He always invites us...

Jesus always invites us... He gives us invitations to join Him in His work. But It's up to us to respond.  I'm so thankful He invited me to come to Guatemala. I may have taken 8 or 9 months to accept and 14 months to do it... but sometimes it takes some of us longer to know what's best for us ;)  It wasn't that I didn't trust Him. It was that I was afraid and I didn't want to leave my life in Charlotte. But I couldn't shake the feeling that He was asking me to lay down WHAT I love, to follow WHO I love (Him) into the unknown.  Sometimes we get so comfortable with the life we have that when an opportunity arises we turn it down because it's of the unknown & we are comfortable where we are.  But when we choose to step out and trust Gods plan instead of our own... we stumble upon things we never imagined would fulfill us!  Don't get me wrong, some days are difficult here, but some days are absolutely incredible. I feel so blessed and sometimes just stand at my window, with an amazing view of the volcano, and thank God for not giving up on me to do this.  Thank you to those of you who support me in this journey, we are looking forward to what's ahead together!! SOUL 139 PO Box 470252 Charlotte, NC 28247 USA  Unsubscribe

I've been here a month... I've been in Guatemala a month now, time flies!!! It's been a whirlwind and I still don't feel like I have much of a routine, maybe never will here! Every week is different, every DAY is so different!! I never know what I'll be doing or when... and for all who know how much of a planner I am, know that's a real struggle for me!! Haha...But, I welcome the change! I finally got to see Dani, Gustavo, Elias and Benjamin yesterday! I have been to Casa to cut hair 4-5 times, but the boys and girls are separated and I hadn't gotten to see any of the boys until I went to church there yesterday. Casa has their graduation soon so I'll be heading over there to cut hair for the boys before they graduate & possibly do some updos for the girls again! Last year I was here for graduation and did some of the girls hair. I had to get started at 3am... I'm hoping this year won't be the same, who knows!! Thursday I am going to go to cut hair at Life Ministries Church for some of the women there. We have started a sub-fund under SOUL 139 to raise money for this local church here in Guatemala too. They operate out of an unfinished church building so they are in desperate need of funds to finish. They don't have toilets and some of the walls are even unfinished. They don't let that stop them and they still have Church every week! But Cissy and Rick Parker wanted to be able to help them, so we will be raising funds to help them get the Church finished! Here is the link to their page if you are interested in giving to that: www.crowdrise.com/ministerios-vida-life-ministries Thanks for reading and I will continue to keep you all involved in the adventures of living in Guatemala!!!

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Be still and know... Lately I have felt overwhelmed, as I have shared in previous emails. The cool thing about being a Christian is listening to God. In fact 3 different times today, from 3 different sources, I have read the words "Be still and know that I am God, cease striving, I will give you rest." To me that's a pretty clear message. God knows our thoughts, He knows our hearts and He knows our spirits. It's times like these when I realize that. Because His message to me today was exactly the perfect answer to bring peace to my soul in the midst of all the jumbled up thoughts I'd been having about how to do... and what to do... and how it will work out... and what if it doesn't work out... and how I can... or when I can... All these things are good to think about, until they bring restlessness to your soul. Then it's time to put those thoughts down for a while. I was in need of being reminded of that and wanted to share incase you were too!! Some people don't believe God speaks to them, I am one who fully believes He does. God speaks to His people, always has and always will. We were His creation, created for Him! If you read the Old Testament, God spoke to His people and commanded them to do certain things. Adam to name the animals, Noah to build a boat, He spoke to Moses in a burning bush, and He promised Abraham a son. In the New Testament, God also spoke to people, through Jesus. And in life today, God still speaks to us, through the Holy Spirit. It may not be in a loud audible voice, but it can be through Gods word, which then makes a connection in your spirit. It can be an impression on our hearts, a thought in our mind, some words spoken by a person and then confirmed by another. It can be some words read in a book or devotion that spark an idea or a thought. It can even be through music or nature; a sunset, a view, mountains, or in seeing the intricacy of His work. God has many ways in communicating with His creation. So when you feel an impression on your heart or spirit, listen, walk it out, and see what comes of it! And sometimes... the impression is telling us to just be still...and know. I went to “Openbible.com” and looked for verses on Hearing God. There are sooooo many so I will share just 10! John 10:27 ESV My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. Romans 10:17 ESV So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Jeremiah 33:3 ESV Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. John 8:47 ESV Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” Isaiah 30:21 ESV And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. John 16:13 ESV When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. Hebrews 4:12 ESV For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. John 14:16-17 ESV And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 6:63 ESV It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. Psalm 32:8-9 ESV I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

