The World Race - Tara Reed

World Race 2009 Video

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This is the Video from the World Race 2009.

Enjoy and thanks for your support!

Love and prayers, Tara Reed

FAITH

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

FAITH

There is a scripture (and a song) that says faith can move mountains. I believe it.

(Jesus said) I tell you the truth, if you have FAITH as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." -Matthew 17:20

FAITH is so incredible and essential.
        I wouldn't go to Heaven without FAITH. "Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by FAITH we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our FAITH, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory" (Romans 5:1-2).
   I would be purposeless and have no direction without FAITH. " It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised, he lived there by FAITH- for he was like a foreigner, living in tents" (Hebrews 11: 8-9).
      God has called me to step out in FAITH and go on the JULY 2010 WORLD RACE. Like Abraham, I don't know where I am going, but I will live by FAITH. This is the "Secret" or "Unknown" Trip, but we do have clues about where we are going. Like:

HAITI

CAMBODIA

TURKEY

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

MOZAMBIQUE

and ROMANIA !!!!

I am so honored that God has called me to the mission field again. We will be living by FAITH and in LOVE. Please pray as I begin to prepare: culture and language study, fundraising, time with God, and weight-training to rebuild my body after the accident.

Thank you all for your constant support!!!!

Leaving Mount Sinai

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Like He did with Moses, the Lord has taken me through QUITE A JOURNEY. All over the States and Mexico growing up; the Dominican Republic, Peru, Central America, Ireland and Romania after High School. I've been disobedient to the Lord at times, and gone ALL OUT for Him other times. From the Amazon Jungle to The Strip in Vegas, the Lord has been with me THROUGH IT ALL. On September 26, 2009, "He reached down from Heaven and rescued me" (Psalm 18:16). As I fell from a 3rd story balcony in Romania, God decided to SAVE and CHANGE His Beloved Daughter's life.

The Romanian Hospital= My Mount Sinai (time where God met me, was intimate with me,spoke to me and changed me)

I am a new person, I feel like I have a new birthday 9/26/09. And it is all because of God. He changed my focus from me to HIM. He is the creator of the Universe, King of Kings, Lover of My Soul, and so much MORE. Life is about HIM and exists because of HIM.

As, I am back in my home state of ARIZONA, I still feel like I am on MOUNT SINAI. Time with Jesus.

There is nothing more worthy of our time than God.

Some people say this was a time in the wilderness; a detour. Others feel bad for the tragedy. But I am just blessed to be alive and have time with God as He trains me for more ADVENTURE to come.

I GOT WHAT I PRAYED FOR: fear of God and trust in Him. So I have been obedient and waiting for confirmation on WHAT to do NEXT.

AND IT CAME. It came through HIS WORD, HIS VOICE, and HIS PEOPLE. Go to Europe, Go to the ends of the earth. Be obedient. Have faith. Follow the Spirit's leading. Trust God. Heal. Speak. Love. Pray. Lead. Study. Cry. Dance. Listen. Fight.

I feel God pushing me to MOVE FORWARD and FIGHT FOR HIS KINGDOM, the same way He told Moses.

"You have stayed at this mountain long enough. It is time to break camp and move on." Deuteronomy 1:6

(Read and Exodus and the beginning of Deuteronomy to understand more thoroughly)

I HAVE BEEN IN BONDAGE IN EGYPT. (high school and college mistakes, sins, etc)

I HAVE BEEN IN THE WILDERNESS. (times of spiritual dryness, pain, and unknown)

I HAVE BEEN TO MOUNT SINAI. (the hospital to the present)

and now I must be obedient, and fight to GO INTO THE PROMISED LAND. (my destiny)

I am with God. I will fight for His Kingdom. Where HE LEADS I will Follow (Lord, Help me!)

THE WORLD RACE 2010

Can you give up what you want?

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

There is nothing like looking over your life and seeing God change you into a new person,and you have nothing to do with it. These last couple months have been such a crazy adventure with the Lord. That is what happens when you let God lead.

Before, I had a pretty good life. I had tons of fun. I got in trouble. I helped alot of people. I hurt a lot of people. I got burned out. I loved God. I loved doing what I wanted. I made good decisions. I made stupid decisions. I fell down. I got back up. I shared God's love with people. I let the world influence me. I trusted God a little, I trusted myself a lot. I did everything. I ran my life.

I did what I wanted and asked God to bless it.

84 days ago, that changed completely.

I know that it took me falling off a 3rd story balcony to change that.

What will God have to do to change you?

I'm not saying this to scare you or guilt trip you.

I'm not saying to show you how I'm changed and everything is good now.

I'm saying this to encourage you:

Life is better when God is leading.

I look back at the first 21 years of my life.

It was good life but it wasn't full life.

We didn't create the world,

so we don't know how life was meant to be.

God does.

Living life led by God is fun, and how life is meant to be.

He calls us to obey Him; Not to take the fun out of life, but to bring the fun into life. A life with NO Regrets!!!

A life led by God is the best! It is hard, fun, painful at times, requires obedience, patience and humility. You are constantly loving and you are constantly fighting. But life has true meaning. You make an eternal difference and you do what you are created to do. I'm reminded how Paul explains how true disciples of God don't have the easiest lives. "Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution"- 2 Timothy 3:12. but thank God that He is on our side giving us the desire and the power to do what's right.

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." - Philippians 2:13

How amazing that we don't have to sit around and hope our life has meaning or hope we do God's will. God helps us!!

So now, I humbly come before you asking you to let God lead. I had to learn the hard way, and I don't want that for you.

Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing

- I Kings 18:21

It's simple but not easy- It comes down to sacrifice.
Follow God or Follow You.

Can you give up what you want so you can allow God to lead?

A life not led by God is tiring and empty.

Let God show you the way.

I'm learning how to chose God,

each moment, each day.

It's hard but it is the adventurous life we were meant to live!!

In-N-Out

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mom and I were at IN-N-OUT Burger the other day- Yes, another perk of being home in the United States. We were eating before we went to my friend Jasmine's basketball game. One thing led to another and we ended up talking to this lady. She had asked why I was limping and we began talking about The World Race and many other things. At one point in the conversation Mom and I looked at each other because we knew we were going to be late for the game and we decided this sweet lady was more important. We continued to let Cori share her heart and troubles and just minister to her. We ended up being late to Jasmine's game, but it was worth it. God wanted us to be with Cori at that time and I was still able to see Jasmine play. During the game, I kept thinking about all the times I have lived my life going IN-N-OUT. Rushing from one thing to the next. Living by my own agenda and not leaving room for anything. I thanked God for letting me see this opportunity but prayed I would continue to be aware of these opportunities. That I would continue to be led by the Spirit rather than my own agenda. In Galatians 5 it talks about freedom in Christ. Do we use our freedom to love others or destroy others? Are we led by the Spirit or the flesh? Verse 25 says, "Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." I pray that the Holy Spirit leads you to many people and many wonderful opportunities.
Don't just be IN-N-OUT, take time to invest into people. Love.

Galatians 5:14 "For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself."

Quick update: I am alive. I am home for the holidays. I saw the orthopedic surgeon in Phoenix and he said everything was healing well and I can throw out the crutches. Praise God, I can walk on my own! I am thankful for many things. I am continuing with physical therapy at L.A. Fitness. I am enjoying my time alone with the Lord, so if you have any prayer needs, let me know.

I don't know what the future holds but am continuing to seek God's leading.

I am so blessed by all your prayers and support. I love the body of Christ. God is so Good.

May you feel God's love and hear His voice each moment.

Back to the Battlefield.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Was I ready to leave Romania? No.

Did I leave ? Yes.

Yes, I was excited to go home and see my friends and family and for the ministry there but I didn't want to leave Romania. I felt like leaving Romania would mean leaving my heart behind. Leaving my family here and this amazing community. Leaving the beautiful place where the leaves actually change colors. Leaving the place where I grew so much with God. Leaving a life of walking by faith and trusting only in God. If I went back home, I would go back to the life of trusting myself rather than God. Filling my life with ministries rather than being led by the Spirit. That could happen. But God has called me to a different life than that, abundant life. Now is the test. I am heading back home. Leaving training camp. Heading to the battlefield (i would have never thought of phoenix as the battlefield before, it was always some other country).

Can I walk it out? Can I live it at home? With God's help, Yes.

God. You are the king of all. You are good. My life is in your hands. Thank you for saving me. God, please help me as I go home to keep my eyes on you and to be led by you. Please speak loud to me. Let me be obedient. May your kingdom come to Phoenix, AZ an your will be done in Phoenix, AZ!!! I love you.

