do not be impatient for the Lord to act. Travel steadily on the path and He will honor you and give you the land." (insert ugly cry). I went to write the verse in my journal, and when I opened to the next page, the quote on top was, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've always imagined." (ugly cry turned into gymnastic facial contortion).
So to answer the big question on everyone's minds, "Are you thinking about moving down there?" I am traveling steadily on the path. I still have stuff to learn here. And I am praying about it. If you know me at all, you know that I don't make decisions emotionally or do what seems most obvious, just because it is obvious. If God gives me a green light, I think it would be a good fit. I am trying not to prematurely get attached to the idea and have it just be a stepping stone to something else. My job is to be here, now, and finish the process that I began.
I will be there again in a month and a half. I appreciate everyone's prayers. Whatever He is doing, it is good. And I will be ready, and everyone else will be ready, when it is time.
This journey started so long ago for me in my traumatic uprooting from Colombia. These past two years have been (and still are) about healing, growth, and the refining of my calling. God birthed in me a desire to go down with the team to Argentina, and miraculously provided for me to go not once, but twice. As the plane was landing, the song playing in my ipod was "Tu has sido fiel, tu has sido fiel, siempre has sido fiel..." (You have been faithful, You have been faithful, You have always been faithful...).
From the moment we landed, I was just overwhelmed with GRATITUDE that He would have picked me for this experience. That feeling of "who am I, Lord, that You would pick me for this?" It was such a special, intimate thing to be a part of, that I often felt undeserving (in a good way).
Ministry Highlights-
The motive for this trip was to reopen Punchinello. Punchinello is an arts school for children, opened by Vanessa Szczecko three years ago. Amazing woman of God. A couple of years older than me. Just a woman that left imprints on the hearts of every single person she met. And about four months ago, the Lord decided that He couldn't resist having her away from heavenly home any more and brought her home. He healed her cancer permanently. So we went down to be a support to the pastoral family, and to throw the re-opening party. Out of privacy and respect of the family, I am not going to go into detail here and will just focus on my own experience.
I just felt very CONNECTED and honored to be a part of it. I had been praying for the school and over the new leader (also named Vanessa), so it was good to be able to see first hand that the Lord is being faithful to raise up the Joshua (as He had given me to pray), and that He is being faithful to give her the same grace and anointing to lead these children to the "Promised Land".
It was also super fun to involved with kids. Not my full-time calling, but I love to speak/teach for kids. (Pastor Bobby spoke, and I translated both into Spanish...and into children...and I love that!)
Another highlight was speaking at Rivadavia, one of their church plants in an impoverished (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) neighborhood. Months ago, I had an impression that I would speak there. I prayed about it for a couple of months and for the life of me, God would not show me what He wanted me to talk about. Minutes before service started, David asked me if I was going to share or not and it became clear to me. It was to be the first time I would share about my last two years in a public setting, as a form of praise and worship to God for having carried me thus far. I had a woman come up to me after and tell me that she was not from the church, but God told her to go to this service that night. She said that it was exactly what she needed to hear. I walked away from the experience reaaaally missing preaching. I didn't realize it, but man, I am so passionate about sharing about God's character and testifying to His goodness to a captive audience. I hope my roommate likes the new pulpit I've placed outside her bathroom.
The night before we left, I had quite a break down. I felt so...conflicted. I had so much expectation going into it (come on...you don't provide miraculously for me to go down and not have me wondering what You're up to...). I was hoping for writing on the wall. "YES DESTENI, THIS IS WHAT I HAVE FOR YOU! DEPARTURE DATE...MARCH 3, 2011 AT 7:14AM!!!" But that did not happen. I felt like God had opened up all these desires and began to question whether or not He was ever going to have "a place" for me (where American/Latina Desteni gets to be one whole person). So I had a bubble of emotion and doubt swell up in me. And beautiful God, so faithful...I opened my Bible and it landed on the verse "Do not be impatient for the Lord to act. Travel steadily on the path and He will honor you and give you the land." (insert ugly cry). I went to write the verse in my journal, and when I opened to the next page, the quote on top was, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've always imagined." (ugly cry turned into gymnastic facial contortion).
So to answer the big question on everyone's minds, "Are you thinking about moving down there?" I am traveling steadily on the path. I still have stuff to learn here. And I am praying about it. If you know me at all, you know that I don't make decisions emotionally or do what seems most obvious, just because it is obvious. If God gives me a green light, I think it would be a good fit. I am trying not to prematurely get attached to the idea and have it just be a stepping stone to something else. My job is to be here, now, and finish the process that I began.
I will be there again in a month and a half. I appreciate everyone's prayers. Whatever He is doing, it is good. And I will be ready, and everyone else will be ready, when it is time.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Round One
I leave for Argentina in the morning. (You probably didn't know since I hardly talk about it...wait...)
I feel excited, nervous, expectant, happy, worried...lots of things! I have so much on my mind that I cannot really articulate at the moment. You will have to wait until I get home and can process a bit.
Specific prayer requests:
1. Safety in travel for ourselves and our luggage :). I would LOVE for our luggage to make it there with us.
2. That I would be open for God to use me in the way that He wants to (and not be confined to my own ideas of how He has used me in the past).
3. That He would speak to me. That He would give me eyes to see and hears to hear.
4. That I would have the confidence and faith to step out.
5. That I would be able to translate for Pastor Bobby without anyone getting injured. :)
See you on the flip side!
