Category Archives: The Stories

Oct19

Rescue For Us All

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Dream Tour Team

The Dream Tour is heading to Chicago today. Please be in prayers for their safe travel.

ToniLyn

Roberto and I met with Jen from Beautiful Feet Ministries to discuss their story of starting up strip club outreach in North Georgia. It is the ministry Jen, Beau, and I actually brainstormed together last Spring and now is a few months old.

Beautiful Feet is an outreach that is about building friendships with women who dance in clubs for a living.

JESUS IN A STRIP CLUB

Club outreach is eye-opening, but not for the reasons that may come to mind. It was eye-opening because it was nothing that we’d always imagined. Before you are aware of what it truly looks like to work there by someone who is sharing their story, it seems that these are only places where darkness resides and fear has its dominion.

However, that is far from the case, and even in the case that it was true, that’s more reason to be present; a voice of hope, life, and freedom for women who may not otherwise hear or experience this. We have found that a steady and positive presence in their lives speaks volumes and begins breaking down walls toward growth and freedom.

It has been my firsthand experience through this ministry that it is a truly humbling thing to go out and realize your mindset is still somewhat stuck in “rescuing” someone who is “least of these” and in that realizing you too are in need of rescue still.

Recognizing my own arrogance and brokenness in my often too dignified independence. To recognize your own brokenness in the midst of it is really challenging. It’s messy to do ministry from scratch, to even call it ministry when the true desire is to honor women who are often dishonored. Beautiful Feet works to bring the knowledge and reminder that these women’s worth is far greater than they’ve been told or imagined.

So our evening was a night of revisiting dear friends at their place of work. We brought bright pink roses in a purple vase. We all laughed and shared the latest stories of life. It was a breath of fresh air.

SEX TRAFFICKING IN NORTH GEORGIA

Yes. There is sex trafficking that goes on in rural North Georgia.

As we sat down with Jen and her fiance Beau, they talked openly about the area and what exactly trafficking tends to look like there. House brothels in the burbs, AMPs (Asian Massage Parlors) open 24 hours, and girls as young as 14 being manipulated by traffickers who troll the middle and high schools and malls.

If this sounds shocking, it is. If you are relieved that this isn’t your city, well, it is your city. The look of sex trafficking varies from community to community but those are just some basic facts and you will want to remain educated on your own area.

These sort of facts aren’t a reason to live in fear, or without hope of change.

It is a way to protect your own children and women and kids you know by guarding them with knowledge. These aren’t kidnappings, they are women and children being coerced by people who are trained and skilled at finding their weakness. Clothes, jewelry, food, compliments, etc.

Educate yourself on your area. Find your local police station phone number and call in tips if you spot unusual activity.

Oct15

Workers Needed For the Harvest

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Dream Tour Team

Standard

Roberto

Well, I have been a part for the center for Global action Program for about a month so far. Since being down here I have been working in the long term missions department on various projects (more on that later).

Currently I am on the Kingdom Dreams Anti-Trafficking Dream Tour. This is the result of a dream from Toni-Lynn and Teri Frana. The purpose is to travel the states and see what trafficking looks like in the US. This is some that not only I want to learn more about but also many other racers and the Long Term Missions department.

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field Luke 10:2

ToniLyn and Roberto helping with the harvest.

We have visited two ministries in the states so far both of which are relatively new and have been in the works. They are Rethreaded and the other is Beautiful Feet. Beautiful Feet is in the North GA area and Rethreaded is in Jacksonville FL.

A common need expressed by both is that there are just not that many people actively willing to be involved and some who are are not willing to commit to the long term work that is needed before there is progress. The needs are great yet the workers are few; a topic too often preached on. Hopefully many will be able to find places to jump in after we have finished the tour

One thing we have learned is that this is a problem that requires many people to jump in at different points in the process; preventive, intervention, after care and empowerment.

Helping hands are needed.

Please pray for the team as they are a little overwhelmed at the severity of this horrific crime in America. Pray for strength, pray for the harvesters, and pray for rescue and redemption for the victims.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check out this 12 minute documentary about what trafficking looks like in Tampa. The team just met with Ida this weekend (she’s in the video) to learn about what’s happening there.

Warning – It’s not an appropriate video to watch with children around.

We must stop turning our heads to this evil that has infiltrated our very backyards.

Oct8

A New(Old) Breed of Missionary

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Dream Tour Team

Standard

I had the pleasure of meeting Frank and Rebekah on the very first Dream Tour Summer 2011. And when I say, “pleasure”, I mean it. They are intelligent, grace-filled, fun, and welcoming. They are new breed of missionary (or very old breed depending on how you look at it), or volunteers as they call themselves. They donate their time to Kingdom work while supporting themselves. Wow.

