We're Not in Kansas (City) Anymore

 

 

November is the time I usually do my quarterly update, so I figured I’d sit down this week and type one up while I am on Thanksgiving break. I went back and re-read my last update to see where I needed to pick up from. Some of you already have updated information but I’ll start where I left off for those who don’t. As of my last update, I was moving to Georgia but did not have a job or a place to live. Within a week of getting accepted to the academy I had both. I put my resume on indeed and I zoomed with a preschool who was willing to wait for me until I arrived in September even though the school started in August- which is pretty much unheard of. When I came for a visit back in March, glory nights was only in the evenings, so I had to fill my days with things to do. Before I left, a sweet parent and friend gave me some money and said to spend it on myself. Friday was the first day of the conference and it was supposed to rain all day so I figured it wouldn’t be the best idea to be out hiking in it, so I found a spa in Conyers and made an appointment. When I arrived, I was filling out the paperwork and they asked why I was in town and when I shared the receptionist said no way I go to school there! So, we exchanged numbers and when I found out I was moving she was the first person I contacted to find out about housing. Well, it turns out she was moving, and her place was coming available. She had a small studio apartment on a 15-acre horse farm that was about 40 minutes from the church. Originally, I thought that was too far as I would have preferred to live closer to the church, but when I got the preschool job, I discovered it was only 7 min from there so I decided it would be better to be closer to work since I had to be there so early so, I went ahead and took that place. Clearly divinely orchestrated-even in me meeting her at the spa. So, I moved here the last week of August and I’ve been here about 3 months now.

Honestly, it has been a rough transition. There was some drama with the movers but eventually we finally got everything where it needed to be. My new bed was delayed so I slept on an air mattress the first week which wasn’t ideal but doable. However, the day before the academy was supposed to start, I woke up to heart palpitations. This was not a new occurrence as these had happened before and the cardiologist was not able to find anything before so when they happen, I just push through and wait them out. They’ve been mostly sporadic over the years, but I had noticed an increase as I prepared to move to Georgia. Well, this time it happened 3 times in 1 day which had never happened before, so I went to urgent care and then was transported to the hospital and was admitted overnight. They discovered that I have svt which is an electrical problem and now I am on heart medicine for it. To be honest, it was a really scary experience to go through by myself not knowing anyone and not having insurance, but I was released just in time to fill my prescription, go home and take a shower and then drive to my first class. It definitely felt like warfare, but I said not today satan. You’re not making me miss my first class! The cardiologist said we will just watch it and see if the episodes increase and if they do, we will look at changing the meds or worst-case scenario, an ablation procedure. Also because of being in the hospital, I missed my first official day of work so that didn’t exactly start me out on the right foot. I truly believe it was an attack from the enemy on my health and my finances which just solidified for me that I am right where the Lord wants me.

Academy is going really well. I am really enjoying my classes and even though it’s been a rough transition I know that I am where I am supposed to be. I just keep reminding myself- just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s not God.  We had another glory nights a couple weekends ago and it was so strange to think how quickly life has changed since the last one I came for. I packed up my whole life and I live here now!  I am so glad to be here and am excited to see what God wants to do over these next 2 years. I’m slowly meeting people and making friends but honestly that would be my biggest prayer request right now- friends =) The timing of the Lord is interesting though because last night in class it was mentioned that they are actually not opening the academy up to new students for a while. They want to really focus on the ones they have and steward them well, so I got in just in time. Yet again another confirmation of the Lord’s perfect leadership. We really can trust His timing and that He knows what He’s doing. This month is the end of my first trimester. Man if I thought 4 years flew by, this 2 years is gonna feel like a blink.

As for my job- that’s my least favorite part of my move so far. I am grateful that they waited for me, and I am grateful to be getting paid a salary however this job has been a nightmare. Because the class started in August and I did not get here until September, most of the usual classroom routine things that get reiterated over and over at the beginning didn’t happen so the class is complete chaos, and I just can’t get control. I have an assistant who is great, but we have a class of 18 and only 4 of those are girls, and that in itself makes it challenging. I had one student at the beginning who was not only verbally but physically abusive to me. I don’t know what changed but luckily that has de-escalated substantially. He is still a handful though. Although it’s a “Christian” daycare, the Pre-k program is state funded and therefore I do not get to teach Jesus or the Bible. I knew that coming in and it was my one hesitation in taking the job, but it really does make a difference. I had no idea how much I would miss the atmosphere of working in a Christian school. This has basically been like working in public school all over again and keeping up with the state requirements has been a job in itself. It has been very overwhelming and stressful, and I have been clashing with admin and feel like I am failing at every possible turn. I am a woman of my word, and I will honor my commitment to finish the year, but I really miss teaching kids about Jesus.

