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.

While at the ATI Nashville training conference, we heard Steve Dulin speak about taking sabbaticals 3 times each year. We were so inspired by what he said, we purposed to begin this ASAP. I took mine for 4 days at the end of June. I had a list of things I wanted to seek the LORD about, and my biggest desire was to experience the love of God in the way described in Ephesians 3. Just before leaving town, I had a physical therapy appointment and was telling my therapist (also a friend,) all about the journey I was about to embark on. She wisely said something like, “It sounds like you have your agenda all figured out.” I am a detail person, and I wanted to really  experience God and get some leading. I realized I needed to lay down my expectations and wait on the LORD.

When I arrived, I purposed to begin with a time of confession and repentance. It seems when life is moving so fast, my quiet time consists of reading the Word, bringing my grocery list of requests to God and confessing those glaring sins one can’t forget, (yelling at the kids, harsh discipline, disagreements with my spouse, etc.) Often the rush of the schedule and the demands of a large family make it difficult to allow the Spirit of God to quietly show me the attitudes behind the glaring sins and the real root causes of those sins. The first thing I learned on my Sabbatical was that confession and repentance are the key to drawing near to God, and that with unlimited time and quiet, He will show me things about myself that can’t be explored in a 1 hour quiet time. Unfortunately these things are painful, ugly, uncomfortable, and sometimes even surprising. As I spent that time, I began to see attitudes I was having that promoted the sins in my life. Things like presumption, a sense of God owing me something because of the promises in His Word, attitudes of unfairness and comparison, etc. We all need this time to let God  plumb the depths of our heart and reveal these things to us.

Several weeks before leaving for my sabbatical, I was reading in Luke 22:31-32 where Jesus says to Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted (means returned,) strengthen thy brethren.” Those words leaped off the page for me. It might as well have said “Tina, Tina…,” the words were so strong to me. I pondered what it meant. Was some great test coming? I confess I felt a bit afraid, but then had a sense that God would soon reveal what it meant for me. This came together for me on my sabbatical.

A bit of history is needed here. My life has been one of many sore and fiery trials. Satan was at work  very early in my life arranging many painful events even before turning 3 years old, with many more to follow. One of the most painful memories was my great grandfather dying on my 3rd birthday. He was the one person who really wanted to spend time with me and whose eyes lit up when I came in the room. When he died, the enemy of my soul seized the opportunity to plant the thought, “That is the kind of gift God gives to you on your special day!” All through my life I have questioned God’s love for me, and often with all the trials I have been through, my circumstances seemed to scream “He does not love you!” As I have tried so hard to serve God and kept trying to get the knowledge that he loved me into my  heart, I could not break out of listening to my circumstances. On my sabbatical, I cried out to God to understand why He didn’t rescue that little 3 year old from such fiery trials at such a young age. Where was His Father’s heart? Any earthly father would move in and rescue, or at the very least comfort and explain. This was the root of my questioning His love. Then He gave me a picture of Him sitting on His throne praying for me, and the words came back, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. OK, so these were tests of my faith. ” A sense of unfairness rose up in me and I cried out to God, “But Peter was a grown man, Job had walked with God all his life, why a little 3 year old???” It was as if in the silence of the next few minutes He said to me, “I have a special plan for you that requires fiery trials and coming forth triumphantly.” Something in me seemed to quiet down, or come to rest that had been squirming and wrestling for a long time. I realized that those events from 0 to 3 years old were the beginning of sifting and all the trials between then and a huge trial that took place in 1999-2000 were all sifting with that huge trial being the culmination of the sifting. I realized that from 2000 until now I have been like Peter when he returned to his fishing, just doing what he knew, and what felt secure and solid. Then on my sabbatical it was like when Jesus came to Peter and said 3 times, “Peter, do you love me?” Jesus ended each time with, “feed my sheep.” Back in Luke He had said, “when thou are converted strengthen thy brethren.”  After surrendering and coming forth triumphantly, He wants us to strengthen others who are still squirming and wrestling. He wants us to beckon to them to keep believing, surrender and rest in Him. This is what Peter did, his hope was rekindled, his faith was rejuvenated, his passion blazed forth again, and he burst forth with a mission and a purpose. Are you going through a fiery trial that seems too much to bear? Or, has your life been a long string of fiery trials? Picture Him in prayer for you saying, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.”

