The source of Hope

Hope is the desire. Faith is the demonstration. Dreams don't start out as a harvest. It starts with a seed that initiates the process.

 I have found myself lately in the middle of my dreams coming true. It's the most surreal, ridiculously amazing, and humbling feeling I have ever experienced. A dream that started off two years ago with many people saying I was crazy, but possibly just crazy enough to pull it off, is starting to come into reality. As I look back at the events of the past 2 years of my life I can see how much God was truly in charge. He perfectly placed people, situations, and places in my path when I needed to find them. These events (no matter how good or bad) have changed my personality, faith, and beliefs in the way that I needed them to for this dream to become a reality.

 "You want to learn to walk by faith, not by sight. You can't learn that without walking through periods of complete darkness."

When I decided to start up a nonprofit 2 years ago for a cause I could not ignore, I took a huge leap of faith. I knew my life would change forever and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that, but my heart was convicted knowing that someone had to step up to the plate. I thought of a million reasons why it shouldn't be me, but I felt an unyielding push in that direction. I slowly put one unsteady foot in front of the other knowing that God would show me the right path, and now I am walking completely in sync with his vision. I feel like I have a direct line to Him and how he wants me to proceed with this foundation in order for our mission to be successful and for people to know the comfort, peace, and love that comes from having a relationship with Jesus.

 "Hope wants it to happen. Faith causes it to happen and acts as if it's already done."

There have been numerous times along the way that I felt like I was absolutely nuts for going forward with opening a nonprofit. I often felt like I was climbing a mountain without the proper gear and would die from lack of resources at any moment. With a cause being so close to your heart, you are often terrified to for it to fail. 

 "Do not catch yourself standing in hope instead of walking in faith."

I was so nervous about all the emotion this dream was stirring up inside of me and not knowing if I was strong enough to see it through. But it turns out that the overflowing passion that used to bring tears to my eyes every time I would talk about this dream has now transformed into the unbreakable foundation that will never crack when adversity strikes. So all those shaky first days, months, and choices I made with a huge lump in my throat was exactly what God had in mind. His plan for my life was precisely the right blueprint needed to see this thing through.

  "The process is invaluable. The process is the point. And that process has the potential to draw you closer to Jesus than you've ever been."

I knew that this vision that I had been called to bring to life was much bigger than me. The reasons why it would be an impossible dream that would never become successful were infinite. The only reason I could think of that this nonprofit would actually one day become a real and successful organization was if God showed up. I am just some ordinary girl who is no smarter or business savvy than the next. But sure enough, right along with all of my prayers, things began to happen. It was complete and utter confirmation that God was steering this ship, not me. So what am I worried about?

"You know it will never happen unless God intervenes. You are placing yourself in the middle of a move of God."

These days I find myself working incredibly hard on our website and deciding what would be the right ways to convey this dream that God has placed on my heart. How can I manifest this idea into words? Some things are just too hard to communicate, but somehow I am doing it. I am getting across the love and kindness that my nonprofit will show to those in my community, and I am doing it MY way. No one else is telling me what things 'should' look like, and I wouldn't listen to them anyway. God has made me the earthly boss of this organization and he is daily molding me into the person I need to be to continue moving forward. He chose me.....I would have totally picked someone else. But if this is my job description, I am going to embrace it.  And to start, I am putting my own spin on things....it's fun, its genuine, and it's full of compassion. Just like this nonprofit will be.

 "The church of Jesus Christ should be the most compassionate and creative entity on the planet."

No matter how many mountains I have to climb in the future I know God will prepare me for the battle. He is faithful. He has given me just the triumphs and trials I have needed to get to this point in my life. My hope is purely in Him and I have stopped looking for signs of hope here on earth. Hope is the lifeline so it needs to be hooked up to the right source. Its what helps you to survive the unimaginable. When you have a heavenly lifeline pushing you forward there is no mountain too big to conquer.

I believe in the sun even if it's not shining. I believe in love even when I'm alone. I believe in God even when He's silent.

I want to dedicate every minute of my life to this dream and I am continuing to get things in order for it to be successful while in Korea. I can not sit on my hands and watch the world suffer any longer. It's time to do something about it, and share with others the lifeline that has helped me to stay standing these past few years. I don't want to just 'get by.' I want to 'make an impact.'

"We are not here to merely survive the world.....we are here to transform it for the glory of God. And we are here to stay." 

Imagine what we can accomplish.