Seattle or Bust!

I'm literally so excited, I can hardly stand it.  In fact, when I'm excited about something, I usually don't get much sleep the nights leading up to the big event.  So, now I'm not only about to burst but also about to pass out.  I know, it's an oxymoron... or maybe a juxtaposition.  Whatever.  Today's the day!

For a series of nine years (one week each summer), God allowed me the amazing opportunity of going on a mission trip to Seattle, WA to minister to the precious Suquamish Native Americans.  I fell in love with these kind, gentle and laid-back people.  It seemed as though my friends would always have a place in my summer.  But abruptly, God closed the door.  I was deeply saddened and only hoped He would one again allow me to return... in His timing, of course.  (Though, we all know His timing and our timing aren't on the same schedule.) 

Pretty much from the day I met Jason, I've been talking about my experiences in Seattle.  I've shared stories of meeting kids when they were two years old and had the pleasure of watching them grow into teenagers.  I told him how amazingly gorgeous it is there; Heaven on earth.  How we can be sitting on the pier and see a bald eagle fly over.  I've shared many, many stories with my JP.  It was always my hope and dream that we could one day go together.  However, never in my dreams, did I know that God already had this trip planned!!  I think He enjoys surprising His children! 

Here it is, mere minutes before we leave for Atlanta, to spend the night with a friend.  Our plane leaves at 10:30 Wednesday morning.  Please be praying for my JP.  He's never flown before.  I love flying though, so I've told him all fun things.

My plan is to blog a little each night before I go to sleep.  We'll see how exhausted I am.  But I would like to keep you all updated with the amazing things I'm expecting God to do!

Normally, we do a full week of VBS, but things are going to be different this time around.  I don't exactly know what to expect, but that's just fine with me.  I just can't wait to be back again.  I always feel the closest to God out West.  I'm eager to see what He's going to teach and reveal to me.  I'm eager to see how He's going to work within my relationship with Jason.  I'm eager to see all my friends again!!

If you'd like to pray for us while we are are gone, here are our requests:
1)  NO RAIN - we need good weather, as we'll be outside all day, every day.
2)  Divine appointments with people.  We ask that Jesus remove the blinders from their eyes and open up their hearts to receive His good news.
3)  The opportunity to have lunch with the Elders of the Tribe.  Sybil has a unique presentation of the Gospel which would have a huge impact on them.
4)  The ability to reconnect with old friends.  Let nothing be awkward.  I can't wait to hug some sweet girls.  I tear up now just thinking about it.
5)  Finally, the safety and health of our team.

Thank you so much!!  Happy trails!

Pocket of Grace

Jason and I want to share some exciting news with you about an opportunity God recently dropped in our laps to share the love of Christ with the Suquamish Native American Tribe. From the beginning of our relationship, I shared my love for the Suquamish Native Americans and have been praying the doors would open up so that Jason too would experience this same joy. Due to aging elders of the Suquamish Tribe, we knew we a “normal” week of vacation Bible school and other activities just wasn’t going to happen. Our God of the eleventh hour stepped in and provided new and unexpected opportunities. Before I tell you about that, let me give you a little background on the Suquamish Native Americans.

I first heard about the Suquamish Native Americans from my friend, Gloria Smith, who is a full-blooded native and who often shared about the hardships of her people, through prayer requests each Sunday. Even before I knew what was to come, God was preparing my heart. I developed a love for these people, whom I’ve never even met. Then in 1998, Sybil Johnson (our College director at Shades Mountain Baptist Church) mentioned to Gloria the possibility of taking a group of college students not just to minister to her people, but also “the forgotten ones”, the children. When Gloria heard that, she just cried. From the time she left the Reservation, she’s been praying that God would send someone to minister to them. Once the Elders granted us permission to come onto their land, our dreams were hatched and none of us were ever the same again.

From the very beginning, God was in the little details. He softened their hearts for this “Alabama Group”, and allowed us to go where only natives had previously been before. The doors for bringing His saving grace had been flung wide open and we fell into a pocket of grace that still exists today.

When the first team arrived on “the slab” (concrete area meeting area), two things struck me: the kind of beauty that takes your breath away leaving you speechless and the spiritual warfare that was extremely evident by the drug deal that was taking place not far from the little church. We immediately ‘circled the wagons’ and had a prayer time like never before.

By the end of the first week, we had been amazingly blessed. Not only did we plant seeds of salvation in many of the children’s hearts. But also, at least four girls accepted Christ, which we later baptized in our hotel pool the next summer.

For a total of nine summers (1998-2006), God opened the doors to allow me to return each summer. I was blessed abundantly with whatever I needed to go back. It amazed me, how each year He set up these divine appointments to remind me that He’s still in the miracle business.

So why thirteen years later, does my heart still beat for the hope of returning to this land? It’s there that I find purpose. It’s where I know God has specifically placed me; to use the talents He’s given me, to bless His people. There’s an indescribable fulfillment in being a sojourner for Him. An added bonus, I again get to spend time with these precious people, whom I love like my own family.

So, what’s the pocket of grace that I speak of? It’s when God has covered all the details you could ever think or worry over, often before you even ask them. It’s when you look around, and you see His fingerprints completely covering the situation. When you realize that He’s done all this for you, for your happiness, when you didn’t deserve it, but He did it anyway. It’s when you realize you went to minister, but instead got ministered to. That’s when you realize you’ve fallen into His pocket of Grace.

While in Suquamish, we will work alongside a new church plant on the Reservation, Refuge Christian Fellowship. Miraculously, the Suquamish Tribe has allowed Refuge to meet in their local elementary school. We’ll also set up a booth at Chief Seattle Days and help children assemble The Power Band, which is a direct presentation of the Gospel. This is a popular tool which uses a leather strap and multi-colored beads to represent the six elements of the Gospel:

Black is our sin before we are saved

RED is the blood of CHRIST shed for us on the cross.

WHITE we are cleansed when we are saved.

BLUE is baptism.

GREEN we are growing in CHRIST.

YELLOW/GOLD is our riches in HEAVEN.

We are praying for God to grant us favor with the people so we can show His love and salvation.

Three things are absolutely necessary for this work to happen. First, God’s divine blessing leading us to do His will and the work He’s called us to do. Second, we covet the committed prayers* of family and friends, as the spiritual warfare never lets up. Satan attacks us even before we arrive on the Reservation and once there, we wage a battle within the Heavens for Lost Souls. Finally, we need the financial support which equates to approximately $1,500 for us both. If you feel led to contribute financially to this mission, please make checks payable to Undivided Ministries. Please note in the memo section of your check “Suquamish Mission – “Insert Name””. All donations are tax deductible and should be mailed to: UNDIVIDED MINISTRIES, P.O. BOX 1101, Blountsville, AL 35031

We will leave for the Reservation on August 17th and return home on August 21st. Please mark these dates on your calendar and remember us in prayer while we are gone. Thank you for your prayers and support.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” Matthew 28:19, 20

*For more information regarding how to pray for missionaries, please visit this website.