This changes everything!

I'm hurt.
I'm hurt because of what people have said.
What they didn't say.
What they have implied.
Because far too often, Satan takes the best of us and we can't see past our hurt.

This past week, I was hurting. I still am hurting. But you see, I can't keep up my new found pessimistic ways. It's weighing me down. It's a chain of sorts. Until tonight, I thought my HURT was my chain. My hurt, is simply my unwillingness to forgive. Unforgiveness is my chain, and I am beyond ready to be set free.

I have to forgive what people have said.
What they didn't say.
And what they implied.

Jesus didn't die and reconcile my sins, for me to live in freedom and judge everything anyone has done to me. He died to reconcile ME so I can reconcile others. It's even in the lords prayer; "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors..."

I'm going inhale and exhale, and I'm going to move on. My thoughts are so jumbled on what was bad in the past, I can't take a minute to think about what we accomplished last week. I must say, it was pretty darn amazing.

It doesn't matter what anyone thinks about how I handled things. There is only one opinion that matters, one voice. If I can just listen to what Jesus says, and forget what others say, life will be unbelievably different.

Ghana Rock was awesome. God could have used anyone to do it, but I had the privilege to be used. I had the privilege to spend my junior year doing something meaningful, and learning a lot about myself in the meantime. I got to help save eight lives. That is some crazy stuff!

I'm not going to look back on this process and regret anything. If anyone looks down on any decision I made, they are welcome to, because in the end it is enough for me to know I answered Gods call that I could have easily ignored.

That changes everything.

Thank you for praying for the team, for me. I'm so glad I went on the journey with everyone who joined me. I am one blessed girl.

Here is to a God who continues to teach us every single day,
Mads

Smiling upon the Future

So, Ghana Rock is over. It was a huge success. It was bigger than I could have ever imagined. Dreamed. Wanted. You see, that's what is so amazing about God. He took me, a disorganized sixteen year old, on what will most definitely be the biggest adventure of my high school career.

This time last May I would have never thought that within a years time, I would go to Africa.  Or learn what a DI box is, or how to sign a contract with a band. I would have never thought that I would have seen eight lives changed so drastically. See eight lives be saved, by Christ and from the evils of this world. And to top it off, I would have never, ever, ever have thought that I would witness God not just show up, but take control of a building, and a concert to bring Him praise. Incredible.

Though, I should be spending this week jumping up and down in His grace, in His victory... Instead, I am moping. Somehow Satan has managed to take God's victory and the joy that I should be feeling and turned it into an internal battle of discouragement. It. Sucks.

God is bigger than this. He is bigger than anything I am feeling and I know through Him I can get through this. Being young and planning this has never really seemed hard. Being young and being sucker punched in the gut by Satan seems extremely hard.

So, pray for me. I would very much appreciate it.

"strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles upon the future." proverbs 31:25

-Mads 

My car is drowning in the stench of paint and glue.

What a weird way to start off a blog post... you may be telling yourself... Well, the thing is, I've been working on some art projects for Ghana Rock for the past couple months, and the harsh odor of spray paint, hot glue, Gorilla Glue, Elmer's glue, and every other type of adhesive has become strangely commonplace to me as the projects ride from place to place in the trunk of my car. And now that the concert's over, I can't seem to rid myself of the lingering smells that have permeated my life. Truth is, just as the fragrance of glue has seeped into every seam of my car's fabric, the lessons learned from being a part of the creation of a concert have seeped into the very fabric of my being. We have all learned so many lessons from the beginning of our endeavors to put on a concert to benefit The Father's House Ghana. Madi taught us the incredible impact that a passion can have. Her drive to do something now kept us running through the months of frustration and worry. The people in our community taught us of selfless giving as donations poured in from around the country to first fund our concert and then add to the growing amount that we could pass on to those eight precious little boys. And Jake and Chanda taught us of sacrifice and dedication. They are giving up a year of their lives to spend nurturing and providing for these children who have never been shown love before. I have been impacted in a way like never before. God has taught me personally about the importance of letting go and seeing Him work through people as incompetent as me to accomplish something as impossible as this.

I pray that, though the tang of glue and odor of paint will soon fade from my life, the lessons learned will leave a lasting impression not only on my heart, but on anyone's who was fortunate to be involved with Ghana Rock.

Katy Folk