Putting Feet to Your Prayers---Without Leaving Your Computer

I saw this on the site called Church Crunch and I'm still blown away.  For all the evil the internet has going against it, God gets the glory because so much is used to further, advance, and promote His kingdom.  I love that!



I will link you to the site I read about but in a nutshell, you can conduct a prayer walk for Haiti thanks to a program using Google Earth.  I found it fascinating and can other strategic prayer places be far behind?  New Orleans?  China?  Nashville?  London?  Romania?  Can you imagine all of us praying with Kim when she is serving in Romania?  The options seem endless.

Check it out and let's enter the throne room on behalf of Haiti!  Prayer walk link here.

http://www.juliearduini.com

Surrendering the good, the bad, and---maybe one day---the chocolate

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Wondering or Walking

Wonder . . . to think or speculate curiously, to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe, to doubt. Wonder . . . what are you wondering about today? A new job, falling in love, pursuing a lifelong dream, walking in your calling? We all spend time wondering, dreaming, wishing, hoping, and praying for the 'desires of our heart.' Often times we picture what life would be like if we actually fufilled those dreams, those desires . . . the picture may look rosy and filled with joy. Wondering . . . it can be a safe place to be and stay.

But what happens when the day comes when the Lord opens a door to one of those dreams? A friend shares a new job lead, you casually meet a person you may be interested in, a friend invites you to come and immerse yourself in her ministry, or your pastor asks you to be a leader? What is your response? Do you ignore it - brush it off with doubt thinking . . . oh nothing will ever come of this why bother? Do you ponder it eventually talking yourself out of it? Do you call everyone you know and get their opinion first before asking His? (I must confess I am talking to myself here.) Or do you pray, seek Him, talk to Him, listen for His voice, seek wise council, and start to walk?

To walk is defined as . . . to advance or travel on foot at a moderate speed or pace; proceed by steps; move by advancing the feet alternately so that there is always one foot on the ground in bipedal locomotion and two or more feet on the ground in quadrupedal locomotion. Walking, not running, where one foot is always on the ground!!!

A few weeks ago I began to walk in a dream, a calling, that I have felt for years. I traveled with two other women to Romania to immerse myself in a small, remote village so that I could feel and experience the needs of the people. Before I left I 'imagined' how my experience would look and feel . . . an image filled with love, appreciation, and smiling faces; however, what I soon discovered was my own insecurities and that fufilling a dream or calling does not always 'look' like what I imagined it to be and that takes it takes hard work, perserverance, strength, and guidance which can only come from heaven above. If I wanted to pursue this dream vs. turning around and running away as fast as I could (believe me this crossed my mind more than once) then I needed to slow down, to walk, even crawl, and keep one foot grounded . . . in Him, in His word, in His promises, in His presence, and in His love. I needed to depend and lean on Him and not my own understanding.

Now that I am home it would be easy and 'safe' to return to just wondering and re-thinking what 'my dream' would look like. That would be easy, that would be safe. And then the Spirit reminds me of a few things . . . the parables about the 'talents,' the dreams He has placed in my heart, and the faces of the children who are waiting to hear and experience the Good News. And I know that I need to keep walking.

(This photo is of the Roma children in the village waiting behind the church gate for our arrival.)

If you would like any more information about the work we are doing in Romania please e-mail us!

Blessings, Kim

Our Week In Romania

It has been an amazing week.  One filled with joy, tears, laughter, frustration, prayer, and most of all love, His love.  I have so much to share with all of you and so much to 'talk' to the Lord about. In the weeks ahead I will share stories and photos.  So stay tuned!

Thank you for praying for us, Kim

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

As the prayer team prayed over Wendy, Kim and Barb, they linked hands and looked just like a scene from Wizard of Oz. When we prayed we felt such a strong sense of purpose for them, that the trip would be about love. Giving love, receiving love, being love, pointing them to Love through Jesus Christ.

