From the Trash to School!

I feel the cool air in the break of day coming through the cracked window, as I reach to turn off the chimes that wakes me before the sun arises.  The anticipation of what will come in the next hour is enough to make my feet hit the floor.  Already my mind is flooded with what the day, the week the year will represent.  Four kids, going to school for the first time ever!  Breaking the chains of generational poverty, what does that mean?!  How will it change the existence of many families living in conditions that are beyond comprehension in the 21st century? 

As I jump in my car to drive just 3 blocks behind my apartment to another world, a place called the "Gardens."  An area where many families live in houses made of mud bricks, with no water or electricity.  They survive day to day by rummaging through the trash recycling plastic bottles and metal items they find in exchange for less than 1 USD a day.  After 2 blocks the asphalt street changes quickly to dirt and rocks.  As I dodge the holes and stray dogs that bark endlessly I arrive for our first 2 kids.  I sound the horn and quickly the girls come out smiling in great anticipation of their first day of school.  Their hair finally clean after one week of sorting through each strand for dead lice and eggs!  Their clothes filthy from the weekend spent in dumpsters, hands and nails black from sitting hours carefully breaking and eating their way through many black walnuts. 

The excitement and anticipation fills the atmosphere in the car with joy!  As we drive further on, dogs still barking we stop again for our next boy.  He bolts from the house and jumps in the back seat.  We move forward, dodging holes and driving on make shift roads, again we stop, sound the horn and in the front yard the Uncle who is sleeping outside the house arises from the front yard, sleeping outside because he was locked out for drinking to much the night before.  Out the boy comes, dressed, cleaned and wearing a suit proudly that his parents bought for him.  He is careful not to step in the mud, as his shoes are new as well! 

The chatter in the car is short lived as we drive 5 blocks back to the Community Center.  All jump and run to the door, the echo's in the hall are deafening, just after day break.  Girls in the bathroom first, as they wash, change into school uniforms and are transformed right before our eyes!  Next, the boys, again a transformation in every way is unbelievable, "From the Trash to School!"

Now our kids can pray and they thank God for the food, the Center and for God to help them learn.  They eat the cereal and then brush the teeth.  I laugh at loud at this thought, they stand at the sink and every time they spit into the sink they show each other the blood that comes from their gums.  Gross, but funny!  I assure you, after 2 weeks the blood barely exist.  Can you imagine not brushing your teeth everyday? 

The first day's excitement was short lived as quickly the war begun!  After a couple of days, they began to drop out one by one and refuse to go to school!  We called for an International prayer to fight with us and suddenly 2 of our kids had a change of heart and for the past 5 days the adjustment and change is not hard!  We have a routine in the morning and for the first time today they entered the classroom alone and began speaking to their classmates!  A miracle, I want to tell you, an absolute miracle!  Now we have some momentum and the spiritual atmosphere has freed us again from the poverty that was trying to hold us back! 


Today 2 of our older boys had their first day of school.  Although their school did not start until 12, they insisted to come to the Center with the other kids at 7.  They were so proud to go to school.  They wore their new uniforms, shoes and backpack with so much pride, they were so dang cute!  Today another link in that chain was broken.  Four kids, from 3 families who never had one person from their family to attend school and they did it!  They are the first! 



 It has rained for 72 hours straight here, and is still raining, the streets and the Center is flooded and the roof  is leaking!  The dirt and rock road where the kids live is a muddy mess and my car slid in the mud today to get them, but we go them and they went to school against all odds!  Even though we are covered in rain and clouds the Son was shining on us!  It was an awesome day! 

 

"From the Trash to School!"  Don't stop praying for us!  We are winning the war!

Together we are breaking the chains of poverty...One step at a time! 

www.steppingstonemissions.org

Seeds Falling on Good Soil!

 

 

 

...But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”  Matthew 13:23

 

24 kids, 7 leaders and 2 weeks of planting good seeds deep into the hearts of kids who have had many challenges in their short lives.  Imagine to take 24 members of your family on a vacation and the preparation it takes to accomplish this.  The kids show up on camp day with the clothes on their back.  So our team prepared 24 sacks of clothes, 3 pants, 3 shirts, 3 underwear, 3 socks, shoes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, snacks, meds...well you get the idea.  If you add it all up, multiply it by 24 and you can somewhat imagine what was it was like for our team.  That does not include the hours spent sifting through mounds of hair to remove thousands of lice and eggs, haircuts for all the boys.  And all that was before the kids left. 