I feel excited, nervous, expectant, happy, worried...lots of things! I have so much on my mind that I cannot really articulate at the moment. You will have to wait until I get home and can process a bit.
Specific prayer requests:
1. Safety in travel for ourselves and our luggage :). I would LOVE for our luggage to make it there with us.
2. That I would be open for God to use me in the way that He wants to (and not be confined to my own ideas of how He has used me in the past).
3. That He would speak to me. That He would give me eyes to see and hears to hear.
4. That I would have the confidence and faith to step out.
5. That I would be able to translate for Pastor Bobby without anyone getting injured. :)
See you on the flip side!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Blessed
I am so blessed. God never ceases to amaze me and surprise me. He is so faithful and good and persistant. I think He is altogether Yummy.
Recently I was really struggling with Him with some things regarding my future, my calling, and these trips to Argentina. I had pretty much given up on the October trip, since our first payment deadline was in a couple of weeks and I was still short on the first trip. I was having a battle in myself between my intellect (what is smart, reasonable, and responsible) and my intuition (knowledge in my spirit that something is going on). I finally cried out to Him that I needed Him to INTERVENE and to speak to me.
Oh goodness. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. I think He was on the edge of His seat waiting for me to ask. That day, out of the blue, everyone I was in contact with had something to say about my name ("wait, what does that have to do with anything...oh, her name is Destiny...I get it.") People who have known me for years and are over the novelty of it. God was just stirring in me the fact that I am created with a specific destiny. My name is no accident. It is a part of who I am and what He is doing with me.
Then, very unexpectedly, I received a very generous donation in mail towards my trips that fully paid off my first trip and put me well on my way for the second. I cried. I went into the accounting office and cried. I cried in a box. I cried with a fox. I was SO GRATEFUL how the Lord not only provided, but spoke to my heart and affirmed, "Yes, Desteni, you are not imagining this. You are following me. I am doing real things in your life."
And if that were not enough, He has decided to speak to me constantly. Now, I believe that God is always trying to communicate with us, but I mean speaking to me in a particular way. For example, I had three people pray over me VERBATIM the exact same prayer. "Lord, give Desteni the HOPE and the FAITH to be able to reach her DESTINY." It wasn't on topic. And we weren't even praying over one another. People just took it upon themselves to pray for me.
And you know what else I love? He has been speaking correction to me. Areas of my heart that still need to be dealt with in order to make me a trustworthy vessel. Wish it could be done overnight, but I love walking it out with Him.
Please refer to my Prayer Requests on the side if you'd like to be a part of my prayer team. I feel like it is a very key time for me and I would appreciate people advocating for me in prayer.
If you'd like to help financially (I still need about $1400 to fund the rest of the October trip), please send checks made to City of Grace (with Desteni-Argentina in the memo) to 655 E University Dr, Mesa, AZ 85203 ATTN: Outreach.
Thanks.
"That's all I gotta say about that..."
Recently I was really struggling with Him with some things regarding my future, my calling, and these trips to Argentina. I had pretty much given up on the October trip, since our first payment deadline was in a couple of weeks and I was still short on the first trip. I was having a battle in myself between my intellect (what is smart, reasonable, and responsible) and my intuition (knowledge in my spirit that something is going on). I finally cried out to Him that I needed Him to INTERVENE and to speak to me.
Oh goodness. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. I think He was on the edge of His seat waiting for me to ask. That day, out of the blue, everyone I was in contact with had something to say about my name ("wait, what does that have to do with anything...oh, her name is Destiny...I get it.") People who have known me for years and are over the novelty of it. God was just stirring in me the fact that I am created with a specific destiny. My name is no accident. It is a part of who I am and what He is doing with me.
Then, very unexpectedly, I received a very generous donation in mail towards my trips that fully paid off my first trip and put me well on my way for the second. I cried. I went into the accounting office and cried. I cried in a box. I cried with a fox. I was SO GRATEFUL how the Lord not only provided, but spoke to my heart and affirmed, "Yes, Desteni, you are not imagining this. You are following me. I am doing real things in your life."
And if that were not enough, He has decided to speak to me constantly. Now, I believe that God is always trying to communicate with us, but I mean speaking to me in a particular way. For example, I had three people pray over me VERBATIM the exact same prayer. "Lord, give Desteni the HOPE and the FAITH to be able to reach her DESTINY." It wasn't on topic. And we weren't even praying over one another. People just took it upon themselves to pray for me.
And you know what else I love? He has been speaking correction to me. Areas of my heart that still need to be dealt with in order to make me a trustworthy vessel. Wish it could be done overnight, but I love walking it out with Him.
Please refer to my Prayer Requests on the side if you'd like to be a part of my prayer team. I feel like it is a very key time for me and I would appreciate people advocating for me in prayer.
If you'd like to help financially (I still need about $1400 to fund the rest of the October trip), please send checks made to City of Grace (with Desteni-Argentina in the memo) to 655 E University Dr, Mesa, AZ 85203 ATTN: Outreach.
Thanks.
"That's all I gotta say about that..."
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Awakening to Desire
Desire is a dangerous thing. Desire opens you up for a whole world of vulnerability, risk, and potential disappointment. Desire will either take you on an adventure of faith and trust or burn your spirit.
I have spent the majority of my life avoiding desire. If I do not want and if I do not have any expectation of abundance, I cannot be disappointed. I am a master at "getting by". At staying safe.