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Spanish

Guatemala

Lately I have been having a lady come to my apartment to teach me Spanish for 2 hours, twice a week. My head hurts. I really struggled the first two weeks I was here and felt so overwhelmed because I couldn't communicate with people. I had been practicing but I just wasn't understanding why and when to use certain phrases. So she has been helping me, and FINALLY the Grammer part is starting to click!!!!! After she leaves I spend another couple of hours doing the homework and reading over the papers she gave me too. Right now it's tough, but eventually it will be helpful to me, so that I can understand people and respond back to them. You don't realize how daunting it is being in a place and not being able to handle a situation, until you're there and can't get your point across. One day... I'll be fluent in Spanish...with a British accent ;)

Almost 3 weeks in Guate

I have been here close to 3 weeks now... it feels way longer than that in some ways and in others I feel like I just arrived. I think so far I've done about 57 haircuts in that time for two different Children's homes. And I HOPE to cut the hair of this man named Nelson at some point. We met him on the street walking to work one day and I thought, "wow, his eyes are beautiful and I bet he could be so handsome with a haircut!" In the following days our paths crossed a few times, we nodded and said hello each time. One evening Julio saw him on the way home from work and bought him dinner. I asked Julio to ask Nelson if he would let me cut his hair. He of course said yes and sent me a video saying he would like that a lot as he can't afford to get one! (If you click on the blue tab below his photo, it will take you to it.) I can't wait to send you the before and after photo of this man!! He is going to look incredible! I don't have a scheduled time to do it yet, but God will make a way! VIDEO OF NELSON One of my biggest struggles of being here is not being able to communicate with people like I want to. It is really difficult to get information you need or even have a pleasant conversation with someone. So I've been taking a few days to study Spanish. It is SO hard!! People say Spanish is one of the easiest languages, but I'm finding it super confusing. The verbs and past, present and future tense stuff is what gets me. It makes my head spin. Now I'm even struggling with the simple stuff I thought I knew before, because I'm questioning whether or not I'm saying it correctly. As I sit here, I think the volcano just popped off. It sounds like a cannon, but louder. This morning I woke up and there was tons more ash than normal, I hear it's a normal occurrence for Fuego. (The one out of 4 volcanos surrounding this town). Here he is: I'm going to close this out with a laugh... I'm sitting in the garden of a coffee shop and there is a British guy facetiming his friends, talking SO loud. He was telling them how he had been learning salsa and proceeded to get up and show them a little bit. Needless to say, he still needs to take those salsa classes!!! Copyright © 2016 SOUL 139, All rights reserved. www.SOUL139.org Providing free haircuts to those less fortunate than us. Our mailing address is: PO Box 470252, Charlotte, NC 28247 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Psalm 139:14 I am fearfully, wonderfully made, I know that full well.

Day 12 in Guatemala...

Day 12... The last few days I have seen some things and felt some things that I didn't even know what to do with. I have felt disgusted with myself, my attitude and my complaints. Living here only 12 days, God has already started to dig up some things in me that are ugly. As they are coming to the surface I know they will get pruned, which is also a painful process because they are things I hold on to for comfort. And to let go of them means I lose that comfort. I was reading this morning in Isaiah 35… and there was a line that brought up a memory from the other day. It said: Isaiah 35:5 ~ "And when He comes, He will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf." The other day I was sitting on a chicken bus going somewhere and I was in a mood because I was hot from walking so much, I was hungry from not eating or drinking much that day, I was hurting because my knees were crunched against the back of the seat in front of me… and then a man got on the bus with a bowl to ask for money… he had no eyes, none what so ever. Now I have a REALLY hard time getting on and off those buses and I HAVE eyes… I couldn't imagine being blind and having to get on and off those buses asking for money so that I can eat, so that I can live. I get nervous walking down the street and crossing the road… and I have eyes. This man must have an incredible amount of faith to get up and get from place to place each day. That's only the start of it… I have felt so discouraged because I have to rely on others to get me places when I need to go further than the town I live in. I don't feel comfortable going on the buses by myself, so I ask someone to come with me. Or if I need to go grocery shopping for bigger items than I can carry by myself down the street, then I have to ask my friend to drive me. I've felt so limited in what I can do. Not to mention the language barrier. At home I can do what I need to do by myself, when I need to do it. I was walking in the market the other day and saw a man in a wheelchair with a colostomy bag sitting on his lap, with blood, and urine so dark that he must have been extremely dehydrated. He also had a mask over his face, obviously so sick and couldn't move by himself.  There was a man standing behind his chair asking for money, and although part of me thought the guy standing was using this disabled guy as a prop to make money (which might be the case), I couldn't help but think how much the disabled man had to rely on this other man to live. I have legs…I have a body that functions… I need to check my attitude when it comes to things I'm experiencing lately. There are children wondering the streets with little toes, hands and faces so dirty as though they haven't bathed in months, that even when you wash their feet, the dirt remains. And I'm complaining when I don't have a clean towel to wipe my feet dry after having a HOT shower…everyday. I understand that these people grew up this way, and I didn't, so being put in this lifestyle is like being a fish out of water. But there is a purpose for me here. And it's not only for me to share the Gospel, but for God to pull to the surface the things that He wants to change in me too, so that when people look at me, they see Jesus, and not me. There is such a huge need here that sometimes I feel like I can't even make a difference. But with God, I hope to make a difference in even one persons life while I am here.