They just embarked on a new season in their lives and moved from Birmingham, Alabama to Ireland to do some amazing work there. Please pray for them as they change the world through their work and mission.

My name is Rebekah Burder and I’m married to Frank. We are Adventures in Missions volunteers living just outside of Kilkenny, Ireland.

We’re responsible for developing relationships between Adventures and local missions contacts, as well as helping out with logistics for trips through the Ambassador, Encounter, and World Race programs. Additionally, we’ll be helping manage and mentor a team of volunteers working in local youth centers.

We moved here about a month ago, and are just starting to learn the culture of this beautiful country.

Our dream has always been the idea of what Paul writes about in Thessalonians. To donate our time to a mission while supporting ourselves. Together, we run our creative agency, D2L Studios. Frank handles graphic design, website development and reputation management.

I am a professional blogger, which includes social media, photography, and writing. Everything we do is able to be accomplished online, which allows us to move internationally without it effecting our finances. We’ve spent about ten years developing these skills specifically for that reason.

We’re passionate about small businesses, mentoring, leadership, and non-traditional types of employment. We are also passionate about debt-free living. Paying off all of our student loans, cars, and credit cards was the very first step we took to free up our future. Our dream is to see this generation do the same. Develop skills that allow them to donate a portion of their time to bring the kingdom to earth. We are also passionate about mentoring young adults as they transition from college to career.

The area where we need prayer the most is for workers. Ireland needs young people who are energized and ready to build up the presence of the kingdom. We’re specifically recruiting for youth workers, who will establish drug and alcohol free youth centers in cities. They’ll need a passion for mentoring and youth.

You can follow us online at www.aheartforthenations.com.

Sep26

The Heart of a Healer

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Dream Tour Team

Standard

I met Tiffany in Florida on the January Dream Tour (yeah…January in Florida…had it so rough.) She and her brother were gracious and generous hosts. She was just getting ready to embark on the next step of her dream journey by going to G42 in Spain. The time went by quickly and she’s back now gearing up for a brand new season in 2013. Here is a look at her dream journey so far.

Tiffany

When I was 19 years old, I chose Nutrition as my major in college. I knew that I wanted to help people. And I always knew it wouldn’t be in a hospital – that was never my ambition. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to work with women that needed help. My goal was to work in a Community Nutrition program that worked with low-income families (like WIC – Women, Infants & Children).

At that time, I didn’t have a relationship with God. But, He already knew me. He already planted the desire to work with women & children that needed some extra help.

For the next 10 years, I would finish my degree and begin working in Community Nutrition. I held several nutrition and health educator positions. I was able to help women and children in Illinois and Florida make healthy choices.

And then I met Jesus. And my dream got bigger.

I began taking my knowledge and experience around the world. I still want to help women and children with their physical health but, now, with their spiritual health too.My dream is for women to experience full inner healing – especially women that have abusive pasts. I believe that women that are whole and know who they are will have a positive impact in their families.

In the past three years, God has done incredible inner healing in my life. So, now that I’m on the other side, and have my own journey and stories to tell, I want to help other women experience it as well.

So far, this journey has brought me around the world on the World Race in 2011, to Spain for G42 Leadership Academy in 2012 and next year I plan to spend all of 2013 in the Dominican Republic.

Everywhere I go I have the knowledge to help people feel better physically and the experience and the Holy Spirit to help people feel better spiritually and emotionally.

God takes our little dreams, waters them and they bloom into something bigger than we ever thought.

Tiffany has a healer’s heart and God is using all of who she is to help heal others. Please pray for Tiffany’s journey. Go to her blog, to follow her journey.

Aug27

The Journey Begins…Emily’s Story

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Dream Tour Team

Standard

Emily and I met at Panera last fall to talk about her next steps. She was in that place of ambiguity where her heart and her head were giving her the mixed signals. That’s when she started the long and difficult journey of a lot of asking, seeking, and knocking over the next few months. It was so cool to watch her step out in faith, big faith, that maybe didn’t make the most amount of sense but was right into God’s arms.

I asked her to write a bit about her journey, because TODAY she is stepping on to the plane to Scotland and the next two years of her life. Please pray for her today.

Emily

Tomorrow (Monday) I hop on a plane back to Scotland. It’s difficult to comprehend everything that has gone on to get me to this point. But, tonight I see that this new journey started last year when I was struggling to find my place in the world…

In March 2011, I completed an amazing Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Seamill, Scotland. Afterwards, I found myself back home in Des Moines, Iowa trying to integrate that life-changing, Spirit-filled experience into the “real world” of job searching, family issues and general life as a 23 year old.

