Last week in India

Last week in India
Ezekiel 37: the Valley of Dry Bones. We were ministering to the children and youth here this week ...These people must have felt so hopeless and broken and that they could not be used. They may be dried up- seeking help but are dry bones. The First Step according to Chp 37, is to rebuild the Body- build up trust, build up a relationship and then give breath into them.
We should be the ones that God uses to give Breath into these lives and allow God to make them alive again
"Were the Spirit is present, people are allowed to live and be enabled to be alive. It is hope to a despairing community". We are here to give breath into dry bones.

John 11:39-44
Lazarus had been dead for 4 days and there was a foul odor. V 44- Jesus said to unwrap him so that he can be free to walk.
- We should ask the Holy Spirit what are our grave clothes?
What smells in our lives or what are the things that we are bound to so that we can give it to God and he can Free us.

Ephesians 4:1 If we have our pasts all our grave clothes on and if we are wrapped to where our arms cant reach out- we cant wrap our arms around our saviour.

This whole week I had taught one dance and we led art classes. We got to see the city and have some amazing times or devotions in the morning and night. I was able to see God begin to work in some of their lives, and completely transform other lives. One night we prayed for hours, seeking God's face, praying for healing, restoration and praying for our families. It was amazing to see these children at all ages come to the throne of God and fall in love with the Lord all over again...

When I was leaving I was really sad. I want to come back and pray that the Lord will one day send me to India again with Project Rescue. It's crazy to think about all the people we meet and never see again. What about all the lives that leave footprints in our hearts? How do people not get attached and how are they able to move on and not yearn to see them again? I began to be filled with fear... these girls melted my heart... life seemed so right here- how can I just go back and expect things to fall into place? When I went to DR- I had made small change in my life. I realized that I have a heart for missions and that it will always be part of my life (short or long term), I started to see God through people,My heart began to break for what broke His and I really began to see the NEED for missions. India was completely different... there were so many comforts that were not around- internet, phone, air conditioner, toilet paper, even food. The ministry was completely different ... both needs just as great. It was a time to really live and engage with the people. To know their situations, see where they stand in Christ, hear about what God has saved them from and to be given the opportunity to teach them about the Lord as much as you can. The need here was so great. The poverty was unbelievable. The lost was unimaginable. The hunger for a love not found was unfathomable. If you could only spend a day in their shoes .. you whole world would shake, Just imagine putting your feet in the shoes of one of these women or children- I don't think we would be able to handle it.
I was so used to living a life that was surrounded by helping from a distance but this time we all got to India and stayed up worshipping, woke up early for fellowship- left all the comforts of our homes and lives but not to lift ourselves up higher or bring attention to ourselves, but to glorify God. What we have done was nothing to what God deserves. He deserves a life totally dedicated to serving Him, either at home, in the US or across the world. However, by no means does it mean to live a normal life. It doesn't mean to have a routine life. If we go to our 9-5 jobs and mind our own business then we have not done much for His Kingdom.

What have we done lately to advance His Kingdom? Being in India just gave me such a great feeling of conviction because the ministry at home was so great as well and I havent done much. I would live day in and day out, not being a rebel for Christ. Not trying to tell everyone about Christ. My actions didnt always resemble Christ and I never cared to try harder. He loves us so much- an unimaginable amount. He pursued me, he was and is jealous for me. He chased after me even when I ran so far from Him... He still came after me and showed me Grace, love and compassion. Most importantly, he took my hurt away.
That great amazing feeling of what He did for me, is what I so desperately want everyone to feel, I want to share it with everyone.

We all have our own stories, we all have our hurts. All of our lives are different, and we all have either encountered God or we are still waiting for that moment of Truth- That moment where we will never be the same.

June 7 2009

Sunday June 7, 2009
Today is celebration Sunday. Its been three days since I have seen the Jubilee girls and when they came into the Chapel this morning, my heart melted! I was so happy to see them!!!! Today was the day that all the girls performed their dances, skits, and showed off their drawings and a few of the girls gave testimonies.
isaiah 61:1-6
At one time in all our lives we were brokenhearted, poor in spirit and in mourning- our lives were like ashes. Someone came and brought the good news to us. Jesus broke into the hardness of my heart and brought me to where I am today. God did not call us to live a comfortable life... it is not enough that God had saved me or you, there are people that are in the darkness and we need to reach out to them.. we need to submit to Jesus so that we can be used by God.

The celebration was amazing but it was sad to leave all the women and children.. they will always have a special part in my life.

The next day we flew back to Delhi and it was the last days i spent with Ascari and Brooke.

June 9, 2009
We were on our way to Musoorie. There we were going to lead a camp with a girls home from Delhi and with the Girls home from Musoorie. That city is so beautiful it is in the mountains and the view is truly breathtaking.


The theme of this week was about making our roots stronger in Christ.
God has made us each like trees. Many times we think the important thing is to have so many branches and fruit when in reality its our roots that are important... even though no one may see it, its what gives us life. When we are dry, our fruits and leaves begin to fall to the ground.

Psalm 1:3
Matthew 12:33
Isaiah 61:3

Saturday....

June 6, 2009

Today was the last day of the camp with the Asha Gram women.
I led the last devotional on faith- and today I talked about believing that God will deliver and heal us from everything we have been holding on to and have been hurt by. I passed out papers and we wrote down anything we need to be delivered from or surrender to God (got this idea from Max Lucado) and we just began to pray. God took over that session, many of us just surrendered everything to God... it was an amazing hour of breakthrough, worship and healing. We then ripped up the papers and threw them out, placing everything in God's hands.

After our sessions we went to the vocational buildings- where they had separate places for leathering, jewelry, and tailoring. The women could come here to learn these skills so that if and when they leave Asha Gram they would have skills they can fall back on and make a living out of. The buildings were relatively new and in excellent condition. The items that they made were SO BEAUTIFUL esp the jewelry.
They sell these items in the US--- you can also go to jewelsforgod.com

In the evening I went to the Art session which was held for the Boys of teen challenege. The boys showed me their artwork and there was this one kid who drew an amazing picture of a church. He told me that God had given him this dream over and over again about how He will one day own a Church like this and How God will use him to raise up a church.

There was a boy who shared his testimony with us. His family had rejected him and threw him out on the street at such a young age. He then turned to a drug dealer who showed him how to sell drugs. BTC had come across him and he came to live at Bombay Teen Challenge. He had cleaned up but later left to go back to his old life(he was very young, in his teens). BTC came after him again and he came back and totally dedicated his life to God and has not gone back to that life since and he said He never will.

There was a girl who shared her testimony and she talked about how her family sold her sister at a very young age. She used to get beat all the time by her family and sexually abused by her uncle for many years. She ran away from home to find her sister, and her sister took her to her place in the Red Light District- telling her that she had a husband and a good life. When she got to the red light she was shocked to see all that she was told was a lie. her sister did not have a husband only a pimp and she lived in a small room with barely any room to do anything. She would sleep under sister's bed and watch the Pimp beat up her sister all the time. BTC finally came to that brothel and they asked them both if they wanted to get away and her sister allowed her to leave to BTC.

She now loves God with all her heart and she is completely restored. She is praying that God will restore her relationship with her family and that they would come to know the Lord.

Friday at Rescue Arts Camp

June 5,2009
this Morning I woke up feeling so much better =) I had so much energy and such a passion to praise and Worship God ... I was Pumped! The girls names in my session at Asha Gram are:
Rohina
Lakshmi
Nasreen
Anjali
Asha
Anu
Ashwini
Devki
Nanu
Shilpa
Sarita
Karuna.
They are from the Red Light District. Some have been at Asha Gram for years and some have JUST come this year, one of the girls has only been there for a week. I would like you to take 5 minutes right now and just say a word of prayer for these girls.

this morning Liz spoke to the women at Asha Gram and talked about How Jesus was willing to Heal and touched the untouchables- Matthew 8
some verses that stuck out are:
¹When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. ²A man with leprosy^a]">[a] came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

¹⁷This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
"He took up our infirmities
and carried our diseases."

