Desert to Flood

Overview

Our YWAM Las Vegas team arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday November 23rd. We had a day of orientation, then we began a week of flood relief. Tonight we begin ministry in the red light district. Please be praying for us, the people we are going to meet, and whatever else God lays on your heart.

The Flood

Our DTS is indeed an Abolitionist DTS, so you may be just as surprised as I was to read that we spent a week of our 2 month outreach helping clean up from the Bangkok floods. Before coming to Thailand, during times of prayer, we felt God telling us to be open to whatever He wants us to do. In that time, many doors of human trafficking outreach were being closed... actually nearly all of them. Thus, a week was open.

A few months ago, Thailand was hit with one of the biggest floods they have seen in about 50 years. Some areas are still flooded and many are still in a devastated state. YWAM Thailand has been forming teams to help. Many of the people were confused as to why a bunch of foreigners would come to Thailand to clean mold infested houses. Needless to say, we drew a lot of attention in our boots and rubber suits, gloves, face masks and hoards of cleaning supplies.

And oh, the people were so precious! They were so astounded and grateful for what we were doing. News of us got around very quickly. While walking around, many asked us if we could help with their house... Some had been out of a job for weeks and could mak

e little progress with the two hands with which they had to work (with a team of about 20, we could usually clean the first floor of a house pretty soundly in about 2 days). We had to turn many of them down simply because we didn't have enough people. I really began to understand Jesus's compassion - the bounty is indeed plentiful, but the workers are few.

It was a wonderful week. God's will and love truly is a curious and wild thing.

The Now and Then

We have about two more weeks in Bangkok, then we will be spending the rest of our outreach time in Chiang Mai. From what I understand, a lot of our time in Bangkok will be spent focusing on how we can holistically help through the seven spheres of influence (religion, government and law, arts and entertainment, education, business, media, and family). I'm super excited to see where God takes us. Today, we are seeking God for what He wants us to do in the red light district.

How You Can Help

Prayer is beyond essential. Truly, God can lay a prayer on someone's heart and use that prayer to do crazy awesome things on the other side of the world. (In fact, the reason why you are reading this post is because I woke up feeling God tell me to update peoples and get lots of prayer support)

You can pray for:

-Our team - protection (spiritually, physically, emotionally) and to have God's heart and perspective when meeting the victims, buyers, and pimps.

-God to prepare the way - bring the people He wants us to talk with.

-Us to move with God - we'll be sensitive to His voice and direction and obey. I think God is going to be moving in some magnificent/huge ways. May nothing hinder what He wants to do.

-God to leave a lasting impression and seed in the people

-The people - Open their hearts and minds. Give them freedom.

-Whatever else God lays on your heart :)

Thank you for your time and support! I'm excited to see what God will do and am so happy that we partner together to do God's will. May His love be known and so irresistibly evident! Ah, God is so good and beautiful!






photo credit = Sadie Wendt-Quibell
First two were some before pics of some of the places we cleaned. The third is an after pic.

Loving Thailand

During prayer/intercession, we prayed for each of the places to which we'll be going. Each country was introduced by messages from other people who have been to the country. This was from a fellow who recently came back from Thailand. He spent this DTS time cooking for us (so delicious!) and encouraging us to grow closer to God and abandon our comfort to reach out to whom Jesus wants us to reach.



"You're going to meet a girl. She loves her boyfriend. It's not fake. She truly wants to express joy and love and laughter with and to him. She's trying to love him.

You're going to meet a boy. He loves his family. He wants to do everything and anything he can to serve them. It's not fake family... it's love. He's in love with his family.

You're going to meet a man on a street. He'll sell you the best replica watch you've ever seen... and he means it when he says it's worth it! Yeah it's not the real thing... but he's not really trying to scam you; He's trying to feed his family and provide for himself. Doesn't that sound worth it?

You're going to see thousands of pictures of an old man in gold. He's Royalty. The Thai love him. He once traveled 1000 miles by foot to reach a barricaded village carrying food and medicine! You'll meet people from that village! He saved hundreds from the floods in the jungle! They honor him, and they'd die for him... because he would die for them! That's not idol worship... they're honoring a King that they think has laid it all down for them! After all, he serves them!