I have months of journal entries during that time, crying out to God for help because I was so unsettled. My heart and mind knew there was something more for me but there were no leads or answers. I felt like I was being taunted by my God-given passions and dreams. I had a deep fear that I would fall into the predetermined set of expectations of what I was “supposed” to be doing but maybe miss what God wanted me to do.

In November, I got an email from my DTS leader back in Scotland asking if I would ever consider coming back on staff for two years. Even though I loved my original experience with YWAM, I had never seen myself pursuing anything else with them, but when I read that email my soul was ignited.

More emails occurred and the description of my possible position and roles on the base were exactly what I had been praying for. It fit my passions and giftings so well and filled my heart with hope. It was still not an easy journey though because with the excitement came the reality of this huge commitment to take on the life of a missionary- fundraising and sacrificing the comforts of home, family and friends.

Also during this time I was talking with a church in town about a possible position with them. It seemed like a good opportunity as well, plus a lot less sacrifice. There were months of praying, discerning and discussing with people close to me and ultimately I felt like God was giving me a fork in the road with both jobs, but my heart was toward Scotland.

After the months I spent of literally crying out to Him for more, would I trust Him with this perfect opportunity to work for YWAM? Would I take the HUGE leap of faith to move to Scotland and commit to the unknowns of where that road would lead?

Yes.

The big day is now here and as I reflect, I am overwhelmed by God’s greatness and goodness. The bumpy, winding paths God took me on to get me to this place aren’t the ones I would have chose to take necessarily but there is a story of faith and trust that He is building in me through this experience. And this is just the beginning…

Stay tuned for more of Emily’s story, what she’s doing in Scotland, and some lessons learned along the journey.

Aug22

So I Go

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Dream Tour Team

Standard

I met Lacee last month at Project Searchlight training. I had the honor of being her coach for the week. She has big dreams and big talent and a burning passion. You can’t get much more dangerous than that. Except if you have the will to go and follow the Father. Well, Lacee is one of those dangerous Christians this world desperately needs. Please pray with her along this journey. (check out the video – it’s superb!)

Lacee

Passion is who you are; it’s a part of you. My passion, my vision, is for revolution and awakening. To see the American church rise up and Kingdom descend. To meld the world of foreign lands with our world, so we begin to see a bridge, an exchange, of information and thus change.

Within that beating heart is the blood flow, the pipeline dream, the causality, and the conduit. My dream is to build a Photographer’s Coalition. To share the stories that deserve to be told, from the people that need to tell them. Proceeds from prints will return to the source of the stories to help fund villages and organizations. My hope is to build worldwide kingdom and community through arousal and awareness.

These passions, our passions, are about what makes our hearts beat, our souls ache, and our spirits race. It’s about the innate cause within us. It’s about the echo we hear when our ears are pressed against the chest of the Father. We all have one, an echo, a cadence; it is the rhythm that provokes change. Our passions are the tears our hearts bleed and the gears that drive our first steps into new seasons.

It all comes down to the stirring in my spirit to share, to invoke, and to release. Much like the demeanor of a child. Have you ever actually paid attention to how a child acts when they tell a story? Giddy, excited, and over-animated. Probably just overjoyed that someone is listening?

That’s exactly how I want to be.

I want to spend the rest of my life telling the greatest story ever written, about a single day that forever altered the course of human history. And as I do, I want to strive to reflect the same giddy, overjoyed behavior of that child – just thrilled that someone is listening.

I hope to continue the exploration and development of my gifts by working at Adventures In Missions this fall. I’ll be joining a team dedicated to documenting stories about God’s movement in our generation. If you would like to be apart of my story, and follow me as I follow the Father please check out either of my blogs www.laceepeloquin.theworldrace.org or www.throughlensandpen.tumblr.com.

If you’d like to help support me as I begin this new season in my life and join the AIM team please visit here.

Above all please pray for resolve in my spirit to act on the desires God has place within. As with all new seasons I’m both apprehensive and excited for the change, but it’s not about me, it’s about following.

So I go.

Aug17

Bringing Out the Inner Super Hero

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Dream Tour Team

Standard

I met Roberto right after he got back from the World Race, during a Project Searchlight training week in January. The first thing you notice about Roberto is his joy…his presence… Then when you get to know him you soon find out that he is a super hero. One of those true blue heroes that you seldom encounter, but was created to bring justice and freedom to the world.

He is in the Exploring phase of his Kingdom dream journey. Please pray for him in the journey to fight injustice and challenge other men to become the super hero they were meant to be.