This day came quickly!

October 1st....today is my first day as a FULL TIME MISSIONARY and I am hitting the ground running! Got to get my support in so that I can leave for Bulgaria in less than 6 months! 

Please pray for me!

Club Outreach Last Night

So, I went out with my group from Created last night for outreach. Once per month we visit a local strip club and talk to and build friendships with the women in order to share the love of Christ. What was exciting is that one of the girls I have consistently been speaking with each time we go told me that she was cutting back to only working one day per week at the club and didn't care that she would be broke. I reminded her that the last time we had spoken I offered to drive her to job interviews, or to work (she does not currently have a car) if she needed rides. I am praying that I hear from her soon and can help her in regards to finding another way of earning income. Please also keep her in your prayers. We met another girl last night, new to the area, that said that she was very interested in coming to church and that she has faith and she prays. We hope that she contacts us so that we can meet her at church on a Sunday. 

The one consistent thing I see every time I go on these outreaches is how eager these girls are for female interaction and friendship. One girl stated that it was wonderful to learn women's names and hear female voices instead of men's for a change. These girls hunger for attention, reassurance, and love and are always so grateful that we have stopped in to see them and that we care about them and remember specific things that they are experiencing in their lives. God is present inside that strip club and He care for and loves these girls. 

   

Please keep praying that my support comes in for Bulgaria. I am done working at my current job in less than 2 weeks and will be support raising full time in order to get to the field by early 2016. Every 26 seconds a woman or child is sold into slavery for the first time. God has given me a desire to see this changed for the Gospel's sake. With my degree in Christian counseling I can walk alongside these women to show them the love of Christ and help them rehabilitate from the trauma of being trafficked. 

Please help me get to Bulgaria by joining my support team and giving monthly. I have a new website with MTW and it is SO COOL! Check it out here.

I QUIT!

Now that I have your attention, haha, I am writing this to let you know that I am finally able to quit working full time at my job at ReQuest Physical Therapy at the end of September and start support raising full time in October! 

This is bitter sweet for me as I have been at ReQuest for 8 1/2 years and love my job and the people with whom I work. However, it is seriously exciting and also scary at the same time to have this finality of leaving my security blanket at ReQuest. 

I am hoping that by starting my support raising full time I can hit my mark of at least 80% monthly support raised by November and go to Belgium in January! If I do, then hopefully I'll be on the field in Bulgaria by March or April of 2016. Woo hoo!!

Got 3 new monthly supporters this past week alone! Getting closer and closer!!

Please keep me in your prayers as I know you already do. 

God bless the children

I was speaking to a family tonight about supporting me for Bulgaria...during that time their 4, 6, and 8 year old children went and gathered money from their piggy banks to give to my ministry. That was the best $14.84 I've made so far!

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

My first outreach in English!

The Saturday before Easter I got to go on my first outreach with Created. I joked about this being my first outreach in English because the only other outreaches I've been on were in Bulgaria. 

We went to a very popular local strip club and brought the girls Easter baskets. I was able to talk to 2 out of the 6 girls that were there performing and I look forward to going back again and building those relationships. 

We went out to the same club this past Wednesday evening and it went really well! The 2 girls that I got to speak to at Easter were not there that night, it was all different girls there from before. We brought them each a flower pot (with flowers of course) and brownies and got to speak to 3 of those girls though which was great! One girl we were talking to briefly had to leave to go perform, and I was hoping that we would get to talk to her again, but she got pulled into a private room with a man which was disappointing. 

Please be praying for one of the girl's son who is being tested for autism today. She is frightened and not sure how she can manage having a son with a disability. Pray also for a girl who says she does not go to church because she practices witchcraft. This was disturbing to me and I hope that she can be reached with Christ's love through us. 

New things happening!

Sorry I haven't written on here in a while...

Here's what's going on!!

Praise the Lord that I have reached 50% towards my monthly giving goal! This is wonderful that God is providing! I was hoping to make it to 80% by April 1st so I could go to my final training in July, but that does not look like it's going to happen. Please keep praying that I find the remaining members of my support team so that I can get to Bulgaria asap! My next goal and plan of attack is to reach 100% by November of this year, go to my final training in January (which is the next time they have it) and then leave for the field immediately after in February. 

This is doable!!! Please keep praying!! There are such amazing things happening in Bulgaria right now...my team has partnered with an organization called, "Servants Anonymous" and it will be a rehabilitation program in Sofia helping these women to get the counseling and help they need to regain their identities and overcome the trauma they have endured. It can happen!! We have a girl right now in communications with our team about starting her own jewelry making business. So exciting!

One other thing that has me super excited right now is that while I wait to get to the field in Bulgaria, I will be doing His work here in Gainesville working with an organization called Created doing outreach with women/girls who are trafficked right here in my backyard. I will be going on my first outreach this coming Saturday, April 3rd. Please keep the girls we talk to, me and the team in your prayers.You can read more about Created on their website.  

Thank you Christ Community Church!

This past Sunday, August 24th, I was given the opportunity to give my testimony and speak about the work I will be doing in Bulgaria. Rob prayed for me after I spoke which was really special because he will be leaving next week to move to Mississippi.

I also found out that the children decided to give myself and my friend Rachel (who is traveling around the world right now doing mission work) their summer offering towards our missions. So awesome! Thanks kids!