Two weeks ago we had the opportunity to attend the Indianapolis ATI Conference as a family! At the beginning of the year, Daddy had made plans to attend Big Sandy, Sacramento, and Nashville, but his schedule had conflicted with the Indy dates. We were surprised when he unexpectedly announced that it was going to work out after all…and the whole family was going!

Many of us had never been to Ohio or Indianapolis. We traveled through 5 states on our way to to the conference and saw some spectacular sights!

The country was beautiful, and we passed hundreds of farms like these in the pictures above.

Although the Indianapolis conference was much smaller than Nashville, we were blessed to see so many familiar faces and to make new friends.

At Nashville, we participated in the various programs – Alert Cadets, COMMIT, and Children’s Institute. It was neat to be able to attend the main sessions as a family and to hear enthusiastic speakers with wonderful messages!

Jody (above) served us breakfast every morning at our hotel. She is such a sweet lady that has an incredible love for Jesus Christ, and the joy on her countenance tells a beautiful story of her faith in God. Her curiosity about our family and the conference led to a sweet time of fellowship and prayer, as Hannah and I shared about our faith in God, and our family’s involvement in the ATI program. A huge smile lit up her face, when we told her that we were born again believers. She shared her beautiful testimony with us of her recent conversion to Christianity! That was the day we discovered that she was not only our friend, but our sister in Christ! We love Jody. She has such a servant’s heart and a selflessness that is truly a radiant example of her Savior and King.

We recently began a tradition of visiting Dairy Queen on the last night of the conference. This is the second time we have done so with the Staddon family! Several other families came along, which made for an exciting evening of laughter, fellowship, and catching up!

We were so blessed by the Indy conference. It was a joy to take time away from the busyness of life to be encouraged once again. What a wonderful finale to the conference season. Until next year…!

If you are interested in attending a 2012 Regional ATI Conference, visit the following link and watch for an announcement of future dates!

www.ati.iblp.org

The Third Conference in Sacramento CA took place in July. Our parents testified that it was a delight to attend! Unfortunately, the camera stayed behind, so we don’t have pictures. However, the seven of us that stayed behind took pictures of our week, which we recently posted.

Hannah had the privilege of attending the Big Sandy ATI Conference with our parents. At the conclusion of the girls’ Journey to the Heart program she joined some staff from the IBLP Headquarters that were driving down to Big Sandy. She took these pictures throughout the week, between various sessions.

Yay! The dates for the first two 2011 Journey to the Heart Programs are finally posted on www.livingthejourney.com! Sarah and I will be getting together our group over the holiday season and into January, so if any of you girls out there are interested in joining a group of us and possibly getting a group discount, the journey we are going on takes place April 9th-19th. For more information, see the website www.iblp.org which also gives payment details. Please contact us if you want to be in our group. Please note, this does not mean you will be on our team while the journey is taking place.

Be Blessed!

~Hannah Stelzl

Are you looking for something that will change your life forever? Do you desire to love Jesus Christ with all of your heart, and to know that He is truly your best friend? Are you struggling with sinful habits, painful memories, or lies from Satan that you cannot seem to conquer? Do you have doubts about your salvation and your relationship with Jesus Christ? Do you ever question whether or not you are really where God wants you to be, and if you are truly fulfilling your God-given purpose?

Journey to the Heart changed our lives forever – not only for those of us who went, but for our entire family! It has changed both thousands of youth and their families by transforming lives!!! It is a place where teenagers of all levels of Spiritual walk can discover God for who He is, see and feel His power at work every day, and discover root issues that are keeping them from glorious freedom in Christ. This journey has the potential of drawing families closer, giving new meaning and purpose to life, revealing truth in place of lies, and replacing hearts of bondage with freedom and hope. It provides time alone with God to examine heart conditions and root problems, without the usual day-to-day distractions and competing affections that surround us. Hundreds of testimonies can be found on the Journey to the Heart website. Check them out!

