If You Only Knew Her Story...

What is your first thought when you read the word "prostitute."
Dirty? Promiscuous? Someone to be avoided? Sinful? Slut?
Maybe some of you would even associate that word with images of attractive, scantily clad women in high-heels, getting into fancy cars and bringing in a lot of money.
Several years ago I would have thought some of the same things. Now my first thoughts when I hear the word "prostitute" are these: Exploited. Broken. Abused. Enslaved. This is someone's child. Was she abused as a child? Who deceived her? Does she know that there are people who want to show her love rather than just use her? Does she know that this is not God's best for her life, and Christ desires for her to know physical, emotional, and spiritual freedom?

We live in a society that has glamorized sexual violence and exploitation of women. I don't even have to give examples of this because it is so pervasive. Unfortunately, even believers buy what the world promotes, unknowingly accepting the lie that this is a "job" that women choose to do. But did you know that according to the Polaris Project, the average entry age into prostitution in the United States is 12-14 years old? Did you know that the average life span of a prostitute on the streets is 4-6 years? Did you know that the mortality rate for a prostitute is 40x higher than the national average? Did you know that in the thousands upon thousand of women that Women At Risk has rescued from the sex industry, they have never encountered even one woman who had chosen to get involved in the first place? Did you know that most of these women are used 10-30 times a day, and are often manipulated, threatened, branded, beaten, starved, and deprived of basic human necessities if they do not meet the monetary quota their pimp sets for them?

Did you know God has a special delight in redeeming broken vessels for His glory? Last week, I had the incredible privilege to hear an amazing testimony of a woman I'll call Karen. Karen always felt extremely self conscious and lonely....a very common feeling in young girls. She never felt as though she fit in anywhere, and in high school began to spend time with a group that made her feel like she finally had friends. The problem was, they were manipulating her in order to use her. One day she responded to a call from one of her friends to meet and hang out, only to show up and find that it was not the friend she expected but an older boy from the group who lied to her, raped her, and left her. She was only 14, and she had no idea what had happened to her. Feeling isolated and scared, she spiraled into depression and began lashing out at her mother. She soon turned to drugs to numb her pain, and her mother, not knowing how to respond, sent her across the country to live with her aunt. Soon, Karen's aunt grew tired of her niece's moody, angry behavior and sent her to live with a friend from school.
Less than two weeks later, that friend's father took Karen to an isolated area, held his hand over her mouth, and violated her. Once again isolated and fearful, Karen fled back to an area near her mother, and she was soon even more addicted to the drugs that helped her escape her dark depression.
Karen caught the eye of one of the top drug-dealers in the area and she once again fell prey to the lie of Satan that this was the only person who would accept her as she was. He used her for as long as it suited him, and months later left her alone, more addicted than ever, and penniless.
To get her hit Karen began selling the only thing she had left: her body. By her own admission, she never should have survived with all that happened, yet God preserved her. She got clean for a short time and was married to man whom she describes as "miraculous." But still, Karen was not filled. She turned back to her short term fix of getting high, spending weekends binging. Still her husband stayed and tried to help her. The breaking point came when Karen put her desire for drugs above the safety of her daughter...and her husband finally told her enough.

She returned to what had been their home, only to find her husband had taken their two daughters and mostly moved out. Oddly, the television was still there and turned on. Not only turned on, but on a channel that had a man preaching the gospel. Though Karen had heard it all before, something this man was saying finally sunk in: "Christ, through dying on the cross, is saying 'you are mine. I have bought you with a price.' No matter how dirty, how broken, how filthy you feel right now, Christ has purchased you and desires for you to know forgiveness and true life." Karen stopped running. She stopped turning to cheap highs and short term fulfillment and turned to Christ! God restored her relationship with her husband and her daughters and even blessed her with a third daughter though doctors said she would never be able to have any children with her husband.

If you met Karen, you would never know what she has been through because she radiates love and joy. Her daughter does too; she led the worship that night at the women's bible study when I got to hear Karen's testimony and she was an example of how when Christ heals, He heals completely! Karen's story of redemption took place almost ten years ago. What was amazing though was that at my table there was sitting another beautiful sister in Christ on the path of healing. "Lydia's" story is almost identical to Karen's, & she was one of 9 individuals rescued through the All Worthy of Love outreach program last year and is now over half-way done with her restorative program. She was able to join us for the evening and hear a testimony from a woman who exemplifies God's grace; she was able to see what God can do when we are willing to walk in obedience, and when we reach out and take the gift of forgiveness and new life that Christ is offering.

So what does this mean for you, believer? I hope it means you will not be so quick to judge those who have different stories and backgrounds than your own. I hope it means you will seek to help the people you see who are so obviously struggling, rather than turning away because their predicament makes you uncomfortable. I hope it means that you will love relentlessly and without borders, like Christ has done for us.

