Challenge 2014

A passion and a love of mine is volunteering with youth groups. I have a huge heart for junior highers. I just find that age group to have such great potential. Last summer, I was able to go on a trip with my youth group kids to Kansas City to EFCA Challenge 2014. I'll be honest, it wasn't the top trip for me. I know now my 3 days of sickness were due to reactive hypoglycemia, which I'm happy to report is now stable. During the trip, I thought my sickness and migraines were due to too much stimulation/sensory as a TBI survivor. This made the trip a bit of a bummer for me because I was sick so much and missed out on a lot of interactions with the students. I look back on it now and smile at the irony that God used a not-so-stellar trip to get my attention.

REACH Global put on a "Walk through Berlin" for the students. Our youth group went through in two groups because we were so large. There was a door on the left you exited out of and a door on the right you entered. As you entered, there were stages set up with narrators who gave you a brief bit about Berlin, Germany and what's going on there. The point of this walk was to bring awareness to the students of what's going on now in the world, what could begin here in America, and help them start thinking of ways to make a difference.

In Germany, prostitution is legal. Yeah . . . I don't get that either, but it is. America seems to be 10 years behind Germany in its laws right now, so there's a hope that was presented to the students that it doesn't have to be that way. It was a very honest, intense account of what is going on in Berlin, what human trafficking is all about, and what sex trafficking looks like in a country that legalized prostitution.

After this hallway of narration, you walked into this open area. There was a fountain in the center and 4 pillars placed in the silhouette of a square shape. The pillars all shared information on what the students could do now to stop sex trafficking and child slavery.  The fountain was used as a place for participants of the walk to pray for Berlin, for all that's going on, and seek God for what He would want you to do about it. I was profoundly moved and asked God to help me make a difference.

I asked Him directly, "How do you want to use me?

What is your dream for me?"

I don't hold to the view that God has a specific voice that can be audibly heard by humans. I do believe He will answer us and we will hear Him speak to us. As I prayed at the fountain, God did exactly that--He answered me. He said, "I want to use you to restore women's lives." It gave me internal goosebumps at the time. First, that God would so quickly answer and, secondly, He had an amazing dream for me I never knew about it! I started praying about this and reaching out to various ministries to be a part off. Many doors shut, but one. This was a church in Waco, Texas that is very Christ-focused and driven to preparing people to serve God. This church and the city of Waco is where I'm headed in 5 days. I am completely excited for this journey and for what's ahead.