“Have I done enough?”, “What is God calling me to after this?”, “If I had worked in different ministries, where would my heart be right now?”…and the biggest one, “What has God broken my heart for this year?”

• I thought and thought about it and I tried to wrap my mind around these questions I was asking myself. I tried to answer them and came up with answers like: “no, you haven't done enough, you don't know what God wants you to after this, you missed your calling.” My heart was sad as I tried to answer these questions in my own futile thinking, not asking the Lord what He had to say about these questions I was asking. After talking to some of the girls and feeling pretty broken, I finally decided to turn these questions and answers around to the only One who can truthfully respond to these thoughts. He has the truth and He knows my heart.

 God told me “Well done, Leah…it's not about you ‘doing' enough this year. You were obedient to my calling on your life and I will teach you through your experiences this entire year; every hurting child you've seen, every woman you've cried and prayed with, every sight that has broken your heart and drawn you into My arms, and every word you've spoken in My name is used for My Glory.”

I desperately needed that and God needed me to understand that about the World Race. I've gone through many months feeling like my gifts and talents, even passions were not being used in the best way that I thought they could be used. But God smacked me in the face with the truth that He has brought me to each place that I have been in for a specific reason, whether it be for people on my team to learn and grow, for that one special person I got to love like Jesus that month, or just to smile at the woman in the little shack as we walked by everyday and hold her baby for 5 minutes so she got a little break.

   God is revealing to me all the seemingly little things that He cares so much about and that I might not see from my limited human perspective. I am asking for HIS eyes in this, to get a little glimpse of how He worked everyday this year and He's revealing a lot to me.

 I'm at the point right now where God is telling me that any experience I have had this year has not been in vain. He wanted me to see the things I've seen this year and learn from them all. To be broken and wrecked for the ordinary as I go home. He has not called me to live a life that is normal, at least compared the worlds standards…and especially Americas. I have recently been thinking a lot about home and the comforts there that I haven't really even missed this year (except delicious chips and salsa!). And for some reason just this week I have been really excited to get back to those things. While thinking about them and missing them it has made me sad and kind of miserable. I think this is me truly realizing that none of that stuff, comforts of home, fun things I like to do and yummy food that I have missed; none of those things compare to pursuing the passions and new directions that God has been calling me into while on the World Race. I can't go home and truly be happy with my old life: living comfortably, thinking about myself and my needs when I know what I have seen this year and I know what God wants me to do.

Ever since the Philippines and the months leading up to Asia, God has specifically placed human trafficking on my heart. I have learned so much more about this and seen the need for hearts to break for these women that are sold, forced, and tricked into the sex trade industry. 27 million people are held in slavery through human trafficking and exploitation around the world. One million children are exploited in the sex trade.

In Moldova one of our teams visited a ministry called Stellas house that helps these women get back their lives out of prostitution and live on to have healthy futures. In Moldova and Russia when they kick these children out of orphanages at 14 or 15 they often call people involved in the sex trade to tell them where they have dropped off these girls, so that they can sell them. Or else if they do happen to not get picked up, these kids have no skills to survive or education to get jobs…orphans are seen as scum and they have no options to survice... so they either get tricked into prostitution or have no other choice. It's happening all over the world and my heart breaks for these children, these women that have no hope because no one knows who they are, or cares to rescue them from this literal Hell they are in.

        God has given us hands and feet to bring His Kingdom to this Earth. If God has put something on my heart, how can I sit back and know that every minute around the world women are being treated as scum and have no hope? My heart is in pieces for these women and children. As I was reading a book about this recently, I just pictured myself as a parent of one of these girls and I lost it… I think about any of these girls as my sister and it makes me want to throw up to imagine her treated like that. I think of my innocent sweet self at 14 years old and can't even begin to fathom what living like that would be like. It squeezes my heart so much I feel like it could pop!

And that's where it begins…my heart is squeezed and I am really asking God what this calling looks like in my life right now.