I have written and verbally shared numerous testimonies about my experiences through Journey to the Heart. To tell of all that God has done in my heart and life would be to write a book! But let me just say that for me, Journey to the Heart has been the greatest Journey ever x 4! It gets better every time, and there is ALWAYS something new to walk away with, to apply, to share, to learn, and to glean. You cannot come back the same  – because you WILL be transformed in some way or another, and you WILL have seen the power and unfading love of Jesus Christ in a way like never before. What God can do with a group of young people who come to the point of surrender…the power He demonstrates when we come to the end of ourselves…the way He chooses to work when we realize our inadequacy and lay everything at His feet in total trust…it is beyond description, and it is breathtakingly beautiful!

If you are interested in going on a Journey, or if you know someone who could use this life-changing experience, please consider joining us! Hannah and I (Sarah) are hoping to make it to the upcoming young ladies’ journey which will take place from October 23rd – November 2nd. Anyone is invited to consider this opportunity! We are trying to get a final count for the group we will be taking, within the next week or so. Please prayerfully consider this for yourself or someone else you know who may benefit from it. Having attended this program 4 times each, we both highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!!!

Contact us for more information and details about signing up under our group!

To see the testimonial video, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usWutLcge2o

In the beginning of July, Hannah and I were blessed with the privilege of attending our 4^th Journey to the Heart. The Lord used those 10 days of self-examination and time alone with Him, to reveal Himself to me in great and powerful ways! I found myself asking the first day, “Lord why am I here this week? What are you going to teach me? Why is Your Word not coming alive to me today like it should?” It was as if I took a step forward, and threw all my burdens before Him in a huge tangled mess. He spoke to me in a quiet voice that morning. He said, “Ye receive not, because ye ask not…” Such a simple answer! God is not a God of intellect or human reasoning. He doesn’t care how you word your prayers, or if you sound “put together” when you come before Him with all your worries. He much prefers a child that is desperate for Him, lost without Him, and no longer concerned about anything but Him. He wants you in your lowest, weakest state – the REAL you – void of all human strength, empty of all self. That is when He draws near and whispers in your ear the perfect answer; that is when He fills you up with Himself; that is when He provides a solution that heals every problem and destroys every burden.

My Father taught me to pray at Journey. He didn’t whip out a gigantic list of problems that I had, and tell me to fix them all so that He could wipe away my tears. He simply said, “Ask, and ye shall receive from my hand…”

So I asked!

Prior to the Journey, the Lord had placed on my heart a tremendous burden in an area that required fervent, incessant prayer. That first day at Journey, I felt the Lord saying, “Sarah, you have not received, because you have not asked.” I knelt by the bed in my room, all alone, as my team members were to arrive all throughout that day. I found myself pouring out my heart before the Lord. He gave me peace as I laid it all at His feet! I was able to cast my cares upon Him and spend the remainder of the day rejoicing in His love and feeling a new awareness of His presence! It was only one day later, as I talked by phone with my younger sister Bethany, that the Lord proved His awesome power to me. She shared excitedly the miraculous story of how God had been at work, even in the very hours I had been praying. He had been answering my prayers even as I prayed them, and I had been absolutely unaware of it at the time! “Ask, and ye shall receive…”

The Lord showed me all throughout those 10 days at Journey, that life is a process!!! By this, I mean that every day we face new decisions, new choices, that bring freedom or bondage. Yes, I can choose to believe the truth in place of Satan’s lies. But this is not a one-time commitment or breakthrough. Rather, it is a daily, even moment by moment choice I must make to replace wrong with right, bondage with freedom, death with life. Mr. Norvell, one of the Godly older men who spoke at Journey, shared this with us: “Even after the bell stops ringing, it still gongs a few more times…” I discovered that the key to healing past hurts is not just saying “I forgive you.” But it is making a decision each day to emotionally release that offender when Satan triggers a painful reminder of that past hurt. In other words, when something comes to mind that has hurt me deeply (because Satan WILL bring it to mind sometime again), I must choose then and there to believe the truth, and to let love overpower the bitterness that would have its way in my heart. The pain will become less and less until the wound has healed and there remains only a scar… and these scars are reminders to us of man’s weakness, God’s unfailing love, the power of genuine forgiveness, and the freedom that comes by believing the truth! And because of these scars, we have a testimony to share of Jesus and His love, with all people and to all nations.