Prayers continued and they further related to the movie. Beyond love they felt courage and wisdom take root. Their trip is winding down. They have taught children songs, led crafts. They are visiting families and giving love through tangible helps.

There have been flying monkey episodes where the darkness choked them. They kept linking together in Him, moving forward. The road doesn't look yellow or golden--not now. But through their obedience we are believing seeds are planted that are going to yield an amazing harvest.

Keep praying!

The Father Loves

I was at a ministry meeting when a neat question was asked in the spirit of the movie, Chariots of Fire.

"When I ________, I feel God's pleasure." In the movie, the answer was run.

To hear from Kim, Barb and Wendy in Romania and know there is a team of people covering them in prayer, it's amazing and exciting. They are overwhelmed in a neat way (children flocking to them wanting candy and pictures taken, singing King of Kings together) and in a hard way (the poverty, the oppressive spirit in the air, vehicle issues). My guess is it will be the most rewarding yet hardest thing they have done.

I have never been on a missions trip but when I received the invitation and prayed, I knew God was asking me to be the "homeland intercessor." God assembled a team of ladies with a passion for God and a heart for Romania. The homeland team is receiving from the Holy Spirit different songs and verses to stand on in prayer. The ladies out there in the field are teaching VBS and modeling the theme, "A Father's Love."

The Father loves when we obey. I have a feeling all of heaven is rejoicing for the seeds being planted in Oradea and Gepish. Darkness is fleeting, light is on the horizon.

Please keep Kim, Barb, Wendy, Alina, the children, teens and families of Oradea, Romania in prayer.

One Week Away

(heartlight.org)

My trip to Romania is one week away and honestly I already feel 'raw.'

The past few weeks the Lord has been raising my awareness of my own surroundings, the blessings that we have, and the many, many luxuries of living in a 'free' country. At a time when the economy is struggling, gas prices are high, and every penny counts all I keep thinking about are the thousands of children who go to bed every night sad, lonely, cold, hungry, and unloved.

I travel in a week, return home in 2 1/2, and already I am wondering how I am going to transition back home.

So tonight I sit and wonder how this is all going to be walked out. For me I do not want this to just be an annual trip like a week long summer vacation that one looks forward to all year but rather another step into the purpose He designed me for. If only He would give me a peek:)

Keep me in your prayers, Kim

Feathers and Bombs

A couple years ago I was part of a team that was getting hit hard with "stuff." One person in particular was hit very hard and I had, with others, the burden to intercede. As things worsened, God showed me this vision:

As a group of us here and there prayed, we were tossing feathers the defeated one's way. He, however, was very specific and coordinated and like a "smart bomb", his throws were right on target.

That vision showed me that an united front is needed when it comes to big time prayer. As a writer, even in the smallest sense, I have a team cover me. Behind the scenes, there is a group of us getting together to pray for Kim and the team heading to Romania in less than a month. I don't want to launch feathers for the Lord to Romania. I want these ladies covered in provision, health, travel, connections, itinerary, families back home, opportunities to be intentional, and the miraculous. I want to see targeted smart throws cover them before, after, and during their trip. I want this for every intercessory effort He calls me to.

When you get serious, don't expect the defeated one to jump for joy. If Christ is in you, the defeated one hates you and he hates when you get serious for the Lord. It's not the time to shrink back with a water gun shouting, "stop it satan!" It's time to get the faithfilled AK 47 of intercession out and decree, "In the name of Jesus, you are defeated. You have no business here. So get packing!"

I'll admit, Kim and her team have their struggles as they prepare, and I too am sensing as I agree with them, I'm getting hit with a lot of things that are discouraging at best. I'm afraid on a good day, and in dire pain on a bad.

But I am not holding feathers.

Are you?


