What Does Reaching the "Unreached" Mean??

Great article that I found. Love the way it views the meaning of reaching unreached people groups and what that looks like in reality. It provided tons of clarity as I have been wrestling with this topic in the calling of my own heart to missions. 

Jesus gave the Great Commission to his church almost 2,000 years ago. He clearly instructed us to make disciples in every people group, to baptize them, and to teach them to obey everything he has commanded. After all these years, more than half of the world’s people groups remain unreached, representing more than one-third of the world’s population. The challenge to reach every people group as quickly as possible resonates in our hearts and prayers, and reverberates in missions conferences. We must reach the unreached because no one can be saved without the gospel.

But subsequent questions easily divide and distract us in our efforts to obey the Great Commission. What does it mean to reach the unreached? What does a reached group look like? And does a people group need any more missionaries once they are reached? Should I feel guilty or mistaken if I believe God is calling me to a group that some consider reached? Discussions about such questions often become more emotional than missiological.

The definition that missiologists often use to describe the term “unreached” is something along the lines of those ethnolinguistic people groups whose population is less than 2 percent evangelical, or those groups without a sufficiently strong presence of New Testament churches or numbers of Christians who could carry on the work without outside help. This percentage metric was devised by missiologists simply to have a commonly embraced benchmark to assist them in talking about levels of evangelical Christianity in various missions contexts. However, it was quickly adopted more broadly as a useful way of discerning which groups had the least presence of Christianity and therefore priority targets for missionaries. Indeed, some even used it to decide where missionaries should go to serve, and when others should leave ministries and redeploy elsewhere.

Certainly those groups with populations that are less than 2 percent evangelical must hear the gospel, and we should use all haste to reach them. Carl F. H. Henry said that the gospel is only good news if it gets there in time. Sadly, for about 50,000 people in unreached people groups every day, it does not.

Crucial Questions and Answers

Still, many questions remain unanswered. If a group is more than 2 percent evangelical, that is if it is not unreached, may we call it "reached"? Does reached mean that missionaries should not be there, that the work is considered complete and should be handed off to nationals? What about people groups that have been saturated in animism or some false world religion for centuries that subsequently embrace a gospel presentation? Haiti comes to mind—though the majority claim to be believers, a greater majority still practice voodoo. One thinks of Rwanda that had more than 90 percent baptized Christians when the worst genocide our age has known broke out; almost 1 million were slaughtered by other "reached" Christians. The lifelong task of discipleship should indeed be handed off to the national church, but only after they have been discipled.

Certainly most would agree that faithful obedience to the Great Commission and reaching the unreached is more than a matter of speaking the gospel message and moving on. But how much more? Jesus answered that question. He said to teach them to obey all he has commanded. That statement must not be abbreviated. The task of the Great Commission cannot be compared to running through a large darkened building, flipping on a few switches and announcing that they now have light even though thousands of other rooms leave most people in darkness. If that is all one understands reaching the unreached to mean, then we must agree that the great tragedy of the world today is not that it is unreached, but that it is undiscipled.

We have unintentionally created the erroneous perception that missions equals reaching the unreached. If one’s efforts consist of flipping on light switches and then hurrying to the next darkened room, that is not the Great Commission; it’s only half of what we have been commanded to do. Jesus said we are to teach them to observe all that he has commanded.

What, then, is missions all about? We are to strive to know God and to make him known. We are to reach the unreached and teach the disciples. The role of the Western missionary is often seen to be simply reaching the unreached, flipping on light switches, then leaving the discipling and teaching task to the national church. However, when the national church has not received deep discipleship, theological education, or pastoral training, the teaching cannot be handed off to them. The 1 Timothy 3 admonition that a pastor should be apt to teach does not just mean that he knows how to teach, it also means that he knows what to teach.