Perhaps the greatest lesson God taught me at Journey is this: Solutions to my problems do not come by a method, but by a relationship with Him. On Friday evening in the Northwoods, 6 teams (64+ girls) had gathered to pray in the upper prayer tower. For the first time in 4 Journeys, I witnessed the one-accord power in prayer throughout an entire group of girls and not just a single team! I watched as young ladies committed and re-committed their lives to Jesus, confessed hidden sins, cried out for freedom, and laid their requests at the feet of their Maker. During this time our team cried out for salvation for lost friends and family, healing for the sick among us, and various other needs. The Holy Spirit was present among us that night!!! Others who were far beyond the walls of the prayer tower testified that they had heard us crying out to Jesus – a noise like thunder.

Later on in the week as I waited to see how the Lord would answer our prayers, Satan attacked me with discouragement. I found myself questioning God, “Why do you not heal the sick that we prayed for? Why do you not save the lost that we lifted up to you?” It occurred to me that I had been looking to this one accord moment as the key to all my problems. I had been convinced that if we reached that one accord power in prayer, I could simply lay every prayer before the Lord and He would grant it all for me just like that. God taught me a powerful lesson on drawing near to Him, and persistently, fervently praying without ceasing. Prayer is not a one-time act. God instructs us to pray day and night, without ceasing. Furthermore, we do not use it as a tool to just check off every problem and solve every trouble. Prayer is a means of drawing us near to the heart of Jesus, and of fellowship between believers and their Heavenly Father. It is meant to be the vital part of our relationship with our King and Creator, and thus the most effective weapon in that way. God is ever teaching me that He knows my every need, and He desires me to be in full fellowship with Him, that I may trust His perfect will whatever that may be – without doubt or worry, or anxiety.

As a result of what the Lord taught me, I DID see Him answer my prayers! He didn’t always answer them the WAY I wanted, or in the timing I had expected. However, even as I prayed every day for the group from HQ that had gone to Peru, the Lord was at work. We arrived back from the Northwoods around the time the Peru team arrived back at HQ. They testified of heart transformation, and the salvation of many key leaders in Peru – the very leaders we had been praying for by name during the course of our Journey. God DOES answer prayer! But since prayer is fellowship with our Heavenly Father, we must come to the point of total and complete surrender - where we have no will of our own, but only that of Christ’s will, our will.

It is with great humility that I share with you the valuable lessons God has been impressing upon me, and urge you to draw near to the heart of our Heavenly Father! Lay every burden at His feet and cast your cares upon Him. He will open His hand to pour forth untold blessings upon you, if you simply ask in faith, believing.

For more pictures, click here.

Have you ever felt perfectly worn out…like you’ve gone waaaaay too many places in one week? well, this past week was lots of fun, but the word overwhelming is a good description to go along with “good.” Monday morning of last week, my mom and I set out for a long overdue trip to Savannah GA…just the two of us. I of course am studying to become a photographer and am throwing web-design in there too, so Savannah seemed like an appropriate place to put blooming talent to work with the camera It was great. Since I am graduating this summer, my mom also wanted to try to take some senior pictures which turned out really well! I have to admit that since my mom takes very few pictures, I was skeptical at first, but pleased and surprised when, after a few tries, she got it down and was taking pictures like the ones my fellow classmates and I have been producing lately.

While in Savannah, we enjoyed lots of homemade candy…probably not too good for our teeth as well as a carriage ride, LOTS of good exercise and walking, a lovely morning on a very cold windy beach, a night trip across the waterway to take pictures of the lights in the water, and a dolphin tour which actually ended up being a perfect waste of two hours and fifty dollars <sigh>. Oh well. On the way home, we went two hours out of our way to Charleston to go to Boone Plantation and enjoyed a yummy lunch nearby at a cafe that was run by the plantation owners. I think I shot over 1000 pictures during the three full days we were there. Wow…that is a lot of pictures!

