Christmas Giving

As we approach Christmas day, it's easy to get caught up in all the gifts, lights, and food. We tend to be a very indulgent society, especially around the holidays, so this Christmas I really encourage you to sacrifice just a little bit for someone else, in hopes that they can also have a very happy holiday.

As many of you know, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Uganda, Africa this past summer and serve with Kupendwa Ministries. The country, the people and especially this ministry touched my heart and changed my life in ways I never thought possible, and I want to help give that back to them this year.

If you are willing to help this amazing ministry, please do by clicking this link:

http://www.kupendwaministries.org/#!christmas-2013-store/c1dmu

To see a video about Christmas at Kupendwa last year, click here:

http://vimeo.com/57065151

To learn more about Kupendwa Ministries, visit their website here:

www.kupendwaministries.org

Thank you, and may you have a very, very merry Christmas!!

A Person's a Person, No Matter How Small

I've often had to remind myself to not get too political on my blog, because when politics and religion combine, I tend to get extremely defensive over what I believe. However, this topic in particular I felt very...inspired by, I guess, and thought I would sit down and share my thoughts with you.

Last night as I was scrolling through my twitter feed on my phone, I noticed that #PrayToEndAbortion was trending. I've always been intrigued by politics, so seeing that trending sparked my interest. As I scrolled through some of the #PrayToEndAbortion tweets, I was amazed at what some people were saying.

"It's not 800 B.C. anymore, the Bible isn't an 'essential' book. Get your head out of the past and into the future."

"Haven't had time to #PrayToEndAbortion because I've been too busy praying to end idiotic anti-women trends."

"If you tweet #PrayToEndAbortion and actually believe in it, your parents should have aborted you." 

"#PrayToEndAbortion has got to be the most stupid trend I have every seen on so many levels."

"An egg is not a chicken. An acorn is not a tree. A silk worm is not a dress. A fetus is not a person."

"While your praying to keep suppressing women's rights, kids are starving and dying. LIVE kids. Actual humans."

"Trends like #PrayToEndAbortion are the reasons why society/the world is moving backwards, instead of forward."

"It's kinda sickening to see #PrayToEndAbortion trending when there are so many more important things in this world that need ending."

Those are just a few examples of actual tweets that people had posted last night. I was almost in tears as I scrolled through these. It's hard to read through these things and keep your focus on God. It's so easy to fall into a state of anger and confusion. Why does God allow things like this to happen? No one may know for certain, but in times of anger and confusion, the best thing to do is just to turn to Him. So I did a little bit of research in the ONLY essential book.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5

"Have nothing to do with false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty." Exodus 23:7

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of this earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16

"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

I don't know about you, but for me, hearing and reaffirming myself of God's truths is so freeing. I'm fragile - fragile to the point where the arrogant words of strangers behind a keyboard can ruin my day, but hearing the words of The Lord, the one who created the earth and every being on it, calms me. There are thousands of opinions, but only one truth.

I highly encourage you to take 33 minutes out of your day and watch this video, and maybe an extra minute to share it. It's amazing how opening a person's eyes to the other side of the story can be so powerful.

"I've noticed that everyone that is for abortion has already been born." - Ronald Reagan

There are still some things I question about abortion and why on earth it would ever be legal. Why is it that if you kill a pregnant woman it's considered a double homicide, but abortion isn't considered murder? You would think that somebody would realize that that's unconstitutional and do something to fix it, but still we find ourselves in situations like this, being ridiculed for our faith and what we believe and being told that what we know as the truth is wrong.

Look at your life and make a mental list of everyone you know that was adopted. Now imagine if that person's parents had aborted them, what would your life look like? It would be different. Even if only in the slightest, it would be different. The reason it would be different is because everyone has a purpose. Every human being has made an impact on someone else's life in some way - and nobody has the right to take that away.

Regardless of your religion, ethnicity, age or occupation, we all have one thing in common: we have a purpose. God knew us before we were even conceived, and He has a plan for us.

"A person's a person, no matter how small."

5 Things I'm Thankful For

Since today is Thanksgiving, I thought I would write a post about some of the things I'm most thankful for.

