june 25, 2012.

i cannot believe it's already june 25. this month has flown by.

i haven't written in a couple of weeks, just to allow me some time to process everything that is going on in my life right now in order to reproduce it in an effective way.

first of all: atlanta. 
i love it here. last week i was talking with my little myra [who by the way is AMAZING and is working so hard at her BIG GIRL JOB!!], and we were talking about all this new stuff in our new places of residence. how it's a little more difficult to re-create community for ourselves, while still working and being independent. but i do love it. i have zero excuse to not do anything. there are things happening every weekend, new places to visit every day if i wanted, new people that i have met each week. i really do love it here. for all these reasons and more.

atlanta is becoming home. i am finding short-cuts, favorite parts of town, and learning how to get through traffic without a mild headache. 

second: NightLight.
it's hard for me to begin talking about this part of my life. there are so many things that go through my mind every day. a simple update would be merely impossible, but nevertheless, i press on and will attempt it :)

the little babes at kids club are beginning to remember me and i am remembering their sweet names and faces clearer every week. sometimes we get to have wonderful little conversations about sparkled shoe laces and ice cream and how they went to connecticut once, and other times we just sit together holding hands. i love hearing them sing the worship songs. there is nothing more beautiful than a child who has faith.

outreach is always heavy. friday night we were on a track i am becoming familiar with. there are sweet moments of quite with the Lord in this place. i stood on the front steps of a brothel turned hotel, and we lifted up songs and prayers for the people inside. when you hear from the Lord, and you speak into someone's spirit, you see the purpose of this ministry.

it's so hard to fully express what it is life until you are there. so many women just want someone to look into their eyes and see them, really see them. see their intelligence and their potential. like Jesus would.

yet during this time, i am learning more than i could have ever imagined about myself.

God has opened my eyes to so much more about himself and about how he sees me. i am 

learning the relationship i have with the Holy Spirit and being connected to Him

and the power and might i can display through using that relationship.

i pray everyday to do far greater things. 

third: marathon.

will and i ran 11 miles friday morning. i was totally mentally prepared because that is the longest training run i did for the half marathon. of course, will smoked me, but that's fine. we ran at the silver comet trail in smyrna. which is a beautiful place to run and not see that many people. lots of bikers and not a lot of places to stop and get h2o. and i have never trained this hard core in the summer heat by the way. it's a whole new world and i don't know if it's my favorite thing. but i persevere. and we will be awesome. 

oh and a BIG thing for anyone trying to do a long run/ race/ whatever. get good socks! i was having some weird blister issues and so will and i went to REI and got me some awesome Iron Man socks that prevent blisters and excess moisture. i HIGHLY recommend getting some like that for running!

fourth: life according to the iPhone

 best gauc ever...

so this picture...

will's grandfather gave it to me :) because he calls me miss america ;) i didn't complain

dinner with Mark and Britt in bham! at Chuy's

 passion city church: summer in the city

 this was our pre 11 mile dinner at this awesome greek restaurant. too much food. 

our favorite yogurt place! this was pistachio frozen yogurt. 

night light mentor training.

may blessings be poured upon you from heaven!

xoxo

mb.

brothels and waffles.

last night we went to grace midtown for church. as an intern at NightLight, they have encouraged us to go to at least one service in order to see where the ministry's heart is played out through the church body.

the sermon was on mark 2. jesus is being badgered by the pharisees about fasting and the sabbath. and we heard some foundational points. it was a great sermon, but specifically, one thing jumped out at me. and it was about thankfulness.

pastor said something along the lines of...

 "you cannot ask the Lord for something, if you are not thankful for what you have already been given."

so many times we pray to be granted peace or rest or freedom, however, we do not thank the Lord for the things we have been given already. 