It was forbidden to touch lepers at that time and they were separated from society. Jesus not only communicated with the Leper but He touched the man and healed him =) That is the God that we serve =D

I led my devo on Psalm 91. The theme I had with Asha Gram was learning how to rely on God to be our fortress and refuge and to build up our faith so that it would be strong and we would be able to pray and proclaim things in His name.
Practice went really well today . I taught the girls the rest of the dance and during one of our breaks a girl named Asha came up to me. She has a crippled hand and at first she asked me if I thought she was doing the dance wrong. I was shocked and totally caught off guard. She kept saying that she wasnt doing any of the dances wrong but she cannot dance fully because of her hand. I assured her that she was dancing beautifully and she began to tell me how she is just so grateful and so happy that Her Heavenly Father has chosen her and allowed her to still dance even though her hand is messed up. She kept saying saying she is so happy and thanks God and then she began to thank me...
Of course it wasnt me who did anything.. I remember feeling happy to be just used by God to being Joy into someone's life like that.
During the break I met a girl named Neelum. She was telling me of how she ministered with a group from ASha Gram. They went to Punjab and went to houses and led worship, started prayer meetings and shared their testimonies. We were talking about her ministry opportunities and she was telling me how she just wants to live a life serving God. She wants to help her family out financially first and she trusts God will open a door for her. =)
Today I was thinking about the things I had left back at home- Internet, the phone, communication, etc.. and I didn't miss any of it. I was no longer homesick and I knew I was in the right place at this time. There is no other place I would rather be than here in India with these women and children serving God.

The evening session was spent leading an exercise on being creative and communicating with God. We talked about how we can write our thoughts out to God and write what he speaks to us and what dreams or visions he gives us =)

we need to remember daily what God has done for us and what he has saved us from. We need to remember what he has Done for us on the Cross. Each day that I wake up and realize all that, it makes me want to seek him on a deeper level... makes me want to just completely rely on Him. The second I look to the right or to the left, I can feel my life being filled with fear, doubt, anxiety... and becoming less and less of a servant and trying to live on my own terms.

Thursday at the Rescue Arts Camp

June 4, 2009
Last night I got Mehendi ALL OVER MY HANDS and legs. It looked like I was going to get married. It was fun though, it was our bonding time with the girls so they put mehendi on all 5 of us.


John 3:30 He must become greater; I must become less.

Today was the hardest day in India. It was so hot, it was UNBEARABLE. We would all be sweating 24/7. The power would constantly go off, and even when we would be dancing the fans would go off and I still had 3 more hours of dancing with them. Today was the day I wanted to throw in the towel. The heat was so so so unbearable. It seemed like no matter how much water I would drink, I would still be dehydrated. We all have not been getting enough sleep and so the sleepless nights all hit me today- I was officially exhausted. I felt like I did not have an ounce of energy left inside of me. I was so sad, we had just had 3 days of the camp with the Jubilee Girls and now we have 3 more days with Asha Gram girls. How could I not give my all with these women... I did not want to give them less of myself because I was tired, I did not want to rob them of the same joy the Jubilee Girls got just because they have camp later on in the week... But I just felt so spent. I was so sick. Liz came and made me drink at least 4 liters of water and all these electrolytes. My stomach was KILLING me and I couldn't eat, let alone walk for more than 5 minutes. All the water made me want to throw up. As I walked downstairs to the place where I would lead my session I kept praying in my head- God please let me just press on just 5 more minutes... just 5 more minutes. After 5 minutes of surviving, I kept praying God give me 5 more minutes of strength. My head was pounding from such an intense headache, sweat was dripping down my back (i know sounds gross but put yourself in 110 degree weather with no fan and the heat so Humid it felt like 120 degrees out). I looked all around at the girls. My group was the younger girls, aging from 12-18 years. These women were acutally rescued from the Red Light district. They were all so hungry for God and for His Word. I thanked God for even bringing me here to minster to these girls, but slowly everything inside of me just wanted to turn around and tend to my own needs. I began my devotionals (kept praying please 5 more minutes ... 5 more minutes). I led the session and taught them a human video to the song I have Found by Kim Walker. It seemed to go well and we all took a break for Lunch.
I skipped Lunch and fell asleep in the room with Kristin and Serena. The fans were still out, I felt myself blacking out a few times and thats when I got up and we prayed. I began to weep.... we were all so tired we were HOMESICK and just needed a wave of energy for these sessions... I was not the only one who was feeling this way =/

I had another session in the evening and I left in the middle.. I really thought I was going to pass out and die!!! I went upstairs, tears streaming down my face and Ascari and Hiroku prayed over me... let me tell you I immediately felt such peace and any sadness inside of me left my body. I slept for 2 hours and woke up Completely BETTER... Thank you Jesus!!!!!

Dying to our flesh, dying to ourselves... what does that really mean? This trip made me think about it on a whole new level. This time it opened my eyes, we were really learning what it meant to die to our flesh- to come to a completely new country and live in this culture. Not being used to the food or the climate- but we have chosen to accept it. When we came to this this place and felt like we have nothing left to offer and every part of our body screams out NO, stop what you are doing - start to complain, just quit... we pressed on. Why did we do this? We didn't do it to bring glory to ourselves for many things we have done will have gone unnoticed.. but we did it to glorify God in any way that we could. We had to continue to do God's work even though we missed the comfort of our homes, the taste of our favorite foods (or even good food), we severely missed our loved ones, the heat was out of control , physically we all had issues and spiritually we were beginning to feel defeated. If we had allowed ourselves to be consumed by one of those issues we would have missed a ministry opportunity. A chance to speak life into a woman's life there, a chance to allow God to move through us, an opportunity to SEE God in that place... we would have missed it all because we chose to satisfy our flesh only for a while.
If we all just allow ourselves to become less so that HE would become more... think of the many things God could accomplish through us. It was a hard day, but I praise God for every minute of it. It was the devil's way of trying to get us down... trying to ruin what God was doing in that place..... God kept giving me those extra 5 minutes of energy because He knew and I knew.. we just wouldn't allow the devil to have a hold on anything.

Last Day at Jubilee

June 3, 2009
Today was the last day at Jubilee 1&2 =(. We had worship there in the morning- which always takes my breath away, just hearing the children worship God.. Many of those children have already reached a level in their relationship with God that might take most of us years to reach.. They just seem to get the picture and the purpose of true worship. We had all our sessions and lunch and free time/fellowship with them like usual. While we were saying goodbye it was really sad because we had fallen in love with these children and loved the time of worship and devotionals with them. Hopefully it won't be my last time dancing with them…

We went to visit Jubilee 4 today. When we approached the place, it was a 4 story building and it was a VERy clean place. As soon as we got to the door about 30 children all under the age of 8 welcomed us with their beaming smiles and beautiful voices saying" WELCOME TO JUBILEE 4!!!!!"

Those children were so so so so soooo precious. They quickly grabbed us and started to bring us to their rooms and show us their beds , toys, and they were just so happy. They would show us tricks that they knew and stunts that they could do.. Which were really only somersaults but still- =).
We went to the roof and… WOW, the view on the roof WAS ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING! It was the most beautiful scene I have seen in India yet. It had a clear view of the mountains and the rest of the city… just absolutely beautiful. I stood there for 10 min speechless and in awe of God's amazing creation and finally the children had to snap me out of it, one child named Peter pulled on my salwar and said " Didi, what are you looking at?" and when I turned to him, my heart melted. He is a 5 year old boy who is very very sick. However his smile could sweep anyone away. He smiled so big and was laughing and I REALLY WANTED TO TAKE HIM HOME WITH ME. We were talking- and he knew so much english!!!! He showed me his room and his friends and we sat down in the living room where all the other children were and they were playing … and he sat next to me and we were both so quiet. My heart was literally breaking, I don't know how the workers here work here everyday with these children knowing that most of them may possibly die soon and they cannot do much about it. All the kids were so happy, so full of energy, and so full of love.

As our team piled back into the car to go back to Asha Gram. We were all so quiet ...millions of thoughts were flooding our minds….

Tuesday in Bombay

June 2, 2009.
This morning we had worship and devos. After I led the devos I asked the girls what prayer requests they had. Many of them were asking if we could begin to pray for their unsaved parents so that they would come to know the Lord and so for their spiritual lives as well. After I led the prayer the girls said they wanted to pray for us and they got up and stretched their hands out and started to pray out to God, even though I didn't understand what they were saying (they were speaking in Hindi) I was just taken back at how eager they were to pray and to cry out to God for others. The morning session we taught the lyrical dance to the song Beautiful.

After lunch I taught them the dance to My Romance and two new girls came to my group- Darshani and Vidya. They are the faces that I see everytime I close my eyes.... the girls that stole my heart in India =). Those two girls have just so much love in them and they are so deeply in love with God. After practice the girls put on Hindi music and we danced for hours non stop. It was 110 degrees, the fan wasn't working and it was so humid- but somehow, that didn't stop our fun.