On top of all of the transition, the past month has been hard as I have been processing all of the ihop controversy. If you are not aware just google it. You’ll find more information than you wanted, I’m sure. Even though I’m not there currently, I was for 14 years and truly thought I would be there forever- Maybe even go back when the academy is done. It’s all so sad and heartbreaking and the way it’s being handled is very upsetting. A couple of people have mentioned that it may have been the mercy of the Lord to move me away when He did. I don't know, but again- His leadership is always perfect.  I really do miss the nightwatch though. I knew I would but that’s probably been the hardest part of the whole transition. I really love the nightwatch and I miss singing to Jesus in the middle of the night!

So like I said, it’s been a bit of a rough transition haha! But I know these things take time and it will get better. But you love me for my honesty, and I’d be lying if I said it was all sunshine and rainbows =)

I know the most common question I get asked by y’all is “what do you think the Lord is doing?” One of our classes this trimester is called the school of dying to self. And honestly, I think that’s what He’s doing. He’s causing me to die to myself so that He can live through me and ultimately get all the glory. The refining process is never easy and often painful, but the result is coming out shining like the Son- and that makes it all worth it. So once again I’m surrendering to His perfect leadership and His perfect process of refining and making me more like Him.

On an exciting note- This week is my birthday! Praise God I am off all week from teaching, so I am taking the week to do my usual dreaming with the Lord and asking for vision for the upcoming year and beyond. It’s so weird not to be in Kansas City to celebrate my birthday but I think I will get a small group of girls together that I’ve met here to do something. Of course phone calls and facetimes are always welcome =)

I'm Moving to Georgia...And Nobody is More Shocked Than Me!!

This video is a song that the Lord has really been using to speak to me in this season. Let it wash over you today.

Have I got an unexpected update for y’all! I am moving to Georgia and believe me nobody is more shocked than me. Let me back up and bring you into the journey that has led to this decision. Back in November of last year I was scrolling through Instagram, and I saw a post on Corey Russell’s page, and he had tagged the Bridal Glory ministry. I had never heard of it before, and I was intrigued so I clicked on the tag and started scrolling through the ministry’s page. I found the teachings and started listening to them and I was instantly drawn in. It’s kind of like the normal IHOPKC messaging that I’m used to, but somehow this is even deeper and more tender. In researching the ministry, I discovered it was a church in the Atlanta area called Ascend Atlanta and they have a ministry school. I watched the promo for the school, and I instantly thought that looks amazing. It has an in person and online option so I thought about doing the online one, but when I looked at the price, I discovered it was not much cheaper for the online version than in person and if I was going to spend that amount, I would want to do it in person. So, I basically dismissed the idea. I’m here in Kansas City, planted for the long haul and I love my life and I’m not planning on going anywhere. Looking back, it had a very similar feeling to the first time I saw the promo video for fire in the night at Onething 2006. I had the thought, wow that is the coolest thing I have ever seen. If God could ever make a way, I would do that in a heartbeat. Then I looked at the dates and since I was teaching public school at the time none of the tracks worked with my schedule so I just dismissed it thinking it would never happen. 3 years later God opened a door for me to come and this has that same feel of God opening a door to do something that was in my heart, but I thought was impossible.

I have been asking God for several years to visit a church besides IHOP where He is moving. He’s moving all over so I didn’t have any set ideas but when I discovered this ministry, I decided this was the church I wanted to visit. The only time I could get away of course was spring break, so I thought about going to visit a Sunday service. But for the price of tickets, Air B&B, etc. just for a Sunday service I couldn’t really justify spending the money. A couple days later they announced they were going to have a conference of sorts called Glory Nights and it was the last weekend of my spring break! Now I could actually justify a trip. So, I did something I had never done before. I took a trip all by myself to a city I’d never been to before and didn’t know anyone in and visited a church where I knew absolutely nobody. It was a leap of faith, and I am so glad I took it! I went with no expectations just excitement to see the Lord move and experience Him in a new way. The 2nd night of the gathering, the leadership team and some of the academy students got up on stage and they were giving different prophetic words that they got while praying for the people attending the services. When they were done, the pastor said he had one too and began to share. He said I saw a vision of a yellow brick road. Instantly I was alerted because of a prophetic word I received back during IHOPU in November of 2012 from a dear friend. It was one of the most precious and impacting words that I have ever received, both because of what it said as well as who it came from, and I often go back to it when I need to re-cast vision for my life and for what God is doing. That part of her word was this:

“I got another picture of a street paved with gold bricks in the New Jerusalem. It was called "Amy's Road" and was put there in memory of the time you spent clearing the path. I believe that this either represents the fact that Jesus will reward and honor you publicly for the time you spend clearing the road, or it is actually the real reward He is going to put in the New Jerusalem for you. He sees the time you spend clearing the path for the next generation and it’s as precious as pure gold to Him."