Teach Them Sound Doctrine

God has greatly blessed the churches of the West with centuries of Christian reflection on revealed truth. Western theologians and biblical scholars stand on the shoulders of all those who came before them, incorporating the insights revealed and lessons learned from schisms and heresies. All that God has providentially allowed or sent, and the ways that he has sovereignly guided the Western church, has resulted in what we Western believers understand evangelical Christianity to be. Wise stewardship must not treat this heritage lightly but should seek to share it in ways that are biblically faithful and culturally appropriate so that others may know. The core principle of discipleship is that the one who knows teaches the one who does not know (1 Tim. 2:2).

Every people group must have the Bible in a language they can understand. They should have biblically qualified and trained pastors. They should have their own theologians and authors who are well-equipped to reflect on the Scriptures in the context of their people’s worldview and write in their heart language. But this ideal world will not exist until we obey our commission to disciple disciplers, train trainers, and teach teachers. Nationals will one day be the best teachers, theologians, authors, and preachers for their national church—but only after they have been prepared. The background developed through generations of being steeped in pagan worldviews and false religions does not evaporate on praying a prayer of salvation. This is why Christ commanded us to disciple them.

Unchanging Truth in a Changing Culture

My grandfather taught my dad much about life, and my dad embraced this teaching, improved upon some of it, and then adapted it to the new methodologies of his generation before teaching me. Likewise, I learned their values and primary lessons but made adjustments to the world I live in to practice their wisdom faithfully. Many of the missionaries who brought the gospel to Europe had studied the writings of the early church fathers and learned from previous generations, but they made adjustments to embrace new languages and worldviews without changing the gospel. Music and liturgies the missionaries had learned in their past were often ineffective on newer mission fields. The Christianity that came to the New World continued to adapt and morph, but it has remained faithful to the original Word once for all delivered to the saints.

When missionaries share translated books, sermons, and lessons with peoples who have yet to prepare their own, they are not theological imperialists or imposing their particular beliefs on others. They are faithfully sharing truth they have learned with the full knowledge that their hearers will do the same. Reaching the unreached is a lifelong process. The pioneer missionary may begin the process and then change his approach to meet the evolving needs for the rest of his life, or he may plant a church and invite others to come behind him to do the deep discipleship and pastoral training. Teaching those we reach is not an optional component of missions. When Jesus said to teach them all he has commanded, he is saying, “Tell them all that I told you.”

Lost people of the world must hear the gospel to be saved. That is true whether they are in an unreached people group or not. Lost people in reached people groups are still lost, and everyone who dies in a lost condition will go to hell for eternity. Their only hope is to hear the gospel and repent. The task of missions is not simply to reach the unreached, allowing every missionary to define what that means for himself; it is reaching the lost and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded.

David Sills serves as professor of missions and cultural anthropology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and is president of Reaching & Teaching International Ministries. Sills has also served with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in Ecuador as as church planter and general evangelist among the Highland Quichua people in the Andes, and as a seminary professor at the Ecuadorian Baptist Theological Seminary. He also served as rector and professor of the Baptist seminary as a missionary with Global Outreach International.






http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/missions-doesnt-stop-when-group-reached

National Adoption Month

I am in love with the month of November for many different reasons. First of all its the beginning of fall , all things cozy and warm. We can finally pull out the handful of sweaters that us Sandiegans own!! Secondly it holds one of my favorite holidays. Thanksgiving. This is a time spent with family, counting our blessings, sharing laughs, prepping for Christmas and eating some of the most amazing food out their. I seriously could eat "thanksgiving dinner" for every big holiday and special occasion and be completely content. Lastly, and this is a new discovery I made just this year actually which added all the more  to my love of November. November happens to be National Adoption Awareness Month. How incredible that not just a day is dedicated to this but an entire month , 30 whole days.