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friday night was my first outreach with NightLight. 

my thoughts were scattered all day between resting in Jesus, reading the Word, preparing for the weekend in NC with Will's family... just all sorts of things. 

i was not nervous, nor was i afraid. i was just anticipating the faces and words i was going to see and hear all night. 

here are my thoughts through the night. 

the first prayer i prayed was for freedom. i sat in the library at Grace and prayed for freedom. freedom for my words to be His words, freedom for the women... freedom for the men. i declared freedom over the night... like a blanket. 

as i asked the Lord for a word about the evening, He kept showing me something bright & pink. "well typical," i thought, "i'm going to strip clubs to talk to prostitutes." but i know i cannot underestimate the power of God. 

we go to waffle house, as is tradition before outreach, in the same area we are about to roam the streets. our waitress, full of joy, received words of power and strength. the staff of women, were all wearing pink scarves. coincidence? probably not. 

we walked from club to club praying in the parking lots, praying over the ground, praying for the women and the house moms, praying with the security. we stopped in the streets to pray and talk with women. to speak to men. to ask the Lord for deliverance and freedom. 

1,2,3 women i spoke with and prayed for. pink. 

the color pink is about innocence, restored innocence. and that is what we prayed to see. 

as the night drew on into later and later hours, we stopped to ask the Lord for restored energy to complete His plan for our evening. 

we heard from girls we had not seen in months. we saw new growth within many of the establishments... one of the brothels had been shut down! the management had a change of heart and decided to stop allowing prostitution. all from the seed which the Lord sowed, using NightLight as His vessel. restoration.

then came the tears for me. my heart started to feel like a brick inside my chest. what in the world, i did not expect to feel such hurt right now. as i stood on the corner of the street, looking out, i see cars drive into the club. i look at the faces of the men. i see my friends dad's, grandfathers, i see my cousins, i see my brother. i start to get deeply emotional. i am NOT supposed to feel pain for them, they are the ones putting these women to work. they are the demand in this transaction. yet Jesus spoke to me and said, "these are my children, called by my name... for I loved the WHOLE world, I died for them too..."

then i saw a vision, for a generation to rise up...

as we drove away, i was silent. everything i expected came true. the Lord showed us more and more of His plan for this track. there is a change taking place, small, but there is a change. a glimmer. 

as we prayed for one specific man before driving home, the Lord showered his rest. the Lord gave us words to restore this man's confidence in His power. it was truly a beautiful ending to an incredible evening. 

it was Ariel's {team member} birthday now. she laughed as we talked about how she spent her 22nd birthday eating waffles and going to brothels...

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as i sat in church last night, thinking of all the things i am thankful for, i thought back on friday night. how thankful i am for rest, true rest in His arms.

how thankful i am for the freedom i have been given.

how thankful i am for the power i have through His name.

and then i prayed for those things over the women i encountered, and will continue to encounter, 

every friday night for the rest of the summer.

If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given my life.

I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts. 

the wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies.

psalm 119:92-95

sleepin' in.

today i did something i haven't done in ages.

i slept in.

it may have been the food coma i was in last night from an AMAZING mexican dinner with will, or the fact that i will be up kinda late tonight doing the "lawd's work."

but my body needs to be rested and free from the temptation to get all sleepy/tired/narcoleptic tonight. no attacks from satan here...

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today i was filling out a form to submit to this nice little nannying website. 

i thought it sounded a little sketchy, but how else do you find nannying jobs?

i have asked around a little here and there, but i decided it really wouldn't hurt. 

because i deeply miss my kids back in auburn. i miss keeping my babies and dancing in the kitchen to the allman brothers. 

i miss swinging and playing games with tubberware. 

so i am looking for a nannying job- part time. so if you know someone in my area... holler at your girl.

but anyways, i was filling out this form and it asked me what my favorite children's books were. 

that is a dangerous question for me... especially when you are limited to about 800 characters. 

i remember reading a lot of books... or i mean having a bunch of books read to me by my loving kindergarten teaching mother. 

but i recalled about four that struck my little heart once again.

forever will love dr. seuss and all his marvelous works of literature. kids will never tire these out. this one especially.

another beautiful yellow cover. i think i read this book about a million times at Mamaw's house. 

mom read this to me often. i got to read it to Ellabug just as much. it's a classic.

and finally this gem. 

last night we were in Barnes and Nobel and if my blood sugar had not been in the pits, i think we would stayed for about 6 hours. literally. that's one thing will and i share, the love of a good book. my choices are probably a little more "hipster" like some good C.S Lewis, which i would categorize as a classic, but whatever...

well, i am off to read another new book called Freedom Tools... book number for in the past month. 

may God bless and keep you.

xoxo.

mb.

