6 months ago today I was beginning
my first full day of my time in Atlanta
Georgia and was fully anticipating starting work at a restaurant in Grayson
Georgia and staying as far away from those "dang dream center people"
as possible. I had also the previous morning
left a significant portion of my heart with a man who I had no intention
of liking when we met because "nice
Christian boys don’t like me and besides he dresses like a sherpa" but
like a blue eyed bearded freight train he had stolen my heart with belly laughs
, mary poppins and first kisses on the 3rd try. We had left things "not
officially together but we will see what happens" and I was conflicted but
trying to protect my battered heart and consumed with my own insecurity. So here
I was in Georgia after a disappointing
morning of discovering that my dream externship may not work out after
all. My friend and I were in a kroger
getting stuff for dinner when I texted him a simple "hey I have a question
for you, will you be my boyfriend in real life?" to which I believe he replied "OH HELL
YES" and it was official. As the days progressed more and more doors
shut on my dream externship I felt the Lord pull my angry rebellious heart
toward those “dang dream center kids” and on a friday visit downtown someone
pitched the idea of doing my externship at the Atlanta dream center feeding the
120 staff ,ministry students and interns as well the 900 people expected on misson trips in the next
few months. I agreed thinking “well I can get my time done and get home to my
boo” and didn’t expect the transforming, healing and life changing journey that
it turned into. During my time at the dream center I cooked
countless meals and prayed a lot of “dear captain please make these
donated (insert random food item) taste ok ) . the really unexpected parts came
in two separate experiences that will forever change my life. The first began
one Sunday as I was leaving church and Patrick Palmer asked me if I wanted to
cook for a mission trip to new Orleans during super bowl week to do anti human
trafficking outreach and awareness. I had always wanted to go to NOLA and
quickly agreed having no idea that I would come back completely transformed. On the drive to NOLA I started reading a book
I had grabbed rather last minute off my roommates shelf it happened to be a
book based on the Book of Hosea and as I read it the Lord began to speak my
worth to me and how he had time and time again rescued from the pit even after
I had gone running back. He had “bought me out of slavery” and into freedom. I
was broken with this new awareness of Grace and resolved to get as much freedom
from this trip as I could. We had so many experiences ministering to girls in
the clubs on bourbon street and handing
out note cards to people attending superbowl but one in particular will be with
me forever. One evening I volunteered to go on a prayer drive because I was completely
exhausted but didn’t want to miss out on the outreach we were doing. As we
prayed in the van for the girls in the clubs and hotels we were passing the
Lord began to show me specific relationships and instances in my life before
Him where I had come so close to being
one of the girls that we had pictures of because they were missing and
suspected as being “trafficked” I began to weep in the van as I was healed of
deep brokenness and wounds from a season where I had become convinced that I
had gone past Grace. I have never felt physically lighter after an encounter
with the Lord but that was transforming.
The other experience that I never
would have expected was finding and establishing a relationship with my birth
mom and siblings, I will never forget the feeling of hearing my moms voice for
the first time and knowing more that I have ever known anything in my life that
she was my mom. I have a family that has been ravaged by brokenness and
addiction but that I have been able to reach out to and love them in a way I would have never expected. I also
experienced a restoration of relationship with my beautiful ATLDCMC family and
was healed of some much hurt. I can now proudly say I am one of those “dang
dream center kids”
I came home March 19 2013 and
waiting for me at the airport was the man that I was previously convinced would
never exist in real life. Everyday peter shows me what it is to have a
relationship that honors the Lord and protects my heart in a way I never
thought possible. He has taught me what it is to simply be in the moment and enjoy
the right now. Everytime I look at him I understand Grace and redemption and I
am learning how to trust the Lord with him and how to love him with an open
hand because he is the Lords and not mine to hold on to. I also now have two jobs one for a food
service contractor for a high tech company and the other cooking at a summer
camp. So that should leave everybody caught up on whats new
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