  ...Do I move overseas, do I get involved with this at home, what's next? So many questions that were brought on from the first questions I was asking myself and the Lord earlier.

But right now I am in a time of waiting…actually one of my favorite-yet most difficult, places to be. This a time where I can either choose to rest in My God who has great plans and be patient, or stress and try to plan it out myself and have it epically fail. I of course am trying to choose the first option everyday I wake up- to rest in Him and take things one day at a time right now. He revealed all of this to me today when I was least expecting to hear from Him on this subject! I know for this reason and so many others, that it's best to wait patiently and seek Him during this time.

Yes, I do have a burden on my heart for human trafficking…helping to set these girls free from the bondage they are in and helping them find restoration and redemption in Christ. But I don't know if God is calling me into that now, or in the future. Everyday is His and in His hands. He will lead me in this- I am so thankful to have learned this lesson at this time in my life!

• I want to encourage you that if God is placing a burden on your heart, big or small, He wants you to examine that and pray about whatever that is. Nothing is too big or small for the Lord. I couldn't get rid of this squeezing on my heart until I signed up for the race, He put this strong weight on me until I finally sent in my application and then it eased up, because I was obedient to Him. And now here I am learning the same things a year later in a whole different way.  I don't know if I will be able to go home and get rid of this new squeezing on my heart, nothing of this world can ease that feeling. Once you are called to something, God is persistent in His efforts to lead us into that calling. Only by taking His hand can we go where He is directing us. You might be scared of what He is calling you to do…my advice: DON'T BE. His ways may seem scary at first, but it's a whole lot scarier to be on your own in this world rather than dancing through life with Him leading you. At the same time, I am super scared right now thinking about where God may lead me or not lead me. I'm scared it won't be the life I imagined for myself. Again God tells me: "Do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God."
  

Whatever you are going through, be thankful that God cares so much about you and gives you an open invitation to talk to Him about it at all times. He wants you to lay it at His feet and He will take care of it. Don't worry so much about plans, it's nothing for our little minds to stress over. We may not get what He's doing right now but He wants it that way. If we knew everything, life would be SO boring. Listen to the promises God has for you and abide in Him.

***It would be awesome if you could let me know of the Human trafficking organizations you know about, friends you have helping in this or if you have a burden for this as well. I love hearing about other peoples passions and callings from the Lord. He is weaving one amazing tapestry in everyone's lives and it's awesome to share those things with one another. Be encouraged and seek Him!

Love you all!
Leah

April 21st,

Things of this world…pass away. A weird lesson God taught me through having too much stuff in my backpack!

In regards to the things of this world…I have learned so much about this the past few months on the race. The need to have MORE-I have realized has only made me miserable on the race and when I was back home.

At home you can buy new stuff and never realize how much you really do have. But on the world race, when you have that lifestyle you have to CARRY that weight in your heavy backpack. You literally feel the weight of every little thing you have been blessed with, on your back. And it doesn't always feel like a blessing...

• My backpack was particularly heavy going into Hong Kong (with all of our winter clothes), and my team had to carry our packs a really long ways walking to catch our train and go through borders. When you walk with a 50 (plus) pound pack on your back it seriously hurts your back and hips after a very short time. I basically walk like a penguin with it on! To sum it up... I really thought I was going to be dead by the end of the day.

Well after a lot of walking, and a not very happy Leah…we finally made it to the train station where I proceeded to throw my pack on the floor in a huff. This did not go as planned, instead of it landing on the floor it landed on my calf, sliding down the rest of my leg until it hit the floor. Little did I know something with a sharp end was in the bottom of my pack and it scraped down my leg, immediately causing a giant bruise the size of a softball. I'm surprised I didn't scream from pain, but I was too upset to show any emotion and merely just looked at Alicia and told her what happened. I pulled my jeans up to look at my leg. I was disgusted when I saw what I had done to my leg from my carelessness and anger. My leg was in some pretty serious pain, so I just sat down and pouted about my stupidity.