1. My parents. Two of the funniest, hard working, amazing people I know. They always go out of their way to make sure that I'm happy and healthy, and I couldn't be prouder to call them my parents. They never fail to put a smile on my face and make me laugh when I'm feeling down. They taught me to always stick up for myself and what I believe in. They taught me that no matter what, family comes first, because friendships may come and go but family is forever. They taught me if you really want something, you have to work for it instead of sitting around waiting for it to happen. But most of all, they taught me that strength is a choice, and that I could either wake up every morning and think of all the things I've lost, or I could wake up every morning and be grateful for all of the things I still have. I love you mommy and daddy (:

2. My sister. We balance each other out. She's crazy, outgoing, and adventurous whereas I'm timid, quiet, and reserved. She's my best friend; always has been and always will be. She taught me to "play to win", and that other people's doubt can be turned into motivation. She's always there even when I feel like no one else is. She has such an impact on my life, whether it's the little things like driving with the windows down during the summer, singing at the top of our lungs and honking as we drive by golf courses or the more serious sister-to-sister conversations we have, she always manages to brighten my day. I LOVE YOU SISSY POOP. (aka Lys)

3. Our Country. Even when it seems like our countries leaders might not be making the best decisions, we have to remind ourselves how blessed we are to be living in a free country where we can practice our religion freely, without the fear of being imprisoned or even put to death because of the God we believe in.

4. A warm house, a kitchen full of food, running water, a bed, two family vehicles, my cell phone, and a television. Things most people in our country consider 'necessities', without realizing that an immense amount of people in this world don't have a single one of those.

5. God's Grace. Through all of my failures and with all of my faults, God has never and will never turn His back on me.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now obviously these aren't the only things that I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for every single wonderful thing God has blessed me with in this life and just thought I would share a few of those with you. Happy Thanksgiving!

Accepting God's Grace

Over the past few weeks at church, there has seemed to be a common theme. I don't know if this is supposed to be the main thing I'm taking away from all of this, but it's definitely the thing that's been sticking out to me the most, and I just really wanted to share my thoughts on it. That theme has been grace. It seems as though all of our Sunday school classes and all the sermons have something to do with grace; even if it's in the most subtle ways.

A couple of weeks ago, our Pastor said something in church that really stuck with me. He said,

"Only if you own and understand the depth of your sin can you fully own and understand the depth of God's grace."

We cannot fully grasp God's grace if we can't even fully grasp our sins yet. Being a Christian is a constant hamster wheel of trial and error. We must repent of our sins in order to be forgiven, we cannot continue to live a life of sin just expecting that God will forgive us because that's His job. If we do not acknowledge our sins and repent and ask for forgiveness, we won't be motivated to change the way we are living. Recognizing your own sin is necessary in order to accept forgiveness from God.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

"Being free from your sin can be as simple as knowing the truths of scripture and accepting them."
-Pastor Don Roe

Christ does love all of His children - and it's because of that love that He can't stand to see us stumble and fall in our walk with Him, but trials bring perseverance and we can learn through our hardships. Even if you are a Christian, you can still face temptation; it's whether or not you fall into that temptation that dictates whether or not you sin. The Christian life is not living by your own feelings and desires, but by living by God's truth and by faith in the Word of God. As Christians, we must constantly be reminding ourselves of the truths of God's Word, as to not fall for the "truths" taught by the people of worldly nature.

"For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge the duties of your ministry." 2 Timothy 4:3-5 CEV

"...this is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:3-4

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:24

God's grace is undeserved. We have done nothing to earn or deserve the grace that God pours on us. With that being said, we cannot continue living our lives in sin waiting for God to give us His weekly grace because it doesn't work like that. So many people have become so accustomed to living their lives according to what they desire that they forget what they're on this earth for.

God cannot continue to be placed on the back burner.

Learning to 'Be Still'

It's been about three months since my life changing trip to Uganda to serve with Kupendwa ministries - which seems impossible because I still feel it was just last week that I returned to the states.

Today, as I was working on my school work I noticed my Africa journal on the corner of my desk, I haven't read through my journal since we arrived back to America, and today I decided to read through it again. As I sat on my bed reading through each days entry, I felt as if I had never left. I could still taste the posho and the beans and the strawberry juice and ginger tea. I can still smell the fresh Ugandan air. I can still feel what it was like to stomp around in a giant pile of mud as we prepared to help rebuild a woman's house. It feels as though it's only been a day since I left that wonderful country.

I often heard people returning from missions trips that they "left a little piece of their heart there" but I've never experienced that feeling until now. I know that I left not only a little piece of my heart in Uganda, but a GIANT piece of my heart in Uganda. It's something really special when you can still channel those feelings and emotions you felt months ago.

