I'm awake. 

Ok, I might be a little tired at the very moment....I should be in bed, but thats not really the point.

My point is I have been awakened to life. 

Somewhere on this 11 month journey, something, or someONE awakened me. 

Truth be told, I never really knew I was sleeping. 

All I had was that feeling of 'THERE MUST BE MORE'. 

I knew I wanted to do something but I had a MILLION and one excuses rooted in laziness and fear as to why they weren't going to work.

Approaching the end of the race I don't have many specifics about what I will be doing, however I have a large vision cast over my life, and I'll be moving towards that. 

Praise be to God for His abundant grace in waking me up.

Seth Barnes, the founder and CEO of Adventures in Mission, wrote about this in his blog. Its worth reading:

We were made to do work that makes truly come alive.
 
But too many of us feel stuck.

We could care less about our jobs. If we could get out, we would, but we feel like we don't have any choice in the matter. Jobs are hard to come by these days and we need the money.

And so we sleep walk through life, numb to the dreams that we'll never see realized.

But let me invite you to step outside of that reality for a second and really take a look at the possibilities that are before you.

First, for comparison, take a look at a couple of people who really are stuck - trapped in a hellish world that is beyond their control. In the past week I shared the story of a 12 year-old girl in Thailand who'd been trafficked and a nine year-old boy in Pakistan who was a slave in a brick factory.

In contrast, if you're an average American, what does your world look like?

• You can quit your job.
• You probably don't owe your employer money.
• You are literate.
• You have relatives whose home you could go to in a crisis.
• You have dreams and aspirations.
• America has a number of safety nets.
• Lots of employers are looking to hire.
• There are many free or cheap educational opportunities on line.
• Food costs just 6% of a typical budget.

Given the options before us, the world is our oyster. I look at the contrast between those who are trapped in a world without options and our reality; the question we really have to ask is "Am I on a track to go through life under-challenged and sleep walking?"

And if the answer to that is "maybe" then, consider the possibility that maybe it's time to work on figuring out your dream and then going for it.

We can get locked into a job that feels like a dead-end. A job that doesn't use our skills and doesn't touch our passions. The dreaming part of us can go numb as we cycle through the same routine, walking along in the same ruts, telling ourselves the same lies about why we can't pursue our dreams.

It doesn't have to be. The world needs us to care. We can make a difference. But we have to wake up.

More on MONTH 12 (USA) and my plans for the future in blogs to come. So keep watch for those!

_________________________________________________________________________

Also, DID YOU KNOW I AM STILL RAISING $500. 

Compared to the $15,000 already raised, this is nothing!

D0 5 people care to donate $100 to get me home?

or do 25 people who read this blog care to donate $20?

YES that could be you =)

If you want to support me just click HERE!!

It has been quite the journey. 

The crazy process has taken about 2 years of my life. 

From the first moment I pulled up The World Race website and felt my heart skip a beat, to the nervousness of my 1st phone interview, through the process of fundraising, 

the crazy unforgettable week at training camp, 

and the insanity of the hardest and best 11 months of my life....I have been wrecked. 

Now dear friends, this season is about to come to an end. I have entered the final weeks of my time abroad. This crazy radical trip around the world has just become normal to me. 

The 'romance' of traveling went away about month 4, its just simply my life...a life I adore, but just my life. It has become normal....

-to sleep on the floor on a sleeping mat, 

-to eat food that you would never dream of eating in 'real life',

-to get stared at by everyone, 

-to wear the same 3 outfits all the time, 

-to spend 24/7 with a group of 6 other people, 

-to take cold bucket showers accompanied by many bugs,

-to pack up all your belonging every month (sometimes every week),

-to learn to love people and leave them,

-to see some of the most beautiful sights you have ever beheld,

-to use charades as an everyday form of communication (please imagine trying to ask for toilet paper)

-to talk in detail about bowel functions (even on occasion draw out diagrams of them),

-to have lice and worms, 

-to not look in the mirror for weeks,

-to sleep on ferries, planes, bus station floors, border crossings...and the list goes on.