 I lived with that bruise for a month as a constant reminder of how much stuff I have and more important: the condition of my heart. I have told this story many times to friends lately and I wondered what I'm supposed to learn from this if I keep telling it…really it's not a big deal, but God wanted to teach me a few weeks later through this silly story.

What I learned from the bruise:

I have recently come to the conclusion that I don't want my life weighed down with too much stuff. Lately I have too much crap in my life, physically and spiritually. I've taken too much stuff on myself!  I could have completely avoided hurting myself with my pack if I had just asked for help…but out of my anger and hurt I threw it down and wounded myself- and that wound lasted a long time. If I had asked for help I probably would have been a lot less bitter about that long walk, one of my friends could have helped take the load off my back and we could have talked through it all.

***This is what I should have been doing with a lot of spiritual and emotional stuff in my life. I've been carrying a lot of crap with me the past few months of the race and out of pride I thought I could handle it.  God said “here Leah, let me take all that stuff you are carrying, let me take it off your back and we'll sit and talk about it."  But instead of saying okay, I said “it's okay Lord, I've got this stuff…don't worry about me, I can do it myself.”

Well, I learned the hard way that when you don't do this, you and others involved wind up hurt. With wounds that will last a lot longer than they should if you had just handled things with the Lord. If I had just given up that control that I so enjoy holding onto, I wouldn't be wounded right now with a bruise that will last a while.

The beauty of this is that when we are wounded from our pride and selfishness, God doesn't just leave us there. Even after I said no thanks dude, He is faithful. He picks us up in our wounded state and brokenness, He uses that big bruise that hurts so bad to get our attention back to Him. He says “snap out of it, stop with this idol worship of other things and Look to Me!”

When we go to Him in our pain, we go humbly- it sometimes takes God breaking us at our knees in order for us to fall down on our knees and worship Him. God broke me at the knees, but only for me to fall gently into His arms that were waiting to catch me.

The Lord brings us through the fire so He can mold us and refine us in ways we couldn't without the heat. It's hot and not very fun, but it's just what we need. That's what last month (China) and this month (Thailand) have been for me. A month of trying to do things on my own; and now a month of God using things in my life to break me and refine me.

I have never felt so at Peace with the Lord, as I do right now. God woke me up the other morning after a few sleepless nights and said very clearly: “ I UNDERSTAND.”
       I didn't know what this meant at the time when He said it, but I did a few hours later when I heard some sad news. He was telling me even before my feet hit the floor and the day started, that He understood how I was going to feel that day. That He understands everything in my heart better than anyone that I could talk to about things. He knows everything before it happens, He orchestrates the details of our life!

I have never quite grasped God's love like this before! I may question situations and wonder why things happen the way they do but He already knows, and when I don't have the answers- He does.

He Understand it ALL!

This is so huge to remember as we go through life. We don't need to live our lives with any fearworry, and if we do, we can go to Him because He sees our hearts. He's been here in our shoes. or

I so often forget that my Savior has walked in my shoes and dealt with everything I have, on the same earth I walk on. Yet he dealt with so much more and a lived a sinless life.

If anyone “get's it”, He is clearly the one who does!

• What a sweet and constant reminder to me, that I had to be broken to even remember. This is one of those lessons that I don't want to be taught again. I'm keeping it close to my heart and DAILY running to the Lord for my strength and Peace. He is the Peace that passes ALL Understanding!

I can plan things out all day in my head and heart but if those things don't aline with His heart then it will be very clear. I'm done planning my steps! I'm a little lost as to what I'm supposed to do when I get home, but it's a great thing to have a Father that gives direction when we are following after Him and seeking His face.(see next blog on what God showed me right after I wrote this blog)

If I seek Him, He will lead me to exactly the place I'm supposed to be and I will be at peace there. I don't need the things of this world, the wealth and happiness from the worlds perspective is not what I am seeking after. I don't want to carry that on my back and be weighed down by it any longer. Do you?