Today I am staying the night at Jubilee while the rest of the team went back to Asha Gram. I went and sat outside and talked to Asha Aunty (in charge of Jubilee 1&2). She began to tell me all about her life and about some lives of the women in Asha Gram. There was a girl who was sold to a family because the Husband couldn't have children with his wife. When he girl was sold to the family she had no idea that the only reason she was brought there was to make children. She wasn't even told about the wife. She was treated real bad and kept isolated from the world and the family. No matter how many times I hear stories like this, my heart still breaks each time. That girl now resides in Asha Gram after many long abusive years.

At night, I taught some of the girls some Indian dance moves and then we spent the night on the balcony looking at the stars. The sky was so clear that night and all the girls were telling me how the see shooting stars all the time.. I was hoping to see one that night but I didnt =/. I had indian snowcones! It was really good and only 2 rupees!!!!!!!! If your ice ran out of flavor the guy would just pour more syrup on your ice.. so it was good to the last piece of ice =D

Some of the girls from the Jubilee Homes have been to the US before on mission trips- they were brought to share their testimonies, and on trips sponsored by the US for environmental studies! They have gone to different states and shared their stories to many churches and just got an opportunity to minister to people and tell others of how God has been working in their lives. These girls really love God and many of them want to devote their lives trying to bring others to Christ.

=)

Monday at BTC and Jubilee Homes

Our team was us 5 interns, Rebecca Grant and two other full time missionaries- Hiroku and Liz. Hiroku lives in Delhi and she does red light district ministry. She goes in the brothels and talks to the women, listens to them and spreads the gospel. She is from Japan and has been in Delhi for 10 years. She is married and has three beautiful children. Liz lives in Mussoorie with her Husband and two children. Mussoorie is in the mountains in North India. That is where we will be doing next week's ministry. Her Husband is a pastor and he goes into the villages and finds people who have NEVER heard of the gospel or Jesus and he will go into those villages and try to tell them about Jesus. They also help with a Girl's home in that city. The girls and boys home is AG affiliated and they have similar backgrounds to the Project Rescue girls and BTC boys. The home in Mussoorie was started about 12 years ago by a missionary who was in that city and one village family had given them their son, saying they didnt want him. So they started up a home for boys, and people would leave their sons there for different reasons. Finally one day, a father came to them and said here are my twin daughters, if you do not take them I am going to sell them tomorrow, so that was when they started a Girls Home. The boys home has about 50 Boys now and the Girls home has only 6 girls.

We came to the Jubilee homes and started the first day of camp. All the girls were so beautiful and so friendly. They were so excited and happy to start the camp this week. We had worship and it was such an amazing time. They sang mostly Hindi worship songs and it was so beautiful. The girls at these homes are from the age 5-23.
The sessions were separated and we had Art for older girls and younger, Drama and Dance. The morning session I helped Brooke with her dance to the song Beautiful. It was a lyrical dance and it the girls were picking up the steps really fast.
After lunch I played an indian game - its like pool but with your fingers and the pieces are really small. I forgot the name of it, but I was really bad at it =). They had a swing set outside so I sat on the swings with a girl named Afrin and she was singing me Hindi Worship songs it was a lot of fun. The girls then taught me my favorite Hindi worship song called Ho Teri Stuti. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it =D


Hiroku lead the evening devotional and she talked about how she had brokenness that she had never dealt with and just left alone for years. God had given her the image of a broken vase and she was trying to hold it together in her hands. God had told her to let go of it, and so when she had let it go it shattered completely and God said that is your life. It is broken- you need to face the brokenness before you can be healed and fixed by ME. She asked everyone, what brokenness did we all have in our lives, what are we still harboring because those things will surface up again. It was an awesome time with the Lord.

Sunday in Bombay

Today is Sunday. I was asked to be the youth speaker at the church for Asha Gram and Bombay Teen Challenge. I have not met any of the girls or boys from BTC yet so I had no idea where they were in their spiritual walk or what they were going through. I prayed for a while for God to just speak to me and tell me what message to tell the people on Sunday, but I didnt really hear anything. So I had prepared some message about Glorifying God through everything that we do, but it just didnt sit right with me. So as we walked to the chapel in the morning- I started to pray and just believed that God would just speak to me and take over when I got there. Let me tell you- He is so faithful.
As soon as we entered the chapel- YOU COULD FEEL GOD IN THAT PLACE. It was impossible to enter that place and not be taken back, it was... so... I am at a loss for words to describe how it felt. Once you entered that place, they had already started to worship and you were just brought to your knees in AWE of God and his work and his love... I have never ever felt God like that before. We began to worship with all our hearts and even though we didnt know most of the songs, it was just a time of complete surrender, time to let go of anything we were holding on to- fear, anxiety, hesitation, weariness; giving our entire lives to God and just WORSHIPPING the Creator of the Universe. If you were there, you would know that God's presence was so strong, so tangible. It was as if Heaven and Earth had united to give praise to God, giving him all the Glory and Honor he Had deserved. My friend had said that He knows that we will Feel God so strong that we will walk away saying we were with God.. and that Day We all walked away saying We have been with God =)

They called our team up and prayed for us. Children and youth came running towards us, extending their hands and crying out to God so that He would use us in such a mighty way this week. MAN... such FAITH THESE children and youth have. It was incredible- so clear to see that they are sold out for Christ. I remember hearing some prayers of the young children crying out to God that we would just be used in every way we can for the rest of our lives. Their prayers were so genuine and deep.

Michael spoke before me and he spoke about how God can use anything and everything to bring Glory to his name so that people would know who He is. Matthew 21- Jesus rode on a donkey. God had used a donkey which seems so small and insignificant but it was used to glorify God and through that Jesus was able to be heard and people were able to know who He was. He asked us what is our "donkey" and will we use it to bless others and glorify God?

Well God had spoke to me and I changed my message completely. I talked about the day I realized That God Chose me, and once I realized that the God and King of Kings was for me- no one would be against me. I talked about my testimony of how When I first rededicated my life to God I was so passionate and felt totally in love with God. I was and still am completely in love with Him but I didnt let go of everything in my life that was holding me back. I was holding on to this new found love and my old life at the same time. Eventually it was as if parts of my life was spilling over and I couldn't control it all, or hold it all together. I realized that I couldn't have my old life and this new life. There is just no way that I could be used by God, or see His Glory if I continued that way, no matter how I tried to rationalize it. When I tried to hold on to those things my passion started to dwindle, and I began to forget... forget the feelings of unconditional love, forget how complete God had made me... forget the comfort, encouragement and joy He has filled my life with. I began to forget all of this all because I was still holding on to a few things in my life that seemed so insignificant at the time but made the biggest difference once I had let go. I talked about Passion for God and His Glory. I honestly don't remember everything I had said- I just let God speak through me and for the first time I was obedient and He came through =) It was the first time I had a translator as well and that was kind of fun =!

Everyday they have Chai and snack time at around 5pm. When I went for it, I met a bunch of girls. One girl that really stuck out on the first day there was Nasreen. She is 16 years old and totally sold out for God. She shared some of the promises that she made to God and it really touched my heart. She knows how to play the guitar, make jewelry and she wants to go to College for psychiatry. She had told me a part of her story how her mother had left her and she had to stay with her father and brother and that was when she was sold into the brothel. She must have been so young at the time. She gave praise to God that she is not there anymore. She said she feels so bad for the girls who are still there and hopes they can get out and find God.

I talked to some other girls about what dances they knew and what they wanted to learn. The dorms are separated by age. It is younger girls, older girls, Aunties and the guest house dorm. They all have a TV room and one dorm has the room where they do their devotionals or meetings between the women only. There are a few girls that know english fluently, otherwise it was hard to communicate with the rest of them without having someone translate.

I am supposed to teach my dances tomorrow and they were a mix of secular indian songs and it was all indian dance moves. While I was praying the Spirit had just told me to change my dances. I had to change the songs and the entire dances in less than 12 hours so i began to pray and pray and God just showed me so much favor and the dance steps came easily. The first dance is to the song My Romance. It is sign language, garba and Bhangra all together. They were simple steps, but I just prayed that God would be glorified through this. It made me feel SO much better to have a Christian Worship song and then add indian dance moves to it to show the girls that you can glorify God through dancing.

