I am sitting here crying (anyone who knows me well knows that’s not unusual haha) trying to type an appeal because I’m wondering how I could ever give God the praise He deserves in one or two paragraphs. I wanted to write about my walk with Him starting when I was baptized in June of 2019, and how the two words to summarize my journey with Him would be faith and surrender. To write how I’ve been radically changed, transformed, squeezed, sifted, and stretched in ways I didn’t think possible. Over these few years, I’ve said ‘yes’ to things that didn’t make sense and ‘no’ to things that made even less sense. I’ve forsaken comfort and the things of this world because God told me that His Kingdom is upside down and what He has is boundlessly better. That two years ago, He placed the city of Paris in my heart but made it clear it was not going to be in my timing or my strength. And maybe most challengingly thus far, to tell you the resounding phrase that was the answer to nearly all of my questions, pleadings, and petitions for over a year was “wait on Me. I AM trustworthy.” Yet time and time again over these years, in His perfect timing, God proved to me the verse, “For He who promised is faithful.” 

But even all of that feels like the understatement of the century! The truth is that His hand has been on my life for far longer than I even acknowledged it. He has loved me with an everlasting love since before I was knitted in my mother’s womb (shoutout Shelley, I love you!) and is unabashedly relentless in His pursuit of me. In fact, His faithfulness started long before I was born and will continue infinitely past my last breath on earth. He is just SO good! It’s no wonder I’m in tears at my inadequacy in testifying of His worthiness. Nevertheless, I slightly digress cause to paraphrase the apostle John, if everything was written about all the things Jesus has done, even the world itself could not contain all the books…

One of the scriptures I’ve held tight to since Paris was placed on my heart is Hebrews 11:1, which says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The faith of the Bible is an undeniable confidence and surrender to YHWH. Because the God who promised is all-powerful, eternally trustworthy, omniscient, omnipresent, wise, and immeasurably more!; He is the One who brings into existence whatever exists. Even though I felt cinglée (a French word ;)) at times, I held tight to that conviction because I knew that there’s only One worthy of our utter devotion and hope. And hallelujah, praise God, after only two years of waiting, I get to say that once again, He has fulfilled another promise in His perfect way and perfect timing! At the end of June, I will be moving to Paris to serve the nations and share the gospel during the Olympics and Paralympics with YWAM Paris and numerous other churches and ministries :) 

For this reason, I humbly come before you asking that you partner with me in what the Lord is doing, not just in my life but in the nations this summer! My hands are very much open and surrendered to the Lord, and I believe that my time in Paris is not limited only to this summer of serving, though that is all that I am asking for you to sow into now. Indeed, we serve Jehovah Jireh, our great Provider, who can accomplish anything and will not fail me now! But this time I feel He wants me to open up to the community and show me what adoption into His Kingdom family means. Therefore, I graciously ask you to give what the Lord places on your heart. But whether or not you are able to, I ask that you please partner in prayer for the Lord’s will to be done and His glory to fall upon every athlete, spectator, visitor, and citizen in Paris and beyond this summer!

Lastly, I’d like to leave you with a few of my fave verses below… I pray by the Holy Spirit for the enlightening of the eyes of your heart, that you may receive these truths as you read them, and that the power of His word and the depth of His love for you would be known and experienced in your life. May the Lord bless and keep you; may He make His face shine upon you, being gracious to you; may He give you peace that surpasses understanding and circumstance. Forever and ever, Amen! ♡

Thank you for reading this. Thank you for your support. You are loved infinitely more than you could imagine!

Psalms 116:4-7 TPT “So I’ve learned from my experience that God protects the vulnerable. For I was broken and brought low, but he answered me and came to my rescue! Now I can say to myself and to all, ‘Relax and rest, be confident and serene, for the Lord rewards fully those who simply trust in him.’”

Psalm 118:29 ESV “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all.

1 Peter 2:9 NIV “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Psalm 27:14 NKJV “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

Hebrews 13:6 ESV “So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Matthew 6:25-34 CSB “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying?… your heavenly Father knows that you need them (clothes & food). But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”