Several months ago we were asked to write a paragraph about what ATI (the homeschooling ministry we are a part of,) has done for us. The thought of summarizing that in 1 paragraph was so daunting, I could not figure out how to do it. While on this sabbatical, God gave me an analogy that enabled me to express this. Now if you are not in ATI, this will still apply to you, so keep reading   I had read the familiar Psalm 23 and had not gotten any new revelations about it. The next morning as I was waking up, the words, “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me,” came back to me. I began to ponder, “Why is the shepherd’s rod and staff described as a comfort?” I began to think about the purpose and use of the rod and staff in the shepherds hand. He uses it to ward off enemies, to count the sheep so none is lost, to retrieve sheep who have wandered, to pull them out of thorny places, to guide them away from poisonous plants and to lead them to safe, green pastures. I realized that this is what ATI has done for us. It has clarified our vision, kept us from straying, pulled us back when we have begun to wander, protected us from and warned us of the lush looking, poisonous  plants of the world’s ways, and kept before our eyes the green pastures of God’s Word and principles. Each one of us needs a rod and staff in the hand of our Great Shepherd to do this for us. It may not be ATI for you, but you need to know what it is. What will keep your eyes on Him and His ways and keep reminding you, keep prodding you, keep retrieving you, and be a comfort to you? Make sure you know what your rod and staff is in your Great Shepherds hand, that when you think on it keeps you on the proper path and comforts you. It may be a variety of things, but know what they are, and keep them in sight.

What is a sabbatical? A sabbatical comes from the word sabbath. A sabbatical is an extended sabbath. It is a time to rest and reflect and seek God’s face. To enter into His presence, confession and repentance is the key. Begin with that. I remember thinking, how will I know what to do? How will I know where to read? How will I know He is speaking to me? Begin with confession and repentance and He will weave your path the rest of the way. How long should it be? Ask God. I went for 4 days, and each day built upon the last. It was just the right amount of time for what God had for me. Get alone with no distractions. Try not to have an agenda, His agenda will be different that yours For all you mothers: there is a special opportunity I want to make you aware of. ATI is hosting a Journey to the Heart retreat for mothers from September 22nd to October 2nd. This is a time to get away from the motherly routine and get quiet before the Lord, examine ourselves, and seek His face. You do not have to be a member of ATI to go. For more information go to www.ati.iblp.org.  Scroll down and click on Mother’s Journey 2010 under recent updates in the right hand column. I went to one last year and it was a tremendous blessing! I look forward to going again this year. Maybe I will see you there May The LORD Bless you as you seek His sabbath rest and revelations

Tomorrow (at 3:00 AM) begins an exciting, thrilling adventure for the entire family as we head off to visit relatives in Pennsylvania. It’s been a while since Hannah and I were in PA with the family, as they visited twice while we were on different Journeys. This time we are all going together and will be staying with a man my parents met at a Health Conference back in 2006. He has graciously opened his home up to us many times over the past 4 years, and it is with great anticipation that we look forward to seeing him again!

One of our highlights of every PA trip is visiting Lancaster county and making all our favorite, familiar stops along the way. Driving the short 1.5 hour stretch from Pennsburg to Lancaster has become a family tradition! We eat breakfast at our favorite smorgasbord, “Shady Maple” and then visit the gift shop down below that is entirely HUGE – it take about 45 minutes to see everything, if you have already seen it all, and are hurrying through Throughout the day, we “get lost” in Amish country, visiting the Amish stores and touring the scenic farmland. We usually wind down the day with delicious home-made ice cream at Lapp’s dairy farm!