I decided that on my blog I wanted to start doing a "Missionary Moment" once a week on Mondays. Where I share with you a little bit about a new ministry or missionary that I know personally who is serving the Lord overseas. Then I thought for the month of November I would focus on organizations that are striving for excellence in the department of orphan care, particularly in Africa since this is where my passion , calling, heart, and connections lie. There are so many amazing individuals not only in Africa but all over the world who inspire me with the work and visions that the Lord has given them to pursue. So many of these go unnoticed, as I know until I actually started searching I was unaware of just the amount of amazing things going on in all parts of the world. These disciples of Christ are giving of all their lives and resources to reclaim what the Devil has stollen and to bring hope and love to the most desperate situations around. Teaching widows skills, fighting against abortion , human trafficking, caring for orphans, the sick, the destitute, training young men to be leaders and pastors, and so much more. I am so excited to give you little glimpses into a number of different ministries that i have been blessed to have a small hand in this year. With so many needs on this planet the ministry diversity is just as large, no two are the same.

Jesus loves us and loves the entire world and it blows me away when I consider how blessed i am to have a small part in the vastness of all He is doing. When our utmost desire is His glory and fame to be known throughout the entire world then we open ourselves to be used in amazing ways in the most incredible places. We have not been given passions, abilities and talents for no reason. These are the avenues that the Lord uses as we carry His name wherever we may go. Don't sell short your past, the places God has brought you through and the current path you are on. He has a plan and is working in your life in more ways then you could ever imagine. Give the Lord your YES and see how He will use you. I promise it will blow your very mind, take you places you never thought you would go, and keep you there by His grace.

The first ministry I want to shine a spotlight on is MERCY HOUSE.  This organization was founded by a mom from the states who took a trip to Africa with Compassion to do some blogging for them. Little did she know that once you gave her "YES" to God He was call her to pursue even greater things for the Kingdom. This beautiful family still lives in the States and has trained African leaders to run the organization in Kenya. I love the work they are doing here and have a dream and vision to see a location established in Uganda Lord willing.

Finding Your "City'

This week in church we  finished the last of 3 messages that have been recapping and summarizing the book of Genesis. This weeks topic was all about cities, our roles in the city and the city that is to come that we as Christians look forward to. Their is a very unique universal call that the Lord has placed on us and how we relate to what we know of as a "city". This call to keep , work and populate a city starts way back in the garden of Eden and still stands for us today. We see that this whole idea of a city , dwelling here on earth and contributing to a "city" was all part of Gods plan, but these cities are in fact ever since the fall been corrupted and are full of sinful people. We are on mission in our city to make much of Christ and to build up as many disciples for Gods coming city as we can.

Jeremiah 29:5-7 “5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

I love how this verse points out that yes, as children of God we are exiles and wanderes on this earth. As we long and wait for heaven the eternal city of God our job here on earth is so very important and still part of Gods plan.  You see it is the Lord who determines what city we call home. He is the one who establishes us and orders our steps. God is the one who knows the end from the beginning, His plans are greater then ours. He simply needs our "Yes Lord" and then He has the authority to take us to the deepest , farthest village on the other side of the world, a beach front town , or the middle of the dessert (James 4:13-15). Their are cities , and peoples all over this earth, all of which need to see and experience the love of Chris and hear the Gospel. No matter where you are called to be or where you currently live chose today to be all their. What does this look like you ask? 

We live our mission out by seeking the city of God, the one that is to come, the one that we have citizenship in as the Bible tells us. In this present city we are merely on a journey, working daily to bring as many people with us as we can. First thing we don't do is Despise our city , this only forces us into a christian/church bubble where we do not interact with the lost at all. Second we do not Yield to our city we are called to be in this world but not of it , going along and loving all the city loves. Lastly we are not to Use the city, which means taking it for all its benefits and moving along without making an impact or giving back. This is wrong. 

We LOVE that "city" that God has called us to by planting roots, living there, building a business there, worshiping there , caring about that city , and doing all you can to reach the lost and contributing to making that city the best it can be for the glory of God. When we look at are calling and purpose in this way its makes us realize that every single person in Gods family is in fact a missionary. Christians in San Diego are just as much missionaries as those in Africa, Russia , China, or the Middle East. We all have been given the same Word of God and the same command to make disciples and to bring as many people with us into the kingdom of God. Are we doing this , and are we doing this to the best of our ability? Are we looking for ways daily to share Christ with people, contribute to the good of our city , and to live as missionaries every day of our lives ? 