Bombay day 1 part 2

Last night while we were driving to Asha Gram Campus we drove through the slums of Bombay. It was nothing that anyone could ever describe or prepare you for. The homes were made of tin, garbage bags, leaves, and they were just piled on top of each other. The entry to the small "homes" were a small space you had to crawl to get into. While driving through, the kids were all outside just playing and enjoying their time with each other. They really had nothing I am sure many of them went days without having food but as we drove by and waved to the kids they faced lit up and their smiles were beaming .. they giggled and laughed at the foreigners in the car, while we smiled back I knew all our hearts were breaking simultaneously. I was sent here on a mission, this trip I know was ordained by God. However, when I looked around, my heart instantly fell. I no longer felt excited or believed this trip was going to be life changing for the lives around me. I began to feel hopelessness. How Lord, can I even begin to help these people, will me being here even make a difference? How can i offer hope to a hopeless nation? It wasn't just some parts of India that had hopeless people and poverty ... it was every part... it began to be overwhelming. I have seen poverty all over the world. This time... it was such a different feeling. I wanted to reach out and offer the Truth and The Hope that I have found but I could just see myself reaching out and opening my mouth and nothing coming out. I have seen people who have barely nothing be so happy and content. They have learned to live with so little and yet still find joy in the world. However, as I looked out the window there were just thousands of people who had close to nothing. The sad part of it all was most of them were children, it really broke my heart. As we made the two hour journey to Asha Gram I couldn't shake off those feelings... and was scared that it would interfere with my ministry.

My beloved

This song is awesome..
My Beloved By Kari Jobe


You're My Beloved
You're My Bride
To sing over you is My delight
Come away with Me My love

You're Beautiful to Me
So beautiful to Me

Under My mercy
Come and wait
Till we are standing face to face
I see no stain on you
My child

You're Beautiful to Me
So Beautiful to Me

I sing over you My song of peace
Cast all your care down at My feet
Come and find your rest in Me

I'll breathe My life inside of you
I'll bear you up on eagle's wings
And hide you in the shadow of My strength
I'll take you to My quiet waters
I'll restore your soul
Come rest in Me and be made whole

You're My beloved
You're My Bride
To sing over you is my delight
Come away with me my love

Bombay Teen Challenge and Rescue Arts Camp Day 1

Hello all!!
I have not written in two weeks because we either didnt have Internet or it was extremely busy.

We have flown from Delhi to Bombay where we will be working at the Bombay Teen Challenge Campus and Project Rescue Homes. Bombay Teen Challenge has a VERY VERY VERY large campus that has dorms for boys and the Project Rescue Dorms called Asha Gram. Asha Gram is where the ladies or children from the red light district are brought to not only get out of that lifestyle, but to enter into a meaningful relationship with God. About 20 minutes away is the Jubilee Homes of Project Rescue. Jubilee Home 1&2 are for the children of the women from the red light district, they are brought here so that their children would not be surrounded by that lifestyle or even sold into it as well. Jubilee 4 is the Home for children who have HIV/AIDS. Jubilee 3 is the home for the children brought from Jubilee 4 who are extremely sick and about to die.

The Bombay Teen Challenge Campus has a very large chapel that is also used as their dining hall. The Campus is beautiful, they have trees everywhere, fields to play all sorts of games, and also the buildings for Vocational Studies are beautiful. The vocational schools are for Jewelry, Leathering, and Tailoring.

When we flew into Bombay we met up with a Missionary who has been living in Delhi for the last 8 years. His name is Steve and he is doing skateboard ministry this week. He brought a whole bunch of skateboards and is going to teach the boys skateboarding and lead devotionals while our team works with the women and children all week.

The main missionaries that work on the Bombay Teen Challenge Campus (BTC) are Micheal and Jyoti. Micheal is from the states and just recently married Jyoti last year =) Micheal teaches the youth how to play different instruments and he leads a worship band- the members are from Asha Gram, Jubilee Homes, and the Boys home on BTC. They travel all over India leading worship at different functions all year round. Jyoti works with the Jubilee Homes and Asha Gram.

When we got to Bombay, we got food from Pizza Hut and met the funniest people ever! We were laughing so hard with the workers, they were trying to tell us jokes and ... well, it was just a great time. Bombay was INSANELY hotttttttt!!!! It was unbearable. Right away Ascari and I got dehydrated and were about to pass out. They made us chug 2 liters of water... and gave us all these electrolytes. The traffic was worse than Delhi and it took us forever to get to Asha Gram. Bombay is also extremely dirty and the poverty here is the worse I have ever seen anywhere.

For Lunch we went to the mall and ate at a restaurant called Nando's. It was really cute.. and the food was SOOO good! I had Paneer- my favorite!

There were children everywhere, and young kids on their own just walking around covered in dirt, trying to get money or food from anywhere or anyone. There were kids who were sent to work real late at night- like 11:30pm still trying to sell things, it was the saddest thing to see. You would just look at the children and you could see the tears start to form in their eyes and they were just so tired and all they wanted was love, shelter, and hope- all of those were stripped from them. After a while, you just couldn't look around because your heart would shatter into pieces.

The missionaries here just give the children food and not money because you never know who they are working with and you do not want to supply to their owners, etc.

In the evening we went to the Church that is run by BTC and they have Saturday evening services. It is in the red Light District. There was men, women and children from all different backgrounds and situations- married, abused, slaves, etc.
The sermon was about how we all go through trials and tribulations but it is to Glorify to God and we just need to be still and He will show His Power.

The night was spent with God praying and asking that He would just be glorified through everything that we would do. That he would take away any hesitations or fear that we had so that we would be ready for whatever He wanted us to do, just asking so that the Lord would speak to each of us and Lead us with the women and children and through our sessions.

How Great is Our God

How Great is our God...

John 8:31-32
The truth is so powerful. It is not in us, but in the word and how powerful is God's word. We are going to meet people with so much bondage in their lives and only the truth will set them free. We are going to incorporate prayer and scripture for every session and allow not only the scripture to work in the girls' lives but in ours as well. We are going to allow the scripture to bring us through these weeks.

God is great. It is really hot here in Delhi today, and I am exhausted. Last night I went to bed late, and with only 8 hours of sleep over the last three days- it is hitting me. I took a nap, but with so many things to get done and finish, there is not much time to sleep during the day so I pray that I get over this stupid jet- lagggggggg!!!

We are leaving to Bombay tomorrow and we have such a powerful team heading over there. Each of us are skilled in different areas and all so passionate about what we are doing and ready to serve God in any way, shape or form. I wont have internet for the next 11 days. It will be really hectic because straight from Bombay we are going to fly back to Delhi and then take a train to another city- I really don't know how to spell the city- Missuri ?!
I'll be spending the week there with Kristin, Serena and Rebecca to minister there at a girl's retreat =)
Ascari and Brooke will fly out back to the US right after the Rescue Arts Camp.

So those who are following this blog,
please take a few minutes and pray for the following things:
Pray that the devil takes no part in our trip, pray over protection over our luggage, our money and our bodies, Pray that there is unity and no sense of home sickness, that we have boldness and pray for freedom for the girls that their bonds and chains will be broken and that they experience God like they never have before.

much love .. me =)


... it's really hot today...

You're the God of this city..

Day 2 of India...
well I survived the heat. I thought I would have a heat stroke and pass out or drown in my own sweat... but none of that happened =)

I only had 2 hours of sleep and woke up, to get ready for our morning Devotionals.
There was Brooke originally from NY, now living in Missouri - she is native american
Ascari from the Bronx- she is Dominican
Me from NY
Serena from Texas- From Spain
and Kristin from Nebraska- White =P

we were all in our indian outfits- and it was hotttt in the morning.
We had our devotionals led my Rebecca. She talked about how we need to be open to God and be ready to be a servant, willing to change our plans according to where the Holy Spirit Leads.
We were given the basics on what to say, what not to do, how to act with the girls in the Homes.
All the girls are believers and some have been in the faith for some time, and other girls have just arrived in the Homes of Hope searching for God. However, the bottom line is their situation is very delicate and we have to be careful how we approach the girls and what we talk about to them.

I'm going to be leading two indian dances, co teaching a Lyrical Dance and a Hip Hop dance... I better lose weight after all this dancing!!!!
I will also be co leading three sessions on creative writing and drama. yay yay yay
I'm super excited just to be able to teach these girls some dances and show them a way of expressing themselves through the Arts.

So we broke up into groups, started to teach each other dances and talk and get to know each other more. All 4 of the girls are in college and go to an AG school. Its really awesome to see how God is using them in their lives.

I met this girl who is 13 years old. She is the daughter of the director of Teen Challenge here in Delhi. Brooke and I were praying and we invited her to pray with us... and WOW- I was blown away. This girl was so anointed and loved God with all her heart, she would pray and proclaim things in Jesus' name about our ministry and the time we would have next week... such an inspiration!! I have never met a 13 year old so sold out for God.

