Gypsy- not a dirty word

She called me a hippie and I was taken aback. Was that an insult? I always have had a wanderer’s heart. But the hippy vibe reminded me too much of Charles Manson. I preferred the term gypsy, despite any negative connotations that word may have. My friend assured me that by "hippie", she meant explorer, traveler, wanderer, happy, joyful heart, free spirit.

I smiled. That is how I view the word, gypsy. Ever since I saw Aladdin, I was in love and wanted to be like Jasmine. Flying carpet ride and all.

Now, as I travel around the world, sometimes I really do feel like a gypsy. We go from place to place, staying only 1 month in each country (or less, depending on our travel days) hence the whole 11n11 hashtag (11 countries in 11 months- how long we travel on the World Race to partner with different organizations or churches around the world.) This makes for hard good-byes and a fast turnaround of getting used to a place just to leave it. Wanting to return to certain places more than others and falling in love with the people.

Bulgaria was one of those places. I fell in love with the country; a beautiful, natural place that inspired wonder and greatness. The first country of our European part of our Race and I was in love. The ancient history- the ruins from years ago that brought to life the castles I’d only imagined about and made me want to visit one even more. (I love castles. Castles represent freedom, royalty, the highest dream life actualized, hence it represents two different items on my bucket list- to be published soon on here!)

Bulgaria was also the place where I first met the Roma gypsy population- a traditionally nomadic people with no roots, no home base, said to originally have migrated from India. I could relate, and not just because of the World Race. I was always a gypsy at heart, I felt. I loved to move from place to place- wanderlust would hit me often once I got bit by the travel bug. Even growing up, our family did not have many roots either and we moved often.

The children in the gypsy community were full of joy. They loved to laugh and have fun and would make a connection with you right away. They had tender, open hearts despite the hardships they faced with discrimination and not having a homeland or any roots. Many people worldwide look down on gypsies and view them as inferior or have negative views of them, not trusting them.

We visited a couple of gypsy communities and played games with the children and got to know them for the month we were in the country. When we pulled away for the last time, the sadness hit me as I realized fully how much I would miss them, these fellow travelers who loved life. They inspired me to live my life to the fullest, to enjoy, laugh, take that risk and relish the simple, beautiful parts of life.

So, I am reclaiming and redefining these terms. Wanderer, hippie, gypsy. Someone who is free, loves to explore, discover, travel and learn. Someone who is free, ready and confident to live the fullest life. To live abundantly. To dream big and live out your dreams. 

God has been showing me how no matter where I go, He is with me. I don’t have to search for the perfect home to feel like I belong. I already belong because I am God’s daughter. My place is in God and though at times, I may be a wanderer on the earth, my eternal home is God’s kingdom. Here and now, I belong to God. He gives me a home and a family. He places the lonely in families. He is my safe place and my sanctuary.

My hope for the Roma gypsies and every wanderer on this earth is that they may find God and know they are loved; that they belong to the King and accept His invitation to be adopted into His family. To know that they belong to the Most High King- God, their Heavenly Father who loves them. 

May this verse below become true for all wanderers and gypsies and the refugees- please join me in prayer. 

Isaiah 32:18- Then my people will live in a peaceful habitation, And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places.

More to come soon on working with the refugees in Greece.

GoDaughter: Arising From the Ashes

I am reclaiming this blog as my original blog and space to share my journey- where I'm at now and where I'm going, as I seek God and learn my place in Him- my home is in God and I am part of God's family. As you may know, I am traveling on the World Race. I do not want this to distract from the overall journey, but I wish to share my unique perspective of what I am learning on this journey and how this relates to the original purpose of starting this blog.

The jungle of Bolivia, where we stayed and worked at an orphanage during Month 5 of the Race

Please forgive my hiatus from this blog. As I continue traveling the world, I have been learning a lot about my identity. I got lost and tried to find my place. I came back to God, as He continued to pursue me with His love.  He showed me that my place is in Him and always was. That even when I strayed or forgot who I was, God was still there for me, as my Loving Father, my Papa.

I tried to find my voice, my identity and so did not even know what to write or share. I will reclaim and reinvent this space now as my own space to share with you, the world, what my journey is.

I will share what I am learning, the joy and the hard times. How I find light again, how I refuse to give up. How, even when it doesn't make sense, I can still know my place is in God.

