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:

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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

MOVING TO GUATEMALA...

SOUL 139 GUATEMALA  Well... As most of you are aware, at the beginning of this year I decided I was not going to do the non-profit side of SOUL 139 anymore. It was honestly getting a bit much for me to handle and so I decided to make SOUL more of an outreach program instead. We kept the events and even increased them to every other month. Sonshine Britton & Megan Cheves have been doing a wonderful job planning them. We found a more productive way of doing the events and funding was not needed for them. So with that we were able to donate all of SOUL 139’s funds to Gods work in our city, through One7. They are a partner of ours that we still serve outside of events once a month at their facility; Sonshine & I (Kat) go and cut hair for the kids. We are grateful that we could be a blessing with the donation to help fund some of their projects that are growing in our city.  If you’d like to learn more about One7 you can go to One7.org   As for SOUL 139, it is taking on a new shift and aside from the outreach events here in our city, I am going to be doing SOUL 139 in Guatemala. (I know…Gods got jokes!) There had been talk of this last July, but things didn’t pan out as expected in that time.    Now, the plan is in place and I intend to move at the end of September. I am planning for a year and will see what God does during that time. If all goes well, it may end up being longer.  I have connections with two different children’s homes, Casa Aleluya, and Village of Hope. I will be going to cut hair at these homes on a regular basis. God has also opened the door with two other ministries in Guatemala, Lemonade International & Light of the Nations. I plan to go and meet with the founders once I get settled. We have already discussed me serving their people with haircuts, but also getting to teach the skill of cutting hair, so that they can make a living and provide for their families. They can do hair anywhere!    My long term goal is to provide hair starter kits for the people that I teach. And to have stylists raise funds through SOUL 139 to come on missions trips and do hair with me! So although SOUL 139 is still an outreach program, it will now be a fundraising tool to cover program expenses for teaching, hair supplies, starter kits, living expenses (as I will be working as a missionary!) and other bits and bobs as needed.  As well as a means for people to fundraise their missions trip!    I didn’t expect to pick SOUL 139 up again, but God has placed a new vision in my heart. Our mission is still the same, the way we are going about doing it is different & much more sustainable! Pastor Steven said in one of his sermons recently "A seed has to go in the ground to die before it can burst forth into what it was meant to be."  I think that's what had to happen with SOUL 139! I don’t know what the future holds, but I trust that God has a purpose for moving me half way across the world for a season! For 9 months now this has been on my heart, and I’m finally looking forward to what is to come!   I hope you would consider supporting me in this journey, whether financially, or prayerfully! Both are needed!   This is the link if you would like to donate: www.Crowdrise.com/movingtoguatemala1/fundraiser/soul139   Thank you for being a part of my story and getting a front row seat to see what God can do through an imperfect person :)   Kat Crawford

It's a done deal...

As I sit here in a completely empty apartment, plane ticket purchased, apartment deposit paid, car and possessions sold...I realize it's a done deal, I'm moving to Guatemala.
Almost a year ago when God first laid it on my heart to lay my life down here in Charlotte for a season to live and serve in Guatemala, I fought Him on it. "No way, absolutely not" were the first thoughts that ran through my head. I always prayed and told God that I would do anything for him...just not that. Why on earth would He ask me to do such a thing? I'm rooted here, I have been at my job 10 years, I have been at my church almost 8...I'm comfortable here...ahh...that could have something to do with it.

I love everything about my life here, but I wonder if God wanted to test that and see if I would be willing to put Him above all that I love, or would I choose to hang on to it? His word says:

 "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it." 

~ Matthew 10:39

Think about Peter, he had a successful career as a fisherman. Jesus asked Him to lay that down and follow Him. Peter had no idea what that would look like, he just knew that he needed to follow Jesus, whatever the future held.  

Matthew 4:18-20

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him."

I wonder if they ever had any doubt, or fear AFTER they dropped everything to follow? I know I did. I started walking this journey out last July and by December I threw the towel in. 

In fact I remember the month before sitting in a restaurant with a friend in Guatemala telling her that I wasn't doing it, that God could pick someone else. Yet here I am 11 months later, just like Jonah, right back where I started. I know without a doubt that this is what God has asked me to do.

