Flushing Michigan

So I have decided that this week instead of trying to relay what God is doing, I'm just going to let you read what the people of these churches have written! God is living and active and below are some letters of testimonies of how God is working!

So hear some of our fellow believers testimonies of God's grace in their lives!

God has made an amazing impact in my life this week. Sunday night when I “filled” my cup with things other than God, it really made me think how these earthly things are so temporary. I nagged at my husband about things, which caused a problem in my marriage. I went to my friends to gripe about my husband, which caused a problem in my marriage as well. At the end of a stressful day, I turned to a glass of wine, then another, and yet another which turned into a bottle, which caused problems in my marriage. One week ago I can tell you that I didn’t know if my marriage would last. Today I can tell you that God had done a complete turn around and we are growing in God’s Word together. All I need is GOD!

There is more peace in my heart and our home. I truly have revived my spiritual life. I had gotten so critical and judgmental against fellow Christians at church. I really haven’t enjoyed church for a long time. I go because of the kids. Now, I have committed to authentic Christianity without hypocrisy and told the kids they had to hold me accountable to be authentic and not hypocritical. I pledge allegiance and faith to my Lord.

I have learned things about God that I have not heard elsewhere – calling sin by its name, for one. I have a lot to work on, with Jesus’ help I shall get there. I have to devote my time to God more each day.

He encouraged me, refreshed me, and nourished me. He affirmed me and what He has placed on my heart. The words that came were refreshment to a dry soul, a soul that needed to be refreshed. I needed to hear “be real.” Watch people serve, experience people love. It has been a good four days. I hope it isn’t just a four day vacation, but something that will lead to transformation.

Those testimonies are a product of your faithful prayer for this ministry! It is so humbling after a conference to sit on the bus, traveling to the next church and read those letters, knowing that God has allowed me to have a part in restoration with HIS children! God is awesome you guys, He is so good and He chooses to use us, and through that sustains us and blesses us!
Last week I had the opportunity to share my families story with a hurting couple who had been through a very similar situation and I was blown away. I was amazed that such hurt in my life could encourage others in such a real way! I just cried with them, empathized with them and will continue to pray for them! God is faithful and He has a reason and purpose for all things, the good, the bad and the ugly . . . you never know! Never discount your life story because someone might need to hear it! I am growing leaps and bounds in my transparency with fellow believers, realizing that I am not alone. God has surrounded us with a support system, the body of Christ! Praise the Lord that we are not in this journey of life on our own! HE will not take you where HE cannot sustain you!

Berrien Center, MI

Well we have completed our first THIRST conference, it began Sunday, September 11th and ended last night, September 14th. It was awesome to finally see everything put together and to get a feel for how things should be working. It was so good to meet so many people and make connections, to encourage people and be encouraged. God worked in Berrien Center Bible Church in awesome ways. We were able to see relationships restored, accountability established, and a unity among generations revived. I wish I could bring all of you along to all the churches, so that you could have the opportunity to see God work in such real and awesome ways. I am humbled by the fact that God has allowed me to be used by HIM. We serve an amazing God!

It has been quite a transition, living out of a suitcase, getting a new “family” and traveling every week, then spending my days and evenings at a church. I liked to think of myself as adaptable but this lifestyle has given the word adaptable a whole new meaning. My host family has been wonderful and I could not have asked for better people to help me adjust to my first week on the road.

I’m still working on my lessons for the kids, this week they went will but there is always room for improvement. The kids were so well behaved and very entertaining. I have to tell you all a funny story, some of you may think its gross BUT you will most likely still laugh anyway : )

So as I was teaching my lesson last night, during a very “dramatic” part this one little kid just let the loudest, smelliest fart rip. It was awful, all the kids started laughing then, I though for sure the other teachers in the room were going to pass out b/c of the smell. And the farts just kept on coming one kid after another, it was then we decided our kids club was no longer called happy heart city . . . It had become, happy fart city. It was bad, really bad!

This week we are in Flushing, Michigan and I am ready and waiting to watch God move in big ways. Pray for the church, Mayfair Bible Church, that God would use our team to accomplish his plan for the people here.

Hope this song encourages you!

If faith can move the mountains
Let the mountains move
We come with expectation
Waiting here for You, waiting here for You

You're the Lord of all creation
And still You know my heart
The Author of Salvation
You've loved us from the start

Waiting here for You
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia

You are everything You've promised
Your faithfulness is true
And we're desperate for Your presence
All we need is You

Pray BIG!

It is a cool beautiful Michigan morning as I sit here and type out exactly what I want to share with you all! We still have yet to be on the road which is hard well, the sleeping in has been really nice and for those of you that really “know me” having my morning coffee in peace has also been a very positive aspect haha! It has been good to have extra time to spend with the Lord but it has also given me too much time to think and analyze life. For the girls reading, you know exactly what I mean haha! When life is coming at you crazy fast and you know decisions are coming and you try to manipulate in your mind how to stop them or slow them down or change them. Its exhausting, so here I sit letting it all go . . . Knowing that my God is so much more powerful that my simple human mind, with its simple human answers. SO my prayer has changed from God show me my future haha to God show me what you have for me TODAY, and give me the grace to accomplish it. I’m not going to say its easy and sometimes its just the dumb situations that after I respond I realize “man that was my moment to really glorify God and I blew it” I read this in my devotions this morning and it hit the nail right on the head “PAUSE . . . Before responding to people or situations, giving God’s spirit space to act through you, hasty words and actions leave no room for a Christ-like response,” Convicting isn’t it.

Now moving on . . . So this past weekend we did have the opportunity to minister in a church about an hour and half away from camp. I had the privilege to teach for the first time since being here and it felt so good. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it, that was the longest stretch in the last 5 years that I had gone without teaching on a regular basis. It just gave me a new confidence and inspiration to keep pressing on to see the purpose and have a glimpse of all that God can do. This Friday we leave and head out for our first 4 day Thirst conference, please pray, pray for revival, for spiritual renewal. It doesn’t take anyone special to recognize our nations need for spiritual awakening, but it does take special people to pray for it.

The pictures at the top are of when our team went to the sand dunes on lake Michigan . . . So much fun! We had a blast!