I will share with you each point of the journey. How, now, as I continue traveling- this time on this 11 month journey called the World Race, going to 11 countries, I am learning more about the abundant life in Christ. What it means when God says, "GO," no matter where you are or what type of job you have.

Today I am in Greece. It is Month 7 of the World Race. There is so much going on, internally and all around, but my anchor is in Christ.

Ever since God spoke to my heart in the jungles of Bolivia, where we were working at an orphanage, I have been learning and relearning how my safe place really is in God. How God really is my home, my sanctuary and how I am part of His family, as He adopted me as His own. He chose me. God chose you. He chooses each of His children. He wants everyone to come to Him. But it is your choice if you will accept God's invitation to you.

Isaiah 60:1- "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

Now, GoDaughter is rising out of the ashes. 

View of the mountain sunset from our porch in Bolivia at the orphanage

I am rising out of the ashes.

You are invited to arise into the full life God has for you today!

To come: My experience in Greece working with the refugees and what home means when you don't have one. The gypsies in Bulgaria who historically did not have a home and wandered from place to place. How all of this relates to God telling us to "Go."

Be sure to sign up for updates to follow this new journey of choosing life and fullness! Just add your email to the Follow me space on the right hand side!

Unsung Heroes in Chile

Unsung Heroes Month. What does this mean?

Unsung- synonyms: nameless, no-name, noteless, uncelebrated, unfamous, unknown, unrecognized, obscure.

Definition- Not celebrated or praised. Not sung.

Hero: 1.) an illustrious warrior 2) :  a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities 3.)  one who shows great courage.

We are getting ready to start our Unsung Heroes Month! This means we will be searching for new contacts and learning how to trust God more in our daily walk.

God provides all of our needs and has commanded us, in fact, not to worry and to cast all of our cares upon Him, because He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 55:22) Of course, this can be difficult for those who are planners who need to know all of the details before jumping into anything. But this is the beauty of it. And it can be scary, no doubt. Similar to the church in the book of Acts, we will be looking for how to partner with what God is already doing around the world and finding new people for Adventures in Missions to serve alongside of. For people and groups that are doing great things for God's kingdom that we can help in some way. 

We will also be trusting God in the day to day. This may mean trusting Him for a place to stay or what the ministry we will be doing that day. We will pray for God's guidance. The good thing is God is always with us and He has already equipped us. It's nothing that surprises Him when we don't know what to do next. His Holy Spirit is in us and guides us. Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

We will be working as a team to have a structure to the day and centering our focus on asking God as we grow in Him and learn to trust Him more like the disciples did. Jesus spent time with God every morning and went somewhere alone to ask Him what His will was and to be strengthened in the Lord. This is also what we will be doing. We will be in community with our team and will do devotions, prayer, worship and work alongside of each other, trusting that God will guide us in His will as we seek Him out.

Before we left the airport, our squad leader reminded us to seek God in the hard parts as well as the mundane, when it seems like nothing is happening yet. We need to be seeking God and trusting Him every day. God really will provide. It is easy to trust someone when everything is smooth and easy, you can smile and feel a sense of happiness. But what about when the everyday is hard? Or what if it doesn’t always feel like an adventure or it feels routine? Is it easy to trust then?

She reminded us we have a choice. When we want to stress or worry or think that everything is going wrong, we can stop and trust God. We can ask Him for help and He will help us. He will provide for our needs. We are His children.

God never changes, so we can always trust Him.  Malachi 3:6 says, "I, the Lord, do not change." Numbers 23:19 says God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act?  Does he promise and not fulfill?

God has called us to this journey and He already has gone before us, so He knows the way even if we do not. He already knows what He has planned for us. All we need to do is trust in Him and keep walking with Him.

Join me on this exciting journey this month with Unsung Heroes! If you know of anyone in Chile or elsewhere who you think may match the definition of unsung heroes, then please contact me! If you know of anyone in Chile who is doing Kingdom work or has a ministry or church or missions group, I would love to hear about it!

Thank you!

Please pray:

1. For this month to be a beautiful adventure. 
2. For God to guide my team with where to go and to find the ministries and people He wants us to find.
3. For God to provide for all my needs and to help me to choose freedom and joy and trust in Him every day.