Some of these things I will miss, and some, not so much. I will have a real bed, I will have clothes that aren't stained or full of holes, I will shower with clean warm water, I will unpack for more then a month, I will sit down on a toilet, I will eat healthy food and not have to worry where it came from, and well, things will become normal...right? Yes and no. 

You see, being comfortable living out of a backpack and having messy hair isn't the only way I have been changed.

I have been changed on a deeper level and then again on a deeperER level. It has become normal.......

-to pray healing over people(....to rejoice when it happens, and be comfortable in the mystery of God when it doesn't...)

-to see poverty day in and day out,

-to fall in love with people before you know their names,

-to see what 'need' really means, 

-to be heart broken at the thought of leaving a country when there is so much to do done,

-to LOVE so deeply that people see Jesus on you even when you can't speak His name,

-to love people WELL by 'doing life' with them...even seemingly mundane tasks

The things I have seen and done, and the people I have loved have wrecked me for 'ordinary' life.....but I would not characterize the year by those things alone. These things have drawn me deeper and deeper and deeper into the ocean that is my Fathers heart. It has become normal......

-to talk about God as my Papa,

-to dance before Him as I worship Him in song,

-to hear the voice of the Lord,

-to get visions,

-to proclaim truths over people and places,

-to speak the hard things out of love and call our the greatness in friends,

-to trust His Spirit to lead moment by moment,

-to walk with confidence and authority because I know who my Daddy is. 

And these are the things that are unshakable. Many things will change in 25 days, but THOSE things will not. 

They won't change because my God stays the same....I have simply been discovering more of who He is and who He has made me to be. 

One of the most challenging things I've seen so far on the Race happened this month.  Our pastor asked us if we would like to visit the local brick factory, where twenty-three families live and work.  Entire families are employed there, and children must begin working at the age of five.  At first I didn't really understand the big deal about the brick factory, honestly I was thinking at least these people have jobs, and of course child labor is terrible but it's a way of life in the third world (jaded much?).  But as I listened to our pastor describe just what went down at this brick factory and hundreds like it around Cambodia my heart just broke, again.  I didn't know my heart could take as much as it has these ten months, but God just continues to break it and put it back together.  But each time a bit more of it gets left behind in whatever country I happen to be in. 

So these brick factory workers make about $20 a week, in order to earn this they must make 10,000 bricks.   Many of these workers have taken out loans with the factory owners or buy things like food or supplies to build a house on credit.  This causes them to start off in debt to the owner, and as they continue to work they fall further and further into debt because of the poor record keeping of the factory owners.  Most of the workers cannot read or write and so have no way to keep track of how much they have paid back or how much they owe.  The owners take advantage of this and fudge the records, saying that the workers own hundreds or even thousands of dollars more than they do.  If any of the workers try to run away from the factory the owners send out people to find them and bring them back, and then they are charged with whatever costs they incurred to find and bring them back.  So basically these factory owners are slave owners and the workers are slaves.  They make basically nothing because they pay almost everything they earn back to the owners. 

And somehow the children that live here are joyful, they run, jump, and play in giant mounds of clay and dirt that will eventually become bricks, they laugh and giggle at the crazy white people that try to say their names and speak their language really poorly.  They held my hands, we played clapping games, we made goofy faces at each other.....they smiled and I smiled back.  Simple as that. 

I don't know that I can do anything but pray for those families, that somehow the factory owner's heart would be changed, softened for the people who work for him, that he would desire to be fair and truthful more than he desires money and power.  I pray that the children there wouldn't be trapped in that lifestyle, that something better, something different is being prepared for them in this earthly kingdom.  I pray that the Lord will continue to send His people into the country of Cambodia and that places like the brick factory will cease to exist.  

Dear Cambodia, You have tried and tested me. I would be lying, greatly and deeply, if I told you I wasn't ready to leave (between the chanting monks on the loud speakers, the children staring at me through the window when I wake up, the freakin' hot hot hot heat, and the gawking men, this month has been very physically challenging for me) but you have taught me some things this month, and I have grown closer to my Papa because of it. 