 

The anticipation of the camp for the kids is uncontainable!  The excitement, the joy, the smiling faces is enough to make you want to take 50 more kids! (it is only a passing thought)  It is the only day of the year they actually show up on time and clean!  We picked them up at 8 am and off we went to the Community Center for one last shower, check for lice and to change the clothes.  Each kid is given a bag of clothes, a toothbrush and a pair of shoes with their name on it!  Makes me smile, as I reflect back and remember the faces as they pull out each item and hold up and show to the others!  Such immediate ownership and value they take in one simple bag of things. 

 

Car sickness meds are given, a verification to make sure we have plenty of plastic vomit bags and bottled water are essentials as riding in a car for 2 hours is not very normal, in fact unusual for most, and off we went.  I answered a thousand times in 2 hours the question, how much longer?  And like most of you I answered the same every time, "30 minutes."  The girls did not stop speaking the entire 2 hours, some slept, some sang and all was so surreal and normal. 

 

When I was  driving I think about how much they have grown up in the last 4 years I have know them. I think about the circumstances in each of their families.  I think about how much they have learned in the programs, how the advancements at the time seemed so challenging and now seemed so simple.  Most can write their names, recognize most letters, they know the colors, numbers, simple addition and even some can read simple words.

 

The most amazing thing is that our team also taught them Bible stories, how to pray, how to ask and believe that their is a God and He has a son and His name is Jesus.  God sent us here to tell them this, to tell them that He loves them and He cares for them. Most did not have a concept of God, who He is, but now they know!  They know that He is the Creator of all things, especially them and us!   Over the last 4 years this, to me, is the most valuable, simple thing we could teach them and it is bearing good fruit!  We have a foundation to build on now, a relationship, an opportunity to build on this foundation, the possibilities from here are endless! 

 

In these 2 weeks, the girls learned about Esther and how she prayed and God used her to save an entire Nation, that they are queens, special and they to have the same opportunity as Esther!  They learned to pray out loud and on their own for the first time in their lives.  The boys learned about David, and with God they can be fearless, warriors!  They understand that they are simple kids, just like David and they too are Kings and can love, worship and be men who love God. 

 

Thank you to everyone who invested, partnered, prayed, volunteered and worked!  Your investment is changing generations! 

 

Together we are making a difference, one camp at a time, one sandwich at a time, one bag of clothes at a time, one prayer at a time, one letter at a time, one number at a time...

 



 

 





 

Now That's a First!

"Now that’s a first!" First time anyone ever celebrated your birthday in 17 years of life. First time, to go to school 5 days in a row, first time to ever go to a large supermarket, first time to hang your head out the window of a car, first time to ride in a car, first time to ever leave your small village, first time to have lunch in the community center. First time to use our new dishwasher, first time to carve pumpkins, first time someone cared enough to help you with your homework. First time you ever received a good mark in school, first time anyone celebrated that you received a good mark in school…These are just some of the "Now that’s a first" moments we have experienced in the last month!
I wish you could experience some of these Now that’s a first" moments!

I laugh to myself as I look in the outside mirror of the car of 2 boys fighting to hang their heads out the window as the wind blows their hair and the smiles and laughs so big! After a minute or so I call off the fun and they close the window and ask if they can do it again tomorrow! How can I say, no!? They clap with the excitement and anticipate what it will be like tomorrow! As we sing to Laura, you can feel the inner joy as she receives her first birthday cake and gifts in 17 years of life. Four kids from a village outside of Medgidia, walk with big eyes gazing at all the options in the supermarket and then thank me at the end for taking them for a walk in the store. After we go to the program, they can’t contain to hurry and share their experience with others! Daniela, running for the car from her house screaming with delight and telling me about the best grade she ever received in school! Filip, casually stating that he can’t believe he was in school 5 days in a row. Cindy, sitting at the table, in disbelief, with her team for the first real cooked lunch in the Community Center kitchen! Now, that’s a first!

