Ready to go do a photo shoot!:)
I promised I would share with you the most amazing story of God's hand in bringing Flame and Sonador into my life and I am SO EXCITED to FINALLY find the time to sit down and share it with you! I hope that through this testimony you will be encouraged to wholeheartedly seek God's direction in your life and then walk in the way He leads with confidence...For truly He IS a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him!
"Come on Buddy...Let's Go!"
This story began to unfold early in the fall of 2011...although I assure you I did not realize that at the time! When I returned home from my missions trip to Romania my heart was burning and aching violently at the same time. My life had been touched and changed dramatically through God sending me on that trip and I wanted to go back, I wanted to spend more time with my brothers and sisters in Romania, I wanted to see those precious children's faces again, and I didn't want to be back in the U.S! I was confused and unsure as to what God was doing and many dreams and desires filled my heart as to what I'd like to do in the upcoming year! The only thing I knew to do in this time of uncertainty was to take my broken bleeding heart before the Lord and cry out for His direction...thus the fall of 2011 found me spending countless hours on my knees broken and searching for clarity and direction!
"Whoa buddy...not so fast!" :)
As I did this slowly the Father began to melt my heart of stone and speak to me! I began to realize that it wasn't about where I was or the emotion I was experiencing at the moment, but rather loving and serving Him with my WHOLE heart wherever I was! We all know this right?! Well I knew it, but this fall and winter I went from knowing it to experiencing this truth in my heart! Then in this place of acceptance the Father started to speak to my heart about a ranch in Bend, Oregon- - Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch that rescues abused horses and through prayer and love nurtures them back to wholeness and then lets these very horses minister to abused and broken children.
Still my heart wasn't quite ready to hear about going there...I was willing to obey, but still I wondered why God had let me love so fully in Romania only to hurt so desperately! Once again the fire of God's truth began to melt the ice of my heart. The Holy Spirit brought to mind how He'd placed the dream of working at this ranch one day in my heart all the way back when I was fifteen years old and it's been growing ever since! I guess I had gotten a bit discouraged that I'd not seen that dream come to fulfillment yet and thus latched on to the idea of my life course going a different direction! But God's Spirit would not allow it! He spoke to me this fall that He had not given me this dream and nurtured it through the years to allow it to die! He
would bring it to completion!
"Okay God...so what now?!" Still I felt confused and unsure after God revealed this to me! Being the dreamer I am I assumed that God meant I'd be heading to the ranch in the spring of 2012, but yet I didn't feel complete peace or specific leading about it! So once again I was driven to my knees by the realization there was nothing else to do! After many prayers, tears of frustration, and days of agony wondering what God was asking me to do this year the Holy Spirit began to gently and quietly lead once again. By December God had clearly showed me that I was to remain at home yet another year and save money to purchase a car and move to Bend, Oregon. The Lord had also revealed to me that my income would be coming in through piano lessons and training horses! I was confident about the piano lessons, but I was like, "God how are you going to bring me horses to train?! I'm not that well known as a horse trainer...how's the word going to get out about me?!" I never should have wasted the time fretting when I serve a God as AWESOME and POWERFUL as our God! I didn't give it to much more thought though and I set my heart to obey the Lord and stay home yet another year!
Well God wasn't through yet in guiding me and giving me confidence in the way He had for me to walk! How AMAZING our God is! At the end of December our whole family (excluding the lovebirds) attended a conference in Kansas City, Kansas called One Thing. The speakers shared powerful truths and the worship times opened your heart as you communed personally with the Lord...it was INCREDIBLE! The last day/evening of the conference was immensely powerful! The room was charged with the presence of the Lord and the speaker was delivering a Spirit led message. The message was on Psalm 139 and how each of us has a divine destiny! We are not an accident! God has a specific plan and purpose for our lives...
Psalm 139: 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. The
ONLY person who can make your life line up with the book God's written for your life is
YOU! We must each seek Him individually so that we may rightly fulfill the things He has planned for us!
I sat captivated as I thought how well this sermon fit my search for God's direction in my life this fall...but the story doesn't end there! At the end of his sermon the speaker suddenly took a different turn and touched on how dreams can be prophetic. I know some of you may not agree with what I'm about to share, and that's okay! You don't have to agree with it I'm simply going to share the Lord's working in my life and what He's been revealing to me! The speaker shared that we often treat dreams as trivial, cute, or funny when often God is speaking to us through dreams! He then shared many stories of how God had been using dreams powerfully in his life and the lives of those he knew. Then before ending he prayed over the whole crowd that that night, and in the coming weeks and months God would release dreams of visions and destiny in the lives of those gathered there. Well I didn't want to wait for the coming weeks and months for God to release these dreams upon me! I went back to our cousins house that night and as I lay in bed waiting for sleep to claim me for it's own I cried out to God to give me a dream THAT NIGHT! Soon my exhausted body gave way to sleep and the night quickly slipped away!