I have had immense fear, and sometimes still do. It depends on the day. Sometimes people ask me how I'm feeling, sometimes I say I'm great, other times I want to break down in tears. It's been overwhelming, exciting, emotional, challenging, and extremely tiring. But all of which brings me to a place on the other side of it faced with peace and expectation. 

I read somewhere that HOPE doesn't mean an idea that we think MIGHT happen...it means to stand confident with expectation and anticipation that something IS going to happen. Today I feel that kind of hope as to what God has in store for this move. It is a major transition, and feels very surreal at the moment, but His plans are always better than I could ever imagine.

Why do you have so little faith?...

I was reading Matthew 6:25-34 this morning …Take a read and notice the one question that packs a punch…

25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.


For me, it was in verse 30…

Matthew 6:30
And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

Lately I have let my thoughts and worries of the future take away my joy of today.
Because my faith was in what I could see … and that day, what I could see wasn't much of anything.

Instead of placing my faith in the God I KNOW, in the God I TRUST; who has ALWAYS been faithful, who has ALWAYS come through for me, I let my eyes be fixed on my circumstances, and that took away my peace.

True rest of the mind and spirit comes from placing your trust in God. That He is faithful to keep His promises. He has not failed me yet in this life, He won't start now.
I have to remember His past faithfulness to know that He has got my future too.
Things don't always work out the way we planned… but His plans end up being SO much better!

Ultimately I have to remember that
He loves me (& you) ~ (Rom 5:8)…
He has good plans for me (& you) ~ (Jer 29:11)…
& He is a promise keeper (To me & you) ~ (Deut 7:9).

With that foundation our faith cannot be little!

Not making a decision is a decision…or is it?

There is a famous comment that people like to use to force you to make a decision that goes something like this: "Not making a decision IS a decision."

Well…yeah, it is in a way, a decision not to do anything. BUT I was reading something Graham Cooke wrote yesterday (You can read it here) He said that when in doubt…give up. Which on the surface seems a bit strange, especially because we live in a culture of "DON'T GIVE UP" "YOU CAN DO IT" "KEEP GOING".
But he actually made a great point. That when we are in doubt, give up…surrender…to what God wants to do instead.
I really liked his viewpoint because so often we feel like we have to make a decision and come up with a solution for every problem we face, or every circumstance we try to manipulate (we all do it somewhere in life, don't act like you don't) I think it's just part of the human brain, it has to figure out a problem.
But what is surrender? Is it just sitting doing nothing? No, I believe it is seeking God for Him to guide us in the right way. It's us letting go of the outcome that WE think should happen, and standing with open hands to say "OK God, this might not go in the direction to what I think, but I am good with wherever you take this" and to let time play it out.
There is a time and a place for making decisions, I'm not saying go through life never making a decision again. I am talking about the things you are truly struggling to come up with a solution for, the things that you really don't know which way to go, the things that you just don't know. In that case, surrender.  Let time play out and let God guide you in the way you should go. Because eventually you'll know… and when you know, you'll know that you know!... And THEN you can make your decision.

His word says:
Proverbs 16:9
"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps."

Ultimately the decision we make He will work for good according to His purpose anyway.

Romans 8:28 says:
"And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

Being vulnerable & lessons learned!

Sometimes the way in which we are walking completely takes a turn to a place we never thought we'd be again. We think God is doing one thing and we are happily walking towards that and then He completely flips it. As Graham Cooke once said "God is consistent in nature, and yet completely unpredictable."

I'm not one to share my "stuff" unless it's with those closest to me. Because being vulnerable is scary AND yet extremely important. I think sometimes there is a purpose in why God allows us to go through things, not just for ourselves, but to share with others in hopes that it would encourage them to keep on walking.

So, here is a little back story and what I have learned from this past season of my life.

I was in a relationship with someone for a couple of years, who I thought I was going to marry. We even went to look at rings at one point and talked about leaving my life here to move. Which in itself was scary as it reminded me so much of my past- But I trusted God and was willing to walk straight into what I feared because I wasn't about to let fear defeat me.

