The Quickening

Quickening.
Technically a Quaker word that refers to the first signs of life of a baby in the womb.
Like when John the Baptist leapt in his mother's womb.
Quickening.
First signs of life.
Could the same word be used of things like...butterflies?
Or maybe the dead being raised? Emotionally or physically?
Maybe so. Why not?
The first signs of life from something hidden away and protected in a dark place as it is "becoming".




I was mulling over past dreams and desires today. I had a dream, since 1999, of having a ship in the Mediterranean that had 24/7 Worship and Prayer coupled with Mercy Ministry (medical and relief). I wanted to serve Muslim countries in N.Africa, Eastern Europe, etc.

For various reasons that dream was butchered and died. And I had even gone so far as to label it stupid and impossible.

But yesterday I was re-visiting all sorts of things from the past. Allowing places in my heart I had shut away due to pain come back alive again.

I started thinking about 24/7 Worship and Prayer. Mercy Ministry. Muslims. And suddenly it hit me. That's what CRI (Crisis Response International) is doing. 24/7 Worship/Prayer and Mercy Ministry to Disaster Situations. And a YWAM Base asked me not too long ago if I would write out a plan for having worship/prayer covering 24/7 for their mercy teams and DTS teams.

Hmmmmmm.

Groups are doing this or wanting to do it. My dream was NOT stupid. Not impossible. And it's not like YWAM doesn't have ships. They have several. And so what if I wanted to do it in the Mediterranean as opposed to North or South America. That's a good thing, not a bad one.

Hmmmmm. Not that I intend to pursue it. But. Nevertheless.
I am not an idiot. And this is a good dream. Oh the joy!!!


It's a quickening for me. A stirring of life from a semi-dark place. YeeeeHaaaa.

Desert Seasons Really Are Like Prison...

A friend of mine and I took this picture recently just for fun. It seemed like an amusing picture to add to this blog, though. :)

Yes, so.
We all have desert seasons in our lives. They go by different names..."desert", "wilderness", "dark night of the soul"...whatever. And they are really really bad.

I have just begun to emerge from a desert season. The worst of which has taken place over the last 5+ years. And as I was sitting here today I realized. Huh. Desert seasons are alot like being in prison. At least mine has been!

Trapped. Going crazy. Dying. Begging for release but it's a no go. And I surely have tried to leave so many times. Ah well, maybe there are points for obedience! :) And I think of how many times I have lain in the floor crying and saying "Oh, please God, I just want to see something beautiful!!" But I wasn't released.

And how often did I pace back and forth....back and forth....in a small space with only God to talk to? How often did memories of loved ones and places I wanted to go to again keep me breathing? How often did the loneliness threaten to overwhelm me? How often it felt like God was on another planet. How often it felt like everyone thought who I was was unacceptable.

Hope vanished. No hope of escape...no hope for joy....only the vague hope that maybe it would somehow all matter in heaven.

And pace....pace....pace in my little space. Crying, praying, thinking. Certainly nothing else to do.

And you realize it's not the fault of the place....it's the nature of the season.

But that fact does not help. Groaning, lonely, yuck. Until despair and emotional death set in.
Like prison. Like so many of the stories I have heard from those in prison.

The suddenly...release!!! Or at least the process of release.

And you step out expecting to pick up where you left off. You think you'll go back home but your home isn't there. And you're not sure where to go. Everyone else has moved on but you're still back 5+ years ago before you entered prison/the desert. Maybe no one even realized you would re-emerge.

What do you do? Your "present" is the past for everyone else. How do you go forward? How do you start over? Who ARE you even?

Odd. So odd. Nevertheless. Despite everything to the contrary. There is reason to hope...for God is still on the Throne even if you happen to be crawling out of a desert prison....

And one day....truly...one day the prison will be something way off in the distant past. And the present will have become bright and hopeful!

That's One Good Lookin' Foot!

CHICKEN FOOT!



As Larry and I prepare our hearts to go back into YWAM we decided to get out the dominoes and take a walk down memory lane....



No matter what YWAM Base we lived at there was always the "game" we played.
In DTS it was Euchre.....but in Colorado it was a Dominoes game called...chicken foot.



So, as we planned and dreamed, thought and prayed today it came to us.....
......why not pop in a old Delirious CD and play Chicken Foot.
So, we did.
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Sue....Dolores....Jessica.... that sure is one good lookin' foot. :)

A Day In Disaster Relief Training

Oh my goodness but I had a wonderful time today!
I think this was the first time I have felt "in my element" in...oh...maybe 10 years?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While the whole class was sitting in the training room a "call" came in that we needed to respond to a crisis. We had ten minutes to gather our gear, gather into our pre-assigned groups (I was on the team from "Yellowstone") and get on the bus.