As I sat in the airport in Poland. I thought over the past three months in Romania...no...almost 6 months since I left the States. I have been on the World Race for over 5 months. Living a life of complete dependence on God. Why stop now? I think over the great times in Guatemala: The hard work we did and the kids we played with. Marco and Ana and the waterfalls. Learning to listen to God. I think about Nicaragua: Learning to let God lead. The church. The youth group and kids. Dancing around the bonfire and singing to God in victory. Planting Rice. The beach. My heart is still there. I think about Ireland: Learning to pray and then act. Camping and the cliffs of Moher. Praying with Rachel. I think about Transylvania. Learning to serve in different ways and wait for God. Tata and Mamarita. Sanda. Tootsie and John. Planting the church. Tearing down and building the wall. Prayer walking. The lake. I think about Bucarest: Learning to fear God and listen to Him. Sharing love in the park. Climbing apple trees. Orphans. Ana. Dance Parties. Tears. I think of Brasov: Getting a heart for intercession. Letting go of myself and learning to trust God. On my face before God. Paragliding. Praying all night. Winning the dance competition. I think of the Hospital: finally getting that life is not about me. God is good and focus on him. Trusting Him. Realizing He answers my prayers. Spending time with mom. Soaking up God's word. Loving on the nurses. Singing and laughing with Ciprian. I think about the Popa House: Learning how to receive love. Seeing the body of Christ work. Child-like faith. Seeing the leaves change colors. Enjoying the park and swimming pool. Family.

I am so incredibly thankful for every single experience and person I met. I cry just thinking of how much God blessed me and took care of me. During the world race so far, I did many fun things and established many incredible relationships that I will never forget. But the best thing about the past five months was watching God change my heart from being focused on living MY LIFE and doing MY WORLD RACE to being WITH GOD and being LED BY THE SPIRIT. I am so excited for what is next. I know many of you who God has done this to and others who He is going to do it to. Leave me a comment or email me at tarareed@cox.net if you have prayer requests. God has given me a huge heart for prayer and I love to know how to specifically pray for you!!! The Adventure with God continues. Please pray for me as I am Home. Satan will attack, but I have the victory because of God. Pray I continue to be with God and be led by the Spirit.

Mom and I made it home safe. We were greeted by a tunnel of my friends and family chanting "Tara".

Seriously, it was the most amazing thing ever! I could barely speak because it was so emotional. So many hugs and kisses.

This is my support system. Faithful prayer warriors. My Family.

I am so blessed.

Everyone needs a Tati

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The doorbell rings and the girls drop what they are doing and run full speed toward the front door. "Tati, Tati!!!" they yell. (Tati is Romanian for "daddy"). The door opens and they leap on him. He lets go of his briefcase and embraces the girls. They laugh and hug as they walk to the living room. Lexi and Noami are both talking at the same time telling him about their day and take turns jumping on him. They wrestle for a while. The next time I look up, Naomi is on her dad's shoulders brushing his hair. I can't help but laugh. They are as close to their dad as possible and stay that way until they are forced to go to bed. Daniela, the oldest, waits her turn patiently. As soon as the girls go to bed, she sits in her fathers arms on the couch. Sometimes, they are talking, and other times just sitting together.

This is what happens almost every night in the Popa House. The presence of their father changes everything. Everyone needs a father. But not everyone has a good father. A good earthly father that is, but we all have a good heavenly father. A father who is crazy about us. A father whose love is unconditional. A father who is always there. The father we need.

Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. -Ephesians 1:4-7.

**For those of you who have heard this before, I encourage you to read it again. We can never hear too much truth and we can always hear more about God's love and all He has done for us.

So how do we get to become a child of God? (the God who created the universe. The God who is so loving and forgiving that He set us free) The answer: FAITH. Galatians 3:26 says, "For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

So all we need is faith? Yep, Ephesians 2:4-9 says, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

We are free from sin. "But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir." Galatians 4:4-7

And free from the punishment of sin. In fact, we get eternal life. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life is Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

What now?? Live in Love. "We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world." (I John 4:16-17).

We have victory. "But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world." (I John 4:4).

God's mercy saved my physical life about 7 weeks ago. God's sacrifice wiped my sins away. God's grace saved my soul years ago. God's love makes life worth living. This is the most important thing in the world and I thank you for reading.

You now have a couple options.

(1) Put your faith in God and His son Jesus Christ (if you have not done it already). Accept His love. Ask Him to forgive your sins and give you eternal life. Thank Him. He saved you, set you free and gives you purpose and everything you need. Pray to God and tell Him all that. Next, live up to what you say. Live for Him. Live in Love.

(2) Quit living life your own way and giving half of your heart to God. You are robbing yourself (and letting satan rob you) of abundant life. Jesus Christ did not die on the cross just so we could go to heaven. He died so we could have the best life on this earth. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Jesus says in John 10:10. Decide to come back to God's love. Trust Him and let Him lead you.

(3) If putting your faith in Christ does not really relate to you, just keep living how you are. Keep trusting in what you are trusting. It is a decent and mediocre life. It works. Things are just fine. Living for the moment. Temporary happiness. Being a good person. Everything will work out in the end. I would be lying if I told you it will all work out. It wont. You are selling yourself short and not able to experience true love or life. Get something that lasts. Get some Jesus. He will satisfy you. We all need him. Everyone needs a TATI !!!

S.O.S.

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This Video is dedicated to all the staff at the EuroClinic. Thanks for being there when I called you. S.O.S.

**Acest video este dedicat personalului Euroclinic. Multumesc ca ati fost acolo cand om avut necoie

After 35 days, I left the Hospital. Fresh Cold Air in Bucarest!!! I was taken to the Popa's house where I will be living for the next two weeks (then Mom and I fly to Phoenix the 13th). What a blessing when Mom and I walked into our new home:

What an amazing family. We are so blessed to be here. I had a lovely dinner (thai curry with different toppings) with the family and some students of Bucarest Christian Academy. We had a great time. It has been fun to spend time with the girls (in order from left to right in the picture), Lexi, Noami, and Daniela. We made some peanut butter chocolate chip and M&M cookies!!! Yum. God knows how much I love baking and cookies. I am so thankful.

PSALM 23 (A Psalm of David.)

    ¹The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
    ²He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
    ³He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.
    ⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I fear no evil, for You are with me;
         Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
    ⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;You have anointed my head with oil;
         My cup overflows.
    ⁶Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life,
         And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalmi 23

¹(O cntare a lui David.) Domnul este Păstorul meu: nu voi duce lipsă de nimic.

²El mă paşte n păşuni verzi, şi mă duce la ape de odihnă;

³mi nviorează sufletul, şi mă povăţuieşte pe cărări drepte, din pricina Numelui Său.

⁴Chiar dacă ar fi să umblu prin valea umbrei morţii, nu mă tem de niciun rău, căci Tu eşti cu mine. Toiagul şi nuiaua Ta mă mngie.

⁵Tu mi ntinzi masa n faţa protivnicilor mei; mi ungi capul cu untdelemn, şi paharul meu este plin de dă peste el.

⁶Da, fericirea şi ndurarea mă vor nsoţi n toate zilele vieţii mele, şi voi locui n Casa Domnului pnă la sfrşitul zilelor mele.

Because of God, I have truly have not been in Want. God has provided. It is amazing what happens when we quit trying to control everything and make things happen. God takes care of us. I have had time to sit back and spend time listening to God and praying for what He wants to do. I am becoming more aware when HE wants me to talk to someone rather then when I think someone needs to hear something. It has been humbling to let God speak through me. Whether it be to the nurses, little Naomi, or my mom; every ministry is so important. God prepares peoples' hearts before we even speak to them. So let God speak to them. I encourage you all to find 2 people this week (people you normally see or strangers), and pray before interacting with them. Ask God what they need to hear. Maybe it is a simple. "You are loved" or a bible verse. But, let God speak.

Thanks again!!! And if God wills it, I will see all of you Phoenix People in 2 weeks!!!

Escape from Room 211

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

"Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you."

Psalm 143:8

Praise God. I was able to leave my room for the FIRST TIME. Yay! It was great. Just wanted to update you all. I have been walking more and been out of my bed more. God is continuing to soften the hearts of everyone around me and provide opportunities for his love and freedom to hit their hearts. Mom has been able to venture around the city (and sometimes bring back chocolate)! It is such a blessing to live by faith. Each morning, God wakes us up. He provides us with food. And He does miracles and blesses us in many ways. He speaks to us. What an adventure to be with God and not know what is next!!!!

The doctors came in today and told us I can leave the hospital on friday. Mom and I will be staying with an amazing Romanian-American family here in Bucarest for a week or two. If God heals me instantly, I will hopefully join the team in Africa. If God heals me in a slower way, I will be joining my friends and family in Arizona. Either way, God is in control and I will still be spending time with Him and ministering where ever He leads me. Thanks for all your prayers. Sanatate (God bless you).

