Rambled Heart Strings Part II

Before you go any further, if you haven’t read Rambled Heart Strings read that first and then come back!

It really is crazy how God works. His ways are so majestic and far higher than all we can think or imagine. Truly, we wrote that blog out of a broken heart that was deeply grieved by the loss of one of our girls but God works all things for the good for those who love Him. A friend of ours read our blog and was at her husband’s soccer game, sitting in the bleachers, sharing with another wife about what had happened and this blog. The other woman felt the story was too similar to a girl her brother use to date. It turned out this woman’s brother did date our girl ‘A’ and was able to get in contact with A’s sister which linked her family to this story. Did you keep up with all that?

Long story short – since Rambled Heart Strings was published Jaime and I have been in contact with A’s family.

We were super humbled to receive an invitation to attend a memorial gathering in A’s honor on June 30^th, what would have been A’s 30^th birthday. We weren’t sure what to expect because all we knew of A’s family life was that A aged out of foster care but her siblings were adopted.

Jaime and I were both really looking forward to spending the day with A’s family and celebrating her 30^th. We were able to share with them the joy that we had during our last two visits with A and offer them hope. One of her cousins shared that we were the only ones who had contact with her in the last two years. This made us ever so thankful that the Lord put her in our path. He is so faithful to care for His children. We loved her dearly and appreciated the opportunity to honor her life.

When you read the statistics about youth that age out of foster care it is disheartening. Every year 27,000 youth age out and 50% of those 27,000 develop a substance abuse. It definitely gave the two us of a deeper desire of adoption and just how amazing that process is.

We released balloons in her honor with one hold balloon for her golden birthday, 30 on the 30^th!
Relationships make all the difference, our girls are our family!

Meaning

“When over the years someone has seen you at your worst, and knows you with all your strengths and flaws, yet commits him- or herself to you wholly, it is a consummate experience. To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.” -Timothy Keller

Defending the darkness

Love. It's all we have to fend off the darkness. {Thailand...2 days}

In 48 hours I'll be on a 21 hour flight to Bangkok, Thailand...one of the darkest places on earth. I'll be in a place that is home to 0.5% Christians. I'll walk through streets and bars that have robbed hundreds of thousands of their innocence. I'll be the minority. I will look straight into the eyes of many, many of my sisters who have been used, beaten, robbed, disrespected. Sisters who have been FORCED to have sex with the devil. Sisters who have been FORCED to let go of dreams, happiness, laughter. Sisters who NEED the saving grace and love of Jesus Christ.

I'll look traffickers, pimps, and evil dead on in the eyes. I'll see their sin, their darkness, their desperate need of salvation and I WILL love them. Jesus loves the sinner, He died for the sinner.

Only love will fend off the darkness.

Please be in prayer for our team of 17 + 2 leaders. Please pray ultimately that we would shine so brightly in the darkness of the red light district. That the Holy Spirit would seep through our pores. That every person we encounter would see Jesus through us. That we would love with reckless abandonment. That we would walk in desperate dependence. That we would act out of desperate obedience. That our prayers would send shivers up the spines of the lost and broken. That there would be favor in language barriers. That our team would be divinely united. That we would bear life changing fruit for the Thai people and each other. That the Lords will would be done. That we would be humble. That we would be selfless. That all expectations would burn and we would be keen to the Spirits leading. That we would have powerful discernment and wisdom. That we would have protection. That the darkness would become His light.

My heart aches with sadness knowing the pain those woman are in. I just want to love them and show them they are worthy of His love.

Let my name be feared at the gates of hell as I exalt the Savior - The Chariot