Natalie Montgomery - All Other Ground is Sinking Sand

Awakening-video

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I love the awakening. WAKE UP GENERATION. Katie made this for Amy andJessi's trip around the world

The Race-video

Sat, 8 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Amazing world race video...please share with anyone you might think is the least interested. God is calling YOU.

Year recap video

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Jen...my squadmate made this for amy my teammate. It's a fun video to recap the year! Amy is about to begin an Awakening tour and I will soon post a blog if anyone is interested in supporting her mission!

PLEASE READ**Photo contest-Seth Barnes

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Photo Contest Winners To Be Announced!

Posted in Missions photos by Seth Barnes on 7/18/2009

The Photo Contest judges met yesterday at Chick-Fil-A headquarters in Atlanta, where judge Greg Thompson is head of corporate communications. What a talented panel we have - we were fortunate to get judges of this caliber. Judges Donna Lachance and Grant Miller drove in and together they went through the 29 portfolios to select our finalists. Rather than draw out the process any further, however, they went ahead and selected the winners!

They have a number of comments to make when they announce them. But, please be patient, they are going to take a few more days to make sure they've got it right. Overall, they were extremely impressed with the quality of the pictures. They understand that in many cases, the portfolios were combined over a period of years. And they respect your effort and craftsmanship.

In the mean time, if you didn't enter and would like to nominate your own favorite portfolio from these finalists, feel free to do so in the comment section below. Please also share what you liked about it. We'd like to hear from you.

The theme is: "Thy kingdom come."

Criteria: It should capture a soul, a moment, a place and a ministry.

Prize money

$3000 for first place

$1000 for second

$500 for third

$250 for 4th and 5th

The judges also selected Honorable Mentions

We'll be mailing out the prize money in about a week!

A Photo School/Mentoring

The judges are discussing how we might help those contestants who are serious about their craft, and especially those who qualified for the Portfolio Round to continue to improve as photographers. They are considering in working with AIM to offer a low cost school of missions photography that would scholarship those of you who have a demonstrated talent and passionf for photography. If you're interested, please go to Andi Wendel's blog and email her at this web page.

To see the portfolios that are in the running, go here.

Photo competition!!!

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

CHECK OUT my portfolio for the AIM photo competition (round two). I am number 129 but you can go to the main page and look at all of amazing shots from 29 other photographers!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adventuresinphotos/collections/72157620722815520/

H2O

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Post World Race I flew back to Africa to see my love. I met Allan the Australian, in Jinja, Uganda this May when he was training men in the community to drill wells. He has an amazing ministry and travels all over the world empowering men and women to help themselves and their communities. Not only is he a 'water man' but he carries an anointing from the Lord that is contagious. Please support his ministry!!! livingwaterdevelopement

Also, notify me if you are interested in supporting orphanages. Emily, in the video, runs Care 4 Kids with three other daytime care takers. She lives at the orphanage with 65 children.

The Phenomenon

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Phenomenon

phenomenon fəˈnməˌnn; -nən noun ( pl. -na -nə)

1 a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, esp. one whose cause or explanation is in question
2. a remarkable person, thing, or event.
3. Philosophy the object of a person's perception; what the senses or the mind notice.

Have you ever felt that if your feet weren't touching the ground you might be in heaven?Have you ever been overcome with God's love so fully in one instance that you didn't want that moment to end?

Words can't express the feeling of The Phenomenon. Yesterday, my boyfriend's mother, Linda told me that she wanted to take me to see The Phenomenon, (not an official name, just a term). When I first heard phenomenon', I thought of something foreign and maybe a little scary but this was neither. Many phenomena are such because they are something that we can't fully explain and in a world of logical thinkers and concrete evidence it's hard to accept the unknown. It's almost like faith- believing in a God that is The Redeemer when we don't always see and feel that redemptive love reflected by the world. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1

So we set off after dark with Linda's friend, Maggie. Far beyond my imagination, low in the forest, was a miracle of lights that almost completely summed up God's goodness. After walking for roughly 5 minutes, we came to a flat part of the trail and the girls turned out their flashlights. IT WAS AN EXPLOSION OF GRACE AND MERCY! IT WAS A DISPLAY OF ALL THE WAYS GOD FEELS ABOUT ME. IT WAS A WONDERLAND OF CREATION AND SPECTACLE OF HIS WILL AND DESIGN. IT WAS A REMARKABLE GIFT AND I FELT LIKE IT WAS JUST FOR US. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of fireflies danced in the dark. They replicated what I can imagine a galaxy of twinkling stars might look like up close. Their bodies softly flickered as they drifted about the trees and I was completely lost in the show.