Last week, Dale, a gypsy, came to the program so sick. Her parents left her and 6 siblings’ home alone while they went to work in Spain. They live in deplorable conditions and they scavenge the streets and dumpsters all day for food. We feed and provide clothes and food for them but there are 24 hours in a day and only a few hours are spent in our programs. I gave her some medicine and changed her clothes and held her in my arms for one hour as she just looked lifeless up at me. I could not contain my emotions as I felt so sad for her. How can a mom just leave her home alone with siblings not much older than her to fend for their selves? How can God be okay with this situation and many, many just like it everywhere around us here? As I prayed and questioned God about this situation and all the why’s and how could they scenario’s, I was overcome with gratitude. I began to thank God for all of you who stand alongside of us here, who help support in prayer and finances. You are the ones who bought the medicine, donated the clothes, the car, the gas and the food for the programs. You are the ones who help all these "Now that’s a first" become reality! You are the spiritual parents of many here, I would not be here to hold and take care of Dale, if it wasn’t for you help, love and support. The Community Center would not be a reality if it wasn’t for you who give so generously! As I began to thank God for all of you and who He is, Dale regained her strength and was sent home with all the rest of the kids feeling much better than when she came!

Did you know that in one week you help buy 15 loaves of bread, 6 kilos of salami, 6 bags of cereal, 12 liters of milk and special snacks and treats for over 150 kids who attend the 3 programs, basically 4 times a week. In addition, you provide 150 liters of gas to transport 12 kids from 2 villages, to and from the programs…And much, much more! Thank you for sharing all our Now that’s a first" moments! Thank you for giving us all our "Now that’s a first" moments! Thank you for helping us be the ones who can take care of Dale and so many others! We will never forget the investments you sowed into our lives!

Together we are changing lives with the love of Christ…

One step at a time!

Thoughts from Theresa about the Camp

I’ve been to a lot of different camps in my life but this last one was definitely a very special one; special to me and to the kids. For one we took 17 kids of the literacy program to a camp near Tulcea. It was the first time for some of them to go by car, first time to eat at a table with fork and spoon, first time to have a daily routine with lessons, games, crafts and meals.

In the beginning I was a little nervous as I didn’t know the kids so well and I can’t speak their language. Plus I just met the team a couple of days before we left. But the verse we picked as a theme for the camp became true, also for us as leaders:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for GOOD
(Romans 8.28)

After one week of practicing I know this verse by heart in Romanian

It was a challenging week, with little sleep, hard work and a lot of yelling. But GOD is good and the more time I spent with the kids, the more I was able to see them with his eyes. It became such a blessing to me to get to know and love them and to communicate with them even without speaking their language.

The most commonly used sentence during the week was “Doamnă, nu ştiu” which means as much as “I don’t know”. And that’s what they said whenever they got a new task, whether that was building a paper plane, counting to ten or writing their name. It made me sad to see that they’re not only unable to do easy things like these, but they also don’t believe that they would be able to learn it. I just guess that no one ever gave them the affirmation they needed, no one ever told me how precious they are and that they are able to do great things.

But I loved to see how their attitude changed in the course of that week. The kids learnt how to braid and make bracelets; some were able to write their names, most of them memorized the verse. These are just small steps, but I hope and pray that they will continue walking into a better future, and that the seeds we planted in this week may grow.

I taught the kids to count in English. So whenever they meet me here in Medgidia, they show me, that they didn’t forget: One, two, three…

Handprints of Medgidia!

From the heart of Heather Stevens from California who served well with us last summer!  We are waiting for her and the team to come again this year!

"For the two weeks we were in Medgidia, our days were long and exhausting, both emotionally and physically. We were up and out on the town as early as 7am everyday, and out until 11-12pm at night. The hot sun and love-needy children drained our energy, but every morning we awoke with a smile on our faces and enough drive for another long day. It was truly by God’s grace that we were able to do all that we did nonstop. Nevertheless, I enjoyed every minute of the hard work, and seeing the ear-to-ear smiles on the children’s faces made it all worthwhile.

Because it would take at least 15 pages to write about all we did in Medgidia, I’m going to focus on only a couple of experiences that moved me the most, that I hope will not only bless you, because you made this happen, but also reveal to you why I fell in love with this place and strongly yearn to go back. Before the trip, I was in constant prayer that God would show me how to use my gifts in order to bless the people. I knew I couldn’t help much with hard physical labor because of my back problems, and I hoped that there would be something specific that God set aside for me. Turns out, God had more plans in mind than I expected. Before He could use me though, God did a work in me that even words can hardly describe. He had to break me down to build me back up again, remolding my heart and opening my eyes to see what He sees, and love how He loves.