Here is the board in the hospital that says when I'm leaving.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of Lords. His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to Him alone who does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1-4

Truth or Lies

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Life has been good, but satan has been attacking me lately. I have been in a lot of pain, unable to sleep, and surrounded by satan's lies. God is not going to heal you... You will never walk normal... God has not forgiven your past...God is not listening to your prayers..(etc)
When Satan lies , we must go find the truth : GOD's WORD. And I have been soaking it up. I've been reading through the Old Testament and random passages the New Testament. I am in 2 Kings now and it is incredible, but I have much more to go!
God is so powerful, faithful, and funny.

The Old Testament has had me laughing and crying. It also had me yelling at the Israelites for being so dumb and continuing to sin (until I realize, I do that too and God is so patient with me). I couldn't put it down. From Elijah outrunning the chariots, to God speaking through a donkey, to the rape of Tamar, to the earth swallowing up people, to Jephthah having to sacrifice his only daughter, to the crazy battles, to punching the prophets, to Jael hammering the king with a tent peg, to Samson setting fire to the Philistine camp with 300 foxes. Ha. These stories are amazing. You should read them (again if you have already). It shows how God fights for his people, doesn't allow injustice, does miracles, heals people and much more. God has been showing me to look for not just what God does, but WHO HE IS. What is God's character? I'm going to give you some of the amazing things He has shown me through His word (sorry it is long, but it the verses are so good!! Some are convicting and some are just beautiful truths we should cling to).

The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, "Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected-even children in the third and fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7

GOD IS:
FAITHFUL: Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel
was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true (Joshua 21:45).

FORGIVING: Then He says, 'I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds. And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices (Hebrews 10:16-17).

"Whenever the Lord raised up a judge over Israel, He was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judges lifetime. For the Lord took pity on His people who were burdened by oppression and suffering"

(Judges 2:18).

SOVEREIGN: "Look now; I myself am He! There is no other god but Me! I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals; no one can be rescued from my powerful hand (Deuteronomy 32:39).

So the king paid no attention to the people. This turn of events was the will of the Lord, for it fulfilled the Lord's message to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh (I Kings 12:15).

VICTORIOUS: For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you the victory (Deuteronomy 20:4).

(Also, just read all the battle stories of God doing amazing things like making the Philistine army kill each other and walls fall down on the other enemies of Israel)

LOVING: We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (I John 4:16).

O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of Heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion (I kings 8:23).

OMNIPOTENT: For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of Lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God (Deuteronomy 10:17).

In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light (Genesis 1:1-3).

FUNNY: (this is when the philistines captured the ark of God) They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon. But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of the Lord! So they took Dagon and put him in his place again. But the next morning the same thing happened- Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of the Lord again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only the trunk of the body was left intact.(God continued to send plagues on the philistines until they returned the Ark of God, God will not be likened to anyone else). (I Samuel 5).

PERFECT: He is the rock; His deeds are perfect. Everything He does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright He is (Deuteronomy 32:4).

JUST: Then the Lord said, "Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, He will grant justice to them quickly" (Luke 18).

(King Ahab had been so wicked and led Israel into sin, so it was prophesied that he would die in the next war. So he went to war) "An Aramaen soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the troop of Israelites and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armor...the blood from his wound ran down to the floor of his chariot, and as evening arrive, he died" (I Kings 22:34-35).

SUPREME: Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation; for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together (Colossians 1:15-17).

For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below (Joshua 2:11).

JEALOUS: You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you (Exodus 34:14).

HOLY: (the Lord said) You must be holy because I am holy (Leviticus 19:2)

INTIMATE: "Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, and they will know that I am their God. I am the one who brought them out of Egypt so I could live among them. I am the Lord their God" (Exodus 29:45).

We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people (I Thessalonians 1:4).

FATHER: God sent Jesus to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out "Abba, father." Now, you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir (Gal 4:5-7).

INCOMPREHENSIBLE: Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, "Why have you made me like this?" When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn't he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory (Romans 9:20-23).

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts" says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine"

(Isaiah 55:8).

Wow!! What a God we serve! THIS IS THE TRUTH. I will not listen to satan's lies because I know that God is loving, forgiving, sovereign and beyond. And I am His Daughter. The more I get to know Him, the more I trust Him. It is amazing that God is so powerful that He merely SPOKE and the world was created. I love how He can be a loving God while still being a just God. My mind doesn't understand it, how big He is, or why He does what He does, but I trust Him and I'll forever be chasing after God.

Like my friend Oscar says, "God is infinite. You can always learn something more about Him."

I want to encourage you all to read God's word. Look for His Character, his attributes, on each page.Get to know Him more.

What is more important than that?

Stand Up.

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Stand Up. Last week, I was gradually sitting up. First, for 5 minutes, then 15, then 30 minutes. Today, I was able to stand up and take three steps with a walker (I am still unable to put pressure on my left leg). I was pretty dizzy, but able to do it-Thanks to God. I am learning how to stand up for God in other ways as well and want to encourage you all to do the same.

1) Stand in Awe
First, we should look to God. He created us; He should be our motivation. God has done everything, created everything, knows everything, and still love US. He gave us another day to live. We should stand amazed and be obedient.
"Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore, stand in awe of God." Ecclesiastes 5:7
2) Stand Firm
We were saved by grace through faith and are no longer bound to the law. We are free. We are free to love and let the Holy Spirit guide our lives. So, stand firm in purity and get rid of that old sinful nature. We are free from sin, so stand firm against it. We shouldnt be asking questions like "How far can I go before this is a sin?... How much can I drink before it is a sin?...This isnt really gossiping...That wasn't really a lie..." Let's step up and run towards purity. Let's run towards God and set a new standard. Imitate God and stop cutting corners. We are free, we shouldn't use that freedom to become slaves to sin again.. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1
3) Stand against injustice
We need to remember that because of God, we have the victory. He is our father, and He is victorious and has overcome the world. So stand against injustice. If people are talking trash, don't allow it. If you get a bad thought in your mind, read God's word. If you don't feel good about a person or place, do a prayer walk. We are God's warriors and we need to start living like it. We need to stop being influenced by the enemy and the world around us and start recognizing the authority we have in Christ. We are more than conquerors because of God! "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6:11
4) Stand up
The last times are coming. Are we ready? Do we have faith? Is God the most important thing? Are we willing to do anything for Him? I hope so. With God on our side, we can't lose!....but it is going to be a rough road.
Jesus was talking to his disciples in Luke 21 (read the whole chapter if you get a chance!!) and warning them about the last times. 12"But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17All men will hate you because of me. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By STANDING FIRM you will gain life... 25"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28When these things begin to take place, STAND UP and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

SO, STAND in awe, STAND firm, STAND against injustice, and STAND up!!

Like my good friend Josiah said to me, "It is cool how you are standing up and praising God during the trials in your life, because there won't be trials in Heaven. This is our only chance to praise Him through the trials."

So choose today:

Will you WALLOW in your misery and focus on all the negative things...
Or will you STAND on God's promises and praise Him?!?!

I love my Mommy!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So, today is my Mom's 30th birthday. Just kidding. But I just wanted to write about her because she is an amazing woman. Anyone who knows her knows that she is a woman after God's heart. She is humble, gentle, strong and loving. Everything a mother should be and more. She is a great example of faithfulness to God and being led by Him and not her own desires. I am so thankful God brought her here to be with me. My mom has been so sacrificial and has served me in so many ways. Here are some pictures to show all the fun we have been having. It has been an honor to be served by her and just worship the Lord and pray with her. It has been great just to be in her presence and soak up her love and sweet spirit. My mom has helped me run after God since I was little and is continuing to do so, especially now.

I love you Mom!!

From playing yahtzee, to giving me a pedicure, to changing my bed pan, to praying, Mom and I have done it all in the hospital.

Shannon and her daughters brought my mom cupcakes and flowers and then took her out on a shopping adventure for her birthday. Mom deserves it, she has been at the hospital for many hours. A true mother.

We have started working out our arms using household items to make up for all the desserts that are constantly brought to us.

I consider myself honored to be roommates with my mother. Not many girls get that opportunity. It is such a blessing to have her!

My mother. Dixie Reed. "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her. There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise." -Proverbs 31:25-31

I love you mom. Thanks for being an example of a godly woman!!! Happy Birthday.

P.s. Everyone, make sure to tell your mom how much you love her and how thankful you are for her. Being a mom is a hard job and they get no credit. But they are truly sacrificial and amazing. God bless you all. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Oasis in the Desert

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To my dearest family: Oasis Community Church.

Church's mission: Love God and Love People
Pastor Billy and Dawn: "Our desire is to be a source of life to you in spirit, soul and body."

Oasis: a small fertile or green area in a desert region, usually having a spring or well;
Something serving as a refuge, relief, or pleasant change from what is usual, annoying, difficult, etc; a situation or place preserved from surrounding unpleasantness; a refuge, harbor, retreat or shelter.
Community: a unified body of individuals; joint ownership or participation; a group of people having common interests; sharing, participation, and fellowship.
Church: a body of Christians worshipping in a particular building or constituting one congregation, assembly, the body of Christ.

