It Begins Again

Well today is the day. In just a few very short hours I will be off again. This time, Europe. 

I have been in a long distance relationship with Nathan for 6, relatively short, months. Finally we will see each other tomorrow morning after my 8 hour over night flight lands in. London. It is very surreal. However, I will only be with him for 2 weeks before I head out once again to the beautiful Pemba, Mozambique a place I have absolutely learned to call home. I am so excited for this new season and everything God has in store. Harvest School 20 is fast approaching and there are still so many things to prepare.

My time home was so amazing it makes it very hard to leave again so soon. I have seen God do some many incredible things through my life and the lives of all my friends and family in the states. He is moving and moving fast and I, as always, am His to guide wherever His wind blows me. 

While home I rested a lot and just waited on The Lord and his provision. Which if you know me at all you know how very difficult this is for me, but like He always does, He came through. I was able to go visit the new Iris Global base in Abeline, Texas. Where myself and a few other staff and Iris family were given the opportunity to receive a week of Andy Miller's Heart Sync, training and personal healing, by Amy Black. It was the most restful and uplifting week I have had in a while. We learned so much and were so honored by so many people that came and spoke. While I was there I couldn't help but be so incredibly thankful for the amazing men and women God has placed in my life to learn from and grow with. I truly am one very blessed missionary. And I could never take that for granted

I have committed to staff this next mission school (harvest school 20) as well as the proceeding school (Harvest School 21) which will begin in October. What will I be doing in between schools? Well, leading outreach Jordan, then hopefully, if the money comes in, heading to Israel to meet up with Nathan, visit some friends, and rest for a bit while renewing my Mozambican visa before heading back to Pemba. 

However, I am still very much in need of finances toward my outreach to Jordan. Flights are around $1,300 one way as of right now and slowly increasing as time goes by. If you would like to help out with this I have a link on my blog page for paypal or you can just email me personally and we will work something out.. I need these flights as soon as possible. But mostly your prayers are so very important to me. I would not be where I am today if it were not for your prayers. Thank you to everyone who have committed to pray for me and bless the things God is doing in me and through me.  I am truly, humbled by the prayerful community God has placed in my life.

Thank you all so much! 

Love and blessings, 

Rachael Michelle Singleton 

What's Next?

Update.

As some of you may have realized I am not in Brazil. Nor am I headed there. I know the last you heard from me I was planning to head there very soon if not already. 

I am sure as most of you know by now my life is always changing course always taking new truns.. especially as I learn what it looks like to follow Holy Spirit and go where He says go laying down what I think is best for what He thinks is best. 

As it got closer to time to start looking at flights for Brazil I felt less and less peace about going in this season... My heart hurt a lot because of this. Brazil will always be like home for me and I know I will go back one day. However, that time is not now. 

My time at home has truly been amazing. A little lazy, but so needed down time with family and friends. Reconnecting and focusing in on building my community. 

This season has sent me through a roller coaster of emotions because I can feel God changing my heart towards this place, the western bride, and first world nations in general. I was once always so happy to abandon this place for wherever He would send me next. However, my heart has begun to burn in areas I have yet to experience. I know I am headed back out into the world for a new and exciting adventures (and I will get to the details of where later), but I am also, now more so than ever, excited to come back to Tennessee whenever that may be. More and More God has been revealing to me His heart for the people who have everything, but nothing at the same time because they don't have Jesus. I cant wait to see how God will use this in my future. 

So what is next?

Well, April 17th - 26th I have been given the opportunity along with other Iris Ministries staff and leaders, to receive healing and training in Andy Millers Heart Sync Ministry (http://www.heartsyncministries.org/what-is-heartsync.html) in Abilene, Texas at the new Iris Base that is starting up there! tThis is an incredible opportunity to learn and grow more into inner healing. I plan to drive there as flights would have been much more expensive. 

I return home from Texas on the 26th or 27th of April. I will have just 2 days home to pack everything up before heading to Georgia where I will be staying with family before flying out to go to London. 

I will be in London for 2 weeks visiting with my Man friend whom at that point I will not have seen in 6 months (long distance is not easy, but thats another blog). 

From London I will be heading straight to Pemba, Mozambique. There I will be Staffing the next Harvest School of Missions. My third consecutive school I will have staffed. I am so excited and honored to have the opportunity to be apart of this incredible family agian! 

After the school I have been given the incredible opportunity to co-lead a team to Jordan. 

And that my friends is the next 6 months.... You know how this works.... Plans come and go, but God's goodness doesn't change ever! As I am growing more and more in this truth my calling becomes more clear. And my desires more and more line up with His. 