Have I experienced the amazing generosity of God? Absolutely. How could I ever forget my experience in Spain, and living 100% in faith for every single meal for an entire month, never knowing where our next meal was going to come from? I will never forget how He not only met my physical needs, but also gave me the desires of my heart. I will never forget how He was IN MY FACE, challenging me with, "You cannot possibly even ASK for more than what I am willing to give you." Yet so often I find myself like ground that is so dry that it is unable to absorb the rainfall.
My prayer for myself right now, is that I would become incredible at receiving. In every area of my life. That I would make room for desire and allow God to either wow me in providing, or to help me see the bigger picture in not providing and allow Him to comfort me. I just long for my heart to be such a fertile place.
I have been invited to go to Argentina not once, but twice this year. In July, they are reopening the art school for underprivileged children after having lost their beloved leader in her battle with cancer early this year. I am not sure what my specific role will be. I believe that God wants to use me, though, in ways He has used me before. And I still believe that I am to go on the October trip as well.
Going once was stretching to my faith. Not going to lie. After being home for two years, I do not have my support base as I did before. Going twice? I am having to conquer some big fears of allowing myself to want it, then not being provided for. Of being disappointed. I am going to go for it though, and see what the Lord would do with it. I am going to put myself in a position of vulnerability and see what amazing things He has for me, either in going on both, or in blessing my heart with some greater lesson.
If you would like to help me go, I am going to need to raise about $3000 above what I have already raised. Checks can be made out to City of Grace, with Desteni-Argentina in the memo and sent to:
City of Grace
655 E University Drive
Mesa, AZ 85203
ATTN: Outreach
I have already been incredibly blessed by a handful of people who have already come alongside me. And I am realizing that I am equally as grateful for the words of encouragement that have come in as I am with the financial gifts. So if you want to pray for me and send a word of encouragement, that would be amazing! You can send it to the same address and it will get to me.
In the Journey Together,
Desteni
I have spent the majority of my life avoiding desire. If I do not want and if I do not have any expectation of abundance, I cannot be disappointed. I am a master at "getting by". At staying safe.
Have I experienced the amazing generosity of God? Absolutely. How could I ever forget my experience in Spain, and living 100% in faith for every single meal for an entire month, never knowing where our next meal was going to come from? I will never forget how He not only met my physical needs, but also gave me the desires of my heart. I will never forget how He was IN MY FACE, challenging me with, "You cannot possibly even ASK for more than what I am willing to give you." Yet so often I find myself like ground that is so dry that it is unable to absorb the rainfall.
My prayer for myself right now, is that I would become incredible at receiving. In every area of my life. That I would make room for desire and allow God to either wow me in providing, or to help me see the bigger picture in not providing and allow Him to comfort me. I just long for my heart to be such a fertile place.
I have been invited to go to Argentina not once, but twice this year. In July, they are reopening the art school for underprivileged children after having lost their beloved leader in her battle with cancer early this year. I am not sure what my specific role will be. I believe that God wants to use me, though, in ways He has used me before. And I still believe that I am to go on the October trip as well.
Going once was stretching to my faith. Not going to lie. After being home for two years, I do not have my support base as I did before. Going twice? I am having to conquer some big fears of allowing myself to want it, then not being provided for. Of being disappointed. I am going to go for it though, and see what the Lord would do with it. I am going to put myself in a position of vulnerability and see what amazing things He has for me, either in going on both, or in blessing my heart with some greater lesson.
If you would like to help me go, I am going to need to raise about $3000 above what I have already raised. Checks can be made out to City of Grace, with Desteni-Argentina in the memo and sent to:
City of Grace
655 E University Drive
Mesa, AZ 85203
ATTN: Outreach
I have already been incredibly blessed by a handful of people who have already come alongside me. And I am realizing that I am equally as grateful for the words of encouragement that have come in as I am with the financial gifts. So if you want to pray for me and send a word of encouragement, that would be amazing! You can send it to the same address and it will get to me.
In the Journey Together,
Desteni
Monday, April 5, 2010
My Own Resurrection
"My lover spoke and said to me, 'Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come...Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.'" Song of Songs 2:10-13
Word that I have been waiting and waiting and waiting to hear...YES, Desteni, this is what I want for you.
Around New Year, God confirmed in my heart that yes, missions are a part of my DNA. I am most alive, most fulfilled, most effective, when I am serving in missions. I began to pray about the place, the timing, etc. I still love Colombia, so I presented God with my plan to work on the island of Bocachica with Karen and Jorge. My answer was consistent...wait. Don't worry about your future. Don't fret about tomorrow. Your future is in my hands. I would try my best to surrender for the day, and in the morning I'd get the same word. (I am a fast learner, Folks!)
I didn't "get it" until I went to coffee with a friend of mine. She was sharing with me her own journey, and how God called her to "give up her love of Guatemala". I burst into tears. Full on crying in the coffee shop as I listened to her talk. She continued to share how she would always love Guatemala, but she was holding onto it in her OWN love. God totally convicted me that I was holding onto Colombia with my own love. It was as if I was trying to manipulate God to send me back through loving Colombia enough. I finally surrendered. I cannot receive the good things He has for me if I insist on what it looks like. I took on the attitude of, "if this is what He wants, great, if not, I am going to serve in the way that He chooses with gratitude".