There are so many practical ways you can help those trapped in human trafficking. As a start, please check out a few of the ministries I mentioned in this post:

Women At Risk

All Worthy of Love




“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. -Isaiah 58:6-12

Home Again

For almost a month now Titus and I have been back home in Michigan.
I did a wonderful job blogging during the last few weeks of camp, huh? :) Camp was amazing, & definitely needed for us. I especially needed the study through Philippians 2, because it exposed how little I truly love people and how incredibly arrogant and prideful I am in the face of God.
He is definitely continuing to work in me in these areas and it has been so amazing to experience God's faithful love and patience.

Since being back home we have had a ton of downtime, which has been great! But we have also had the blessing of having some adventures :)

One of the first weekends we were home, we went to downtown Detroit to explore Eastern Market. Eastern Market is a six-block public/open market that has been in existence since 1891! There were so many wonderful veggies, fruits, & local products. I highly recommend it if you are ever in the area.

That same day, we went over to Belle Isle; back in its hay-day it was absolutely gorgeous! It is still gorgeous, but there are parts of it that have sadly been neglected. It has a rich history that is worth reading :) 

Belle Isle Conservatory (Beautiful greenhouse!)

The James Scott Fountain on the Island (Which is funny, because Titus' middle name is James...:)

I love this man of mine who is up for anything!

The oldest aquarium in America!

The Belle Isle zoo was all blocked off; it closed in the early two-thousands. It was most recently used in one of the scenes of the 2011 movie "Real Steel." I SOOOOO wanted to go in and get pictures, but even I will admit that probably isn't the best idea. But you can see more pictures on this blog-post

After exploring the island, we set off for another abandoned site: Detroit's Central Station. This too was completely blocked off, but such a gorgeous building! You need to see pictures of the inside...so sad. Check them out here.
There are talks of renovations happening soon, but no one knows for sure. 

One hint of renewal came as we turned away from the station and were walking back to our car; in the small grassy field there were dozens of people gather...homeless. Suddenly I felt very conspicuous, similar to when I have traveled abroad to third world countries. These decaying, crumbling buildings are kind of cool to me...exploring urban decay seems like an adventure. For these people, this is the state of so much of their city right now. Rich history and beautiful areas falling into a state of unrest and ruin. I felt guilt. My heart goes out to so many who suffer daily all over the world while I get to enjoy my comfortable life.
As we got closer, we saw that about half of the people had matching shirts and were not only bringing hot meals, but also just talking with individuals. Not in a condescending way either, but in a loving, caring way.  We didn't want to intrude, but we did look up their ministry when we got home & found that this is something they do often.

God has given Titus & I such a deep burden for the people of Detroit, and recently we have been so encouraged not only to hear of and see so many people with the same burden, but also to hear so many stories of people whose lives are being transformed by the power of the gospel. Often I get overwhelmed by the enormity of the issues and broken lives, but I have been learning that God does not ever get overwhelmed, and He works in individuals...patiently and personally. And when whole communities of individuals are being transformed, whole communities and cities are transformed and there are areas in Detroit where that is happening.

God has not left Detroit; Pray for Detroit! 

What Do You Have That You Have Not Been Given?

Our culture has a widespread sickness. It goes by several different names; entitlement; instant gratification; the "I deserve ______" complex, just to name a few. This sickness is easy to recognize in other people's lives, but somehow sneaks into our own more discreetly. 

This summer as we have studied through Philippians with the camp staff, we have particularly focused on chapter two and the example of humility in Christ. The Lord has exposed a strain of that same sickness in my life; its name is Pride. Pride is an ugly word, and an even uglier character trait. 

As I have been studying in Corinthians in my own personal devotions, the Lord drew my attention to II Corinthians chapter 3, and particularly verse 5: "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God."

Two questions came to mind through which the Lord exposed areas of Pride in my life. As you read them and some of the examples I give from my own life, I would encourage you to examine your own heart through these same questions.

1: How do I try to be self-sufficient?

• I don't like asking for help, even when I obviously need it.
• I often respond badly to correction.
• I go through entire days/weeks without praying intentionally & confessing my need for God.
• I often give scripture-less counsel.
• I don't often live in a way that actually requires faith; I live carefully inside my own resources & abilities.
• I search for solutions to problems within myself, then talk to others about it, then if the problem is still there, then I'll pray about it.
• I interact with others as though I am the one who can change them.
• I guard the things I'm good at and I am unwilling to serve in areas that expose my weaknesses.

2: What do I claim as coming from myself?

• Often I take pride in my knowledge of scripture, as if the desire for things of God came from within me.
• I claim any kind act I do as coming from me rather than God's work in my life to be more like Christ in loving others.
• Anything thing I've "earned"
• Accomplishments
• Position
• Possessions
• Relationships

The lists are far more extensive than these, but too complex to explain in a blog post as my flesh loves to deceive me into claiming any good thing as coming from me. But as Paul reminds us in Romans 7, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh." Any good thing that comes from me is only the result of God's mercy in my life & the work of His Holy Spirit. And any good thing that comes to me, I am not entitled to; I did not earn it; I do not deserve it. As I Corinthians 4:7 asks, "For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?"