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And a HARVEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS is sown in PEACE by those who make PEACE.

james 3:18

in the FEAR OF THE LORD one has STRONG confidence, and his children will have refuge.

proverbs 14:26

face time.

growing up, my mom had this book that was always in her bathroom. it sat on the corner of the large garden tub, and it's colors and title still dance across my mind whenever i think about that little house on Semaht Drive. i couldn't read at that point, at least not well, so i just remember the cover. 

now that i can read a little better, i decided to pull out the 5 Love Languages book again and see what it was all about. granted, i had heard the love languages spoken to me as a child and we all tried to figure out what we were so our family could "love each other" better. and now, i find myself analyzing people to figure out how i can show love to them better. 

so for a quality time-physical touch-words of affirmation type chick like myself, this week has been marvelous. and i would love to explain my reasoning why. 

saturday. let's just begin there. first of all, community and fellowship with the body is incredible! i am a self-proclaimed introvert... i honestly do not get "re-charged" by social encounters. however, they are necessary in one's life and walk with the Lord. we had a cookout for the interns at NightLight and i cannot begin to express the humility and affirmation i received from those hours. 

my cousin J sent me a text earlier last week encouraging me to open up my heart to just listen and learn from the people i would be surrounded by. he called them "oaks of righteousness." boy, was he right on target. such incredible, Godly, wise men and women are leaders in the ministry. i am honored to be a part. i received so many words of affirmation during our prayer time. and the Lord showered blessings upon us to encourage our journey this summer. and through our lives. 

not only that, but before the cookout, will and i went to a surprise "baby daddy shower" party-thing for our dear friend Cy. i finally met all the friends i hear about from will, who i basically feel like i know. 

i had one conversation with Jay, and my attitude about this summer changed. 

we were discussing the work i will be doing when all the sudden Jay just stopped and said,

 "so what if no one is changed from what you say this summer?"

that stopped me right there and scared me for a second. so i gave a good church answer and said 

"at least the seed would be planted you know."

then i got this nugget of wisdom, Jay said, "What if the person who gets changed, is you?"

and i felt dumb. and then encouraged. then empowered. how affirming, once again, that i am supposed to learn... and grow... and that this is more for me, maybe, than it is for the rest of atlanta. that this relationship i have with Jesus, is so important, that He would bring me here, to this place, to teach me one little thing. 

lots of quality time and affirmation on that saturday. 

sunday, woke up before the sun to leave for the beach with will. we met my family in gulf shores after a 6 hour & 20 minute drive. we enjoyed great food, and greater fellowship with my family. we laughed hard, i got to meet the newest baby bethea, and will got to meet the rest of my family. it was beyond worth it, just to get away for a couple days before my first week of working. and i got a tan... 

after another 6 hour drive back to atlanta yesterday, i drove to grace to begin our first night of Kids Club. i love working with kids and showing them the love of Christ through simple, yet meaningful acts. singing songs, playing with side walk chalk, learning about God's Heart, and how he loves us, eating a snack, and just a simple hug. the word i kept seeing yesterday in my thoughts was hope.

we talked about how no matter what we do, God always loves us and keeps us in His heart, if we ask for forgiveness. simple truth. 

as i sat on a tarp in the dirt with a little angel in my lap, i could feel the presence of the Lord saturating the playground. i heard laughter and joy in their voices. i saw love and hope in their eyes. these children can and will do amazing things with the right direction. that is why we are here, to share that direction in the name of Jesus. 

during craft time, a little boy was coloring a picture of himself to put into God's heart. he stopped and looked at me and asked, "what color is God?"

i smiled and said that God is all the colors... and another child spoke up, "yeh, He is all the colors in the whole world!" 

and then i saw the children coloring all the possible crayon combinations on the little paper hearts we gave them. then they glue sticked themselves in God's Heart. such a precious picture. there is no color boundary for God's everlasting love. 

when i showered off all the dust last night, i thanked the Lord for the faces i saw and the hands i touched. i prayed they would see great things and do good with those hands. i prayed they would never forget the words of affirmation and the time we spent with them for those hours. i pray for them to come back next week. 

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life according to the iPhone

                                   

                     

much love and blessings. 
mb.

the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed

me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed.