So, when he said yellow brick road I instantly thought, oh my gosh I think this is a word for me. And then he said he heard the phrase, “we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Then he saw Dorothy’s red heels click 3 times and he said watch the next 3 months, a shift is coming. He also said he saw another picture of a moving box right after where the tape was going from left to right. He said they may be connected. That night I went home and texted a friend and shared the word and said I thought it was for me at first but now I’m not sure. So, she suggested that we ask the Lord to confirm it if it was my word. I thought that was a great idea so before I went to bed, I prayed that he would do that. The next morning, I went to the last service which was a Sunday morning. I got there early to get a spot in line and get a good seat and I chatted with the lady who was behind me in line. Her name was Susan, and she was an Academy student. When we were done, she introduced me to the lady who was in front of me, a lady named Minnie who was also a student. Susan introduced me and said Amy’s from Kansas City and after she said that Minnie goes super matter of factly, oh you got a word last night. I said, excuse me? She said yeah, the Kansas word that was for you. I still wasn’t sure if that was confirmation because I didn’t know this lady at all. She kept looking at me like she had more and then she launched into this beautiful prophetic word. It was one of those where after you wish you had grabbed your phone to record it, but I wrote down as much of it as I could remember. After the accuracy of that word, I realized her gifting and I said OK God, You confirmed the word. I’m claiming it as mine. I think I’m moving to Georgia.

Sunday service was good and when it was over, I was just going to leave. But my flight didn’t leave until 10 pm that night and I basically had all day to kill. My plan was to go visit the Atlanta House of Prayer, which is also 24/7, and just spend the day there until I had to leave for the airport. It was about an hour from Ascend. Since I wasn’t in a hurry, I just decided to linger a bit. I’m so happy I did! The girl that was sitting next to me struck up a conversation with me. She was also a student there. Then she introduced me to the lady sitting next to her who was an online student visiting for Glory Nights. Then that lady introduced us to the girl that was sitting next to her who was an online student and was in process of moving to Georgia to be in person. We all began to chat together and then prayed together. When we were done one of the girls asked if we had lunch plans and if not if we would all like to grab lunch. I was like well I was just going to eat somewhere by myself so sure. So, I ended up going out to lunch with 3 ladies who I had only met like 10 minutes before. Crazy! I don’t do that kind of stuff! It was clearly orchestrated by the Lord. So, we were just sharing stories and hearts and I shared that I was in a whirlwind because I thought the Kansas word from last night was for me. One of the girls said, I don’t know who this is for, but I feel led to say something about the number 14 and how in the Bible every time there was a significant transition between generations it was always 14 years. There’s something about the number 14. And then I had the thought, well that’s interesting because now that I think about it my 14-year anniversary of being at IHOP is July 1st and that will be 3 months from now. We exchanged contacts and have kept in touch over the past few months.

So, the last 3 months have been a wrestle and honestly this is really bittersweet. I love the nightwatch and I truly love my job and my life here. I really thought I was nightwatch for life. If I had stayed, my school was going to move me to the 4-year-old class and I was going to have all of my same babies for another year, which was a really exciting prospect because I love my babies! I shared my journey with my principal and said since July 1st was my anniversary, I would let her know for sure if I was coming back on July 2nd. 

When I was home for Christmas a dear sorority sister gave me a precious gift- a mustard seed necklace. I have been wearing that every day as a reminder of trusting the Lord with my little mustard seed of faith. I think God knew I would need a practical, physical thing to hold on to in this season and I am grateful He choose to do it that way and through her. (Thanks Brittany!)

I’m always careful about “signs” because when you want something, you can make anything a sign, but there have been moments along the way that have felt like signs/confirmations. In my 14 years here, this is the first time I saw something and thought that looked better than what I was already doing. I think that’s important to pay attention to. Last week I had pretty much decided but gave the Lord 1 more opportunity to close the door and say no if I was misinterpreting what I heard. I was going to apply to the academy, and I wanted Him to close the door and tell me no if I was wrong, otherwise I was moving forward. I applied on Monday and received my acceptance on Wednesday, and I said OK. I am doing it! I’m packing up and moving to Georgia!

I told my principal I’m not coming back, and I’ve shared with the “bosses” I serve under in various capacities. Now that the decision has been made, there are tons of practicals that the Lord is going to have to work out. I am going to need a job and/or more monthly partners and I’m going to need a place to live. The school is 2 years so I know I will be gone at least that long, but if I’m honest this feels like more than just a temporary move. Who knows what the Lord might do with my weak yes? So, prayer for all the logistics and practicals is appreciated. This truly has shocked me, and I cannot believe it’s happening, but I am so excited at the prospect of getting out of my comfort zone and going on an adventure with the Lord. The main prayer request is finances and provision. I am good through the summer but after that I’m not sure how He’s going to do it- but I’m trusting that He is. I figure he’s going to use a combination of partners and another job like he has done here all these years, so I am also looking at jobs in Atlanta. If you know of anything, or even something remote I can do from home, let me know! I have been saving every month to put towards a new car, but that fund will now go towards moving expenses. I’m still praying for a car, but at the very least I will need a new set of tires before winter comes.