Dear Readers, Cambodia has been quite the crazy month, and the thought of explaining it completely is honestly quite daunting to me but here is my attempt to sum it up for you.....

We spent the month living at a church in a tiny village which I actually still don't know the name of (The WR makes you okay with not knowing where you actually are and really not caring ). We spent our days teaching english to the native children and doing house visits. And man, there is a brokenness about Cambodia that is impossible to miss. The effects of the khmer rouge are evident EVERYWHERE.....in people faces, in living conditions, in the education system, in the lack of simple knowledge. The KR has jacked this country up. We visited two places that exemplify this well. The first would be the brick factories. Scattered every which way are brick factories that give out loans and use them to take advantage of, and enslave families who don't know any better because they simply can't read the contract. Once trapped in these situations, most families will live and work at these factories the rest of their lives. The second would be the 'Jesus Village' (as our pastor called it). Its simply a small, church owned property, with around 8 small bamboo houses on stilts. This village is home to some of the poorest of the poor in the district who have no where else to live. For $2.50 a day the men work long hard days in the rice fields, accompanied by their children who cannot go to school because their assistance is needed. This is their life...day in and day out. Despite the overwhelming injustice we have come in contact with here, God is moving in the midst.... and that is fact. He is moving through the lives of individuals who count Christ absolutely worth it even when persecuted by family, friends, and society because of their faith. He is moving through the efforts of our contact as he works his butt off to feed and care for the poor and sick, to teach the children english, to shepherd his church, to visit the enslaved, and to reach His village with the extravagant Love that has touched his life. There is much to be done here, and it has only begun. The immense need I have seen this month and this year can sometimes seem overwhelming. However, what I have learned is that its really not as much about the need as it is about YOU and ME listening to where the Spirit would lead us to be involved in those things. The Spirit knows whats up, He's got it all mapped out....listen for His voice and then, gosh darn it, MOVE. 

Dear Friends,

I'm out of my league. 

Its 2:30pm.....twelve girls gathered in a little nook called 'The Cave' to pray. With the soft sound of worship music in the background we all cry out to our Daddy and ask for His wisdom, protection, and guidance. We invite the Spirit to go with us and for His presence to invade wherever we step foot. After some time we gather into our groups, (this time its myself and Natalie Reeves heading out) and we make our way to the bars.

Nat and I walked around the district with the intention of just praying and listening for God to direct us. After making our way through a few bars and saloons. Eventually we make it to a ladyboy bar (ladyboys are men who want to be women... they call themselves women and act, speak, talk, dress like it). There were several standing around and immediately one came up and took our order, and another, Bubbles, came over to say Hi. He was super nice, and so funny! After we asked if he wanted a drink (we buy them drinks so we are allowed to sit and chat with them) and he said agreed, he took a seat. We ended up chatting for a while and even meeting Stacey, the owner of the bar. Stacey has worked as a ladyboy at the bars for a while before opening up his own that he was currently working at (for about 10 years now). He seemed more closed off than the others but was still friendly. Another one came up then and asked if he could sit with us so we bought him a drink too and the five of us just sat talking for a while. It was so natural. They were so so friendly and honestly, we spent most of the time just laughing together. After a while it was just Nat, Bubbles and myself left at the table. We got a little Thai lesson, talked about how long he had worked there, what his life was like before, and a plethora of other things. He mentioned how he dropped out of school at 14 and couldn't read or write, then said "but at least I can do this" and ran his hands down his sides. I just listened but I so badly wanted to tell him THERE IS SO MUCH MORE YOU CAN DO THAN THIS! It was hard because I know, God knows, and maybe even you know, there is so much more out there for them, but they just don't see it. As we tried to set up a time to go to lunch, we realized how much more difficult that may be then what we thought. Bubbles seems to work around the clock and the only way we could spend some more time with him would be to 'buy' him. All 12 girls working with Lighthouse this month are trying to raise money to be able to do that, but as of now, we only have a little. But at least we were able to buy them drinks and get to know them. We were able to listen to what they had to say, no matter what that was. We were able to love on them as much as we could in that moment, and now we just trust God to move upon that. They all wanted us to come back and so of course we will. I am so looking forward to getting to know them more and possibly taking them out for a day or night. Please pray that God would open doors for that. 