We had lunch and it was indian food- paneer yummmmmmmmm =)

Then we went SHOPPING... we went to this market and it was so hot out and there were so many people out, it was hard to really take a second and take in all the beauty of India.. so when I did finally take a few minutes to relax, I realized Delhi is soooo dirty lol!!!!
But I had so much fun shopping, I think I began to master my bargaining skills and I got a ton of clothes... still more to come =)
Everything was so so so so so so cheap.. it was awesome. We were there for hours. There was this kid who was following us trying to get us to buy his necklace. He was so cute ! I ended up buying the necklace (which was ugly) just because he was so cute... and I felt really bad.
For all of you who were making bets about when I would lose my iphone, laptop or get robbed.. nothing happened !!!!!! No one is gonna mess with me,God's got my back.

SO when I came back, The girls made me dinner and baked a cake for me because it was my birthday. I was SOOOOOOOOOO tired though, and really about to pass out, when Rebecca said we all need to spend an hour and half in prayer on our own. We opened in prayer, and let me tell you- God completely took over. We began to pray and weep before the Lord. God's presence was so tangible in that room.. it was overwhelming. The Holy Spirit filled the room and just poured out Gods love all over us. It was so amazing, such a deep, encouraging, inspiring, time with the Lord. We Worshipped and prayed for hours non stop. We prayed for each other, God spoke to each and every one of us and it was just such an amazing experience .. we couldn't get enough of God. I haven't been so consumed in his presence in a while and just to be in a room with other woman who were just so passionate and in love with God blew me away. There was healing, prophecies and baptism of the Holy Spirit....and just a constant time of worship
I know God has called all of us here to do some mighty things for His Kingdom.
This is going to be such an amazing time and I am so excited to see how God will continue to work through us, talk to us, and use us.

I know, I used the word amazing a lot.. but there is no better word to describe it =)

Thanks for all the birthday wishes....

You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

I AM HERE!!!

I am here =) Finally I am in India !!!!

my flight was 14 hours.. and my entire Wed vanished due to the change in time.. but I am excited =)
The flight was good I passed out for maybe 10 out of the 14 hours. I didnt eat the food because, well I was too tired. Ascari and I sat next to each other and we sat next to this lady who was on an expedition to the Himalayas and also volunteering with some organization. It was really cool and fun talking to her-- she was super nice.

Our seats wouldnt recline that was the only crappy part... my back is already aching. However we had hundreds of movies and tv shows to choose from to watch so that was cool =)

So Ascari and I get to the airport and could not believe that we were in India.. I AM HERE ALONE WITH NO FAMILY CRAZYYYY

so we got our luggage which took an hour to get, I got real scared that they might have lost our luggage but it finally came at last and we walked through and
Rebecca G. met us with a warm hug and smile along with two other Interns- Kristin and (i forgot the other girl's name)

They are so extremely nice, Kristin is from Nebraska and the other girl is from Texas. They are both going to Christian colleges and they are here for 6 weeks.

The other girl, Brooke is from Missouri and goes to a Christian AG school there.
Ascari goes to Zion Bible College and so they are all still in College =)
They are all down to earth and so much fun to be around and the best part is that they love God with all their hearts... so COOL BEANS =)

we exchanged our money and i felt really uncomfortable exchanging like 1300 bucks and there was this guy who was ALLLL UP IN OUR GRILL and finally one of the girls said "can i help you!!" and he walked away.. but man i know I would feel more comfortable having a male around, but thats ok because God's with us hollaa =D

umm its SOOOOO hott... it was 100 degrees at 10pm so i cannot imagine how hot it will be tomorrow... we get to go shopping tomorrow yayyy.. and its my birthday so you know what that means, I GET TO SPLURGE =)

Then orientation and prayer and devos and then i fly out to Bombay on saturday.

we get to stay in the Homes with the girls and guys, I am so excited to just live and be with these girls and talk to them about their stories and pray with them... God is so amazing and I feel so blessed to be here =)

Please keep our team in prayer, pray for me too because I didn't finish my dances and so I hope I get them done tonight- I am WIDE awake and don't think I will be sleeping.

hugs and kisses from India...

India tomorrow...

As you all know, I am going to India to work with Project Rescue. I have been given this amazing opportunity to go out and minister to the girls who once were sold into the sex trafficking business. I do have to say that I am a little nervous, but EXTREMELY excited. I cannot wait to see how God will use me and just to see His glory in India.

for more info on Project Rescue--- Projectrescue.com

These last few weeks have been an adventure. There were times when I felt completely ready to go to India, times when I was so nervous I couldn't eat, and times when I just asked God, why send me? I now know with complete confidence that this is just the beginning of Gods amazing plan for me. I just pray that I continue to walk with Him, learn more and more about Him, and just fall deeper and deeper in love with Him. These next three weeks ahead of me will be hard- especially since its 1000 degrees there and I HATE THE HEAT, (and I wonder if I will get homesick )....however, I know that God will move in Mumbai and Delhi in such a mighty way that this trip will all be worth it, no matter what I have to endure.

So my last few hours before I leave, I am writing this post to all of you so that you remember to pray for me. Please pray that we have the strength to minister at all times even when we feel weak, that we stay motivated and encouraged, and most importantly that we are able to hear and do whatever God wants us to do in India. Pray that we have a servants heart at all times and are always ready and willing to serve.

Talk to you soon!!!!
miss you already =)

Wounded and Broken

I went to a retreat this weekend and got the chance to meet and talk to a bunch of kids. One thing that stuck out was the fact that we were all broken at one point in our lives. Some were still suffering- from parents that failed us, addictions, relationships that have ended, broken families, failed attempts to change, and just a constant fall into temptation. Some of them felt like they had hit a wall because of their anger issues, unresolved hurt, and the unimaginable experiences that scarred them.
At times we may feel like we had moved on or completely surrendered it all to God, but then all it takes is something to bring it up again and the feelings come rushing back. I was broken for such a long time and had exhausted all my options until the day came that I had no where else to turn but to God. I finally understood what the grace of God truly meant. I don't hold on to the grace of God because I was taught to- I do it because I need to.

We are all broken and we are not worthy, yet we are loved by God. All we can offer to God is our broken hearts and stand before others as a testimony of this amazing grace from an unconditional loving God.

my own sinful nature

our sinful nature...

Today I was reading Lamentations and was taken back by the first chapter. Jerusalem was suffering read bad, they were crying out to God for Help and relief. The nation used to be so prosperous and now it lay in ruins: Verse 1"how deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave."

The people probably had thought that God will still protect them from their enemies no matter how they lived. Isn't it funny how we rely on God to keep us out of trouble, but yet still do the things that hurt him the most? Maybe we praise God with one hand and drink with the other.. maybe its indulging in sexual pleasure before marriage or falling into addictions that we feel we cannot get out of- or worse, feel like we are not ready to let go of.

This time of despair for the people of Jerusalem was brought upon them because of their sins.

verse 8" Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. All who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns away."

9 Her filthiness clung to her skirts; she did not consider her future. Her fall was astounding; there was none to comfort her. "Look, O LORD, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed."

How much more different are we from them?! Our sin will bring serious consequences if we do not act to change right away. If we are going through tough times in our lives, we should evaluate whether or not our sin is the root or the cause of these hardships. After sinning and going through devastating times- then and only then would we begin to realize that our sins had caused these terrible consequences.

God is slow to anger and quick to forgive... SLOW TO ANGER... he is giving us time to realize what we are doing or have done. We have been warned of how sinful lives can have serious consequences. The Israelites were warned and for some reason they continued to live a life of sin.. and we do that all the time too. We think that "it would never happen to me" or "I'll change later", those thoughts are completely misleading and of the devil. I thought them all the time.. thinking I had time to change, and that nothing devastating would ever happen to me because of the sinful life I was living.. well let me tell you- I was wrong.

verse 18 "The LORD is righteous, yet I rebelled against his command. Listen, all you peoples; look upon my suffering. My young men and maidens have gone into exile. "

In this verse the people are crying out saying- Look at what happened to me because I went against God! I guess learn from my mistakes, don't go down the same path that I chose. You see, God loves us so much and when he sees us living a life of sin and walking away from him it hurts him. His actions are motivated by love- so he will begin to try to get our attention back. For me, I walked so far away from God that he began to strip me of things in my life until I had no where else to turn, no one to comfort me, no where to go but to God.

verse 2 Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are upon her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is none to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies." verse 16 "This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed."

I know it was God's last resort to get my attention, but that is what happens when we think we can get away with our choices.. he is a Jealous God- his purpose is "not to destroy but to bring repentance and restoration"

So accept responsibility for the actions you took- thats the only way you will grow spiritually. Don't feel abandoned by God, we brought this upon ourselves! However, God is such an amazing, forgiving God; he will still love us and come to our rescue in time of need.