If you feel called to support me financially there is a donate button on my blog that is linked to my paypal account.

You can write a check out to me and send it to this address: 

1306 Robin Hill Rd Franklin, Tn 37064. 

I am sorry I do not have a tax deductible option at this time. 

Over all, for flights and Minor living expenses I am in need of about $2,500.00 within the next month and a half.

Most importantly I would love to have a spiritual covering as I go out. My life is often in some of the darkest places in the world Spiritually and physically.  I can use all the prayers I can get. If you feel lead to partner me in prayer please email me at Rachaels7@gmail.com

Thank you all so much for how you have blessed me over the years. It is an honor to call you friends and Family!

Much Love, 

Rachael Michelle

Life of Transitions

Prayer Requests:

Wisdom & Direction

Deeper Intimacy

Financial support

Hello everyone. I know I am about a month behind on writing this and I do apologize.

As I am sure most of you know by now, I am back home in good old Franklin Tennessee New haircut and all! 

After spending a month in California getting to rest, visit my sister, who I hadn't seen in a year, and spending time with Jesus, I am more than ecstatic to be back home. Also I very thankful to still have my bed and room at my moms house for when I do get to come home. 

The last month to be honest was hard, but filled with so much joy at the same time. I was able to meet many new people and, surprisingly, see some familiar faces while in California. towards the end of the month I had the amazing opportunity to fly out to Colorado to be a part of one of my closest friend's wedding celebrations in the Springs. At first I was a little unsure of whether or not it was okay to spend the last bits of my money to fly out there, but I felt God's peace on the situation and booked my flight. 

While there in Colorado Springs I was so blessed with a free hotel room and being able to see some of the amazing family I lived with for over a year during one of the most challenging seasons of my life, all while traveling throughout Central and South America as an Iris ministries team. Being able to see each of them was like being reunited with very close family or how men in war feel about the people they are fighting alongside. 

The weekend was amazing! And because God loves me so much and knows exactly what I need I had the opportunity to give up my seat for someone else and take a later flight. This gave me a $300 dollar voucher for united airlines $20 dollars in airport food vouchers, and bumped up to Economy plus seating! So I basically got all the money back for my flight and some! How Good is our God?! 

  Once I arrived back in Los Angeles I was picked up by my sister and we had one last In 'N' Out run before heading home backing up the car, catching a few hours sleep and heading out on our 33 hour drive back to Tennessee. Through the sunshine, snow, and rain

Since The last Harvest School an leading the Thailand outreach God has been doing so much in my Heart and stretching me. Which has become a pretty common feeling in my life, but never easy. 

One of the things I had always struggled with the most was true intimacy with God. During the Harvest School I came to a place where I couldn't take anymore of my brian shutting me down when I was about to reach a new place of intimacy with The Lord. As I cried out and fasted for days at a time nothing was changing. Until one day when I met someone and he opened up a new part of my heart that I had closed off for so long out of fear of it being taken from me, but instead of it being taken he was adding to it. Of course I was terrified and wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but I told God I would trust Him and that was all He was asking of me.

Now I am sure most of you have seen or heard at this point that I am in a relationship. It is a huge deal and not something I would have ever been able to take lightly or casually. However, God as released so much freedom to my heart in a big way through this relationship. It is still really scary for me at times, but trusting God and taking things one step at a time is where I am at right now and I couldn't be more satisfyed.  

I am home in TN for another month to two months. Resting, being with Jesus, and listening for strategies of the next steps. I have some ideas, but with God, in my experience, things can change.  At the end of March I am planning on heading back to Brazil to an Iris base n Fortaleza for a short season before heading back to Pemba to staff another school. Like I have said before it is one of the most rewarding things I have ever been given the opportubity to do. 

I would love to visit with a lot of you while I am home so please just message me, email me, or text me and I would be so Happy to set up sometime to chat or pray/encourage one another!

Thank you all so much. You who have suported me in the past and been there for me through so much! Thank you for the continual prayers and spiritual coverings. Iwouldt be who I am or where I a today without you. And I do not say that Lightly. 

Blessings,

Rachael Michelle Singleton

Thailand.

Well I am finally state side and have been for just over a week now.

 I hope all of you had the most fantastic Christmas and New Years!

2013 was such an incredible year for me, I am sure a lot of you know. However, I am so excited to see what 2014 has to offer.

Right now I am In Los Angeles, California staying with my little sister who lives here and just graduated from the New York Film Academy at universal studios. I am taking the month to just rest and be still somewhere for a time. As well as visit with my sister whom I hadn't seen in a year. 

After the Harvest school I was headed to Thailand to co-lead a team of newly graduated Harvest Schoolers into one of the darkest places in the world! 

