July + New Experiences
Turning the Other Cheek In the month of July, I wasn’t robbed once, but twice. Since moving into my new apartment mid April, I have been living without a table. I’m still a recent college grad, so it wasn’t that different from my life two years ago, but by mid-June I was feeling ready to actually have a place to sit and eat, so I started researching and found a company to buy a table from. I placed the order in full confidence, but as the weeks started to tick by with less and less communication, I started to realize that I had fallen for an elaborate scam. I spent several weeks pursuing… Read more
Original Design
Every month our team does a three day fast that ends with a meal together and a prayer night for the country where we live. This prayer and fasting week is one of my favorite team spiritual practices. Last month, I had the opportunity to help lead our prayer night. I walked the team through one question that has been shaping the way I think about serving in a different country: God, what is your original design for this land? Scripture shows us that sin doesn’t just affect people - it affects the land itself. Adam was created from dust of the ground and because of sin, the ground feels the… Read moreJuly Update!
These past few months have been very hectic, so I'll try to keep things brief. I have been dealing with a lot of loss and hardship. I have lost friends, seen my parents' health decline, and have even discovered I have health concerns I wasn't aware of previously. But through it all, God has been good. He has continued to provide for me and those around me in these tough times. I won't lie, it has been hard sometimes to look to Him for strength. I find it can be really easy to get complacent, lazy, and angry when you can't see God in certain situations. The thing to remember is that it… Read moreNot Mine to Solve, Merely to Help
Over the last month, I’ve been challenging myself to sit with and interact with the Lord in new ways to deepen my relationship with Him intentionally. In this time, He has been answering some of my many questions, while also allowing me to sit and ponder on some new ones related to the connections between anti-trafficking work and the Kingdom. I began working through the book of Jeremiah early in the month and reading about God’s warning of exile against the people of Jerusalem due to their unfaithful actions towards Him. I’ve been reminded of the Lord’s hand within the injustice in… Read more
My First Ask: Cheerful Givers
I LOVE giving people baby gifts after they share the news that they are expecting a new member of the family. It is so exciting and fun to show them love in this way and to talk about what life will look like in the next few months. I share that because my first support meeting was with Sawyer and Liv, on their 1st year wedding anniversary, a couple months after Sawyer had told me that Liv was pregnant. I met Sawyer in 2021 when we were both working with campus housing at The University of Alabama, we became friends, and I happily agreed to watch his dog, Fen (he is the best) when… Read more
"Oh The Places You'll Go"
My favorite childhood book to read was “Oh The Places You’ll Go”! I knew there was a whole world out there waiting to be seen. This book always felt like the Lord was speaking to me through the words, reminding me that I would be off to great places—those that He created. My favorite quote from “Oh The Places You’ll Go” was “Kid you’ll move mountains! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way!” This book changed my view on the world, and rather “The Great Commission” and the Lord placed the calling of the nations on my heart even before I knew what serving the nations… Read more
Bittersweet
If I had to choose just one word to describe my time in Ecuador so far, it would be: bittersweet. For every beautiful moment, there is a painful one. I feel like I am always living with both joy and grief at the same time. For example, every time I go to the grocery store, I feel so much gratitude when I’m able to buy everything I need, but I can’t help but think about how the women we serve are selling themselves just to be able to buy food for their kids. Or when I’m talking with them, I feel so grateful that they trust us enough to share such vulnerable things, and many of them inspire me… Read more“How are you using your hands [to glorify Him]?”
I was at work a couple of days ago when a co-worker and I were admiring a customer's earrings. This customer’s name was Dameca. Her earrings were these grapefruit slices that had been set in resin and handmade into beautiful earrings. When we mentioned the earrings and complimented them, Dameca began sharing the story behind them. Dameca's earrings had come from an immigrant woman. This woman began making resin earrings as a means of earning an income after relocating to the United States, and she utilized the help of others to establish an online Etsy shop where she could showcase her… Read moreMay’s Flowers after April’s Showers
May’s Flowers after April’s Showers: Seeing some Fruit after a Long Season of Planning and Sowing Starting to Disciple + Jane’s Story This month, I began my discipling journey! I am being trained by different coworkers who have been discipling these women for years. During these trainings, I sit with an Amada—one of the beloved women we serve—and a team member as they lead the discipleship conversation. This is how I met Jane*, a 24 year-old mom who has already spent many years in prostitution. Jane gave her life to the Lord recently. As we sat and talked with her about the story of Jesus… Read more