Jesus Betrayed by Jesus- Max Lucado

Jesus Betrayed by Judas
by Max Lucado

When betrayal comes, what do you do? Get out? Get angry? Get even? You have to deal with it some way. Let’s see how Jesus dealt with it.

Begin by noticing how Jesus saw Judas. “Jesus answered, ‘Friend, do what you came to do.’ ” Matt. 26:50

Of all the names I would have chosen for Judas it would not have been “friend.” What Judas did to Jesus was grossly unfair. There is no indication that Jesus ever mistreated Judas. There is no clue that Judas was ever left out or neglected. When, during the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples that his betrayer sat at the table, they didn’t turn to one another and whisper, “It’s Judas. Jesus told us he would do this.”

They didn’t whisper it because Jesus never said it. He had known it. He had known what Judas would do, but he treated the betrayer as if he were faithful.

It’s even more unfair when you consider the betrayal was Judas’s idea. The religious leaders didn’t seek him, Judas sought them. “What will you pay me for giving Jesus to you?” he asked. (Matthew 26:15) The betrayal would have been more palatable had Judas been propositioned by the leaders, but he wasn’t. He propositioned them.

And Judas’s method … again, why did it have to be a kiss? (Matthew 26: 48–49)

And why did he have to call him “Teacher”? (Matthew 26:49) That’s a title of respect. The incongruity of his words, deeds, and actions—I wouldn’t have called Judas “friend.”

But that is exactly what Jesus called him. Why? Jesus could see something we can’t...

Jesus knew Judas had been seduced by a powerful foe. He was aware of the wiles of Satan’s whispers (he had just heard them himself). He knew how hard it was for Judas to do what was right.

He didn’t justify what Judas did. He didn’t minimize the deed. Nor did he release Judas from his choice. But he did look eye to eye with his betrayer and try to understand.

As long as you hate your enemy, a jail door is closed and a prisoner is taken. But when you try to understand and release your foe from your hatred, then the prisoner is released and that prisoner is you.

Dominican Republic Mission Trip

on the first day we went right away to the hospital. it was the first time i ever saw surgery and we walked straight into the hospital and saw a C section. it was weird they were trying to put an epidural in the patient- which is anesthesia in the body completely numbing it from where you inject it down.. so for example if we inject an epidural in the middle of your spine(the injections only go in your spine) so it will be from the middle down and you wont be able to feel anything.It hurts a LOT to get that shot because it goes straight into your spine. so the girl that came in (she was 22) and they started cutting her open..and it was so fascinating and amazing to see.. they would cut each layer and it was the first time I got to see the inside and organs first hand. so they go open the placenta and took the baby out.. and it was a healthy baby boy... and it was actually pretty amazing to see that- it was my first birth. The weird thing was there was no help.. there were no nurses or aides so if something fell on the floor they couldnt do anything until the end of the surgery. the conditions were not good at all. blood was on the floor.. when they would take the placenta out they just put it on top of the girl's legs- which was only covered by a sheet so it was gross but they couldnt do anything because they didnt have the help they needed to get things done more efficiently. i then saw a beginning of a birth. The girls there in Jarabacoa are not allowed to have epidurals if you are having a natural birth.

ok so then we went to the pediatrics ward and it was the first time i was taught how to take blood pressure and check ears and throat for certain things in patients and so we were allowed to do the check ups on the children and it was sad because all the kids cried and they were all sick and i would say 90 percent had a skin fungus ... which can be cured and fixed but so many of them had it. Then we went to the clinic. There is a clinic that SI(students international) rents out a room for Dr. Fernando(the doc that works with them) and that is his gyno clinic. so we studied the book of Corinthians and it really opened up my eyes to a lot of things some of the things that really caught my eye in chapter one Paul said that we should be rooted in the word so that no one could deceive us with a fine sounding argument -really have a complete understanding about God and his word... its been something going on with me because people would approach me with certain theories or assumptions about the bible based on worldly views and I would sit there speechless because I didnt really have a strong argument to support what I wanted to say... so it really sparked a new passion to really study and learn his word

in chp 2:14-154having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.[

to see how he took and forgave all our sins, canceling everything and anything against or opposing us he took away by nailing it to the Cross and then he TRIUMphed over hell and all the bondage that it has on us by resurrecting from the cross-- really amazing. Ive heard those things before but it really spoke to me this time around another thing that God spoke to me about over and over was how i need to Trust in him.

we had a message on colossians chp2 and the lady that was speaking was saying how we can doubt and question many things in our lives but nothing will make more sense than the word of God- he will never take us to a place where we will be lost..,.. and I had to keep telling myself that a few times before it really sunk in, God would never lead me to a place where I will be lost. It taught me to confirm my trust in God and allow the bible to be my true guidance and understand that he has a purpose in everything he does. i led a discussion on worry and trusting in God and I got this idea from Max Lucado that everyone has a piece of paper and we write down our worries on the paper and we pray for each item on that list (to yourself of course) and then as we come before God with each burden, we leave it at his feet- tear off that item from the paper and continue to pray and do the same for the entire list and then throw out the paper and the items ... it was a cool way to try to begin to learn how to trust God fully with everything.

Tuesday .We had quiet time in the morning and I had time to reflect on Colossians 2:6-23 Verse 14 is such an amazing verse-- He forgave our sins, canceling everything and anything against or opposing us he took away by nailing to the cross and then he TRIUMPHED over it by resurrecting from the cross. That spoke greatly to me... i sat and thought about everything I have ever done that was unpleasing to God at that point and man it felt so good to realize that I no longer have to be tied to the sins I once have committed and no longer have to look back and think that I am a product of what I have done.. because I am not .. I am completely new, completely forgiven, I am cut off from my sinful nature and Jesus triumphed over every sin in my life-- Just amazing! Verse 20: We died with Christ to the basic principles of the world, then why are we then chained to it?! its crazy because we really do get chained down with all these rules and regulations of the world and the church and forget that the main thing is to be living like Christ and with him.. I reflected back and found myself still chained to some aspects of the world and so I realized I have to be careful of what I hear, see and do so that it doesnt mold me into something that will take me off the path(towards God) So this lady spoke in the morning, she works at the Social Work site. She was speaking about trusting in God. What do we place our confidence or trust in, what is guiding our lives?! A career>? An inheritance? We can doubt and question many things in our lives but nothing will make more sense than the word of God- he wont ever take you to a place where you will be LOST... wow... it was insane to hear her say that because just the night before in devotionals all of us were talking about how we were stressed or worried about where we will be, we all needed direction and guidance from God in so many different aspects of our lives and just to hear her say God wont ever lead you to a place where you will be lost was what I needed to hear

day 2 so the next day we went to the clinic and packed up all these medical equipment and medications in like 7 boxes and loaded them up on a van and headed up to a community up in the mountains. The roads are SOOO bad there in jarabacoa. There are only a few paved roads otherwise the rest are dirt and the amount of holes in the ground is insane so it was extremely bumpy and they were very narrow as well. It was DR independence day so some streets were closed and everyone was out on the streets having a good time. So when we got to the community it overlooked the mountains and the city... it was so beautiful. Even though this community was very poor and there was garbage everywhere and the conditions were really bad, the houses were broken down, people were dirty i couldnt stop thinking at how beautiful the place was and there was so much love in this community.

what we did was take out all the medications and set it up on the tables according to the type of medication they were. We had set up in a tiny church and people already started to fill the pews to wait to be seen. The three main lines that I learned at first was como es tu nombre (whats your name) cuantos anos tiene(how old are you) que le pasa(whats wrong/whats going on) and we asked that for everyone then we checked everyones blood pressure, heard their respiration, checked ears and throat on children. As the day went on i picked up a lot of medical terms in spanish and began to understand people without Fernando(the doctor)
 i administered my first shot and the lady def thought i was a doctor and trusted me but I really did not know what I was doing. Fernando was coaching me though it, the thing is if you hit a nerve- then that can cause the person to be paralyzed in the arm or leg, depending on where you give the shot so you have to hold the area in a certain way and it was so scary im like ahhhh - praying to God that I dont do it wrong, but it went fine and she lived =D
These little kids came to the church and just sat around to hang out. I fell in love with this little girl Rachel. I still keep thinking about her every morning I wake up and throughout the day. The kids were sooooooooo freaking cute, they just wanted to see what we were doing and talk to us (even though i didnt understand them). Rachel was so beautiful and she would just sit next to me and talk to me and after a while i told her i couldnt understand everything she was saying and you know what she did- she took her hand and softly moved the strands from my bangs out of my eyes and put her hand on my cheek and smiled- that broke me and i tried so hard to tell her about God in spanish and that he loves her and she was saying that she knows Jesus and so I started to tear up and she was like why are you crying (all in spanish) and i told her i was happy and then she said we should laugh not cry.. anyway the rest of the day she kept hugging me .. she is only 8 years old.. and yet she melted my heart and showed me so much its amazing how much we can learn from children.