You're going to meet a boy and a girl. They sell flowers late at night in an area where you can "buy" women or men to fulfill sexual desires with. They don't like being awake so late at night. They also know you probably don't want another flower. But they'll sell it because they want to honor their father and mother.

You'll meet a man or a woman. He's "farang" ...He is honored in Siam. The gold and silver he brings from across the sea ensures a meal and bed for a Thai. He doesn't understand the bartering that's going on. He understands that love is a missing commodity in his life, and money isn't available to them... so why not trade.

Thailand. Everyone loves to play. Everyone loves to dance. They love to laugh. They love good food and would always rather hang out a little bit longer...

You see Thailand does Kingdom-like things. Thailand enjoys... the same things the Father does. you could even say they love their King the way we should love our King. They love their jobs and boyfriends the way we love Jesus... they want to enjoy..laugh with..eat with---play with their friends and family! What does that look like? It's the Kingdom of God!

When you meet these people, and they teach you how to dance... walk them towards the King that really does fight for them. Introduce them to a Lover that doesn't give money...but life! As you sing and laugh with them...tell them there's a love that is free...that returns only more love...and in fact - LOVED THEM FIRST!

Loving Thailand... is simply redemption of what's already happening, but redirected to a source that gives without expectation of a return!"
-Samuel Henderson

Intimacy to Advocacy

God Rocks at Saving People

God has been carefully opening the folds of my heart to realize how incredibly awesome and just He is. He is indubitably the best abolitionist, revolutionary, and genuine portrayal of real life to the fullest. Wow, He's just so cool.

Morgan Perry (awesome lover of God and producer of the documentary Sex and Money (click here)) taught us, by lesson and example, how to live in a lifestyle totally head over heels for God and partnership in what He longs to manifest and redeem. From that place of intimacy with God, we can then have a healthy intimacy to advocacy.

It's Deeper than You Know

The problem of human trafficking is merely the tip of the iceberg of a terribly broken society made up of broken families. What's a great and way to fight human trafficking? Prevent it by loving people. What is the source of love? Jesus. Plain and simple, He knows how to end slavery. He's been trying to save us from enslaving people/slavery since the entrance of sin to the times of Moses, and still, He's still working on it today. Learn to love by learning about God. Sounds simple? It is. And the awesome thing is... God's love is deeper, stronger, and bigger than broken love and human trafficking. Win.

The God of the universe knows what's going on and how to fight against it. Connecting with Him in prayer is definitely a really good idea, and He loves sharing His plans with us. Yay!


Connections
In short, one of the easiest ways to prevent trafficking is to work with your influence circles. Love the people in your home, neighborhood, work, school, et cetera. That's from where the victims, pimps, traffickers, and Johns come. Love on them. Love yourself. Be a loving voice of conviction and of edifying, life giving truth.

Human trafficking happens everywhere. People are pimped out of massage parlors, strip clubs, and upper, middle, and lower class neighborhoods. Labor trafficking happens in restaurants, hotels, farms, etc. Of course it's silly to suspect that everybody who seems a little out of place is trafficked, but it is as equally silly to believe that it doesn't happen. So be an aware and helpful member of the human race, check out what to look for, and report suspicious situations.


Helpful Resources:
Signs of a Trafficked Person - click it!
Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report Hotline 1-888-373-7888
-Just save it on your phone, what could it hurt?





*photocred = Gabrielle Nicole

Waking Up in Vegas

Mmm... My heart is so full. God, You rock at life.

The Verizon default tone alarm welcomed me to this morning at 6:00am. I floated to consciousness with a flood of images of our neighborhood and the people I've met in it. I was outside, peering through the metal, barred gate, looking over the abandoned, crack house next to our base to the mountains miles away. The sun climbed its way to the sky, eagerly stretching it's rays over the silhouettes with bursts of golden beams, setting the clouds ablaze with purples and pinks, and casting a royal sepia tone blanket over our impoverished, broken three square miles of Las Vegas's ghetto.