Ask the Lord to reveal to you where your "city" is and the specific ways He has for you to love and be committed to that city. Until the Lord brings us home to the true and better city may we be found faithful as a family on mission here on earth. 

10 Most Horrifying Examples of Modern-Day Child Slavery

This is an article I came across on a friend of mines Facebook Feed . I know this stuff exists but this article laid it out plain, simple, and unsugar-coated. My heart is broken and torn to shreds . We live a world that is nasty, terrible , just awful. How the Fathers heart but feel when He sees the wicked sinfulness of mankind. Ohhhhh come Lord Jesus , come soon!

Childhood is defined by culturally set boundaries which have changed throughout human history. The acceptable age to work varies depending on the culture, but child slavery is unanimously the worst form of child labor that exists and is unacceptable at any age in any country. There are millions of children trafficked around the world and forced into lives of depravity and despair. Here are 10 of the worst kinds of modern child slavery.

10Dancing Boys Of Afghanistan

In war-torn Afghanistan, an ancient practice called Bacha Bazi has been revived in which young boys are taught to dance and sold to wealthy men. The translation means to be interested in children. Poor boys are exploited and become sexually abused slaves. It was banned by the Taliban and is still illegal under Afghan law. In a place where women are not allowed to dance in public, boys are made to wear women’s clothing and dance for groups of men. After the shows, the boys are often taken to hotels and subjected to sexual abuse.

Impoverished boys who have no fathers or live on the streets are particularly at risk. With no resources family who often need the eldest son’s financial support, the boys are drawn into the disturbing world of Bacha Bazi. The children, many of whom are no older than nine, are groomed by powerful merchants who lure them with the promise of a better life. Some men make their living roaming the streets, hunting for vulnerable children to recruit. The kids they find are given “jobs” as apprentices and the grooming begins. The practice is purely pedophilic—when the boys mature and grow beards, they are cast out. That life is all they know, and when no longer dancing, many become Bacha Bazi pimps themselves.

Bacha Bazi was thought to be a practice that occurred in the north of Afghanistan, but an internal investigation for UNICEF found evidence of it in the south and even in Kabul. Men in positions of power manipulate the system to prevent persecution. Police officers who run programs meant to protect children have been found attending the parties. Western men have been known to come to Afghanistan and take advantage of the boys. The lives of these children are completely ruined, they face violent backlash if they don’t agree to sexual demands, and they’ll likely be murdered if they escape.

9Forced Beggars Of Senegal

Not all children who beg on the streets are homeless. In Senegal, an estimated 50,000 children are being made to hit the streets and beg for money. Parents send their children to Quranic schools called daaras, where they are supposed to get an education guided by the Quran, overseen by a spiritual teacher known as a marabout. For many, this is all that happens, but all too many daaras are exploiting the students. Referred to as talibés, these students are forced to beg on the streets to earn money for their marabouts.

The talibés vary in age from four to 14. They’re sent out on the streets and have a daily quota of money to bring back to the marabouts. If they return shorthanded, the penalties are swift and harsh, from being chained in total isolation to violent beatings. The money ends up in the pockets of the marabouts and is not invested in the schools or the children. The talibés lack shoes and hold tin cans to collect their money as they wander the streets early in the morning to please their keepers. The marabouts hold immense sway, making the government reluctant to crack down. Activists want the Senegalese government to fast-track state-sponsored daaras, where traditional religious teachings can persist but forced child labor cannot.