One day after getting home, I had just downloaded all my pictures, and before being able to edit any of them, had to go to a friend’s wedding where I shot 1000 more pictures. So…all I have been doing for the past two days is editing thousands of photographs Ok…I have managed to get a little more than that in! The wedding was beautifully done, very God-honoring, and fun. I was exhausted by the end of that day, but I learned a lot about indoor photography, how to use natural lighting in a building with no windows, and how to take pictures that were appealing to a bride and groom. It was very interesting, helpful, and challenging all at once. That was also my birthday. It wasn’t the most eventful birthday I’ve had, but that evening I took a nap, we had pizza and ice cream, opened presents, and watched a movie. It was fun. Besides, now I have lots of journals, two good books to read, and five CD’s…a whole new library from every aspect!

Monday morning I nervously waited in line at the DMV to get my drivers license. After waiting two and a half years to be a fully licensed driver, I was finally here!!! I did take it in the van…with much fear and trembling. Folks who run the DMV aren’t known for their hospitality towards drivers in buses <grin>. My teacher was very nice and thanks to the prayers of my mom and my dear friend Katie, I did pass the test. The instructor was amazed and pleased and I think my head was inflated beyond it’s own good

In the last two days since then, I have driven to the Vet’s office, the grocery store, and the movie store. Sarah has gone with me most of the time and when I asked her if she was nervous, she replied, “Of course not. Should I be?” Bethany on the other hand was like “It’s SO weird driving around with you without mommy!!!” My poor siblings are going to have to get used to this. I still laugh when I drive alone. Hmmm…when does that wear off?

Although it has been a very trying week, I can see God working patience in me! It is not easy to have a million things to do and be happy about it. Currently, I am working on building several blogs for clients of my dad and so far, so good. I have been feeling a bit stressed over Algebra which I am trying to quickly finish and don’t seem to be making any progress on. Please pray that God would show himself strong and help me to be a over-comer!!! It is through him that we do all things right???!!! My advice to those of you who read this is to first of all know…I have lost my temper way too much this week…but hey, God is mercy and grace…AND truth!!! He is teaching me every day that no matter how much I have to do, he is always most important. Take time for God today, and don’t forget that without him, you will never accomplish all that you need to do!

Anyone who wants to see pictures from Savannah and the wedding are welcome to check out my Picasa albums!

This past Saturday Mommy surprised us with a trip to the zoo in Columbia, SC! Since Daddy was away at a local speaker’s meeting all day, we quickly ate breakfast and jumped into the van to get an early start for the 1.5 hour trip that lay ahead. Timothy was especally excited, because this was his first real trip to the zoo that he would actually be old enough to enjoy!

When we arrived, we were just in time to see the bears playing! They were chasing each other, and “wrestling” like you see in the picture below. Unfortinately, the tigers and lions were sleeping, as they usually are when we have visited throughout the past few years. Nevertheless, we had an exciting trip and I made good use of my camera! (Hopefully these pictures will make up for the posts lacking in pictures )

I think it is so easy to take for granted the blessing of a large family! Looking back over the years filled with precious memories alongside brothers, sisters, and parents, I cannot imagine life without the joy of each one! Being at the zoo as a family - helping each other out, taking turns, and laughing with one another, really challenged me to be more grateful for the loved ones God has placed in my life. Have you stopped to thank God for your family today? Take time to bless and encourage a parent or sibling this week, by making them feel loved, and letting them know just how much you cherish them The memories you make over the years with them are priceless and precious -  don’t take them for granted!

I was really, really looking forward to this journey!!! Not like I haven’t in the past, but it was especially exciting since I would be able to visit with several friends from previous journeys and meet up with some very encouraging girls who had been influential in my life! I think I left home with the misconception that I had already dealt with the majority of my “issues” and that God was just going to use this time to hone in on any blind-spots I had missed. I love God’s sense of humor, but it was not that funny when I got there and realized how much more God had in store for me than I had originally intended on dealing with. I had envisioned maybe some feedback from the Lord on my complaining attitude during difficult tasks, my dislike of Physics, and my bad attitude towards homework! Instead, God hit the bulls eye and began to draw out some things that had been buried deep for a long time!