Suddenly, the world stopped and I knew that The Phenomenon was actually God himself. He is mystery. He is what we can't explain but what we see in situations and people everyday, as we were made in his image. His truth is what changes the hearts of men and works transformational and physical miracles in people all over the world. I can't begin to understand His full power, authority, and love but I know what it feels like to walk in it. It feels like a thousand fireflies in the dark.

continued on the following blog...

The Phenomenon-continued

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

God is The Phenomenon. His all encompassing love and omnipresent existence are things that we will never fully understand but we can choose to see them if we want.

I have been back in the States for two weeks and in a whirlwind of culture shock and emotion I sometimes ask God, "Where are you?". And He always says to me, "I am here... what are you choosing to see?"

Last nights experience reminded me that The Phenomenon, being God himself, lives in us. As I have waited, looking for God to show up and do something, He is living and working in people all around me and for some reason I am choosing not to see it. As I witnessed God's glory, in the forrest last night, I also noticed the phenomenon that happens in us. I watched Linda (boyfriend's mom), as she stared, for the second time, into space in awe of this happening. I thought about the last two years of her life and what she might have felt when her husband died and how she has had to learn to live in a new way . All I could see was her happiness and delight in what God was showing her now. I saw the phenomenon of His supernatural healing and comfort having come through her and her not just surviving but thriving.

I also looked at Maggie who's husband, a mere 100 yards away, lay in bed dying from cancer. I listened as she described how the spectacle was confirmation of God. She talked about it with such certainty and shared of another similar spectacle she recalled. Never did I hear a tone of resentment but only signs of a strongly rooted faith, gratitude, and a love for her savior. I knew that the phenomenon was and is taking place inside her.

I want to be like these women. I want to walk through the world everyday with the feeling and reassurance I get when I see fireflies dance in the dark.

Let God be the Phenomenon in your life. Choose to see him in yourself and the people around you. And let explanations that you are looking for in the things you can't explain just fall away so you can experience The Phenomenon that is God.

Dear F Squad

Mon, 25 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Dear F Squad,
Take my hand we are going to go where we can shine. And for all that we struggle and for all we pretend you know, you know it don't come down to nothing except love in the end. And ours a road that is strewn with goodbyes. And as it unfold, as it all unwind remember your soul is the one thing you can't compromise. -David Gray

This year is about goodbyes. It is about stepping out from the shadow and releasing the past for what it is, the past. It is about saying goodbye to an old self...It's time to take the dead flesh from our backs and walk away. It is about goodbye to someone tainted by satan's ploys and empty promises... saying goodbye to His deception and the lies that He makes us believe about who we are.
The Lord has given me these truths that I pray over the squad. He has replaced what is broken with what is true. This is who we are, the F squad...

We live by faith and not by sight.-2 Cor. 5:7

We now know that we are children of God and we have overcome the works of the devil because the one who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world.
-1 john 4:4

We know that we are judged by our actions and not by faith alone. - James 2:24

We have received an anointing from Him that will remain in us. -1 John 2:27

Our struggle is not against the flesh and blood, but against the rulers, and the powers, and against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

We did not receive a spirit of slavery that leads to fear, but we have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughter of the Most High King. -Romans 8:15

We know God works for the good of those that love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.- Romans 8:28

We have been qualified, by the Father, to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light. Colossians 1:12

His Divine Power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3

The same power that conquered the grave...lives in us!!! ref.-Hosea 13:14

If I recalled every truth you wouldn't be able to finish the blog. I love you guys and I am thankful for all of you. God has used all of you to change my life and my heart this year. Hold tight to what you know is true and let the truth live in you and speak for itself. Nothing will ever be the same. Glory to our amazing God. Amen.

community life video

Mon, 18 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

leaving on a jet plane...

Thu, 14 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Supporters...all of my support is in!!! You have been amazing!!! You financial support and prayer has gotten me through the amazing year. I can't thank you enough for helping make this year happen. It has been the longest yet shortest year and we only have a week left. We leave tonight to travel to Kiev, Ukraine, for final de-brief.

I will ask for your prayers in my squads return to the States. And for me specifically, for the book that we are publishing and the photography company that is in the making. I will have more information on both of these topics soon! Lord wiling our photography book will be published in the fall/winter and I hope to have a photography site up by the end of June.