Julie Arduini is a surrendered writer with her own blog, http://thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com/. A graduate of the Christian Writers Guild, she also blogs for the Christian Writers Forum Sundays as the mommy blogger. She is active with FaithWriters and has several writings ready to publish in different books and anthologies in 2008-09. One of the books will be a quote in Kathy Vick's Simon and Schuster/Howard's gift book, "Run Like a Girl."You can also find Julie the third Thursday of each month over at Take Root and Write with her column, Finding Freedom through Surrender. She facilates a group by the same name at the sister social networking site, Christian Women Take Root.

Counting Down

The countdown has begun . . . I leave for Romania in one month. A friend asked "Do you still have some room in your suitcase for supplies?" My reply, "So far I only have $265 in donations and a bag of thermometers, yes there is plenty of room."

One month away and each day as I open the empty mailbox it is as though I can hear a voice saying, "Do you trust me?"

Honestly my response is, "Yes I do."

Eighteen years ago the Lord laid a country and His hurting people on my heart. For years I prayed for Him to 'use' me to bring hope and change to the face of abuse and abandonment. And for years I was frustrated and puzzled as to why the doors did not open. And now here I stand, covered in His grace and love ready for all He has in store. Looking back . . . I was not ready. I believed in God and Jesus but I was not in a personal relationship with them. I had areas in my own personal life that needed healed and restored before I could help bring healing and restoration to other hurting people. I also had to learn about who God really was, why He sent His one and only son, and what being a 'follower of the way' was really about. I needed to open my mind and heart, accepting his love and forgiveness . . . forgiveness . . . especially learning how to love and forgive myself. As one wise mentor said, "When we do not accept His forgiveness and keep going back to our sin it is like saying His dying on the cross was not good enough."

( heartlight.org)

So today when I think about all He has done in my life, how He has equipped and prepared me for such a time as this, I can look at that empty mailbox and respond, "Yes I trust Him! And to this I shout, "Amen!"

Keep us in your prayers, Kim

A Call Back To Romania

The dates are set and the tickets have been purchased . . . it is time to return to Romania. A country with a past, a future, and a hope.

Many years ago the Lord called me to Romania through a documentary on 20/20. Years later I traveled for the first time to bring home my son. Then in 2007 I traveled again as part of a missions team. And now he is calling me to lead a small team to a remote village and I can't wait!

So I thought I would share a few links during this time of preparation and ask you to join us in prayer as we prepare for the work the Lord is calling us to do:

Children in the Son (The ministry we will be working with and under.)

Billy Graham crusades/Festival of Hope

Stay tuned, Kim

Kim is a woman who loves the Lord and has a burden for the abandoned, the orphaned, and the forgotten. She has been called to minister to the people and children of Romania and will be traveling internationally in the days ahead. At home she cares for her three children and her husband John. She also loves prophetic worship and writing for the Lord. Her work can also be found at Take Root and Write where she wrties with fellow Narrow Gate Girls Julie Arduini & Maria Spencer, among other Christian writers. Kim also maintains her blog http://divingintohisgrace.blogspot.com/

The Romania Connection

I'm still in awe over this and feel I'm meant to share.

Saturday I was invited to a brunch. The hostess is a dear lady who is in music ministry with my husband. The other ladies invited were involved as well. I'd been battling depression most of the week so I was looking forward to going, even though my plan was to blend in the background.

The brunch started with the hostess thanking each person for what they bring to that ministry. She started with me, thanking me for allowing my husband to work as hard as he does, because she realizes to do as well as he does, something has to give. Honestly, that something is usually being home and/or focused. He is a tremendous husband and dad but like me, he can be an all or nothing personality. Our marital struggles aren't usually finances, they are over church.

I worked so hard to make sure everyone fit in when we moved I left one person out: me! I've let the enemy really divide us as we were always "TomnJulie" and now, we are "Tom and Julie." It's been a transition and when I'm frustrated, I don't throw out the divorce word, no I hit as low with the "I'm leaving the church" threat. The last 6 weeks I've really pressed in on my attitude so for this brunch to start out that way, I had tears. That God would care so much to bless me that way and help me get to know these ladies better is so much more than I deserve. So much.