8Shrine Slavery In West Africa

In West Africa, a form of ritual servitude carries on in traditional religious circles. The practice of Trokosi (which translates to “slave of the gods”) involves taking young, virginal girls into religious shrines to correct the misdeeds committed by their families. The girls are subjected to sexual abuse, forced hard labor, and a lifetime of shame. They are not allowed to keep any money. The girls’ families must provide the girls with food and clothing. Every aspect of their lives is controlled by the priests who run the shrines and the priests have only to answer to the gods and the shrine owners. The owners of the shrines are usually village elders and hold significant political and economic power.

The sexual abuse is no secret—the girls have to have sex with the priests whenever they demand. It is said that when the girl has sex with the priest, she is having sex with the gods who the priest serves. The girls are raped so often that priests can have dozens of offspring. This brings even deeper shame upon slaves because the community doesn’t see these children as legitimate, since the girls are married to gods and not to men.

If the family refuses to give up their daughter, the belief is that terrible things will happen to them. It isn’t restricted to immediate family—a terrible crime could require generations of virgin daughters being sent to the shrines. If a girl dies in servitude, the family is required to send another virgin daughter to replace her. Even if released by the priests, she can be forced to return to the shrine, because for the rest of her life, she is considered a slave to the gods. Even though the practice is illegal in countries like Ghana, it still carries on in secret.

7Domestic Servitude Next Door

One of the most pervasive forms of modern child slavery is domestic servitude. A shocking 10.5 million children—71 percent of whom are girls and many of whom are as young as five years old—are estimated to be domestic workers around the world, and many of these children are held in slavery. They cook, care for children, garden, fetch water, clean, and anything else that needs done in the homes where they are employed.

It happens everywhere, including the United States. There are an estimated 50,000 slaves in the United States and an additional 17,500 are being trafficked into the country every year. That is more people being enslaved annually than during legal slavery in America’s dark history. Persecution is difficult because many cultures where the children live do not have clear cut distinctions between work and family duties, but these children are not treated as part of a family and the work they carry out is not equivalent to ordinary chores. Kept in isolation and subjected to physical and sexual abuse, domestic slaves are hidden from the outside and become dependent on their captors.

Terrifyingly, this kind of slavery can be happening next door to you and it would be hard to ever know. The stories almost always include a vulnerable, trafficked child who was lured into a family, where they became isolated and beaten into submission. The children have often been taken from foreign countries and have little to no knowledge of the native language. Such was the case of one young girl, Shyima, who was enslaved by a wealthy Egyptian couple in California. She knew nothing but the cruel conditions of sleeping in a garage and caring for a family of five—she couldn’t read when rescued years after her servitude began.

6Cannabis Farms In Scotland

Children from places such as China and Vietnam are being trafficked into Great Britain and being forced to work in indoor cannabis farms throughout the island, many of which are located in Scotland. These farms are usually run by organized gangs inside gutted buildings, whose the windows are blacked out and doors are locked at all times. Children as young as 13 are kept inside 24 hours a day, where they have to tend to thousands of cannabis plants. An estimated 300 children are trafficked into the country every year, and justice system is failing these victims.

These children are not given any access to natural light, only knowing the day by the heat lamps that keep the plants growing, and are exposed to toxic chemicals that are used in the cultivation process. They face intimidation, violence, and extortion on a daily basis, often told by manipulative gang members that they will be freed when they’ve worked off the debts their families owe to overseas money lenders. The debts are sometimes real, but the ability to pay them off is not. One young victim, Min, was told that her captors would kill her grandmother if she tried to escape.

The UK is increasingly cracking down on cannabis farms, but the victimized children are not immediately helped by the raids. Instead, many children are being charged with cannabis cultivation and being sentenced to prison time. Min was one of those children, sentenced to 12 months in prison, and Hai Van Vo was another. Vo is an orphan from Vietnam who was promised restaurant work in Europe when he was trafficked into the UK. His captors said he had to work off the debt from the trip, so they locked him inside and made him become a “gardener.” When the farm was raided, Vo was sentenced to deportation after a 27-month jail term. Those children who don’t go to jail are put into foster care. While in care, the gangs that coerced them into slavery continue to harass them and scare nearly two-thirds of children into returning to the farms.