I hope to see you all upon return to the States in mid June.

**Sorry for the lack of pictures, personal blogs, and video. I will try and post more after the hustle and bustle of de-brief

Please help Sara...If you are still looking to support a racer or a ministry please check out my teammate Sara.She needs a bit more funding to finish the Race, and I ask that you consider transferring your monthly or one-time donations to her. She is a beautiful woman of God, and I don't know what I would have done without her this year. She has been a blessing in my life, please be a blessing in hers.

Hi! I'm Sara, a Chicago native who has fallen more in love with Jesus and the nations over the course of the past 11 months. Since leaving on the World Race in July 2008, I have been preaching, teaching, praying and serving around the globe. The amount of financial and prayer support I have received up until this point has been incredible. However, with just two weeks left on my adventure, I am still $2800 short of my total financial goal. This is where, I hope, you come in.

Would you prayerfully consider joining my financial support team and helping complete my journey?

Please visit my blog http://saraellis.theworldrace.org/ to read more about my World Race experience or please click here to join my support team. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me. Thank you for your prayers and I look forward to having you as a member of my support team.

New Tone

Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

thank you Jess for writing an update>>>

Wrapping up my last few days of ministry is somewhat surreal. I started this trip almost 11 months ago and to think that I only have a mere few days left is hard to comprehend. I came into this month exhausted and with the mentality that I just had to "get through" it in order to finish. To my surprise, ministry this month has probably been my most favorite out of ALL of them. Myself along with five other girls are working alongside Forrest & Darcy Ferdon and their two adopted Ukranian children. They are a missionary family from the states who have been here for the last 3 years. I have to give them props for choosing Lugansk out of all of the places in Ukraine, because it is a HARD city to live in.

(The Ferdons kids)

Lugansk is the capital of mail order brides for Ukraine. Everywhere you walk in the city, NO ONE smiles and getting yelled at while walking down the streets is not uncommon. People drink beer and liquor at all hours of the day and it is not odd to see men and women walk to work in the morning with a bottle of brewsky in their hand. ALL of the women dress to the nines, and if you are not in 3 inch heels, tight pants, and perfect make up, then you are going to be out of place. The people of Lugansk seem to be obsessed with image and booze. If you want to talk about an unreached people group, Lugansk Ukraine would be at the top of my list.

As much as I do not like the culture of the city, the ministry here that the Ferdons have is extremely fruitful. They are doing a lot of work at the MANY orphanages in the area and building relationships with the orphans. Currently, we are also attending an English school every day for about 6-8 hours and helping the students and teachers. Most of the students are high school and university aged and they are an absolute blast. We help with everything from grammar to American history (NOT exactly my strongest subject!). The teachers always allow students time to ask us questions about America, politics(those convos can get REAL interesting), religion, and anything else that they are interested about. Because of the freedom that we have in these classes, we have each had opportunities to talk about Jesus and preach the gospel. These conversations have not been forced, but encouraged by the teachers and students. Outside of class, many of us have interacted with the students to build relationships with them, whether it be being invited to their home for a Shichliek(BBQ) or inviting them over to hang out with us.

Every Friday night we have a "Coffee Night" at our flat and invite all of the students to come over to speak English and watch movies. This past Friday we had over 40 students crammed into our apartment. The night consisted of teaching them how to make smores(over a gas stove), listening to different people play the guitar or violin, and getting to know each other. Many of the people here in Ukraine have a skewed view of what a "Christian" is. They think that Christianity is only for their grandparents or that you have to change who you are as a person to be a Christian. It has been great to show them that we as Christians are JUST like them. We are WRECKING their view of Christianity and it is AWESOME.

(Me with some of the high school aged students at our coffee night)

(one of the students playing the guitar for us) (showing them how to make smores...NOT exactly practicing fire safety!)

life in Ville Tecii, Romania

Fri, 1 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I am so thankful for talented teammates that make videos!!! This is another good one from Katie from last month.

Don't squander affliction

Fri, 1 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Seth Barnes wrote this blog a couple weeks ago...it was really what I needed so I thought I would share it. A lot of times we think we see the bigger picture when really God is the one who knows what is really going on.

Linford Detweiler, the male half of the duo Over the Rhine, said that one of his life's ambitions is: "Don't squander affliction." I like that. It presupposes that affliction is some kind of gift. But then you have to ask - who wants a gift like that?

