The Dust is Beautiful

I got to spend eight incredible days on the corner of Garfield and La Salle, (in Chicago, IL) and although this is the forth time being there/on this trip, I can definitely tell you that God did something new and taught my heart something impactful. I am so blessed to be apart of this trip, and before i go any further, I need to say "Thank You" to Pastor Cal for faithfully taking us for 23 years!
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Chicago is not just a city on the map; it is not just a city filled with people flooding each day with work being done and food being eaten; it is a empty city that is searching for something, and although it is within the United States, the brokenness is no less-the poverty Spiritually is no less. They are God's creation just like anywhere else, and it is our job to go and reach these people.

God is so faithful; not only did he do physical healing, such as a lady who's ears were opened for the first time and she could hear, or a lady who had terminal cancer and students who prayed for her felt the tumors in her back shrink and watched her face light up as she excitedly proclaimed that she no longer was in pain! (Boom!!!! Praise God!)
-->But God did so much inner healing as well! It is fun going as a leader on this trip (please understand; it is INCREDIBLE going as a student too; just read me out) because you get to see how Spiritually they grow throughout the week. When they first arrive (especially first timers) you don't have to look into their eyes to see their fear. They are stepping out of their comfort zone; reality of the broken things they see in movies is setting in. They are the minority. They have been prepared to know that the next 8 days are going to be hard, unsafe, and they are expecting to leave heartbroken. Stepping into that, words cannot describe it. I can say from experience.
Students are often times street witnessing for the first time; learning how to lay hands on people and pray for them out-loud and tell them about Jesus--They are stepping out in faith and believing that Jesus will heal the person(s) they are praying for. It's an incredible sight to watch. As one girl proclaimed during testimony time, the Lord gave her such a joy after praying for someone out-loud at a night rally that she went and prayed for 4 more people. She totally broke that chain of fear. It was beautiful to watch her face glow as she told all of us about it! And she wasn't the only person who broke out of her shell, but many people did. God's boldness that He gives us is so powerful.
 -God is so faithful in protecting us, for one night we were at the church eating supper/getting ready to go to our evening rally when it started down pouring. (Mind you; our rallies were outside) We ended up being delayed by a 1/2 hour because of it. When arrived to the evening rally (1/2 hour late) it was learned that 1/2 hour before there was cross-fire and someone ended up being killed. If we wouldn't have been delayed that 1/2 hour, we could have easily been in that cross-fire. Can you say that God protected us?

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This trip is also great for hearing God's voice. The Lord taught me so much on this trip about the importance of it, and the power and impact behind it.
The first day, on Sunday, we went to the church service at the church we were staying at. Since the service didn't start until 11:30, we were sent out into the neighborhoods around the church to tell people/invite them to the church service we were about to have. As I was walking with my group, God spoke to me and said, "Laura. I know you've been here before, but I think in all the excitement you've forgotten how beautiful my people are. Look around, I'm going to show you and open your eyes to what I mean."
---Let's just say that God did. Both during that time before church and during church, the Lord took off my lens and I saw such beauty around me; I saw God's creation searching, empty; not knowing what they are searching for; I could feel the brokenness that they were experiencing. I just felt like they couldn't see how much they are really worth; how beautiful that God sees them.
The next day, God reminded me of a song that the band "Gungor" wrote with the lyrics
 "You make beautiful things out of the dust. You make beautiful things out of us."
 **Note: The South side of Chicago does not have much grass/not very green. Much of the city (in the inner city) is concrete that is very old and cracked, and there is A LOT of broken glass and because of that there is dust everywhere.**
So this city is very dusty, and yet he made such a beautiful body of people. God is going to raise/is raising this city out of the dust. What God explained to me through these lyrics is that inner city Chicago is rough; it is broken, and not a very safe place to live. Yet, God made such beautiful people and they live there. --> God's heart is so deeply burning to see His people whom He created to know Him. We are on this trip for a reason; we are there to tell people about His love; to be the body of Christ that moves forward and reaches these people too. Jesus loves these people too. Jesus's light shines in the dark; the inner city of Chicago.
But all of this does NOT stop there. On Thursday, I was at morning prayer and the person leading prayer said that she got a word and it went something like this. "I was praying this morning and God told me straight up: "Kayla, this city is not dead. Do you see the cracks in the concrete? Do you see the grass that is growing between the cracks? Those cracks represent me shining through and proving that this city is not sealed off and doomed. I broke the ground loose, and life (the grass) is coming out between the cracks. I am the life to this city. I am the grass that is growing. Kayla, there is hope for this city. I'm not finished yet. I love these people.""

The grass grows between the cracks and beautiful things are made out of the dust.