Thank you for living up to your name!!!! Thanks for living out your mission!!!

I wanted to say thank you so much. Thank you for your incredible support before, during, and now in my time in the desert. You truly have been an oasis for me and many others. I have never had to worry because you were always willing to help. Whether it be prayers or the incredible financial blessings, God has used your obedience to bless me and further His Kingdom. I am in awe of your hearts. Our church is small, but it is full of people with incredibly big hearts for the Lord. When someone is in need, you take care of it. This is exactly what God loves, people giving out of pure hearts and pure love. I can't tell you enough how honored I am to be a part of the church and how blessed I am by all your love, encouragement and support. It has brought me to tears numerous times when I think of you. I am so proud. I feel like Paul when he was writing to the churches. Because my heart for you is so similar to his, I am just going to write down the scriptures that I have been feeling for you and have been praying over you.

" I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation-the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ-for this will bring much glory and praise to God. And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped spread the Good News." Philippians 1:9-12

"We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ." I Thessalonians 1:2-3

" I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through Him, God has enriched your church in every way- with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for He is faithful to do what He says, and He has invited you into partnership with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose." I Corinthians 1: 4-10

"Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called- His holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else- not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the Church. And the church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with Himself."

Ephesians 1:15-23

Thanks again!! You are deep in my heart and in my prayers. This not only goes for my church, but for all my family and friends around the world. I love you deeply.

P.S. With help from my physical therapist (Ciprian) and one of the nurses (Betty), I was able to sit up for the first time. God is doing miracles in my heart and body everyday. He is the Almighty God and our Heavenly Father. Praise the Lord!!

Fab Five and Beyond

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

After being together for a while, we decided to come up with a name for our family. Dan, Becky, Nancy, Dixie, and Tara make up the Fab 5. The beyond stands for all our visitors and prayer warriors and supporters all over the world. You guys. We are one big family and God is using us to touch the world with his love and light.

One day, while worshipping the Lord through song, GOD OF THIS CITY came on. We realized that it was true about Bucarest. We were here for a purpose. We tearfully sang the words believing..."Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city."

Anyways, just wanted to show you guys some more pictures so you can feel like you are right here with us!!! We have been blessed with so many visitors here in Romania, here is just a glimpse. It is wonderful how the body of Christ is everywhere. We have an instant family here in Bucarest because we are part of God's family. God has used others to serve and love us and he has used us to serve and love others. How beautiful.

God brought Eli Popa and his cousin on a 13 hour train to come see me. What a blessing. It was a great afternoon talking about the culture of Romania, communism, and God. How humbling and encouraging!!

Catalin is the C.E.O. of the hospital and is a strong believer in God. He has served us and helped us in a million ways. He has helped our room situation, brought extra food for my mom, taken the family to church, brought us french pastries, and took the family to a Bible study where they met his family. His wife, Shannon is willing to help us in any way.

Nancy's brother, Chuck, lives here in Romania with his Romanian wife, Melania. Their whole family has come by and helped us, sang songs, and loved us in different ways. They surrounded our room with prayers.

Daniela is one of my favorite nurses. She has such a sweet spirit and is 6 months pregnant. We are helping each other learn Romanian and English. Please pray as I continue to share God's love with the staff here. I can see God softening many of their hearts already! There has been progress in my physical therapy and my treatment plan is involving using a different mattress, switching positions (i can put my bed in a siting position fora few minutes before getting dizzy), and taking medications to manage pain, prevent blood clotting and other anti-inflammatory medications. I am feeling better overall and blessed to be in a nice hospital with the fresh air blowing in each day.

It has been so sweet to have different children come to the hospital. Christina is a little bundle of joy. Other kids have visited and shared their carefree spirits with me. It was also a blessing to get the Mexican food from the Klansek Family, and get medical advice from Dr. Kay. So many people have blessed us with the gifts God has given them.

It may be hard to see, but we are all wearing turquoise and purple bracelets. When I fell, the emergency room doctors cut off my shirt. They later gave it back to me and we made bracelets out of it. We are going to wear the bracelets until God completely heals me. Continue to pray for God's will and more unity in the body of Christ, we are family. We all need to step up and help.

"All of you together are Christ's body and each of you is a part of it." I Corinthians 12:27

Living in my Bucharest Hospital

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Each day, I wake up either to a lady in green bringing me food or a lady in turquoise cleaning my room. I lay there for a while praying and pick up my Bible. Mom and I talk while she helps me get breakfast. It is weird having people always serve me, everything from food to changing my bed pan (yay humility). I have yet to sit up completely, but I feel it coming. It is beautiful because I am always looking up. I want to encourage you all to LOOK UP more. It is amazing how when my eyes are on Him, my problems and the things of this world don't seem so important. Anyways, the day continues with all the doctors from the clinic coming in to the room to check on me. Dan, Becky, and Nancy come each day to spend time with me. I love constantly hearing Nancy saying, "Praise you Jesus, Praise you Lord.". We always pray. Sometimes, we pray together, share food, play cards, read the Bible and sing to God. There is much laughter, which is hard to handle because it causes extreme pain to my pelvis.

Throughout the day, the smiling nurses come in and out to check on me and give me pain meds, anti-inflammatory meds, and the stuff that makes me not get sick from laying in this bed 24/7. We always have random visitors, fellow believers, that come in and bless us. Whether it be prayers, flowers, or just spending time sharing their hearts, it is amazing to be surrounded by love and learn more about Romania. They are constantly offering their homes and anything they can. For example, today, a lady mom met at church yesterday, visited us. Amanda is a nurse and she helped us with many of our medical questions. She has such a beautiful heart for women and God. She blessed us with amazing homemade peanut butter brownies and a hand massage. It was great to spend time with her. It is a miracle we even met her and others. Thank God that Catalin, the C.E.O. of the clinic I am in, took mom, Becky and Dan to church. They prayed over them in Romanian and English, and numerous people came up after Church, offering their prayers, homes, and services; a variety of people from those who work at the American Embassy to Doctors and teachers. Thank you God for taking care of my mom and letting her feel at home.

In the afternoons, three beautiful ladies come to do the ultra sound every 2 days. Most recent news: no fluids in the lungs, stomach or spleen, less internal bleeding, and only three fractures (instead of four) on my pelvis. Soon after, Ciprian, my physical therapist, comes in. Last time, in regards to me moving my left leg on my own, he said, "First victory, more to come." Progress. Dinner is always pretty good, complete with meat, veggies, bread, and dessert. But this day in particular, we were blessed by a Patrick and Mindy Klansek, a missionary family we recently met, who brought us homemade Mexican food. The Lord is good. We all hang out and spend time with God and encourage each other. Sometimes we lose Dan for a while due to the magnificent view of Dynamo Stadium from our room. Romanian fans were banned from the game due to previous fighting, but Dan watched Greece beat Romania 1-0. My room is full of flowers, love, food, and peace. Each day is different, full of little miracles and surprises.

Praise and Prayer

Fri, 2 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

"Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart." Colossians 4:2

What a blessing it is that God heals each of us differently. The way that He is healing my body bit by bit, we've been able to notice and praise God for each little miracle.

It has been incredible that the AIM/ World Race Staff has set up a Night of Prayer for me. It is scheduled for tonight at 7:00 p.m. and they are asking everyone to pray! Praises and requests to direct your prayers are listed below.

PRAISES/BLESSINGS

1. I'M ALIVE:

Praise God that I did not have head injuries, that I was not paralyzed or even killed by the fall. God still has plans for me and wants His daughter to rest in His arms!!

2. PROVIDING FAMILY TO COME TO ME:

God provided $2400.00 in less than 24 hours for my mom and her friend to fly to Romania to be with me - through my church and generosity of some friends who offered money or flight miles the minute they saw our prayer request on FACEBOOK.

3. COMMUNITY:

DAN AND BECKY: God showed my team members, Dan and Becky, that they should be the ones to stay with me here in Romania, instead of going on to Turkey with the rest of the squad. They have been sacrificial in taking care of me and helping to meet my needs.

MOM AND NANCY: They were able to fly out within 24 hours of hearing the news. Nancy is my mom's friend, who felt the Lord telling her to go with my mom, so she wouldn't have to be alone. Mommy's here!

It's been an incredible experience to have them serve me. This "family" has been able to pray with authority together, sing praises, read the Bible, and even laugh together. One time when we were singing Dan shared a vision of us singing and praising God so powerfully that the nurse would come in to quiet us down. Minutes later, a knock at our door produced a concerned nurse who asked us to turn the music down!

4. DIVINELY APPOINTED ANGELS:

NANCY'S ROMANIAN FAMILY: My mom's friend, Nancy just happened to have a brother living here with his Romanian wife, and a sister-in-law, a nurse. These friends met my mom at the airport, brought them immediately to the hospital, and then stayed for the evening. Alice, the nurse (sister-in-law), spoke with the nurses at the hospital in Romanian, looked at the x-rays and was able to fill my mom in on details. They have been available to us during this time.

