Moments That Matter.

My heart has been moved more times during worship and in intercession than in anything else.

Giving the Lord time to speak is more important than anything else.
& when he speaks… you are changed forever.

That O Yahhhh.        
When a light bulb goes on.
& you kinda feel like a idot because you have been struggling to figure it out on your own.
When stress, anxiety, frustration, & fear is lifted.
When His world invades yours & his presence is tangible.
When He gently reminds you that “I am the God of all creation, ask of me anything you desire my daughter & it is yours.”
When you sit back & remember that God is really good & its exhausting trying to figure it out on your own.

I had one of those nights, last night.

It is a fight to stay so close & to be continually in His presence.
Our hearts are prone to wonder & if we don’t remember to fight for the presence of God in our lives we will simply fad away & waste so much time trying to figure out why life is so hard.

It is a fight.
Lets fight for each other.
Lets remind one another of the greater reality.
Lets be a people who carry his presence.
& Lets invade our towns, homes, relationships with the kingdom of heaven.

What consumes you?

Matthew is moving to California Tuesday! We are getting married May 4th, having a Cleveland reception May 11th, & moving back to Kona at the end of May.

Whoa. Life is busy right now. Lots of preparation!

Wedding Stuff: So many things have fallen into place & I am consistently in awe of the family & friends who choose to bless Matthew & I. I am positive that when I look back at our wedding day I will say that it truly was the Lord who brought it all together. Even with all the stress of planning I try to sit back & breath & remember that the Lord likes to party with excellence & so everything is going to be alright.

Serious blessing: I got a job! A buddy from high school told his manager my situation & how I would only be here for a few months & she agreed to take me on for the time I am here. I am so stoked to be able to save money before we head back to Kona! Serious favor.

Praise Report: A church in Iowa has been praying for the past few months about who they would be supporting next year & they choose me! I am stoked to see The Lord is already taking care of Matthew & I. He really is good.

Prayer request:
My job is super awesome & accommodating to my wedding planning schedule. & for Matthew & I learn everything The Lord wants us to in this time of engagement!

xoxo

Such a important dialog on sexuality for the church to have. I couldn’t agree more.

http://deeperstory.com/i-am-damaged-goods/

Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless - cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it.

1 Peter 4:8-10

I ring in the new year with a ring on my finger! I am the future Sarah-Jo Scaparotti! I will be marrying my best friend Matthew who also is the sweetest man I have ever met. He continues to blow me away by his unconditional love & there is no one else on this earth I would want to wake up next to every morning.

I spent Christmas at home & then went to Cleveland to spend time with the Scaparotti’s. I absolutely adore his family & really feel welcomed by each one of them. Ever since I was young I have been praying that I would marrying into a really good family & I truly feel the Lord has answered my prayers!

Matthew and I will tie knot May 4th! A four month engagement is short & some say we are a lil crazy but I feel totally peace about it & feel like it is soooo right! I do understand the task of planning the celebration of the year will be HUGE but I am ready to be consumed by the goodness of planning this beautiful day & praying that I experience the joy of the Lord every single day of this engagement.

I have been engaged for a week & a half now & I am completely blown away by the love & support! There has not been a day that has passed with out someone calling, emailing, texting, facebooking me asking how they can help & sharing how they want to contribute to our special day.

Many have been asking what we are doing after we get married (as if planning a wedding isn’t enough to think about) but because we are YWAMers and live out of suitcases & a lil bit of nomads I understand the curiosity. Well… Matthew and I have prayed and we will be… DRUM ROLL PLEASE…. Moving back to KONA! Yes it’s true! We are still continuing to do missions & live by faith TOGETHER! I am so stinkin excited about this year & ready to start a new adventure with a husband!

Not trusting fear & doubt.
Not putting hope in man.
Trusting that the Lord is committed & his word is true.
Trusting the Lord with 2013.
Even when my knowledge & logic makes up a “better” plan.
I lean NOT on my own understanding.
My life is in the maker of heavens hands.
This is where faith comes in.
This is where it does not make sense but I say yes.
This is where I trust the spirit.
This is where I let go of control.
This is where I say your will not mine.
This is where faith with out works is dead

& I don’t want dead faith.

I am sorry for the delay.
This past month was the first time I touched foreign soil since 2010, a new nation since 2008 & my first time in a closed nation.

I had so many different emotions & questions about this journey. The feeling of fear of the unknown & excitement of exploring something new mixing in my heart.

I landed in Hong Kong after a long 15 hour flight & over 24 hours of travel. I was a bit worried that for some reason Matthew was not going to be able to meet me at the airport & I was going to have to figure out Hong Kong on my own but the good man he is, I found him waiting outside of customs with a sign in hand. We grabbed some starbucks & we made our way to our accommodations.

The next day we took a trip to downtown Hong Kong to apply for our visa’s for China which we thought would be a pretty simple process but soon found ourselves on another adventure. Walking into what seemed like every government official building and trying the 20th, 4th, 17th, 3red floor, trying to ask where we are suppose to go just to find ourselves in the wrong elevator going to the wrong floor in the wrong building. Finally 20 minutes to closing we find out beloved building! Rushing though out application process (me nervous the whole time because I am applying for a visa for a closed nation & not really sure what I am suppose to be saying), the men working there were hurrying us along & informs us that we have 3 minutes till they close we run to the front, handed over our passports and gave them a smile. We get into the elevator let out a sigh of relief & laugh at how ridiculous our day was. We go wonder around the city a bit, get down on some noodle soup & make the hour commute back to the 900 year old building we were stay at.

The next day we pay 180 dollars for a visa for 5 days in China (a bit expensive but totally worth it) & off we go into China!….

Now here is where it gets good & I tell you all the amazing stuff about China & our crew that is there:

We cross the boarder & the atmosphere shifted you could feel the heaviness in the place, Matt & I are exhausted we make very poor decisions & eat at KFC (failblog) & wait for our contact to meet us at the train station. Our host was a beautiful family with 4 lively little boys who welcomed us with opened arms. We walked over to our teams apartment & were stoked to see our friends!

Our first day in China we got to explore a bit but with me fighting jet-leg & Matt getting sick we were able to actually rest the first day we were there which was such a blessing! The rest of the time we were there we were meeting with everyone on the team, hearing stories, & the A M A Z I N G testimonies of person after person after person coming to know Jesus personally, so stinkin encouraging! I feel like I have heard about countries, places, groups of people who are hungry for Jesus & truly giving their life to a beautiful savior but I never experienced it first hand like I did here.

Here is a fun story.
One of the main ministries the crew is doing is meeting people & inviting them to their english groups. English group is a place where the students can practice their english and expand their vocabulary with foreigners. Because we are strategic & want people to know our beautiful Jesus we teach english from the bible & give them a opportunity to give them their lives to him & follow him. (Bible & English, win. win.) The night I went to one of these groups we went over the story of Zacchaeus then went through 5 simple questions that shows what Jesus character is like & how he changes lives. Then asked if anyone wanted to follow him & 3 people gave their lives to the Lord that night!!!!!! I was in awe. It was so beautiful, I saw the genuine hunger for Jesus. Simple gospel really does change lives. 

I saw genuine hungry for a savior that loves.
I was deeply encouraged by this team. 
My heart was once again moved for the nations. 
This trip holds a special place in my heart. 
Thank you for your prayers while I was over there.