    We arrive in Bangkok, Thailand on the 12th of December. We head to our hostel and get settled into our new home for the next several weeks. In Bangkok there is an Iris base as well as a sister ministry called Nightlight. We had made plans to work with  both of these ministries in our time. Bangkok is a very dark place full of sexual perversion, consumerism, and religious strongholds. And that is exactly why we went. After all God doesn't call us to be a light that shines in a place that is already lit. He calls to be a light in the darkness! 

With both ministries we would be working with we were doing a lot of street an bar ministry by showing Christ's love to the woman and men working the streets and bars. Showing them they have value and beauty without it costing them something. Really just releasing God's presence and love wherever we went. Because it was Christmas time it opened up many more opportunities to show who Christ is. We got to carol in many brothels and hand out gifts to women and ladyboys that we would encounter, which was thousands. 

After nearly 2 weeks in Bangkok getting more and more wrecked everyday, we decided to head 6 hours north to a village called Khon Kean. 95% of all the bar girls, ladyboys, prostitutes, and trafficked girls in Bangkok come from this village. 

We were given contact info of an amazing Thai woman named Jub. She works with a ministry called The Well and runs a home for girls whose parents are either in jail or work in Bangkok as a prostitute. She also does a lot of village and local school ministry to try and raise awareness as well as keep kids in school so they have a better future. She fights everyday against the what the culture has taught these kids. That it is honorable to move to Bangkok and make money for your family and meet a western and fall in love. It has all been so highly romanticized the girls really have no clue what they are getting themselves into when it happens. 

We had so much fun working with Jub and her team while living with the girls she looks after. We got to carol (we learned about 4 songs in the Thai Langauage) at many of the homes in the village (about 60), visited many schools and did a skit on the story of Christmas, visit local police stations, and governmental offices, just releasing God's love. We got to pray and prophecy over all the girls and workers in the home and witness 3 of them coming to Christ and saying yes to a life with Him. 

     Our time in the north was so beautiful and all though it was Cold and we slept on the floor and we spent Christmas away from our family's God gave us this new and incredible family to spend that time with as well as new friends and people who taught us a lot about love. 

After a week we headed back to Bangkok. It was one of the hardest goodbyes of this year. 

Back in Bangkok we had just a few days left together before we all headed our separate ways. And the end of our outreach.  

Now the day before we left to go north I had decided that I would fly out of Thailand on December 30th to come to L.A. But at that point had no ticket out of the country. And to be honest no money for a ticket. So I decided to once again go for a Buddy pass. Despite my last experiences with them I trusted God and His promise to get me to L.A. 

My last few nights in Bangkok I hadn't gotten much sleep.. At all.. And my flight out of Thailand was at 5am meaning I had to be at the airport at 3am meaning I had to leave for the airport at 2am. Needless to say, I was tired. I checked in at the airport and I wait. At about 4:30am I started to get nervous. But they called my name and I headed to the plane! And God had blessed me with a first class seat! I was extatic! God really knows how to take care of me. 9 hours later I landed in Japan. With a 2 hour layover I had to wait for another stand by flight. As I looked at the crowd forming to get on the plane.... I was less hopeful of actually getting on this time.... I went to the desk and the lady said the flight was full. My heart sunk to my stomach so fast I am sure the person next to me heard it. With a worried look on my face I asked her "what do I do" and she just said "wait till the end" I nervously said "okay..." But as I watched the 6 other standby passengers walk up she told them all the same thing "there is no more room!" 

     However, I waited. Finally, most everyone had boarded and the remaining standby passengers were standing at the desk so I decided to join. God new exactly what He was doing. There was one seat left. The two standby passengers with a higher priority than me both had travel buddies who had a priority lower than mine. And neither of the higher priority passengers wanted to go without there companion. So they both gave up there seat which left me with the first seat in first class... To L.A. from Japan! How good is our God! He always takes care of His kids. Even when our faith is being stretched. He is good. So so good. 

Over all my experience in Thailand was fast and I didn't feel like I connected as much with the country itself has I have in the past with other countries. My heart did break, but not as much for the woman and ladyboys as it did for the tourists. The men and woman who come to this country looking for real love that they are willing to pay for it. It just reminded me of how broken and fatherless the world is right now. I didn't get angry at the men buying those women. My heart broke and shattered into pieces for them. To me they are the key to ending all of it. Without their business there is no business. And all they want is real love.... Which is what I carry inside of me. The person of Love lives within me. It's so simple. 

Thailand made me more frustrated and hungry for God. Thailand made me realize I am not as fearless as I want to be. Thailand showed me the places in my life that need refining because if it's that's simple why am I not doing anything about it. 