Without the mercy of God and the work of Christ in my life, I am spiritually destitute.

Agreeing with God about our true state leaves very little room for pride. Cultivating a thankful heart leaves very little room for pride. 

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, 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 coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

-Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV

Sunsets and Pasta

Hello all!

I hope that you had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!
Titus and I were very busy on Saturday, but got to spend some sweet time together Sunday. Here at camp we have what we call "power groups." That group contains one leadership team member, & then 3-4 op-staff, counselors, and other staff members. This makes up the group that we study Philippians with each week, it also provides accountability & encouragement throughout the summer as we grow to be close friends! We also have "power group projects," which is an act of service that each group is expected to do over the course of the summer. Our group chose to send a newly-wed staff couple on a date night. And when I say newly-wed, I mean they had only been married a little over 2 weeks before they jumped into the insane busyness of camp. So they can definitely use a night away together! So we got a dress, jewelry, & a gift card to a really cute restaurant for them. Since all shopping is at least 45 minutes away, it took a good part of Saturday to get it together. But we had a ton of fun together!When I got back, I began cooking for a get-together Titus & I have been planning for a while.
I have personally been challenged through Titus 3 (the Bible passage, not my husband---though he is awesome!) about being hospitable, and using our resources to serve and encourage others. So we had my power group, Titus' powergroup, the logistics team, & a few friends over for some pasta! It was a ton of fun! We don't have furniture in our apartment here at camp, so we all just sat on the floor =)

Here are links to the recipes we made; they are some of our favorites!

• One Pot Pasta; this one is super easy and quick! I usually get some spicy sausage & add it too =)
• Garlic Alfredo Sauce; by far the group favorite! Another simple, quick recipe.
• Pad Thai; my current favorite recipe. It even got approval from our friend, Moses, who is from Laos & eats authentic Thai food most of the time!

There is something special here at Northland about the sunsets; each one has been so spectacular! Titus & I enjoyed a walk around campus after everyone had left from our pasta night, & then we made it back just in time before a storm hit! 

This week has been really good so far. We have a wonderful mix of campers; some I counseled from 2 years ago, so it has been fun to see them again! Please pray for our staff and campers this week; there are many first time campers here; many seniors; there is a large group of Burmese and Chinese campers who speak little to no English, so pray that this week would be fun for them & not overwhelming. Pray that campers would taste & see that God is good, & have a desire for His word & to continue growing after camp. Pray for many staff who are sick, especially counselors. Pray for the sponsors, some of which have been through a hard year of ministry & just need some encouragement. And please pray that we as a staff would continue to grow through the Philippians study. It has been so impacting, but this is the time of the summer when we tend to get more self-reliant & work in our own strength instead of God's. We need God to work, or nothing of eternal importance will happen. Pray that God would do a great work this summer! 

Thank you in advance for your prayers! If you would like to listen to the study through Philippians, I highly recommend taking the time to do so! You can find all of the sermons from this summer at NorthlandCamp.org.

Food For Thought: Blog Day

If you have never explored John Piper's website, you are missing out on a vast resource for personal growth in Christ. There are over twenty years worth of sermons catagorized from topic to passage; blog articles by solid writers on almost every topic, as well as a wealth of other resources. Seriously, head over to desiringgod.com!

The blog entry that caught my eye today is entitled, "Putting Your City in its Place." 

I won't restate the article, but be sure you read it through! Great thoughts on why it isn't enough to just reach a city with the gospel by planting a church or sending a missionary, but that darkness transcends geographic lines & is more about individuals. I know people that live within a mile of our church & have never heard a clear presentation of the gospel...bottom line---be where you are, God has put you there for a reason. You have a unique group of friends, co-workers, grocery store attendants, hair stylists, etc, that need YOU to show them Christ. Go where the gospel isn't...in your own community!! 

Enough of me, go read: Putting Your City in its Place

{May}hem & the Catch-up Game

Hello all!

Well, here we go again---my bi-monthly post with promises of being more consistent...we'll see how the consistency part goes! =)

The Lord has been so good to Titus & I, and in the past few months I feel that we have, by God's grace, grown individually and as a couple. It seems like the Lord is preparing us for a specific ministry in Detroit & I am so thankful that He has blessed me with Titus, who is the strength to all of my weaknesses.

Speaking of my handsome hubby, he had an awesome opportunity back in May to take a 10 day mission trip to Brasil to help construct a church.

The Lord allowed them to get a lot down & make some great friendships, but I missed Titus so much!

One morning, he sent me a facebook message & told me he had had an accident, but "don't worry, nothing serious. It is actually pretty funny!" Well, later in the day I had an opportunity to Skype with him and...it wasn't funny! Long story short, if you look in the picture above you can see the construction site. There were high walls of clay all around, & one of those big chunks of clay (about 1000lbs I was told) fell on Titus' head while he was working with a pick ax. It pushed him down the hill, pick ax & all, and several of the Brasilian construction workers said it was the scariest accident they had seen in over 20yrs. Titus walked away with some bruises & cuts, but he was completely fine! Praise the Lord! Such a reminder though to be so thankful for my loved ones, & to not pray so flippantly about safety.

These twins got very attached to Titus in the short time he was there. Titus gave a great challenge in church after he returned; we don't have to travel halfway across the world to engage in "missions." We have missions in our own backyard. Needy people who don't know how much Christ loves them, & the only thing they know of Christians is the hypocritical ones they know, or the angry, condescending legalistic stereotype that all of us have encountered at one point or another. Why not get out into your community & find just one person you can be Christ's hands & feet for?

The rest of May and the beginning of June was a blur as school wrapped up, I got to go up to Wisconsin unexpectedly to surprise my mom as she graduated with her degree in accounting! I am SOOOOO proud of her hard work and perseverance. She has always been such an example to me, & I am so thankful for her & the opportunity to be her daughter =)

Titus & I will be spending the rest of this month & most of July at Northland Camp; the place God has used greatly in both of our lives. Titus has quite a lot of responsibilities & I am so proud of him for the long hours he works, & also his care for those around him. I am working as the finance secretary, which I have actually enjoyed quite a bit! I stay busy, but God has also given me some extra time to read more, work on my TESOL class, & talk with others. It has been refreshing & much needed after so much change & honestly--- a few months of draining work in the daycare. The study of Philippians that we are doing this summer has been so rebuking, but also encouraging for me. God is just teaching me once again of His goodness and faithfulness, & I am so thankful for all He has given me.

A Series of Fortunate Events

Well, I am building my way up to regularly blogging! I am determined to get there :) For now, I'll fill you in on the past few weeks.

Spring break actually had a small sliver of spring weather after a brutal winter. Unfortunately, I came down with the nastiest stomach flu I've ever had...so I was quarantined inside our apartment for the day that it snowed! Thankfully, I recovered quickly (with the care of my sweet husband), & on Thursday we were able to carry out the plans we'd had for the day we both had off.
Though Detroit has been given quite a stigma recently, many areas of it are still very beautiful & great to explore! I have been dying to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts for several months, so we finally made it down there. 

We spent several hours enjoying all of the exhibits! Our favorites were the Egyptian exhibit, & the other ancient exhibits. Though many of the paintings were breathtaking!

Later that evening, we had the awesome privilege of going to see the Casting Crowns "Thrive" tour...man, blown away by how blessed I was! I a so thankful for Mark Hall's ministry. The band still serves at their local church Sunday through Wednesday, then they do concerts Thursday through Saturday. Before each concert, the group walks through each venue...every aisle...and they pray for all the people who will be attending that evening. Their new album is based on the concept of taking root deeply into God's word, then reaching out & loving others. Just like the tree described in Psalm 1; it serves its purpose best when it is receiving nutrients. We as Christians can be friendly towards people all we want, but if it is not based in the truth of the gospel, it is frivolous. On the flip side, we can study all we want & master theological arguments, yet if we are not loving others with what we are learning, that also is not fulfilling the purpose that God made us for. As believers, we must study God's Word earnestly, then as James says---real faith works! Don't be a hearer only...put what you read into action & reach out to love on others & point them to Christ!

Thanks to the generosity of so many people, we still have some gift cards from our wedding! We enjoyed a fun date night at Red Lobster the following evening :)

Then...we got a puppy!! It was on St. Patricks day! We named him Mason, & he is a sweetheart. 

When we first got him, all he wanted to do was cuddle...now he's a bit more mischievous. 

See how sweet he was? He still is...but he has become VERY attached to Titus...he hardly comes to me when Titus is home. Except while I was writing this post he kept trying to climb into my lap. Haha! What a stinker :)

My series of fortunate events continued by God allowing me to meet up with these sweet friends from college. Debbie & Grace were on spring break, & I was in the area to accompany some of our highschool students in the MACS competition. We shopped, got starbucks, & went out for sushi! It was such an unexpected blessing, & I am so thankful it worked out!! God is so kind to give so many gifts :)

Two Week Wrap!

Crazy, crazy, crazy life! And I love it :)
The past couple of weeks have been crazy, so I am going to do a fly over recap, then hone in on some details in future posts (possibly).

Titus & I had the opportunity to be mom & dad to four kids (plus a dog) for a week! While our school admin and his wife took a recruitment trip to BJU we house sat & made sure all the kids stayed in one place & didn't burn the house down or kill each other. Kidding! They are great kids and we hardly had to do much more than cook meals & drive them to school :) it was a lot of fun! And after that week, I am convinced Titus is going to be a great dad when the time comes. He did much more than I did! He even got up early to make breakfast for everyone one morning, even though he hadn't gotten to bed until almost 2 am because he was playing in a football league the night before. I am so blessed!

It made for a busy week, but I learned a lot & especially that Thursday,  God taught me a big lesson through an unexpected, small,seemingly unimportant event; making dinner! I will be sure to share more about that later since God really exposed my heart, & I think it illustrates how involved God is in even the smallest details :)

That weekend, I had to say goodbye to my coworker, Elizabeth, as she moved to South Korea to begin a new ministry there. I learned a lot from her, & we already miss her a lot!!

Due to Elizabeth leaving, I am now the "lead" in the toddler room, which means longer hours & more responsibilities. It is a blessing because that also means some extra income; Titus and I have been blown away at God's faithfulness in providing above and beyond our needs. To celebrate the pay raise, we are starting to look at dogs to add to our home! We both love animals, & I especially  would like to have a furry friend along when Titus is away or when I go on walks by myself. I'll keep you updated on that process!!

Please continue to pray as God has been deeply working in my heart and life lately. He really does do the most work through small moments of obedience through little moments every day. Whether it is just choosing to love a difficult person, or choosing not to complain when you have to change the twentieth piopy diaper or wipe the fiftieth snotty nose before noon :) so thankful for Christ! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! More soon :)

Snow Camp, Six Month Anniversary, and Various Other Adventures

Well hey there! It has been less than a month since I last blogged, so I feel very proud of myself for already writing again :)
The past week and a half have been, you guessed it...BUSY! But lots of fun. Titus and I had the opportunity to go up to snow camp for three days with the WCS teens. I was in the cabin with the middle school girls, and it was a ton of fun!!

It was an awesome opportunity to get the know some of the basketball girls better, and also a grwat chance to get to know some of the other girls that I haven't interacted with much yet. Some of my favorite times were the random one on one conversations as I got to ask them what God was teaching them, what some of their greatest struggles are, and how I can pray for them or help them. 

Titus helped me stay warm, even though we only saw each other a few times throughout the day...he thought ahead and bought me a giant pack of hand & foot warmers!! Love that thoughtful guy if mine :) 

It was such a beautiful setting to be able to have a renewed focus on God; not that a geographical location makes God any more accessible or whatever, it was just nice to take a few days off of daycare & renew my focus on discipling those that God has given me opportunity to invest into their lives, & also to soak myself in God's word, so I can know & enjoy, & point others to Him. 

We returned to Wixom at around 4 pm, & then Titus & I went out for dinner (sushi!!) to celebrate our six month anniversary. It is crazy to think we have already been married for six months, but it also feel like I have been with Titus forever!! He is exactly my God-given match, & I am so thankful for his patient, consistent, thoughtful, self-sacrificing, kind, goofy, sweet love. God is so kind to give me an earthly mirror of His own love for me. 

It has been a very long winter, but God has taught me so much while I've been burrowing into blankets all of these cold, snowy days: contentment, not whining, loving and serving despite emotions, using my down time wisely. Not perfect in any of these, but thankful that God is working!! 

End of the Year Blessings

Well, once again, I am blogging at the encouragement of my beautiful sister :)
Thanks to having two weeks off of our crazy schedule at school, we have been able to enjoy several days with my family. At this very moment, I am sitting next to Amber, watching The Blind Side, & just enjoying being able to chat, catch up, & share how God has worked & what He is teaching both of us.

This Christmas break came just in time!  Titus & I have had such a crazy time since Thanksgiving. We started coaching the girl's basketball team at WCS. That has been a really great opportunity to get to know the girls better & to helpTitus; it has also given us an even fuller schedule! We are typically gone from about 7:30 in the morning until 6 at night. & game nights are much later! But it has been a wonderful opportunity, & I am thankful to be involved. However, once you add in all the Christmas programs, parties, shopping, & baking, normal life can seem like too much to fit in! So the last few weeks were quite a blur, & it has been so nice to have several weeks to catch our breath & to see my family again. I missed them SO much! Being 8-12 hours away, I sometimes just wish I could go visit for a weekend. But the distance is too much.

We started our vacation with an evening in Marshall with Titus' family. It was his aunt's birthday, & we were able to spend a fun time together & enjoy the time we had on the farm =)
After a quick overnight stop at my sister's house in the Dells, Titus & I were able to spend a few days. I am so thankful for my mom & how hard she works, & also that Dad got to come home from North Dakota to spend Christmas with his family. I know it is difficult for him to be so far away from home, & he is working such difficult, long hours, so it was good to be able to see him. We also discovered a game we all like...Yahtzee!! I won mostly. Kidding!! It was pretty evenly spread out, but there was one especially memorable game when all four of us got Yahtzees right in a row!! =) Unfortunately, Titus also got he flu & was down for all of Christmas Eve. He was a trooper & had such a good attitude though.  Christmas Day was beautiful & refreshing; it was great to spend the day with my parents & then visit the Tomas family later in the evening. During our time in Chetek I also got to catch up with a few friends from Northland, which is always a blessing!

A few days after Christmas, we traveled down to the dells & were able to spend a day with our extended family, and then Titus & I also had 4 days with the Poppenga family, which was soooo much fun! It is always special to spend some time catching up with my sister, and Titus & I really enjoyed playing with Blake & Bri. Bri kicked both of our butts in chutes & ladders though, haha! I always learn so much about hospitality when I am with Amber; she is so gifted! She is also such a great mother & gets more accomplished in one morning an a lot of people do in a week! The weather was frigid, and we had to suffer through a Badger loss & a packer loss, along with half of the family getting the flu (first time I have thrown up in over ten years! Yuck!!) but we thoroughly enjoyed our time & can't wait to visit again soon, and meet Poppenga baby. #3!!

New Beginnings, New Mercies, Same God

Once again, I have been absent from the blogging world for, oh....about 5 months (yes, I did just have to use my fingers to count that). So much has happened! For starters, I have a new last name! Titus & I were married on August 6th, & everything has been a whirlwind since. I have started journaling again for the first time in close to two years, & for me, blogging is a natural extension of that. My hope is that this blog will be an avenue to display God's leading & continued faithfulness in my life; a place where my family & friends (who are MUCH farther away than I would like) will be able to keep current with what is going on, & also an avenue to share the practical things that I am learning as a newly-married wife.

This weekend was absolutely crazy! Titus & I left Wednesday night after FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes. More on that ministry another time), & arrived in Indiana at about 11pm. We had the opportunity to attend a 2-day teacher's conference, which had several very helpful workshops. As soon as the last session finished on Friday afternoon, we hit the road (again!) to make the long drive to Northland.
Some of our good friends who work at the Camp year-round asked if we could come up to help with a weekend event they were hosting. Truthfully, I knew they just wanted Titus' help, but now we're a package deal =) That husband of mine is very gifted in combining his organizational skills with great leadership, so he is VERY helpful to have around!



I was so blessed to be able to spend time with several of my closest friends. It came at a great time; though I really love it here in Wixom, & I am SO excited about the opportunities God is opening up, I miss my close friends. God also worked it out so that we were able to visit my extension church the next day & see our good friends, the Coffey's, & their ministry team. Aaron Coffey spoke out of Isaiah 6, about beholding God. He made the point that when we as Christians are truly beholding God, we will cease to be overwhelmed with the circumstances of life. With so much recent change, that was just what my heart needed to hear!

All of life changes, but God remains the same. I am looking forward to continuing to learn more of His grace and mercy as I continue in this new chapter of life.

"Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever." -Hebrews 13:8

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." -Psalm 73:26

Back to Blogging!

As my sister has noted recently, it has been over a year since I last blogged!
SO much has happened since I last updated, I won't even attempt to recap, but I will enter back into the blogging world relating the story that has had the biggest impact on my life over the last year =)
God is good to me, & He has recently begun to put it on my heart that I need to start recording & sharing the things He has done for me again. Thank you Amber for your encouragement; you are such a great motivator!

God has done much & brought me through much over the past year, but as I mentioned, there has been once change that has impacted me more deeply than any other, & his name is Titus. God brought us together in an amazing way as only He could! Here is Our Story:

My Side:

Summer of 2012 started out fantastically.

I was at the Disneyland of the Midwest; Aka, Northland Camp and Conference Center. This is the place where God has done an overhaul on my life, in more ways than one. Northland has had a huge impact on me spiritually since I first arrived as a camper when I was 16 years old. Little did I know that this summer would so drastically change my life.

As a teen counselor, things got busy…I mean, so busy that sleep is a rarity! But the dependence on God that was cultivated those 8 weeks deepened my spiritual walk like nothing I had ever experienced. I saw campers I had labeled as “hopeless” be overcome by the gospel & set aside the sins & the weights that had littered their lives. I saw my fellow staff members transformed by Hebrews 12, the passage of focus we were studying that summer. I also saw the Lord change me & give me a desire & thirst for Him like never before.

In the midst of all of these incredible blessings, there was yet another layer of change that the Lord was orchestrating. Enter Mr. Titus Scott. Fellow camp worker. Program guy. Former Team Lead. And little did I know…my future husband.

I was a girl who had never had dreams of wedding bells, or finding prince charming, but had been praying for several years that if God saw fit to bring a man into my life, that it would be a guy who loved God more than he would ever love me. A man who consistently put others above himself, served with humility, showed confidence & knowledge in the scripture, and lived in a way that demonstrated a passion for the gospel….pretty high orders, yes? Exactly...

God had brought me to a place through different trials & disappointments in which I was quite content with being single, & I had in fact already made plans of exactly what I would do after graduation, & it seemed to me that God was blessing the decisions I was beginning to make for the future.

Then, about half way through the summer the Lord began shifting some things in my life…he brought various trials, and through each one, He brought growth. But it had begun to challenge some of what I had begun to plan for life after college. In one particular situation, I was still grappling with what the Lord was doing in my life. So I began to pray, “Lord, I don’t understand…can you please just make things in my life go back to how they were?” But then God convicted me…I wasn’t praying according to His will, I was praying according to mine.