Soon after, out of nowhere, He began to stir in me a desire to go on our church's mission trip to Argentina. This made NO SENSE to me. (Still doesn't make a whole lot of sense!) First, I am not huge into short term stuff. If I am going to fly across the world, I want to be there for awhile. Second, it is a CONSTRUCTION team. I don't even need to elaborate why that is not a great fit for me...but I will. "Aleah, can you open this Gatorade bottle for me?" And third, I don't have any long term plans of going. But in my surrendered state, I began to seek the Lord on it.
Little by little, He began confirming that YES this IS what He wants for me. I was given the green light by my directors and the team leader a couple of days ago.
I can't even explain what it means to me. Seriously, I don't care what it is. He could have told me that He was sending me to the local Taco Bell to serve. I am just SO touched and excited that He has spoken to me about it. That He is leading me with something other than WAIT.
He has even started to stir in me some of my giftings that have been on loving "hold" during this season.
I am just so touched to be seeing the first fruits of the Spring after a long, cold winter. I am thankful that my season of resurrection is beginning.
If you would like to help me go on this trip, I am asking people to participate in what I am calling 17.20.6.
I am looking for 17 people to support me $20 a month for the next 6 months. (I was going to say that it comes from a certain verse in the Bible and come up with something totally random. But when I went to look up verses in 17:26, they were totally encouraging and appropriate like 1 Chron 17:26 O Lord, you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant).
Anyway, if you'd like to be one of the 17, please send checks made out to City of Grace with Desteni-Argentina in the memo to
City of Grace
655 E University Drive
Mesa, AZ
ATTN: Outreach
And obviously, if you want to help with a one time gift or a different amount, I am not going to send it back to you and send you hate mail.
I will be posting prayer request as the process continues. I am excited for what God is doing and know that nothing of significance happens w/o prayer!
Thanks for going on this journey with me.
Word that I have been waiting and waiting and waiting to hear...YES, Desteni, this is what I want for you.
Around New Year, God confirmed in my heart that yes, missions are a part of my DNA. I am most alive, most fulfilled, most effective, when I am serving in missions. I began to pray about the place, the timing, etc. I still love Colombia, so I presented God with my plan to work on the island of Bocachica with Karen and Jorge. My answer was consistent...wait. Don't worry about your future. Don't fret about tomorrow. Your future is in my hands. I would try my best to surrender for the day, and in the morning I'd get the same word. (I am a fast learner, Folks!)
I didn't "get it" until I went to coffee with a friend of mine. She was sharing with me her own journey, and how God called her to "give up her love of Guatemala". I burst into tears. Full on crying in the coffee shop as I listened to her talk. She continued to share how she would always love Guatemala, but she was holding onto it in her OWN love. God totally convicted me that I was holding onto Colombia with my own love. It was as if I was trying to manipulate God to send me back through loving Colombia enough. I finally surrendered. I cannot receive the good things He has for me if I insist on what it looks like. I took on the attitude of, "if this is what He wants, great, if not, I am going to serve in the way that He chooses with gratitude".
Soon after, out of nowhere, He began to stir in me a desire to go on our church's mission trip to Argentina. This made NO SENSE to me. (Still doesn't make a whole lot of sense!) First, I am not huge into short term stuff. If I am going to fly across the world, I want to be there for awhile. Second, it is a CONSTRUCTION team. I don't even need to elaborate why that is not a great fit for me...but I will. "Aleah, can you open this Gatorade bottle for me?" And third, I don't have any long term plans of going. But in my surrendered state, I began to seek the Lord on it.
Little by little, He began confirming that YES this IS what He wants for me. I was given the green light by my directors and the team leader a couple of days ago.
I can't even explain what it means to me. Seriously, I don't care what it is. He could have told me that He was sending me to the local Taco Bell to serve. I am just SO touched and excited that He has spoken to me about it. That He is leading me with something other than WAIT.
He has even started to stir in me some of my giftings that have been on loving "hold" during this season.
I am just so touched to be seeing the first fruits of the Spring after a long, cold winter. I am thankful that my season of resurrection is beginning.
If you would like to help me go on this trip, I am asking people to participate in what I am calling 17.20.6.
I am looking for 17 people to support me $20 a month for the next 6 months. (I was going to say that it comes from a certain verse in the Bible and come up with something totally random. But when I went to look up verses in 17:26, they were totally encouraging and appropriate like 1 Chron 17:26 O Lord, you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant).
Anyway, if you'd like to be one of the 17, please send checks made out to City of Grace with Desteni-Argentina in the memo to
City of Grace
655 E University Drive
Mesa, AZ
ATTN: Outreach
And obviously, if you want to help with a one time gift or a different amount, I am not going to send it back to you and send you hate mail.
I will be posting prayer request as the process continues. I am excited for what God is doing and know that nothing of significance happens w/o prayer!
Thanks for going on this journey with me.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Season of Gratitude
So, I am sure most people have given up on my blog since I pretty much stopped writing in it upon return from Colombia. I am seeing something go around though and I have been inspired to participate. I want to spend this season writing about things for which I am grateful.
Today, I am grateful that God brought me into recovery programs. I had been living my life as a reaction to my fear and pain. And each day, I am learning to face my fears and take responsibility for all of my actions. I feel more centered and grounded than I ever have in my life, and I am excited to see what the Lord has for me once I am out of "the desert".
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Still Alive!
My life changes every 37.2 seconds. Not by my choice, mind you. If God left things up to me, we would all stay the same, all the time (unless, of course, I had an agenda to change YOU to make me more comfortable). It would seem, however, that God is not looking for a personal assistant (I offered! "I am qualified!! I have IDEAS!!" and He politely declined), so things keep a'changin.
