The Deal Remixed!

In the summer of 2008, I worked with Grace Adventures Day Camp in Fulton, MD. That was my last job in America and will be my first job upon re-entry!

A couple weeks ago, I booked my flight to return to the Old Line State. An hour after finishing the booking process, I received an email from one of these former co-workers, asking me if I wanted a job at the camp. Without a second thought, I replied, "YES!"  We are excited.  I cannot yet describe exactly what it is that I will be doing, but it is fixed that I will be working with GADC again this summer.   It is such a joy and an honor to work with this team and I am so looking forward to what the Lord will do in the hearts of the kids this summer, as well as developing within the community.

As I wrote before, my intentions are to stay in MD for the summer. I am researching a few grad school options, and will likely take trips throughout to look into select programs first hand. Other plans: a trip to Harrisburg and Ephrata, PA is already in the works for my first weekend State-side.   A good friend was zealously willing (thanks Tschay!) to take some of my belongings back to the States with him today, and I will go to get these things and to spend time with my friends who are there at the time. These are some of the friends so highly spoken of back in this September 2009 post.. I am working on a trip to NC that will be multi-faceted, as I'll catch up with the Silvas and also check out an appealing masters program in Charlotte which will (HOPEFULLY) include time with Jo... we'll see how it all comes together.

My heart's desire is to invest everything I can into my church family there.  They sent me off with such love and blessing, and I want to return to them as much as I can with everything I've received and learned here.  This is beginning to sort out a little more specifically already, but I can't explain yet how these opportunities will appear.

I hope everyone is a little more satisfied with the details now.  Thanks for being patient!

The Deal

This is the busiest month of the first quarter, so finding time to properly update is not so easy.

Here's the basic outline:

May 26th, I will return to the States. I'll be in Maryland for sure until the end of August. I have to make some mini-trips in the MD area, but other than that, i will be there with my family. I'll be working throughout the summer and readjusting. In August, I will decide about what is next and where to settle - it could be MD, NE, anywhere new, or even returning to Austria, I am completely open.

Job details will have to come later...

The "why" is simple to answer- because it's what the Lord showed me to do. My life here is GREAT and it hurts my heart to be preparing to leave my family and the home that has been created here. I have nothing but love, respect, and honor to reciprocate to Franz, Blast, Exousia, and my dear friends.

Again, more details to come later.

Sorry, I really don't have the time nor the capacity to be more specific. Maybe pray for a revelation and you can get all the details that way?

I Have A Voice

I find advocating the dire needs of human slaves beyond urgent.  

As a Western Culture, we are too far unaware of what is happening in the sex slave industry on a national and international level.  In recent conversation, I was told, "..there are no REAL slaves any more."  It was then argued that if slavery DOES exist today, then it only exists in the developing countries.  However, it is the wealthier nations that provide the capital for such a crime; a crime that is predicted over take international drug trade within the decade.

*Some facts:

Human trafficking is the world's  THIRD largest crime industry!

The rate of Human Trafficking is INCREASING!

It is argued that as many as 60,000 people are trafficked into the US every year!

Estimates in 2005 say that human trafficking had annual profits of $31.6 billion!

80% of human trafficking victims are women and children.

Human trafficking is an issue that is difficult to track and prosecute, lending even greater room for growth.  It is a very real problem in today's global society.  A number of non-profit advocacy programs around the world are doing their best to raise awareness of this social injustice and to provide a means for decreasing and eventually ending this criminal activity.  

If you are interested in taking action, check the following websites.  Though only sources in CA and DC are provided, I ASSURE you that there are agencies in every state and major international city.

In CA:

http://www.castla.org/

http://www.bpsos.org/

In DC: 

http://www.breakthechaincampaigndc.org/

http://www.ayudainc.org/pages/page.cfm?id=1

http://www.polarisproject.org/

If you are interested more specifically in the domestic issues of prostitution, please contact my friend Laurie Ishii, founder of After Hours Ministry.

*All facts were gathered from the following websites:

http://www.thefuturegroup.org/id20.html

http://www.worldvision.ca/ContentArchives/content-stories/Pages/human-trafficking-statistics-global-and-canadian.aspx

http://www.humantraffickinged.com/

WOOP!

*This post is dedicated to Crystal and Luis Muñoz*

The Lord is so indescribably good.  I'm sure I've started former blog posts with that same sentence, but it is still so mind-blowingly TRUE!  

  

When the Holy Spirit asked me, "Who owns your visions?" my answer was so easily exclaimed, "You do!"  

His next question, "Then why do you hold such tight fists around those dreams?"

My second answer contradicted the former, "Because I don't want them taken away from me?"  

"I thought they were mine, in the first place?  Mine to grow, develop, and change?"  

"They are, Daddy.  Or, at least, I want them to be."  

"Now we're on to something."

Since that honest conversation, Jeshua and I have been prying my fingers apart.  Some visions were easier to let go of than others, but all are equally dear to my heart.  As the Lord has been developing this sense of "being" rather than "doing" in me, the intentions of visions and dreams has been altered.  

My identity is not in what I do or what I am capable of.  Ok.  Great.  That lesson I get.  My identity will not be in what I accomplish.  I thought I got that lesson, too; after all, it's the same as the previous lesson, right?  Nope.  Not for me.

In retrospect, I realize I've been arguing with God all along about the progression of these visions.  I'd beg Him to release them and bring life into those visions and then I'd turn around and hide them under a rock so no harm could be done.  The last months have been dedicated to really letting go of my visions.  The Lord has visions for me and what I call "my visions" are certainly good things, and things I DO believe are of Him, from Him, and for Him.  Those things are not just passing thoughts and ideas I've had.  Letting go of these visions is not giving up on them.  It's letting them grow and develop the way the Lord wants them to.  It's being willing to let them appear as something perhaps entirely different from what I have imagined.  That doesn't mean the vision is less there or that it has died.  It means peeling off my limited perspective of binding expectations.  

I was talking with a faithful friend about this topic early this morning.  Clenching my fists together, I demonstrated how I offered my visions to the Lord as a sacrifice just some months ago.  

"You can have my dreams, but you're gonna have to cut my hands off in order to get to them!"  

I may be wincing from time to time, but now my hands are open more than not.

Now that I've so boldly written that, I'm sure I'll begin to understand how far I've yet to go...