After our first day in Medgidia doing vacation bible school for the children, Cindy had a big night planned for us. We were going to visit the gardena: basically a giant muddy junkyard where a huge congregation of gypsies live. Already at this point, I was in complete shock at the living conditions of the people I had been with all day, and felt my heart slowly cracking, about to break. Cindy led us through a muddy trail, past massive 20 ft high piles of bottles and trash, until we eventually ended up in a dead field amongst a couple of gypsies. We huddled into a circle, started praying and worshipping, and before we knew it, people were flocking to us, intrigued at what was going on in their normally desolate home. The sun was setting behind us, lighting the sky with soft oranges and pinks. A single tiny turquoise hut (about the size of a normal bedroom) sat in the distance. Apparently that small room housed about 10-12 gypsies. Children were running around playing with tiny newborn mutt puppies, and a very pregnant girl my age stood next to me, gazing at me with her big brown eyes, separated by our language barrier. An elderly man with no legs in a wheel chair somehow managed to roll through the mud to get to our circle, and sported a huge smile on his dirty, wrinkly face. People of all ages and every color all stood together, once on opposite sides of the world, now smiling, clapping, dancing, and singing in different languages. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard; our world’s collided as different tongues sang to the same awesome God.

I was feeling so many different emotions at once; awestruck at the beauty to be found even in the most broken of places. God’s splendor lit up the sky in a warm fading sunset, shining on all of His people, even the ones that had no idea of his existence. It’s hard to describe the overwhelming feeling I had in my chest. The lump in my throat was rising and I could no longer hold back the tears. Suddenly I broke down, sobbing. I couldn’t process the combination of emotions I was experiencing, and all I knew how to do at that moment was cry. Even these people, in the worst situation, had pure raw joy, something that doesn’t exist past the material obsessions on our side of the world. They had absolutely nothing, walked around nearly naked, caked in dirt, yet they smiled like they had the world in their hands. Just knowing that we were able to bring that joy to them through God’s goodness was the greatest blessing I could ever feel.

At the same time, behind the smiles, I knew how much these people were hurting. They didn’t have God in their lives, they lived in a dark place. How could they survive this situation without God? My heart was completely shattered at this. I realized that the tears I was crying were hardly my own; I was seeing through God’s eyes, and these were His tears. He didn’t want His people to be suffering like this. This wasn’t His plan for them; this is what happened when corruption took over the world. He loves them so much and they have no idea. What I felt was only a sliver of how God feels about his suffering people around the world. I don’t know why God lets horrible things happen, nobody does. But what I do know is that He has a greater plan, and makes all things work together for our good, if we choose to give our lives to Him. I’ll never forget that night at the gardena; the night that completely changed my heart and prepared me for the next 13 days I had left to love on God’s people, my brothers and sisters.

As you know, I’m an artist. I love to create, paint, draw, photograph, whatever it be. God has blessed me with the gift of creativity, and knew I would put it to good use glorifying Him. While in Medgidia, Cindy put me in charge of painting a mural for one of the churches. I had to come up with a scene to paint, draw it out, and paint the entire thing with the help of a couple of my team members in only 6 hours. Generally, it takes me that long to paint a simple 11x14in canvas, and this was a giant wall. Because of the theme of “Jesus performing miracles” we were teaching the kids during vacation bible school, I decided to paint “Jesus calms the storm.” This scene seemed perfect because we taught the kids that even when they’re scared, Jesus is always with them protecting them. The kids live in dangerous circumstances and without the comfort of knowing Jesus is there for them, they are left alone and hopeless. This mural would be a constant reminder that “Isus” (Jesus in Romanian) was always watching over them.

Painting the mural was a challenge, being a perfectionist. I knew I couldn’t get it up to my standards in such a short amount of time and I’m always too hard on myself. After I finished it, all of the kids rushed in too see how it had turned out. I turned around to see their faces gazing up in complete in awe, jaws-dropped and wide eyed “oohing” and “ahhing.” I realized that these kids have never even seen art before, yet alone a giant mural that was now theirs to look at. Seeing how much they appreciated it made me feel so special that I was able to bring that to them. It’s a blessing to remember that my art is on a wall across the world, bringing life to the empty walls of that tiny church, reminding every soul that steps into that room of God’s unfailing love.