God wasn't done! We shared our hearts, got to know each other better, and really opened up in a way that only God could orchestrate. At one point one friend said three words that spun my head to her direction.

Reagan. Romania. Missions.

See Romania is really Kim's passion, so I thought. What I didn't know is she brought to the forefront something I never really thought about---my heart has been on Romanian children since our church had a missionary named Reagan visit. I can't remember half her sharing because I was sobbing so. My heart absolutely broke at the time for these children dumped in streets, living in trash heaps, and often part of the gypsy culture.

Yet when Kim started pressing in on a return trip, I did not feel led to travel with her. What the Holy Spirit kept saying to me when I thought maybe I should try was a resounding no. For me, I was meant to one day make a missions trip under the covering of my church. I was obedient and let Kim know, but wondered how would this ever happen. Currently our church travels to Sierra Leone on a regular basis. Recent additional trips were El Salvador (my husband went) and Turkey. None of these rang right for me, beyond praying for them.

As soon as my friend said those words, I asked what she just said. She repeated the words. I asked if our church had a trip to Romania planned that I didn't know about. She started to cry. She confessed no, but that the ladies here have felt since Reagan visited years ago that they were one day meant to go.

I shared my story with them and together we all cried. We don't know the time, the season, or the way. But we now see the plan. We believe one day we will head to Romania and love on those kids and help in any way we can. We are already hoping Kim can visit with us and share her heart so we have additional wisdom on the matter. And we're praying on the how and when to go to leadership and share our heart and vision.

The food was delicious, the fellowship fabulous. The new friendships a gift I can't put in words. The Romania connection? Priceless. And a story that I believe is just beginning...

Please visit Take Root and Write's Open House Monday, July 14! Maria, Kim and Julie will be just a few of the writers participating in this amazing site. Maria will encourage special need families. Kim will ignite those with a stirring for adoption. Julie will journey with readers as they claim victory and freedom through surrender. Do sign up for the e-mail subscription service so you don't miss a column!

http://www. takerootandwrite.com

Julie Arduini is a surrendered writer with her own blog, http://thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com/. A graduate of the Christian Writers Guild, she blogs for the Christian Writers Forum Sundays as the mommy blogger. She is active with FaithWriters and has several writings ready to publish in different books and anthologies in 2008-09.

To get to know her better, read her interview by Lynda Schab at:http://www.faithreaders.com/featured-author-details.php?id=33%20To contact Julie, please use the e mail provided in our profile.

I Saw What I Saw

There is a beautiful song by Sara Groves called I Saw What I Saw. The words go like this . . .

I saw what I saw and I can't forget it
I heard what I heard and I can't go back
I know what I know and I can't deny it

These words describe how I am feeling today, yesterday, and on many other days.

In 1990, my cozy world was disrupted by a 20/20 documentary about the institutionalized children of Romania. For years I have followed the news reports, web sites, and stories of the 'forgotten' children. In addition, in 1998 my husband and I traveled to Romania to bring our first and oldest son home. He was 21 months old, living in a state run instituition. He is now a handsome, smart, and amazing boy who is almost as tall as I am!

Over the years I could never forget what I saw, heard, and felt concerning the children of Romania. I have searched my heart, cried out to God, and continued to pray about how He can use me for His kingdom. This weekend I was doing some more research on-line and found a few videos and reports I had not seen before. Once again, my heart is broken and I'm not sure what to do. The tears continue to flow and I am on my knees crying out to Him because . . .

I saw what I saw and I can't forget it
I heard what I heard and I can't go back
I know what I know and I can't deny it

In His Name, Kim

The videos mentioned are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5mZcNmE11s
http://www.abandonedtkids.com/ - scroll to the bottom and click.

On my personal blog, divingintohisgrace.blogspot.com I am currently journaling about Kay Warren's book Dangerous Surrender on Thursdays. I am also going to begin journaling about our adoption journey with our son. Please join me! Thanks for reading and entering through the narrow gate.