Dollar Bills

So why raise support?

I think this question is asked a lot of people who are going into the mission field whether it be college campuses around the US or helping orphans in Africa.

Why raise support?
I don't know if there is an easy answer to this question.

I raise support because the organization that I will be working with is a non-profit meaning that they collect no money for the services they provide or the aide that they give to those who need it most.

I raise support because I will not be getting paid by Jericho Ministries even though it is a full-time job.


I raise support so that the women and children that I will be helping can take back their lives and know Jesus Christ.

But mainly I raise support because it increases my dependence on God and shows me how much He will provide for me.
I call God my Father, my provider and yet so often I don't believe that He will provide for my needs. I think "well what if God doesn't come through on this one...how will I do it all on my own?"
Anyone who has ever had to raise funds for a mission trip can tell you that it is incredibly faith-stretching. I am committing to be a full-time ministry with no benefits and no pay and am trusting that the Lord will provide people to support me.

By raising support, I can travel to Honduras, pay for my room/board, purchase health insurance, and give some money back to the ministry so that they can continue to help those who do not have the means to help themselves.



Why raise support?
There's one other reason that I raise support. I raise support to give others a chance to be a "missionary" and to have their faith stretched. We are not all called to do missions in another country, but we are called to share the blessings that God has given us with one another.

If you would like to join my financial support team, I'd love to have you!

~Katie

Do You Want To Get Well?

Today I was reading in the book of John and came across a verse that I had read before so many times but today it really jumped out at me.

The verse is found in John Chapter 5 where Jesus is in Jerusalem and meets an invalid who is waiting to be healed. This particular man had been waiting 38 years to be healed. And Jesus simply asks him "do you want to get well?" (John 5:6)

"Do you want to get well?"
6 words that say it all. Of course this man is going to respond "YES! I want to get well" Why wouldn't he? Why wouldn't this invalid man want to live a life that is free from an ailing body?
And yet, he comes up with excuses instead. "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me" answers the man.

This is my life to a T. So often I allow myself to wallow in my own self pity. Or I become so obsessed with a new fad that I cannot seem to pull myself out of it, even when it leads me to sin. I allow myself to come up with excuse after excuse. "I'll have a quiet time tomorrow"..."Everyone else is doing it"..."It's too hard"..."I don't have enought time"...etc, etc, etc.

Do you want to get well?

Of course I want to get well. Of course I want to live a life that is glorifying to God. Of course I want to be free from sin.


Do you want to get well?
What if getting well means having to end a bad relationship?
What if it means sacrificing sleep so that I can get up early to pray and worship?
What if it means that I have to deny my desires?
What if it means that I have to humble myself and admit my weakness?
Do I really want to do all of that to be well again?

Getting well means that I have to confess my sin and turn from it. I waste so much time and energy being bitter, or avoiding situations, or trying to pretend that what I'm doing is ok. And I can't see how sick and weak it is making me spiritually.
The invalid in the story wasted 38 years...how much time have I wasted?

And then Jesus commands the invalid "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." And just like that the invalid is healed. Jesus gives the command but the invalid makes the decision to get up and believe.

Jesus does the same for us. He died for us and he commands that we live according to the will of his Father. But it is our job to take our mats: our lives, our gifts, our relationships, and do something with them.

Do you want to get well?
What's holding you back?

Fall in Pictures

A few weeks ago, my friend Jill and I went on an adventure around Eau Claire to take pictures and say goodbye. This is one of the signs outside Hibbard Hall (where the majority of my classes were during school).




Here's a picture of the Senior women at the Campus Crusade Fall Retreat. It was my fifth year at Fall Retreat and I have really grown to love these women.



This was my Spanish III class at Osseo-Fairchild High School. There were only 10 students in the class, but we had a lot of fun. It was a hard transition to move into a new school in Eau Claire after such a great experience at Osseo-Fairchild.

December alreday?

Honestly, I do not know where November went. The month flew by!

So what has changed in my life?

Well to start things off, my roommate and I have moved. After trying very hard to find sub-leasers, we were successful! They wanted to move in on December 1st. We were so desperate to find someone to take it that we agreed. And then a family from Katie's church invited us to live with them!
We officially moved in on November 30th and it has been such a blessing so far. We share a room and a bathroom, get to participate in family meals and have a warm house to come home to at the end of the day. This especially has been great for me seeing as that I've been fighting off a nasty little cold the past few days and it feels like I'm back at home!

In other news, I'm at 18% so far for support. It has been difficult to put 100% effort into raising support since I'm student teaching from 7am-3:30 pm every day, working part time at Scheels, leading a bible study, and trying to have a social life! 18% is a great place to be and it's really challenging me to put all of my trust in the Lord. I know that He has called me to Honduras and He will provide for me.

Plan, plan, plan

I am a planner. I always have been, and although college has done a number on how much I plan/worry about planning, I believe that I always will be.