Copyright © 2016 SOUL 139, All rights reserved. www.SOUL139.org  Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am fearfully, wonderfully made." Our mailing address is: PO Box 470252, Charlotte, NC 28247 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

God always goes before us.

Deuteronomy 31:8   "The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." God ALWAYS goes ahead of us… He has a plan, He just wants to know if we will step out and trust Him, even if we don't see all the provision and pieces. It's truly amazing to me STILL that God performs miracles. Everytime it happens, it surprises me. And yet His word tells us that we should expect to do even greater things. JOHN 14:12-14 "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." AND WON'T HE DO IT!?!... During the revival at my Church a couple of weeks ago, I felt like the Lord put on my heart to tithe from the amount I had raised for the year to live in Guatemala. My first thought was "No, I need all of that!!!" And then I was reminded that I have never been able to out-give God, He has always provided for my every need, and this time wouldn't be different. The Lord placed on my heart for me to give it to a small Church in Guatemala, where I had been introduced to the pastor and his wife in April. (2016) So I put the 10% aside in an envelope to take with me when I moved in Sept! Little did I know this pastor, his wife & their congregation had been praying for provision in an area of their church. A team had raised enough money to build an Alter at their Church, but then they had too big of a gap between the alter and the roof, so they needed to build a wall. This would mean more fundraising and they knew it would take a while here in Guatemala. When I came to Guatemala, I gave them the envelope with what God put on my heart to give… Apparently it was the EXACT amount they needed to build the wall & therefore could make full use of the Alter that had just been built by the other team. Someone had just told them "To thank God for the unseen" & that He would provide for them. I had no idea of their need and they had no idea that God spoke to my heart weeks before. WOW… only God. If you listen…and obey… He will use you in unimaginable ways!!!!

Copyright © *2016* *Soul 139, All rights reserved. www.SOUL139.org Our mailing address is: PO Box 470252, Charlotte, NC 28247 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

Day 7 in Guatemala

Day 7... Last night I didn't sleep well, I ended up going back to bed and sleeping until 12. I think my body is worn out from all the walking I'm not used to doing, and my brain is tired from processing all the Spanish I'm not used to hearing all day, everyday! I am taking today to get situated and hopefully finish unpacking . (I've been here a week and still haven't done it!) And since it's national coffee day, I came to get coffee at my favorite little place in Antigua. Yesterday and the day before I went to serve at Village of Hope. The first day I did about 14 haircuts but the second day I only did 3. My friends are here serving also and I wanted to help with them instead! So I got to sweep out water from a storage room so they could paint in there, use a machete and cut down weeds, have lunch with the kids, take a tour around VOH, meet the nannies and see the property. It was a good day! People here have jobs with intense physical labor AND they walk to and from work, sometimes in the rain, and sometimes climbing on a packed bus with 60+ other people. All of which I have experienced this week. It makes me grateful for having a car in the states to get to work and home in a timely manor without getting soaked from rain or sweating my bum off from walking and sitting on a bus packed like sardines. At the end of my first week, I can say I have a lot of respect for the people here. My feet hurt from walking so much, my back hurts from carrying my things with me, my knees hurt from sitting so squished on the bus and they live this day in and day out. And my life is STILL so privileged here. I have a bed to sleep in, hot water and food to eat. Some people don't even have that. And yet, they still have so much joy! I can learn a lot from them. I am looking forward to the day that my Spanish is enough for me to have proper conversations with people to ask questions and talk with them about their lives. Right now I speak enough to get by and it's getting better every day. When you're in a store with no one that speaks English and you need to buy something... it's amazing how your brain figures it out!!! Tomorrow I am meeting with The Parkers (my friends from home that came to serve here) and Pastor Cesar and his wife, Amy, to spend the day with them!

