“Du bist ein Wunsch, den Gott sich selbst erfüllt hat.”
“You are a wish that God fulfilled for Himself.”
Confession: I am so overwhelmed by all God has done for me in the past few months, so many surprises and blessings, I am in complete amazement.
I’ve always believed God to be a Big God who does Big things and in these last few months especially, I’ve seen Him work in HUGE ways. Let me explain…
By now it’s obvious that I have crazy passion for dance, but have I mentioned that I have very little formal training? Sometimes I think I have no business at all doing the things that I’m doing; it must be that I have a whole lot of nerve, or, it must be that I believe in a God who makes the impossible possible. I said it before: God is the Greatest Dreamer; and though I have a fury of passion burning in my heart, He has infinite more for me and my dreams.
Last month I had the privilege of traveling to Europe for two weeks. My first week was for work (With All Her Might!) and the second was for vacation (Whoo Hoo!). It may not seem like a big deal, people travel to Europe all the time, but it meant the world to me. Every day I spent there I woke up knowing that I was living my dream and doing the very thing I was created for.
When I started WAHM, it was just me and my dream taking a step of faith to see what God would do. It began with creating this website, posting when I could, speaking of WAHM to get the word out to friends, a few girl’s nights; it wasn’t much. I really was living off a dream. These past two years God has done some crazy awesome things and given me amazing opportunities. This trip to Europe was the cherry on top.
At the end of June a friend of mine in Germany, Sandra, asked if I’d be interested in taking With All Her Might overseas. Would I! Only a few short months later I found myself on a plane traveling halfway across the world. I was given the opportunity to dance, speak, and teach at a German youth leadership camp being held in the Netherlands. I arrived in Germany on a Saturday and found myself with a busload of teenagers early Monday morning on our way to the Netherlands.
Thank God English is taught at school in Germany because I was no help to the German language, and I did have the best translator to help me out, Sandra. I did, however, pick up on some of the language after spending a week as the only native-English speaker, Danke. At first the teens, ranging 14-17, were shy around me, but by the first night I had made new friends. The whole week was about that for me, building relationships. I had so much fun with these kids; I loved getting to know them and seeing the passions God has placed in them, dreams still in the making just waiting for a breakthrough.
There were quite a few adventures too. Like going for a morning run in the pitch dark with a couple of the girls, trying to make our way to the beach and getting lost – at least we made it back! – or our last night together, a group of us heading to the beach for a walk in the pouring rain. I think the greatest adventure was just being part of what God was doing there at the camp. I had the privilege of doing a morning devotion on worship and after, performing a dance. I remember smiling as I waited for my music to cue thinking, “I’m living my dream!” That came to my mind a lot. As I taught dance to the kids, and especially at the Girl’s Night we had.
I was given the opportunity to speak to all the girls at the end of the week for a Girl’s Night. There had been so many fun and goofy moments that week, but I knew Friday night would be different. It was the first time that all of us girls came together and I was able to share my own journey with God as well as my vision for WAHM and challenge the girls to live life as a WAHM girl. The whole time I was so excited and full of joy because I knew I was living my dream and doing what I was created for: encouraging those around me, and God let me do that through With All Her Might!
That Girl’s Night was the first time that any lasting barriers from the week were broken down and everything was out in the open, not just for the girls, but for me as well. This was the perfect time for me to practice what this year for me is all about: fearlessness. I loved speaking to the girls but at the same time it was so humbling; I was so vulnerable. I know now that vulnerable is the best place to be; no matter what differences people may have, through vulnerability we see that we are all human. We may have different stories, but we face similar circumstances and are familiar with the same feelings and emotions that allow us all to relate. There were smiles and laughs, a sense of community and sisterhood, and a lot of tears that night. God is good.
My week at camp was soon finished, goodbyes were said, and I began my next adventure: exploring more of Germany. Germany and the Netherlands were both so beautiful, so much green everywhere and quite a bit of rain, a stark comparison to sunny California. There were so many good times those few days in Germany, having many adventures with Sandra and getting to spend time with her family; that was the build-up to the grand finale: Paris.
Not only was I fulfilling my dreams of With All Her Might in Europe, but I was also fulfilling my own desire to travel to Europe, specifically Paris. Let me just say, she didn’t disappoint. Although I’ve always believed Paris to be a magical place, I found out that you have to create some of that magic; the world is only as beautiful and enchanting as you see it to be. And oh, was it beautiful!
I was so happy to be living my dreams as I traveled throughout Germany, the Netherlands, and France, but I was reminded about what matters most in life: Love. I was happier to know that my heart missed my loved ones back home. I’ve learned over the years that it’s not about where you are, but who you are with – and I had left my heart back in California. It was such a comfort to know that I could be on the other side of the world, on top of the Eiffel Tower, and still choose love.
If I had to describe this trip in one word, it would be blessing; I was so blessed those two weeks in Europe. After going through a few rough months this year and having to deal with a lot of hard circumstances, I felt like this trip was given to me by God as a blessing. I didn’t deserve it, but God gave this to me to show me His Great Love for me, to demonstrate that in time, God heals all wounds, and to remind me that He can take the battered and broken and make it beautiful.
I’m still coming off the high of Europe, but I’m not ready for it to end; I want every day to be a day that I’m living my dreams and doing what I was made for. Why shouldn’t it be that way? God is still a Big God; there is still magic, beauty and enchantment whether I’m in Los Angeles or Paris, California or Germany, the States or Europe.
God, give me eyes that I may always follow the path of my dreams, to always see beauty in the world, and in response, come alive.
I want this to be the story of my life: to [FEARLESSLY] LIVE, LOVE, and DREAM.
With All Her Might.
With All Her Might 