The first thing he hit was the clothes. Wow…”Lord, this is silly.” I said almost aloud as I started reading the murmuring heart.”You are only supposed to be showing me not to complain. You are not allowed to take my clothes. I know mom doesn’t like the things I like, but can’t SHE change? Why me???” Two evenings later, I was carelessly sharing with a friend that if you have not surrendered EVERYTHING, it is like you have not surrendered at all. “Hannah, why are you being a hypocrite?” The Lord seemed to say rather indignantly. “Well Lord, I can’t be perfect!” I justified myself hastily. It only took me three more days to realize that my obsession with what I wore was not just creating a breach between me and my mom, but it was hindering a free and open relationship with Jesus.

Laura and I

I certainly did not want that. After all, I had come to Journey to get closer to the Lord in the first place!!! I gave my clothes to God. I told him that it really did not matter if I liked what I wore as long as people could see Jesus in me and as long as I could know that I had the power of Christ in me. I felt free from a burden that I had originally thought to be no big deal!

Next, God honed in on witnessing. “Hannah, you have the good news. You know you are going to heaven. Why don’t you tell others about me…others that are not saved?” I almost laughed out loud. “You cannot expect me to witness Lord. I live in America…you know, the land of the intimidating!” Yeah, that’s me. I mean, if you want to send me overseas where people believe you and are raised to life when they die, that’s all good and fine, but here? I am not going to the mall and talking about you to ANYONE. This conversation is closed.” But the Lord was not finished with me yet. “Hannah, how many people are in hell right now that could be with me if you had not been so afraid?” I felt a wave of shock coming over me. “150,000 unsaved people die everyday without knowing about me…” I talked to my leader Laura about this. Two days later we gathered as a team and committed to keep each other accountable for witnessing to others. On the way home, I had the opportunity along with my sister and two friends to witness to a lady and her two kids who were in the airport. How great is God’s timing? I often wonder if he likes to put us on the spot! I mean, I know he likes to use weak people to confound the mighty, but…well, never mind that!

The third thing that God prompted me to deal with was the hardest thing. He brought to the surface my relationship with my mom. At first, I was skeptical. I really wanted a friendship relationship with her…but, that was a big jump for little me! God kept prompting me to make things right. I justified my head off and told the Lord it was ALL her fault. Unfortunately and as usual, the Lord seemed to disagree…and he was NOT in a play-around mood. He wanted me to deal with it, and deal with it right away! Why I was having such a difficult time, I really do not know, but I am sure God knew what he was doing. I left Journey without closure to my problem, but God brought me a verse the day after I got home that shed light on everything. It was from Isaiah 59, verses 1 and 2 about how MY iniquities had caused a breach between me and him! I realized that the ultimate problem here was not my mom, but was my bitterness and wrong responses. I asked God to help me forgive my mom for hurting me and I asked God to forgive me for my bitterness and hateful responses. I recognized several days after I got home that bitterness breaks family one accord.

By far, this was the hardest journey I have ever been on. God dealt with me in ways I did not want to be dealt with, but he also drew me nearer to his heart to find out who he really was. I came home with an urgent desire to seek God and find him. A dear girl who works in the office at Headquarters gave an amazing message on pursuing God the night before we drove back to Chicago. It struck me because I wanted to know how to continue my journey at home. Over and over again, she assured us that our faithful God will be near us if we pursue him. God revealed to me during those ten days what he wants from me this summer. He is not interested in me thinking I have it all down. Rather, he wants me to take a step off the diving board, a leap of faith, and simply believe that he is…to TRUST him completely. It will not be fun. I can assure you of that…but in the end, the fruit will be multiplied a hundredfold!

As you continue to walk with God, remember that he is the Diadem of Beauty. We have the capacity to look just like him, but only if we trust him. That is not conditional trust…that is unconditional trust. If you have not been on a Journey…you REALLY should go. It is not a fix, or an end all, or a band-aid for the broken, but it is a ten day trip into the heart of God, and it is worth more money than you could find in the whole world. I would challenge you to make a way to go whether it requires re-structuring your schedule or missing something academic you really wanted to do this summer, because just KNOWING Jesus is the GREATEST thing of all! If you are interseested in going with us, Sarah and I will be returning in July of 2010, the 10th through the 20th.