Another Ending Season

Isaiah 54: 2-6

2 Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; spare not; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes,

3 For you will spread abroad to the right hand and to the left; and your offspring will possess the nations and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4 Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed; neither be confounded and depressed, for you shall not be put to shame. For you shall forget the shame of your youth, and you shall not [seriously] remember the reproach of your widowhood any more.

5 For your Maker is your Husband—the Lord of hosts is His name—and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called.

6 For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken, grieved in spirit, and heartsore—even a wife [wooed and won] in youth, when she is [later] refused and scorned, says your God.

Over the past month and a half God has been stretching me. At the beginning of this school I received several prophetic words about the season I was walking into. Specifically reverencing Isaiah 54. God wanted to stretch me to a new capacity. He wanted to broaden my horizon. If only I had known it would be so painful. 

I have been stretched  this season, to say the least. 

     Graduation for the Hravest School 20 students has long passed and my heart has been only that I finish well giving God all the glory for the amazing work He has done not only in my life, but especially the lives of all the students in this school. 

My trust and faith, my theologies and belief systems, my relationships, even within the government have all been under the fire this Harvest school. God was holding nothing back. I guess this was one of those be careful what you pray for lessons. 

In order to respect the privacy of other people involved I can not go into detail of what this school has entailed, therefore, making this blog post some what vague, but God knew this season was so pivotal for me. I have learned so much more about myself and the weighty significance of real oil of intimacy you can only get from pure alone time with our beloved Jesus. 

Julie Meyers from IHOP ( International House of Prayer, Kansas city, Missouri) was here in Mozambique the last week of Harvest school. An example she gave of her two sons in class one day spoke to me so much. 

One of her sons was pouring milk and another one was holding the cup. The son holding the cup was constantly moving it around as to make it difficult for the son pouring the milk to actually get any milk into the cup. The son with the cup was moving so much so that only a few drops were landing in the cup. Julie talked about how God, even though she was so frustrated with her two sons making a mess, spoke to her in that moment. The Lord was giving her a physical picture of how we as Christians are sometimes moving around so much and never stopping long enough to actually get filled up. To actually let the Lord pour out the gifts and intimacy He has for us each day. Even still the lord is so sweet and in those few drops we get here and there he lavishes His presence on us. But think, how much more of Him we could get if we would stop just being satisfied with just the drops! It is all about Hunger! 

I am really hungry for more of God. I had been crying out for more and more of Him and I am so thankful for this difficult school cause it really has given me an opportunity to grow in my faith and trust in Him. I never want to stop growing I always want to have learned something no matter how big or small. 

This season I have seen so much of God's goodness. I can't believe we have gradutated 350 students and I have completed my 3^rd Harvest School as staff.  

After school is over I will no longer be co-leading the Jordan outreach. I am sad, but God knew what I needed and what was best for me. So I will be heading to Israel on August 11^th to meet up with Nathan ( my Man-friend for those of you who dont know) to take some time to rest as well as do ministry with some friends there. Then I head back to Johannesburg, South Africa on the 29^th of August to wait until Harvest School 21 takes off. Thats right. I am going into school number 4. God willing.

One of my amazing and beautiful daughters in my house joyfully blessed me with all my flights from Pemba to Israel and back to Johannesburg. Taking me one step closer to a new season. I couldn't have been more undone by this jester. There are no words to express the goodness of God in that act. 

Having family here in this school has definitely had its down sides, but has that much more had its upsides. I don't think I would have made it through this school in one piece had it not been for family. Signifying that much more the importance of family to me and the ministry I know God is calling me into. I want to create family around me no matter where I am. I truly believe the Heart of God rests in real family atmospheres. No performance, but raw real family. Embracing each person for who He created them to be and calling them higher than worldly standards with intentional and loving communication.

God is real my friends. He walks among us everyday. I see Him in my House 9 daughters as they prophecy and proclaim destiny into one another. I see Him in the little african mama selling bananas outside our gate. I see Him in the mozambican evangelism team who every weekend are excited go out into the bush and see their people know the love of Jesus like they do. I feel Him when I am exhausted and want to scream He never leaves my side. 

I am so honored by the life I get to live. That I was chosen for this generation. My life is of no significance in the big picture, yet the Creator of the world chose me for such a time as this. 

