Home is Where the Heart Is

I was a little girl when I first heard the saying, "Home is Where the Heart Is." At the time, in my little eyes, "home" was a place in the countryside where my sister and I played Indians and reenacted Laura Ingles Wilder. I loved playing in the two-story tree fort our dad had built for us, climbing trees, and riding our Cabbage Patch Hot Wheel down our gravel driveway. I couldn't think of anywhere I'd rather be. And then we moved to "town." I was devastated, as devastated as a ten-year-old girl could be.

It was then that I slowly started to realize that "home" was no longer a place--it was where my family and the people that I hold closest to me are."Home" can be filled with places that I love, such as Humboldt County, Santa Cruz, Costa Rica, or the Philippines. But, it's the people that make it feel like a home in your heart. (Stunning landscapes sometimes help, though.) I didn't grow attached to our house in town, but in a way, I think that was God preparing me for the life that I am now living.

When I think of the places or structures that we call "home," I am reminded of the verse in Matthew where Jesus says, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of God has no place to lay His head." This particular verse refers to the cost of following our Heavenly Father--that there will be hardships and persecution…sometimes, we will have to forgo seeing family for months on end, and we will often move about from place to place. It may not feel quite like "home." But that's because it isn't supposed to feel like home. Our real home is in Heaven. The earlier we come to this realization, our mindset shifts, and that is when we start carrying "home" in our hearts with the beautiful people that are a part of our lives.

Praises & Blessings:

• I am officially settled in with my sis and her family. This will be my home base as I will be traveling and working from here.

• I have had a few calls these past few weeks about upcoming projects/initiatives I will be working on and to confirm travel dates.

• ​Projects & Initiatives: We are editing Life Skill curriculum that we could use in many project nations. Brainstorming ways that we can build up our Manila Children's Home Network. We already network with five different Children's Homes in the Manila area. We desire to expand this network so that other homes can encourage and strengthen one another and provide training and leadership seminars.

• Nutrition. ER currently has 15 different programs that receive some sort of nutrition. Some of our projects have expressed a desire to have a garden to cut costs on groceries and provide a "life skill" to the children. (This is just one example of something that we are working towards!)

• Travel Dates: A21 Walk For Freedom ~ October in Ephraim, Utah. (This will be an excellent way for me to start networking with other anti-trafficking organizations.) Manila Christmas Parties & Meeting of Partner Projects ~ November/December in Manila, Philippines. (I will be a part of the Christmas parties that serve our partner projects and will also stay back a few more weeks to sit down and meet with our projects in the area that work with orphans and vulnerable children.)

​Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for me as I start my travels. Pray that when I share, the words that come out of my mouth are those of my Abba Father's. Pray for wisdom as I travel, as I will sometimes have to make choices and share ideas.

• Please hold our projects up in prayer! Pray for the kids that we work with and the fantastic people who pour into these precious children! (Hurricane Irma is currently in the Caribbean, passing over Haiti and other islands. We have two partner projects in Haiti. Please pray for their safety and protection as well as for others!)

• I am believing and praying for about 30 more people at $50 a month. My work takes me to multiple countries such as Ecuador, Haiti, South Africa, Kenya, Nepal, and the Philippines. Together, with our Abba Father, we empower those already in ministry in these countries and give a voice to the voiceless and turn ashes into beauty. If you would like to join me on this incredible journey, please click on the "DONATE" tab.

*To read Extreme Response's latest update, click here: September ER News