PARIS WENT HOME!!! 

Today when Bethsaida and I went to meet Paris for lunch on the beach, we got there at 1:45 after praying our whole walk to the beach. We prayed that nothing would prevent her from being able to come talk to us, that God would give us the words, we thanked God for his faithfulness and love with the whole situation yesterday and we were just excited to talk to our new friend. We had a Bible to give her and some stories to share…God prepared us and we were ready to be used. But, it turns out God had used us in all the ways that He wanted to use us the day before....

As we were sitting and waiting at 2 oclock, I was just silently praying that Paris would show up. I was sure that she would either show up or we would understand why not, if she didn't show up.

So time is passing, it's a waiting game and God gave us some other opportunities to love people while we were waiting. A group of our teammates came while we were sitting there and we told them she wasn't there yet at about 2:25…they told us they were praying, we knew they meant it. They went and sat a few tables away.

As 2:45-3:00 rolled around...the older man that Paris was with the day before, who Sarah and Stacey played volleyball with, showed up and started talking to the other group. He became friends with them the day before and wanted to continue playing volleyball with them while he was on vacation. Bethsaida and I continued looking around for Paris to see is she had come with him. But there was no sign of her! We both got nervous feelings in our stomachs and wondered if he had gotten mad at her for trying to come meet us, or what could have happened. I said to Beth, “ I just want to know why she isn't here, I know she wanted to meet with us but something must have stopped her from coming.”  She agreed and we just sat thinking.

Five minutes later Sarah Gaddy ran up to Bethsaida and I and said “ GIRLS! WE KNOW WHY PARIS ISN'T HERE!” We just sat waiting for an explanation and she said “PARIS WENT HOME LAST NIGHT!” Tears sprung up in my eyes and I just wanted to fall on the ground praising Jesus! We all just celebrated together and thanked the Lord!

It turns out when Paris went back to the hotel she was staying at with this man Mike; she told him all about the two missionaries that had talked to her on the beach and what we (God) had spoken to her. She told him she knew what she was doing was wrong and God didn't want her to live like this anymore. That there was another way. She said she had to make a right or a wrong decision and she HAD A CHOICE to make…(this was a little different from that SAME afternoon when she said “ I have no choice”) She was a witness to Mike by even sharing this with him and clearly explaining that she was going to make the right choice and not keep living like this one more night! She CHOSE GOD'S WAY and she went back home to her family and a new beginning that very night!

PRAISE THE LORD FOR HER REDEMPTION!

As I wrote before I started doing a prophecy calender where God gives me words or verses for each day at the beginning of the month or months in advance. I started this on Wednesday night…the day before I met Paris and God did any of this. And the word for Thursday when I met Paris was “Relief”.  I feel like God just brought her all the relief she had been needing, He said "give me your burdens and the heaviness on your heart and turn from your ways and I will give you RELIEF." I imagine Paris leaving on a boat last night feeling relieved and ALIVE in Christ!

I look at the words in my calender at the end of every day so I can see how God was faithful and what He wants me to see about that word for that specific day. The word for today that I had written was REDEMPTION. God Redeemed Paris' life yesterday and is making it NEW!! I am so excited for her and for how God worked all this out in His perfect timing.

 God isn't only working in Paris' heart, a big need for change is also in the mens hearts that are involved in this. The lust in their hearts that causes them to treat women like slaves and the heart issues behind the whole human trafficking and prostitution. Mike had to take a good long look at who he was last night and the choices HE is making as well. He told my friends that everyone determines what is right and wrong in his own eyes and because of what Paris said He was now questioning what was right and wrong. A few of the guys and girls in our group have been able to have some good conversations with him the past few days and learn what his story is.

 A really cool part of the story with Paris was a song that we sang over her life the night that we met her. Before we even knew that she had chosen to go home and leave her the life of prostitution behind. We wanted to sing Freedom and Redemption over her life so we sang a song called “Come Away With Me”. It's a song about God calling us to Himself and telling us what a life with Him looks like.