This year we are going to the Sight and Sound Theater, where Bible stories are dramatically acted out in a fantastic way! We discovered the theater a few years ago, and have seen Ruth, David, The Christmas Story, and Sarah and Abraham. This time we are going to see Joseph!!! I can’t wait also, our grandmother is going along for the second time, so we are thrilled!

On the 4th of July we will be watching fireworks at the park in town. Last year we were amazed at how close they were, since we are used to seeing them from far off in the distance. We were actually able to see the men shooting them off in the field in front of us, and the noise was electrifying:-) I think we should wisely take earplugs along this year…

On the 9th of July, Hannah and I head off to our 4th Journey from the Philadelphia airport, while the others drive back to NC. We are going with a team of 7 other young ladies, mostly whom we know very well. It feels strange to be going back for the 4th time, but I can safely say with great confidence that there has never been a Journey not worth the experience! Every time there is something new to learn, something new to examine and work through, something new to apply to life. I am assured that God is going to do a great work in our hearts, and that He will teach us new and wonderful things from His Word!

So…now that you have an idea of where we will be for the next week (some of us for the next 3 weeks), please pray for our family as we set off on this adventure! Pray for our visit to PA because my grandfather has advanced emphysema and we don’t know how long he has to live. Each visit may be the last time we see him, and that is difficult. Pray that we could be a blessing to them. God can do so much in and through each one of us, and He will if we are willing and obedient, open and broken, fully surrendered. When we arrive back from all the busyness of life away from home, there will be exciting new reports and stories to share, all proof of God’s unfailing, unchanging, everlasting love!

Until then, please keep us in your prayers

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.

“Lord, I just want to trust you…fully, completely, in every area!” Does this sound familiar to you???  It’s easy to trust God when there’s bread on the table and money in the bank; it’s no task to smile when the sun is shining, or flowers are blooming, and the whole world seems to love you just the way you are… but what about those simply challenging moments when the last thing you want to do is humble yourself to repent, or take up another difficult assignment that has gone maybe just a little too far? What about the times of spiritual drought and famine in your Christian walk, and the opposition you encounter from even those dearest and closest to you???

For me, Journey to the Heart has been a time of spiritual refreshment; a breath of the freshest, cleanest air on this earth! It’s not about a method but my  relationship with Him! It draws me to the very heart of God and forces me to just unload all my cares and burdens at the feet of Jesus. In the midst of an intense week of self examination away from all the other normal distractions of life, I can get away with shedding a few buckets of tears over what seems like something incredibly small. No, it’s not always practical to unload

in such an unladylike and awkward manner; but that’s what an encounter with Jesus Christ is like…right? EVERYBODY knows when I’ve gotten straight down to business with God  Yet emotional or not, I’ve discovered that there is no such thing as tearing off on a journey and coming back just the same…in fact, more than likely I’ll end up worn out, empty, and a little broken down. Nevertheless, I’ve seen some sights so beautiful and breathtaking that I’ll surely do it ten times over. That’s the best thing that can happen – because that’s when Jesus finds me and fills me back up! He gives me rest and shows me new breathtaking images of what He plans to do in and through me.

My Journey began 9 years ago when I became a child of King Jesus! Every day draws me closer to His side and I am SO overwhelmed in His love! My daily prayer is that I could be emersed and simply drowning in the presence of His Holy Spirit. Yet my Journey has only just begun and will continue until that day when I see His glorious face with my eyes! Perhaps my most difficult issue lies in throwing aside every last scrap of intellect, self-reliance, comfort, reason, and all competing affections to simply… TRUST JESUS! This was my prayer as I headed off to Journey for the third time in March. “Lord, show me how to trust you completely, fully, totally with all of my being…no matter what it takes!” That “matter” was going to be a whole lot more than I would have voluntarily bargained for! I had no idea what great unexpected challenges God was going to bring my way, nor did I foresee the unimaginable ways that He would give me great joy and peace - by abiding in Him.