After our time at the bars was over and we headed home, I was exhausted. Throughout our time with the ladyboys I realized that God gave us the emotional energy and strength to not just combust with all the crazy stuff going on around us. But as we arrived home, well now its time to be broken for these men and to process. There is an aspect to these ladyboys brokenness that I can't even speak to, or minister to until God changed something huge in them. I can't tell these men that they were made for greatness, that God made then to break the chains of wickedness, to stomp in injustice, to love and free women and children, and to live as victorious sons of God. I can't begin to encourage them as men because they don't see themselves as that. Do continue to pray for us as we continue to get to know and love these women and ladyboys. Pray with us that the chains of deception would shatter, that we would continue to follow where God leads us this month, be intentional with them, and really just give all of ourselves to loving them. We have less than three weeks left here. It's easy to think that not much can be accomplished in such a short period of time. But, well, thats just crap. 

Love, 

Liv

Elephants, Dragons, Temples, Monks, and Pristine beaches. 

When you think of Thailand, these are likely some of the pictures that may pop into your mind. What with the recent exposure the media has given us, I am sure three other words pop into your head. 

Sex Trade Industry.

Excerpt from my new team leaders 'Emily's' blog:

"Let me try to set up the scene for you: it is around 9pm on a crowded street lined with bars and small street vendors. There are motor bikes parked everywhere and the smell in the air is a mix of incense from the Buddhist shrines and cigar/cigarette smoke.  I am walking on the narrow sidewalk and to my left I see women. I see beautiful Thai women- they could be my friends, they could be my teammates or my sisters. They are standing there, waiting to be purchased by men, to be used for the night, solely to earn money for their families.

The men. 

Husbands. Sons. Brothers. Uncles. Grandfathers. Fathers.

The men come in all ages, 

but the ones I kept meeting the eyes of, were my fathers age and older. 

Hair gray. 

Eyes weary. 

Full of desperation. 

They are there to buy. 

The men -in a group or alone approach the girls- 

-offer them a price - normally $12 USD buys them for a date at the bar and $75 USD buys the girl for the entire night. 

Purchased for less than a tank of gas in the U.S.A.

                               Bought for the same price as a pair of SHOES.

Watching the interaction made me feel sick to my stomach. Seriously, this process is worth vomiting over."

Chiangmai is known as both Thailand's rose of the north and as a sex tour destination.  

Home to at least 5,000 male, female and child prostitutes, a situation like this can seem hopeless.....

...if you just talk statistics. 

This month our squad has separated girls and guys in order to meet the needs of this ministry. My new team consists of some women that are life speakers, chain breakers, radical lovers and limit pushers. We are team Tangled. A group of girls from all different places and teams, tangled together for a month to be God with skin on, and to love on these girls who are so tangled in the sex trade industry.

We are partnering with a ministry run by YWAM called 'Lighthouse in Action'. We will spend our afternoons interceding on behalf of the girls, the ladyboys, the bar owners, and the men. Asking God to break the mental strong hold that has a hold on their lives. The one that tells them this is ALL that they can do, the one who tells them this is ALL they are good for. At night we get to enter the bars, buy one coke for us and a one for a girl. We smile, sit, and talk. No strings attached. A foreign concept to these ladies. As we listen and watch for the Spirit to direct us we also get to ask these ladies on 'dates'! In short this means that during the day, if they are free, and want to, we will invite them to eat with us, walk the markets with us, go get a pedicure with us- all to just show them what they NEVER get to experience, which is LOVE.

