Hope Restored

We had to write our story in a 'creative' way this week, here's what I came up with...

"He was born on a cold winter day in central Minnesota, blue eyes, blond hair and a pink bow on his head. His parents were missionaries, his grandparents were missionaries in fact his whole extended family were missionaries. Needless to say adventure and the nations ran through his blood.

He grew up with little money and wasn’t able to travel much only leaving the country for two weeks in his 21 years of life. But that was all about to change, something radical was about to happen is his life. You see he always wanted to see the world but he was told that he would end up just like his parents, no money, bad jobs, stuck in the suburbs forever miserable. He lost hope, and the pain of that hopelessness was too much for him to bear alone, so he turned to drugs and he turned to alcohol. To ease the pain and to escape from the reality of the life that he was stuck in, the life that he couldn’t escape.

He would hit rock bottom and cry out to God “please save me, I’ll do anything!” and God would lift him back up, but as soon as he was on his feet again he would start to run back to the same things that eased his pain before. Repeatedly he would hit bottom again and cry out again and God would lift him back up again and again and again. But that was about to change, something radical was about to happen in his life.

The hopelessness kept building and the darkness got darker he felt time was running out that he was wasting his life away but the more he tried to fix it the more he tried to escape this life the more he realized that he couldn't do it on his own and the more hopeless he became. But that was about to change, something radical was about to happen in his life.

He started to explore this God that he had always cried out to and he found out something that he never knew before. He found out that you can have a relationship with this God and if you could have a relationship with this God that meant that this God was real and if this God was real that meant that there was hope. And this radical fact changed everything. His hope was restored.

 He lifted his hands and said once again “God I will do anything, please save me!” But this time he meant it, he knew that it was real. And God began to take him on a journey. A journey that took him around the world, a journey that broke everything in him, a journey that cleansed him, that gave him passion and worth. A journey that gave him confidence and hope. God gave him the life that he always dreamed of but never could've had on his own.

It hasn't been an easy journey, but I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything. I don’t know where I’ll be going next but I do know one thing, I’ll be going there with hope. "

Stories from the WR

***I met Ruth last October when I went down to Georgia to help with the World Race training camp. She   left for the the World Race in January and spent last month in India! Here is her last blog post (make sure to catch the last paragraph!)***

"I have found my future child.... 

I might have to kidnap him... is that culturally acceptable in India?

We worked at Sarah's Covenant House which is a special needs orphanage for lack of a better term. The kids were seriously so precious. For the first week or so we just did random things around. Planted a flower bed out front... not as easy as you may thing. Definitely had to clear it of trash--- got bit on my finger by a sick bug! We also had to clean out the sewer. When I say we.. I mean daniel and Phil were in it... I was gagging and laughing and doing small jobs around. Judge me... yes, I am mission minded and willing but dude I am not hopping in Indias waste. After a few days we were done with those jobs and we got to hang with the kids. Due to safety reasons.. I cannot release names but this little boy seriously stole my heart. I cannot even explain it. I felt a connection with my kids but not like this. He is such a bright little kid. He was abandoned at birth because he was deaf..broke my heart into peices. SCH took him in and has been nurturing him since. He is 8 years old currently. Once they are 14 they are unable to be adopted ... does that mean to the streets they go? Gets my heart pounding fast. I seriously feel like I am going to adopt him.  Some kids at SCH are able to go to school... due to his lack of hearing, he is not allowed to go. There is no one willing to teach him sign language and translate what is going on around him. He is such a bright little boy and capable of so much.. but the means to push him along just is not there. I know God has big plans for his life and I feel a pull on my heart to make that happen. Whether its adopt him in the next 6 years at some point or if its as simple as learning sign language and coming back and teaching this boy.. I am in. He has been talked about atleast once daily since he left him 10 days ago. Most kids that live at SCH have very special needs that need the intense three on one care. There at baller women who live there year round contantly doing everything possible to make sure these kids are taken care of. Each one of them have 3 kids they are responsible for. They do such a wonderful job and most of the kids will need constant care for probably the rest of their lives... but not my little booboo. He will thrive and will be such a shining light in this world. I just know it. I cannot even wait to see what the Lord has in store for his life... and mine. 

After SCH we peaced out of Ongole and went to a little village a little south of Hyderbad. I was slightly nervous about leaving the city and for real diving into the bush. We stayed in a house that is in the midst of being built! The floor was just ground... the bathroom was a squatty potty-- yes please! Our shower was a bucket-- I may or may not have only showered once. Judge me. Can I just tell you how baller this week has been though? God blew us up with out of control contacts. They were so awesome. Coming into this crazy race I didn't once think about how hard it would be to leave those we got tight with on the countries. This month we have been blown away. We have had home cooked Indian food-- whoever said we would lose a ton of weight on this trip is absolutely wrong! We have been stuffed!!! Even walking down the road, people invite us in for drinks or snacks or full blown meals!... I'm okay with it ;)

In the past 10 days we have got to 27 villages. 3 a day. It has been so intense. Most have never ever heard the name of Jesus. It has been such a time of growth in my life. In each village we have talked to about 100 give or take each time. If my math is correct... we proclaimed the name of Jesus to about 2700 people. Blows my mind how the Lord rescued me from my out of control life and placed me right where He needed me. I feel so overwhelmed and blessed to be where I am. Coming into the village I didnt know how I felt about preaching... that changed super quick. In the beginning I prepared a message and "notes and quotes" but I soon found out that even if I have a huge plan-- the Lord will speak through me and I will not say one thing I planned. Its weird how crazy He is like that.

Last thing. I have never been the charasmatic crazy type of girl.... thank you Lord for showing up anyway. I have seen the craziest things in my life recently. As soon as I prayed this little prayer to the Lord he took it very seriously and has showed up for sure. It went a little like this... "uhh God I don't comprehend this heal the sick raise the dead make the blind see kind of thing... I am just your weak little vessel but Lord if you need me here I am. Forgive my unbelief." Legit 2 minutes later a man we were praying over who had a stroke two years ago and hasn't got off his mat since then got up and walked around!!! Are you freaking kidding me. From there the Lord continued to show his power and the next day I women who had been blind since birth could see!!!!! whatttt. One lady was hunched over and walked over and asked for prayer.. we start praying and yet again my first words are forgive my unbelief... she needed prayer for her back... and her legs. The freakin lady ran off praising the Lord. I felt as though I was in the bible times!!! Another old women said she had demon... naw dawg that stuff creeps me out. We prayed... she started convulsing... and shaking and freakin out.... In Jesus name it was freaking gone and she immediately recieved the Lord. I cannot even tell you everything that has happened. We have seen miracle after miracle. I still don't believe this stuff is happening.... and thats a heart issue I need to deal with. Who am I to think that the Lord won't work through us? Many have come to know Him because of the things he is doing through us. We laugh about how we legitimately don't even know how we are worthy. WE sure are not. But because of his grace he has blown us all away and taken us out of sinking sand and placed us here. Wrapped in his love. Screaming how powerful He is if we freakin give up. You got us Lord. We give up. 

Love you all. " - Check out Ruth's blog HERE!