How it began.

Wesley and I were eating Thai food with Dustan and Darlene Stanley in November 2009when they asked us if we'd like to go on Revolutionary Life's next international trip, expected to last 6 months to a year. As I chewed around the thought, if I had allowed my mouth to think for me, I would have said "YES!" immediately. I hadn't had an opportunity to travel overseas since my India trip in '05, and I was certainly due for a new trip. My first trip to India, I had to pay several hundred dollars out of pocket, and being a college student at the time paying my way through school, there just wasn't money there to try and take another trip. I actually became bitter. When I first came back to the U.S., I would try to find all things Indian, to try and quench the homesickness I felt for a country that had only been my home for 10 days. However, when this didn't fill up and replace my thoughts of my beloved India, I instead did the exact opposite. I shyed away from anything regarding international travel. I became envious of people who talked of going to other countries. I literally put international things "out of sight, out of mind" to help ease the pain I felt still being in the United States. And it worked.

For a little while.

A few months before Dustan and Darlene extended the invitation, I had become restless. I was so very ready for a change. At the time, I thought that change meant to extend our family. The natural course of action in a woman's life at my current stage was to begin trying to have a baby. I had a stable job, we were doing ok financially, and I had baby fever worse than ever. But, it didn't work as easily as I had planned. Through much difficulty and heartache, I began to learn that perhaps God had a different path for me than what I expected. I mean, if we obey a God that doesn't shake things up pretty regularly, what kind of God is that? Did God ever promise anyone in the Bible stability in life? Certainly not. Look at the way Jesus approached the disciples. They were given what appears to be minutes to decide if they wanted to follow Christ or not. Matthew 4:20 says "At once they left their nets and followed Him." At once!

When we were offered the invitation, I struggled with it. I felt like I had to choose between having a baby or going on the trip. Someone helped me to realize that our whole life is ONE path. Choosing one decision doesn't mean we will stray from another if it is God's plan. And I knew that God wanted me to have lots of children due to my insane love for them. He had promised me children when I first began praying for them. It was at that moment that I realized I had to just let go. Once I truly did, it was one of the most freeing things I've ever experienced.

We struggled with the decision. Though we both had excitement about the opportunity, we were terrified to leave. But when we really began to examine these feelings, we realized that we, ourselves, didn't become scared at the unknown. It was other people that had beat into us the fact that we had to: be stable! Grow up! Don't leave a good job in this poor economy! There are plenty of people here that need God! You both have great jobs with great benefits! etc., etc. Always the exhausting etc.

When Wesley and I finally made the decision, this overwhelming peace washed over us. We KNEW that God wanted us to do this, no matter how crazy it was. So we were going to succeed. We were going to do this and do it right. We were going to show others that dropping everything to follow God is what God requires of us EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. No matter how much it doesn't make sense. Whether that be leaving all that is comfortable to journey into the unknown for the sake of the gospel, or simply dying to ourselves daily by taking our thoughts captive. Whatever that be, once we made that decision, we realized that this was for real. We would never be the same.

Because, you see, what it means to be a Christian is to give our all. Whatever that looks like. Take a look at your life and figure out what the ultimate sacrifice is. What would be the hardest thing to do for God? Now, figure out if you could do it or not. If you think you couldn't, pray for God to change your heart, and He will. Because it's not a matter of whether or not you could do it. You CAN do it. It's just allowing God to do it through you.

Wesley and I are no different than anyone else. Just because we have decided to go on this trip doesn't mean that we are any more spiritual than anyone else. We just happened to hear God tell us to do something...and we decided to do it.


So, we have our plane tickets booked. We will leave from LAX on September 16 at 5:40 p.m. We will travel 12 hours by plane, where we will have a 9 hour layover in Taipei, Taiwan. We will get back on the plane and fly to Bangkok, where we will catch another flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand. We will minister and travel all over. We will live out of backpacks and sleep anywhere rest can be found. SE Asia will be our home for the next 6 months.

And I am so very ready.