God was definitely speaking to me and teaching me so much through all of this. Not only what is relevant to the content, but to listen to His voice and trust that God will confirm what His will is.
-He has been confirming all week. He has been healing. He has been moving.
He has been making beautiful things out of the dust.
The way that God re-broke my heart for the inner city of Chicago; seeing them through Jesus's mirror and loving on them and having even more of a burning desire to witness and pray for people; To see them be united with their Dad and feeling the Love that God created and the relief that they feel because they no longer need to be reliant on a broken, cheapened Earthly love that disappoints and fails.
=Yet again, Jesus didn't stop there.
God asked me for the first 12 days of being home to stay off facebook/twitter. He did so much during those 12 days, and I'm so glad that I listened to His voice because it was TOTALLY worth it. He taught me something new/continual to all of this.
I was thinking one day about how beautiful the people are and how much I miss them, and I was thinking about a sermon and how the speaker talked about that it is time: To stop looking into Satan's mirror and how we need to smash it. And then Jesus started explaining that (and this should be obvious, although I've never thought about it in this way) that there is no level of beauty. He doesn't set two people side-by-side and compare them and say "Well, you are beautiful but (turning to person number two saying) you are more beautiful/valuable because of "____." There is no level of beauty/self worth. God created you in His image; you are beautiful to Him.That's it. He doesn't compare and contrast. He has one level of beauty/self worth. And EVERYONE is equally on that level. His love is the same way. Both Unconditional.

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After going on this trip a forth time, yet again my heart has been re-broke and redefined. Just like that His mercies are new every morning, His teaching is new each trip. What He has in store for us is different each time, and I am so beyond thankful. I pray that now that I'm home, I will do the same as I walk on campus and at work/my surroundings. Just like Chicago, our towns that we all came home to are God's creation, and we should treat our homes no different. It is our job/we are called to live in our locations to do God's work.

-The heart of God did not close His doors when the trip became over.
--Our cities are not dead; God is not done. He loves His people.
---The only thing about the missions trip that ended was the trip.

Jesus, I pray that will see each person (no matter where I am) the same. Beautiful and Loved by You.
That I will not compare them or judge them. God I pray that I will look at each person as Your child. I pray for the people of Chicago, that You would reveal to them  their worth/beauty.Take off their lens as You have taken off mine. I pray that I will never loose sight of You and what You've taught me.
Love, Your beautiful daughter.


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Here's a link to the song Beautiful Things by The Gungor Band.
It's good; I recommend it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR7VOKQ0xJY

When the Sun Became the Son

Last night, I saw a picture of the sun lying on the ground.
People were taking pieces from it (as if it was a piece of pizza or something) and at first, those pieces would be gone but eventually re-grow. But as more pieces were taken, it never broke apart. It stayed as if it were never taken from. Complete in it's form; whole.
           -->Not sure what it was supposed to mean, I didn't share/say anything.
But God started revealing what He wanted me to see through/from this.
As I sat at Chi Alpha tonight and Pastor Dave spoke from Luke 15 about the parable of the Lost Sheep and how God (and we all should) see(s) value in leaving the ninety-nine to go after the one, and how God will never leave us, nor forsake us, I started to once again think about that picture.
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God started revealing about the Sun;
We all know that we cannot get close to the Earth sun because it is so hot we would die if we touched it; even just from getting close to it. It is so unapproachable that we cannot even look straight at it for we could become blind.
---> This relates to how God is to us. We are so sinful that we have became separated from God; that we could not approach Him because our sin cannot be in the presence of the Almighty Perfect God. We cannot worship at His feet because we are so filthy; so broken; so imperfect; so sinful.
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But in this picture that I saw, the S(u)n came down and laid itself on the ground. Anyone could approach it, touch it, look directly at it, and even take pieces from it. I just started seeing people bending down and taking pieces. As time went on, more people came at once, each wanting a piece of this S(u)n, and to my amazement, it never ran out, keeping it's entirety as a whole.
-->This is where I believe that the S(u)n became the S(o)n.
-----> God, who has been shining on this Earth since the day He created it, (who required people in Bible times to sacrifice animals because they could not have the Spirit dwell inside of them and have a personal relationship and helper like we do now; they could not directly ask for forgiveness) decided to send His S(o)n to this Earth to perform miracles, walk among the Earth, (and I don't say this lightly) and die on the Cross for our sins.
*The minute that Jesus died on the Cross for us and sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of us and be our helper is the minute that the S(u)n came down and laid on the ground (in the picture) and became the S(o)n.
Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we could have a chance to be with Him, to worship Him, and live a life that is FOR Him. He came down as a sinless and perfect God in man form and then died on the Cross and rose again so that anyone who calls on His name can be healed by Him, have Him live inside and direct their lives, and be Loved (A Jesus kind of Love; not an Earthly Love (which is SO much more beautiful and satisfying)) Anyone who desires Him/wants Him can have Him.
-He is All Loving (He created and defined Love)
-He is All Forgiving (Hebrews 4:16)
-He is Ever-Lasting (Matthew 11:28)
-He will never fail you
-He will never leave you
-He will never leave you empty
-He paid it All (John 3:16)
-He died on the Cross
-And He can live INSIDE you
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Jesus wants you to come to Him, trust in Him, and rely on Him to be satisfied.
He wants to show you how beautiful and deligate His Love is.
And just like in the picture/vision, He never runs out. You can desire/take ALL of Him and yet He won't run out for someone else; there is enough to satisfy and complete ALL His children. He wants you to take those empty holes the Earth has left you with and fill them with pieces of Him. He just wants to be your Dad; He just wants to Love you and make you complete just like when He first created you in His image.
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Jesus will leave the 99 to seek YOU because YOU are worth it to Him.
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Here's a song (it's one of my favorites) that goes with the message of this blog.
"Not For A Moment."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjVLkmLL6DY