So what the heck has been going on with me the last 7 months?
I moved. Three times. And I am on the brink of another transition as my beloved roommate is sadly moving to California. (I could be wrong, but I am beginning to suspect that there is some kind of lesson that I am not learning...) So that has not been fun in terms of stability, but I have gotten to live with some really great people, which was a huge blessing.
I am still working at my church in the outreach department, which is also a huge blessing. I do not believe that it was at all coincidence that God placed me in this position. He totally opened the door there. It has not always been an easy process for different difficulties beyond anyone's control, but even in that, I am learning that God is faithful and He is good.
And because God LOVES me, He opened the door for me to teach at GED class to English learners in the spring. That was a new experience, but I loved it! I loved my students (all latinos!!).
"So, Desteni, how are you?" (head slightly tilted to the right).
I have been in a wonderful process. Has it been easy? About as easy as brain surgery in a row boat. It has been so hard and so uncomfortable, but sooo good. Tackling my issue with codependency is seriously revolutionizing my life. I am learning to change behavior/thoughts that are damaging to myself. I am learning that I have CHOICES. I am learning to own and deal with my own feelings, while requiring that others deal with theirs (I always felt responsible for everyone's feelings and needed to make everyone feel good). I am learning to be NICE to myself. (I would probably be in jail if I treated others the way I treated myself, in terms of expections, perfection, brutality over mistakes, etc). So it has been good. I still have a long way to go, but I am encouraged. I am hopeful that God is leading me to a glorious destiny.
"So, Desteni, are you going to go back?"
You know, I still am not putting pressure on myself to make that decision. I have a lot of resentment to work through still that would keep me from being objective at this point. I do know that my perceptions of what happened were/are distorted because of my codependence. I do know that I love Colombia. I miss it like crazy. I feel most alive when I am serving in missions. I am still passionate about the work there. We will see. I believe 100% that when it is time to make a decision that God will guide me and I will have peace. He's good like that ;)
What is immediately on my plate? I am going to lead a weekend trip to Agua Prieta, Mexico to serve at an orphanage. I went in February and it was great! There are so really awesome kids there.
Stay tuned for pictures...
So what the heck has been going on with me the last 7 months?
I moved. Three times. And I am on the brink of another transition as my beloved roommate is sadly moving to California. (I could be wrong, but I am beginning to suspect that there is some kind of lesson that I am not learning...) So that has not been fun in terms of stability, but I have gotten to live with some really great people, which was a huge blessing.
I am still working at my church in the outreach department, which is also a huge blessing. I do not believe that it was at all coincidence that God placed me in this position. He totally opened the door there. It has not always been an easy process for different difficulties beyond anyone's control, but even in that, I am learning that God is faithful and He is good.
And because God LOVES me, He opened the door for me to teach at GED class to English learners in the spring. That was a new experience, but I loved it! I loved my students (all latinos!!).
"So, Desteni, how are you?" (head slightly tilted to the right).
I have been in a wonderful process. Has it been easy? About as easy as brain surgery in a row boat. It has been so hard and so uncomfortable, but sooo good. Tackling my issue with codependency is seriously revolutionizing my life. I am learning to change behavior/thoughts that are damaging to myself. I am learning that I have CHOICES. I am learning to own and deal with my own feelings, while requiring that others deal with theirs (I always felt responsible for everyone's feelings and needed to make everyone feel good). I am learning to be NICE to myself. (I would probably be in jail if I treated others the way I treated myself, in terms of expections, perfection, brutality over mistakes, etc). So it has been good. I still have a long way to go, but I am encouraged. I am hopeful that God is leading me to a glorious destiny.
"So, Desteni, are you going to go back?"
You know, I still am not putting pressure on myself to make that decision. I have a lot of resentment to work through still that would keep me from being objective at this point. I do know that my perceptions of what happened were/are distorted because of my codependence. I do know that I love Colombia. I miss it like crazy. I feel most alive when I am serving in missions. I am still passionate about the work there. We will see. I believe 100% that when it is time to make a decision that God will guide me and I will have peace. He's good like that ;)
What is immediately on my plate? I am going to lead a weekend trip to Agua Prieta, Mexico to serve at an orphanage. I went in February and it was great! There are so really awesome kids there.
Stay tuned for pictures...
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Update on the Baby Shower
Something else pretty exciting also ocurred the first night of the brigade. I got a phone call from the girl we did the baby shower for. The babies were born, and we were the first people she called!! A healthy little boy and girl. I was seriously so touched though. She had literally just given birth and called us!
Ministry Stories
The young couple
One of the first days of the brigade, I received a young couple in counseling. Now, there are times when I am in counseling and I say what I think needs to be heard, but it is not like every time I go in, I feel like God is speaking through me. That was not the case here. We started talking about their marriage and they were really getting what I said. Then, according to what I was hearing from the both of them, I started to go a little deeper with the husband. We started talking about his childhood and he just lost it. He lived a TERRIBLE life of abuse, violence, even slavery. I challenged him to forgive the people who hurt him out loud. He couldn´t, but I could tell he really wanted to. So I encouraged the wife to take the kids and to give him the space where he could get alone to do that. They left. Hours later, I saw him walk by. He looked like a different man. Seriously. He saw me from afar and I gave him a questioning ¨thumbs up¨sign (communicating, "Did you do it?"). He nodded and smiled and kept walking. Later that night, he went to the evangelistic campaign and went forward to receive the Lord. It was awesome!