As I look back, I can’t help but reflect on His faithfulness to me for the past 14 years. Wow! His leadership truly is perfect, and He already knows what’s coming next.

If you are stirred to sew into me and my new adventure, you can go to the Partner with Amy tab.

Cincinnati, Ohio!

April 16, 2014

Hey guys I just returned from my last ministry trip of my IHOPU career! It’s so crazy how fast it’s gone. I am just a little over a month from graduating! I wanted to do a quick recap of my trip. Thank you for everyone that was praying for us. We truly felt your prayers!

One of our main focuses during our time there was a juvenile detention center called the Lighthouse. This is a place that houses boys between 14-20 who have committed felony offenses such as assault, sexual abuse, etc. Basically if they were of age they would be in the normal prisons. There is a very precious couple who have a ministry there and they have been faithfully leading church services for the boys for over 20 years! That particular Sunday morning we got to lead both services. It’s totally voluntary for the boys to come or not and we had about 30 out of the 60 in the facility that chose to come to our events. The next night we put on two worship concerts for the boys. The boys are really hungry for God and they have really desired to learn how to do prayer meetings so we showed them a bit of how we do it at IHOP with the harp and bowl model. That may have been my favorite night. I love how the Lord just loves to meet us where we are at. The boys love a Christian rapper named Lacrae and so we all started rapping one of his songs and the boys loved it. Then one of our team got up and did a spoken word and started rapping the Bible. The boys ate it up. They all wanted a try. There we were in the middle of Podunk nowhere with a bunch of hardened criminals (scared little boys who have had a hard life) and they were all rapping the Bible. They were doing the model except instead of singing, they were rapping. It was so cool to witness and I have to admit I teared up a few times because it was just so precious. I think the most impactful part of the Lighthouse was the night we prayed for the boys. We had a night of prophecy where we just asked the Lord what He wanted to share with each boy. They were all so moved as they could feel and see that God saw them and loved them. Several even committed their lives to Lord that night! It was a very fruitful week.

There was a wonderful couple who hosted us for meals and the husband owns a painting company. Some of his employees are saved and some aren’t. We were given the opportunity to go and prayer for all of them in small groups. Again it was so cool to see how the hearts of the guys were touched when they heard how God felt about them and how He saw them. The most impactful one was the guy’s business partner grew up Catholic but wasn’t really walking with the Lord. After our time praying for him he asked the boss if he told us anything about him because there was just no way we could have known the things we were saying. When he said no he said how can I not believe there is a God after all that? So exciting and encouraging!

The rest of our trip was kind of sporadic. Some of the church leadership in Cincinnati really felt like we were to go to strategic places and just worship and bring the presence of God to those places. So one day we went on the top of Carew Tower, which is one of the tallest buildings there and also to a park and just had some sweet times of worship and praising God.

One of the days we had the opportunity to lead worship in the middle of the campus of University of Miami. Those that were not on stage got to go around and evangelize. I got to talk to a lady who loved Jesus and was having a really hard time in her life. I prayed for her and she was really encouraged and edified. We saw quite a few salvations as well. One guy was a violin player and while we were worshipping he came over and joined us. After we were done a couple of our team members started sharing the Gospel and he got saved. It was so fast! I was sitting next to him the whole time listening to the conversation. After he walked away I was like how did that even happen so fast?

Our last day we went to the Cincinnati house of prayer and did an Encounter God service like we have here. One of our team shared a really powerful message out of John 13 and Jesus washing our feet and then we did more praise and worship. I even got to sing on the mic this time. It was really scary but I did it. Baby steps…

Oh and the craziest thing happened the last night. We went to a gas station for some ice cream and afterwards we were all standing outside in a circle eating and debriefing and this woman walks up randomly and goes, I was just driving by and I saw you guys standing here in a circle and I was wondering if you are a prayer group? I just gave my life to the Lord today. What in the world?! That’s how it was the whole trip. It was like they were just drawn to us. So we got to pray for her and encourage her. It was such a sweet end of the trip.

Overall I would just say that I had so much fun on this trip. We only had 14 people which is way smaller than the past trips have been and that made it way easier to get to know everyone. I don’t think I have laughed that much in a really long time. On a heart level I didn’t feel like I got as much personal breakthrough as past trips but I had a really enjoyable time.

Check out this Instagram link for pictures and short movie clips!
http://instagram.com/cincymissions#