Flashes of faces, feelings of empathy, glimpses of prostitution, addiction, and broken love weaves itself throughout my mind and heart. After three hours of sleep, God summoned me awake to catch a glimpse of His heart for His beloved children in Vegas. I quickly threw on a sweater and went outside to watch the sunrise over the Nevada Mountains.

The sun lined the clouds with gold; people with bent bodies and jerky movements passed along the streets and in and out of the abandoned houses. The clouds deepened with rich colors; Men escorted women wearing mini skirts and tight clothing. The homeless huddle in their blankets next to their carts under and surrounding a bridge. My heart overflows with compassion. Oh God, You love these people so much! They are so precious and beautiful to You! Gah! I want them to know true love, trust, and friendship! The sun's beams spill over the mountaintops, my voice raises with praise and awesome wonder for the overwhelming beauty of God's heart and glory to be shed on this place and people.





I prayed over that abandoned building. The following week, there was a team of workers cleaning it out and fixing it up. Oh yeah! Lord, continue this sort of redemptive work through this neighborhood and in the lives of the people living in it. Amen!

Justice

God, you are so beautiful. Wow.

I came into this DTS enraged about human trafficking, ready to annihilate all involved and counsel and show love to every girl victimized by it. It wasn't until the first outreach that I realized I really had no hope for actually making a difference nor saving these people. I was bitter at the world, at God, and writhing in infuriating contempt and despair. That night, I knew my perspective was not of God. The fire I had for the injustices of human trafficking was beginning to consume me and those around me. Why? Because my perspective of justice was way off.

Basically one of the best sermons of the century
Check it! (simultaneously):
The recording:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76BUB9IchNU
The words:
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=2067

In all honesty, most activists are not fighting for justice. If we really wanted justice to be served, we'd all be screwed. No one is perfect nor good. The truth is, we all deserve to suffer tremendously and indefinitely. I am SO glad God does not give me what I deserve. So what do we desire? Mercy.

God repeatedly shares how His heart breaks over idols and injustice. Now what happens when we make our own forms of justice an idol? Some may seek saving people from their oppression for the sake of looking awesome to the people around them, others for God's approval, and some for their own self righteous satisfaction. Some just genuinely do not want these people to suffer. Yet, why do issues of justice come and go in a couple of years? How do we even define justice? Why does burn out come so quickly and frequently? Where is God in these equations?

Psalm 89:14
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.

Proverbs 28:5
Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

Isaiah 59
We can't see justice in unrighteousness. We are far from God/justice when in sin. God is the ultimate source of justice, and He does desire justice to be done. It breaks his heart when it's not.

Amos 5:21-24
In Amos, the people are going through the "right" motions, but they are despicable to God because He is not actually first in their hearts.

If God is the only one worthy of perfect justice, how do we give justice to God? We give Him what He deserves - what He paid for. As we surrender ourselves for Him, we are filled with the Holy Spirit which leads us into all truth. We can only give out what we receive. We can only receive truth, fulfillment, love, and justice by being filled with the Holy Spirit. We can't serve justice to people out of our own anger and convictions. We can only serve others as much as we can rely on God.

Hurt breeds hurt until we surrender our ideas of love and justice to God so He can replace them with His perfect love and justice. When we make God the priority and not the cause, we are free to love as He designed us to do. From God comes perfect, unending love and reformation.

It Is Finished!!

FREEDOM!!!!

How it echoes and reverberates through my soul. Where once was desolation, fear, resentment, insecurity, and abuse now comes a garden, wide open spaces to frolic and rejoice in God's love. Freedom. Surreal. So real.

Hallelujah to a God who wants me to have this freedom more than I do and who leads me in perfect timing to attain it. Wow, so many hidden snares of the devil and myself have been unmasked. Hallelujah that God has been unveiling them to me and has been sweetly walking with me to redirect me to Him. Hallelujah, God You are SO good!

