Sunset.

Today I got to see the beautiful sunset from my 9th floor apartment in Mexico City. The deep oranges juxtaposed on the cold blue and gray hues, it was just amazing!

I cried (not like a couple tears, I sobbed for a few minutes).

Yes, ok, call me a baby, or better yet a child. His child. I cried because it was so beautiful! At that moment, it wasn't just the beauty of the sunset, it was the beauty of dreams come true. I get to see the sunset in an apartment I rent in the city I was called to, where I lead a school about living life to the fullest.

That moment was it. Gratefulness just filled my heart so much that it came out in the shape of tears.

This may be a short entry, but I had to share. He is God, He is so good. He made sunsets for little girls with dreams fulfilled to look at and have the courage and desire to dream again and inspire others to do the same. For He is faithful.

No Filter.

More Than We Can Ask or Imagine

Four months ago, when the Spanish Curriculum for the First year of the School of Supernatural was released starting a School in Mexico was a mere dream, a set of ideas in my head. I had shared those ideas with a couple people, but didn't really know what it was all going to look like.

The plan was to move to Mexico City (one of the largest cities in the world), connect with people, start attending a church that would provide covering, and well, start a School of Supernatural. Easy, right?

It actually wasn't hard, it just required action, follow through, determination. It seemed so intangible when my small team and I would sit down and brainstorm on the how's, the when's, the where's. Yet little by little it started to become a reality. A website, a FB fan page, a classroom... and then students.

The pastor who was invited to our opening said that this first class, both students and facilitators, are pioneers. People love the term, but at times don't realize the implications. He said we'd be going against what is called "normal", against the status-quo. As Bill Johnson puts it: "We all want God to do a new thing, as long as He does it the way He's always done it."

Two weeks ago I got to stand in front of the 70 people who have believed in this project enough to submit themselves as guinea pigs. 70 students ranging from 17 to 62 years old, male and female, from about 10 different churches. Their faces so real, their lives so ready to embrace the transformation that has already begun to happen.

Now it's real. It is tangible. I stood on that platform on our opening day soaking it all in. Realizing that God does in deed give us more than we can ask for or imagine. I just didn't know He trusted us this much.

The first week of class we saw bodies healed and courage released as our students prayed for each other specifically in the subject of physical healing. It was all the more fun to see those who were skeptical see a miracle through their very own hands.

"His world is breaking into ours" said Bill J. in that first video; and I see it.

I'm just a broker for Heaven; He's decided to show up and we're just going to go with that. He is in deed good, and I look forward to everything He wants to continue to do in this season.

[If you want to see a few pics of our opening day for the mxssm (Mexico School of Supernatural Ministry), please follow this link: mxssm opening)

Mexico School of Supernatural Ministry

"Now is the time. If it's not you, then who?

 If it's not know, when?"

I heard that phrase a long time ago, but today is rings true just like the first time. In exactly two days, a team and I will be starting a School of Supernatural in Spanish, one of the firsts of its kind here in Mexico. It is a dream that was sparked in my heart a couple years ago, but beginning to see it become a reality is breath taking.

With 70 students from about 10 different churches, denominations, and ministries, what once felt like just a good idea has become the tangible reality of that whole "He does exceedingly, abundantly more...", and we're just getting started. My team and I believe that this is the time, NOW.
Now is the time for the body of Christ in Mexico to rise up and be who we are made to be, now is the time for miracles o be normal in Mexico; it is the time for all realms of society to be impacted; for families to be restored; for love to be spread, for businesses to prosper; for art, education, inventions, movies and scientific discoveries to happen just as His kingdom comes, as Heaven becomes a reality in this country.

I'm all in, no turning back, no plan B. He is good and He is worthy. May the Lamb of God finally receive the reward of His sufferings in Mexico, as we embrace the life of abundance that He won for us.

Unto Us a Child Is Born.

I know Christmas was a few weeks ago, but I hadn't had a chance to sit down and write and process what it means for us, for me, in this season. It is an everyday reality; Jesus was born, He walked this earth, He died and resurrected; and He did it all for us. "For God so LOVED the world...", He loves us. HE LOVES US, HE LOOOVEEES US!!! For us believers everyday it's Christmas, each day we get to celebrate that our Savior lives and how much He loves us.

His love is something I've felt so strongly as I transitioned from 2014 to 2015, partially because I had the privilege of traveling to a Caribbean island for a mission trip at the end of December and beginning of January. I love missions because going somewhere else always highlights the reality of a God that crosses cultures and languages to love on ALL His people.

The people there are so precious, and even though I always go with a heart to serve and bless them, their lives and hearts bless me more.

I had the privilege of sharing with a small group of leaders who are getting ready to start a School of Supernatural. They got the curriculum donated, but it was a gift to me to get to deliver it. In many ways I felt like a midwife; helping them focus on what they're giving birth to, and making sure they're prepared to raise this child. I asked them to think about the why, how, when; what is this school going to look like. What do we want to see happen there? And when they gave me the usual "Christian" response of "we want revival", I asked, What does that look like? What does it look like for the moms and dads, for the musician, the baker, the hairdresser, the school teacher? I wanted them to see in the eye of their redeemed mind what Heaven on Earth looks like culturally, what it would look like 50 years from now, a 100 years from now.

Every parent wants to be a good parent, but what does that look like on daily basis, while feeding them in the middle of the night, and attending to them when they get sick. I think of Mary as she carried "revival" in her womb, as she realized she was raising the Savior of humanity. In some ways and because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we too carry revival, and we're learning to "raise" it and see it happen in our lives and communities.

I don't have all the answers, but I'd like to think that I helped these leaders unlock the answers they carry for their community, and I cannot wait to see how it all turns out. I am also about to "give birth" to a school, and as a first-timer I'm excited, nervous and expectant of what is to come. In the midst of it all I'm just thankful, because I know that this is something that was first born in the heart of God, and I simply get to watch it unfold, co-laboring with Him in love.