 I am beyond pumped to jump into this ministry. I want to love these girls SO well....I want to date these girls SO well. If 'Aoy' wants steak, I want to be able to give her steak and potatoes. If 'Euey' wants to see a movie, I want to be buy her popcorn as well. I want to be extravagant with these girls because of the One who has been extravagant with me. 

Love is suppose to elementary for Christians right? 

But to be honest with you, I think most of us suck at it. 

I think that because it is suppose to characterize every daughter and son of God, 

we are often embarrassed to admit that we just do a plane ol lousy job at it. 

Bear with me friends, because believe me, I am speaking to the mirror here. 

We have been loved with an extravagant, self-sacrificing love, and yet, personally 

I find that it is usually a very shallow version of this love that I reciprocate to those around me. 

Why are we satisfied to love people with anything other then (pardon the cliche) 

CRAZY, STUPID LOVE. 

The kind that makes people question our sanity, yah know,

 the reckless kind that Jesus both preached and lived by. 

Do you day dream about how you can love on people (family, friends, the sub-way guy, the girl at the smoothie shop) ?? 

Do you wake up excited for the day 

because you get the chance to actually be the hands and feet of Jesus by extravagantly loving on those around you?! 

God has been doing that in me lately and well....its something I haven't really ever experienced before.

Its a love I don't comprehend.

Too many of us are asking the wrong questions in life. We ask about our standard of living, what job we should hold, what ministry we should work and the like before we ask ourselves why we are living?

You see, we have been asked by our Papa to do two things....

Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.

But truth is you can't ever love like Him, unless you first encounter His love on a personal note.

So have you?

___________________________________________________________________________________

P.S. Meet my new team for our month in Thailand! 

Blog to come soon!

Welcome. Welcome to El Shaddai. 

This beautiful place is  where we have spent the last 30 days. This isn't quite what I pictured when I thought of Swaziland....El Shaddai is an orphanage often haunted by mist, 

regularly visited by electrical storms 

but usually blessed with breezy warm days.

We have been splitting our time between the Preschool, 

the Baby House, 

Grounds Upkeep....which means building a septic tank,

 the Clinic, Chapel, and Tutoring. 

This is no doubt the busiest month we have had yet in actual scheduled ministry. It has been a challenge, but a challenge worth pushing through. As a team we realized that this past month has been about choices. 

The choice to be invested in ministry even when your tired. 

The choice to  hug the child with snot, dirt and food all over his face and clothes even when your flesh doesn't want to. 

The choice to stay invested in community even when you just want to be alone.

The choice to enjoy and soak up every bit of this month for what it is instead of looking forward to the next thing. 

The choice to continue to push into what God has for our remaining 3 months on the race and expect Him to show up, even though we often long for home.

You see, at the beginning of the race, with months on end in front of you, its simple to stay invested and stay in the moment. But as we are hitting month 9, we realistically all start making plans for after the race, at the very least thinking about it. This makes it so easy to begin to long for home, to long for the day when you will have a bed again, when you will own more then 10 articles of clothing, when you will have access to fresh fruits and veggies, when you will see much missed friends and family. But as of now, even amidst our planning, we have the choice to check out or stay invested. However challenging, I know what I must choose. I must remember and trust that this very day, this very moment, this very situation it the absolute best for me....this is where God wants me. I must keep an open eye to WHY he has me in this day, what He wants to teach me, what He wants to do through me. God is working on the 'to-do' list even when I'm not.

So I ask you the same thing I have been challenging myself with. Are you invested in this moment, are you invested in Gods work TODAY, or have you checked out?

UPDATE:

We are 

When I signed up for the race I dreaded the idea of support raising, asking people for money......

....EW. 

But over time it became one of my favorite things. 

Why you may ask? 

Because I got to share testimonies of God moving, of peoples lives being changed, and then ask people to be a part of that. 

Now that this 11 month trip is fully funded, I thought I was done with the process of raising support...

...but as it turns out, I'm not quite done. 