The words to that song go like this:

Come Away With Me

Come away with Me

It's not too late, It's never too late, it's not too late for you

I have a plan for you, I have a plan for you

It's gonna be wild, It's gonna be great, It's gonna be full of Me

Come Away with Me

Come Away with Me

It's not too late, It's never too late, It's not too late for you! 

Well if there is a blog I really want you to read this is the one! I am really excited about what God is already doing with only three days under our belt here in the Philippines. Enjoy reading the work of the Lord!

My team decided before we came to Puerto Galera that we were each going to ASK God for a specific vision for this month. What God kept telling me was: to Ask Him each day and to be sensitive to listen to His Spirit's leading in my heart. I feel as though I haven't done that as often as I could have on the Race or in my life back home. I know I have the Holy Spirit to lead me and that I need to listen, but it's a choice and a decision each day, and I often decide to go my own way and lead myself.

Wednesday:

So after telling my team that God just kept confirming that in me and He was just urging me to be praying constantly as we walked around town and to the main beach-White Beach with tons of people.

He was also telling me to be aware of things and extra sensitive to the Spirit, to meet people and remember their names, and just seek out what is passionate in my heart.

I wasn't expecting to see any of the things that I've seen so far on this Island. Men dressed up as women (called Baklas) they actually think they are women...look like women, talk like women, like men, and are completely confused and in darkness. This is probably because of past abuse that was done to them. It broke my heart to see this confusion.

Another thing that you see that is so prevalent are young women maybe 18, probably younger, with old white men “vacationing” on the island. We all got really upset to see this yesterday, as we now know a lot more about human trafficking and women being exploited for sex all over the world. It just made my skin crawl to see the way they touched these girls and just how wrong it was to see those young girls with these skeezy old guys.

When looking at one of those couples, it's not me looking at them with judgemental eyes, but with discerning eyes from the Lord…to discern if this situation is right or wrong. Because this is a vacation spot, people are so much more open with this kind of activity, as wrong as it is. The islanders turn a blind eye to it and let it go to make the money they need to survive. This is my first experience seeing Human Trafficking and prostitution right in front of my nose, and God is putting in on my heart to do something about it.

 This is where listening to the Spirits leading and asking Jesus for His eyes and heart to discern these things and have wisdom, is so important- and this is what God is teaching me.

 After seeing all of this yesterday and praying really hard about where God wanted to use me in all of this stuff, I went to sleep with a heavy heart for these women and a desire to see things change for them. I fell asleep and woke up a little while later to really bad nightmares, feeling like something was holding me down and something was just sitting heavy on me. I woke up and just prayed and said Jesus name and I slept well the rest of the night, but I felt as though the devil was trying to hold me back for the next day of work that God wanted me to do for His Kingdom. That wasn't going to happen!

Thursday:

Today, I woke up feeling excited and refreshed, finally recovering from the jet lag and tiredness I was feeling. We did our devotion time and ate a great breakfast and got to work clearing the land with machetes, and also planned Sunday school lessons. Went on a run, showered and headed out for our separate afternoon ministries.

At lunch my friend Bethsaida from A-team Remix, asked me if I would like to go talk to some of the Bakla's (men who think they are women) we had met the day before, for our ministry that day. I wanted to do beach volleyball ministry but asked God and felt Him pulling on my heart to go with Bethsaida for the afternoon. We are starting to build a friendship with people and trying to understand where these guys are coming from…one of the guy's we met is named ‘Christian on-the-rocks'…we decided this is a prophetic name for him…he won't be “on-the-rocks” much longer.

 Anyway after that we started walking and praying for divine appointments. I really wanted to find Sarah and Stacey and play some volleyball with them. We met so many ladies the day before and they all remembered our names as we walked down the beach; “Hi Leah, Hi Bethsaida” we would hear. We would say hello and smile to each other and say “I don't remember her, or oh she's so sweet I met her yesterday!”. It's fun that it's only the second day and we are already meeting so many people.