Sorry this one was a bit longer than I had planned. Thank you all for the support and love you show me all they time. Thank you for the prayers and financial blessings. 

I pray this new year for you filled with blessing and much increase! 

Love,

Rachael Michelle 

Endings.

Hello all my dear friends and family, 

Well I had almost an entire blog on my last bush bush outreach typed, but all with a press of a button it was gone never to return. I have been so busy with finishing this school well I just haven't had the time or capacity to re-write it over. So much is going on. So I have decided to just give a quick testimony from bush then bring you all up to date with everything going on. 

This last time out in the bush was so great and easy compared to my previous teams I have lead into to bush bush. So many amazing things happened. The chief of the village came for breakfast after the first night. We blessed her, introduced ourselves, prayed and prophesied over her and the village, and gave her an audio Bible in her own language.  She wasn't a Christian, but an hour or so later she asked to receive Jesus into her heart. We saw many healings and got to bless a local church with manual labor by moving bricks from a field to where a new church was being built. 

One of the craziest things that happened for me though, was the morning we were leaving. Before breakfast we were all gathered around chatting and packing up while waiting for the water for our tea to boil. When all of a sudden we were disturbed by the sound of drums and chanting. We looked up to the area where breakfast was being prepared and a huge crowd had formed around the house. The drums and chanting got even louder. Once we had realized what was happening I had this righteous anger boiling up inside of me faster than the water for tea was boiling. The crowd was formed around these three witch doctors who didn't like the atmosphere we had brought with us and decided to try and counter act it, but it made me so angry that they even thought they had a chance against our God. I exclaimed "what do they think they are doing" out loud. One of my co-leaders, in an attempt to calm me down said, "Rachael, just ignore it and pray," I was not having that. So I marched right up to where the crowd had formed. I had no clue what I was doing, but all I wanted to do was to give them a good stare as if to say with my eyes "what do you think you are doing." The crowd saw me coming and began to disperse and laugh at my attempts to threaten them with my eyes. As the witch doctors began to leave to go to another house  I nearly bumped into one as he was turning the corner. I wanted to say so many things in that moment, but all my Portuguese left my thoughts and the only thing I could remember was "Jesus Te ama" (Jesus loves you), so I said it. As I shook his hand I heard God say "do not let them provoke you. Remember who carries more authority."   The man gave me a good long confused stare before saying something in Makuah (tribal Langauage) then moving on. I just told the team to continue to release the Kingdom of heaven and enjoy our breakfast with out any fear that they had any kind of power over our camp sight. That moment will stick with me forever. 

Graduation is in a few hours and that is a strange feeling. Harvest School 19 is nearly over just 3 more days until myself, my co-leader Natalie, and 8 students head to Thailand for a 21 day outreach! I am so excited, but also sad to be saying goodbye again! This school has sped by with no mercy. It seems like an age ago I was in Holland getting wrecked. As well as, God releasing my fist ever spiritual parents, Jason Lee Jones and His wife Regina, who have now been here in Pemba for the last few weeks pouring into me and the students.  I am so amazed by the family and community God has so blessed me with. Who he has been placing into my life to stand behind me and go before me. I am truly a blessed daughter! So thank you all so much as well for the prayers and financial support. It means so much to me in ways I am not sure I can express. 

Please keep me in your prayers. I need as much as I can get as the school is finishing and my team and I head into one of the darkest countries in the world. Pray for Wisdom, pray for Peace, pray for guidance and financial breakthrough. 

As of right now I have no ticket home for lack of finances, but I trust God and the direction He has given me thus far. Which is that when the outreach is finished I am to head to L.A. To visit my sister, who I have not seen in over a year! Spend 3 weeks to a month with her resting and being with Jesus while she is at work.  Then going to Colorado for a couple of days to go to my good friend Katherine's wedding. After that I will head to TN for just a month or so before heading to Brazil to live under some of my favorite people in the world, Herbert and Lorelie, to serve at an Iris Base there for about a month before heading  back to staff HS20 ( Harvest School 20) ( I am still praying about this step, but as of right now I am a yes until I am a no). That is the direction I feel like I have received from Jesus for the next 6 months of my life.  And I have no idea what it will look like or who will come into the midst of it, but God is in control and I will follow Him until the end. My life, not only my death belongs to the Him. 

I hope this update finds you all well. I really would like to know what I can be praying for you all about so respond if you have things you would like me to contend with you about!

May all the Glory and Praise be to Him who is worthy!

Much Love & Many Blessings. 

Love always,

Rachael Michelle Singleton

Holland. A Mission Possible Experience.