You see on top of the $15,500 raised  for the cost of this trip, 

there were vaccinations to be had, 

medicine to be purchased, 

gear to be bought, 

plane tickets, 

travel insurance, 

........and general living expenses over the last 7 months. 

I'll just give it to yah straight. 

My bank account is drained. 

We World Racer's have learned to get by on almost nothing. 

We ride in the back of trucks...rain or shine.

We sleep in a lot of bus stations, train station, and the like.

And our idea of splurging is lunch at McDonalds'...

But there are still things I need for daily life. AKA....shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, sunscreen, and OH did I mention a flight home? Yea, thats not paid for either. 

So dear friends, maybe you wanted to support me but thought it was to late....well now is the perfect time.

 I ask you to spare the world and donate $10, $50, $100 bucks so I can buy deodorant and toothpaste.

I ask you to CLICK HERE and send some love my way so I can buy a plane ticket home in June....just in case you want to see my lovely face again =)

Three days in the back of a flat bed truck. 

10 hours and 49 minutes the first day,

 8 hours and 55 minutes the second day, 

and 4 hours and 45 minutes the third.

Imagine 7 americans, a handful of natives, a bunch of luggage, and random bags of fruit all pilled into this little vehicle.....

This is the life of a missionary, this is my life. 

We accompanied our contact on this crazy weekend trip

 in order to visit, pray over, and encourage small churches and fellow Christ followers

 up the coast of Mozambique. 

One morning we pull off to the side of the road around the corner from the bakery where we waited for our daily bread and Bajeda's....which are similar to a falafel...kind of.   

Our contact Feleto explained to us that about 15 years ago he had held an outreach in this little town and one of the gentlemen that received the Lord that evening was now pasturing a church here. He has arranged to quickly meet up with him while we were driving through so we had the chance to meet him. Accompanied with a big smile, the old man slowly made his way up to our truck as he leaned with hunched back onto his walking stick. They chatted and then we all prayed over him. We cried out to the Lord all at once and in a beautiful chorus of about 10 different voices and prayed blessing over him, prayed that the Spirit would continually move in him, and that His will would be done. Not even a minute after we finished we had a reassembled ourselves in the truck, but as it turns out the Lord had more for that moment then we knew. A petite middle aged women shyly peeked into the truck and asked our contact if she could have prayer. As we gathered around her she  asked again and again, 'Are you sure this is free, are you sure, are you sure I don't have to pay?'

We reassured he and told her of the great price that had ALREADY been paid by the blood of Christ...

....then we proceeded to pray.

As we did this, people from every which way started making their way closer to our group. Person after person asked for prayer, and soon we were surrounded by a constant flow of 30+ people. Most of them wanted healing.....Back pain, body aches, eye pain, sore feet, years of ongoing sickness, inability to move certain joints, you name it, we prayed healing over it, and commanded it to be gone. 

One gentleman could not lift his right arm any higher then his shoulder without just physically moving it with his left. He showed us the tins cuts and scars on his shoulder that the witch doctor has made when he visited her for help. You could see the frustration and pain in his face because those 'remedies' had obviously yielded no results. 

We cried out ,

in a mix of loud powerful voices and passionate whispers for God to touch this man and heal him. 

And you know what, 

He did. 

We finished praying, the man lifted his arm high, and a big smile crept across his face. He left shaking his head, lifting his arm again and again, and laughing to him self. Countless people were healed that day, and as they left they made their way to friends and family to speak of what what been done. This not only produced more of a crowd, but also a group of ladies literally running from their homes to our truck so as not to miss their chance for prayer. Long after we left the Lord continued to work in that town and the story of His power spread. We received many phone calls from those who were healed wanting to know when we were coming back. A church WILL be started their.... one of the men who was healed gave our contact a piece of land to build on because, he said, 

'I must see my village saved'. 

That morning we didn't set out to heal a village, but we did set out with expectations to see God move...however that might look, and He didn't disappoint. 

Are you expecting God to move today...even amongst the little things, like buying bread? 

Just open your eyes and see what He will do. 

ALL MY LOVE!

Liv