Thank you to those who have been so faithful In supporting me. Whether it be financial or spiritual! It is a huge blessing for me and the yes cry of my heart! To be able to go knowing I have family in Christ backing me up in the movement of the Holy Spirit. I pray the Lord pours out 10 times the blessings upon you and your lives. 

This next season is going to be a really exciting one. I have been given so many opportunities for the new year and I can not wait to share them with you all. So please be praying for my decision making and to have lots of wisdom. More and more God is pouring out the desires of my heart! It is all so exciting!

More details to come. Please feel free to email me or contact me whatever way is best for you if you have questions or would like to be involved in covering me.

Much Love,

Rachael Michelle Singleton

Bush Bush In Chuiba

Update On Bush Bush In Chuiba

I know this is now two weeks late, but I did my best with everything has been going on which is a whole other blog. 

Two weekends ago I got to lead my Harvest School color group (MENTA) into to the bush bush. I didn't find out what village or area we would be going to until the day before we left. I was ecstatic to hear that my team and I would be heading to a village called Chuiba. which is the Village my home church, Grace Center, had adopted a few years ago. I couldn't believe it.

Thursday the fun began. My color group, mozambican team, and a few guest speakers headed down to the camions where we began to wait. Soon we found out one of our camions was broken and that was why we had been waiting for 3 hours. Finally we were able to get a truck and get things loaded. Luckily, for us Chuiba is only 30 mins away from base, when roads are good that is.

Finally we arrive, we set of camp, and we come together to pray right outside of the church that was washed out by the floods and the new church Grace Center help build.

Heidi and her team arrive and we all  drive out about 10 minutes to the place where we are showing the Jesus film.

We pile into the smaller trucks. The truck I am in stops. The transmission has gone out and we are parked right in front of a little store shack where all these Mozambican mama's are watching with curiosity. When the truck wasn't starting I decided to go over and try and chat with the Mamas and invite them to the film. They laughed at my broken Portuguese and Makua, but eventually got the point. Finally, the truck started up again and everyone jumped back in. I think we stopped just so we could invite those mamas. Alas, the sand got too thick and the truck was stuck again. We all decided to jump out and walk, but we made it half way through the film.

The film ends and the chaos begins Heidi began to preach. Jumping from Portuguese to Makua my team and I are quickly lost in translation. The next thing I know was that we were being asked if we were ready. Confused I said “yes?” Then I was asked again are you ready? I replied “Yes, to pray?” To which Heidi replied “no for your skit.” To which I replied “yes of course” running back to my confused team I told them very quickly to get ready for the Good Samaritan skit, that we had only practised one time before. They jumped in anyway and did there very best.

Then Heidi preaches again and asks the village chief to preach, who has only just become a Christian recently. Then we are pushed in to a fire tunnel line to begin praying for people. It all happened so fast! Surrounded by kids on all sides, trying to stay in our fire tunnel formation, having my hair pulled at by fascinated girls behind me, and still getting very lost in translation we all just keep praying. Hundreds of people are going through the line to receive Jesus a blind man starts to come through the tunnel to receive Jesus He stops right in front of me and Heidi everyone is praying the man gets healed and the line keeps moving. Just like that He was healed 3 years of cataracts and this man can see again.  The mamas I had invited to come earlier show up and come through the line. After about an hour of standing in a line the crowd breaks out into a worship dance party as we begin to pack down.

With no Truck coming to pick us up we make the long 30 min trek in the dark through the village back to our camp sigh,t accompanied by, literally, hundreds of children.

Exhausted, hungry, and covered in dirt we do our best to keep the kids out of our tents. We have our traditional bush-bush supper of spaghetti and tuna and head for bed.

The next morning we have breakfast (two bread rolls one with jam one with peanut butter) and complimentary Starbucks Coffee served by Heidi herself. We had a time of prayer then we split up into many different activities. House visits in the village, children's program, discipleship program with the church leaders, fixing latrine walls, and cooking lunch. As the day went on we got to hear many more testimonies of those who went out into the village and saw many people of another faith receive the Love of Jesus into there hearts, give up there witch craft and get healing in there bodies.

Praise the Lord I love my life and the things He allows me to see.