BLUE EYE SHADOW NURSE: Not only was she the nice nurse at Hospital Floreasca, she would come in and check on me. She took my mom by hand around the hospital and helped her check out, pay the bill and get receipts. She kept saying, "come with me, Mama. I take care of you."

GABBY: When my mom arrived in Romania on Monday night, she took one look around the hospital and began planning to move me to another hospital. We were not familiar with the health care here, but God had given us a contact before we even knew we needed this. A friend from my home church, Oasis Community Church, had given us the name of Gabby who has contacts all over Romania. Gabby called almost as soon as my mom arrived. Gabby gave us the name of Roxanne who is a representative of a well respected private hospital, used by Americans, the Euro Clinic. The next morning (Tuesday) Mom and Dan went to go look for Roxanne and the Clinic, when suddenly a woman in a business suit entered my room. God had delivered Roxanne to our door step! She brought mom to the Euro Clinic and arranged for the Doctors from both hospitals to meet and talk about Tara's condition. She walked us through the process, talking to administration in both hospitals, and helping mom with the insurance. At the same time this was going on, Becky was talking to the American Embassy who also recommended Euro Clinic!

5. THE TRANSFER TO EURO CLINIC

On Tuesday, I was wheeled down the hallways and suddenly it became brighter. I had entered the Euro Clinic (there is actually a walkway between the two hospitals) I was greeted by three beautiful nurses in lavender with smiling faces who took me to my new room. I could see the beautiful sky from my window, and had my own private bathroom complete with toilet paper, soap and towels (not that I can use it - I am flat in bed). I immediately was introduced to my three doctors: Othopedic Surgeon, General Surgeon and Doctor of Internal Medicine who talked with my mom and me. This is one of the best hospitals I have seen (in US or outside) with caring/compassionate nurses, attentive doctors, wireless internet, sparkling clean facilities, and gourmet food.

6. THE ANGEL OF EURO

Another "divinely appointed angel", Catalin is the CEO of the Euro Clinic and is a fellow Christian. He came in to meet us and make sure everything is ok. Catalin lived in the United States and actually directed a family services program at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale there for several years. He still has a home in Surprise, Arizona (within an hour of my family home in Phoenix) and goes there every year to visit family. He has arranged for me to be moved from a smaller room, to a larger room with a bed for my mom, and room for my "family" to be with me. He checks on me every day. We also discovered he has started sending two meals into my room at a time (so my mom can share the gourmet food with me). He has even offered to take my mom and Nancy to church with him on Sunday! He has been such a help and blessing from God!

7. THE $800 MIRACLE

Mom had to pay the bill from Floreasca Hospital before I could be moved, so she went to the bank and got $813.00. She then called my dad to tell him and ask him what to do because we didn't have $800.00 for this bill. He couldn't believe it! That very day, there was a check for $850.00 on his desk at church. It seemed that although they didn't take an offering for Tara at church on Sunday (before my mom even left for Romania), people came forward after they heard about Tara and wanted to give money. The result - our $800 miracle.

8. PRAYING THE FLUID OUT

On Tuesday, the Doctor gave me an Ultrasound and found fluid in my lungs, spleen, and stomach, as well as some internal bleeding. My mom sent out requests for prayer. On Thursday, the Ultrasound showed that the fluid in the lungs and spleen had been prayed out and was no longer there, and there was less internal bleeding.

9. PHYSICAL THERAPY

I started Physical Therapy yesterday, to keep movement in my body while I am on my back. The Physical therapist, Ciprian, was surprised at my range of motion and leg strength!

10. NIGHT TIME WITH JESUS

One night when I was alone with God, He taught me about PEACE. He truly showed me that peace does not come from a nice hospital room, the fact that my mother is here, or painlessness, but it comes from GOD. The whole night I spent thanking Him and praising Him. God finally settled my heart with a deep trust in HIM. No longer will I come to Him with what I want to happen, because I trust that He is taking me down the best pathway. "The Lord says I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8

11. LITTLE MIRACLES

I can see God working in the hearts of the nurses and doctors. The other night, Adriana, came in to put some pain medication in my IV. God seemed to make the process take about 10 minutes longer than usual. In that time, she was able to hear Romanian Christian music on my Ipod and be prayed for.

12. TEARS OF THANKFULNESS

One day while reading my blog and Facebook comments, I was moved to tears. I couldn't believe how much God was covering me in prayer and using His people to encourage me. Thank you all so much for your faithfulness!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1. Salvation for Doctors and Nurses at both Hospital Floreasca and Euro Clinic.

Some names are: Adina, Adriana, Magda, Daniela, Lizeta, Sandu, Dr. Bogdon, Dr. Nanescu, More names to come later.

2. The fractures in my pelvis to heal - The Doctors say that this is a very serious injury and I will need to spend 1-2 weeks in the hospital, followed by 2-3 weeks of bed-rest and continued physical therapy before being able to put weight on my leg.

3. The internal bleeding in my stomach.

4. Less pain (because I have been unable to sleep the last few nights).

5. My physical therapy

6. Overall healing

7. Wisdom for Doctors

8. Wisdom for my family and decisions to be made.

9. That we are all able to listen to God's voice.

Light and Laughter

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." - John 8:12

For the past two months we had been praying for God to bring the light to the darkness of Romania. My mission had not changed, just the location. Looking back at my stay in Hospital Floreasca, these are just a few of the times that I saw God's light shining.

First of all, I was honored to be in a place where God would allow me to come into contact with so many doctors who needed Him. Whether God led me to pray for them or say a simple "God bless you", the darkness was being pushed away.

Second, I was placed in a room with a beautiful elderly woman named Doima who we had a chance to love on, pray for, and comfort.

Third, I was playing Romanian Christian music when a woman named Dee Dee walked in to my room saying she loved the music. She held my hand and we developed a relationship. We then discovered that her husband , Pastor George, was recovering from a car accident and had just completed his 4^th surgery. This had kept him in the hospital for the past two months. Dan went to minister to him and he invited us to his nearby church of nearly 200 members.

It's amazing how in a situation that could have been stressful and discouraging, God gave us peace, love, and laughter. These are my top ten most humorous moments in Hospital Floreasca. (For those of you who are worried, we have since moved to another hospital)

Hydrogen Peroxide Hunt.. My second night in the hospital, I realized there was pus coming from the wounds in my hands, so Becky went to get the nurse to clean the wounds. The nurse came back but refused to do anything (we were to find out the reason later), so Becky set out for hydrogen peroxide. This sent her on a mission throughout the hospital. She chased a doctor down the hall, who sent her to the Cardiac Unit on the 5^th floor, where she finally got the peroxide. This was after being told that she should not be on the 5^th floor, that the American was on the 2^nd floor.

Praying for potty. In walks "Miss Trunchbull", a formidable grim-faced nurse who could have played football for the Dallas Cowboys, catheter in hand. "Helga" yells something in Romanian and the girls and I frantically looked at each other. Using hand motions, she explained that with all the fluids going in to me, they had to come out. I said, "no catheter." and she angrily shoved the bed pan at me. The girls spent the next several minutes fervently praying for potty to come out. Heather said that she had never prayed for someone to go to the bathroom before.

Hospital food. Thankfully food was brought to me three times a day. It consisted of mush and mysterious meat that were placed just out of reach with no silverware.

It is Forbidden. As I lay in my hospital bed, surrounded by many doctors and friends, I realized I had to go to the bathroom. Their talking continued, and I finally admitted that I needed to go. The doctor quickly scolded me and said, "It is forbidden that you touch your foot to the ground." I quickly motioned for the bed pan.

Leave Now. Dan and Becky, not wanting to leave me alone in the hospital for one minute, spent night two in my room in the next bed. The three of us were awakened to bright lights and some nurses. They yelled something in Romanian and, half asleep, Dan and Becky stared blankly at them. After Dan and Becky's "deer in the headlights" look, I explained they didn't understand a word of Romanian. The nurses continued to yell; finally, Dan and Becky got the message and left.

Bathroom "Duty". Shortly after being admitted, we realized the bathroom attached to my room was not just for my room. It seemed it was the community bathroom for the entire 2^nd floor. And what a beautiful atmosphere it was. Not only was there no toilet paper, towels or soap in the bathroom, but a neighboring patient was kind enough to leave a small "gift" next to the toilet. After repeated attempts of asking the nursing staff to clean the bathroom and remove the "gift", Becky chased a cleaning lady down the hall at midnight, and the mission was finally accomplished.