This has been a long time coming.  First, I wanted to update you all on my trip to Holland, but things are very busy here in Pemba and time has just been slipping further and further away!

Second, I wanted to update you on life in Pemba and the school, but I will get to that another time.

Being in Holland at the Mission Possible Conference was one of the most humbling experiences I have ever been apart of.  Really I wasn’t extremely sure why I was there, but God totally paid for everything, for me to be there, so I wasn’t going to complain.

The flights were long, but the team and I got to Holland with possessions in tacked. We headed to the conference site, about two hours from the airport. But, first we spent the afternoon in Amsterdam city exploring and eating amazing food. After living in Pemba for so long food becomes a big deal.

 Arriving to the hostel where we would be staying with 182 other Harvest school Alumni and guests.  We as Harvest School staff were in charge and put straight to work to help run the conference. And we didn’t stop.  It was 18-hour days from then on out. Organizing, making sure jobs were getting done, and people were where they were meant to be.

Despite all the hard work we were doing running the Iris side of the conference it was such an honor to be there and extremely humbling to be in the same room as some the amazing men and women of faith that were there.  80 plus nations represented at the conference as a whole and 50 of those nations considered closed nations. As in they are nations closed off to parts of the world particularly Christians and or Christianity. 

We had 50 plus Christian leaders from those closed countries come and risk there lives to be at the conference to share about the work they are doing in some of the most dangerous places in the world. Places where there are literally only 20 Believers in the entire country and if they are found out they would be shot.  How they sacrifice themselves daily for the gospel, how there people are being tortured and murdered for the sake of the name Jesus.

I cannot go into much more detail than that because if most of there governments found out they were there they would be killed.  That is the severity of the world we live in and it can be so easy sometimes to just look the other way or not think about the importance one little life can have.

Some of the big name people who spoke at the conference were; Heidi Baker, Philip Mantofa, Bill Johnson. Kris Vallaton, Lou Engle, Brother Andrew, Lauren Cunningham, Matteus Van Der Stein, and David Wagner.   The conference was a amazing and we had 24/7 prayer going months before and during the conference. 

It really made me think about my calling in life.  3 years ago when I was a student in the Harvest Mission school I told God “YES” my heart was screaming it. I said “to the darkest and Most dangerous places Lord and then Darker!”  However, since then I have been in process. God has literally been refining after refining me. Teaching me a servant heart. Showing me that laying down your life doesn’t just mean dying for someone, which I am willing and hungry to do! But sometimes it looks like dying to self first and obeying God No matter the cost. I want to be a Martyr, but I want to be a martyr that really lived out the gospel!  I want my life to have glorified My Savior in every aspect not just in my death!

God has given me a promise! “Ask and I will give the nations to you as your inheritance! “ And I know there is no Partiality in God (Romans 2:11, Deuteronomy 10:17-18). Therefore; I know I can trust Him to finish what He started. And I will glorify Him in everything even if it is not the glamorous and adventurous missionary story everyone wants.  

 I no longer want to sit around and play good little missionary when there are people out there who one have never heard the name Jesus and who are dying and sacrificing everything because they know the power in the that very name.  

 I know the power in that name and I want to start using it in more ways than just for myself. 

But Has put me in this season of planting and imparting that very seed of hunger and willingness into the lives of other Christians around me.

My life story my not be one of excitement or extreme trauma God saved me from, but He rescued me out of my own complacency and stagnancies. He saved me from myself. And Part of my destiny is calling people out of themselves.

 The conference stirred up a huge hunger inside of me to see God’s people come back to Him and know their Identities in Him.

God really started breaking my heart even more and confirming many things about my future to me. I had always felt called to war zones and to dark places, but never felt the okay to just run straight into any of it. As if I wasn’t qualified enough. However, God showed me its not about my qualification its about obedience. Which is something I always knew in my head, but fear gripped my heart.  I know now that obedience is so much greater than sacrifice.

I want to see a generation of soldiers, drug lords, pimps, and complacent Christians rise up and realize their real identity. Realize their Value. I want to see them worship God with there entire lives! I want to see these people Love the God of this creation!

I want to Challenge you. Go and Ask God for more hunger for Him. Then ask Him to use you. Then obey.  Sacrifice is the easy when we are in the midst of obedience.

I have more I need to update about, but this was more important to my heart. I just got back from my weekend bush-bush outreach and I will have a blog up about that soon.

I love and miss you all. I ask only that you keep me in your prayers. If you feel lead to intercede for me and if you are willing please email me personally. I need you.  (Rachaels7@gmail.com)

Much Love and Blessings,

Rachael Michelle