That night we had showed the Jesus film again in a different location it was an interesting night and the area was a more spiritually difficult area than the night before, but God only knows the impact we had on those villagers and what all they did received.

The next morning we had the amazing opportunity to honor the village chiefs with Breakfast and capulanas (mozambican fabric used for everything).

At one point I was speaking with the Pastor of the church, that Grace Center has help build, and told him that Grace Center was my home church! His eyes got bright and his smile increased and he said “oh tell everyone thank you so much! An that you are now my very good friend!”

Not long after we honored and blessed the villgae we packed up and headed out back for base.

The trip over all was a beautiful time to really connect with the village and see God work in ways there that even Heidi was excited to see because of the hesitation of the village so much before.

Something New

Hello Everyone,

Sorry its been a while since my last update. I have been so busy here in Pemba. Almost all the students have arrived and class has already started. Will Hart, from Global Awakening Ministries, has been here with his team starting off the school!

I think the last I have updated you all I was headed to London to visit the man I met in Pemba, but had spent the last 6 months getting to know over the internet. 

Finally we would get some in person time. Even though for only two weeks, but I took what I could get.

The two weeks we had together were so amazing. I have never been pursued or invested in with so much Honor and respect. I am truly a blessed woman. 

Alas, the two weeks came and went and I found myself standing in line at the airport saying goodbye to an amazing man whom I have fallen in love with so quickly.   

Only God knows what is next for us and I am so excited to see where He will take us on our journey together. Hopefully I will be able to reunite with Nathan in Israel in just two months after I lead Outreach to Jordan (Assuming finances come in). Then I will head straight back to Pemba to Staff Harvest School 21.

Please pray with me about finances. As of right now I have no money for flights or for outreach or for returning to Pemba. I believe God has called me to lead this team and I know He will provide in His timing. I am honoured to just get more opportunities in life that cause me to trust Him and watch how He amazes me and everyone else around me. HE IS ALWAYS GOOD. 

Harvest School 20 so Far has been amazing.  I love having my blood family here and other friends from Tennessee. It really does make all the difference seeing familiar faces everyday as I watch God bringing the promises of, what used to feel like a double life and two separate families, together as one.

I am a very proud House mama of 12 ladies. They are so beautiful and fantastic. I can not wait to see How God wrecks their lives for His glory!

Things are madness right now. There is so much to do and be done, but God is giving me the grace and capability through Him alone. One very important thing that He is teaching me in this season of life is that I am capable of all things, but only through Him and my strength should come from nowhere else but in Him! It is not an easy thing to learn, especially for someone who grew up learning to value independence more than trust in people. I don’t get much time off especially with the first couple of weeks of school getting everything into a flow and students getting settled, but the time I do have to myself I know is set apart for the Lord… and writing this blog…

I go on bush-bush next weekend and I am very excited to see what all God has in store for me and my team. 

I have been having some thoughts about miracles lately.

When people say to me “oh you live in Africa do you see lots of miracles?” I have a hard time coming up with an appropriate response. Of course I see miracles! I do every single day. However, they are not always the kind of miracles people want to hear about. I see miracles in daily life tasks. Getting things done promptly in Pemba is a real Miracle. Having the grace and love to spend, literally, almost every waking moment around people, for me, is a miracle. Learning how to receive ridicule for not understanding the language or correction for something I unententionally did wrong that offended the culture is a miracle.

 Of course I see blind eyes open, the deaf hear, and multitudes coming into the arms of Jesus, but those are not the only kind of miracles that can happen in one day. I thank God everyday for the miracle of life in general. On Base we have over 350 students walking around who all have a miracle story of how they got to Pemba. 

 How good is our God and how blessed I am to have the honour and opportunity to serve amongst people that God has chosen for such a time as this!

Yes I might complain about my work load, yes I will get tired and cranky, yes I will loose faith, but God is always faithful to fill me up even when I don’t ask for it. 

I miss you all and I wish you could all be apart of this life. Thank you to everyone who has been apart of supporting me and getting me to place I am now financially and spiritually. 

If you would like to Help me financially with getting me to the outreach I am meant to lead in August email me at Rachaels7@gmail.com

I need about $3,000 for all the flights. 

But most importantly I am always in need of prayer and spiritual covering for everything!

I love you all.

Blessings, 

Rachael Michelle

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