When I awoke the next morning I was severely disappointed I couldn't remember having dreamed about anything at all! Inwardly I prayed "Lord open my ear to hear as the learned! Did You give me any dreams last night?!" Instantly I remembered that I had indeed dreamed and very quickly I realized that what I had dreamed did indeed hold significance! In my dream I was standing watching someone I knew saddle a very young horse, the horse was acting up and I was concerned for the girls safety. I asked her if she'd ever ridden the horse before and she replied, "No, I just got him and he's only one and a half years old." I then told her that it wasn't safe for her to ride him in that case, but if she brought him over to my round pen I'd work with him and get him safe for her to get on. She readily agreed and we headed over to the round pen. As I was working this young horse in the round pen a horse friend of mine walked up and told me that somebody had contacted them asking them to train four horses for them...the friend then went on to tell me that they didn't have the time and should give those people my phone number!
My dream was twofold...later in the day I remembered that there'd been another part to the dream! In the other half of my dream there was a small dog that was being chased by a great big Great Dane. The Great Dane was snarling at it and trying to hurt it...in desperation as it was fleeing the little dog ran out into the street...I saw it and ran out and defended it from oncoming cars and the Great Dane. I was overwhelmed and overjoyed as I realized the ramifications of my dream that day! 1. God was going to supply me with plenty of horses to train this year and I could fully trust Him as He'd led me clearly to walk down this path. 2. One day God WILL fulfill my dream of working on the ranch and I will defend and rescue animals protecting the "underdog" as I work with hurting children and animals alike! This is where God's clear direction coming to fruition comes in. About a week after I got back from the One Thing conference one of our neighbors drove on the yard. He told me that he'd read in the Christmas letter of one of the people I'd trained a horse for this fall that I trained horses. He then shared with me that he owned two almost five year old registered quarter horses that were COMPLETELY untrained and he wondered if I'd be interested in training them! He said he didn't want to pay me for training them, but that if I broke both of them to ride I could pick which one I wanted to keep for my own! I was blown away by his offer! Especially after I showed their papers to a very horse savvy gentleman in our community and he told me they were two very well bred horses! Then I took him over to see them and he told me they were two very well built horses! :) Still I fervently sought the Lord in prayer wanting to be sure this was His will for me...when God gave me the go ahead I contacted the owner and said I'd take him up on his offer! Flame has been here for a week now and I can already see God working as I seek His guidance to tame this wild bronc! I find myself marveling daily at the story God has already written for my life...as I allow my life to match up with His story for me how beautiful it is!!! I would encourage you dear friends young and old alike don't grow weary as you wait on the Lord! He WILL show you the way, and truly the only place you want to be is in the center of His will!!! There you will find such peace, joy and confidence before the Father that you will be overwhelmed and overjoyed at the same time! He is a good God, and He LOVES to give good gifts! Passionately seek His will for your life today and may He clearly show you the way!!!! "Lord, catch me up in your story! All my life for Your glory!!!!!!"
'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, Your young
men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
Acts 2:17
I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
Psalm 16:7
For our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:29
The trip was twofold in that Anna hauled all her bridesmaid dress patterns along and schemed with my Anna as to what pattern's look was the closest to the look my Anna was looking for! :)
She also managed to sneak in a haircut Friday night, and looked cuter than ever for our shopping and dinner out expedition on Saturday! :)
In the past I've always made the trek into Omaha and we've spent the day together shopping and enjoying the delicous flavors of the food of one of the resturants in Omaha. This time however I asked Anna what she thought of heading out to the Rehm Ranch. It had been SO LONG since she'd spent the night at my house and I thought it would be fun to spend our weekend together at the Rehm Ranch, Anna agreed and the plan was set in motion!
Prior to Anna coming I'd schemed up a plan for the weekend. Friday night was spent at my house relaxing, laughing, reconnecting, and just hanging out. Saturday we headed out in the cold February weather for the quaint town of Carrol, Iowa.
The first shop we stopped at was a thrift store that had ooddles and ooddles of plaques with fun, inspirational, hilarious and cute quotes on them. Me and Anna probably spent thirty minutes just reading them and smiling and laughing!
Unfortunately our camera's battery died at the thrift store and so we were unable to document the rest of our afternoon! :( Me and Anna were SO BUMMED! Next time we'll make sure our camera is fully charged!!! The rest of the afternoon was spent browsing cute unique shops and dreaming of what it would be like if we could own the darling dresses that cost $50! We also ran some errands that needed running and then headed over to a fancy restaurant that served amazing food. After enjoying our supper we headed for home. On our way out of town we stopped to get some fuel and were to tempted by the coffee shop attached to the gas station to resist. We ordered a fancy coffee to share and were not disappointed! It was delicious! The perfect choice for the close to zero degree weather! Anna decided that smaller towns are so unique and fun that we should pick a different small town to visit each time our birthday outing rolls around...I wholeheartedly agree! I'd prefer a small town to the big city any day! ;)