5Camel Jockeys In The Persian Gulf

When you think of horse jockeys, you probably imagine very small people wrestling a speeding horse between their legs. It’s a similar situation with camel jockeys, only it’s children riding the camels and the children are slaves. An estimated 30 or more boys as young as two are abducted monthly from Pakistan to work as camel jockeys. The slave owners buy the children so young not because two-year-olds are good at riding camels, but because acquiring them at that age means there is more time to deliberately stunt their growth to prevent maturation and weight gain.

The children usually begin racing at the age of 10, even though it is illegal for anyone under the age of 14. If the boys don’t live up to their masters’ expectations, they can be tortured and left for dead. There is so much money in the endeavor that camel owners turn a blind eye to the violent abductions, instead focusing their attentions on disciplining and training their new slaves. The children who escape this nightmare face an uphill struggle, as the abuse they face at sensitive young ages can have lifelong effects, including severe mental and physical disabilities. UNICEF is working to end this phenomenon by encouraging the use of robot jockeys that jostle the camels to race.

4Harvesting Child Organs

Taking advantage of the high demand for organ transplants, organized gangs have taken to trafficking children to sell their organs on the black market. One such young girl was abducted from Somalia and smuggled into the United Kingdom in 2013. Haiti became a hotbed of exploitation in the wake of the devastating 2010 earthquake, which left tens of thousands of children orphaned. Child trafficking was stated to be one of the biggest issues faced by aid workers as they struggled to reunite children with distant relatives and bring others into safe homes.

Even where strict regulations are placed on organ transplants, black markets thrive because people are desperate for transplants they fear may never come through legitimate means. An estimated 70,000 kidneys come annually from the black market worldwide. Reports on the prevalence of children being trafficked for organ harvesting are varied, but experts fear it is much more common than anyone knows. After all, gangs exploit the most vulnerable and invisible among us and supply a desperate demand. Sometimes, the children are never found after they vanish.

3Forced Labor In The Mines

Mining is strenuous work and considered one of the most dangerous professions in the world. Long hours, hard physical labor, and often-cramped conditions can contribute to human errors in an already dangerous environment. If it is dangerous for well-trained adults in regulated mines, imagine how dangerous is it for the estimated one million children in Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia that work in unregulated mines.

From the age of three, children are intimidated and forced to work long hours for little to no pay. They toil in shifts of 24 hours at a time, while girls are often forced into prostitution. They are at a higher risk for short- and long-term health effects due to chemicals, dust, and deadly metals. Their growing bodies can become permanently deformed because they strain them carrying heavy loads. Their respiratory systems suffer due to constant dust inhalation, and the toxic chemicals and metals do serious damage to their nervous systems. The children are kept from school and have little or no access to healthcare services. The isolated locations of most mining communities contributes to the lack of police intervention and normal social protocols. Many of the fringe mining communities are rife with drug abuse and deplorable living conditions.

2Child Soldiers In Armed Conflicts

With the advent of light weapons, vulnerable children became the go-to soldiers for disgraceful armies that have nothing to lose. In terrorist cells, civil wars, and private armies around the world, hundreds of thousands of underage soldiers are being forced into bearing arms. They are easy to intimidate and take orders better than adults. Children are less aware of their rights and are usually looking to adults for guidance and care, so they’re less likely to run away. They can be kept in slave conditions because they sometimes know nothing else but that violent world.

These children become so conditioned to war that killing is as routine a part of everyday life as eating, drinking, or sleeping. Their malleable minds are brainwashed and they live in constant danger, killing on command. They come from war-ravaged villages and are often the only survivors after an attack, taken in by the attackers and forced into slavery. Some armies, such as the Burmese military regime, force them to perform slave labor in transport and construction when not on the front lines.

Those who escape, such as those who fled during the Sierra Leone civil war, are simply taken in and enslaved by the opposing side. They are forced to kill other children who try to escape. Sometimes, children who survive even face war tribunals. In Somali, children have been accused of war crimes instead of being liberated from their slavery.

