Hello again Family and Friends!

My excitement is truly beginning to well up! In about 2 weeks I’ll be boarding a plane and heading to Poipet for 2 weeks of on-the-ground ministry to the precious people of Cambodia; in particular, children who have been rescued out of a life of human trafficking.

In these last few days, I would love to extend an invitation to all of you to join my support team!

First, and most importantly, I would ask for all of you to keep myself and the entire team in prayer. The work we will be doing is going to be tedious both physically and spiritually. Culturally, things will be completely different than they are here in Canada and we will need grace to transition into the climate well. This is also a first-time project for XP in Poipet, so the adventure will need prayer!

Another way for you to support me in this effort is through a financial donation! I have just over 50% of the entire costs for the trip covered and I am believing I will have the rest of it by the end of this week, due in part to your generous donation. At this point, I’m looking for $1000.00 to come in and have already received $100.00 so I believe this is doable!

If you would like to partner with me in this endeavor, there are a few ways to do so. If you would prefer to donate online, follow this link to my blog and locate the button on the bottom of my page. It will take you to Paypal and allow you to make an electronic donation. If you’d like to donate in any other way, please Email, Facebook message or give me a call and we can arrange for you to do so.

Please note that because of the nature of this trip, donations are not tax-refundable.

Thank you all in advance for your support in any way, shape or form. I’m looking forward to updating you all while in Cambodia and when I get back. Great things are on their way!

Massive Blessings!

I've decided to resurrect this blog of mine to update all of you, friends and family, on the current and future endeavors and adventures the Lord is taking me on! One such opportunity is a Missions Trip in just under a month!

As the title suggests, I'm going to Cambodia! I'm super excited about this opportunity and tangible expression of a dream that's been in my heart for many years.

Let me give you a little bit of history/back story. Over the past 5-7 years, the Lord has really placed the issue of justice on my heart. One of the more pressing issues on my heart is that of Human Trafficking.

There are over 27 million slaves on the planet today; more than any other time in history. An estimated 1.2 million of those slaves are children. In Cambodia, as many as one third of trafficking victims in prostitution are children.

Knowing this information, and having an increasing awareness of the Lord's heart for the oppressed, I knew that one day I wanted to be the practical extension of my intercession.

After many months and years of searching for an organization with the same heart that I had to see victims of human trafficking both rescued and restored, and also to see the nations of the earth transformed by the gospel of the Kingdom, I came across XP Missions and their work in Cambodia.

Operation Justice Cambodia is a mission committed to partnering with the Lord to see His justice established in Cambodia through intercession, evangelism, mercy ministries, raising funds, and justice missions. The ultimate mission is to see Human Trafficking abolished in Cambodia as a nation, and more specifically in the town of Poipet.

Poipet is a town on the Cambodia/Thailand border. Because of it's location, it is also a mainline to traffic individuals between the two nations and then move them to different nations in the earth.

I will be with a team of volunteers on the ground in Poipet from May 13-27. While there, we will be doing a variety of activities and ministries including ministry to the children in the villages and those who have been rescued out of the sex trade, to those in the HIV and TB health clinics, sharing the gospel with the villages, and many other activities.

Over the next couple days, I'll be posting some more information about this exciting opportunity and some ways that you can partner with and support me as I head out. Check back on this blog, Follow Me on Twitter or check my Facebook for more updates!

What good is it to gain the whole world, but lose your soul?
What good is it to make a sweet sound, but remain proud?
In view of God’s mercies, I offer my all

And take my life, let it be everything, all of me
Here I am, use me for Your glory
In everything I say and do, let my life honor You
Here I am living for Your glory

The road I’m on it leads nowhere without You
And the life I live it finds meaning in surrender
In view of God’s mercies, I offer my all

Seeking first the Kingdom
Seeking first the Kingdom of my Lord

-Tim Hughes

I don't usually paste songs to my blog but this one's been my prayer as of late

My answer to that question is YES!

It's been a ghost town around these parts and I hope you accept my sincerest apologies :-) Life definitely took over and I haven't carved out any time to maintain this puppy.

In brief, the aforementioned life has again taken a crazy curve ball so check this out every now and then for some updates. It appears that things are going to change up again fairly quickly.

But to keep you up to speed, my first stint in Toronto is approaching it's end and I'll be heading back to Winniflood City in a few days to spend the summer. Toronto folk - I'm gonna miss you guys TONS. Winnipeg Folk - I'm excited to see you guys as I have been missing you guys TONS.

So don't expect anything else on here until I arrive back in Winnipeg, but once there, I shall revisit this page and update!

Warning! Random regurgitation of the thoughts in my head right now! You have been warned:-)

My heart's been under construction for a long time. And like Winnipeg's second season, I think it will forever be under construction!