And off we drove to the simulation with high adrenaline!!

While on the bus we were briefed on the situation. We were going to a volcanic explosion.

And also on the bus I was elected the leader of Team Yellowstone. And suddenly "normal Leigh" mentality kicked into gear. In other words, I switched into leadership gear and had the time of my life for the rest of the day.

After arriving in "Oregon" we spend half an hour in the on-site prayer room worshiping. What better way to prepare for a day of intense "2nd Commandment" activity?? It was incredibly interesting to be worshiping at the base of the "volcano".



After we had prepared hearts our team was assigned to search and rescue.
First my "buddy" Stella and I were assigned to Incident Command to direct the search and rescue teams that were inside the "damaged building". Then we switched and were one of the teams inside the building.



We did a great job until there was a "gas leak" simulation in our building and we were all killed. Gee. Suddenly I was feeling not so great.



But that's ok. For next we went to the Pastoral Care tent to get prayed for and ministered to.
And after that was lunch break!! :)


After a refreshing lunch and a turn preparing food in the kitchen for other teams we were off to the medical tent to practice triage on our volunteer victims. Most of my time was spend facilitating the team and seeing that everyone was cared for as they were brought out of the search and rescue area.




All in all we had an absolutely wonderful day and I am now an official disaster relief worker with CRI. (Crisis Response International)

JESSIE MAE WHERE WERE YOU!?!?! :(

CRI Disaster Relief Training

Stella & I studying hard for an exam.....

A picture is worth a thousand words...

and surely I am afraid to comment on this scary shot.

YWAM & Disaster Relief

One of the aspects of YWAM ministry with which Larry & I will be involved is Disaster Relief.

The disaster relief arm of YWAM is called RescueNet.

I expect it is fairly obvious what a disaster relief ministry does...they go to disasters in order to bring the presence of God and be the hands of Jesus to those who are suffering. We want to be involved with disaster relief both in the USA and in other nations.

As a result I will be taking a disaster relief course here in Kansas City next week through CRI...Crisis Relief International. This will be helpful in working with RescueNet and will also enable me to work alongside CRI. Cross-pollination!! :)

So....I will keep you posted with pictures and information on how the training goes next week!!

YWAM Salem & the Salem House of Prayer

Larry and I have come to the decision that if we are accepted by the YWAM Salem Oregon Base, then that is where we will go.

Everything that we have wanted is in this area. Not only would we be working with YWAM in various capacities but there is also a 24/7 House of Prayer that has the same model as the IHOP-KC in Salem. We have been on the phone with them and they are excited for us to come join them as intercessors, prayer leaders and worship leaders as set space allows.

To make things even more fun, YWAM and the SHOP are already forming a relationship!

So, Larry and I would be able to be with YWAM and the Salem House of Prayer. This is the exact blend we have been longing and praying for all these years!!!

Needless to say we have already filled out the needed paperwork for YWAM Salem. So now we wait. If we are accepted to YWAM Salem then we will immediately begin support raising with a projected arrival date of January.

If we are not accepted, or if the Lord suddenly tells us that we have missed it and Salem is not where He wants us, then we will go to Tyler, also in January.

To be honest, though, our hearts are very much leaning into Salem. Not only is there YWAM and SHOP but there is also a YWAM Adoption ministry up there. Not to mention the fun of being only 1 hour from the mountains and 1 hour from the beach.

So, please continue to pray with us that the Lord's will might be revealed!

More Fun With Tornadoes....

So, why are we worshipping in a little cement room underground? Is this is mission trip or something?

No! It was another tornado.

Last night during the teaching time in an IHOP class one of the students got a phone call that a tornado had touched down at I-435 and Wornall. That was less than a mile from the building where we were meeting.

The leaders immediately got on the internet on their cell phones and also started making calls and confirmed that we were under a tornado warning so they immediately moved all of us (about 120 of us!) into a really tiny semi-underground room full of boilers and the A/C unit. Except the A/C wasn't working down there.

Oh my it was hot, hot, hot and the pipes magnified the sounds of thunder and hail.

It got especially fun when the lights went out for a moment.

So, Mike Rizzo, who was teaching, stood on the cement stairs and continued teaching. After which we also had ministry time (pictured) there in our little cement cell.

And it would not have been IHOP if we had not all been making observations about how we were the underground church in the End Times! :)

We stayed in there for at least 45 minutes until the "all clear" was sounded.

I must admit that is the closest I have come in a a very long time to actually believing I might die. It was an interesting experience that gave me some needed perspective as Larry and I prepare to go back into missions.

And now, I have yet another great tornado memory with my friends in Kansas City!!