Copyright © *2016* *SOUL 139*, All rights reserved. *www.SOUL139.org* Our mailing address is: PO Box 470252, Charlotte, NC 28247 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Psalm 139:14 "I am fearfully wonderfully made, I know that full well."

First day of cutting hair!!!

Today is my 5th day in #Guatemala & my 1st day of cutting hair! Today & tomorrow I will be serving at Village Of Hope. This morning I got up at 6am and walked 20 mins to get the bus, then get off that bus and walked another 30 mins... then got on another bus and then walked about 5 more minutes to get to VOH. People do this every day to get to work! Who needs a gym!? Thankful for a beautiful day today so that I didn't have to do it in the rain!!!! Yesterday it was like a flood!!!

I'm not lost, I'm exploring Today is day 4 ... I went for a little stroll this morning, got lost, but made it back to where I needed to be. Sometimes getting lost is the best thing that can happen, because you find things and places you didn't know were there. You expand your knowledge, you grow your comfort zone, you lean on God and you learn how you tend to respond. You also may learn what NOT to do & how far your legs can actually take you haha. These first few days here have been challenging and overwhelming, but without those things there wouldn't be any growth. I have to say, I am VERY thankful for the people God has placed around me to help me! ...After writing this post I was walking back to my apartment, after picking up my laundry once I figured out where on earth I was, and on the back of a truck there was a sticker that said: "IM NOT LOST, IM EXPLORING" And it just made me smile after the mornings adventure!! It was a little God wink 😉 Let's see what today brings! #Guatemala

Thoughts along the way

THOUGHTS ALONG THE WAY…

Just sitting reflecting on all God has done this past year is amazing.

Being on the other side of it by a year and looking back at all the things I was so afraid of, doesn't even matter at this point because it's all taken care of. 

That's just like Gods character. 

Which means all the things that I am afraid of when I look forward, will be taken care of too, and I will be able to look back with a smile at how God accomplished it all...again.

There have been a lot of things I didn't anticipate dealing with during this transition. 

One would be figuring out what to do with the projected fears others throw at me when I tell them what I'm doing. 

I didn't anticipate the amount of fear I would feel listening to other people's fears. 

But the thing I need to remember is, God didn't call them to do this. Some of them have never even left Charlotte, North Carolina, of course they would be afraid to go to Guatemala. Some have never even left a country, and splurt out:

"Do you know what it's like to move to a different country!?!? I couldn't do it!!!" 

Umm…hello, I am from a different country. I've done it once, I can do it again.

"Do you know how unsafe it is there!?" 

Yes, yes I do, thank you for the reminder. It's actually not that safe here at the moment either if you look at current affairs. And if God is asking me to do it, He will protect me and has a purpose for me there. I could quite easily have something happen to me here in the states too... God has a plan and a purpose for each one of us, He doesn't intend to take us home until that is finished. When it's your time to go, it's your time to go and there is nothing you can do about it. 

So, I've learned along this fun journey, how to battle through fears, of mine and others. How to trust that if Gods called you to it, He will provide for it. Financially, the people, the connections and everything in between.

It's still so amazing to me when He does.

I had two clients sit in my chair 30 minutes after each other and tell me of the SAME ministry and the SAME lady's name. They did not know each other but they had both worked with Lemonade International and wanted to get me in touch with "Tita". 

If that wasn't clear, I don't know what was! I'm paying attention God!

I spoke to Tita and we will get to meet in September when I get there & see what God has planned for us!

There have been so many things along the way that God has confirmed that this is the way I should go...So I'm walking in it. I'm grateful to be on track. 

To read more and if you are interesting in donating towards this journey you can do so here:

BE THE CONNECTION

SOUL 139 & Love Week

SOUL 139 & LOVE WEEK SOUL 139 & LOVE WEEK 2016 - Together we served a total of 115 hours at our 3 events!!! Our Church has a week called "LOVE WEEK" where collectively as a church we serve our community! This year SOUL 139 got to participate with 3 different events. One at Planet 21 salon, serving Rebound and Hope Haven. One at the Hope Haven facility and one at Doves Nest. Providing a total of 62 haircuts and serving a total of 115 hours. We are thankful to all who gave their time and services to bless the people in our city!!! "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace." 1 Peter 4:10 A big THANK YOU to Planet 21 Salon for allowing us to use their salon uptown every other month to serve our community. Also a big THANK YOU to Elevation Church for supporting SOUL 139's journey to Guatemala. What a blessing to be supported by our Church family. Not only do we get to serve those in our back yard, but also in another country. If you would also like to support our journey to Guatemala you can do so by giving a one time gift or signing up to support monthly on the links below. DONATE ONE TIME MONTHLY SUPPORT