and our exciting news is....

Monday, February 11


we are unbelievably grateful and thankful for this opportunity. 

as i mentioned in my last post, the Lord is incredibly good. 
He is. 
He just is. 

He know our dreams and desires, and works in mysterious ways to faithfully prepare and bless us when the time is right. 

with that being said, it has been my dream ever since college, when I learned of human trafficking, and specifically sex-trafficking, to work with and love women who have been abused in the most evil of ways. 

i remember the first time I heard about women being sold for their bodies,
like objects to be used. 
Disgust and outraged pumped within my veins,
an unabated fury sinking deep within my bones.  

the more i read, the more tears brimmed heavy within my soul. 
a weight that women, 
precious image-bearers of the Lord, 
were being stripped of their very dignity in ways far too graphic and flippant than one can imagine. 

via

i remembered a documentary i watched years ago while I was in college,
chronicling the multi-faceted ways women are tricked, coerced, kidnapped, sold, and forced to become enslaved and entrapped in a dark and evil pit of despair. 

and yet, i felt so far away,
so far removed,
so far unqualified to help. 

yes, I prayed, which is powerful,
oh so powerful. 
and I truly believe chains were broken as a result of my prayers. 

but I was not a counselor,
or a social worker,
or anything special really. 

i was just a girl with a heart that beat for the rhythms of the Kingdom. 

and so I remained faithful to the calling sweet Abba had on my life, here. 
I stepped into a job at ELI, where I spent 4 years working for a non-profit in Africa doing holistic development.

At ELI, God taught me a lot. 
About the world. 
About cross-cultural communication.
About laying foundations for sustainability and longevity in an organization. 
About empowering lives. 
And about structuring; creating systems and processes that help the overall organization run smoothly. 

and as you all know, this past Fall, i felt God gently moving me out of ELI. 
to read the story, see here

i didn't fully know why, but I felt His leading that it was to be more present towards my neighbors. 

but what happened next i could have never guessed nor prepared myself:

when Kevin and I went home for Christmas, some family friends asked to meet with us. 
During our time together, this couple asked us to pray about moving to Asia for five months this year to help partner with an aftercare home. This aftercare home houses women and girls that are rescued from sex-slavery. Many of these beautiful women have been tricked into thinking they would receive real jobs, then sold into prostitution. When they are rescued, they are sent to a home that will help rehabilitate them. 

Kevin and I  were asked to serve under the Nepali staff there, and help research and implement the best structure and care, so the home can run in the best way possible. 

The night Kevin and I found out about this opportunity, we laid in bed with smiles wide on our faces, dreaming and praying that God would go before us in this opportunity. 

and go before us HE did...in powerful ways....

- from the minute we heard of the opportunity, everyone we have shared about this with has absolutely confirmed and affirmed that the Lord put us in this position. Both sets of parents were excited and encouraged us to walk through the open door. 

- so many items on the job description were things God had been specifically preparing Kevin and I to do. 

- when we found out it was a possibility of going, we knew we needed a place to live. One night Kevin and I specifically prayed about housing, and the very next day we received an email about a couple who were moving out of their apartment from April- August of this year. Those were the EXACT dates we had planned to be there! Not only that, but this apartment was only 15 minutes walking from the aftercare home, fully furnished, and had a beautiful patio! I seriously could NOT believe how incredible God provided! 


Could I ever imagine that my college dream of working with girls coming out of sex-trafficking would come true like this? 
No. 
But then again, I serve a 
crazy
adventurous
epic
mysterious,
and wild
God. 

who's timing is right. 
who prepares us in just the right ways. 
who is a fulfiller of dreams. 

so I commit myself to that God

here's to YOU dreamer.
and here's to YOU dear Father, for fulfilling those desires. 

thank you so much for your support in this time. 
you readers bless my soul. 
if you think of it, please pray for us as we prepare.
many many thank you's from the bottom of my excited heart. 

love katie 

31 comments :

  1. WHAT!! Katie, this is awesome! SO excited for you guys and what God will do. I know it's going to be amazing!!!!

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  2. This is beyond amazing... S and I have discussed and prayed a couple times for the possibility of moving to Nepal and working at the Memorial Hospital there. So far the right doors have not opened for us but I your story truly brought a smile to my face and it did my heart good. i love reading about people like you with such an incredible mission in life.

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  3. Aaaaaahhhhh! I had a feeling you would be moving somewhere when you announced you had exciting news on Friday! God know how to fulfill dreams in the most incredible way

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  4. How fantastic!!! Katie, you and Kevin will be such bringers of love and joy...the Lord knows what He is doing by sending you =) You both will be in my prayers =) The Lord truly does fulfill the prayers and dreams we give Him...if we have the faith to trust and follow Him!!!