I used to love plunging into my soul to uncover what was wrong with me and try to sort it out on my own accord. I wanted to git-r-done, learn as much as I could and sort through as much garbage as I could. But I didn't realize how, by doing this, I was totally leaving God out or demanding that He heal me now. I was completely ignorant to His timing and steps. I was missing out on His heart for me.

Wow. Conviction. I can rest. There will always be things wrong with me. And perhaps being preoccupied with fixing ourselves or finding what's wrong with ourselves and dealing with it is a sin that keeps us from a pure relationship with God. Instead of always being in need and opening scabbed wounds, we should be searching out God's heart. Our focus should not be in making ourselves perfect but in finding out more and dwelling in God. Ah, so much better. Such relief! And while we are doing this, the Holy Spirit will call parts of our unclean soul to make itself known, and we (God and myself) will work through it together. This life isn't about me becoming perfect anyway. It's about glorifying God.



"God glorified is a man fully alive." This is true. God did make us and loves us so intensely. He wants us to be fully alive. That will come as we delve into Him. It's not up to us to fix ourselves. It's up to us to be open to God's love and let His Spirit transform us and move through us. Amen.

Today God opened my eyes to what forgiveness truly is. I have been terrified of the thought of forgiveness because I did not want to let the people who have certainly done injustices to be free from the debt they owe. I wanted them to understand what they did and pay. What I didn't realize was that I was paying for not forgiving them more than they were. The consequences of what they did were able to fester in me and manifest in awful ways. Why? Because by not forgiving them, I've kept my attachment to them connected and alive.

When someone screws us over, we have a heavenly contract with them to make them pay. By forgiving them, we sever that contract, that bond, and surrender the person to God. Now that person is not under me, but in God's hands. That person is now free to feel God opening their eyes to what they've done - feel the pain, remorse, regret and see the havoc they have wrecked. And that person is free to run to God in repentance (the true meaning of the word - being transformed and not living that way again). Then, they can see and experience God's love and yearning for them in full, and God can work with them to make them the person He intended them to be. Redemption. So good. One who would destroy life would be redeemed and join the team of bringing life. Woot woot! ...But, if they don't receive God's grace, then God can make them pay way better than I can. Either way, evil will be defeated in the end. Amen.

I don't have to wait until the day Jesus comes back to begin healing and to grow closer to God. Today, for the first time in 19 years, I have experienced true freedom and peace through sincere forgiveness. I am done with cycles of trying to figure out the extent of my hurt (and consequently, probably inflicting more hurt and self pity on myself). I am done with living in the consequences of their actions. The battle is already won. Jesus has already taken on the sin of my abusers so that He can claim me back as His precious daughter. He has patiently waited for me to understand that I can't save myself nor hold on to these things to identify myself and gain love.

For the first time in over 19 years, I feel like I've truly forgiven those who have marred me and have reclaimed my name as Daughter, Bride, Friend, and Beloved of God. Redeemed, beautiful, claimed, sought after, a city no longer deserted. I've let go and have fallen back into the arms of a God who will not rest until my righteousness shines out like the dawn. A God who has formed my heart, every desire and shape, and who has promised that He will complete the work He has started in me. I am God's, and I'm not going to let dumb mistakes of man keep me from Him. Amen! I have released my bond with them to God, and I am free to live with Him.

The walls are tumbling down. Amen.









Current song picks to freely frolic to - hallelujah ;)
Sweet
Freedom

photocred = Josh Warner

The Loving Heart of God

Father Heart of God
Water. Real, wet water naturally existing in the desert. We hiked up a Mount Charleston incline steady yet steep enough to leave us panting for breath when we came to this mini oasis. There was life - some plants and more small bugs than I've seen my whole trip (minus the roaches).

Some people began climbing the waterfall. This feat required strength, length, and the ability utilize the few footholds available via log and stone and to maneuver in between some of the gaps. I wanted to be able to climb to the top, but it looked pretty intense, and would have been quite a jagged fall. Simon, a great, fatherly man from Uganda, asked if I wanted to go up. I was feeling quite fragile. I said it would be awesome, but I don't necessarily feel compelled to. He said "I will go up for your sake."

