ColleensLife

Today is the last day of my Dress War.   Brett and I will be taking our last picture this evening and hopefully (with Gods grace since wedding season is in full bloom) the fundraising slide show will be out of production in just a few short weeks.

Many people have been asking me how ive felt about wearing one dress for a month.  To be honest it felt very normal to me.  At my job, i pretty much wear the same thing everyday   –  The same pair of black pants and a fancy top.  With this dress, it was flipped   –  The same blue dress and some fancy pants and/or accessories.  Many mornings all i had time to do was throw on an undershirt, pull on some sort of pants, tights or leggings, toss on the blue dress and run out the door for work.  It was nothing fancy, nothing fashionable.  But, it was never about fashion, it was about raising awareness about Human Trafficking in America, specifically, children in the Sex Trade.  A more accurate label i heard recently – the Rape Trade.   Though my month is done, i will continue to fight and raise awareness.  Will you too?

Please Feel Free To Donate Here. Browse through the Daughter Projects Website.  They have a great mission.

Here is the site i received a good majority of the statistics i posted.

As this short chapter comes to an end in my life, i feel a new one starting –  something exciting, fun and new.   April was a good month.  It was a fun, challenging, faith building month.  On to what God has next!

GOOD BY UTI!  You are defeated, im cured.  I wont miss you.

This month marks 6 months free of UTI’s and i have absolutely no symptoms anymore.  Im looking back at that whole process shaking my head because i still cant believe the main problem ended up being mold.  Mold and Coffee.

I want to thank my friend Toni, who reached out to me back in october.  Had she not be obedient to the Lord, i would still be suffering to this day.

Back in October Toni and sent me a facebook message.  In the message she proceded to tell me that she felt like the Lord said, “I want you to reach-out to Colleen.”  In response she said, “But Lord i dont have anything to offer.”  To which He replied, “Just do what I Am asking.”

Within a week, Toni and i met at starbucks where she shared with me her journey with UTI’s.  She had battled them for 7 years and was so fed-up that doctors couldnt give her any answers that she finally met with Rachel, our holistic doctor.   Thats when her life changed.  NOt only was she cured of her UTI’s, but she is also cured of endometriosis.

In response to Toni’s story, and after chatting with Brett, I decided to take a chance and see a the HOlistic Doctor.  It was then that i started to notice changes and was cured.

The thing is, in all my praying to God asking Him to show me what to do to be cured of UTI’s, I would have never even thought to try a holistic approach.  Knowing that, in His love, God sent me Toni.  GOd goes to great lengths to care for us and protect us.  If you are reading this Toni…..thank you.  Thank you SO much for your obedience.  You were THE pivotal point to my healing.

Im also writing this to encourage anyone out there who questions whether or not they will “miss” whatever God has for them, be it because they cant hear Him, or had a rebellious time, or (fill in any reason).  If you are not hearing God, or if you are “missing” where He is leading-   take heart,  He will send you a messenger.  Hang in there, in just the right time He will FOR SURE lead you down the right path, and He will go to amazing lengths to make sure you hear Him.  Why?  Simply because He loves you.

The Dress

Many of you are wondering how my Dress War is going?  Its going good.  My last day is Saturday.  Brett has made me a little tag that i wear that says, “I am wearing this BLUE DRESS for one month.  Ask me why!”.  I also made a little pamphlet with Trafficking statistics, the definition of Trafficking, why im wearing a dress, and how to help.  So, when people ask, I hand out that Pamphlet.

Brett and I will be finished making the slide show on Saturday, and hopefully, within a month, it will be produced and ready for me to post.  Im super excited for his vision he has for it!

SPOILER ALTERT!  Just givin ya a heads up!

So have you seen Tangled yet?!  It is the newest animated movie by Disney.  Working with kids, I have the blessing of being able to see all the newest kids movies.  A few fridays ago, we had a Movie Night at the Nest where we feartured Tangled.  It was a packed house.  30 kiddos, 60 pieces of pizza, 30 cookies.  It was a blast.

God has a way of speaking through movies.  I mean, just pick your favorite movie.  Think of the movies that really make it big- hit number 1 on the charts.  The ones we all love.  Those are the ones im talking about.  Chances are, the movie you pick is your favorite because it’s speaking to something deep in your soul.  I mean, who doesn’t love a good movie with a Hero, a villain, a princess who has to be fought for, and battle between good and evil?  And somewhere along the way there is great risk and great sacrifice that needs to happen in order to save the life of another.  Ever wonder why movies like that speak to us so deeply?  Its because these stories are written deep within us.   They have been written since the beginning of time.  They are OUR story.  THE story.

The Hero? Jesus.

The Princess? Us.

The battle? For our soul – to rescue us from Evil.

It’s the story of a Savior coming to Earth to fight against evil to save His Beloved.  In order to save her He must sacrifice His life on her behalf so that she may live.  In the end they live happily ever after.  -  Its the Gospel-  How beautiful.  John Eldredge, one of my favorite christian writers, writes about this in almost every book he has written.  Here are a few other movies we so dearly love that speak directly to the spirtual truths that are hidden deep within us.

Brave Heart

Matrix

Ever after

Gladiator

Lion King

The list goes on…..

The newest movie that has been speaking to me is Tangled.  I have been captivated by this movie.  Drawn to it.  This movie has many spiritual truths.  Follow along…

A few weeks ago, a wise women in my life asked me this question:  If you could do one thing without money, work, or location being an issue, what would it be?  What is your deepest dream?

So i began to dream.  What is my deepest hearts desire?  What is the one thing i want? The one thing that makes me come alive? What makes my heart beat?

Enter Tangled.

It’s a story about a Princess, Rapunzel who was born in to a wonderful Kingdom.  What Rapunzel doesnt know is that she was stolen at birth by a wicked old woman named Gothel who raises Rapunzel as her own.  Why would Gothel want to steal Rapunzel?  Well, you find out early on in the movie that Rapunzels hair is magical.  When rapunzel sings, her hair glows and heals the sick and the old, making whoever is ill well and young again.  And Gothel wants it all to herself.  So she locks Rapunzel away in a tower and uses her for her own benefit.  Gothel is very tricky.  You see, she is, in a sense, very kind to rapunzel.  She treats rapunzel well but all the while she lies and deceives her about the outside world to ensure Rapunzel will never leave.  So in trusting her “mother” Rapunzel stays in the tower out of fear of what might happen to her and her hair if she were to ever leave.

Even though Rapunzel is locked away, she still has dreams and wishes.  Every year on Rapunzels birthday, the King and Queen of the land release thousands of lanterns in to the sky in memory of their lost daughter in hopes that one day she would return. Rapunzels dream?  To one day experience the lights. Not just see them from her tower, but to really see them, in person.

Through a series of events, Rapunzel finally decides to break free from the tower that once kept her from truly living, from finding out who she really is, and from living her dream.  As she sets out to fulfill her dream, she not only fulfills it, but in the process, she also discovers who she really is- the daughter of the King.  It is when Rapunzel finally sees who she really is that she is able to stand up to Gothel.

Here is a little clip from the movie.  It depicts waht it was like for Rapunzel to finally decide to break free from her tower.

Breaking Free

And here is when she finally lives her Dream.  The words she sings are so true, spiritually speaking.

Seeing The Lights

I feel God calling me to this.  He is calling me to break free from the lies that are keeping me from really living. He is saying “Its time for you to truly come alive and live your dream!”

What do you need to break free from?  What is keeping you from truly living?  What is keeping you from living your dream?