Old man with a knife. Dan had to step out of the room when some Doctors came to check on me. When he was out near the doorway, he noticed our 80 year old resident patient/visitor shuffling towards our bathroom with dress slacks on but no shirt. This was a common occurrence, as he averaged half a dozen trips to our bathroom every day. But this time seemed a little odd, as he held a paring knife in his hand. Dan went to inform a nurse that there was a man with a knife who had just gone into my bathroom. The nurse knocked on the door, opened it and asked the man something. She then came out, smiling cheerfully, indicating to me that everything was ok. Several minutes later, the man came out, still shirtless but unharmed.

No Girls Allowed. We had been having a great ministry with my roommate, Doima, and had been able to talk and pray with her. Dan had even tried to make her more comfortable by fanning her. One day without explanation, the staff members came in and began packing her belongings and then moved her out. Shortly after this, they informed me that my room was now a man's room and I needed to move. Moments later, Nancy's Romanian family, whom I had just met, was removing my clothes and wiping me down with baby-wipes, to ready me for my move. Just in time, my new male roommate arrived. I departed shortly after.

Mom's Ice Field Trip. I woke up suddenly at 2:00 a.m. with intense pain and swelling on my thighs. This was a job for "super mother". Her mission: to go find ice. She first tried the nurses room where she found a nurse watching t.v.. After asking the nurse for ice, she was yelled at in no uncertain terms in Romanian, after which the nurse turned back to her television. Mom set out on a Field trip in the hospital. There were no doctors or nurses on the 2^nd floor and it was eerily quiet, so mom decided to try to go to the Emergency Room. When she got there, she found a room with a dozen doctors and nurses, and asked for ice. They all stared at the crazy American woman in pajamas, and proceeded to find an English speaking Doctor to tell her that the hospital didn't have ice. She tried the hospital snack shop, but no ice, so she went back to the room with the possibility of using cold water bottles. God provided in a most unusual way, for somehow in the freezer section of the small refrigerator in my room was an IV. It was soft and flexible, so she wrapped it in a sheet and put it on the swelling. Relief at last!

Tipping in a Romania Hospital. One day Becky and I were hanging out in my hospital room waiting on pain medication after numerous requests. Some nurses came in with pain medication for my roommate, Doima. Doima handed the nurse $20.00. We had noticed her wallet always near her on her bed and that she had given the nurses money before, but thought it was for snacks. We later found out, through other Romanian, that bribing was a common practice to get pain meds and assistance from the nurses. That would have been useful information earlier.

The hospital is known to have good Emergency and Trauma, as well as good doctors, it is the aftercare that is the problem. We have found that people in Romania know to bring needed items and to give money to the nurses because the pay is so low. Although the hospital was crazy at times, we realized that God had answered our prayers to bring light to the darkness.

"This old commandment - to love one another - is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you are also living it. For the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining." -I John 2:7b-8

Miracles are happening everyday. I'll be sharing more tomorrow on my new hospital, my progress and how God is moving.

He Reached Down from Heaven and Rescued Me - Psalm 18:16

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It all happened so fast. One moment, I was sitting on the 2^nd floor balcony having my time with God, the next moment, I was falling helplessly towards the pavement in Bucharest, Romania. I hit the ground. As I lay there gasping for air, all I could do was call out the name of Jesus. I heard people yelling my name, and I told them I couldn't breathe or move. After lying in agonizing pain for about 25 minutes, the ambulance arrived and people gathered around. They stabilized me and put me in the ambulance, while my team was calling out prayers for me. My teammates followed me in a taxi, while in the ambulance I was crying out to God to take the pain away and let me walk again. I then realized that I could move my arms and legs, and I thanked the Lord. He had saved me from head injuries, paralysis, and even death. As they wheeled me in to the Emergency Room, it seemed like 13 doctors and assistants surrounded me, all speaking "Romanian" to me in loud voices as fast as possible. One doctor said in broken English, "We take off your clothes now", then looking at the pain in my face, he said, "we cut off your clothes now."

On the way to x-rays, one of the doctors asked if I was a Christian. I told him "yes", and asked him if he was a Christian. He said "yes". I said, "Isn't it great to know that God loves you and you can feel His love?" He said, "God doesn't love me." I explained to him how he is God's child and that God does love him, and then I prayed with him. (We have found that although over 90% in Romania claim to be Orthodox Christians, many have never experienced God's love).

After x-rays and ct scans, I found myself in a large open room with many other patients and doctors. The man in the bed next to me screamed out in pain, saying "stop!!!please don't!!!" The doctors were having to re-set his arm. As the doctors walked away, he was whimpering in "gypsy". I began singing to him the only song in "gypsy" that I know, "Nadeek tu", which says that we are all the same in God's eyes and he loves us. The man settled down and fell asleep.

After many conversations, prayers, and pain medication, I was admitted into the hospital. Damaris, Tiffany, Heather, and Scottie stayed with me in the hospital all night. I didn't receive any more pain meds that night, but the girls prayed and read Scripture over me all night. The Dr. came in and explained that I had fractured my pelvis and it was separated and would require surgery. He told me that within three months I would be able to sit up in my bed, and would gradually improve. We continued to pray and sing songs to God, as other team members came and left, but God surrounded the room with his presence and peace.

"Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6

God made this familiar verse truly come alive in my life.

As news leaked out, people began praying all around the world. My mother and friend headed out from Phoenix to be with me. The rest of my I-Squad had to leave for Turkey, and the decision was made for Dan and Becky to stay with me. What a beautiful ministry it has been! It has been incredible to have them there to comfort me and help me in so many ways. Dan & Becky spent one night in the hospital bed next to me and assisted in duties such as bed pan duty, holding hands during shots, making sure the bathroom was clean, talking with the Doctors, and more. We spent most of our time praying for each other, and praying over other people in the hospital, and making cards for others in the hospital. It was incredible to see each of us have our own ministry with different people in the hospital yet still love on each other as family.

On Monday, the Doctor took another x-ray and this time the results showed four minor fractures, but it was no longer necessary to have surgery! God again shows himself faithful and He is the great healer!

God made my favorite Psalm come alive.

"I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior. My God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. The ropes of death entangled me; the floods of destruction swept over me. The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. But in my distress, I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his santuary; my cry to him reached my ears...He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters...He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me...You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush any army; with my God I can scale any wall. God's way is perfect . All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield to all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect. The Lord lives! Praise to my rock! May the God of my salvation be exalted! -Psalm 18:1-6, 16, 19, 28-32, 46

God is a great God and I trust Him.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

Breaking in Bucarest + Brasov

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It has been a crazy hard last month. God has been teaching me and breaking me of my old self. It is hard but God is taking me deeper and further than before. It's amazing when you don't have control. God finally gets it. He carries you and makes things a million times better. Here's a quick overview of the month.

Bucarest was full of loving on the orphan kids, organizing clothes, street evangelism, cleaning, picking apples, learning to fear God, international churches, doing dramas, giving food to the poor, dancing, worshipping God, praying as a squad, weeping and mourning together, hanging out with the girls from the shelter for abused and handicapped women., festivals, playing with the kids from the village, choreographing for the dance competition, kids club, cooking, fasting, seeing people getting healed, seeing people getting saved, McDonalds, loving on people in the park, talks and stories with Becky, scavenging food, and just being together as a squad at Casa Shalom.

Brasov was where I got awakened to God's voice. God gave me a heart for intercession. This was a time where we met with three other World Race squads and were able to soak up encouragement from them and wisdom from the World Race Staff. We changed teams, again. William and Tiffany are squad leaders. Our team is Ashley, A.J., Damaris, Heather, Hailee, Me, and Scottie is our leader. We have had time soaking up God, hearing teachings, living in tents, crying out to God for the nations, winning the 2009 Awakening dance off (the video will be posted soon), sharing God's love with the people at the campsite, praying, climbing mountains, and praying a lot. It has been amazing.

Tomorrow we are taking a train to Turkey. We will be there for about 12 days to help out and then continuing on to Israel. Due to the fact that Turkey is a closed country and Israel tracks people like dogs, I kindly ask that you not comment on my blogs until we know that it is safe too. Also, please do not e-mail me or mention anything about the work we are doing in the middle east on my facebook. Please keep us in your prayers. For the next month or two, communication will be very minimal. I will most likely not be posting a blog (we cannot go on the world race website) for a while but will try to update my facebook (search for me by my email: tarareed@cox.net) status when I can. I will let you know more once we are safe in Africa. Thank you for your continued support!!! You all are so incredible and encouraging. Pray hard. God speaks and He listens.

Pray. Run. Fly.