These past few months haven't been easy, and it seems as if The Lord is throwing everything my way to test my faith, but going back and reading through my journal, I remembered that God is faithful, and God delivers. God had plans for every single one of those Ugandan mothers, and He took those women and told them, "I love you, and I am going to help you. You just need to put your faith in ME." and they did, and they were pulled out of the situations they were in. I have no doubt that TODAY was the day I was supposed to pick up that journal and read through it again. On a day when I looked at my life and felt like I was about to fall apart, God reminded me that He is bigger than EVERYTHING, and He will pull me through it all if I let Him.

I can't wait until the next time I get to go to Uganda and leave yet another piece of my heart with them. God, my life is in your hands, I put all my trust in You.

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." -Exodus 14:14

More Posts Coming!

Hello everyone! Just wanted to take a moment to apologize about the fact that I haven't been posting on here as often as I would like. I promise you will be getting more regular blog updates very soon! (:

Trials Bring Perseverance

If you haven't read my previous blog post about my dear friend Rebbecca, I would highly recommend it before (or after) reading this one. (:

James 1:2-8

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."

The first time I read verse two, my stomach started churning. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds..." I thought that was impossible. Who has joy through trials? I think the reason it was so hard for me to understand this concept of joy through trials was because of the warped definition of 'joy' that my brain had come up with. I always considered joy to be a synonym of happiness or bliss. Joy goes much, much deeper than that. Happiness is being satisfied with your current circumstances. Joy is knowing that no matter what trials God throws your way, He will pull you through. He might pull you through that trial in a way that you weren't expecting or hadn't planned, but you know that even if your current circumstances aren't perfect, your eternity will be. 

The testing of our faith produces perseverance. When we face struggles in life, we have two options. We can either learn and grow from them, or we can let them break us down and get the best of us. God has an amazing way of using our trials to make us stronger. Our weaknesses are God's strengths, and if you let Him, He will use our weaknesses to grow us spiritually, mentally, and even sometimes physically.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10

"Three times I begged the Lord to make this suffering go away. But he replied, “My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am. Yes, I am glad to be weak or insulted or mistreated or to have troubles and sufferings, if it is for Christ. Because when I am weak, I am strong."

Meet Rebecca

Meet Rebecca, and her precious baby girl, Deanna. Over the two weeks I spent in Uganda, an unforgettable friendship between Rebecca and I was formed. From the moment I first stepped out of our fourteen passenger van, which usually was crammed with sixteen people, Rebecca ran right up to me and gave me the biggest hug ever. She had the biggest smile on her face and couldn't stop thanking me just for being there. She was so grateful and so incredibly joyful. I found out later that night, that Rebecca would be my 'chore buddy'. Our job was taking out the trash, which meant dancing all the way to the trash dump and laughing uncontrollably the whole way back. The next week, our chore changed to washing the pots and pans, which ended in us chasing each other outside the maternity home throwing pots full of water at each other. I've never had so much fun doing chores!

Rebecca could put a smile on anyone's face. She was so genuinely happy and joyful. She was so funny and did anything she could to encourage the people around her, whether they were having a bad day or not. Hearing Rebecca's story, I was heartbroken. She has been through so much in her life, more than I could ever imagine enduring; and not only has she survived everything she's been through, she's remained joyful, because she knows that all of her trials are God making her stronger. Her weaknesses are God's strengths, and she surrenders herself to God, giving Him the ability to mold her into exactly what He wants her to be. Not only is she an amazing mother, but she's an amazing Christian and I'm so proud to call her my friend. 

I love you, Rebecca.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2-3

Home! ...and the hospital.

So today marks two weeks since my return from Uganda! Sheesh; doesn't seem possible! There are days when I feel like just yesterday I was building a mud hut and boating on Lake Victoria and the Nile River; and there are some days that I feel like it was so far away. Either way, I would do anything just to go back for a little bit longer! Never in my life have I felt so connected to God, and so disconnected to the American society and way of life. (Which is quite an excellent feeling, I might add.) The people I met, things I did, and friendships that were built (which you'll hear more about in later blog posts!) were unforgettable. I can't wait to start sharing those experiences with you!