Affliction is kind of a medieval word that makes me think of damp dungeons. It's more than just pain, it's a kind of exquisite agony - pain that didn't just happen, but got inflicted, maybe on purpose. The King James talks about rising from a "bed of affliction" - somehow that seems more noble than just being sick.

Jesus says that he prunes us so we'll bear more fruit.* Elsewhere we're told that God disciplines those he loves - "for our good" is how Hebrews puts it.** Another way of looking at it is to say that he is trusting us with pain.

To trust is to take a kind of a risk; what is it that God risks when he gives us the gift of pain?

For one thing, we humans are forever missing the forest for the trees. We're forever banging up against some electric fence that he put around a dangerous cliff and then shaking our fists at him when we get zapped. "Why does God hate me?" We cry out in our pain, totally missing the point that it would have been much worse to go over the cliff. God is setting himself up to be a jilted lover when he lets us suffer in order to help us.

I remember when I was a young boy and I was caught playing with gasoline, I was disciplined by being confined to my room for a long time. It seemed horribly unfair. No one had explained to me either the dangers of gasoline or the consequences for playing with it. Discipline may have been beneficial, but with the blinders of youth on, it seemed like all pain and no gain - wasted affliction.

Thomas Hobbes said, life is "poor, nasty, brutish, and short." Things have gotten better since his day. People live twice as long now. Yet, peel the surface back on the average life and you'll find plenty of pain. Every one of us has got it in our lives, but we keep it locked away out of sight, wasting away. Or, maybe worse, we invert it and parade it around as a sign of our victimization - a mournful "somebody done somebody wrong" song where that somebody is us.

Both miss God's point. He set up checks and balances in the universe so that we're not at the center of it. When you get checked in hockey, it hurts, and when God checks you, it can feel like you've been hit with a hockey stick. But we need to consider that maybe, just maybe, there's actually a redemptive reason behind it.

We can curse or we can mope, but we'd be better off asking him a question as a kind of a prayer: "God, I know you say all things work together for good - nothing is wasted in your economy. Can you show me what you're doing here so I don't squander this gift of pain?"

His answer may surprise you.

*John 15

**Read and meditate on all of Hebrews 12 on this subject an I guarantee God will speak to you through it.

beautiful faces of Romania

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Katie made a video...I have one in the making!!!stay tuned

Home

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

My squadmate Katie wrote a blog with a little gypsy history and i wanted to share:

In their music I feel the burdens of a downtrodden people. I hear the echoes of a history of repression and sadness, a yearning for a common home for their common culture. The Gypsies as a people group have never had a country of their own, and something in my spirit feels that, though I don't understand their language.

Historically, the Roma or Sigani (Gypsy) people came from India. Known as travelers, as vagabonds, as mysterious and outcast, Gypsies have settled in many countries, but are still able to communicate using the Gypsy language (of which there are several dialects) and feel kinship with one another. They have settled in Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, other parts of Europe and other more far-flung places like America.

Seemingly wherever they go or however long they have been settled there, the Gypsy people are not considered local. Their identity is marked on their ID cards as a separate minority, not belonging. They have been prejudiced against, stereotyped and disliked.

Our ministry contact, John Fracker, is an American missionary whos gone local (married a wonderful local gal and is now raising a child in Viile Tecii). He likes to tell us one joke hes heard from the Christian Gypsies.

When we all get to heaven, were all going to speak in one language....That language is going to be Gypsy language!

I believe that any Christian should be able to identify in some small way with the Gypsy people. Why? Because we dont belong here on this earth. This is not our home. Rather, we were created to be at home with God.

And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ...Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Heb. 11: 13, 16

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, ... For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight.
2 Cor. 5: 1-7

Like the Gypsies, able to feel kinship with one another no matter which country they've settled in, Ive felt kinship with the church everywhere we've been on the Race this year. Whether Nicaragua, Vietnam, Burma, Swaziland, Malawi or here in Romania, we have one Spirit--the Spirit of God--that dwells within our hearts and unites us as the body of Christ on earth, the church. We as members of one family all know our home is not this earth.

Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, *American, Gypsy or Romanian*, but Christ IS all, and IS IN all. Col. 3:11

Where is your home? Are you at home here on earth? Or does your spirit long for the heavenly home we were created to dwell in with God?