One of the first days of the brigade, I received a young couple in counseling. Now, there are times when I am in counseling and I say what I think needs to be heard, but it is not like every time I go in, I feel like God is speaking through me. That was not the case here. We started talking about their marriage and they were really getting what I said. Then, according to what I was hearing from the both of them, I started to go a little deeper with the husband. We started talking about his childhood and he just lost it. He lived a TERRIBLE life of abuse, violence, even slavery. I challenged him to forgive the people who hurt him out loud. He couldn´t, but I could tell he really wanted to. So I encouraged the wife to take the kids and to give him the space where he could get alone to do that. They left. Hours later, I saw him walk by. He looked like a different man. Seriously. He saw me from afar and I gave him a questioning ¨thumbs up¨sign (communicating, "Did you do it?"). He nodded and smiled and kept walking. Later that night, he went to the evangelistic campaign and went forward to receive the Lord. It was awesome!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Outreach Update Armenia
We survived the first week of outreach! (Applause...)
Ok, we got here and instantly feel in love with everyone. Seriously. You would have thought that we knew these people our whole lives. However, the pastor (woman) came up to me and started to tell me everything she had in mind. I fell unconscious half way through...it was an onslaught of activities to go at the same rate she was talking...a JILLION miles a minute. All I got out of it was that I wasn..t going to sleep for a week! (I love the pastor, btw)
So, we did more activities than what was healthy for the team, but it turned out SO GOOD!!! God has really put on my heart what it means to really be like Jesus. I mean, I can have all the information in the world, preach, lead Bible studies, be a missionary, but do I really look like Jesus? Do we as a church look like Jesus? I would venture to say that we don..t in many areas. That I don..t. Jesus was know for accepting people and for serving. For living outside of the structure. He was known for love.
With this fresh in my mind, Trinity and I started talking to some woman in the park. This girl was 21 years old, had a four yr old girl, a 2 yr old, and was pregnant with twins. We were getting along really well. They were super sweet. And I asked her if they did baby showers here. She said that they did. She said they did one last week, and confided that they had spent a large amount of money for them to through this party and only one person came and gave her some shampoo for the baby. She was just trouble and told me, "We don..t even have any clothes to receive the children in." So I asked her all excited, "Can we give you a baby shower?!!!" She was embarassed, but excited. So we did. My team, along with the church, gave this girl a baby shower. It was so special!!!!! Seriously. With no intentions, no strings attached, we just got to express love and acceptance to her and help her in her need. And God totally used it. She went to two services this week and started a relationship with the Lord. She asked me a bunch of questions and we got her a Bible that we all signed. It was so awesome.
I wish I had more time to tell all the stories from this week. There were just very permanent things that happened. Fruit that lasts. I will try to post some pictures soon. I don..t have a camera anymore, so I have to wait and borrow them from the girls on the team.
Please keep praying for us!
Ok, we got here and instantly feel in love with everyone. Seriously. You would have thought that we knew these people our whole lives. However, the pastor (woman) came up to me and started to tell me everything she had in mind. I fell unconscious half way through...it was an onslaught of activities to go at the same rate she was talking...a JILLION miles a minute. All I got out of it was that I wasn..t going to sleep for a week! (I love the pastor, btw)
So, we did more activities than what was healthy for the team, but it turned out SO GOOD!!! God has really put on my heart what it means to really be like Jesus. I mean, I can have all the information in the world, preach, lead Bible studies, be a missionary, but do I really look like Jesus? Do we as a church look like Jesus? I would venture to say that we don..t in many areas. That I don..t. Jesus was know for accepting people and for serving. For living outside of the structure. He was known for love.
With this fresh in my mind, Trinity and I started talking to some woman in the park. This girl was 21 years old, had a four yr old girl, a 2 yr old, and was pregnant with twins. We were getting along really well. They were super sweet. And I asked her if they did baby showers here. She said that they did. She said they did one last week, and confided that they had spent a large amount of money for them to through this party and only one person came and gave her some shampoo for the baby. She was just trouble and told me, "We don..t even have any clothes to receive the children in." So I asked her all excited, "Can we give you a baby shower?!!!" She was embarassed, but excited. So we did. My team, along with the church, gave this girl a baby shower. It was so special!!!!! Seriously. With no intentions, no strings attached, we just got to express love and acceptance to her and help her in her need. And God totally used it. She went to two services this week and started a relationship with the Lord. She asked me a bunch of questions and we got her a Bible that we all signed. It was so awesome.
I wish I had more time to tell all the stories from this week. There were just very permanent things that happened. Fruit that lasts. I will try to post some pictures soon. I don..t have a camera anymore, so I have to wait and borrow them from the girls on the team.
Please keep praying for us!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Hello...?
Did Desteni die? No, no she didn't. Here I am, Folks! I figured that my birthday was enough news to last a couple of months!!
We have now wrapped up the lecture phase of this school. These students have been incredible. They are YOUNG. I am taking two girls who just turned 16, and two 17 yr olds (I think). But they are amazing. They have been self motivated, teachable, passionate. It has been such a pleasure working with them!
The highlight of the lecture phase was definitely Missions Week. Now, we do this every semester, but this time was different. Normally, we assigned different continents to the staff and students and they are in charge of decorating a part of the house and doing a presentation during the week so that we can all intercede together. But in the past couple of semesters, it had really turned into presentations of countries and less prayer. So we made a lot of changes.
