It's About the Children: February 2011

Friday, February 25, 2011

Praying for a Miracle

I ask that you will join with me in prayer for healing for my mom. The past 4 weeks has been crazy for my family. My mom went in for a stress test, within 3 days they were doing a heart cath that showed her heart is only operating at 20%. She has what is called Dilated Cardio Myopothy. She was put on several medications and told that if the medications did not improve her heart function in 6 months they would consider putting in a pacemaker/defibulator. A week after the heart cath she went in for a checkup and they decided the pacemaker/defibulator needed to be put in immediately. 5 days later she went in to have the heart cath put in. During the procedure her heart was punctured and she went into cardiac arrest, during CPR her heart was punctured again. She was then rushed to emergency surgery to repair the 2 holes now in her already extremely weak heart. She is now recovering from open heart surgery and once recovered they want to try putting in the pacemaker/defibulator again. I am praying and believing God will heal her heart and she will not have to have the surgery. I ask that you will join with me in praying and believing God for a miracle!!!!!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Countdown Begins

In a week I will be on a plane heading to Africa!!! I have waited so long for this moment its almost surreal! Thank you all for your prayers and support so far, I ask that you continue to keep me in your prayers as the next phase of this journey begins!
T-7 days

My Testimony

I grew up in a Christian home where I was drug to church every time the doors were open. I spent my childhood trying to follow the Christian ways that my parents had drilled into my head, but when I was 10 I made a choice all on my own to accept Christ as my Savior and follow and serve Him for the rest of my life. I continued to follow after God, and when I was 15 I knew God was calling me into full time ministry. In my mind I believed their were only 2 options for me; a children’s pastor or a youth pastor. For 10 years I went around and around and around because I let fear stop me from doing what God created me to do. Finally I got tired of not going anywhere and I asked God what is it that you want me to do. He told me He wanted me on the mission field. This was very hard for me to hear because I spent my entire life with a fear of leaving the United States, I grew up saying I was never going to another country. I put aside all my fears and said O.K. God I will go. My first trip out of the United States God sends me by myself, I cried for a week before I left, I cried on the plane the whole way down to Honduras, but once I got there and I experienced what God had waiting for me it was greater than anything I had experienced in the States. After setting foot on foreign soil I knew thats where I was spending the rest of my life. I still was not completely open to what God had for me I still had some restrictions. We had a sermon series called The HPC Apprentice; 4 people out of the church were chosen and I was 1 of the 4, we spent several weeks just doing whatever was asked of us, serving the church, serving the community and then at the end the church voted on who they thought should win. I did not win, but the guy who did win won a trip to Swaziland, Africa. After finding out what the prize was I was so glad I did not win, because I had also spent my entire life saying I was never going to Africa. Well, over the next 6 months God begins to work on me and all of a sudden I am now telling my sister I really want to go to Africa. My sister had a friend who was going to Africa in 2 months so she called her up and told her I wanted to go to Africa, so she said let me see what I can do. Next thing I know I’m receiving a phone call saying I hear you want to go to Africa. Within a month I had raised every penny I needed for the trip and within another month I was on a plane to Africa. Do you know I made it to Africa before the guy who won the trip to Africa? When God has a plan He makes away. So 2005 was the first year I went to Africa, I went home from that trip with a calling on my life to reach, serve, nurture and love the children of Africa. I spent six months living in Mozambique, Africa I returned with an even greater passion to reach the unforgotten children around the world. After returning from Africa I co-founded Red Thread Ministries to help those who are without means to help themselves. We work with children domestic and international, sharing the love of Jesus. For more information and ways to get invovled checkout our website at www.redthreadministries.org