Plum Whiskey-photos

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

John and Tootsie (Rita), are our contacts here in Ville Tecii. We are living with a gypsy family in their gypsy community. John is a missionary from the states that has fully immersed himself into the Gypsy culture. He is married to Tootsie and they have a two year old son named Holden. John has put our team to work spring cleaning and helping families prepare for Easter (which is celebrated a week later than it is in the states). This is Stella's garden that has not been touched since before the long, hard, winter. It took three days to put a dent in it.

Stella is a fifty five year old woman who lives with and cares for her seventy five year old mother. I took this picture when she walked by our house the other day on the way to the whiskey distillery. John explained that she was going to fill her bottle so that she could pay the doctor with liquor the following day. She appears pregnant but she has a condition that causes water to collect in her belly. John says that she is preparing her home for her own funeral.

Libu, the neighbor, sits in front of his home every afternoon and evening. He owns the Plum Whiskey Distillery behind John's house. I love that life is so slow here. It is a hard life because of the conditions but it's simple. In the evenings, we usually take a walk and see all the grandmothers sitting outside.

The whiskey distillery "moonshine" is around the corner from the house. We checked it out to see the process. This is the finished product ready to be bottled.

Meet our favorite bunicas (grandmothers)... most days we stop to talk to them. They speak to us in Romanian and we speak to them in English. It's amazing that we carry entire conversations...and no one understands a thing. People just want company. They want someone to sit with them and listen.

The village is beautiful. The main road is lined with churches that have exceptional colors and super steeples. Most of them are have been abandoned. I am not sure that this one is in use.

an old building built under communism

The children are beautiful. The Romanian kids have light skin with dark eyes. The gypsy children are darker and some have blue eyes...the perfect combination

This is the view from the hilltop on our walk at sunset. It looks out over a series of stock ponds. and imagine...this area has just reached the beginning of spring. Soon all the cherry trees will blossom!!!

Romania bound

Thu, 9 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The squad on the way to Romania. My grandma will love this on...she never liked my glasses. Miss everyone...two months!!!!

Part 3

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Story of Hope

written by Ali Page

A young woman 18 years old, has living by herself since she was 10. Zodwa had a mother and a father and lost them both 8 years ago to HIV. Zodwa remembers nothing about HIV from their deaths, or maybe she is too ashamed to talk about it. She recalls coming home from school and her neighbors saying her mother had died earlier that day, and no one knew why.

Shame literally crushes the frame of this young girl, who sits with her shoulders hunched as if to hide any emotion stuck deep with in her, making eye contact is a challenge for her. She is confined to a one room cement block home which reminds me of a prison cell. "House on Fire" is painted carelessly in red letters on the wall by her bed. I asked her the meaning behind the strange phrase, Zodwa went on to describe the pain and meaninglessness she feels about her life. How lonely it must be to have spent 8 years of your adolescence alone. Her mother's grave is less than 10 feet away from her door step as a constant reminder.

At age 14 she began to sell her body in exchange for money and food. To her, this was the only option. In Swaziland, you must have a uniform and shoes to attend school, in addition to the tuition. So when her parents died, there was obviously no way to pay for school. Zodwa has only completed grade 4 and therefore cannot obtain a job...other than prostitution. This way of living is not looked down upon in their culture, it is accepted by the majority. I believe my new friend must have conviction about her way of life but justifies it because of her struggle to survive. It is her way of life.

Two of us (Ali and Amy) had the opportunity of staying at Zodwa's house for one night. We spoke to her of Christ's love and encouraged her to meet with Him. As I was struggling to fall asleep that night on her floor, (listening to mice and bats screeching), I thanked God for the works He has yet to do in her life. She told us that she spends most of her time sitting in her house doing nothing accept sleeping. I asked if she could spend some time talking to the Lord and listening for Him. She said yes, but I don't know how she can do this without a mentor. Upon my goodbye to Zodwa, I left her with enough food for a few months, and some new clothes to add to her 1 dress and 2 tee shirts. As I was hugging her goodbye I looked down at her bare feet and felt compelled to kick off my worn out flip flops to leave with her. I know I also left her with some hope and truth of Jesus.

I asked Zodwa what her dream was for the future. She stared at me with a blank look for several minutes. Finally she said, "I cannot read or write. I am alone here. I have no dreams." This young woman may have no dreams, but God has plans for her that are beyond imagination and that plan includes me and you. Pray, pray, pray for Zodwa and her future romance with Jesus.

