And if our God is for Us...

As I stare at the keys on my laptop words that Jesus has spoken to me over the course of 6 months run through my mind and I don't even know where to begin. In twelve hours I will be on my way to Sierra Leone, West Africa. Not only that but I will be on my way to meet someone God placed in my life to start an organization that I have NOT even met! Seven years ago on a small retreat in Louisiana God placed ministry on my heart and placed countries with high orphan populations on my heart. I was also heavily involved in dancing and musical theatre and just knew firmly that the Lord would guide me to a place to combine the two for his glory. I waited. Fast forward to December of 2009 (and many experiences later) I sat in the audience of a retreat center as a youth minister at a church outside of Nashville. I prayed for God to give me amazing amount courage in 2010. Courage to step out and do whatever he wanted me to do, even if it meant stepping out of my comfort zone. That weekend I listened to a woman talk about the extreme poverty in Sierra Leone, West Africa. As tears rolled down my cheeks and goosebumps covered my body I knew I needed to know more about this organization. Upon returning home I e-mailed The Raining Season, telling them about myself and asking for more information on their organization. I received a response I would have never expected.

A young girl ALL the way in Minnesota had the same dream I had and was praying for someone to come on board to help make this dream a reality. It's overwhelming how God can intertwine the lives of people before they even know one another. Over the past six months I have grown to love Bethany without even knowing her and am more than excited for this exciting adventure we are about to embark upon together. I feel so many more emotions than I could ever place in to words, but I keep coming back to the line in the song "Our God is Greater", "And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us!" With God on our side who could ever stop us from finding homes for all 147 million orphans in this world? With God on our side who could ever stop us from feeding the hungry? From healing the broken? From living lives worthy of God's call? I know I fail miserably in my own life to measure up to how God would want me to live, but I do know that despite our shortcomings God has incredible plans for each one of us to bring His Kingdom here on earth. To make things right. To ensure that children do not go hungry. That people not only have life, but LIVE life! That children are able to dance through life! :-)

That is what Firefleyes seeks to do. To bring hope to the brokenhearted. Brit Nicole sings, "Don't let your fire burn out...Cause somewhere somebody needs a reason to believe." Wherever you sit in your life tonight, know that somewhere somebody needs a reason to believe in Sierra Leone. My mother always says that you find healing when you reach out to help others, but I think I'm learning that God does not intend for you to be healed...He intends to break your heart. To break your heart for the need around us as our eyes are opened to what needs to be fixed.

So, I ask for you to pray for our team over the next 10 days. Pray for our safety, peace, courage and strength. But also pray for our hearts to be broken. And I ask for you to pray for your heart to be broken too. Because those pieces of our hearts that are broken will only be spurred on to action when we truly grasp ahold of the incredible wonder and reality that...if our God is for us...then who could EVER stop us...stop us from changing the world!

Peace and Love,

Regina