I was talking to my friend Sarah about this the other night. We like to plan. We like to know what we should do first, second, etc. and we like to know at the end of the day that our future is somewhat figured out. I don't believe that this is putting God in a box at all. I 100% believe that He created me to be a little more organized than my friends. I know that He uses my "plans" to tweak my future.
I believe this so much that I had it tattooed on my foot.

Yes I have a tattoo. On the instep of my right foot is a little footprint and the reference to Proverbs 16:9. This verse simply reads "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."
Over the past two years, this verse has helped me remember that it is all right for me to dream. It is ok for me to have hopes and ambitions and to pursue them. It is fine if I make plans for myself....

...as long as I write in pencil.

Because the other thing that my tattoo reminds me is that the Lord is still in TOTAL CONTROL of my steps. He directs my life. I can go ahead and pick my "end points" but that doesn't mean that I will arrive there as I had planned, or that I'll arrive at them at all.

If you had asked me a year ago what my plans were after graduation, it would have gone a little something like this:
"Well I don't really know where I'm going to go or what I'm going to do but I really want to teach English as a Second Language and maybe travel during the summer."

Little did I know that I'd be teaching English in Honduras and that my "travel in the summer" would be traveling back home to visit my family and friends here! I never would have chosen this specific path for my life because I wasn't opening my eyes to that possibility. That's why it's so much better for the Lord to be in control of my life...He can see the big picture!

It is comforting to know that the Lord is looking out for me and my plans. He gives me the freedom to dream and hope and wish and plan, but in the end He watches over my steps and directs my feet and my heart. And I put all my trust in Him because He promises that His plan for our lives is so much better than anything that we could plan for ourselves.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
-Jeremiah 29:11

One Pure and Holy Passion

Last night at our weekly meeting we sang a beautiful song and I can't get the lyrics out of my head.
It's called "One Pure and Holy Passion" and it is a prayer up to God that He would give us one passion, one ambition, one obsession in our lives that will draw us closer to Him. How beautiful it is to know that if we really open our lives up to the Lord, if we really desire to follow Him, then He will direct our lives and will give us a passion that we can follow.

This is an encouraging song for me, because the past few years I have always wondered where the Lord would call me after college, what my purpose would be on this Earth. And He replied by giving me a passion for the Spanish language, a passion for the world, and a passion for adolescents. So what better place to be than in Honduras!?

Later in the song is states "this world is empty, pale, and poor compared to knowing you my Lord". WOW. It's so true. No matter how "happy" we are with our lives, if we don't have a deep relationship with Christ, it is empty and void of true living.

It really makes me question what I'm living for. Am I living for my paycheck? Am I living for the next "big adventure"? Am I living for a husband, a family? Or am I truly living for Christ? Because if I'm not living for Him everyday, then my world is empty, pale and cold. And who would want to live that way?

Urgency

Welcome to the first day of fall!

Fall is my favorite season in Wisconsin because of the weather, the colors and all the activities like football, corn mazes, and being outside.

But I was reminded today at just how fast time is going. I am starting my 4th week of student teaching and October is just around the corner. Thinking about how fast time is flying has caused me to stop and think about what lies ahead at the end of this semester.

I will finish up my student teaching January 22nd and then sometime in early February I hope to hop on a plane to Honduras. However, classes end December 18th for the University students so my friends and the girls in my bible study will be heading home in 3 months.
That means only 12 more bible studies to pour into these girls. Only 11 more Saturdays to hang out and catch up on life. Only 11 more Sundays to bring them to church. Only 11 more weeks for me to really teach these women what it means to follow Christ.

Now that's it's broken down like that, my sense of urgency increases. I want to impart my wisdom onto the young sophomore women that I lead. And I want to encourage and uplift my fellow leaders before I leave this University, this city, and this country!

But this also makes me stop and think about the urgency in this world. As Christians, we are living on borrowed time. We do not know when we will die, but we also do not know when Christ will return. Because I don't know any of this, I want to be living every day to its fullest. Telling people about Christ and what He has done in my life. I want to be living out God's will for my life EACH AND EVERY DAY that I am on this Earth.

Are we truly living each day with a sense of urgenc? What is preventing us from living every day as if Christ were coming tomorrow?

Teacher for a Day

The reason that I didn't just stay in Honduras is that I had to come back to UW-Eau Claire and finish my last semester. Since I am an education major, that means a semester student teaching.

Today was my first day at Osseo-Fairchild Middle/High School and I thought I would share a few of my thoughts from throughout the day.

7:45 AM~ Is it too early to be drinking Diet Coke? And if I'm already caffeinating myself before the students even get here, what am I going to be like at the end of the day?

8:15 AM~ A student walks in and asks a question to Miss Hutjens. It takes me a while to figure out that she is talking to me!

11:30 AM~ Bringing a lunch to school every day is going to be difficult for me. Especially when I'm used to eating between college classes...trying to get back into the High School routine is hard after I've been spoiled by a college schedule.