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  5. oh katie this is so wonderful! I am so excited for you and Kevin and for the good work I know you will do there! I hope you are able to continue to blog so we can all share in your experiences there. I will certainly pray for you both on this amazing journey. Congratulations!

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  6. I have goosebumps! I'm so excited for you! Praying for y'all as you prepare :) :) :)

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  7. That is so exciting Katie, I am so happy for you! Can't wait to hear of your adventures while you're there-you and Kevin will make a great team! Love you lots & will be praying for you both!

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  8. Katie-This is so amazing! Isn't it great when God far exceeds all of our expectations! Thinking of you and Kevin during this time..so excited to hear what the Lord will do through y'all!

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  9. oh my gosh how exciting!! wow what a great adventure God will take you on! your wildest dreams are even wilder when you let God's plans prevail

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  10. haha. still crying even though this isn't a surprise to me :) i'm such a sap. SO EXCITED FOR YOU GUYS.

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  11. katie!!
    so excited for you guys!!
    <3 lean

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  12. Wow, this is so beautiful!
    We are so privileged that God chooses to use us.
    Bless you guys

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  13. How amazing! What a great opportunity. Excited for you and the change you can make.

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  14. Wow! That is an amazing opportunity! =D

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  15. crying---! email me PLEASE!!!! I want to help you out a small bit, and send you a little happy :)

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  16. This is so awesome Katie!
    And your heart for the Lord and these women will be blessed. I will keep you both in prayer!
    Hugs.

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  17. Wow, you are so inspiring!!! You will bless the lives of so many.

    xoxo Jamie

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  18. Congrats sweet girl! This is beyond amazing and God will be using you in the best of ways there. I'm so excited to see another AMAZING way that our God works! :)

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  19. This is incredible, Katie. Your trust in the Lord is inspiring and shows that HE does provide all things! I will be praying for you both on this new adventure!

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  20. Wow, that's increadible! I'm sure God will use you in amazing ways!

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  21. What exciting news! May The Lord bless you as you prepare to serve Him in Nepal. "Stand back and see what amazing things The Lord will do!"

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  22. I'm so happy to hear about it! Thanks for the kind email you sent to me too. I was thrilled for you (though I will say a little jealous as well, since I'd love to be able to join you. We hope to become missionaries to India, but hey, if I could go to work with victims of exploitation through trafficking in Nepal, I definitely would do that). May God be your guide and help you as you are out there and will be dealing with a lot of emotions and pain and daughters who are seeking out a Father to be there as a shelter and comfort and show them REAL love! Will you have a support website?
    +Victoria+

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  23. :) Love this! <3 Will be praying for you -but you already know that. :)

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  24. ohh myy lanttaaa. too much. just TOO much. God is SOOOO good. I am so beyond proud of y'all for stepping out in faith. It is the MOST beautiful and precious thing to see the Lord provide! That is unbelievable that your home church is funding y'all, and that you have the perfect place to live! God is just so good and it was in His plans before the beginning of time to send y'all to Nepal! I am just thrilled for y'all!!! I was praying for y'all this morning and will continue to pray for you! Love you sister!

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  25. YAY this is seriously so exciting! Our God sure is powerful and mighty, right? I will certainly be praying for you and Kevin as you prepare for this journey and as you serve the Lord in Nepal!!!

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  26. that's so exciting Katie, and how perfect! it will be an adventure full of hard and good things. I'm so happy for you to be able to do this, and have someone to do it with. I'll be praying for you :)

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  27. Wow. I'm so excited for you guys!!! I just know God is going to use you guys in a powerful way!

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  28. very. very. very exciting news! i will be praying!

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  29. how very exciting, katie!
    that is awesome that you're following God's leading.
    we have family (cousins) living in kathmandu doing ministry there too!
    i wonder if there'll be any sort of connection?
    anyway, i'll be praying!
    xo

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  30. This is amazing! Such an incredible experience!

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  31. Wow!!! This is so encouraging and inspiring to hear! How God opened the doors for y'all, and you all followed. That's awesome. :) I'm so excited to have found your blog! I'm in high school, but I've really developed a passion to end human trafficking as well. I've spoken at a couple of schools about it, and I'm working on a couple of things here in Houston! It's a dream of mine to work overseas to help women. I am so excited to have found you, and can't wait to see where God leads you and Kevin!

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I LOVE hearing from you friend:) Your comment will make my day!