I had a perfect picture of what to expect on this Journey - one accord prayer, major breakthroughs… I had expectations that I was sure God would fulfill – but He had a better plan! Tuesday morning I woke up around 3:00AM and lost my previous meal – all over the room! Unfortinately, I was not the only girl who had been affected by the “stomach flu”. The day seemed to drag by, a constant struggle to focus on our heart examination assignments. It was then that I felt the Lord telling me, “Sarah, do you trust that I have a perfect plan in this? Do you trust me because I love you and want only what’s best for you?” I was deeply convicted as I realized that my efforts to have a joyful heart rather than murmuring had been futile. Even if I did control my mouth, I still felt annoyed inside. I wanted to complain! God brought to mind the Hiding Place which we had been listening to on audio the day before. I remembered Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom  – how in the midst of sickness, death, starvation, nakedness, weariness, and limited living space - under the control of an angry, domineering, hateful Nazi woman… had stopped to thank God for the fleas! As if I had been slapped in the face, I stopped writing in my

notebook. “Sarah, you need to do more than just NOT complain, you need TO THANK ME for this sickness and the PERFECT plan that I have in it,” God seemed to say. It was then that I went to a whole new level! I learned to thank God for the blessings that He HAD bestowed on me that I had so selfishly overlooked – like being with likeminded sisters in the Lord who would encourage me and comfort me in any way they could,  having a family at home to love and pray for me, and knowing that I was a child of God…Throughout the rest of the day, I was continually reminded that the joy of the Lord was my strength! Despite the physical pain I had to endure, my strength was renewed so that I was able to get up and serve others who were still sick in bed! Being joyful DID affect the wayI felt, lived, and acted!!!

One of my greatest desires has always been to encourage other young ladies in the Lord, and to make disciples! On this Journey I discovered that God loves surprise witnessing opportunities, and He’s really good at doing ALL the work if you’ll just be a channel! So, naturally I was sharing with a team member how the Lord gave me freedom from 30 lies, 20 painful memories, and 5 major fears that had completely taken over my life. We were walking around the lake up in Michigan and the trail was 3.7 miles. We had plenty of time to talk! I discovered that we had much in common – only she was still in bondage. As she shared her story with me,  I began to understand how deep the pain inside her heart had become – pain of rejection, verbal abuse, and lies that destroyed her perspective of her identity in Christ. I asked her if she had been able to thank God for what He had allowed, and if she had had the opportunity to bless and forgive her offenders.  I continued asking other thought-provoking questions as I felt led of the Lord, despite the discouragement of her answers. Around 2 hours later,

we arrived back at the lodge. As we headed toward the door, I asked her if she had made any wrong vows?” She exclaimed “Yes!” and started listing several - a vow to prove to the world that she was someone worth loving, to go to college and prove her intelligence to her dad, to grow up and kill all Christians, and the list went on. I asked her if she would pray and ask God to break those vows. She grabbed my hand and opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come! Later she said, “My tongue went numb and I couldn’t speak!” I saw the fear in her eyes, and heard her scream as she fell into my arms crying, “I feel it, oh I feel it.” (the power of Satan). She shared with me later that she felt the evil presence of a demonic power and could not get freedom. I began binding and rebuking

Satan in the name of Jesus and crying out to God. This gave her freedom to ask God to break the wrong vows. She was able to bless her offenders, and thank God for her past! I then asked her to state aloud with her mouth who she was in Christ. At first she thought that was silly, but when I insisted, she agreed. I asked her to verbally repeat after me, “In Christ I am beautiful, in Christ I am victorious…” she stopped in mid sentence  and told me that all kinds of evil thoughts were running through her head – she WASN’T victorious and DIDN’T have the power or authority to say speak the truth. I asked her to pray against Satan in the name of Jesus and claim the freedom from her Heavenly Father, and she did!!! She found freedom and joy and was able to share with our team, with her parents who adopted her, and with the group back at HQ later on in the week. God was SOOOO good, and in the midst of drawing another precious lamb back to Himself, He showed me that I never needed to be any more than a channel through which He could flow as Living Water, as Precious Love, and as Light in the darkness. He taught me how to trust Him, fully, totally, completely!