1Chocolate Slavery On The Ivory Coast

Most children light up when given a chocolate treat, but there are children who are slaves to the chocolate industry. They are so controlled and abused that many do not even know what chocolate is or what it tastes like. In places like Ghana and the Ivory Coast, where 60 percent of the world’s cocoa is produced, illegal child labor is carried out on a daily basis. Some children have parents who are cocoa farmers, but others are trafficked and forced into a life tending the fields.

The estimated 500,000 child slaves working in the cocoa fields live in depressing conditions. Often orphaned or homeless, they are smuggled by force or by promises of a better life. The children are so small that many tasks can’t be done without injury, like cutting grass with a machete.

No one is taking full responsibility—the government blames the cocoa industry, while the cocoa industry blames the government. Proposed legislation to guarantee slave-labor-free final products was shot down after intense pressure from industry giants. Horrifyingly, a BBC undercover journalist discovered that even when a chocolate bar is stamped with the Fairtrade seal of approval, there may still be child labor occurring during production.

What Your Job Teaches You About Life.

It's monday!!!!
You could be feeling like the world is falling apart , like your drowning in a sea. Or
you could feel like your on top of the world , like everything is under control , like your floating on cloud nine. But may I just ask for a small favor from the person reading this ,no matter the situation , or feeling. Just take a.moment , a few short seconds to lay hold of the goodness of God. To think on His sovereignty , His faithfulness , His peace and presence.  Father in this moment we acknowledge your love , all the good things you give to your children and we praise you that in this very moment the wind and waves still know the sound of Your voice.


One of the main things that worried me the most as I faced the reality of coming back to the States was the daunting task of finding a job. Not any job , I was feeling needy and specific in my requirements. Yet again in spite of my selfish heart and it's desires , the Lords provision and love for me overwhelmed me. Through a friend from church I was provided a part time nanny job to a sweet 1 year old boy named Chase. For a week I faithfully poured into this baby but then came to realize I would need to work more then 20 hours a week to live and save for events that are taking place this year . I then graciously got a call from another working family who wanted to use my services for the remainder of the days that I was not with Chase. Just like that in a matter of a full 7 days the Lord has provided not only a job I thoroughly look  forward to every morning. On top of all that I still have clients booking me for weddings, and "kitchen"hair cuts , as well as the opportunity to house sit for some friends over the holidays!!!!!

God is soo gracious in not only blessing His children with the things they need but providing an extra measure of grace, in that He allows us to enjoy and be joyful in those blessings . God loves His children , He desires to give good gifts to us , He glories in satisfying our hearts with its deepest longings. When we are fully resting and satisfied in Him , then our heart is open to receive all He wills for us.


Being around a 12 month old for 5 straight days sometimes up to 8 hours is definitely one of the most exhausting things I've done , but at the same time so rewarding. It is in fact teaching me just what a full time job being a mom will be one day. It teaches you how selfish your thinking and actions really can be. It teaches you patience and understanding , and it teaches you how to filter your words and strive to speak to a toddler in the most Gospel centered way possible. All in all I absolutely love my new job , it allows for much needed flexibility and adventure as I prepare and plan for a new exciting chapter in my life!!

While there is no way I could handle the job of being a mom right now and while that's not the stage of life the Lord has blessed me with at this point in time. It is soo precious to be able to have that desire and love for children satisfied throughout this season of life. Getting to play house is soo fun , getting to have picnics at the park, play dates with other moms who have kids, story time at the library and of course coffee and new fun shops. It's a pretty great setup if I do say so myself. The Lord has mercifully removed the stress and physical pain that I was experiencing prior to Africa and has replaced it with so much more. My Father is teaching daily just how freeing genuine surrender to His plans and purposes can be.