Part 2

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can you refuse him now? -part 2

story of deliverance

At a point in her life, Neli found alcohol to be her ruler and she had been consumed by it. Her son was taken from her when he was 7. She was left with her daughter who then died of stomach cancer at age 12. Her AA sponsor came into her life when she worked for a local sugar cane company. He gave her AA leaflets and challenged her to put her faith in God.

The God of redemption has turned her life around. She is now the teacher and carepoint contact for one of the Nsoko Projects 8 carepoints. She gladly cares for, feeds, and teaches 20 orphans daily. She does this without payment only receiving delight in what she has to give...love from the Lord.

Neli will never be able to refuse a God that has drawn her out of addiction and now uses her to care for orphans. I could never refuse a God that has saved someones life by completely wiping their slate clean and giving them an open canvas.

Neli's deliverance is going to be used to bring freedom and hope to other alcoholics. We are in the process of raising funds for Neli to be trained as a counselor and mentor for Alcoholics Anonymous. We hope to find monetary contributions that sponsor each addict in the area. With alcohol being a huge stronghold in this area, we pray that the Lord will use Neli and her gift in the ministry of deliverance.
I waited patiently for the LORD;he inclined to me and heard my cry.

He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.- Psalm 40

"With the AA in my hand and the God of my understanding, I started to pick up the pieces that I had. Right now I am a sober alcoholic. I am living without alcohol. To add to this I had somebody that I made to be a role model in my life, my grandmother. She never had a home, had a husband or had work. But she never had to go as far as having a drink so that she could live better. Right now, I know that I am sober but I still know that I am one drink from drunk. So, I am keeping my sobriety one day at a time.
I have no space for alcohol right now. Alcohol with never close the gaps in my life...The only thing that I can tell any other alcoholic is that you must take up the arms and fight against alcoholism for yourself."- written from an interview with neli viewed below

How can you refuse Him now?...Part 1

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ministry this month was different. It was more free and spirit led than others. With very few ministry plans in place God put desperate people in our path daily. Every person and their story proved to us that we were in this place for a reason and that the Lord had called us to respond to each need with everything we had. And when we would meet people the Lord had placed directly in front of us, I kept hearing the question, "How can you refuse Him now?" I hope that when you read these stories you keep in mind this question... In every situation, I saw the hand and character of God forcing me to answer the question...How can you refuse Him now?

This three part blog is about three Swazi women being freed from captivity and the story that we have uncovered about each one.

PART 1-The story of Redemption

I have been thinking about a verse from a Death Cab song that has always caught my attention, "Love is watching someone die." And as morbid as it sounds, it has been real to me this month. I think I was so interested in the line because I have never understood what it is like to see someone in the end of there life and agree that it is time that you let them go.

When we were here for the vision trip we met Dudu. She is a 24 year old with HIV, Tuberculosis, and spiral meningitis. She has a seven year old that lives with relatives and a seven month old currently in her care. We were able to assist Gift by taking her to the hospital to pick up her medication. We had the opportunity to spend time with her, love her, and pray with her. God gave us truths to share to eased her into goodbye.

Her religious background is in the Zion church where witchcraft and ancestry worship are basic principles. Part of what they believe is a fear of death. Needless to say, she will fight for her life until the last minute. This was evident even on the day we left that she was gasping for air. The TB had taken over and she was choking on her own fluids.

She had only become a Christian in the last few months of her life. It is never too late to turn back to the Lord. No matter what you have done or haven't done can cause him to love you less. There is nothing that you could do that has not been covered by the blood of Christ. He meet us where we are and if you wait until you are clean to come before Him, you will wait forever. Come broken or dying, just come. He waits for us as He is faithful to his word.

The Lord is not slow in His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.-1 John 3:9

Nsoko-video

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This last two week in Nsoko, Swaziland was amzing for 5-alive. I have a couple blogs in the making but I wanted to post this informational video that we made about the carepoints in Nsoko, for AIM. Please watch it and check out Pastor Gift's blog site that is posted at the end of the vid. He is an amazing man and a great writer and I would suggest that all of you subsrcibe to his blog.

Swaziland-video

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This is a little sneak preview of Swaziland where my team will be this month....