We ended up breaking up, we still loved each other and so proceeded to be in this messy, uncommitted, back and forth of I don't know what, acting like we were in a relationship but never having the "title".

I felt completely unsafe with that, it was extremely unhealthy, and maybe I stayed in that season far longer than I should have. 

I tried to close the door myself many times, but it remained open.

Revelation 3:8
"I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me."


Sometimes we end up in situations that don't make sense, we try to close the door ourselves and it doesn't work…so we wait, learn and trust God in the midst of it.

The funny part about it was for those looking on, I'm sure they wondered what the heck I was doing, as did I at times. But those closest to me knew I was seeking the Lord wholeheartedly during this time and I felt like I was supposed to stand through it until God closed the door. Last week, He did just that. And I am grateful, hurting, but grateful... and expectant.

Levi Lusko said "Hurting with hope still hurts."

It's true… I have hope, but I still hurt. And that's OK.

This is a hard season, but usually the hard seasons reap the greatest harvest.

God doesn't do anything without a purpose and when He says the season is done, it's done. 
But that doesn't mean the whole year is over- I felt like He wanted me to stand every time I wanted to run. There is a reason for that and valuable lessons to be learned.
When God removes something from your life, He is creating room for something far greater! 
It's a new season!  Isaiah 43:19 says: 

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

It's not over… God is doing a NEW thing… 

But before I move on, I think it's good to look back and learn from the past season.

Here are a few things I learned about myself and I hope they help you when you find yourself at the end of a chapter about to walk into a new one.

I sit back and ask myself "Would I do anything differently?"

My answer is, no...

Yes, sometimes I think "ugh, I feel like such a fool- I should have walked away a long time ago."

And I sometimes have thoughts that there must be something wrong with me because I don't seem to have very good luck in the men department - what am I doing wrong? :)
Then a friend said to me "That's not true, remember who you are."

When I look back through the past 4 years - God brought to mind who I USED to be before I started walking with Jesus 7 years ago.
He reminded me of how uncommitted I was in relationships.
How unwilling I was to say sorry.
How afraid I was to work through hard things, or stick it out when it got tough.
How I would allow someone else to define me.
How I would never be willing to be vulnerable and communicate…
and then He reminded me of who I am NOW.

I learned… to seek God when I didn't know what to do.

I learned… that I am committed.

I learned... that I love deeply.

I learned... to trust God even when I doubted a person.

I learned... to work through some hard stuff and not run away.

I learned... to love well.

I learned... to encourage and invest even when it was hard to and I didn't feel like it.

I learned... to forgive.

I learned... to say I'm sorry, and really mean it.

I learned... to apologize for my side and to be a peacemaker.

I learned... to not allow someone else's struggles to bring me down- but to encourage them and lift them up instead.

I learned... to communicate, even when it's hard.

I learned... when to pray through it or talk about it.

I learned... to persevere.

I learned... how to respect even when the person wasn't showing behavior worthy of respect.

I learned... to love unconditionally.

I learned... that I'm loyal to a fault with the wrong person, but with the right person that will be a strength because I will always fight FOR it to work.

I learned... that someone else's actions and words are not a reflection of me or my heart, but their own decisions and their heart.

I learned... that I am still worthy and valuable even if the person walking away doesn't see that value.

I learned... that I know WHO ( and whose) I am and what doesn't work for me.

I learned... that I really do like who I am and the person Jesus has created me to be.

I learned... that I have integrity, I have a strong character, I'm honest, I'm trustworthy, I'm willing to have difficult conversations, and I love genuinely. I have struggles and I don't do things perfectly, but I'm willing to say sorry when I don't do it well and learn from it. I now know that with God, I can handle it and work through anything.

And I now know what I DO want.

I am expectant, hopeful and I KNOW who my God is… He has blessed me with more than I could ever ask or imagine and I don't doubt that this next season of my life will be any different!!! 

He is my protector AND my provider. He is that for you too! Worship Him in the middle!

Good seed is in the ground!

Psalm 85:12

"The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest."

I'm ready for the harvest!

Hillsong: EVEN WHEN IT HURTS