One major way I connect with God is through nature. Going on this trip, Emily (our team leader, and my best friend) informed us that this was not a pretty place; this was a broken, dirty, down-trotted city. I had no expectations for anything beautiful. However, near the second half of our trip, Cindy told us that we would be taking kids from the village on a camping trip into the Romanian forest. I had no idea what a surreal treat God had in mind for us after all of our hard work in the hot city. The second we were dropped off at the camp spot, I was in a dream. We laid out in the shade on the cool green grass, in between rows of perfectly aligned trees. The forest opened up to a giant grassy field, where wild horses freely galloped around our tent circle. Directly across the pasture, up a hill, was a beautiful sunflower field that ran for miles upon miles of vivid yellow and green. This place was unreal, and as I laid in the grass protected from the hot sun under the green trees I was able to finally just breathe and take it all in; this was really happening.

After a long day of entertaining the children, storm clouds rolled in and blocked the raging hot sun. Relief swept over everyone as slowly raindrops sprinkled down from the sky. Within seconds, it was pouring rain and screaming children darted for the tents. I stood outside, arms wide open and let the rain drench my still hot skin. I convinced my friend to start a mud fight and a slip n slide with me, and we spent hours sliding down the muddy hill, caking mud onto everyone including the pastor of the Medgidia church. We were having the time of our lives. Purple lightning shattered the sky above us and the orange sunset was peeking through the blue rain clouds. God truly blessed us in the coolest way, giving us the perfect day to be able to simply soak in His beauty and recharge our spirits for the days to come. I will never forget my Romanian camping experience of a lifetime.

Overall, my trip was incredible. We all experienced our highs and lows, but I wouldn’t take a single second back. I learned more in two weeks than I could learn in 15 years of school. The first night, Cindy spoke to all of us saying that this trip wasn’t just about serving the people, but about ourselves because we were going to have a work done in our own hearts and God was going to show us things we never knew existed. This was most definitely true for every one of us. Coming home was really difficult, and it was hard to go back to the lavish lifestyle I live in that I feel so undeserving of, while I knew my friends were living in extreme poverty across the world. I think about them daily, and have been presented with an opportunity to go back this summer. I am so anxious to return to the children and see how much they have grown, both spiritually and physically. I can already see their beautiful faces smiling back at me."

Want Everything, Value Nothing!?

Recently I ponder in my heart, value!  It is an endless thought that has made many turns.  I still have not found the answer, if there is one?  But worthy, maybe, of saying out loud, or in my case blogging.  How can you teach folks to value some material thing if they do not value their own selves?  We give a toy in the programs and 20 minutes after I leave I find the remains of those items crushed on the sidewalk, never to be used again.  There was such joy to recieve and to give the toys but it is short lived after the toy and it's new owner left the building.  Hats, gloves, shoes, clothes given, to never be seen again.  As I walk and pick up the remains scattered on the sidewalk I wonder why I even bother but on the other hand and more important, how do I teach these kids that there is something not right about just tossing what someone gave them on the ground?  People basically do what they are taught and isn't there something that is deeper going on than throwing a toy away? 

Want Everything, Value Nothing!?

Recently I have made a couple visits to a family outside of Medgidia.  A family of eight with a 4 room home.  All but one sleep in the same room with 3 beds bumped up to each other.  (including the parents)  They sleep, eat, play, watch TV and on the last visit they moved their stove in that room.  Why they don't use the rest of the house, I can't figure out.  The family, is falling apart in every way.  The kids have not attended school in 2 years, the mom is overwhelmed with life and the dad, I don't know much about him.  He works and they recieve money from the State and his employment.  Although it is not much money for a family of 8 it is sufficient to live.  Their electric is not working because they did not pay the bill, the stove has some sort of black carbon coming from it when they cook, a simple thing will fix it and still that can't seem to get out of the hole they got into over time.  We bring school supplies, shoes, socks, food and as we distribute the new supplies they toss the clothes where they land if they don't like them, walk over the old bags and notebooks like it is part of the floor, they come in and out of the room and walk across the bed as if it was part of the floor too.  As the sun shines through the window, I can see particles of dust flying at every step across the mattress. 

Want Everything, Value nothing!? 

After the afternoon program, I give a half loaf of bread and a pound of salami left over from the program to one of the kids who comes and helps me prepare the food.  She herself lives in a family of 13, ages from 20 to 1.  They live in a house, if you can call a 2 room place this.  She is 14, I suspect, there is no record of birth and she doesn't know and no one else for that matter knows.  That says volumes right there.  Knowing she is at home with many children and the parents, they say, are in Italy working, I give the bread and salami for her to take to the others in her family.  I feel really good about this and seems she does too.  However, the next day I found out that she took the food and ate a couple pieces of bread for herself and dumped the rest of it on the ground.  When confronted she admitted to it.  I only felt sad for her and spoke with her about this and then gave her the food left over from that days program.   

