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

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."