Vereda: (n) Mex, rural narrow path.

Vereda is the name of the church I go to here in México City. I love the name because it so represents who we are as a church, a Vereda is (as Word Reference so eloquently put it) a rural narrow path, it's the kind of path that wasn't there but as people walk by it each day, one day it clearly shows up, usually still surrounded by weeds and trees. It's organic, no big machinery came through to make it happen, it would probably not show on Google maps, you kind of have to know from a friend, or having encountered it yourself if you were looking for the road.

Vereda's Vision: To be rescued, to be loved, to be The Church.

In a city of thousands of highways and main roads, it's so refreshing to have found this company of people. The leadership is a pastoral team made of three couples an American married to a Mexican, an American couple and a Mexican couple. I mention this because I feel most at home when at least two languages are being spoken, and when different cultures are represented. In this 200 people church I've found at least three different NGO's represented, and people from Venezuela, Chile, the U.S. and Korea. It's like God knows me or something, like He would know that my heart thrives when it is amongst different cultures and languages, and that the kind of School we're wanting to start requires a bit of all those flavors to happen.

This community is definitely a gift from God. I would only add one other meaning, in the context of our church, Vereda means family. Last Sunday we got to do our first official promo for the School of Supernatural. For my team and I this school is a dream come true, our baby. After the video we had, we spoke a few words and said we'd be in the back. Our pastor stopped us right there and said he believes in the school stuff, but further more he believes in us, and proceeded to ask the church to pray and back us up and believe with us that heaven can invade the earth through us!

Afterwards when we were giving out flyers with more info about the school, all kinds of people came to congratulate us... so much so that someone thought it was my birthday. Ha, ha! Not my birthday, but I definitely feel like I'm giving birth (I'm sure the team feels somewhat similar); and I feel that this is the best place to have this baby.

Writer of Success Stories.

I got an email the other day, one of those updates from LinkedIn that I usually ignore. This one had job updates, and since I've been unsuccessfully looking for a part time job, I thought I'd at least take a look.

Scroll down, "...Specialist". Nope. Scroll down, "Senior Analyst..." nope.

Scroll down. "Writer of success stories". Scroll Down.

Wait. Writer of success stories? I like the sound of that.

Well the job was about interviewing people who had testimonies of how this particular company had helped them improve their business, and I actually did post for it (tho' I haven't heard back). But beyond the job itself something about that title description just felt so... right.

I heard God say, "isn't that what you're supposed to be, anyway?" and I knew He wasn't talking about the job. Writer. Of. SUCCESS. Stories. Isn't that what we're all called to? Isn't that what God is asking us to do with Him all the time? Testimonies. Success stories; I was lost but now I'm found, I was sick but now I'm healed. My life was like this, but then He happened, and one cannot be unchanged by His goodness, love and truth.

That day I decided with God that I'm in, I want to be more purposeful about writing success stories with Him. Not just write as in record things that happened (like the position for that company), but write as in be a part of the making, as in partner with God in creating success stories to share with the world. For He is good and He is happy, and the world so needs to know.

I had all these things in my head and then I watched the show Castle. Nathan Fillion is pretty funny if you ask me. For those unfamiliar with the show, Richard Castle is a writer who partners with a cop to solve crimes. In this particular episode, he's put in front of a classroom of second graders in an effort to identify a witness by gaining their trust. He says to the kids: "We are all writers, if you can tell a story you can write a story". Given the context of my day, I took it as an invitation, and I extend that invitation to you as well; let us all be exactly that, co-writers with Him of the most amazing, loving, redeeming success stories.

In The City

I made it! For a couple of weeks now I've been living in Mexico City, doing life, learning to get around in public transportation, going to church... and planning, planning, planning.

January 31st, 2015 is our launch date for the Mexico School of Supernatural Ministry and I still have all kinds of feelings about it. Mostly I'm excited. As I've gotten to know people in the church I'm partnering with, I can sense the hunger and the readiness for more. There are other feelings too; anticipation, cautiousness, and this O-M-G-can't-believe-this-is-actually-happening, kind of feeling... but they're all part of the package, I guess.

I think people don't quite know what they're getting themselves into, and that's even better. I don't even know what I'm getting myself into, but every time I close my eyes I have this vision of heaven celebrating this move; which is comforting, to say the least. All I know is that He asked and I said YES! And it's like I keep saying "yes!" each day, with each meeting and challenge and task; yes, yes, yes!

Yes to finding a place in a nice part of town so that more people can get to it, even though it might be more expensive.

Yes to being looked at as "the one who knows what she's doing", even though most time I don't have a clue (thank you Holy Spirit).

Yes to planning! I recently read a tweet by Paul Manwaring (@Paul_Manwaring) saying that "We must never use the Holy Spirit as an excuse for not organizing - this denies the organizational genius of the Holy Trinity." and I totally agree. Holy Spirit is the master of structure and organization and there's nothing better than getting the blue prints from Him.

Yes to His yes over us! God brought me here, He plugged me in with an amazing church and great generous people, and He's opening doors for us. It seems a bit scary at times 'cause these are doors I've never crossed before, but then I hear Him whisper, "Go for it!" and so I do. The great thing is that I'm not alone, God is with me and a team is coming together. We cheer each other on, and at the same time stand in awe of the fact that we were somehow chosen for such a time as this.

Right now we're working on the vision, the mission, the core values, the calendar, the homework assignments, the application forms, the promotion, the website, etc. and believe me, we couldn't do it without Him.

Yes, yes, yes! We keep saying yes to Him, and we know the most important "yes" is to His Presence, permeating everything we do.