Want Everything, Value Nothing!?

Am I creating a bigger problem?  I am teaching value?  Some days, I just don't know.  Am I hurting the very people I say I am helping because I feel good to give something?  I can go on and tell more stories similar to these but let's think about this..

Right before I began to write this, I surfed the net for the American Black Friday sales!  To tell you the truth, I wanted to buy everything, well, almost everything.  Knowing I can't have it all and it is to hard to get all the way over here and who has the funds to buy everything?  So in some ways don't we all want stuff.  But what makes us different?  Do we value what we have or do we just want more.  I think many of us purchase, receive or even give something (to make us feel better) and many of those things are on a shelf, basement or garage.  What makes that any different than throwing it on the street or walking over it like it was part of the floor? 

Hey!  Now I am even starting to feel bad, but that is not the point!  Maybe the point is that it is not the things we throw, store or put away...It is that we,us, people are the value not the things.  The value is the investment in people and relationships and isn't that why we give whether it is material or time?  It is an investment into our life and others.  Wanting everything and getting everything does not make us more valuable, you are the value, just you alone, with nothing!  God loves us when we have something and when we have nothing.  All of us!  The same!  Everything or nothing!  He loves us!   Maybe the lesson in all this is to...

Value Everything, Want Nothing!? 



Embrace Change or Freeze!

The season is changing so fast!  Two weeks ago when I was walking I saw the leaves changing colors.  Now everything is changing, the sunflowers are withered and ready to be harvested, the guys are cutting wood to prepare for winter, the hay is being cut and the last of the fruits and vegetables are being sold and prepared for the winter.  Whether we like it or not it is changing!  It is how God created it!   You can embrace the change and prepare for it or get stuck in the cold!  If I decided that I did not want to change with the season and kept my shorts and t-shirts out, it wouldn't matter, I would get cold, the season will change whether I want it to or not! 

Isn't that how life is, everything changes, we can fight the change but eventually we will have to succumb to it!  God has a plan and it was designed before we were born and He already knows when things will change and how we will get through, we must embrace it and move forward with the change and plan. 

The seasons we know will change, winter to spring, spring to summer, summer to fall and then to winter!  What about the things we don't know about, what do we do when things change and we can't, or feel we are not prepared for it?  The truth is that we are already prepared, we just don't know it.  Remember, God has a plan and we will move into that plan if we like it or not!  We can step out in faith and obedience and change with the plans or we can stay in our shorts and t-shirts and freeze! 

Really, none of us think we are prepared for life changes!  Joshua probably didn't think he was prepared to take the promise land and fight his first battle, but he was and he did!  Unprepared God directed his steps and really his first battle he did not even fight, he just was obedient and stepped out in faith and God fought for him.  How about Noah, he probably did not know he was capable of building a giant boat and gathering every kind of animal to go on it, but he stepped out in faith and obedience and God did the rest!  Moses!?  He freed an entire nation and ran to the Red Sea with them, ooooppss!  I bet he thought, "Now what was he going to do?" But he was obedient and stuck out his staff like God said and the rest is history!  I bet none of these guys were prepared for the changes God had in store for them! 

There are some days when I feel so ill equipped, not capable, not able to keep up with things that are changing so fast.  So very fast, really!  There are times when I feel I am at the Red Sea, and say, "Uh oh!  Now what am I going to do."  Well, I can stand there and let the enemy defeat me, or I can listen to what God says to do and trust and move forward!  You know when I do that, the Red Sea parts every single time!  And, every single time I am surprised!  It's part of the plan, part of the season change!

We all have this change and plan in common.  It doesn't matter where we live, who or what we serve, how much money we have or don't have, job no job, ministry no ministry, fat or skinny, tall or short, young or old!  God has a plan and a purpose for each one of our lives, we can embrace change and step out in faith and obedience to move forward or we can be defeated and freeze.  Either way, it's God's plan! 

I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. "When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." God's Decree. "I'll turn things around for you. I'll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you"—God's Decree—"bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.

Jeremiah 29: 10-14 (The Message)