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

- jesus

the journey begins.

yesterday was my first day as a NightLight intern. we met at the church to do some training and preparation for the coming season.

i started preparing my little brain for this summer a few weeks ago with scripture and books we were required to read. first was When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson. If you are interested in learning about the power of the Holy Spirit, this book will challenge any belief or idea or the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. On the "heavy scale" i would give it a 7 out of 10.

i read Girls Like Us by Rachel Lloyd. a book about sexually exploited girls and women in New York. Rachel was a sexually exploited girl while she lived in GB and Germany. her story is powerful and not for the easily queazy. such a story brings these situations to heart... and in your face... about the reality of what is occurring on our streets and in our backyards.

i wanted to start using this blog as a journal of my journey this summer. along with the other events that take place this summer, i want to offer this space as a place for people to learn and become educated about this travesty and injustice.

with that, expect nothing. the God we serve is a big, crazy God, therefore we are expecting Big, Crazy things. our God is bigger than these injustices, and we expect to see things bigger than the industry. 

so here we go...

before i begin, i wanted to clear the air. the women/girls/children i will be ministering to are sexually exploited, that may mean they are in prostitution, have been trafficked to atlanta, could be trafficked out of atlanta, have been forced, coerced, manipulated and brainwashed into this industry. 

many people ask why these women don't "just leave" and these women are just "prostitutes," so they chose this life, and "should we really feel bad for them if they chose it?" they are "working girls," or "hos." but they are also someone's child, sister, niece, mother, cousin, neighbor....

this always infuriates me, then i have to remember that i too once felt the same way. i didn't understand the fact that over half these girls are there out of desperation, and the other half have been forced by some excuse for a man who "loves" them. 

these women never had a choice and probably will never get out of the life. they cannot "just leave" something that they never "just chose" to get involved with. i want people to understand the pain and torture these women face. the manipulation. the actual chains that are holding them to the street. and the life. 

girls at risk are looking for love, and get trapped. girls at risk are lost, and are taken. girls at risk are searching for something, and they find a man. then their bodies are used at the beck and call of a man who they thing "love them."

we want to show them a man who actually loves them. who knows what they are doing, who sees inside their hearts, and recognizes injustice and still wants them. 

he knows their real names. 

Jesus is the answer to this injustice. and that is our job to share and show Jesus with these beautiful women. 

Micah 6:8- He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do 

JUSTICE, and to LOVE KINDNESS, and to walk humbly with your God.

2 weeks.

happy two weeks in atlanta.

had wonderful week while the Grands were in the Bahamas. only one bad thing happened... i lost the dog. thankfully, a sweet family found her roaming the streets after she ninja-ed out of the high security prison-type fencing in an effort to "get out of the storm". the family kept her over night and i retrieved the little ninja yesterday morning before the Grands came home... that was unnecessary stress on my heart.

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officially, today was the first day of training for the marathon. the past two weeks have been a bit of "pre-training," getting used to the hills of Atlanta and finding places i like running best. our program is about 20 weeks, which puts us right and ready for the october marathon. this is a big bite to chew, but i have great accountability and an actual real life running partner. it's nice to have accountability like i did last time with dad. will is faster than me, so i have catching up to do...

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this week i had dinner with myra at antico, one of my favorite spots in atlanta. and the following day, steph and i adventured to historic norcross, ga. and we had no idea we were going to fall in love with the little downtown. it reminded us of downtown opelika and made us miss auburn for about 3 seconds. we recovered quickly.

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a week from tomorrow i start at NightLight. i got the greatest text from my cousin last night, encouraging me in my mission and calling for this season of my life. most importantly, he stood beside me and challenged me to observe the "great oaks of faith" i will be surrounded by. which only leaves room for growth.

LIFE ACCORDING TO MY iPHONE

because i forgot....

went to passion city church and jane was being baptized! it was so cool to see and hear her testimony! blessed to know her!

will's clever naming while we were at Chow Baby in atlanta. it was entertaining to watch the waitresses face when she said my name...

          

           

lots of laying out and eating raw foods this week...

baby snake, in the back yard... dying so i saved him

also, please pray for my baby sister. she went to the ER this morning because of extreme abdominal pain. we are praying for ultimate healing on her body. they believe it is something like appendicitis, however they are talking about ovarian cysts. i just found out about 2 hours ago... so if you read this soon, please pray.

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have a blessed wednesday.

mb.