Meeting Paris:

We finally found them and Beth went to look in a few shops. By the time I got there I didn't feel like playing anymore so I just sat down to watch. I looked over to my left at the ocean in front of me and saw one of the older men with a young woman and felt compelled to just watch them. They were pretty far away so I don't know how they even caught my eye, but God wanted me to see them. I watched the way he stroked her hair once and shivered at the sight. She seemed really uncomfortable. I kept watching and saw the man stand up…he turned to watch my friends and their group play volleyball. I had enough and went to browse with Beth. A few minutes later I came back out and sat down again, I looked over at the couple and only the girl was there. I looked at the court and the man was now playing volleyball! I laughed and said to my friend James sitting next to me, “it's so strange, I was just watching that old man with that girl over there…and now he's playing volleyball.” I got up and went back to the shops, confused about why I cared. At that moment I asked God why I was confused by that sight. I asked Him to give me His eyes to see and to tell me what to do. He said, “get Bethsaida and go over to the girl now”

 Beth jumped at the opportunity and we walked straight over there, when you know it's from the Lord, I find we don't hesitate…you just listen and GO! So we went to her, walked up beside her and said something about how beautiful the ocean was. A young Philippino woman looked up at us with eyes that were hopeful. She started making conversation and I asked if we could sit down. We sat down and we all started asking questions. Within the first few minutes we learned her name is Paris, she's from another island close by and she is 22.

-You could almost tell from the very beginning she knew why were coming to talk to her. She could see Jesus in us. She told us she loved our hair and we all became instant friends. I asked her what she did for a living and she said she worked at a bar. Paris said she is the oldest child in her family and has to work to support her family, parents, and her own baby and she lives far away from them. I asked her who she was with...she said she was with a friend, the one playing volleyball. She looked down and got a sad look on her face and said; “I'm not going to lie to you, this is fast money. My family doesn't know I do this and I know it's wrong. I have no otherchoice.”

At that moment I felt my heart break as the Lord's breaks for His children.

The words “No other choice” kept flying through my head and I wanted to cry. She's on the island for 4 days with this man she doesn't know and she feels so alone. Paris knew we were Christians when she told us this, we had told her what we were doing this year and she wanted to tell us this so we could offer her hope. She knew the Lord had something to say to her through us and was so ready to hear it! Paris told us she feels guilty and has dreams that God let's her family go to Heaven but tells her she is too bad to get into Heaven. She was raised in church and knows who Jesus is, but has lost her way in an attempt to provide for herself and family.

Bringing Hope:

We told her just how LOVED she is, that there is hope for her future, that God doesn't see any of our sins as too great or beyond hope and He wants to wash away any of those hurts or sins that she is holding on to. She doesn't need to believe those lies any longer.

• I honestly don't know what we said, because God didn't bring us there so WE could speak to her. HE wanted a moment with Paris, one on one. He wanted to use us to speak to His daughter loud and clear. She said she wanted to cry and that we God was using us as HIS INSTRUMENTS. I thought that was so beautiful and exactly right, my eyes welled up and I said: “That's exactly right Paris, God wanted you to see just how much He loves you, He sent us to you today. I saw you from over there and God told me to come talk to you.” She said, “I know He did!” laughing and full of joy. We talked for a while longer, just encouraging her and talking about what she loves to do in her free time, her family, music and she said she was so happy to not be lonely or bored.
  
• Paris was overwhelmed with how and why God sent these two new friends to her and by His love and provision. I was overwhelmed with the same exact things. She felt no judgement from the Lord, and she said that before talking to us her chest felt really heavy, but now her heart feels light. She was ready to hear from God and He is happy His daughter got to hear the message.
  

I asked Paris if she would want to meet us tomorrow for lunch. She bubbled with excitement and said yes of course. She would find a way to meet us in the same spot and we would go eat lunch together. She said there are some other girls with her and she wanted to bring them…we said we would love to meet them! We hugged her and said our farewells, all overjoyed with our Lord and Savior.

