Abba House

We have been on outreach for four weeks now and it has been quite the adventure!  The past two weeks were spent at Abba House, a home for sex trafficked boys and at-risk girls.  Our time there consisted of:

Teaching English

Teaching Bible studies

Having a fun field day when the kids had a day off school

Having a nail painting/facial party with the girls

Sharing testimonies with the kids and teenagers at Abba House

Sharing testimonies with men at two different local drug rehabilitation centers
Prayer walks through the red light district

Along with the events and ministries mentioned above, I specifically worked closely with the four youngest girls (ages 9-11) and taught their English class.  It quickly became the best part of my day and I had such a blast with these kids and was so sad to leave them after two weeks of working with them and getting to know them.

I feel as though my mother heart has grown three sizes since being in Thailand, and it almost broke it to leave these girls.  It's made me think of how many other children there are out there in the world that don't have a place like Abba House where they can be fed and kept safe and loved.  There are girls and boys as young as 5 and 6 years old that are being trafficked every day, and it breaks my heart.  In contrast I think back to my own childhood and upbringing in a privileged home, being constantly fueled by so much love from my parents and community as I was free to be a child and do things that children do.  I have such a burden on my heart for the children in the world that don't have this and I have been thinking and praying about how I can take action.  In Kona I was starting to feel as though God is calling me to be a mother to many.  This could mean many different things on the vast spectrum including anything from being a teacher, (which was the original plan), to adopting children someday, to opening and finding homes for these children around the world!  I don't know what God is calling me to yet but I choose now to trust and obey him in each step.  If you would like to know how you can pray for me, I would really appreciate prayer for clarity in the area of what God is putting on my heart about motherhood, as well as what I will do after I come home in September.

So far I am thankful that I am getting to see a lot of different ministries and experience a lot of different things, but it is getting harder to leave each place after I develop relationships with people and have established myself there.  I am incredibly thankful for my time at Abba House and I pray that it continues to be a safe and loving environment for these kids!

I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures, but the ones below were taken while I had the chance after English class or at the girl's night we hosted.

Hong Kong By Night

One of the ministries we were involved with in Hong Kong was an organization called Sons and Daughters.  One of the women involved with the ministry led us on a tour through the red light district of Hong Kong to photograph the signage advertising what goes on there in order to raise awareness that this is actually happening.  We were told that prostitution is legal there, with pretty specific laws in regards to how it is done.  What we encountered were many women standing outside buildings with dimly lit signs advertising anything from a "foot massage" to a "full body massage" even though they were really offering sexual services.  They handed out fliers to people as they walked by, listing their prices.  We didn't photograph the women since we didn't want to hurt the trust that this organization has been building up through relational ministry for so long.  We only took photos to show the signs and environment.

The streets were busy and people were milling about their business.

At the door above we saw a guy approach a woman, point to the flier, and then point up.  They both walked up the steps through this door.  It shocked me because it happened literally a few feet in front of me and he looked like a typical American dad, a happy-looking, middle-aged guy wearing a baseball cap.  At first it enraged me, but as I think about it now, the truth is that God loves him as much as the rest of us.

After praying and spending some time in worship at one spot, God reminded me that there is hope, and that he is using these ministries and birthing others to share his light with the world.  Our God is a God of hope, and I fully expect miracles to happen!  Please join me in praying for the red light district of Hong Kong!

My Week in Hong Kong

We just wrapped up a week in Hong Kong and arrived safely in Chiang Mai, Thailand!  This past week in Hong Kong included a lot of prayer, team bonding, street evangelism, and quite a few surprises.  The biggest surprise was arriving at the airport for our flight to Thailand a day early.  We have no idea how all 11 of us didn't realize this!  We all had good attitudes about it though and it actually turned out to be a nice extra day in Hong Kong exploring parts of the city we hadn't had a chance to see and relaxing.

One of the funniest moments from this week was when a guy from the area insisted on taking us on a little tour of the village and basically forced us to try all of the strange asian foods.  Things I liked: dried seaweed and dried squid, things I did not like: being told that I am fat.  (I can laugh about it now!)

Aside from learning to be flexible, I am being challenged to have a different approach to evangelism during these short term trips.  From the training I received in Kona alongside the excitement of being here for missions, I have been teaching myself to see every person that we come in contact with as a divine appointment.  I believe with all my heart that each person we meet is someone that God intended for us to meet!  I am challenged to continue thinking this way, even when I return home.  I'm trying to imagine what life would look like from now on if I truly did see the world this way.  I am also being challenged to step out more in being bold and unafraid in approaching people and talking with them.

All in all, it was a good week, and I feel very blessed to have this opportunity.  My team is incredible, and they are such a joy to be around!  I sweated more than I ever have in my entire life, and had a really hard time remembering to take my shoes off each time we went into our house.  Other than that, I am loving outreach!  So excited for what's to come!

Here are a few photos from the week.  Stay tuned for a post about the ministry we took photos for in the red light district.

Invitations and Responses

The entire PhotogenX DTS 2014

The time has come.  After saying an over-emotional goodbye to one of our three teams an hour ago, it is hitting me that this season is over, and we are transitioning to a new one.

As I look back on my time in Kona, I see this growth process as a series of invitations from God.  I am typically someone who enjoys saying yes to God, but there have been a few times in my life that I said no and disobeyed Him, looking to serve myself or simply thinking that my plan is better than His.  Everything I learned here was a result of responding with "yes" to an invitation.  Coming here in the first place even follows this pattern.  Each week as we had a different speaker, I felt as though God was inviting me to learn more about his character.  The speakers were incredibly diverse, which I loved, because it challenged me many times to think outside of the box I grew up in and it has forced me to question what I truly believe and seek out God's truth in His word.  Each week I had to open myself up to allowing God to teach me whatever he has for me here, which was a scary thing, but I am so glad that I did because it made my relationship with him so much more personal.  I now realize that he prepared everything that I learned here, and I just had to allow him to work in me to accept or challenge each tidbit of information as it came in.

I have surrendered more of my own plans here than I ever have before, and God has broken down some of the pride I had for myself and my goals and my own thoughts.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."  Isaiah 55:9

I had a plan for my life after DTS.  That may or may not be changing.  All I know is that I am choosing to say yes to whatever God leads me to.  It is thrilling and scary at times, but for the most part God has given me such a peace about it.  I am so glad that I can rest easy knowing that God will lead me to what's next and I don't even need to stress about it.  I can only focus on what is right in front of me, and for the next two and a half months, that is outreach!

My outreach team

I am more excited for outreach than I can express in words.  I really feel strongly that I need to open myself up to God's ability to use me in ways that I can't even imagine.  He has promised to do great things through us and I am ecstatic to see it in action.

"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father." John 14:12

I am looking forward to what's in store, and I am excited to return home and relay all that God has done.  Thanks so much for all of the support and encouragement from friends and family at home.  Your prayers mean so much!

Goodbye, Hawaii, and Mahalo

Last weekend was my favorite weekend in Hawaii.  A group from my DTS went to Waipio, which is a beautiful valley with a river that runs into the sea.  We hung out on the beach there for a few hours before going to the top of Mauna Kea, the highest mountain in the world, altitude-wise.  (Mount Everest is the highest from base to tip, but its base begins below sea level.)  It was thirty one degrees at the top and no, I did not bring my winter coat to Hawaii, so it was a cold one!  However, it was entirely worth it.  The view was amazing, and I tried my best to capture it.  It was such a beautiful reminder of how infinite and ornate and GRANDIOSE God is! Enjoy!

(Click on the images to make them larger.)