So on our break, we walked around the streets and I saw genuine love and compassion from kids towards their parents and their neighbors. It took me by surprise how these children had nothing but yet had so much joy in their life. Its made me think how much more I should be praising God and being joyful because of all the blessings he showered in my life.
So we went back to the church and Fernando started to play his guitar and we started to sing worship songs in English and Spanish and Rachel came back and started to sing with us.... she is soo cute !!
We talked to some patients about God.. it was more Fernando doing the talking and we also prayed. you know what i realized, many times you just have a few minutes with someone in your life, whether it be you pass them by on the street, or they are serving you at a restaurant/airport/store... anything and those brief moments that you have with that person could really make such a difference in their life. People usually take their bad mood out on the people that they come across or if they are frustrated they take out their frustration out on the people that they briefly meet and just imagine if for those few minutes you treated them with true love and compassion how that could really affect their day. I think thats truly showing others God through us.

day 4

Saturday was our free day and guess what i did... WHITE WATER RAFTING my guide's name was Galo and he is one crazy guy...he would crack all these jokes and we would be laughing so hard on theraft.. the river was actually pretty wild and i was holding on for dear life. At certain times he would jump off the raft leaving usgirls hopeless lol .. we dont really know what we were doing it was funny he did it 3 times and he would joke around saying he cant swim or he cant get on..We then stopped midway the river and we all got out and he gave us fruit from a tree.. boldly we all ate it .. it was sooooo good !!he would joke around and tell everyone run to the back of the raft and we would do it because we really didn't know what was going to happen.. and when we would do that our boat would almost flip over but somehow we managed to not flip over completely - we all got completely soaked though... and then we learned all his tricks so we wouldnt listen to him, like when he would tell us all to lean onto one side, etc he tried really hard for our raft to flip over. One of the other rafting instructors would take his paddle and try to get it hooked onto my life vest and he tried to pull me into the water like 3 times from his raft.. and one time i half fell in - my head and my arms dunked in the water... but the girls pulled me back. then later Galo asked who wants to be the rafting instructor when the water was calm.. and i volunteered.. totally didnt know what i was doing and our boat almost tipped over twice.. but hey it was fun =) in the evening we went to the town and walked around. We ate at a really cute restaurant with candles EVERYWHERE>. there were mounds of wax in every corner, at first it looks weird but when they are all lit its looked beautiful and.. once again they served us a TON of food.it was a fun day to just chill and relax and enjoy the surroundings.

day 5 it was sunday and we went to a church called La Vid (the vine). The church is run by missionaries and they welcomed our organization (students international) and they had a translator set up and everything. It was straight up pentecostal style .. i loved it.. people were worshipping so freely .. dancing, lifting their hands...it was awesome.That sunday they were focused on Missions so they had a few missionaries come up and talk about their long term trips that they have been on. the pastor spoke about stepping out of our comfort zones and having more faith. He talked about how Peter walked on water but fell in the minute he took his eyes off Jesus, and Jesus said Peter what little faith you have, but the pastor pointed out, well what about the other 11 disciples that stayed in the bOAT.. if peter had little faith imagine the rest of them.. they stayed in the boat!! He used a line that I loved.. he said "sometimes we think that God will call us to do something impossible.. Do the possible that you can do and then let God do the impossible" I just needed to be reminded that our God is such a mighty God. So by this time God has really given me boldness which i so terribly needed. Especially when it came to talking to people about God and just saying- Hey Let me pray for you right now. At the end of the day I realized how much I have changed just in such a short time and its just so amazing because it really is just the beginning of a whole new relationship with God. anyway, at night i had to lead a devotional and so I talked about worrying and leaving our burdens at God's feet... no longer carrying around excess baggage- esp baggage from our past.. how can we run to God with open arms and serve others openly when we are so bogged down with our burdens and worries... one thing Max Lucado once said in his books that I absolutely love is - Dont worry about tomorrow because you dont have tomorrow's strength yet, you only have enough for today. I know that its going to be hard to really leave everything at God's feet and I mean, hey we are only human- we always naturally stress/worry about things.. but its so amazing and comforting to know that when I do come to God about my problems he genuinely really does love and care for me- above every other person in this world ever has or ever will. And when we really do "cast all our cares on him" our lives are just so different =)

day 6

We studied the book of Colossians 1:25-2:15 My group set up at a community called La Catorce which means 14... it stands for the 14 families that set up the community, it was a really poor neighborhood but like I said and will continue to say, it was still so beautiful. As soon as we got off the truck we had to look around and stare at everything around us... really breathtaking. When our truck entered the community these little kids saw us and they ran all the way after our truck to where we stopped. Now these kids all looked straight up from the slums (it was the slums i guess), dirt covered from head to toe, clothes ripped, some had no shoes- but man did they have the brightest smiles and EYES TO DIE FOR. ALl these people in this village had eyes that were red, blue and green all mixed together-- SO GORGEOUS!!! I have never ever seen eyes like that before. We set up outside this time and it was really hot that day. People filled the area waiting to be seen. We only saw about 26 patients that day though, but all ages from infants to the elderly. I gave my first blood sugar level test. People had the same symptoms- fungal infections, cold, fevers, high BP, etc. The kids were so cute... they were being really loud at one point and the doctor had to tell them a few times to be quiet but they wouldnt listen so he got out a syringe to scare them and it was So funny, the second he pulled out the syringe they all RAN SO FAST out of there!!! but they came back haha

you ever feel like your heart just longs to be somewhere, you want to show people compassion and more importantly you want to show them our God but there is a obstacle in your way?! Thats how I felt.. i have such a hunger now to serve him and im like man this stupid language barrier.. but Fernando was great.. he taught me a lot of sayings and was just so supportive and patient with us.

We met this lady who worked in the Social Work site. There was a lady there who has cervical cancer. We had to give her the news so we sat her down and told her that she has cancer, and that she can go for treatment or have her uterus taken out.. and so i saw the tears building up in her eyes.. but then we prayed for her and with her.. and it was crazy after the prayer she had so much strength - she said I know God will make a way.... such amazing faith. she knew God has her life in His hands... and it just blew me away... you ever meet someone who was dying and was just at so much peace with the situation and with God?!

"blessed are the poor.. for their riches are in heaven"

At night we learned about Poverty. They served us a poverty meal and then we had a meeting after to talk about what God thinks about poverty/does he allow it/etc.

we then learned ways of how we can deal with poverty... have you ever heard of the saying "dont just give them the fish, teach them how to fish" (or something like that) ... well we were talking about how we can pray and invest time in the poor and many times we just give them money and hope for the best but most of these people dont know how to manage a lot of money at one time.. so SI shared some stories of how they helped people in poverty change their lives and get up on their own two feet.

At the site we went to the hospital to scrub in for surgery. He told me to scrub in first and so I did.. it was the first time I went through the entire procedure to scrub in and wear autoclaved scrubs, etc-- i was SO EXCITED. I got to hold all the instruments watch right up close and personal.. get my hands inside HER.. (it was tying of her Fallopian tubes) and so im helping him and i really didnt know how to open and close the instruments properly but it was an amazing experience. AND THEN he showed me how to stitch layers and he let me STITCH THE fatty layer!!!!!!!!!!!! at first i said no, i am no way going to ruin her and he was like hey, this is your only opportunity to do it and as scared as i was, i grabbed the instruments and he walked me through it.. it was so so so soooo cool =) =) So i helped him in the final stitches as well and we were done. We watched 3 DNC procedures (for miss carriages).we went back to the clinic and did GYNO procedures. anyway I met one of the most famous musicians in DR Miguel Rosa(i forgot his last name) he is so gifted, he can play by ear and he can play ANY composition that you ask him to play. A-freaking-mazing. he is real old now like late 70s but still gives ppl lessons on how to play instruments.

“The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (Ps. 37:23–24 ).

So be truly glad, there is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. it is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold- and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Peter 1:6-7.
For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeramiah 29:11

If God wrote you a letter by max Lucado

Dear Child of mine,
Are you thirsty? Come and Drink. I am the one who comforts you. I bought you and complete you. I delight in you and claim you as my own, rejoicing over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. I will never fail you or forsake you.