This year, we really wanted the students to EXPERIENCE the culture, so that by the time we got to intercession, they would be more IDENTIFIED with what the people were living. We also had the students pray and have God put a country on their hearts, so students were assigned according to the places God had given them. We all dressed according the the given country every day, we practiced their customs, we lived under the same bondage that they do (I'll explain more with the pictures below).
And God showed up. We talked to the base director in a Middle Eastern base to share his testimony with us to start the week, then to end the week with a challenge via skype :) From the beginning, we felt like God was calling us to TAKE ACTION and not to just intercede. And the closing night...wow...I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
The director shared with us about God's desire for unreached people in closed countries. He challenged the idea of praying and praying and waiting for God to hit us with a lightning bolt to go into these countries. He told about what God is doing where he is working and the vision he had. I was ready to start packing to go work with him.
Next, it just so happened that a team from Denver was here and had a girl from Nepal. This was one of the countries that God had REALLY put on some of the girls' hearts. So she shared and again, it was exactly what God was trying to tell us. We had everyone who felt like God was calling them get up and we prayed over them. It was so profound. It is one of those things that you can't put into words. We were all GIDDY afterwards. Even into the next day. A holy giddiness. Two of our girls received calls to Nepal. So clearly. One of those transcendental moments in life for them.
And it was so amazing for me because my heart has always been to see Latinos going into these closed nations. So I got to pray over them, sending them, next to Jhonny and Enith who have the same passion. I felt full.
This is Maria Elena and Carolina (l to r). Maria was one of the girls called to Nepal. She is also going on outreach with me!
On the day the Muslim countries presented, we prayed five times a day, facing East. We prayed to God though. We thought that would be a better idea. You know.
There we are praying over those that were called on the last night.
Paola (right) was crying so hard I though we were going to have to throw her in the pool. God rocked her world that night, calling her to Nepal. There she is standing with the guest from Nepal. 
Jhonny and I after a satisfying week of intercession. (Note- I had been crying, too. Don't worry. I haven't given up on make-up).
Another big thing that happened was that Trinity was baptised, and I got to help! It was such a huge priviledge. It was beautiful and MEANINGFUL. You can see a video of it if you would like on youtube under trinitypratt. There are three parts. The first video is in Spanish, so if you don't speak spanish, it might not be exciting for you. But the second video is in English.
Next Monday Trinity and I will be headed out Armenia (Coffee Land, Colombia) for two months leading an outreach team. "Where is Rachel??," you might be asking yourself. Rachel is going to the States for a couple of months to get training for the ministry that they are founding here, Life Alternatives. AAANNNDDD, God just opened the doors for us to rent the house NEXT DOOR. This is huge. So we took a leap of faith and rented it, believing this was from God and we are waiting to see how he will come through with the finances. We definitely don't have the funds as of yet to pay for it! We all believe though that God has blessed this, so it should be exciting to see how He will manifest His faithfulness!!
Friday, February 1, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Inner Healing
This week Rachel and I were asked to help teach the class on Inner Healing to the DTS students. We were both pretty pumped.
Until I started to get ready for it. As I prayed, I really felt God leading me to "expose myself" and share from a really vulnerable place. The topic I was to be sharing...Rejection. Ouch. Turns out that I know a little about that topic. Then I got words from many of you that confirmed what God was telling me. So I went for it.
Let me tell you, you can come to terms with a lot of things in your life. But when you have to say them OUT LOUD...IN PUBLIC, that is just something totally different. I was crying before I even started class. I stood up and saw one of my friends from across the room and mouth to her, "I don't think I can do this." So she prayed and I cried some more. It turned out really good though.
Through that and the other classes, God has totally been working in the students' hearts. Last night, we had an awesome time of ministering. The students were broken. A few of them were actually weeping (most were crying). God gave us words. It was beautiful.
Thank you so much for your prayers!
Des
PS- It is my birthday tomorrow. Feel free to shower me with attention ;)
Until I started to get ready for it. As I prayed, I really felt God leading me to "expose myself" and share from a really vulnerable place. The topic I was to be sharing...Rejection. Ouch. Turns out that I know a little about that topic. Then I got words from many of you that confirmed what God was telling me. So I went for it.
Let me tell you, you can come to terms with a lot of things in your life. But when you have to say them OUT LOUD...IN PUBLIC, that is just something totally different. I was crying before I even started class. I stood up and saw one of my friends from across the room and mouth to her, "I don't think I can do this." So she prayed and I cried some more. It turned out really good though.
Through that and the other classes, God has totally been working in the students' hearts. Last night, we had an awesome time of ministering. The students were broken. A few of them were actually weeping (most were crying). God gave us words. It was beautiful.
Thank you so much for your prayers!
Des
PS- It is my birthday tomorrow. Feel free to shower me with attention ;)
Monday, January 7, 2008
Christmas at Home
So, my time at home has been breathtaking. I couldn't have planned a more blessed or meaningful time. God went OUT OF HIS WAY to provide me with opportunities that I never thought I would have. I got to see so many significant people. Let me explain through the pictures...
My BROTHER!!! Many of you have heard me talk about my brother (Sonia's best friend who is just a part of our family). Well, I hadn't met him yet officially. So he surprised us and spent Christmas with our family. Those are "nice to meet you" flowers. So sweet! I love him.
I called my childhood best friend to get together and it turns out that our other best friend was in town from Idaho, so we had a whole high school reunion pretty much. There is one pretty pregnant Anne, Shawna (whom I hadn't seen in YEARS), Stephanie, and Joy (my best friend since first grade).