Malawi Photos2

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

the corn was giant in Malawi. Every day we would walk through the tall corn fields on our way to

our ministry sites. If Pastor Gama had not been with us we would be lost within minutes.

children pray at one of the the ministry sites. mostly women and children attended on a daily basis

i love that Africa rarely sells new things. most of the apparel they sell are used and refurbished items.

i am not sure that i would have been able to carry my brother when i was little much less

wood for the week. the walk from town is an hour to the house.

kids don't have toys so they get creative and make them out of trash

my teammates pray for an elderly woman who lives alone in the bush. she is looked

after by the widows in the area

This is Pastor Gama an amazing man of God. Him and his wife, Rose, welcomed us into their

home. the served us for an entire month. And gave us everything they could. They are an amazing

couple called by the Lord to spread the Gospel in Malawi. They have recently build a church that serves

near 150 members

the church

Wed, 4 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

My teammate Sara wrote this blog and i loved it so much i wanted to share it with you...

The other day, as we went out for ministry in Malawi, I was struck by the four women I have spent this year with. At training camp we were told not to expect our teams to stay the same through the entire year, and there was some accuracy in this statement. I think I can safely say I am on a different team than I was 8 months ago. Eight months ago, as we launched in Palenque, Mexico, I was on a team of five strangers, both strangers to each other and strangers, in many ways, to the God we worshipped. Eight months later you find us operating as a family, with all the ups and downs a family experiences. More than that, we are operating as God's family.

It was this new reality that struck me the other day as we led a small meeting of believers on the outskirts of Zomba. Each of the women on my team has seen God this year and I have seen God through each of them. Through the highs and lows of being known by the most high King, these four women have rarely given up or given in. Their dedication to making God less of a stranger and more of a lover is unshaken by eight months of sacrifice, sweat, and sadness as well as days of more joy, laughter, and faith than most of us have before experienced. So the other day as we sat in this prayer meeting I looked around at the new women with whom I am surrounded. They pray and preach with more authority than we could ever muster before. They seek the Lord for one another and for strangers here in Malawi. They admit failure, sort comings and fears so we can operate as a body and surround each other in times of need. It really shocked me, because I am not even sure when it happened; when we stopped operating like strangers in the house of God and started to live as Disciples of Christ.

Yesterday I was reading in Galatians about Paul's desires for the church he loved. He says that he labors and prays for Christ to be formed in them. I think I have some sense of what he was feeling as he gazed on the family he loved and watched in expectancy as Christ took over their lives. We are a small church of just five, but in the course of the past eight months, I have watched Christ be formed in each of these women. I wonder if Paul ever had an experience like I am having now, looking at his beautiful church family and not being able to keep himself from smiling.

Safari

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

World race goes Safari style! thanks katie for making awesome videos. I will try and get some of my own videos up soon...My camera was "taken" in Mozambique, but the girls are letting use theirs. Enjoy!

Swazi shoe day

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Another video by katie...invovles our shoe day in Swazi! Enjoy

Support

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Supporters thank you for your obedience and faithfulness in supporting me this year.

Because of you orphans in Swaziland have shoes,
unreached people groups in Myanmar have heard the gospel and a church is being built with your support,
children that might not have otherwise been noticed have been held in Nicaragua,
a drug addict, gang member, and ex convict's heart has been softened for Christ in Mexico,
students in the socialist country of Vietnam were given a safe forum to open up to expressing their love for God,
people have been healed through prayer in the slums of Cambodia,
Muslims were made converts for Christ after presenting the gospel in for London,
five churches received biblical training while in Mozambique,
and God has used 5-alive to preach, teach, pray and breath the Fire of God over Malawi!!!

Praise God, I have met my Race goal of 13,800 for the year!!!! But, after the rest of my monthly pledges come in I will still lack reimbursement fees. I will need to raise 1,238 dollars. Please search your heart and bank account and ask the Lord if this is something you might consider contributing too. Thank you for all the funds you have already sent.

I can't wait to be home to share my experience and my new understanding of life.

to contribute please click on the :support me: link at the top left

Nsoko

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In my lifetime, I have heard of extinct animal species but never an entire tongue of the human race being wiped off the earth. It is said that if HIV/AIDS is not stopped by 2050, the entire Swazi existence will be a memory and a land where people once lived.

After ministry in Mozambique and before our trip to Malawi (where 5-Alive is now), we helped guide AIM's annual Vision Trip. About 10 AIM (Adventures in Mission) supporters from the states along with a few passionate followers of Seth's blogs, made their way to Swaziland. We immediately dove into helping Pastor Gift (on-site leader of a large "care-point" in the south) and Jumbo (helps to lead the project and is a member of AIM staff), with the Nsoko Project. This project is an offshoot of Generation 42 developed by Andrew Shearman, Seth Barnes, Gary Black and Tom Davis. It was designed to help educate, support, and save hundreds of orphans who have lost their parents to the virus'.