I've never really been great at articulating the thoughts and changes in my heart in blog format, nor, if I had the ability, would I really want to! However, there's been so many changes over the past couple months, which half-way explains my silence around here.

This has been a time for me of confronting the wrong thoughts/views I have towards God. It's also been a time of coming face to face with those things which I say I believe about Him but don't truly believe at the heart level as yet.

But little by little, everyday, there's a new facet of God that I've yet to discover, or am in need of rediscovering in order to truly believe it. I'm realizing just how transcendent He truly is over all I can think or imagine. I'm understanding that He is totally other than anything and everything. The highest heavens can't contain Him yet He's chosen my heart as His dwelling place....

One of the greatest mystery's is what many people around the world supposedly celebrated yesterday (it's 4 in the morning but I'm still considering today Dec. 26th).

The reason for the season is that the infinite, transcendent, holy God of all the universe, humbled Himself and took on human flesh. The Creator became acquainted with our suffering and weaknesses and came in the form of a helpless baby; the created.

As I said, I'm terrible at articulating the thoughts of my heart. The reality of this mystery awakens my heart to sheer joy :-D. God SO loved the world that He sent the Son, the Beloved second Person of the Trinity, who left His throne of glory and came as a man, taking on the form of a bond servant; all for the sake of love! He did it for you, He did it for me!

I've spent the last couple days just meditating on the incarnation, seeking to have a deeper revelation of it on the heart level. And not just to wrap my head around it, but to get a greater revelation of the width, the length, the depth and the height of His love.

This hymn speaks such truths and it's one of my favorites.

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Is it really a wonder why we love Him?

Those of you who know me, know I have asthma that gets severe every now and then. Usually it leaves me in hospital for a couple days, but sometimes I'm able to avoid it.

On Thursday I had a scratchy throat (which is usually the first sign that one's coming on). I don't know why, but every time it happens I secretly hope it's just a cold and that I can ax it with some cough medication and cough drops. So I tried that and as usual it didn't work. I then started taking my puffers and hoping for the best.

Determined to not go to the hospital I waited it out and dealt with shallow breathing for a couple days. Sometimes it would go away a bit, other times it would become a bit more severe. I woke up this morning with little-to-no breathing, and any breathing I made sounded like an old-school kettle. I finally decided to stop avoiding the inevitable, to use the wisdom God's given me and made my way to emergency. It was so odd to be there and to not have my mum by my side answering all the questions, especially being in Toronto (I missed her!)I made it through and by the grace of God only waited at the hospital for about 1 1/2 hours. I saw a doctor, she checked me out and determined I did NOT need to be admitted (Woot!). She gave me some meds, and prescribed some more for home, and sent me on my way.

It sounded reasonable enough until I was getting ready to go the pharmacist a couple hours ago. I was doing calculations in regards to how much it would cost. when it equaled out to about $120 dollars or so, I almost cried! I realize that's not that much, but when you're a broke student, it changes everything. However, God's got my back and He wouldn't leave me in my depression :-)

Firstly, my parents had me covered from the beginning. Praise Him for them :-) But then I remembered the insurance plan that I paid for with school. So I went to check out the plan and what it covered.

Prescription Drugs: 90% covered

90%!!!!!

I only paid $12 for the medications.And it wasn't even my $12! What a blessing indeed. I'm living in the favor of God!

So in the midst of this stupid attack, there's so many things to be thankful for.

1. Thank God that Canada's health care is still a free system.
2. Thank God that our health plans carry over provinces and I still don't have to pay even though I'm not a resident of Ontario.
3. Thank God for incredible parents.
4. Thank God for my awesome sister who drove me to the hospital before work.
5. Thank God for competent people to make proper diagnoses and take proper actions to help us :-)
6. Thank God for health insurance from my school for the incredible coverage!
7. Thank God I'm still alive and breathing when I very well could not have.

Every time I have one of these attacks, that last statement usually makes me think lots. In general, none of us know when our last breath is. When you know your breathing is shallow and stops every now and then...it's a little bit scary. But He's faithful and even when problems arise, I know He's got my back ;-).

Anywho, here is the ridiculous dosages that inspired my facebook status...

Asthma pills - 10 at once daily for 5 days. Afterwards, reducing the pills by two tablets daily for another 5 days.
Puffer #1 - 4 puffs, twice daily.
Puffer #2 - 2 puffs, four times daily.
Puffer #3 - 2 puffs, twice daily
Tylenol - whenever my head is pounding from all the spinning regarding said medications.

It's a lot for someone who's used to very little meds, but I'll get through. It's all worth it eventually, right?

So there's my random day. And that's a quick little list of things to be thankful for. There's tons more to add, but for that specific situation, there's no reason to ever be offended :-)

Give thanks to the Lord, our God and King.
His love endures forever!

Blessings!

This question burns in my heart....

Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing?