Up Till Now...

Hi Everyone!

So I wanted to update you all on the goings on here in Belfast! It's been a bit of a whirlwind (still), as I've been getting settled in and acclimated to my new home. I've battled some illness as well, but I've also had some pretty amazing times already! God is so great, and I'm so excited for what the future will hold! Okay, so let's dive in.

Are you Okay...?

So, as I shared in my last post I got a stomach bug shortly after arriving. A few weeks later I was hit with a cold. I tried to rest and take care of myself, but it still took a little while before I could shake it completely. Then, last week, I was hit with yet another stomach bug. I've never had them so close together before. Usually illness hits when you move to a new place, as you acclimate to your new surroundings, but this just felt like one thing after another. I'm so thankful for all the people that love me, and were willing to bring soup, and medicine, and just sit with me while I tried to rest and recuperate. It is a testament to the family that I have joined here in Belfast, because I was treated as such. Encouraging texts, a willingness to brave getting sick themselves to bring me what I needed. I felt so loved, and it made my heart so incredibly happy to know that I have such amazing people surrounding me, loving me, and encouraging me here on the ground. I'm praying, and ask that you would do so as well, that I do not get sick again. So far, so good, but I still think it is important to be covered in prayer against any other illnesses.

Global Cafe

One of the ministries that I get to be a part of here in Belfast is the Global Cafe. We welcome new comers (Immigrants and Refugees) to our city by cooking a big meal connected with a country we pick for that month, playing some live music, and providing for needs they may have (clothing, toiletries, homeware, etc.). I've been to two so far, and it has been such a privilege to meet the amazing people that come to these gatherings. The first Global Cafe I participated in I had the privilege of helping to provide music, by singing. The food we had was from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and it was just an amazing night to be able to serve with my gifts. The second Global Cafe was Puerto Rican night, and I had the opportunity to share food from my family, my country, and made arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), plantains, and beans. It was so fun, and a little stressful, but mostly fun, to be able to cook food that I love for this diverse group of people. There are people from different countries, with different faiths, that come together in this little space, and enjoy each other. It is so beautiful to see. I met a woman from Somalia, and was able to really connect with her. I am so blessed to be able to be a part of this event. As many of you know, I have a very big heart for the refugee, for immigrants, so this is such an incredible opportunity for me to be a part of, and I look forward to continuing in this ministry.

Youth Night

We also had our first youth night! As you know, my main focus while being here is being a youth minister. So it was pretty exciting to plan our first youth night! There aren't many in our church yet, only three, and only two could make it to our night out, but I loved being able to hang out with them, and get to know them a bit better. We did a movie night. We went to see Black Panther, then grabbed some food at McDonalds afterwards. I am really looking forward to our future youth nights, which we will be doing once a month to start, until we grow a bit larger. I pray that God will open doors for me in this area as well, to be able to reach out a bit more in our community as well. I want to be a safe space for our young adults, to be there for them, and a godly example to them. Also, since we have two young men, and one young woman, please be praying for a man to be able to help with this ministry. We have a policy of needing two adults being present whenever we do something with the youth, but it would be great if we could have a man to help as well, so we have someone for the young men to be able to talk to on a deeper level.

Everything Else...

I've also been helping to lead worship. I'm really excited to be getting back into this area of service. It's been a long time since I've led worship, or helped with worship at all. I'm so happy that God is using my gifts to help in this area as well. I love worship, I have such a heart for it, so I'm really enjoying playing piano and singing, and just giving glory to God through my gifts. 

I've also been building relationships with some of the young women I've met. Many of them are already Christians, at varying degrees of their walk with the Lord. I just feel so blessed to be a part of their lives, to potentially aid in discipleship, but ultimately being able to spend time with these wonderful women that have different experiences, different ways of looking at the Lord. God has blessed me to be able to be a part of their journey, and to have them be a part of mine.

I also wanted to share quickly, that I had the amazing opportunity to spend a week learning more about God on a deeper level. We had a friend come from the States (Minnesota actually, how funny!), he is a Messianic Jew, and taught us, in a different way than I've ever been taught. He broke down the scriptures in the Torah, and shed new light on old passages. It was an intensive week, but it was also so incredible to learn so much, to see God in a new way. He will be coming back two more times this year to visit, and I look forward to learning more from him.

That's All Folks

So that's a quick, basic recap of everything that's been going on! It's been such an amazing two months (Two months?!? Already?!?) being here, growing accustomed to saying "would that suit" instead of "does that work", "Hiya" instead of "Hi", and "Grand" instead of "Great" (among many other phrases), to different (and sometimes better) food, and buildings that never seem to quite get to warm, just warmer than outside. I am loving every moment of it, trying to soak it all in, and enjoy the newness of it all before it becomes commonplace to me. God is doing some pretty incredible things here, people are being healed, they are learning about Him, who He is, the great love He has for us, and the power He has. I cannot wait to see how He continues to move, and what else He has in store for us all. Until next time!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

Go!

Hi Everyone! Greetings from Belfast!!

I have been here for a week already! I just wanted to share a bit about my first week here, and about future communications, so that we can all be on the same page. So here we go!

My first week here in Belfast has been quite interesting. I arrived last Thursday, I was met at the airport by the wonderful Johann and Andrea. Right off I was able to go view an apartment that was in a great location, and in my price range. It was really exciting to find such  a great place just a few hours after arriving. I fought through some jet lag, and had a lovely dinner with my ENB family! The next day was Johann and Andrea's eldest daughter, Makayla's birthday! So we went out to dinner to celebrate.

Unfortunately that night I was hit with a stomach bug, I thought at first was food poisoning, but I think it was actually a virus I caught on the plane. So I spent all of Saturday just resting and trying to recover. Thank you to everyone who prayed for me during this time!

Sunday I was feeling a bit better, and attended my first church service! I had the privilege of meeting several of our Every Nation Church Belfast members, and it was a lovely time becoming acquainted with them. I am so excited to see more of them in the future!

Monday, our day off, I was feeling fully better, but it was time to fast, as our church is spending this week in prayer and fasting. I also went to the city center to set up my bank account, and turn in my application for the apartment I had seen on Thursday. Afterwards I got to have coffee with Caly, Lenny, and their son Eli. It was lovely to just spend a bit of time with them and chat, and I loved spending time with Eli, as he reminds me so much of my niece Selah.

Tuesday was staff meeting, and it was so great just getting to be with my team, my family, here and pray together, plan together, and just being a part of everything. I'm so excited that I get to work with such amazing people! I am truly blessed! In the evening we had a time of church prayer and worship, and it was such a sweet time to be together in prayer and agreement with each other.

Last night I was able to attend a special welcome dinner for international students arriving at the university. It was a great time of fellowship, and while we were overstaffed, and I wasn't able to eat with any international students, I was able to eat with some students that are from Northern Ireland, and I was able to learn a little bit about my new home. It was a lovely time, and I'm glad that I could learn a bit about Northern Ireland from the locals!

Today I found out that I got the apartment I applied for! Praise God! So hopefully I will be moving in the end of the month! I am so excited to get fully settled in, and begin my regular schedule of work in the coming weeks, so that I can continue connecting with my new home, and my new friends here.

So, that was my first week here in Belfast! The shortened version, but overall it's been such a wonderful time getting to know my leaders, my family here, and my environment. I look forward to learning and knowing more about my home. God has been so good to me, and I think I can safely say He is just as excited as I am that I'm here. I know that He's got big plans, and I feel so honored and blessed to be part of those plans! I am so excited that you all get to be part of these plans as well, as you are actively supporting and praying for me, you are part of what God is doing here, how cool is that? I love how the body of Christ works! So to that end, I would like to update you on how I will be communicating with all of you during my time here in Belfast!

Okay, so my plan is to continue blogging monthly, but I am thinking about adding a new medium of communication in as well: vlogging. I am planning to do my first vlog in February, and if I feel that this is a good form of communication I might do one every other week, maybe just five to ten minute updates. If this is something that you are interested in seeing, please let me know, because I think this might be a fun, somewhat more interactive way to know what's going on. Plus, you won't forget what my lovely face looks like!

Also, side note, all online communication (this blog, my vlog) links will no longer be shared straight from my FaceBook page, so if you'd like to receive those links, and even immediate updates (if something major, but sensitive comes up) I do have a private FaceBook group called Chrissy's Call. If you would like to be added, you can just let me know, and I will add you to the group!

I will also be sending out a quarterly email newsletter. I do have some of your email addresses, but if you would like to make doubly sure, and would like to send along your email address so I can add it to my list, I would not mind at all.

Now, you may be wondering, why all the communication? Well, I would like you to feel as much a part of my journey as you actually are! I want to be as transparent as possible (If you haven't figured that out from some of my older posts), and I want to share all that God is doing as quickly as possible! So, the blog and newsletter will definitely stick, we'll see about the vlog, as it is a new possibility that may or may not stick. But all this to say, I want you to be as well informed as possible, because this is your journey too! If you have any questions, concerns, or want to share anything with me, please feel free to shoot me an email, Facebook message, text, WhatsApp, whatever you'd like!

As always, thank you all for your support and prayers, they mean the world to me. I am so excited to see what the future in Belfast will be like, and I cannot wait to learn all that God wants to teach me here. Stay tuned! Until next time,

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

On Your Mark, Get Set...

Hi everyone!

So I have lots of very exciting news that I can't wait to share with you all! First, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for sticking with me, thank you for praying for me, encouraging me, supporting me, being great listeners, and being a part of this mission. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

I am so pleased to say, as many of you may already know, I am fully funded! As of mid-November, I was told that I was fully funded, praise God! He provided precisely when He meant to, and I am so thankful for such an incredible God that is my provider! I was commissioned by my sending agency, Bethany Gateways, on November 15th. Essentially, this is a special moment where I am prayed over and officially sent out as a missionary. It was a very profound moment for me, as I felt that this was finally happening. It really hit me that I was going to be leaving soon, so start this new chapter as a missionary.

The next step in the journey was applying for my visa. This is an exciting time, but also a bit daunting and nerve-wracking. It's exciting, because it's taking an official step, saying: I'm doing this. I'm taking a very official step in heading to Belfast! It's a bit daunting because you have to make sure all your paperwork, documents, etc. are in order. You want to nitpick to make sure there is no reason for them to deny your visa. So it is a bit daunting to do so. It's nerve-wracking because what if they deny your visa? What if they say no?

I began the application around Thanksgiving, and submitted it a few days before the end of November. Then it was just a waiting game. Hoping, praying that it would be approved I waited. And today I got the email: my visa is approved! I will be receiving it in the mail in the next couple of days! PRAISE GOD!!

Now, my next step is to book my ticket, which I will be doing tonight. I am so incredibly excited that in a few short weeks, I will be leaving on a plane, to begin my journey in Belfast. I am planning to leave the first week of January, but I will update one FaceBook once I have an exact date.

So here we are, I am getting ready to head off to Northern Ireland, to do ministry, share the gospel, and have some adventures along the way. I am so glad that you are all here, to share in this journey with me. I look forward to telling you all about everything that God is doing, and will do while I'm there!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

Major Update

Hello all!

Now, I know that I've just done a blog post a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to update everyone, because I have some exciting news! I have been wanting to share this with you all, but I needed to wait for full approval from both of the organizations that I am working with. So here we go!

Percentage Breakdown

I am VERY close to my goal for leaving, and now I can give some exact numbers for what that looks like! So here is the breakdown: I have about 50% of my monthly budget actually pledged and currently giving. Now this may not seem like a lot, HOWEVER, I have about 28% more of my budget verbally pledged. This means that I have been told by some how much they are planning to give, but they have not begun to give yet. This means that total I have 78% of my monthly budget taken care of (of course, providing that those verbal pledges become physical pledges)!! This is VERY exciting!

How much I Have Left To Raise

So, I've given a percentage breakdown, but what does that mean as far as actual numbers go? Well, this means that I have exactly $453.34 left to raise for my monthly budget. This brings me so close to my goal! broken down, that is 15 people giving $30 a month! This is very exciting news, but it brings me to my next piece of information that is very important, vital, and possibly the whole reason that you've opened this blog post. So here we go!

My Deadline

I now have a deadline. The deadline I have to raise the rest of my monthly support is October 31st. Again, I had to wait until everyone was on the same page before I released this information, which is why I am just posting this now. 

So why the sudden deadline, and why so so soon? Glad you asked! Well, in order for Every Nation Belfast to sponsor my visa there had to be dates when they filled out the paperwork to receive the rights to do so. So when this was done, a while ago, we all figured I would be there by now, so the end of this year was the deadline. Of course, there have been some unforeseen circumstances in this process, and I am still working on raising this last bit of support. The reason that my deadline is the 31st of this month, and not November is because I still need to apply for my visa, and the closer to Christmas you apply, the less likely it will be done in a timely manner. The visa processing usually takes between three and four weeks, and I need to physically be in Belfast before the end of the year.

So what happens if I don't make it by the end of the year? Great Follow Up question! Well, the consequences could be great. ENB could potentially lose the right to sponsor my, or any visa. There could also be potential problems with the government as well. And since I always try to be as honest as I can on here, I have to say this: I would feel so incredibly AWFUL if that happened. 

So...What Can I do?

Well, there are a couple of ways that you could help. First of course, pray about giving. I emphasize: pray. Make sure that this is a move that God is in accordance with you making. Then, if He moves you to do so, decide how much you want to give. You could give as little as $5 a month, or as much as $453.34, it's between you and Him. If you would like to give, look up at those tabs above this post. Look for the one that says Ways to Give (or just, you know, click that link.) and follow the instructions listed on the page. If you would rather give by check, feel free to email (chrissy.charleman@gmail.com) me, and I'd be happy to send you all the info on how to do so!

The other way you can help is PRAY! Prayer is an even more important way that you can help me out, because we know that the power of prayer is one of the greatest things on this earth. Pray for encouragement for Every Nation Belfast, for the church, and the team that I'm joining there. Pray for me, that the Lord would open the doors that need to be opened in order for everything to happen in time. 

Okay... Let's Do This!

So, everyone, here we are. It's crunch time. But, you guys, I'm so excited. I was spending time with the Lord this morning, and He just gave me the most amazing mixture of peace and excitement. I know that He's going to make this happen, I know it with every fiber of my being. I am so excited that I am finally going to be in Belfast before the end of this year! Time has come, and soon, I'll be on the next phase of my journey, and I am so glad you're all along for the ride! I'm so glad you all get to be a part of this journey with me, and I cannot wait to share with you all, not only how God comes through, as a testimony to His faithfulness, but everything that He is doing in Belfast. I cannot wait for you all to come with me as I head to Belfast, and we can all see how God uses us. Because, I really want you to understand this, you are as much a part of this as I am. If you are praying for me, supporting me financially, or through simple encouragements, you are a part of this! You are vital to this whole journey. So get excited! Because we are about to cross the Atlantic, and embark on a whole new, incredible journey! Are you ready? I know I am!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

#blessed

Hi everybody! I just want to start by apologizing for not writing in so long... It's been difficult to do so because there was a lot going on, behind the scenes, lots of moving pieces, that I really couldn't write about until things were all squared away with the right people. As of right now there are still a few parts that are shifting around in order to make sure that everything is up to par for me to leave. But I wanted to update you all, as much as I can, at this moment. So here we go!

I was hoping for a September departure, but since I still have a bit to raise, and still need to go through the process of getting my visa, I think we're looking at an early October departure at this moment. I am SO incredibly excited, as I'm watching this dream, that I've had for over two and a half years finally moving from dream to reality! It's been a long, difficult journey, but I am finally able to see a light at the end of the tunnel, and it has truly been an incredible thing to see God work, and move as I continued to move forward with the vision he has given me. Watching everything fall into place, in His timing has been such a cool thing to see.

I also want to take a moment, in this blog post, to say thank you to a very special person. I want to say thank you to Joan Cox, an amazing woman of God, that has known me, and prayed for me, since before I was born. She has been such a blessing to my family over the years, and has been such an incredible blessing and essential part of helping me in my support raising. I love her so dearly, and I can only hope I can be half as loving, caring, kind, hospitable, and a strong example of the love of Christ as she is someday. So thank you Joan, for all you've done to help me in this process, it has been more encouraging and inspiring than you know.

Now I just need to brag on God for a minute. He has provided such an amazing opportunity to partner with a very special church, the church that I grew up in, that has now become All Souls Community Church. I am so thankful that God, through Joan, opened the doors for me to share with them, and after much prayer and consideration, partner with them. I am so thankful for this opportunity, and there is no doubt in my mind, that this was fully orchestrated by God. He saw where I was at, that I was feeling a bit discouraged, wondering how all this would work out, and He provided this amazing opportunity for a partnership, which I am so excited about, because I believe it was very much God ordained.

God has blessed me. He has blessed me with people that have been supporting me for years, both prayerfully and financially. He has blessed me with a loving and supporting family. He has blessed me with an incredible calling, and while I feel unworthy at times of such a calling, I know that HE has made me worthy of it. I have to say, I cannot believe that this is actually happening. But I am so excited to watch what else God does as I'm preparing to leave for the field. He has done so much already, and I know that He will continue to do so much more.

If you are in a place of doubt, wondering where God is, why He led you to where you're at, only to feel that He abandoned you, know that He hasn't. He will never leave, nor forsake us. He has things we need to learn, ways that we need to grow. Even if you feel like you aren't growing, like God isn't there, He isn't speaking, let me tell you, you are growing, He is there, and He is speaking. As I look back on my time here, I see how God spoke, how when I would feel at my lowest, He would send encouragement, whether through my sister, my best friend, my mom, or total strangers that I was able to forge a deep connection with, He always spoke. Look for the little things, be vulnerable, open up and tell your support system where you're at. If you don't have a support system, tell God where you're at. He knows, but something happens when we're open and vulnerable with Him, He moves, He changes things, whether in the physical, or in our hearts, something changes. It's so easy to forget, believe me, I know, but remember, God will always give you the right perspective when we just ask.

Thank you all, for your continued prayers and support! We're almost there, and I cannot wait to write my first blog post from Belfast VERY soon! Please continue to keep me in prayer as I finish up my time here support raising. Also, remember, if there are any prayer requests that you have you can send them my way, I would love to be praying for all of you specifically as well! Love you all!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

Vulnerability

Hello Everyone!

I hope this post finds you well, and enjoying the hint of summer in the air! I have promised a blog post, so here it is, just before the end of the month! The reason I've waited is because I was working on some things, and hoping to be able to tell you all a little bit about it at this point. However, I'm still ironing out some details with the organizations I'm working with, so I will have to be a bit vague at the moment, but I will definitely have a bit more detail by my next post! So let's dive right in, shall we?

Summer is about to begin, and with that I have some good news! It looks like I'll be able to leave around August/September for Belfast! I am SO excited that this time of support raising is coming to a close, and this next season of being in Belfast is fast approaching. This is all pending some of the details currently being ironed out, so hopefully everything will work in favor of me leaving at that time. Now, I am still a bit short on my monthly support, so I do ask that if you are not financially supporting me, that you would prayerfully consider doing so. Also, just a friendly reminder, that this cannot be made official until everyone who has stated that they are going to give actually start giving, so that my sending organization, Bethany Gateways, has a physical record of the promise to give. To those that are giving, or supporting me through prayer, and everyone else who is just following my journey, thank you for being here through this. I am so thankful for all of you, and I cannot wait to share with you all the adventures and encounters that God will have for me in Belfast!

So, as my time in Belfast is fast approaching, I am reflecting on my time here in New York, and my overall time support raising. It's been so much of a rollercoaster time, I cannot even begin to tell you. As I think about it, I think about James 1, where it says,

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:6-8)

When I read that verse, granted, Paul is talking about when we ask for wisdom, I think about my time during support raising. I feel as though this has been a time when the Lord has shown me how I need to stand strong, how I need to not let my doubts get in the way of his work. I cannot let myself be double-minded, I cannot be like a wave in the wind. If God said he would do it, no matter how impossible it seems, I need to believe he will do as he promised. I can see how this time has been a time to grow in this area in my life. I know that he's done so much for me before, he has provided time and again, when something seemed impossible, he always made it happen. So why, why was it so easy for me to forget those times, and question if it would happen?

The Old Testament is riddled with stories of those that forgot the provision of God, over, and over, and over again. I'm in good company there. But, I have to learn from their mistakes. I have to learn from my own mistakes, and that's what I've had to do. So many times I felt like I was sinking, like I wasn't good enough, like I wasn't cut out for this life, like all of this was too hard. I thought this way because I was so focused on myself. I was focused on my own abilities, my own connections, my own strength. So many times I was tempted to just give up. I was tempted to walk away from the path, the life that God had chosen, that God had called me to, that God had promised me. But every time, every single time, God would send someone (often my sister, or my best friend), or make sure I heard a message to encourage me. To remind me when my own memories failed me, that he had not abandoned me, that I had not heard him wrong, that he was working, even when I could not see. Over, and over, and over, God reached down to my most broken, most vulnerable place, and healed me. He lifted me up to where I needed to be, so that I could stand solidly on the rock of his truth, and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is what I am meant to do, and that HE would make a way for me to do it.

So here I am, so incredibly close to reaching this goal, and all I can say is thank you. First and foremost, thank you God, for loving me through this time, even in the darkest moments, reminding me what you promised me. Thank you to my sister, and to my best friend, for always speaking truth to me, even when I didn't want to hear it. For letting me cry to you, and be vulnerable without worrying that you were judging me, and for loving me through some of my most unlovable times. God has truly blessed me with you both, and I could not be more thankful for you incredible women of God. Thank you to every person that has prayed for me, that has encouraged me, that has preached an amazing message, thank you. You have absolutely no idea how grateful I am for your prayers, your love, your support, your willingness to be lead by the Spirit. God has used you, and you have touched my life in a major way. So thank you, really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

So in conclusion, I am not a perfect person. God is working on me. He will always be working on me unto my death. I tell you all this, because I want to be vulnerable. I want you to know the struggles of support raising, of being a missionary, of being a follower of Christ. He never promised us an easy, simple life, but he did promise that all of it would be worth it, and I fully believe it will be. I shared this because I hope in some way, it will encourage all of you. That you will know, doubts will come, difficult times will come, but we have to stand firm on the promises of God. No matter how crazy, how insane, that if he has promised us something, and we know that he has promised it to us, that it will be so. It may not look the way we imagined, but it will still be fulfilled. I want my struggles to be a testimony of the greatness, the love, the grace of God to encourage others. That is why I share, that is why I am vulnerable with you all. So if you are in a struggle, first, feel free to contact me so that I can pray for you, second, know that you are not alone. You are loved. God sees, and he wants to help you through it, you just need to let him.


Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

Aslan Is On The Move...

Hello everyone! I hope that I find you well this fine March! Firstly, a little update on life. I've just recently returned from a short (not really... not short at all...) trip to Florida. I was able to go for the wedding of a dear friend, and I'm so glad that I could make it to the beautiful celebration! I also went to get things a bit more in order for my imminent departure. Now, I'm still a ways off, but I'm certainly closer, so I wanted to make sure all my things were packed and ready to be shipped when I'm ready to ship them, which made things feel a bit more real, and a bit more exciting!

I just want to give a side note, I have about 28.4% of my monthly actually pledged. What this means, is that I have had people sign up, and start giving monthly, and this accounts for that 28.4%. I have had verbal promises of 24% more of that. So, to those that have promised, thank you! But until those promises have been entered into the system, those promised amounts cannot officially be counted. I just wanted to clarify all of this, so that everyone is on the same page about everything. Also, when you start giving before I leave, it goes into my set up budget, so it isn't as though it just disappears or just sits there, it goes into the monies I will use for my visa, plane tickets, setting up my apartment, etc. Now if any of this is confusing, or you would like clarification on any of it, feel free to email, message, txt, call, send smoke signals. I will get back to you as soon as possible!

So, I'm at 52% of my monthly budget! This is very exciting! I still have a little ways to go, but please be praying as I may have some potential opportunities coming up very soon to share with possible financial partners. I am so excited to share the vision and the heart that I have for my time in Belfast! Speaking of, I wanted to take a little bit of this post to share what exactly it is I'm planning to do in Belfast. I recently had the pleasure of talking with my Belfast family (as I have lovingly begun calling them, because they will be my family over there, and I am so looking forward to joining them! I don't think they know I started calling them that, but now they do!) and discussing a bit about what my roles will be, and what I will be focusing on. Many of you have asked, "What are you going to be doing over there?" and I vaguely reply "I'm working with a church plant." Well, there is a reason my reply is sometimes so vague... Mostly because when you are working with a church plant you have so many roles, you cannot begin to possibly go into it... Some days you'll be leading worship, others leading children's ministry, another day you're doing admin, it can get pretty hectic. But recently we were able to discuss a bit more about what roles I should be focusing on, in other words, I'll be doing lots of things, but these are the ministries I'll be focusing on.

1. First, I'll be focusing on youth ministry. This is huge for me, because I never thought I would really have a heart for youth ministry. But recently, I believe in preparation for this moment, God has opened my heart to reaching out to youth. I also believe, and have been told, that my testimony of deliverance from depression and self-harm will be an asset in working with the youth in Belfast as there are so many that are struggling with similar issues. 
2. Second I'll be helping with children's ministry, this is a place my heart has always been, so I am looking forward to helping out with the little ones! 
3. Third, I will be helping out with worship. This is something I am so looking forward to. Worship is such a big part of my life, as I am musically inclined. It is something that I very much look forward to, in growing and expanding my abilities and giftings in worship ministry. 
4. Fourth will be helping with the campus ministry we have as well. I'm looking forward to being a part of this ministry, and being able to build relationships and disciple the college age students that are getting involved at our church. 

So all of this is a brief overview of the major roles I will be taking on in my time there. I will also be working with prayer and deliverance ministry, doing admin work, and any other parts of ministry that need filling. My role at EN Belfast is very important, especially being someone who will have the freedom and flexibility to do a little bit of everything no matter what time, day or night, that it is required of me. My heart is so incredibly excited to be able to serve, and be the hands and feet of Jesus in every role I take, in every part I play as I am getting ready to leave and be with my team, with my family over there.

So, I'm sure you might be wondering about the title of the blog at this point, and I will try to make it quick, as I did not want this post to run too long... So recently I have been listening to Kari Jobe's new album, The Garden (oh my goodness, please go listen to it if you haven't already, it's such a great album!). From the first moment I played the first song I felt so encouraged. I felt the Lord's presence in such a way that I have not felt for so long. It was so fitting for me, in so many ways. I felt like the Lord was breathing me back to life. The first song on the album speaks of the garden that brings hope as hope springs forth again, and I couldn't help but be reminded of Aslan in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. This was one of my favorite books growing up, and I can't help but tear up when I think about the beauty of the allegory of God's love, the sacrifice of Christ, and the triumphant resurrection of our Savior painted in the beautiful words of C.S. Lewis, a man who hailed from Belfast no less. The past several months I had ben clinging to my faith, in God, in His calling, in His love for me. As the beginning of the song states, "I had all but given up"... But so much hope has come, and as it is officially spring, how fitting that this season of my life fits the season we are currently experiencing. Everyday since has been a reminder, that I have hope, that God has called me, that He loves me, and He is working all things together for good. I feel as though, in my life, Aslan is on the move... "Faith is rising...Hope is stirring... Making all things right." I have so much peace, hope and joy. I feel like God has breathed life back into me, and how incredibly fitting is it all? God is speaking, He has given me so much, and I will not forget, I will remember, and I will cling to His promises.

I hope that this post has encouraged you! I certainly feel so encouraged! I am so thankful for all of you that are praying for me, supporting me, and cheering me on! Please continue to pray and encourage, we are almost there, over halfway, and the best is yet to come!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

It's All So Close, And Yet So Far...

Hello all! I can't believe we're already over halfway through February! I hope that 2017 is treating you all well, It's has been treating me quite well! Let me catch you all up with where I'm at, and what things look like going forward...

SO, here we are, getting ready to enter spring, and I am praying before it's out, I will be living in Belfast! Now is crunch time. Due to budget readjustments, and after some big promises, I am close to about fifty percent of my monthly budget... YAY!!! This is SO exciting! So what does this look in monetary value? Well it means I need a little over $1,000 in monthly pledges. This is huge! Not a huge amount, but huge news... So as I'm pressing forward, and continuing to pursue some leads that I have, I would like to get all of you readers involved. Read on to see how YOU can help!

1. Pray...

Please pray! Pray that the Lord would continue to open doors. Pray that people would be put in my path, or I would be put in theirs. Pray the Lord would give me the strength to keep going, to keep running towards this goal. I'm weary, I'm tired, but I'm SO close, and I cannot wait to arrive! Also, please pray about giving. I'll go into more detail about this in the next section, but before you do anything to help, I want you to pray about being a partner financially. It is important to me that you, me, and God are on the same page about this, so please, pray about it! Second, pray about sharing my story with anyone you think might want to be a part of my time financially. This all leads me to my next section:

2. Give...

As I've said before, before you do anything to help financially, please do pray about it! But if you've prayed and feel led to give, you can always click the tab above labeled Ways To Give (or you could just click the link). It's pretty simple, but if you've got any questions, feel free to email, comment, call, txt, send smoke signals, I will be more than happy to talk or help you out!  Now comes the how much? Well that's the beauty, if you wanted to give five dollars a month, go for it! If you want to give twenty-five, thirty, fifty, one hundred, one thousand, all of those amounts are great! Again, whatever God puts on your heart to give, you give. Some people are concerned that they might not be able to give for three years, that's okay. My belief is if you feel prompted to give, and you can afford to give that amount for the foreseeable future, go ahead and sign up! If for any reason down the line you are unable to continue giving, or giving that amount, that's okay, we can deal with it then. God knows! But for now, if He's put it on your heart to do so, then go for it! Now to my next point...

3. Share...

As I've been alluding to before, if you pray about it, and you have joined my team, or you can't, but you know of someone who could and would like to be a part of my team, I ask that you share my story with them. Refer them to my blog, or give them my contact info, or send them to my website. I would love to speak with them, and share with them more in depth. 

So here are three ways you can help me out! Now if you're reading all this and wondering, well gee, why should I help? I want to share a little bit about my story, and a little bit about why I feel that God has called me to Belfast. 

The first time I remember wanting to die was when I was eleven. I remember praying that God would just kill me. When He didn't I remember thinking, well maybe I should just do it myself. I remember the months I thought about overdosing on pills, but that it would hurt too much. Then I remember one night, when things were particularly bad, and I decided then, that I would take a pair of sharp scissors and slit my wrists. I didn't care about the pain anymore, I just wanted it over. When that didn't work, I began to harm myself, receiving what little "relief" I could from my emotional pain by creating physical pain. This was a habit that followed me through my teen years. The torment of wishing I could die, thinking about how I could end it, sometimes, unsuccessfully, trying. Hurting myself. All of it was a deep pain, a deep wound I carried around. All the while rejecting the healing love of my Savior, carrying my bleeding heart around, begging anyone or anything else to fix it, instead of the only One that could.

When I was nineteen, in the depths of some of my deepest despair, I finally turned around, I looked into the eyes of the man that had died and bled for me, held up my bruised, battered, bleeding heart and asked, "Can you fix it?" and He did. Oh, He did. Slowly but surely, He healed every wound on my heart. Each scar that I bear, both physical and emotional, is a reminder of the deep, healing, and abiding love of Christ. These scars a reminders of how deep my Father's love is for me.

Fast forward a few years, and I was on missionary internship (who would've thought that would happen?) in Marseille. Near the end of my internship, I had the privilege to go visit Every Nation Belfast. I went more because I wanted to learn more about church planting, not so much because I wanted to do ministry in Belfast. But within two days of being there my heart was stirred. I learned more about the area, but one of the things that stuck out to me was the problems there seemed to be with mental health, depression, and suicide. By the time I was ready to leave, God had confirmed in my heart that I was meant to come back. I was so excited as I went to my spiritual mentors and asked them to pray about whether or not I should go. 

All this was confirmed, and I knew God wanted me there for a very special, very specific purpose. Then, as I began my support raising in January 2016, I got news. Belfast was the city that had the highest suicide rate in Europe. I cannot express to you how that news hit me. It broke my heart, deep to my core, that this city of people, that I had come to love deeply, that I could not wait to be among was struggling this deeply with suicide. In that moment I knew, beyond any shadow of doubt, that God was sending there to tell my story. God was sending me there to share the testimony of His great love, His healing love, His love that is greater than any sickness, any demonic force, anything that could ever have power over us. God is calling up a great army of people in the city of Belfast, in the country of Northern Ireland, in all of Ireland, in the UK, in Europe. It is time that it is recognized that they need to hear the gospel again. There is revival starting, and it is coming strong, and I know that God is calling me to be a part of it.

So this is not where my story ends. The bible says in Revelation 12:11 (ESV) "And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." (Emphasis mine) I believe that this is what God is calling me to do. I believe that all of my struggles, all of my pain will be used for good, through the power and grace of God. I believe that my testimony will be used by Him, because it is about Him. So I'm asking you again, now, will you be a part of this movement? Will you be a part of my story? Will you pray, will you give, will you share?

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

I Said Hey... What's Going On?

Merry Christmas everyone! As always, I hope I find you well! As we're careening towards the end of the year, I just want to keep everyone up to date on what's going on since my past few posts have been more reflective than informational, so let's dive in!

For those of you just joining, let's recap what I'm doing! I am going to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to work with Every Nation Belfast church plant. I got connected with this church plant back when I was serving in Marseille, France as a missionary intern. I am so excited to be serving with such a wonderful, blessed group of people that are wanting to bring the gospel to such a beautiful and rich culture. When I was visiting Belfast two years ago the Lord moved on my heart, and gave me a glimpse into His heart for the Irish people. He has some pretty incredible things in store for His people and I am so excited to be a part of a team that is looking to facilitate what the Holy Spirit is wanting to do.

A lot of people tend to ask me why Europe, or why specifically Belfast? Well, I am happy to answer that question. In fact I have done so before, in an older blog post titled Let's Set the Record Straight on Missions in Europe which I highly encourage you to read if you want a longer answer than the one I'll give here, I also have a tab above labeled Why Belfast?, again, another longer explanation, this one on specifically why I am going to Belfast. But all this to say, I have many reasons why I have a heart for missions in Europe, but I have to say my number one reason is this: This is the place that Jesus has called me, these are the people group that God has given me a heart for, and I long to do the will of God, because I know there is no better place for me to be than in His will.

Of course there are several other reasons why I feel called to Belfast, like the fact that Belfast is currently the city with the highest suicide rate in Europe, or because it is a strong desire of mine to see peace reign in a place that has had so much division, and still does. I could talk about all these things in depth, and would be happy to if you want to grab a coffee sometime and chat about it, but ultimately I have to answer to God, and why I did or didn't do what He asked of me. He has given me the desire to go, a brain, a mouth to speak, hands to write, and ears to hear, so it is up to me to share the vision He has given me, and to go and serve where He has guided me. So this is why I am going, because I see this wonderful, beautiful people in need of a perfect Savior, and I know Him, so I will go and tell of Him.

Now, part of my ability to go relies on financial support from partners, people like you! God has called me to serve, and I am more than willing to go, however this is not a typical "paid position" kind of job, so I have to trust God to provide the right people to be a part of my team. My finances are broken up into two parts: one time and monthly. Monthly is given on a monthly basis to cover living expenses, and one time covers getting me to Belfast, establishing myself there (buying furniture for my apartment, my visa, etc.). So what do these finances provide, and how do I know they're being used properly? Glad you asked! I'm happy to tell you! These finances provide for my living expenses, things like rent, food, transportation, etc. and one time, as I said before, covers airfare, visa, apartment furnishings, etc. How you know it's being used properly is through my sending organization, Bethany Gateways (Formerly Bethany International). All finances are sent to them (which also gives you nice little tax write off!), then each month they give me the money that you've donated. They make sure everything with finances runs smoothly.

As of right now I have about 30% of my monthly budget, and about 50% of my one time giving. So I still have a ways to go with monthly, but I'm getting quite close with my one time (If you would like a detailed breakdown of my budget, feel free to email me, I will gladly connect with you and share more information.). Because of this, I'm really trying to focus on my monthly partnership. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely appreciate any and all financial gifts, and I absolutely want you to give however, and whatever God puts on your heart, so if you feel led to give one time, I will gladly accept those donations! Giving monthly is very easy, and you can give how much or how little you want! If you wanted to give ten dollars a month, for for it, if you wanted to give a thousand, go for it! All donations are welcome! I just ask that you pray about being a monthly partner with me, because every little bit helps. For instructions on how to give monthly, check out the Ways to Give tab above.

More important than anything I need my prayer warrior partners! I need people that are going to intercede for me and my team before and during my time on the field. I know that simply by accepting the call of missionary I am right smack in the middle of a spiritual war zone. One of the most important things that I need is people that are committed to lifting me up in prayer on a regular basis. If this is you, I just ask that you send me a little email, letting me know that you are committing to being one of my prayer warrior partners, so I know that you are out there, praying for me as I walk along this journey. I appreciate you, and the time you take to pray for me more than you know, and I would love to also be praying for you as well. So please, if you are keeping me in your prayers, it will be such an encouragement to me to hear from you!

Okay, so I think that's all my logistical, fun stuff for you! I just want to make sure that everyone who is supporting me, and following my journey is kept up to date as I'm walking along this road, especially now at the end of the year (Which is so crazy, how time flies!). I plan to keep going strong this coming year, and hope to be in Belfast by the end of spring at the very latest! I appreciate you all so much, and I pray that God blesses you now during the Christmas season, and in the new year. Sending you all lots of love, light, and blessings!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

How Deep the Father's Love...

Hello everybody! I hope that, as always, I find you well and in good spirits as we are entering into the Christmas season! I want to apologize for not posting in a while, October and much of November was a bit rough for me to be honest and transparent with you all. As I'm sure you can infer, support raising is always a roller coaster, especially for me. But as always, God is faithful, and continues to give me hope and joy through the difficulties of support raising.

As I've mentioned before, I'm currently residing in New York with my sister, brother-in-law, and my beautiful baby niece, Selah, who is getting bigger every day! As my sister and I get into a routine of putting her to bed we've found that there is one song that seems to put her right to sleep, it's a song that I've sang many times, but until I sang it one night, my sister hadn't heard it before. The name of my niece's "lullaby" is How Deep the Father's Love for Us. Now just in case you, like my sister was, are unfamiliar with the song, here are the lyrics:

"How deep the Father's love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon a cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom"

When I was at my lowest, this song brought me back. This song that I "randomly" (There are no coincidences in things like this in the Kingdom of God) remembered one night while we were trying to sing my niece to sleep brought tears to my eyes and began to heal the brokenness in my heart.

This song touched me in a depth that I needed, as I sang the words I felt the healing balm only the blood of Christ can provide. And as I sang the same song, over, and over during the next several nights I felt more and more healing. I can't describe it, I almost don't understand it other than the words opened a door that had been locked until that point where I needed to let Jesus in and clean it out.

The lyrics of this song are truly powerful. When I think about the sacrifice, not only of Christ, but that God the Father made, it makes me realize how loved I am. When I was singing this song, I truly was feeling like a wretch. I was not feeling so great about myself, ungrateful, selfish, all because I was letting the difficulties of being a missionary support raising get to me. But the sacrifice God had to endure, as he had to turn His face from Jesus, was so much greater, and all so that He could adopt me. So that He would never be separated from me gain, even in my selfish, ungrateful, sin. Even before I had accepted His grace, even after, God made this sacrifice because, my Daddy, He loves me. And I was sitting there, singing to my niece about our God, about our Daddy that loves us so much, I almost  lost it, because I realized that even though my imperfect earthly father was gone, and I could no longer hear him say that he loved me too, I have a Heavenly Father that loves me even more. I know that even though I miss my dad, so much, everyday, I have a Father that is still here, with me, still loving me, still sad when I'm sad, still excited when I get excited.

Then I think about how it is my actions, my choices that caused the need for the sacrifice. I may be a missionary, I may have decided to devote my life to serving God in ministry, but that does not mean in any way that I don't sin. And at that point, I had sinned plenty. My thoughts had become so self-centered, so selfish, so caught up in my lack, that I was missing the whole point of my career choice, the whole point of my entire life: the cross. Ashamed, I heard my mocking voice calling out. But I know, I don't have to wallow in that. I don't have to beat myself up over my actions, because as He died, I received life. I know that it is finished.

Finally, I cannot boast in anything. I'm not perfect, I'm not even close. Nothing that I do that is right is by my own strength, because when I'm operating in my own strength, I am a weak and useless thing. On my own I am about as ineffective as a plastic tree is at providing oxygen. But when I am in Christ, when I am trusting in Him, believing in Him, letting Him use me, even if everything looks bad, I'm in the best place I can be. Why He chose me, why He is sending me, I cannot even begin to fathom, but I know that He did. I know that I am His, and I am forgiven. I know that He is sending me, that He has a purpose for my life, and I know that I need to see this life through. I need to live my life everyday, walking the path He has set before me.

I say all this, not to have some sort of false humility, or to make you feel sorry for me in any way. I say this because this is my walk with God. It's not a simple cut and dry straight arrow. I say this because I want to be transparent and honest with the people who are supporting me, and praying for me. God hears your prayers, and I am certainly grateful for your support. This is not an easy time in my life by any means, but I have heard so many great words about that recently. Some of our best moments come from the desert. This year has been one massive desert for me, if I'm being honest. I look back at this year (Because yes, December is upon us!), and I realized that in this year, I started support raising, my dad passed away, and I (sort of) moved to New York. It's been one doozy of a year, and as I said, much of it has been a desert for me, but by the grace of God I am still standing. I think about what the word says,

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (ESV)

Now, I have not been persecuted, or thrown in jail, but I've been through my own troubles this year, but God has kept me up, given me hope, loved me through this time. I am forever thankful for His love, His grace, and His mercy.

So take this with you, remember this: all these things the Lord has done for me, He will do for you and more, because He loves us. He is here, now, and He loves you. The sacrifice, the pain, the death, and the resurrection were all for you. Remember that.

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

Be Still...

Hi everybody! I hope I find you well as we are heading into my favorite season: Autumn! I have had a crazy time since arriving in New York! The day after I arrived, my sister went into labor, a little earlier than I was expecting. The next day, on September 2nd, my niece Selah Amayah Hemphill was born! I love her so much, she is so precious, and I know God is going to do amazing things in and through her! Since then, my birthday came and went (yay 26!), my mom arrived, and we've all been learning a little bit more about newborns. I decided to take some time today to write, and let you all know how things are going, and share some thoughts.

Since arriving in New York I have had some doors potentially open, some expected, some unexpected, so please be keeping those potential support raising opportunities in prayer! I feel that the Lord has many supporters here in New York that He wants to connect me with, so I'm just praying that His will be done, and whoever He wants to partner with me will be pointed out to me by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you all for supporting me, praying for me, and encouraging me as I continue on this journey. I am so excited to see what God does!

Speaking of all this, I wanted to share a little about what the Lord has been teaching me. I've had a pretty hectic few weeks, and as we all know, it's so easy to get distracted, and spend less and less time with the Lord than we should. My sister called me out on that in fact, earlier this week. It made me realize how easily I was letting other things get in my way, whether it was sleep, tv, music, etc. I was letting myself be distracted from spending more time than I should with my Savior. Since that conversation I began being intentional in my time with Him, and trying to listen more, and overall spend more time with Him. There is one thing that continuously comes up for me. It's been a verse that I've been hearing from Him for a while now, but recently I dug into it a little bit more, and I think I understand more now why He keeps bringing it to my attention.

"'The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.'"

Exodus 14:14 NIV 

Such a short, simple verse. But it's so powerful. Now, when I first read this verse it moved me. I felt like a weight had been lifted. The Lord is not asking anything extravagant. He doesn't say "Dance in a circle three times, while hopping on your left foot, then howl at the sixth full moon of the year, and then I will fight for you." No, we are reminded, we need only be still. Now, to me, without actually unpacking this verse, it meant to me that I just needed to stop worrying. Stop worrying about how God was going to get me to Belfast, I needed to just come before Him, and be still. I needed to listen to His voice, and His guidance. Now, I think this is perfectly acceptable to view this way, but being the good bible school graduate that I am, I had to dig deeper into this verse. Granted, it took me a few months of using it over and over as a reminder to do so, but once I dug into this verse, it meant so much more to me.



To start, let's look at the context: what was said before this verse, what is going on when it is said?

"As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, 'Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?  Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, "Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians"? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!'
Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.'” 

 Exodus 14:10-14 NIV

Okay, so basically, in lay man's terms, the people of Israel, God's chosen people, are freaking out. They are panicking, because God delivered them from the Egyptians, brought them to the Red Sea, Pharaoh changed his mind, and is coming after them. So they have a few options her: they could fight, with virtually no weapons at their disposal, and die, they could go willingly, and sure, Pharaoh will probably kill some of them, but things weren't so bad in Egypt, or, they could trust God. So of course, being such forgetful people, hello, God just performed at least eleven miracles in Egypt, they turn to Moses, and start pointing fingers. "Well if this guy would've just left us alone in Egypt, this would not be happening right now... Now we're all going to die. Thanks so much Moses, you're a real pal." is pretty much how that conversation went. Moses, unlike me, cause let's be honest, I would've thrown down my staff, said "Really?" and just walked away from that hot mess, turns to them and says "Guys, chill, God's got our backs. Like remember Passover, which was literally, twenty-five days ago? Just stop freaking out." Then, as we all know, God came through in one of the biggest ways: he split the Red Sea open, let the Israelites pass, then let it come crashing down on the Egyptians.

Okay, so we see the context of this verse. Wow does this apply to me. I mean, I look at all the other times in my life that God has provided, and it makes me wonder, how do I forget that? How do I forget how great my God is? How many mission trips have I gone on, or my internship in France, and God provided what I needed. Every.Single.Time. So why am I over here stressing myself out about God providing for me to go to Belfast? This verse is me... very much so. But I want to share one more thing about this verse. A selection from a commentary I read yesterday, and this really helped me understand more fully the depth of this passage. Also, side note here, I highly recommend using commentaries. I learned about them in school, or rather how amazing they are, and if the Lord continues to bring you to a verse, and you are not so sure why, check a commentary, it really helps to unpack the verse for you, and understand more about it.

4. (Exo 14:13-14) Moses responds with great courage.
And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."

a. Do not be afraid: At this point, Moses could have no idea how God would come through in the situation. All he knew was God certainly would come through. In a sense, Moses knew he was in such a bad situation that God had to come through.

i. When we see that our only help is God, we are more likely to trust Him. Sometimes it is the little things - the things we think we can do in our own strength - that get us down, not the big things that we know only God can do.

b. Stand still: Moses told the people of Israel to stop. This is often the LORD's direction to the believer in a time of crisis. Despair will cast you down, keeping you from standing. Fear will tell you to retreat. Impatience will tell you to do something now. Presumption will tell you to jump into the Red Sea before it is parted. But as God told Israel He often tells us to simply stand still as He reveals His plan.

c. See the salvation of the LORD: Moses didn't know what God would do. Yet he knew what the result would be. He knew that God would save His people and that the enemies of the Lord would be destroyed. He could say to Israel, "the LORD will fight for you."

d. You shall see them no more forever: The idea behind this implies much more than at first look. Moses perhaps spoke in terms of eternity as well as their present time. 

(https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/studyguide_exd/exd_14.cfm)

Okay, I LOVE this. My favorite part is the part about Moses telling the Israelites to not be afraid. Oh.MyGoodness. YES! Moses knew they were backed into a corner, but he also knew the God he served. He knew, that God would come through, because He had not brought them this far to abandon them. This applies to us today. When we are backed into a corner, whatever it might be, God will come through. Sure, it might not be the way we expect, and it might hurt a little, but God always comes through for His people. I'm sure Moses did not expect God to tell him to hold out his staff, and the sea would part. Moses probably expected something more like a giant fireball raining down from the sky and annihilating Pharaoh and his army, or an army of angels taking them out. But God showed up, and He delivered His people.

  Then there's standing still. it's not just about being still before God, it's also about letting go of our fleshly reactions, like despair, fear, impatience (a big one for me), presumption. But His plan will be revealed to us in His time. It's not about what we want, it's about His plan for us. We have to take all these reactions and lay them before the feet of God, at the cross. We have to ask His Spirit to give us peace, that we would not let our own flesh, the temptation of the enemy, or the world we live in gain control over us. We have to give God absolute control, and put our trust in Him.

So here it is, what God has been teaching me, and what I want to share with you. We are like the Israelites, more often than not. We hate to admit it, since their track record isn't the greatest, but here is the good news: God's track record is perfect. He will never fail or forsake us. Now please remember, God coming through may not look the way we expect it to, and sometimes He is steering us away from something to something better, but He is the one who created you. He has a plan, and sometimes, the only way to hear it is to be still.

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

Welcome to New York...

Hi everyone!

So it's that time again, for a quick update on life! This month's post will mostly be informational, so let's dive in and see what's going on in my life lately!

For the past several months I've been working at a daycare facility, and have truly loved it there. It's been a wonderful job for me, and I felt so blessed that the Lord provided this job for me at this time. It was also perfect timing because up until about a month ago I was still in the thick of my grieving process, and having the distraction of little smiling faces was always a welcome one. But now is time for a change, and through a whole series of events, I have one coming. I will be heading up to New York for the next few months to stay with my sister, and help her and my brother-in-law with my little niece (coming soon!)!

There are several reasons for this move, at first the plan had just been to help my sister out before heading straight off to Belfast, but since I have not completed raising support at this point, I'll be staying in New York until I'm ready to get my visa, then I'll be coming back down to Florida until I leave for Belfast. I believe that this move will be greatly beneficial for me, especially in opening new doors for raising support.

However, at this time I want to ask my praying folks out there, to please be praying for me in my last few weeks here in Florida. I have a very strong feeling that the Lord is wanting to do some big things for me when it comes to raising support. So please keep me, and all of my support raising in your prayers of the next few months, I would very much appreciate it!

I know some of you might be wondering how my mom is handling this, but please rest assured that I took this into account as well! She is very excited for me to take this next step, and see what God is going to do with it. She has assured me (because I still have my moments where I ask her "Are you SURE???") that she has plenty of great people around, like my cousin, my grandparents, her best friend June, and lots of amazing women from the church. Plus she's excited to come up once the baby is born!

So that is pretty much my big news! I am so excited to be taking this step forward, and I definitely believe that this is one more step towards getting to Belfast! I will continue to keep you all updated as I continue taking steps towards Belfast.

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

A Father's Love

Hi everyone! I apologize for not writing for the past few months, but I'm sure you can understand that it's been a difficult time for me... We've had two memorial services for my dad, one here in Florida, one in New York, I had the privilege of attending my brilliant niece's high school graduation in Wichita, and was able to road trip up there with my mom, and of course it's just been a time of reflection and mourning for me to be honest. But now, it's time for me to move forward, and continue on this journey to Belfast, and I'm ready for it! I just want to dedicate this post to my dad, one of my biggest supporters, and the one who helped get me to where I am.

My dad and I had a rocky relationship to say the least, if I'm being totally honest. There were many elements that contributed to it's rockiness, but one of the ones I want to focus on is the fact that we were both extremely stubborn, like father like daughter. He was a lawyer, so at a young age, I had to learn how to argue my point. One of the things I remember from when I was little is he would tell me "I know everything." so I would counter, "Okay, when is Jesus coming back?" and he would say "I don't know that" so I would smile sweetly and say "Then you don't know everything." That was us. Arguing pretty consistently. Only when I got older the arguments got louder, and sometimes nastier.

But once I became an adult, things changed. He treated me as an adult. Sure, we argued, and sometimes, mostly because of his hearing to be honest, we'd yell at each other, but he began to treat me differently. It was almost like once I turned eighteen I was an adult, not just legally, but in his eyes. I was at an age where I could make decisions for myself, and for the most part, he respected them, even when he didn't agree. Now, as some of you may know, when I was eighteen I did not make the best decisions. Spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally I was a complete and total wreck. I was not prepared to be an adult. It wasn't until I was older, and willing to be healed, and to change that I began to get it together. But through all of that, my dad was understanding. Sure, I drove him crazy at times, and he'd let me know, but while he was helping me get back on my feet, he tried to be as supportive as he could.

Then, one day, I told him that I wanted to be a missionary. He couldn't have been happier. As long as I got my degree, because education was extremely important to him, then he wanted to help me do this. I agreed, because he had taught me the importance of education, so I found Bethany. I am so thankful that he was supportive of my decision to go there, it was the best four years of my life, going through the program, and it helped really heal my relationship with him in deep, and fundamental ways. There were things that I needed to work out (like I said earlier, we had a rocky relationship) in my own heart and life, and I was able to have a stronger relationship with him as my father.

Before I left for my internship in France one of the things he told me was this "Don't come back for anything. If anything happens to me, don't come back, finish what you started." I smiled and told him that I would come back anyway, but I would go back and finish my internship after. See, before I left for France, his health had deteriorated even further. The idea of him dying was not a farfetched one by any means. This was something I had learned to live with, something that had become a part of my life, and I would morbidly joke about with my closest friends, and silently cry about at night in my bed. This was my reality: that my dad would not make it much longer.

But I went to France, and I came back. He was still alive. I graduated from college, and even though he couldn't make it, he watched it live streaming at home. I came home, and prepared to leave for Belfast, and again, he told me "If you are over there, and anything happens to me, don't come back. Keep moving forward." I smiled and nodded, knowing I would still come home anyway. His health had gotten much worse than when I left for France, and now I knew it was a definite possibility that he would pass away soon.

All during my time of support raising for Belfast he was an encouragement. When I felt discouraged, and felt like I couldn't see how all this would work out, he would remind me that God was bigger than this. That He had called me to this, and He would see it through. He would remind me how proud of me he was, that I had chosen to dedicate my life to God, and his plans. He was very encouraging through it all, when I needed it most.

Then, in April, he was gone. His health deteriorated rapidly, and he was gone. I'm thankful I was here, that I was able to be here with my family, especially with my mom. But with my dad went all that encouragement. With him went so much that I didn't realize I had, that I had taken for granted. The first month of him being gone I was strong. I hardly cried. I thought I had mourned already, in the years before, when he had been ill. I thought that this was it, I wouldn't cry, I wouldn't feel anything deeper.

Then, on the way home from Kansas, I was listening to my music while my mom had her headphones in. The song Waka Waka by Shakira came on. I tried my best not to burst into tears. During the past month of not mourning, I'd also been questioning all of my life decisions. I'd been questioning if going to Belfast was the right choice, if God was really sending me there, if being a missionary was the right decision. I mean shouldn't I have a profession where I actually made money instead of asking for money from people? I had been questioning everything. Normally, in these times, I'd go talk to my dad, and he'd remind me, that God had called me to this, that He would provide, and I had to keep going and see it through. But I didn't have that anymore, and instead of going to my heavenly Father, I'd been letting the lies of satan poison my mind. Then this song came on, and all I kept hearing was "The pressure's on you feel it, but you got it all, believe it, When you fall get up, If you fall get up..." And it was almost as if I could hear my dad saying those words to me. Get up, stop letting those lies control your life, stop believing that God can't do this.

It took another month of mourning, and working things out, and going to God about it, but here I am now. Firmly believing that God can, and will do this. I know this is the path He has marked out for me, and I know that this is what my dad wanted for me. He was so proud of the fact that I had chosen to follow God, to choose a path that is in no way easy or simple. The life of a missionary is not easy, on the field or off during support raising or furlough. But it is an honor and a privilege.

I don't know how God is going to do all this. I don't know His plan in all this. I honestly have no clue how all the finances I need will come together for me to go to Belfast, but I know this: I serve a God who can make mountains move. Who can use a song about FIFA to remind me what my dead father would say to me during a time of weakness and doubt. I serve a God that has never failed to provide for every missions endeavor that I've ever made. A God who has never gone back on promises He's made. So yes, it might seem hopeless, I may go through times of doubt and questioning, but God never gives up on me, and He is always working in ways that I cannot see.

These are the things my father taught me, things that my dad made sure I understood. He taught me so much about justice, fairness, honesty, being observant, movies, tv shows, investigating, pain, sadness, hope, but the most important thing that he taught me is this: Christ is my Savior, and through Him all things can be done according to His good and perfect will. No one and nothing can stand in the way of the will of God, and as long as I submit myself to His will, He will work for my good. Whatever that good looks like, even if I don't see it in that moment, He works all things together for my good. So I trust in Him. This is the most important thing my dad taught me, despite differences, yelling matches, anything that either one of us ever did that was hurtful, he taught me the most important lesson that I could ever learn, and I will forever be grateful for that, and I will carry that legacy in my life, and if the Lord blesses me with children, then I will tell them about their grandfather, and what he taught me.

So this post is dedicated to my dad. A man who fought for equality for the hispanic community in New York, who served for twenty-five years on the NYPD, who had a brilliant mind, a curious mind, but most importantly who went on to give his life to Jesus, who dedicated his time to learning about Him, and committing his life to God, who had two beautiful great-grandchildren, ten wonderful, bright grandchildren, three incredible, brilliant children, two incredibly talented step-children, and one daughter that will forever be grateful for his love and dedication to God. He was not perfect, but he was my dad, and I love him, and will always miss him.

Joseph Charleman

January 28, 1937-April 8, 2016