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I have been praying my face off and crying out to God. In Romania, God has been teaching me how to pray. Today especially. We decided to go para-gliding in Brasov, Romania. Riding up the ski lift, I think about my life as we go higher and higher and higher. My Romanian instructor and I made it to the top, put on our gear and prayed again. He didn't give me much instruction, then he told me to run. Run...faster!!!! I took a couple steps and the wind lifted us up in the air. Crazy!!!! I'm flying. It was incredible looking around at God's beauty. Powerful. God is so big and in control. Thank you God. I was singing and yelling, " Dumnezeu te iubeste" (God loves you) as loud as possible. It was pretty peaceful up there and we did some tricks and came down for landing. He told me to get ready to run. We hit the ground and I tried to run, but I took one step and fell on my face. As he was helping me up and the parachute thing was all around us he said, "I told you to run." Ohh. Life. It was so much fun. I felt like Peter Pan. I flew. This sums up my life right now, I pray first, I run like crazy, I fly with God, and sometimes I fall on my face !!! Enjoy the video!!!

Attack of the Lice!!!

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As Miha and Ashley pick the lice out of my hair, I daydream about the beautiful day we had. Here is a typical day in Bucharest. I slowly arise from my bed to hear Miha screaming "wake up." Miha is a beautiful 17 year old who grew up in the orphanage and has been our translator. I talk to God and read the Bible and then we get breakfast, made by Chinaka and his wife who are from Sri Lanka. We eat and have a lovely squad bonding time. We learn about sharing, community, and love by having to put all our snacks in a community pot and trying to make everyone "happy". We break bread together and laugh about the day. We grab some food and head off in groups to love God. Patricia, AJ and I went to the yard to climb trees and pick apples and plums. We head off to the park with just a basket of fruit and a guitar. We take a bus then the tram to get there. We gave some fruit to this lady and she had the biggest smile. We prayed for her as she walked off. We walked around the park for awhile and gave out fruit to people and told them, "Dumnezeu te iubeste" (God loves you). We gave M&M's and fruit to the construction workers and talked to a couple people in broken romanian. We sat with these ladies who knew a lot of English. We talked with them for like an hour and prayed with them. Patricia was handing out fruit to the old men playing games in the park, while AJ was singing worship songs and I was talking and laughing with the ladies. What a beautiful picture. All of us loving God in our own way. We prayed with the ladies and said good-bye. We came home to dinner (a beef schnitzel) made by the lovely German girls who are staying at the orphanage with us. A bunch of us girls left to go to church. We took the bus to the tram to the subway and walked a little bit. It was a great service called "The Encounter." The second half was preached by a missionary from Canada. He talked about taking sin seriously because it always has consequences. We were crazy coming home:

Singing and laughing and dancing and eating and going in the maze. We came home to preparations for the dance competition. We have a dance off against another World Race squad when we go to the "Awakening" next week.. As I write this, Miha and Ashley are continuing to pick the lice out of my head. To shave my head or not shave my head? That is the question. Miha says yes. Oh lice, why do you love me so much?? Oh well, yesterday was worth it. We had a great day with the amazing children of a pretty poor village. I spent most of the day with Christina, a beautiful 5 year old who loves the slide and merry-go-round.

Thank you God for walking with me today, yesterday, tomorrow and the days ahead.

in.tent.city

Wed, 9 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

team in.tent.city

Yay. I have a new team. Starting at the top going clockwise we have: Ashley, Hailee, Warren, Me, Heather, Damaris and in the middle is Will our leader. We are excited to go deeper with God and each other. Change for the better.

We are team in.tent.city. All of you in phoenix, I don't want it to strike fear in you or bring up bad memories. Our team name has many meanings, and Sheriff Joe's playground is not one of them. First of all, it means INTENSITY. We want more. We want to go all out and be intense. Bring intensity to our lives and every situation. Something huge on all of our hearts is being INTENTIONAL. Not just noticing things and doing nothing, but acting. If someone is hurting, do something about it. If something is not right, say something. If someone looks sad, encourage them. Take time to be real. STEP UP. Also, our team has the biblical references. We are to be a CITY on a hill, not something hidden. Also, the Israelites would meet in a TENT for unity. They were a family and helped each other. Also, our team is really WEIRD, that is why we couldn't just be Team Intensity. ha. God has placed a huge emphasis on our hearts to go into an intense, uncomfortable place that we have never been before and help each other become greater people. We have had great bonding time. We went to the best McDonald's and we all dunked on the hoop. We also swung on swings that were in a circle.

God knows exactly what He is doing. He has done so many things in my heart and showed me that He is taking care of me.

I am so excited for this team and how God has already united our hearts. Loving, growing and living a life of

in.tent.city

Dance parties, Tears, and Capture the Flag

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We made it safe to west Bucarest, Romania. For the next three weeks, our whole squad (34ppl) is staying at Casa Shalom, a hotel that was a former orphanage. We are going through a lot of changes as a group. It is crazy but God is in control. Rachel, one of the girls on our squad, left the World Race. God called her to go back to Nicaragua, and that is what she is doing. We had a dance party and fashion show for her goodbye party. Also, they are changing and moving the teams around. There are still more decisions to be made, so I will let you know what happens. This week so far has been filled with many tears and many sleepless nights for many people. Please be praying for everyone. In my life, God has been amazing. I got here and I did not want to be here. I wanted to go back to my gypsy family. I felt very anti-social and didn't agree with staying in Romania for another month. After a day of exhaustion and negativity, God told me to spend the day with Him. ALL DAY. I woke up the next day and pretty much just listened to music, read God's word, prayed and was a listening ear for many people the whole day. It was incredible. I developed such a peace and trust in God. God helped me see the ministry I have for this month. My ministry is mainly with the girls of my squad and encouraging them. God showed me some goals for the month and I looked up a billion verses on words and the power of the tongue. God is teaching me a lot about waiting, listening, and thinking before I speak or act. "Dont make rash promises and don't be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in Heaven and you are here on Earth. SO let your words be few." Ecclesiastes 5:2. God is growing me a lot showing me how important it is to be alone with Him and soak up his love. This month is gonna be a great opportunity for me to practice listening to God and being led by Him. We have had great times with the kids here. We are doing kids camps. Some of these kids are really poor and had never been in a car before or had dessert. They are staying in the same building as us, so it is crazy at times. We had a great game of capture the flag today and I have just enjoyed spending time with them and teaching them about God's Love.

God is switching it up and it is crazy. But He knows what He is doing.

Wake up+Live Right

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I wake up completely covered in a crazy rash and tons of mosquito bites. God, I'm serving you and this is what I get?

We are doing a church service and all the power goes out. As I stand in the pitch black, I wonder, if we are only trying to show people God's love, why would this happen?

I just want some fruit. I am sick of bread and chicken. A little bit of fruit...is that too much to ask?

It's all about Me. Sometimes, I honestly think life is all about ME. We are all trying to do our OWN thing. Make things happen for US. Living OUR lives. God, I AM doing this, please bless MY plans.

Why has the focus changed from God to Me?

Why do I trust Me more than God?

WHERE HAS THE FEAR OF GOD GONE?

Have we noticed this kind of life is lacking....never enough....second best.??

WAKE UP!!!

God created life. He made the world. He created us, our hearts, and He knows the best way to live Life.

He KNOWS. God KNOWS.

WHY DON'T WE TRUST THIS??????

Everything is better with HIM.

Everything is better when we wait and follow Him.

So Lets Get it!!!

" Taste and See that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, you His godly people, for those who fear Him WILL HAVE ALL THEY NEED. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but THOSE WHO TRUST IN THE LORD WILL LACK NO GOOD THING. Come, my children and listen to me and I will teach you to FEAR THE LORD. Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies! TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD. Search for PEACE and work to maintain it." Psalm 34:8-14

Do we Believe this?

Best life= Fearing God

Fearing God= fleeing evil, pursuing good, thinking before we speak, seeking peace.

So let's WAKE UP and LIVE LIFE how it was meant to be lived

in the FEAR OF GOD!

Three crazy brothers, an orphanage, sanda, the gang, sunflower seeds, and a Gypsy king

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So. at my house in Viile Techii, I have three crazy hyper gypsy brothers: Danny, Leisi, and Benny. They are constantly begging to play soccer, reeshka (a game where you use one stick to hit another) and tickle fight. We are always playing and learning romanian. Romanian is harder than I thought, but I am slowly catching on. I love those boys and tease them and fight with them like real brothers (I miss you TJ).

The orphanage was the most amazing place. We played and loved on the kids for hours. We had dance parties and gymnastic contests and soccer games and colored. We sat in the room and colored and taught each other Romaneshday and English. Laughing and walking around town, these kids are amazing. They kissed and hugged us so much and we are starving for love.

Sanda is the most beautiful woman and she doesn't know it. She is like my sister. Her and I have spent many afternoons cooking and cleaning and talking. She has a husband and a little boy named David and she is my age. Crazy. It has been a great ministry just spending time with her and sharing God's love.

Team Fuego and Team Neon are together and we are having a blast. Everyone is very encouraging and it has been awesome to see everyone using their gifts and serving in different ways. We have had awesome times playing in the salt water and having mud baths. We go around to different churches and do kids clubs and have worship times. It has been awesome to have an encouraging family to travel with that speaks my language.