As you might've heard, a week ago I was in the hospital. Turns out I had malaria...so that was interesting. I guess I can check, "get deadly foreign disease" off of my bucket list. But thanks to the wonderful doctors, (and JT who just so happened to have a malaria test kit) it was diagnosed early enough that I started feeling better after just 5 days! However, I think I'm still a little light-headed from all the blood that had to be drawn! So thank you for all of your prayers in that situation, it really did mean SO MUCH! :)

I'll be posting new blogs soon about some of the stuff I did and people I met while in Uganda, but for now I'll just leave you with this:

There are some things that God engraves on our hearts that we don't understand at the time, and six months ago, that was this overwhelming passion for missions work, specifically in Uganda, Africa. I had absolutley no idea why God was sending me to this third world country on this poverty stricken continent, but God knew exactly what He was doing, and He knew that He was going to use me to not only reach others, but also teach me things that I didn't know about myself. Leaving the United States and heading to Jinja, Uganda is quite the culture shock, and I think the thing that really made an impact on me was that everyone in Uganda, through all their troubles and trials, were some of the friendliest and most joyful people you will ever meet. They didn't have much, but what they did have they were beyond grateful for. They show their appreciation for everything people do for them. They are willing to give whatever they have, even if it's not much, just to show how thankful they are for you. I'm guilty of being ungrateful and unappreciative of everything I have, when in reality, I own far and beyond what I would ever need. I learned to be grateful, appreciative, and content with what I have. Looking back, I realize exactly why God sent me on this trip - to open my eyes to the world around me. I am beyond blessed, and I thank God everyday for finally showing me how blessed I am to live the life that I have. God is so, so good.

Proverbs 16:3

Almost There

Today is five days until the trip, and as I sit here packing for the next two weeks it's all becoming very real. This is so unbelieveably out of my comfort zone and it's crazy that in just five days I'll be on a plane to Africa. (well, actually to London, and THEN to Africa!) It's amazing how God can grant peace to even the most worried. God is powerful, there's no questioning that.

Also, for those of you wondering about the financial situation, you can go to these links:

http://www.gofundme.com/RebelministriesUgandatrip (The team's financial progress)
http://www.gofundme.com/252ds0 (My financial progress)

Thank You!

When Faith Meets Reality

There are two types of people in this world: faith driven people & reality driven people.

Faith driven people don't rely on their own actions to get what they need, instead they rely on God to provide whatever they need whenever they need it.

Reality driven people rely on their own actions to achieve their goals instead of relying on help from God.

In my life, I've seen extreme reality driven people, extreme faith driven people, and everybody in between; but what happens when these two opposites collide? No matter how reality driven or how faith driven you are, when you try to understand the other, it will cause a conflict.

I've seen it far too often. The reality driven person tries to get the faith driven person to come back down to earth, all while the faith driven person is trying to distract the reality driven person from everything happening in this world. They never really can meet eye to eye.

Neither of these types of people are the bad guys; they both have something they need to work on.

Faith Driven Person:

The faith driven person needs to recognize that their plan might be different than God's. Having faith is a truly amazing thing, I'm not trying to bash having faith at all. In fact, I think one of the most important things to commit to in your spiritual walk with Christ is having faith, however, if it doesn't line up with God's will, you can't be disappointed when something doesn't happen. When I first agreed to go on this trip, I heard a lot of people say, "you just need to have faith." But what does that mean if I don't get to go? It doesn't mean that God doesn't provide, it just means that it wasn't God's will for me to go at that time. Fortunately, I am able to go on this trip. Faith must line up with God's will and His plan for our lives.

Reality Driven Person:

The reality driven person needs to recognize that if it is God's will, He will provide what is needed. It might not be as quick or as easy as they want it to be, but if it is part of His plan, it will happen. They take a ton of responsibility for the things they have planned; they tend to overwork themselves because they are so self-dependent. Don't be scared of putting your life into God's hands.

God Makes the Impossible, Possible

With this trip, just like any other missions trip, I was really worried about the money coming in, especially with this being the first missions trip I've been on. I mean $4,250 in 3 months sounds like an absolutely crazy task! But sitting down with my mom today, we've concluded that I only need $968.50 to pay for the rest of this trip! I'm so incredibly close to the final goal, and I still would appreciate anything you would be willing to donate to this trip, whether it be financially or even just prayer! I heard from so many people that this task was an impossible one, but if there is anything I've learned from this whole adventure, it's that God makes the impossible, possible.

Thank you all so much.

Trip Status Update

Many of you know that I'm diligently preparing for a missions trip to Uganda, Africa to take place this June. I'm fully relying on God to prepare the way and provide the means for me to make this dream a reality. In order to be able to continue planning, I need to raise $2,725 in additional funds. $1,350 of that needs to be in by April 20th, with the balance being due the first of May. I'm really reaching out and asking everyone that I know to please prayerfully consider giving to this ministry to help make this trip happen. I'm also asking you to please join me in prayer. Pray that God provides as only He can. Pray that lives will be won for Him through our mission. Pray that our parents rely on God to keep us safe in the palm of His hand. To keep updated on the trip and our progress, please visit my blog: kaylabethhess.blogspot.com and to make a financial donation, you can send a check to Rebel Ministries. (You can message me on Facebook for the address) Please be sure to add a sticky note that it is for my trip. Thank you so much!

