I want to start out by saying thank you, Jesus.  I could not have gotten through the past six months without God by my side.  There have been mountains tops as high as Everest and valleys deep as the Grand Canyon.  Yet, through it all God has been faithful.  He has spoken words of truth over me, surrounded me with loved ones, and comforted me with His peace.  I have learned so much and for that, I am eternally grateful.

There is so much to catch up on, as I have not written an actual update for over three months.  It has been a tough and busy season, to say the least.  During the Shine Seminar in Amsterdam, there was so much going on, and when I got home to the states I was working through a lot of emotions and big decisions.  It has only been in the last few days that I feel I can take a deep breath, breathe, and let my shoulders down.

My fingers have been itching to type and my mind is filled to the brim with stories, revelations, and ideas I wish to share with you.

I can say that after much prayer, wise counsel, and seeking the Lord,  I will be leaving Youth With A Mission in Norway on August 10th.  It was a transition that snuck up on me, but looking back I can see that it was God's plan from the start.

There is not too much to say about why I have come to this conclusion, but what I can say is that God is good, and He is so much more committed to His will for our lives than we are committed to finding it.  I am learning to not speak in definites, but to surrender all to God.  When making plans, I now know that God can change them right up until the day of, and even thereafter. And that's okay, because that is God, and if He changes things, we have to trust it is for the better.

We tend to see change as scary, it is stepping into the unknown and can fill our minds with the haunting questions of "What if?".  I am learning that I can't live by what could happen, and I can't be afraid of regrets.  I tend to run in the opposite direction of failure, and I get nauseous at the thought of making a mistake, but God in His patience is showing me that it is okay.  It is okay to fail, it is okay to change our minds, to make mistakes, to be unsure.  It is part of being a human, that is why God is God and we are not, right?  He is the perfect one after all.  I have to remind myself of that.

God in His goodness see's our hearts.  He knows when our greatest desire is to follow in His will.  "He will not allow your foot to slip."  Every day, He spoke that verse from Psalms 121 into my heart.  Every day, He reminded me that He is for me and not against me.  The same goes for you.

Change is always hard, but it is inevitable.  We can either shy away from change or embrace it.  When God is leading us into a new season, we can trust that it is for our best.  Of course, change is bittersweet, but when we have the peace that comes from our Heavenly Father, we can rest in knowing that He goes before us and prepares the way.

God has shown me that He cares, even about the tiniest details.  He does not want to dream for us, but He wants to dream together with us.  When we take the dreams in our hearts that align with His heart, nothing is impossible, nothing is out of the question.  God doesn't just want to use us, He wants to partner together with us.  He has given us specific gifts, talents, passions, interests, and desires for a purpose.  If you love art, He doesn't want to force you to start up a soccer ministry.  He made you unique for a reason! If He gave you a passion for art or whatever it may be, He is not going to let it go to waste.  God is love, and He is our good, good Father.  He wants what is best for His children, not what is the toughest, or to send us where we will suffer the most.  No matter what our dreams are, and no matter how God fulfills those dreams, there will always be challenges, yes, but God is not a God who withholds Himself or His will.  When we seek first the kingdom of God, when our dreams align with Gods' heart, He will open up the doors and pave the way.

The last few months I have been dreaming big with God, and I see myself light up in a way I haven't in a long time.  I am being renewed with fresh life and ambition for what lies ahead.  I am overflowing with faith and expectation to see how God is going to make the impossible, possible.

I have many dreams in the making, and I look forward to sharing some of them with you soon.  In the meantime, I challenge you,  what dreams do you have and how can you dream together with God?

"For as the sky soars high above the earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think."

-Isaiah 55:8

"You don't own me", A spoken and written word.

"There is nature versus nurture, as we are the latter we must succumb to certain torture.  Being victimized, brutalized, objectified, we can no longer be proud of our bodies.  We have been reduced down to the means of a mans hobby.  We've been told, "I own you".  As a child I have owned a lot of things, but never in my life did I own another human being.  You can't own another person, they aren't yours for the taking.  Yet every day, every hour, every minute - there are women caught up in a trafficking situation. 

The one who seduces then introduces us to prostitution.  Our existence is dependent on substance to numb the pain of the abuses.  Nothing is translucent, life is hazy.  It's not fifty shades of grey, but fifty shades of hell on earth.  Our worth is reduced to scum and to dirt.

We've been segregated, alienated, forced to take the blame, living in shame, apologizing for our existence.  We have nobody to be our witness.  We are crippled by our gender, opportunities in our lives are being hindered by our identity.  Prostitution, rape, assault, pornography - All of these have one common factor, which is me.  They all degrade us women to some degree.  Call it what you will, it is not based on free will.  We are under lock and key.  Don't get me started on all the mind games driven by our insecurity.  

You don't get to pick us out like a prize, standing us all in a line, based on the sparkle in our eyes, or the size of our thighs.  This isn't the lottery.  Our bodies are not a wonderland for you to explore.  We are not a piece of property.  You cannot purchase me.  We are not for sale.  

We are sick of our bodies being spread out on a six pack.  Walking down the street, guys shouting "I'd tap that" or "look at the rack".  They don't even think about our hearts being hacked to little pieces like the slab of meat they make us women out to be. 

Oh do I dream,  I dream of living in a society where change is a reality, where "No" is a complete sentence, and the cries of women are no longer reduced to silence.  And where the cries of women are no longer reduced to silence."