Hope is Revealed Truth....

The last few days have been interesting to say the least! After working at the Influence Conference on Thursday (which was a wonderful experience, btw!), I came down with a horrible sinus infection later that evening...which totally prevented me from making it to Wilderness Training this past weekend at the Discovery Center in Eminence, MO...there was nothing I could do but sit it out. This will mean that I will need to learn a little from my fellow Convoy sisters about reading maps and compasses, as well as making a fire and other skills we will need while camping on the Masai mara in Kenya.

However, during the three days I was away from the group, I was able to focus on some quiet time with the Lord and kind of get my batteries recharged (which is always the positive side during a negative experience!).

This morning I returned to the house and traveled with the interns to COH where we met with Dan Clark, who will be leading a large part of the Philadelphia Outreach (Hope4Philly). We will be traveling to Philly in 2 days-can't believe it's already here! As we talked about the different location sites, one of the interns asked the question: "What is the overall goal to be accomplished at these outreach sites?" I loved Dan's answer: To offer them hope. It really hit home when he explained that hope is "revealed truth-a knowledge of God's love that we transfer to the people through our demonstration of caring for another." Wow...how grateful I am to be a part of this process.

In Philly we will be working at 8 different locations scattered throughout the city with anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 people visiting each site. We could have the chance to minister to 24,000 people altogether! Our Convoy of Hope staff, interns, and volunteers could be doing anything from passing out food and groceries to cutting hair and painting faces to taking family portraits to praying! Convoy is all about restoring worth and value to people who have been living in despair. This demonstration of God's love is a tangible example of Christ's message. This is why I love Convoy's emphasis. They bring the Gospel message while providing evidence of Christian character through meeting needs...awesome. Coinvoy believes in ministering to the entire person...spiritually and physically.

Today, Shannon (one of our leaders) spoke with us about labs and mirrors, an exercise helping us define who we are, how we perceive ourselves, how others perceive us, and who we truly are in Christ. It reminded me again how God has chosen each of us with a unique purpose no matter how we feel....I'm so glad that our internship training includes sessions such as these! We also were able to meet with the VP of Convoy, Jim Batten, who talked with us about Convoy's mission and his own personal story of how he ended up with the organization.

Probably one of the greatest things we've done so far was our trip today to Project Rescue, an AGWM ministry with the purpose of rescuing girls out of sex trafficking. What a powerful place it was....we were able to meet with some of the missionaries and founders of the organization, as well as ask lots of questions. This ministry is doing incredible things. It's hard to fathom how widespread the issue of trafficking has become...it makes me sick to my stomach. It's so wonderful to see people like David and Beth Grant who are taking a stand against these horrific crimes. Some of the testimonies we heard were so amazing that it almost brought me to tears. God will always accomplish His will and purpose! He has created us all for something beautiful...and these girls need to know that! Thank the Lord for Project Rescue and other organizations with such passion to reach those who have been horribly abused and mistreated.

After spending some quiet time spread out through some local coffee shops in town, we also went to dinner in groups just to socialize and have fun!

Tomorrow, we will be working with the Disaster Reponse team all day, which I am definitely looking forward to. Then on Wed, we head to Philly! Can't believe it's already time to do our Stateside outreach. God is faithful.... I believe that each of us are here not only to minister to others (which is of upmost importance!), but also to learn more about ourselves and who God has called us to be.

1 Cor. 3:18 "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

"Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you."-Wally 'Famous' Amos