Even now things are happening and plans forming to allow for me to be back serving and living more permanently in Uganda. While there is still so much more to pray about and sort through it is looking like this will be my last holiday season spent in the US for awhile. But that is for a whole other blog post , because it will be a book in itself! Just continue to be praying for me as life continues to change in a great way, that I would be fully willing and able to follow wherever the Lord has me go.

Know Your Boundaries, Push Your Limits

The last 3 months have been a crazy whirlwind of one adventure after the next. This is the first time in months that I have stopped to just rest, be home, and sleep in my own bed. You know the little things, like actually unpacking all my suitcases , doing all the laundry and organizing my house. Going from one beautiful location to the next, and each time being blown away by the vastness and creativity of our  God. This earth is covered from seashore to seashore with handiworks of God that give us just a small glimpse into the greatness and beauty of the Father. It is in those moments , standing 4,000 feet in the air overlooking a cliff, or with your toes in crystal clear water, or in the middle of a forrest with no one around for miles and only the sound of the wind through the trees. Those are the times when you realize just how small you are , just how great God is and how incredible it is to belong and be loved by the Master creator of the universe.
At the beginning of this year I said to myself that I was going to actually make intentional steps, and plans to make this year one of the best yet. I found myself stuck in a rut and craving some real life adventure, the "I don't know whats going to happen tomorrow" kind. I wasn't sure what that would look like , but just in that moment when I surrendered and let go God began leading and has not stopped providing one opportunity after another.

The first stop of the summer lead me to serve in the beautiful country of Uganda. I am so grateful for each and everyone of you who came alongside of me, knowing all that your prayers and finances were able to accomplish for the kingdom. The Lord is continuing to work in the hearts and lives of all those who i crossed paths with. technology is such fantastic in cases like these where I can continue to communicate and encourage new friends and believers from the other side of the world. This was a life changing experience, I will never forget the place where God made the calling to full -time missions  crystal clear. I count down the days that I can return and continue the work that that the Lord has for me  in Africa. Lord willing next summer.

The second stop of the journey brought me back home safely to LA where I met up with a friend and her family. We hopped on a plane and headed out to enjoy a beautiful week in Cancun , Mexico. I could not asked for a better place to relax and unwind from spending 5 weeks in Africa. The weather was so warm , the water so clear , and the atmosphere beyond relaxing. Had a lot of time to lay around , read and process all that the Lord has been teaching me.

The third stop was very unexpected. My last day in Mexico I got a call from a friend of mine. She had access to a time share up in Big Bear and wanted to take her couple kids up for several days. Her husband had to stay home and work so she wanted some help taking care of the kids, it was also a great excuse to escape to the mountains. The accommodations were beautiful, the weather was perfect, and we were able to make a cheap vacation out of it.

Last but not least , heading back from being up in Big Bear I get a message from one of my very best friends. She proceeds to tell me that she just bought a groupon for a cabin in Yosemite , to pack my bags that we are leaving in a few days. Mind you we have been talking about planning a few vacations such as grand canyon , Alaska , and Yosemite but the year got away from us and we hadn't had time to make it happen yet. I was so surprised and excited when i got this news. We filled up our car and headed out at 2 Am in the morning so as to arrive in Yosemite and still have a full day exploring. We managed to hike up to Glacier point the second day which was 20 miles long and took us 12 hours. It was by far one of the most challenging things iv ever done but my limits were pushed and I proved just how far my body can be pushed. It was so worth it. A very busy few days , but such a great, spontaneous adventure with some of my favorite girls on this earth. Great sites, precious friends, and fantastic conversations.

I am now officially back home for awhile now, back to normal life and working until the next adventure calls my name. Next trip isn't until December after Christmas, hoping to road trip up the coast and see San Fran , Napa and the Sequoias. Then looking at Hawaii in the spring, Alaska in the summer, and back to Africa in the early fall Lord willing. This world contains so many treasures and I have an itch to explore them all. So here is to a blessed and abundant life. All good gifts are from the Father and as long as He is in the business of giving I will joyfully receive. Below are some of my favorite moments from the journey so far!!