Reassurance

Sometimes I question if this is what God really has in store for me. It's easy to feel that way when you feel like the money just isn't coming in the way you want it to, but today I got another reminder that this is the path I need to be taking.

My after-school plans changed, so I called my grandpa and asked if he would be willing to come pick me up from school. He said he could, but it would be about ten minutes. Well, after about half an hour of sitting in the parking lot waiting for him, one of the Lakewood employees came up to me and asked me if I was still going on the trip. I told her I was, and she proceeded to write a check for $50 towards my trip.

I was in amazement. The whole day before that, I sat in my bed, completely awake when I should've been sleeping, wondering if this was actually what God has planned for me. I was starting to question everything about this trip. If my after-school plans hadn't changed or if my grandpa did pick me up in ten minutes instead of thirty, who knows if I would've gotten that check. It's that kind of thing that just reassures me that this is what I'm supposed to be doing. God restores my confidence in Him more and more each day.

Silly Putty

We've all played with silly putty at least once in our lives, right? (If you haven't...I'm sorry. You should. It's super fun.) If you've played with silly putty, you know that it's not like play dough or clay. You see, you can stretch silly putty. You can stretch it a lot; but if you stretch it too much...what happens? It snaps. It doesn't slowly pull apart - it snaps. And after it snaps, it's not that easy putting the two pieces back together again.

Since the start of this process, I've felt like silly putty. I was being stretched. I was being stretched to do things that I never thought I would be able to do. You see, when I was a pre-schooler and someone would ask me, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" 5-year-old me would respond with, "Princess-Ballerina-Chef." Not once did I say, "I want to go on a missions trip."

God is stretching me to do things I never thought possible; and until today, I was patiently waiting for the moment that I was going to snap. I thought it was inevitable that eventually this is going to become too stressful for me and I'm just going to give up on it, but I am not silly putty. I am clay.

You see, clay can't exactly be "stretched", but it can be molded into many different shapes. It can go from a square block to a beautiful masterpiece. It might take a lot of time and patience to get to that beautiful masterpiece, but it will happen. And clay? It doesn't snap. It may crack, but that's okay, because every art piece has it's imperfections. I am only a block of clay, being molded by God's hands.

Isaiah 64:8 says:

"Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
    We are the clay, you are the potter;
    we are all the work of your hand."


I am undaunted. I will not snap when things get difficult. I might crack, but I know that I am being molded by God's hands. He does all things for our own good.

Undaunted

The Google definition of 'undaunted' is this:

"Not intimidated or discouraged by difficulty, danger, or disappointment."

As our group is entering this crazy journey, this is what we wanted to remember. To not be intimidated or discouraged by difficulty, danger, or disappointment, but instead, to work hard to prove all the people who said this trip would be impossible, wrong. We even got bracelets that say "undaunted" on them as a constant reminder that God makes the impossible possible, and He can help us do this, no matter what other people might think.

We are not intimidated by difficulty.

God's Timing vs. Mine

What does your calendar look like for the next week? You might have a few meetings, dinners with friends, and other things planned. That's typical. You're keeping track of what you will be doing, and when you will be doing it. It's normal. We all have calendars. They've become such a staple item in the human life, to the point where we have pre-installed calendar apps on our phones. But here's the thing: there's a huge difference between God's timing, and our timing.

One of the greatest lessons I've learned with this missions trip is just how much God's timing differs from mine. If you would've asked me a year ago if this is what I saw myself doing this summer, I honestly would've said no. I would've told you I was going to get a summer job, go camping with my cousins and spend time with friends; but God had other plans; bigger plans. Now, instead of doing all of those things this summer, I will be on a plane to Africa. I will be spending two weeks in June counseling girls at a maternity home in Jinja, Uganda. 

Do I think this is a crazy task? Yes. Do I think we might be jumping into this too fast? Yes. Do I doubt being able to raise the $50,000 needed for all twelve people to go on this trip? YES. But it's not my timing that matters, it's God's. He holds our futures, not us. 

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Financial Updates

Thank you so much for everyone who has generously donated to this trip!

If you would like to follow how much money I've raised thus far, please visit this website:

http://www.gofundme.com/RebelministriesUgandatrip