One Year Ago

One year ago, I was sitting on my very own secret patch of beach on the hurricane-torn island of Galveston.


One year ago, He spoke. Words and pictures. The whole shebang.

From that rainbow-striped beach chair, with my feet buried in the sand, Jesus gave me a direction and a plan for the passions He’d vested in me for the past years: Homes, Orphans and His workers going to the harvest for His Kingdom (Luke 10:2)

After many more beach dates, seeking prayer and counsel, I had an appointment with my pastor, Steven Yoes at Bay Area Community Church. I hadn’t even been a member of the church for a year and I think I’d only had one conversation with Pastor Steven at this point.

Nervously, I stuttered and stammered my beach vision to Pastor Steven:

I was going to Africa. I was going to press into His heart for homes and orphans there. I was going to do that with Ten Thousand Homes. But I would not go alone. Bay Area Community Church was as big a part of this vision as anything else, and I would not go if they weren’t standing with me and coming alongside me….

…He hasn’t spoken yet…. Shifting uncomfortably in my chair…. There’s more to say…

…And I needed to know they’d go with me and they’d know me through this process. I want you and every member of this church to pray for me weekly, to talk about me in church, to commit to reading and sharing stories about my blog…

…AND… I need your financial support…

…AND… I think that, beyond, the money we need to raise for my trip, we should raise another $3,000 to build a home for orphaned children…

…AND….Then I want you to come to Africa to get your hands dirty and do the Kingdom work.

I told Pastor Steven that I believed that God wanted to turn the body of BACC toward the Kingdom of God together and would use this mission to Africa, this movement, to do so.

He was on board!

I have no doubt the Holy Spirit was moving in that office as Pastor Steven didn’t for one moment doubt what I had said and began brainstorming with me right then and there on ways to spread the word to the church.

From that moment, there are a hundred miracle stories. The prayers and provision from life groups. A breakfast meeting with Seth. Unending creativity and support from Nicci. Lots of coffee with Rhonda. An art award from Anda. A home from the Boldens. Tears from Ms. Armstead. A late night with Sister, Lindsey, Stephanie and Tony Sassi. And a movement of support and fundraising I can’t even put words to from LDub, Ashley and Bud… Just to mention a few.

The movement took off running. God used people and moved mountains in ways that showed me this wasn’t about me at all, but about His Kingdom and His heart. This was going to be so much bigger than me or anything I could contribute. God was giving me a front seat in the ride of a lifetime; the Creator was inviting me to co-create with Him by giving people a voice and a space to participate in His Kingdom.

And now… RIGHT NOW… Pastor Steven and a team of 5 others from Bay Area Community Church are on a plane. They land in South Africa in 11 hours.

It’s surreal to me. A dream, a vision, God’s plan is really happening. Maybe all the surprise and emotion I’m experiencing this morning reveal the moments of tremendous fear and doubt I’ve had in this process. The times when I was afraid I had heard from God wrong or that it was selfish to think people would really want to come… you know, because of course they were coming to see me. :) But this morning I’m celebrating Him and recommitting to jump into His guiding with 2 feet and trust that He’ll take care of the landing.

As they travel toward the adventure of a lifetime, I’m taking time to reflect on how BIG my God is – His plans so intricately woven together that we can never see or understand them all. But we don’t have to. The BACC team coming is a reminder of God’s faithfulness and provision in my life. The movement He created reminds me that all of our hearts are set for eternity; we all need to believe and live for something bigger than ourselves.

I thought I would be leaving to return with the States with this team, but now I’m welcoming them to visit me in my new home. I

Pray for Steven, Carly, Alyssa, Kendall, Tyler and TJ. Pray that they will be ruined for the Kingdom of God, and He will show them ways to be a part of this movement. Pray that the ways they are transformed here transforms the body of BACC, and that this will be just the beginning of BACC coming to the harvest and joining in this movement.