***It's amazing when you get even the smallest glimpse of God's love for His children. He sent Bethsaida and I at that exact moment to tell His daughter Paris that He LOVED her. He told us to bring this message, “I love you, I have plans for you, come away with me, your future is bright, Trust me!”

God wants all of us to hear that message. He wants believers to truly BELIEVE that so that they can share it with people that don't know it yet.

God tells us to ASK Him who to love each day, He gives you a glimpse of that love He has for them and there's no way you can't be changed. Forever I am changed by His love…

PRAISE:

Paris is meeting Bethsaida and I for lunch today at 2pm, in the Philippines, by the ocean…the past pain is getting washed away with each wave of God's love! Praise Jesus that sin and lies have no hold on her any longer! She is Free, I saw it from the moment God told her through us, His instruments. I can't wait to update you more on how God works.

** A little side note, it's really awesome to look back on the whole situation and see how God orchestrated all of these meetings today. Even just our friends playing volleyball, the timing of it all, what I had been learning about listening to the Holy Spirit. The girls were going to stop playing volleyball at that same time and they decided to keep going, which gave us the chance to meet Paris. Many more amazing things, I am obviously in AWE of the Lord!

Let God use YOU as HIS Instrument!

Leah

I can't believe it's month EIGHT and I am currently living in the Philippines! I have been so excited the past few months as I have been praying about coming to Asia and I knew from the first day living in the Philippines that God has AMAZING plans for this month…this has been His message to me the past 5 days that we've been here and I know after today that this is so so true!

We left Manila, to go to our island for the month called Mindoro, on Tuesday. More specifically we are staying in Puerto Galera; a beautiful island paradise where many vacationers come to getaway either from Manila or countries all around the world. Our other missionary contact at the house we stayed at in Manila said you guys sure are gonna be "suffering" for Jesus this month over in Puerto Galera. I just laughed and didn't really understand his sarcasm, until we got here.

When we arrived it felt like we had walked into paradise…amazing beaches, beautiful weather, smiling faces, turquoise water all around, and even our own pet monkey (muy muy) for the month.

This month we are partnering with a ministry called Threads of Hope. This ministry is awesome…they have helped out Philippino women who make bracelets for a living to make the same bracelets, but instead of selling them for little to nothing on the beaches, often at the expense of exploiting their children to sell things; the women are now able to make the bracelets in the comfort of their homes and receive a larger profit to support their families and keep themselves and their kids out of harms way. Our contact Alex Kuhlow and his family were living in Manila and would come to the island for vacations, they started this ministry 7 years ago to help out their friends they made on the island. They set up the places where they sell the bracelets in the United States and in many different countries (camps, churches, Christian Fundraisers, colleges, events) so people can support these women and get something beautiful as well.

 The ministry has grown tremendously and they have been able to provide over 500 women in Puerto Galera with jobs making these bracelets now with Threads of Hope. Alex, our contact had a friend, Pastor Al come and start a church here on the island to get the Threads of Hope ladies plugged in to a church and to support the community with the love of Christ. This is who we are living with this month and are working alongside. While we are here we will be doing manual labor in the mornings, clearing some of their land of crazy tropical trees with a lot of pokey branches J. Then in the afternoons we are free to choose the ministry that God is leading us to for that day. There are SO many opportunities for ministry this month in Puerto Galera…it's hard to know where to even begin. But God is putting passions and desires on our hearts and opening up great doors already!

It's a beautiful world here…but beauty is often deceptive. The people are truly the sweetest, most kindhearted people I have probably met so far. But there is a lot of evil going on around us. Specifically at these gorgeous beaches!

Check out the Threads of Hope website and the Kuhlow's story and see who we are working with this month: http://www.threadsofhope.com.ph/

Also read my next bog about our first day of ministry on White Beach in Puerto Galera...Awesome things happening!!