Here’s where the story gets odd, & I see the fingerprints of God all over it.

The very last week of camp, I prayed that prayer, & God convicted me of praying according to what I wanted, so I prayed instead (admittedly, somewhat hesitantly), “Lord, please change me through this trial, & reveal to me what you want me to see & learn through it.”

It was that very day that God brought Titus to my mind…it’s not like I was set on getting in a relationship that summer, so the fact that all of the sudden there was this guy on my mind that I barely knew was a little odd. So I thought back on all I knew about this program guy named Titus.

I hadn’t really taken a special interest in him until this point, but he had always stuck out in my mind as very dependable, humble, kind, and as a guy who did the jobs that no one else really wanted to.

I also began thinking through the characteristics I had hoped for if ever I were to be married, and with the little I knew about Titus, from what I could tell he fit a good deal of them.

So, I did what any girl would have done; I texted my mom & told her that when she came up to get me from camp she would also get to meet her future-son-in law! No kidding, this part of the story may have actually been a little creepy if nothing had worked out, but since Titus & I will be married, I feel a little less awkward about it.

I had such a strong, unexplainable feeling that this was the man God wanted me to marry, I was surprised at myself!

One problem---we had 4 days left of the summer & then I wouldn’t see him again for at least a year.

God was so good though, because I had such a strong confidence that it was His will for us to be together, I felt perfectly at peace about waiting, and felt no need to try to manipulate the situation in the few days we had left.

So as I saw Titus around those last few days, I had absolutely no idea if he was interested or not!

It wasn’t until Friday, when I had a short interaction with him by the Liquidator (the big water slide for those of you who are not fluent in the Northland camp dialect) that I began to pick up that Titus might, just might be interested…but again, it was the last day, so I really tried not to read too much into it.

Finally, it was the last Saturday and I was getting all packed up & loading up the car to come home. As I had promised, I pointed out Titus to my mom, (referring to him once more as her future son-in-law. Haha!) As she and I pulled out of the parking lot, I saw Titus and Aaron Coffey talking near the sidewalk, they waved goodbye, I waved back, as I said to my mom “I’ll bet you anything they are talking about me.” Yes, very narcissistic looking back on it, but I just had this weird feeling (and I was right, so it’s not that weird, right? ☺ ).

In my mind, leaving Northland sealed the deal, that God really did have a plan for Titus & I, but it wasn’t going to begin unfolding until the following summer. I had begun writing prayer requests on note-cards, and so that Sunday night I wrote a prayer card for Titus, & for myself regarding Titus. I prayed that God would allow me the peace & confidence to wait on the Lord & not grow discontent over the next year as I waited, & I also prayed for Titus, that God would continue deepening his relationship with the Lord.

I got up, turned off my light, turned down my covers, & had just laid my head on my pillow when I heard my message indicator go off on my ipod (literally less than two minutes after I finished praying for Titus,) and I looked, & all I saw was the name “Titus Scott,”& I knew why he contacted me!

Titus tells this better than I do, but basically, he had contacted me to ask if we could keep in touch & get to know each other better, & see how the Lord leads.

I was SO excited! I saw this as directly from God, but of course I didn’t want to seem too anxious, so I read the message, & went to sleep, & it was just after camp, so I slept in quite a bit the next day. I talked to my mom about it, prayed about it, & then responded to Titus & told him I would love to keep in touch.

​​

The very next day, I was in 2 Corinthians 7 & 8 as part of the devotional study I had started the previous week…this is where I just see God’s sense of humor. Take a look at some of the verses I read as part of my devotions just a day after Titus & I began communication:

• “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you.” (2 Corinthians 7:6-7)

• Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you. (2 Corinthians 7:13)

• “But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you.” (2 Corinthians 8:16)

• “As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit.” -2 Corinthians 8:23)

That made me laugh! I had to share it with my mom & sisters ☺

In the months Titus & I have been deepening our relationship, God has just blessed us in a very special way. It has been difficult to deal with “the distance.” But the long-distance has actually served to deepen our communication skills & also learn to trust the Lord better to help the other person when we can’t be together. As I got to know Titus, I was continually thankful for all those things I was first attracted to him for, but my thankfulness has grown as I’ve gotten to know him in a much deeper way. He really seeks to serve me & those around him in a way that I really respect & admire. He often challenges me with the truth of God’s word. And we just have a great time together! In the first several weeks I spoke to several mentors & spiritual leaders in my life that I really trust, many of whom have known Titus for longer than I have, and their confirmation of Titus’ character & their approval of our relationship gave me even more confidence that it was God’s will we marry.

December 27th was the awesome day of our engagement! We had just returned to his grandparent’s farm after spending Christmas with the Scott family in South Carolina. It was a beautiful day, with fresh snow on a really amazing landscape. Titus had been pretty quiet all day, & he had completely convinced me that we would not be getting engaged over Christmas break. So I just assumed that he was tired, or maybe he was grumpy. Haha! So finally he asked me if I would like to go for a walk out in the woods, which of course I did!