We went running through sunflower fields eating the seeds and cutting the flowers down for Tiffany's birthday. The scenery here is beautiful. It is so green and there are beautiful lakes and fields. o transilvania.

Gypsy dance party day was amazing.. We went into town and sat in on a gypsy meeting. Then, we hung out in the park and in the town square there was a festival. We watched all the gypsy dancing and heard the live music. I hung out with these sweet little girls and laughed and played. We danced all night and met the gypsy king. So much fun. I love Romania.

It has been so much fun going to different churches and just living in the village and hanging out with the people. Our contacts, John and Tootsie, are so awesome and have such a love for the people here. Check out their website: gypsyagape.com It has truly been amazing to be ministering in this beautiful place to the beautiful gypsy people who are so loving and giving.

It has been awesome to learn to serve God in different ways than normal. "Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives." Galatians 5:16

Living life on the world race, it is different and adventurous. But I'm led by God and I'm living my dreams.

Bine.

Sat, 8 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

After a days worth of traveling, we made it to the beautiful Gypsy village in Transilvania. It is so beautiful and the people are so amazing. I did not know a word of Romania or Gypsy, so it is very different but fun. We are all learning. We are staying with a beautiful and sweet family * sandu, rita, benny, laci, danny*

They cook us amazing food, teach us romanian, dance with us and play constantly. We are working on fixing their shed

mi sorra Sanda. te you besc. she is seriously my best friend. i spent the day cooking, cleaning and talking with her.

my little buddy benny. we wrestle and play games all day

I love it here and am so happy. We had a great restful time in Ireland, thank you Jesus.

Please pray for the health of our team, a supernatural learning of romanian and gypsy, the hearts of the gypsys and for us to just listen to God and be led by his love. We are safe and loving staying with the families. Thanks for your support!!!!

I left my heart in Nicaragua

Sun, 2 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Nicaragua was a blast!!!! From the lively church services, to the beach, to teaching English, to sleepovers, to crying, to praying with the youth girls, to dancing, to eating and making dinner, talks by the river, to planting rice, to walking from house to house, to washing women's feet, to translating, to fasting, to prayer walking, to dance parties, to milking goats, to planting trees, to getting sick, to hitchhiking, to getting eaten alive by bugs, to singing, to the waterfalls, to youth services, talks on the swings, to birthday parties, to spending community worship and bible study time, to time alone with God. I loved the people of Nicaragua.

Nunca les olvidare mis nicas. Siempre estas en mi corazon. Dios te bendiga. Dale pues.

Taste of Home

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I looked off in the distance and it was glowing and beckoning me toward it. I ran to it and quickly opened it. I stuck my face in it and took a huge bite. Suddenly, a flush of memories engulfed my mind. I was back at home thinking of all the wonderful people and experiences. After I swallowed, I stood in pure ecstasy. Taylor brought me out of my dream world and stared strangely at me. I tried to explain to him the importance of Ben and Jerry's Half Baked Ice Cream and how there was no time to try to find a spoon so I had to shove my face into it, but words did no justice. He just shook his head as I continued to eat out of my trough like a starving pig. I continued to think of home. All the people I love and miss and am so thankful for.
I MISS......
Crazy sleepovers
Popi's grilling
NAU prayer room
Harvey Cedars and the crew
Times with the Fraizer's T.P.ing
Mexico and playing in the fountains w/ Heather
Hiking and chilling with Tj
Mom's encouraging notes and massages
Adventures with Melly in Puerto Rico & Maui
BBQ Crew, my girls from Sechrist
Battle of the Sexes at Homebase
Lunches after church
Ballroom Dancing with JD
Pizzuki with Jasmine
Youth Group Trips
Karaoke with Sasha
Cooking noodles with Grandma
Walks on the beach with T*Time
Kayaking with Mike
Deep talks with David
Mondays with my youth girls
Worship Jam sessions with Lee
Lakers Games with Kobe
Talks with Grandpa
Red lobster and intermurals with Daddy
Grammy's smile and laugh
Sushi with Lorie
Water fights with Chris and the youth
Dance girls of The Scarlet Pimpernel
Doing artwork with Devon in Del Taco
Clydehurst Crazy times
Hardcore sand volleyball w/ Tim and friends
Dinners with Oscar
Girls nights
British accents with Uncle Mike
Junior High camp and the mud pit
Picnics
Cookies with Jack and Libby
Adventures with Jen
Cousin time in Florida
CPK times
Camping with the Stevens'
Random Adventures and Good food and much more.
I'm so blessed to have a wonderful life with amazing friends and family
I LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL !!!

By the way, we made it safe to Ireland. We pitched our tents during 65mph winds (it felt that way) and now we are out and about in Galway, a cute little city. We will be here for a couple days and then off to Romania.

Fuego in Nicaragua

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Basically, God has set my world on fire. I burned myself on a motorcycle but God has taught me a lot through that symbolically. First, he is completely burning my old life and all the bad habits I have. In general, He is taking away my pride and everything I think I am good at so I recognize how much I need Him. I am weak and nothing without Him. Also, He has been letting others step up so I can sit back and love people and just be with them. I have been sitting back and listening and letting God lead. Life is amazing when I'm trusting God and others. It is different and hard, but so beautiful.
I have been able to spend so much time with the youth and experiencing God's love and joy. Just being with God and helping people. I've truly understood the verse "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously and He will give everything you need." Matthew 6:33 in these past couple days. He has taken care of my every need after I seek Him first. I've been able to play some awesome sand vball, chill with the girls, sleepovers, fasting, prayer walks, cook tacos, dance with ribbons with the kids, God put a song on my heart to sing at the women's service- Perfume a Tus Pies (gracias a oscar para mostrarmelo), taught some boys English, went around town with some of the girls and met all their families. We put on this youth service that was incredible. God worked. We sang songs in English and Spanish for a while. Then we split up into girls and boys and told testimonies and just prayed for the city and each other. Then everyone wrote their burdens and we all walked out to the cross. We threw our sins and problems into the campfire when we were ready. People were singing. Others were weeping at the cross. Others sat in silence. So awesome to see people cry out to God and finally come to Christ for the first time or just give up their problems. How beautiful. Then we all danced and celebrated how good God is. We were running around the campfire holding hands and singing Spanish and English songs victoriously!!! El fuego de Dios esta aqui.

THE WALK

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

He told me the cross was just down the way. So, I started walking alone with God on the flawless Nicaraguan beach. No one in site. I walked for a long time just looking around, singing, and talking to God. I was looking at the shells and asked God for the perfect shell. I asked Him to romance me. If nothing else, I want to be closer to Him. I looked at all the shells and after a while, I finally picked up one. It was pretty but it wasn't the one. I was almost afraid to put it down, because what if there wasn't a better one? I put it down and kept going. As I walked, I was amazed by the beauty all around me, and the fact that no one was in sight. I finally saw the cross in the distance and began to walk faster. I got tired after awhile, it's rough walking in sand. Plus, things always seem closer than they really are. I started paying attention to the shells again. They were getting prettier, but I didn't want to settle. I knew God had the perfect one somewhere...I hope. I kept going and finally made it to the rocks. There was a staircase over to the right a bit, but I kept going straight ahead. I climbed up the rocks. They were pokey and burnt my feet. I was so close to the cross though. As I walked down, a huge wave hit the rocks and soaked me. The salty water covered my burn (p.s. I burned myself on a moto a couple days ago, I will be fine tho). I jumped across all these rocks as the tide was coming in. I climbed up and ran to the cross and hugged it. I spent a long time just staring at the marvelous ocean around, the powerful waves crashing against the rocks as I stand above. I sat down in the rocks which formed a perfect chair for me. I thanked God for life. For love. I truly felt joy, peace and love. I laughed awhile and enjoyed the time. I had forgotten about the shell. Then I explored awhile. I found tons of great shells and put them in a pile. I found a couple pure white shells and gave them to the girls on my team. It reminded me of how God views his children as Pure regardless of our past. "But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" 1 Corinthians 6:11. He made us right with God, so believe it!! I looked around and look came out of nowhere. We found a cave. When I was following Him in, I saw a something lodged in the rocks. It was the perfect shell!! It was pinkish and weird shaped and not too big. God knew exactly what I wanted and needed. I just laughed. I wasn't even looking for it when I found it. It reminded me how God know and He is taking care of me. In Matthew 7:9 Jesus talks about it. "You parents-if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." God knows what we want and what we need. Ask Him. He is our Daddy and He loves to make it happen. Just get close to Him. Get intimate. It didn't just come. After I spent time with Him and my focus turned from what I wanted to God, I got what I wanted and better. I spent more time sitting on the rock getting soaked by the waves. Walking back, thinking about how amazing God is. Talking about how God has increased in our lives. I am now getting soaked by God and it is intense!!!