The climb up and back was quite difficult, but possible because of Simon's direction and help. It was SO worth it. It was beautiful up there - beautiful water dancing between the rocks, birds soaring into the crevice where we were and into the clear, blue sky. Wow. God is beautiful. My heart began to feel the loving Father heart of God through Simon's desire to help me where I couldn't climb to experience the magnificent beauty of God. God knows what I can and can't do; He knows what I desire. He knows I can't do what I'd love to do, but meets me where I fling myself and directs my feet to meet Him in His beauty. He wants to experience the climb with me, and He does.
Photo cred: Meredith Kinney
In pic: Josh Stateham

Lessons Learneding
DTS = Discipleship Training School or Die to Self. Amen! This week, my heart has been so tried and exercised. Wow.

Honestly, to try to portray everything I've learned would be to write thousands of pages and sacrifice my writing style for the sake of typing it all in a short period of time. We'll start with this little bit.

Free to Bring Life and Death
God has been plunging into my heart and has been making me aware of the assumptions that have kept me from knowing who He really is and being close to Him.

He truly does love all of the time. He genuinely does not want us to be hurt, to be oppressed, nor to hurt others. He did not want me to be abused, He did not plan for people to rape others, for fathers to leave, for mothers to abandon, He does not set people up to be beaten and killed, does not create people for others to harvest their organs or force them into refugee camps. This breaks His heart. But He can not "fix" or "stop" it because He loved us enough to give us free will.

That is a strange and sour statement after such a grotesque paragraph. Let me explain.

Jeff Pratt eloquently explained this concept by portraying a story. There was a high prince who was loved, awed, feared, and revered throughout all of his kingdom. Yet, he fell in love with a mere peasant girl. If the prince were to approach her in all of his majesty, she would either feel compelled to marry him because of his stature out of plainly fear, awe, or obligation, but not out of genuine love. She may feel unworthy because of how lowly she is in comparison. But he loved her as she was so dearly. He could not simply go out, bring her to his castle, and bring her up to where he was, because of the previously stated reasons, so he decided to lower himself, take off his crown, and win her heart as a humble man. This enabled her to have the free will to love him or reject him out of her own will.

This story explains God's disposition to us in salvation as well as every day life and decisions. We can choose to embrace God, fall utterly in love with Him and His lifestyle, and strive to live more and more in His essence and ways, or we can turn from Him and build up walls to keep us from Him. This is our will. We are free to love Him and choose life, and we are free to build walls and bring destruction. Both happen from all of us. Both actions result in consequences for ourselves and others. God gave us the power to do this. We make mistakes that lead to mistrust, coldness, hardness, hate, abuse, murder, et cetera.

Yet there is hope. God's heart still breaks over us, and He still desperately loves, wants, and desires to redeem us and to call us the names He made for us. While we bring the hurt, He also enables us to intercede and bring life and hope back to those who have been oppressed. Wow. There is hope. There is life. Change can happen.

The Holy Spirit is in us, amen! God calls us to be His friend, to press into Him, follow Him through His joys and pains, and to move where He calls us to to bring back His children. His children He created so beautifully, wonderfully, and fearfully. The royalty who have been abused, have been lied to, have been called desolate, stupid, abused, victim, unworthy, filthy, unloved - lied to! He wants to call them back by the names He gave them - loved, worthy, righteous, innocent, lovely, redeemed, clean, healed, and desired. We have the Holy Spirit in us to speak these truths and life back into His people.

So what's stopping us!? Yes we are all broken, we all hold misconceptions that keep us from the truth of God's life and love. But let's dare to press into God. Let's allow Him to search our hearts, bring up these things, and in it's time sort through it and bring us closer to understanding His good essence. Let's grow. God, pour into us Your truth so we can pour it out into others! So many are missing out on this expansive, rockin, out of this world love that brings back life, unity, peace, and ultimate glory to the Giver and Maker of Love. Gah, I can't even express.