Reflections on 2007

As I reflect on the 2007 year I am in awe at all the change, growth, and joy that is in my life.

The year started with a bang as I spent New Years Eve in Florida after returning from Haiti. I spent the time with good friends sharing our dreams of living life with purpose and passion and what that would look like, as well as what obstacles stood in our way.

The next few months were spent enjoying time with friends and family. My nieces and nephews are so much fun to be with. They remind me of how everything is new and joy can be found in simple things like baking cookies with mom, a pet hermit crab, or a crayon drawn masterpiece. I see glimpses of pure and unconditional love watching my 22 month old nephew see his mom enter a room, run up to her squealing her name, grab her leg and say "I luv you mama". What
lessons about life and love we can learn from watching children. At a school in Kenya I saw a similar expression of love, in a far different circumstance. I saw starving, neglected, and forgotten children grateful, lively, and squealing with joy as our team spent the day connecting with them. The demographics were different, but the expression of love translated the same.

After searching for answers on why I was holding myself back from living in my area of passion I finally decided to remove the obstacles and make some big decisions. This lead to me leaving my job in corporate America and taking on a full time position working for a non-profit organization called Invision Global Network (IGN). IGN focuses on education, empowerment, and relationship building in order to change lives and bring hope, purpose, and opportunity to all
people. IGN unites people from all over the world and as relationships are formed, lives are transformed. My life can be counted among them.

Since my July trip to Kenya most of my time has been spent working to help prepare IGN for the 2008 ministry year. Thanks to some generous IGN supporters we were able to take a class in International Crisis Management which provided excellent tools for avoiding and dealing with Crisis situations abroad, as well as provided excellent contacts and even a few potential ministry partners. I also found myself meeting new people in 2007. We are seeing many answered prayers as God brings people into our lives with skills that are needed to complete the bigger picture. I am in awe of all I have seen so far and I am excited to see how everything comes together over the next year. These are VERY exciting times and I am so grateful to be on this journey.

For 2008 I have a few prayer requests. Please pray for all of our ministry partners in Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Thailand, Kenya, South Africa, and India. Also in 2008 IGN has the opportunity to partner in Jamaica, Croatia, and several countries in Africa. Pray for those partnerships to come together. Also pray for our 2008 teams. Currently we have multiple teams interested in going to Kenya, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Thailand, and Wimauma an immigrant farm workers project in Florida. Interest has also been expressed for Haiti. Pray for the people to come together that God is calling to participate on each of these teams. If you are interested in participating please let me know. Also in 2008 IGN plans to invest more time in development and developmental practices that lead to growth in a community. Pray that the people and resources needed for this come into place. Please also pray for me. I have decided to rent out my house. I am finding I am spending less and less time in home and owning a home no longer seems necessary or financially wise. Please pray for God to bring the right people for me to rent to as well as my discernment in recognizing them. Also, finances are a challenge so please pray for me in this regard as well.

2007 was an incredible year for me and I am overjoyed at the possibilities in 2008. Thanks to all who came alongside me on my journey! Your support means so much! GOD Bless and Happy New Year!