A Vision that will Change the World.

I am continually amazed and humbled at the beauty of Christ. There is so much on my heart and so much I want to share. To be honest, I don't really know where to start,  but I'll start with this, God loves a good story and about a week ago, He started an incredible one, one full of world-changers.

The picture above says so much. It's full of passion, commitment, LOVE, grace, hope, and so much more. About a week ago, I had the amazing opportunity to lead a team of 21 to the beautiful country of Nicaragua.  I have watched God mold and shape a team, giving them the confidence and faith to step out and change the world.  Fear turned to Confidence; Doubt turned to Faith; Sadness turned to Joy. Every step we took, we walked with a HOLY confidence knowing that the God we serve CAN and WILL provide for our every need. Empty bellies were filled and the thirsty found not only physical water but the living water of Jesus Christ. We fed over 600 hundred children in some of the poorest villages in Nicaragua. Walking through poverty changes something within you. When you see children starving and waiting in line with an empty bowl, you will do everything you can to get that child something to eat. As you hold a little one or as they wipe the tears from your eyes, you catch yourself asking "Why? Why do they go hungry? Why is there not enough food for them to eat? Why isn't there access to clean water? How did I get the privilege of living in a country where food and water and shelter are in abundance?" These were some of the questions that we all faced while feeding the hungry. One of the first villages we went to, we watched a long line form of hungry children holding and empty bowl. As we served each child, we soon realized that there was not enough rice to feed everyone. All of us came together and started pulling granola bars and what snacks we had left out of our bags, giving them to the children. The children lit up with so much joy knowing that they would not go to bed hungry. It was beautiful to watch a team make sure that every tummy was filled with something.

The third village we did that day challenged us to step out in faith and believe for a miracle. The line was twice as long as it was at the first village and we had the same amount of rice to feed the children. At first my heart sank into my stomach, but I gathered our team and we began to pray for a miracle. We spoke the promises of God and just as He multiplied the bread and the fish, He was perfectly capable to multiply a bucket of rice.  The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives within us and with that promise we prayed for God to multiply. That day, every child was fed and we walked away with leftover rice! Our bucket never ran dry!! Praise God!! This was a beautiful miracle and a way that God always provides if we just believe!!

Love these faces!! 

The Donna-Holland School in Diriamba was probably one of the most amazing experiences we had as a team. Watching each person on my team who sponsors a child, meet their child for the first time was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I cannot fully explain to you the tears of joy that ran down their faces. I took a step back that day and just watched how the life of a child living in poverty was so greatly changed by their sponsor. For just $175 a YEAR, a child had the opportunity to get an education and the consistency of a hot meal every single day (this is very unlikely for children in Nicaragua. Most are lucky to even get a meal/day). I watched these children and realized the generation that God is forming. The smile on a child's face when they are told they can attend school is BEAUTY. As I sit here and remember each child at the school and on the streets, tears come to my eyes. We are called to take care of the poor and orphaned and widowed. It is our assignment. I am so guilty of taking so much for granted here in the states. I get so caught up in my own little world and the amazing job God has blessed me with that I forget those little faces who are waiting for an opportunity to be something more than their circumstances say that they are. I encourage you to take a step of faith and sponsor a child. It will change your life.

Jennifer and Morgan meeting their sponsored child Junior! The minute that they had the opportunity to meet Junior, their life was changed forever. Junior was no longer just a face on a sheet of paper but he was a REAL child with a pure HEART that longed for school. He as God's child perfectly placed in the hands of Jennifer and Morgan to sponsor. Not only did they get to meet Junior but they got to meet his whole family. He was so proud to show Jennifer and Morgan his home and share his life with him. Tears were shed but a memory was made for a lifetime. 

Natalie and her sponsored child Jose Abraham! Look at the excitement and joy that filled his life when he met Natalie. Moments like this are exactly what we as disciples of Christ are meant to live for. 

When God gives you a vision, He will give you absolutely everything you need to complete the desire He has birthed within you. My desire and passion is to lead and disciple people on God's heart for the lost, lonely, and poor. I want to love like I never have before and give my life to just simply loving people. By leading this amazing team, I learned so much about God's plan for us as His disciples. This life is not about us but all about Him. God has perfectly aligned our lives for a specific purpose and calling that fits as a puzzle piece into his master plan. His calling for our life is SO much bigger than ourselves; it is beyond our resources and out of our comfort zone. The question is, will you step into it? God told his disciples to leave everything they had and follow Him. He told them to take nothing for the journey, because He was all that they needed. He would provide.

The faces. The smiles. The joy. The HOPE. The love. The laughter. The tears. I will never forget. I will give and I will fight so that others can simply live. Join this journey with me as I seek to fill the empty buckets all over the world (www.emptybucketministries.org). So thankful. So grateful.

Where will I start?

I will start with an empty bucket. I will live for today. I will invest in ONE. I will CHANGE THE WORLD.