When I saw the reaction of the Vision Team toward the poverty in the country, I wondered how in months prior I had let myself become desensitized to the urgency of need. But then I realized how I have had to learn to protect myself when faced with mass poverty. It is something that you can't take on all at one time. Saving the world is not something within my power, it belongs to the Lord. The Lord's intention was never for me to carry that burden, which is why he sent His son to die for what man destroys, himself.

The care-point we worked with feeds close to 400 orphans a day. The Gogo's (grandmother's) are usually responsible for 10-15 kids each. Children, starting in primary school, must pay a school fee. This means a Gogo may have to help find funds for up to ten kids in school at one time. I can't imagine funding that many children in a prosperous country, America, much less a country with no money. Children might walk up to eight miles to get to school and the same distance to get clean well water every day. They have completely worn clothes and are filthy from head to toe. There is no reprieve from the flies that swarm them and few take initiative to keep them off knowing that their fight is in vain. Volunteers and Gogos prepare one or two meals of seima a day, for the kids. It consists of corn-flour and water, is fire-cooked slowly in a large pot, and has low nutritional value. Vegetation is scarce in the area because there is not enough rain to work the land and purchasing vegetables is out of question. Also, many of the adults are too ill with tuberculosis or HIV to work the fields.

We started by making house visits in the villages surrounding the care-point. Our objective was to collect information on the overall well-being and status of all of the people that lived on each homestead and pray for each family. A homestead is a plot of land owned by the resident. A law has been enacted that prevents anyone from leaving their homestead lest they lose their land to the government. Small children have been found left permanently alone on homesteads before. This information gathered will be used to possibly start hospice care for AIDS patients and collect educational information for school funding. to have a better sense of the community and a place to start when pioneering future programs

One day, the squad and Vision Team washed over 500 children's feet. Then, new shoes, donated by Samaritans Feet, where given to each child after they were prayed over. Another day, we hosted a woman's retreat (next blog) and an AIDS support group of about 40 victims. On Sunday, we worshiped with pastor Gift's church and led children's programs. In honor of us, a goat was killed and prepared next to the church. This was an entirely new experience!

5-Alive will return to Swazi for the month of March.

Shame

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Bringing justice in the world is not about vengeance. Bringing justice is about empowering those who have suffered injustice; by fixing what has been broken.
Dominique Van Heerden

At times I have to make the choice whether I am going to sit and question the Lord with the why's and how's of the things that we see or if I am going to put my faith and trust in Him and act. Sometimes I just want to ask why thirteen year old girls are raising their five brothers and sisters... why most of these kids have never seen or been held by an adult, specifically moms and dads. I know that God doesn't want this for them. He hates to see an entire nation suffer consequences of actions of the flesh. He cries with me when He sees children sitting alone, life-less with a virus that has made them tired at the age of 6.

Swaziland is a fatherless country. The men have slowly died off or abandoned their families and have left all the responsibility to the sick women and elderly Gogos to bring up the children, half of which are born with HIV passed from their parents at birth.

Swaziland is overcome with hidden shame. AIDS is not talked about. Rape happens frequently but no one talks about it. Women are oppressed and most live an uphill battle. I met one HIV positive Gogo, at the age of sixty-five, that raises 12 children. People dying daily is something that has become less than a matter of eating and sleeping. Swazi goes on without grieving. Many bury their dead in the corners of their land and walk away with solemn faces. So much hidden pain and suffering bubbles under their tough skin.

During the course of the Vision Trip, a women's retreat was designed for the Swazi women to come to praise the Lord and share together in a safe place. It only took one courageous woman, Debbie from the U.S., to be completely vulnerable and honest with her story before the whole room wailed in anguish. The Lord used Debbie single-handedly to soften their heart's and let the pain and stories flow into the room. Immediately following her testimony, a Gogo stood, cried, and shared that all her children have had to leave her home because her son will not stop

coming to the house to beat them.

She said she was scared for her life

and the life of her kids. Many heart

throbbing stories followed.

Woman were set free on that day. They gathered around one another and cried out to the Lord on behalf of each lady. They laid hands on one another to heal hearts.They discovered that they are not alone and that it is okay to hurt. As they press into the pain we hope to encourage women to rally around one another and start a movement in their favor that will uncover generations of shame.