This was a special moment taken between me and a bag of Christmas blend Starbucks.
Ok. So the day after I got back to the States, my family and I went up to a cabin in Sedona. It was great. Snow on the ground. This was a picture Seriah and I took in front.
I got to fly out to Michigan TO FINALLY MEET MY FAMILY on my mom's side. AMAZING. This is my sister and I with our grandpa. I can't even put words to how significant this trip was to me. It was like finding a piece of me that had been missing for years.
Here I am with my aunt Maria and my precious cousin Amanda.
This was my sister and I in front of Stephanie's memorial tree. My aunt Sonia on the right lost her daughter (my cousin) to cancer this year after a 2.5 year battle. This was our first Christmas without her. 
My BROTHER!!! Many of you have heard me talk about my brother (Sonia's best friend who is just a part of our family). Well, I hadn't met him yet officially. So he surprised us and spent Christmas with our family. Those are "nice to meet you" flowers. So sweet! I love him.
I called my childhood best friend to get together and it turns out that our other best friend was in town from Idaho, so we had a whole high school reunion pretty much. There is one pretty pregnant Anne, Shawna (whom I hadn't seen in YEARS), Stephanie, and Joy (my best friend since first grade).
This was a special moment taken between me and a bag of Christmas blend Starbucks.
Ok. So the day after I got back to the States, my family and I went up to a cabin in Sedona. It was great. Snow on the ground. This was a picture Seriah and I took in front.
I got to fly out to Michigan TO FINALLY MEET MY FAMILY on my mom's side. AMAZING. This is my sister and I with our grandpa. I can't even put words to how significant this trip was to me. It was like finding a piece of me that had been missing for years.
Here I am with my aunt Maria and my precious cousin Amanda.
This was my sister and I in front of Stephanie's memorial tree. My aunt Sonia on the right lost her daughter (my cousin) to cancer this year after a 2.5 year battle. This was our first Christmas without her. Here are my other precious little cousins. Amanda, Savanna, and Faith. They are stinkin cute.
I will also be leaving on Thursday to visit my old base in Mexico. So I will get to see my old friends.
It has all been so rich. I will never forget this Christmas. God was on a mission to surprise me, delight me, and bless me in every way imaginable. Thank you, Lord.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Stories
Man, I just read Rachel's blog and am going to reference you there because she did a good job capturing our experience. (The link is under my favorite links and has the word Rachel in it. Sorry, I don't have it in front of me, but you are all bright people).
Another school has past. I have just completed my third semester with YWAM Medellin. This was one of my favorite and most challenging outreaches.
I love the work we did get to do. Highlights- Fefa and I were eating at a family's house for two weeks and got to see a clear picture of what the family was going through. All Christian, but hugely suffering in silence. The father had a past of being abusive, the son had gotten into huge trouble as an adolencent (involvement with a homocide) which very much affected the family. And no one talked about it. There was so much hurt. So much unforgiveness. But so much desire to more forward in life and forgive.
The last night, Fefa and I sat them down as a family and started to tell them what we saw and what we felt like the Lord had for them. We talked about the effects of violence in the family. How it needs to be dealt with. And they had a beautiful time of asking for forgiveness from one another and speaking words of blessing. Then we prayed for all of them. It was awesome. The next day, there was a whole different feel in the house. Lightness. Love. Hope. I left so aware that we had really changed the course of their destiny.
The challenging part was that it was hard for people to trust us and consider us authorities for our ages. I was the oldest by...five years? Six? So many people missed their opportunities to receive help by not opening up.
I will be home soon. As you know, I do not have a cell phone, so the best way to get ahold of me is still via email. :)
Another school has past. I have just completed my third semester with YWAM Medellin. This was one of my favorite and most challenging outreaches.
I love the work we did get to do. Highlights- Fefa and I were eating at a family's house for two weeks and got to see a clear picture of what the family was going through. All Christian, but hugely suffering in silence. The father had a past of being abusive, the son had gotten into huge trouble as an adolencent (involvement with a homocide) which very much affected the family. And no one talked about it. There was so much hurt. So much unforgiveness. But so much desire to more forward in life and forgive.
The last night, Fefa and I sat them down as a family and started to tell them what we saw and what we felt like the Lord had for them. We talked about the effects of violence in the family. How it needs to be dealt with. And they had a beautiful time of asking for forgiveness from one another and speaking words of blessing. Then we prayed for all of them. It was awesome. The next day, there was a whole different feel in the house. Lightness. Love. Hope. I left so aware that we had really changed the course of their destiny.
The challenging part was that it was hard for people to trust us and consider us authorities for our ages. I was the oldest by...five years? Six? So many people missed their opportunities to receive help by not opening up.
I will be home soon. As you know, I do not have a cell phone, so the best way to get ahold of me is still via email. :)
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Half Way Point
Our time in Macedonia has been amazing. The community has totally opened up to us and has received us with full confidence.
We are working mostly with the local schools, teaching on relationships,identity, and what it means to have a relationship with the Lord.
They are so open!
And it is the most beautiful place on Earth I have ever seen. Raw creation. It is delightful.
Pray for wisdom for me. There are some complicated things going on with the pastor. I need wisdom to know how to confront it and do what is best for the community.
The picture above was taking in a time of counseling with one of the girls in Filadelfia. She was the one I got the cool word for. So much need...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