ACCEPT MY WORK

I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins, yet my grace is sufficient for you. I have cast all your sins behind my back, trampled them under my feet, and thrown them into the depths of the ocean! Your sins have been washed away, swept away like the morning mists, scattered like the clouds. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free. Your death is swallowed up in victory. I disarmed the evil rulers and authorities and broke the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Blessed are those who die in the Lord. Your citizenship is in heaven. Come, inherit your sorrows, and there will be no more death or sadness or crying or pain.

RELY ON MY ENERGY

You are worried and troubled about many things. Trust me with all your heart. I know how to rescue godly people from their trials. My Spirit helps you in your distress. Let me strengthen you with my glorious power. I did not spare my Son but gave him up for you. Won’t I give you everything else? March on, dear soul, with courage! Never give up. I will help you. I will uphold you.

TRUST MY LORDSHIP

Trust in me always. I am the eternal Rock, your Shepherd, the guardian of your soul. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

So, don’t worry. I never tire or sleep. I stand beside you. The angel of the Lord encamps around you. I hide you in the shelter of my presence. I will go ahead of you, directing your steps and delighting in every detail of your life. If you stumble, you will not fall, for I hold you by the hand. I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. Wars will break out near and far, but don’t panic. I have overcome the world. Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. I surround you with a shield of love.

I will make you fruitful in the land of suffering, trading beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise for despair. I live with the low spirited and spirit crushed. I put new spirit in you and get you on your feet again. Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes in the morning. If I am for you, who can ever be against you?

RECEIVE MY LOVE

I throw my arms around you, lavish attention on you, and guard you as the apple of my eye. I rejoice over you with great gladness. My thoughts of you cannot be counted; they outnumber the grains of sand! Nothing can ever separate you from my love. Death can’t and life cant. The angels cant and the demons can’t. Your fears for today, your worries about tomorrow and even the powers of hell can’t keep my love away.

You sometimes say, The Lord has deserted me, the Lord has forgotten me. But can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for a child she has borne? Even if that were possible, I would not forget you! I paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, my sinless, spotless lamb. No one will snatch you away from me. See, I have written your name on my hand. I call you my friend. Why, the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are valuable to me.

Give me your burdens; I will take care of you. I know how weak you are, that you are made of dust. Give all your worries and cares to me, because I care about what happens to you.

Remember, I am at hand. Come to me when you are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. I delight in you and I can be trusted to keep my promises. Come and Drink the water of life.

Your maker, your Father,

God

You look so comfortable

Rev Chapter 2: 2(C) "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but(D) have tested those(E) who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up(F) for my name’s sake, and you(G) have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned(H) the love you had at first.

Wow.. those people must have done so much for God.. but look what God holds against them- THEY Have forsaken their first love. We may be so involved with church that it becomes a routine. Going to church every sunday, attending bible studies, going to youth meetings- however are we passionate like we were before? Think back to when you were first saved- do you still have that passion and zeal that you once had- you were so amazing of God's love that you couldnt contain it? Or have you forgotten your first love and made God into such a routine. We cannot be comfortable because God has called us to step out and live an unordinary life- doing things for him with passion because God sees our hearts and where our motives root from.

passionate love- Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Are we really deeply in love with God anymore? In the parable of the sower, Jesus explained that the seed is the truth (the word of God). When the seed is flung onto the path, it is heard but quickly stolen away. When the seed is tossed onto the rocks, no roots take hold- there is an appearance of depth and growth because of the soil, but it is only surface level. When the seed is spread among the thorns, it is received but soon suffocated by life's worries, riches and pleasures. But when the seed is sown in good soil, it grows, takes roots and produces fruit. My caution to you is Do not assume you are good soil. Too many Christians today assume that they are good soil.You see, Thorns are anything that distracts us from God. When we want God and a bunch of other stuff, then that means we have thorns in our soil. A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sport teams, addictions or commitments are piled on top of it. Has your relationship with God actually changed the way you live or has the way you live changed your walk with God?Are you satisfied with being "godly enough" to get yourself to heaven, or to look good in comparison to others? Many of us cannot accurately describe ourselves as totally in love with Jesus Christ and the words halfhearted, lukewarm and partially committed fit better.Rev 3:15-18: 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.Jesus' call to commitment is clear: he wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a Christian without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd. Nothing should concern us more than our relationship with God- its about eternity and nothing compares with that. God is not someone who can be tacked on to our lives. Our commitment to Him is more important than any other thing or person in our life. Nothing we do in this life will ever matter unless it is about loving God and loving the people he has made. Some of you might be wondering what are the benefits of being passionate and consumed by God?When we pray, our prayers are heard by the same God who answered Moses' prayer for water in the desert, the God who gave Abraham and his barren wife a son, and the God who made the slave Joseph second in power only to Pharaoh. He is that same God. There is so much more to life than this. God wants to give us gifts, allow us heal the sick and perform wonders. We are missing the biggest part of our Christian lives – God wants to give us so much but he can't because of our little faith and lack of passionate love for God. We all have access to that same power, we need to stop being afraid that he will disappoint us. God didn't just give us a little for us; He gave His best. He gave Himself. It is no different for us: True love requires sacrifice. Our love is shown by how we live our lives: "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." Everyone is too comfortable where they are in their lives. Too afraid to step out of the boundaries or walk away from the crowd. God does not call us to be comfortable, we have to break free from the status quo. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through. We are each given different gifts and talents by our Master. The thing that matters most is how we use what we have been given, not how much we make or do compared to someone else. What matters is that we spend ourselves for our Savior. There is another path, an alternative to the individualism, selfishness and materialism of the American Dream. God has called us each to live faithful and devoted lives before Him. You do not need to preach to your pastor, congratgation or go to the ends of the world, you simply need to live out in your daily life the love and obedience that God has asked of you.When you are wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.

You can judge a man's character by the friends he has

While growing up I remember my sister used to tell me "Be careful who you let in your circle of friends". I never really understood what she was saying or really what she meant by that until recently. I surrounded myself with friends from all different backgrounds and religions. don't get me wrong, But i know it is ok to be in the company of non believers- In the New Testament it says that we can go to the house of non- believers and eat lunch/dinner there. It is fine to be in friendships with unsaved people, but the thing is - is it ok for them to be in our INNER CIRCLE?

Let's take this as an example... T Mobile has this thing for their cell phone users to have a FAV FIVE. Now, take a minute and think about who would you put in your FAV FIVE... or better yet who do you have in those slots? Are they your family members, are they your best friends, co- workers, etc. Now, how many of those people are Christians? Not just Christians who wear the name- but God Fearing, overwhelmed and in Love with God Christians?

My whole life, I was careless to whom I became close to, whom I considered my best friends, and who I spent most my time with. I had surrounded myself with so many non Christians I failed to realize what toll it would take on my walk with God.

  "Do not be mislead- Bad company corrupts good character- 1 Corinthians 15:33"...

OK we all know that our friends rub off each other and that we tend to pick up character traits from the people we spend most time around. How many of those character traits that we picked up were good ones? Were any of them aiding your walk with God? 

I am not blaming my friends or past friends for my constant slip in my relationship with God. I blame myself entirely. I feel like if you surround yourself with people who are not on fire for God, your fire for God will not be as strong, or will be extinguished . We need people in our lives to encourage us, support us, and be of good company ... we need people in our lives that will be our spiritual backbones and not bring us down paths of unrighteousness. This doesn't mean abandon all those people who are not Christians in your lives- how else will we witness to them! It's just that we REALLY need to be careful who we let in our close circle of friends. It is so important that we have friends who will help us in our relationship with God not hinder it. Think about it, if you face an issue or a situation and you tell your friends about it- what is their first response? Is their response to get revenge, get drunk, steal, lie, cheat, etc? 

Or is it something that is uplifting, something dealing with Prayer, giving you Godly advice, giving you scripture references? If you don't have friends like that in your life, you need them! 

We have all heard that saying.. you can judge a man's character by the friends he has!

I have surrounded myself with people who have backstabbed me, betrayed me, abandoned me, and given me worldly advice. All the while I am trying to build a relationship with God. I finally realized how can I grow in my walk with God when my friends and their lifestyles pull me away? It is so important that we had God Fearing friends in our lives... people who are willing to pray with you when you need it, people who will pray FOR you, people who will worship God with you, people who will help you in your relationship with God... it is just so important for that. Your life will change dramatically when you change the people you are with.  What you put in your life will greatly affect every area of your life, the friends you hold so dearly to your heart will greatly affect what room you have left for God in your heart.