12:45 PM~ SURPRISE! One of our periods was double booked...at this point I'm thanking God that I have a CT (Cooperating Teacher) to take care of that problem.

2:04 PM~ My Spanish IV class shows up. There are three of them. I think this will be fun, until they fly through all the activities I had planned. (Note to self: plan harder activities that take longer)

2:48 PM~ I'm watching 7 kids in Study Hall. Three of them are sleeping on the floor. I wish I could do the same...a nap sound so great right about now. (I think the Diet Coke wore off about 3 hours ago)

Those are the thoughts directly from my mind. My friend Jill stopped by on Monday night and we got to talking about what we were going to wear to school for the first day. We agreed that we have to be super careful or the kids will "tear us apart" (Jill's words, not mine). Who would have thought I'd be self-conscious going back to High School again?! I guess every experience is a learning opportunity!

Putting it all together

After reading the two previous posts, you may be wondering "how did Katie end up in Honduras?" Great question!

It all starts when I was 5 years old. Every Sunday in church we would pray for "Betsy Hake and her missionary work in Honduras". That was all I knew about the ministry. That some lady that I didn't know was a missionary (a concept I really didn't grasp yet) in a country that I had never heard of. Regardless of this, I faithfully said the prayer every Sunday.

Jump ahead about 15 years to my study abroad experience in Spain. My roommate, Abby was also a Christian and had also grown up in a church that prayerfully and financially supported Betsy and Jericho Ministries. During a late night talk Abby suggested that I go visit Betsy down in Honduras for a summer. It seemed like a good enough idea so I decided to spend a month down in Tegucigalpa during the summer of 2008.

That summer was such a fantastic experience and as soon as I arrived back in the US, I started praying that the Lord would call me back to Honduras for another summer. It took a lot of patience, but the Lord answered my prayers and I was able to return to Honduras for nearly seven weeks this summer. This time, my experience was a little more difficult and I constantly called upon the Lord for help, peace, joy, and patience. Although it was a difficult summer in some ways, it was a huge growing process for me in other senses.

At the end of my seven weeks I began feeling the Lord calling me to another stint with Jericho Ministries, this time for a little longer. There have been many confirmations through scripture, dreams, nudging of the Spirit, and the blessings of those that I respect and look up to. This being said, I am spending the rest of 2009 student teaching, wrapping up things at school, and preparing for a 2-year commitment with Jericho Ministries!

I never would have guessed that I would be taking on a missionary role when I graduated from college but this is where the Lord would have me, at least for a while anyways.

I think this semester is going to be a roller coaster of emotions as I begin to pack up my life at Eau Claire and in the US, say goodbye to friends and family, and run with no regrets towards the wonderful plan that my Father has laid out for me.

Jericho Ministry

If you read my last post, I didn't give many details about the ministry or the my role down there. So let me introduce Jericho Ministry to you.

Jericho began in 1997 with a missionary named Betsy Hake (originally from Wisconsin). She had been working with a missionary organization in Honduras when she felt a call to reach out to the women trapped in prostitution. As these women came to put their faith in Jesus, Betsy and others taught them skills so that they could find jobs to support their families.

Since then the ministry has grown immensly. The staff of Jericho still spend time out on the streets witnessing to women and telling them how they can radically change their lives by trusting in Jesus Christ. Jericho also runs a school in Tegucigalpa (K-12) for at-risk or low-income students. Here the students learn basic curriculum, have English classes, and learn of Christ's love for them.

In February 2008 another Jericho dream was realized when a group of Jericho staff women moved into the Villa up in the mountains. The Villa is 1 1/2 hours from the capital city and serves as a place that women can go for a year to get away from the temptations of the city. It includes apartments for the women and their children, a big house with rooms for teaching and a ton of land for future projects.

When I was out at the Villa, there were no women, rather 11 kids whose parents had either died or who were not able to care for them. These precious children are being raised at the Villa under the care of three wonderful Jericho staff.

But Jericho is not done growing yet. The next dream is to buy a house in Tegucigalpa called the House of Jewels. This house will be for adolescent girls who need to be in a loving household and Christian environment.

It has been such a blessing to work with this ministry the past two summers and I am overjoyed that the Lord has called me back to Jericho for the next few years of my life.


A picture of some of the kids at Jericho school.


Out for a hike with the kids from the Villa. (You can see the Villa in the background)

An outside look of the Villa

Welcome

I am excited to be blogging again, and hopeful that this blog will last longer than a month (I am working on increasing my attention span).

Quick introductions: My name is Katie and I am a 22 year-old student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. This fall I will be in my last semester in the education program which means that I will be student teaching in a middle school Spanish classroom.

After spending two summers volunteering with a ministry in Honduras, I feel the Lord calling me to full time missions work. This means that after graduation I will be raising support, packing my bags, and moving to Honduras to work with Jericho Ministries. I am so excited to begin this new adventure in my life and follow where the Lord leads me. Thanks for reading my blog and joining me in this leap of faith.