I Serve a BIG God

Wow, that was fast.

Thank you for all the prayers! Within a few hours of posting my last blog entry, God provided a way for me to go to the conference... This is how I know I'm where I'm supposed to be, doing what I'm supposed to do.
A very generous donor (thanks Mom!) has offered to pay for my flights and some of my other expenses -- something she was only able to do after she just found out she was getting a much better refund than usual!
Tell me that's not God.

And then, one of the ladies who also works under the Rescue & Restore Coalition out of New Orleans is going and we will be able to share hotel expenses. This has made the trip much more affordable and we are now booked & ready to go! I'm so excited; I wish it wasn't more than a month away... I'm ready to leave NOW!

Many of you know about my involvement in Midnight Outreach through my church. And you may have heard that I have started writing my second book, which deals with human trafficking and the sex trade industry...
So, where is all of this leading?
To be honest, I'm not really sure.
I'm just walking in obedience to where I feel God is leading me. Whether my role in this war is overt or behind-the-scenes is irrelevant. The important thing is to get educated and actually DO something for these heartbreaking victims of trafficking.

Christine Caine spoke at Healing Place Church last week about her A21 Campaign (with which we are affiliated) and her words were inspiring.
EVERYTHING logical told them it couldn't be done.
The forces opposing them were too strong.
"There's not enough money. The Church has no real authority here. The problem is too big."

But then she shared an amazing analogy:
In Numbers, God directs Moses to send a group of Israelite leaders into the Promised Land to scout out the territory and see all the blessings He was giving them.
God actually said, "...which I am giving to the Israelites."
And yet, that was not enough assurance for the majority of the tribe leaders who made the trip. Only 2 -- Joshua and Caleb believed God; the others felt the problems were too big -- the enemy too powerful -- to trust God.

Her point?
You have to KEEP GOD BIGGER.
God is bigger than anything we come against, and when we are acting within His will, NOTHING can keep us from reaching our goals or acting on His authority.
The enemy would love for us to take our eyes off of what's really important and focus on the giant that's blocking our path. Then, the giant doesn't even have to touch us; we take ourselves out of the race before we even face the opposition!

This is how Christians react to the problem of human trafficking:
The problem is enormous.
The cost is prohibitive.
The danger is great.
And there's too much to be done.
And so, we do nothing... Let someone else take on this issue; someone else will come to their rescue, right??

I believe if God breaks your heart for what breaks His, you have an obligation to step out in faith and do what you can.
That's what I am doing. My contribution might not amount to much, but at least I'm acting in obedience. And I'm not going to focus on the fear or the enormity of it all.
My God is bigger.

LIVE THE DREAM 2008

LTD '08

That's where I've been (and why you haven't heard from me) for the past 3 days.
And, can I just say,
this year was phenomenal!!
I was wondering how on earth they were going to top last year's conference, but God showed up & it was AMAZING!!!

I volunteered at each session & worked the After Party, so I am really tired, but I know my fatigue doesn't come close to what our awesome Pastor DeLynn & the HPC staff are feeling. They have been working on this women's conference, seriously, since last year's ended!!

Just a quick recap:
This year's speakers were: April Simons, Christine Caine, Dino Rizzo, & DeLynn Rizzo.
There were hilarious skits and "interviews," very cool give-a-ways, and Cirque Du Soleil was there for the after party!
But most of all, lives were changed, women were empowered, and dreams were born.

I'm so excited about next year's conference, I have already pre-registered and bought tickets for myself & Nadia.
I'm not lying or exaggerating when I say:
I wish EVERY girl & woman that I care about could come to next year's conference. It is SO WORTH any sacrifice.
You will not regret it.
I will post some pictures & more info tomorrow, but in the meantime...
click on the "Live The Dream" logo above (and then the "watch video recap" link)
& watch the short video recap of this amazing weekend!