So we bundled up & he showed me around the farm, he was talking a bit more by this point so I no longer thought he was grumpy, just a little reserved ☺

Then when we began to head out towards the woods, he got quiet once more, so I just enjoyed the scenery. It really was beautiful!

We got to a small pond out in the woods, & I turned around to say something to Titus, & he was down on one knee with a ring (which was even more beautiful than the scenery!), and asked me to be his wife! Of course I said yes!

We called our families, & also the Coffey’s, another family that has been very influential in both of our lives. It was such a happy moment to share with loved ones!

Since then, we have been continuing to learn more about each other & more about what a Christ-centered relationship truly looks like. God has certainly given us very specific & almost identical burdens for future ministry, & we are looking forward to taking that next step in the future. But right now, I am just so deeply thankful for how God has so clearly worked in our lives to bring us together, & I cannot WAIT to marry my best friend. August 6th: be there!

His Side:

Summer 2012 at Northland Camp, a summer that God would use to change most everything in my life.  I have the privilege of teaching during the school year and then spending my summer working at Northland Camp.  I always look forward to how God changes me as I study through the theme passage set aside for each summer!  Little did I know how God would change my life, summer of 2012!

During the first week and a half, we spend quite a bit of time under great preaching and teaching of God’s Word.  This summer one of the sessions that had the most impact on my life was when Aaron Coffey shared from Philippians 4:6-7.  He challenged us regarding fear and worry, which tends to cloud our minds and hearts.  God used His words to challenge me when he pointed out that if I prayed every time that I started to worry, two things would happen.  My prayer life would be increased and the amount of fear in my life would greatly decreased.  God was teaching me this lesson early in the summer because I was going to need it over the course of the summer.

As the summer began, I did not think that I would developing an interest and relationship with Alicia Ball.  I knew a little bit about Alicia from the previous summer when she was a lifeguard and I was a team leader.  She also had been my sister’s roommate during the previous school year at NIU.  I think that before I was willing to admit it to myself, God was beginning to point my heart towards Alicia.  I began to notice many characteristics of her life that I was very attracted to.  As the summer continued to progress, I began to realize how much I was being drawn to get to know Alicia better.  Through the summer, I was able to see her heart and desire to serve God and those around her.  The more I saw the joy that she consistently exhibited while serving campers through the grueling schedule of camp solidified the desire to get to know Alicia better!  This is where the lessons God had been teaching me really became evident.  As I attempted to determine how I should pursue the possibility of a relationship with Alicia, I came to a point where I realized that I was beginning to worry about whether I would “stand a chance”!  As these worries began to take hold, I was reminded of the challenge from Aaron.  I came to the point where I recognized those worries actually were being shown in a lack of trust in God!  As I came to this realization, I decided that I would take Aaron’s challenge and pray every time I started to feel worried about this situation.  This was exactly the point God wanted me to come to!  The more I started to trust in God, the more I was at peace with waiting on the possibility of a relationship for as long as I needed!

Throughout this whole time, I continued to learn more about and become more attracted to Alicia and her servant spirit.  At this point, she was still not interested in me, and looking back on it, I believe that is why God brought me to the point of being willing to wait.  It was the very beginning of the last week of camp that all of a sudden I noticed a slight change in Alicia and her interaction with me.  As I continued to pray about the possibility of a relationship, I again found myself at the place where I decided that in order for me to truly trust God, I needed to wait until He made in completely clear that I was to pursue a relationship with Alicia.  The last day of camp was probably one of the hardest of the summer for me.  I was spending a lot of time praying just putting my faith in God and knowing that even if it were not until the next summer, Alicia would be worth the wait! I was speaking to Aaron Coffey as Alicia was preparing to leave and I asked him to pray for me to trust God and that I would clearly understand God’s timing regarding a relationship.

It’s amazing to me how quickly God works sometimes.  It was the following Sunday that I felt a complete peace about moving forward with a relationship.  Well, I had peace that it was time for me to approach Alicia! I did not have any peace about what her response might be! I spent several hours putting together a message to her explaining my desire to pursue a relationship!  After sending it, I was able to see that she had received the message, but then had to wait until the following afternoon to hear back from her.  From that point on it has seemed like such a whirlwind!  God has done such a work in both of our lives bringing us together and growing us as individuals and as a couple.  Buying the ring and planning the proposal was such a fun event in my life!  I made a goal to surprise her, even though it was going to be obvious where our relationship was heading!  I spent a lot of time trying to convince her that I would not be able to get engaged during the Christmas break, only to successfully surprise her on December 27 while at my grandparents farm, a place that now holds a doubly special place in my heart!  Getting to know Alicia has brought so much joy and fun into my life.  I am so thankful for how God has worked and I am so excited to see what God will continue to do in our lives.