People keep telling me "welcome home", that this place here is my home... Asking me if I'm home yet? Or if I enjoyed my trip? But to me, this whole experience in Jackson, Mississippi has felt so much more than "home" to me. But never would I have imagined that being in a place 1,815 miles away, living under a roof with twenty people, where we get tornado warnings, and pretty much live a whole new life style would be my home; my comfort zone. The environment of true love and belief and the people surrounding has most definitely earned it's title as home in my heart. We lived like family, we acted like family, we felt like family, and we loved like family, but it was most definitely God's love that held us together. Glory be to Him. This family of devoted Christians that had been surrounding me this whole week has not only showed the love of the Lord but they have taught me valuable life changing lessons that I'll never forget and have kept me accountable for who I am as a follower of Christ in a loving way. When people say that this trip is life changing... they're not kidding. The love and hearts after Christ that surround you; you honestly just forget about the rest of your world. Everything seems to dissapear and nothing matters but the truth that we have a God who loves us, who calls us to love, and who we believe in whole heartedly. A God who loves us enough to send His only son to die for something we were intended to die for. One of the songs that really stuck out to me this trip was "How Deep The Father's Love For Us" by: Stuart Townend. It's so powerful and if you haven't heard it yet, I hope you get a chance to listen to how deep His love really is. I'm not going to write all the lyrics but I'd like to share some of the lines that have done so much more than just pop out to me.
How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure.
Behold the Man upon a cross, my sin upon His shoulders.
It was my sin that led Him there, until it was accomplished.
His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished.
I will not boast in anything.
But I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.
But this I know with all my heart, His wounds have paid my ransom.
I really hope and pray that you'd take the time to really hear this song out. It's all so true. I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection that has saved us and set us free from the chains of death.
This trip has most definitely given me a whole new definition of the word family. If you were to have looked at the team of kids who were called to go to Jackson, you would have been like... Really? Do they even know each other. Really? She doesn't even look like she would fit in with this group? How are they going to come together as a team? But guess what? This is my family and I could not ask for a better one either. No matter what we looked like, whether we hung out in the same group or whether we had a lot in common or dressed the same, didn't matter at all. And that's truely what they teach you out here in Jackson. To be a diverse family of color, location, clothes, and race is truely what God calls us to be. A family that loves no matter what's on the outside. "Love is the final fight." is something that Mr. John Perkins really reveals out in Jackson and it's so true. Just showing that love of the Lord can change a person's life and how they choose to live it. After we've loved, the rest is up to God and we all know the wonders He can do. It's insane to see these words Jackson, Mississippi and how they aren't even close to just a couple of words or just a little city on the East Coast anymore. It's so much more than that. It's taught me to love limitless and to believe in the truth of Jesus Christ because it will set us free. It's taught us to really be a community under God's love and how much that little statement really means. Jackson has taught us how to really live that lifestyle out and how important it is. It was crazy to see in the little things how much they were able to show love. Running on the streets, or sitting outside on the porch... People made it a point to honk and wave. How often do you and I ignore the people that we don't know? Well, these people certainly didn't know us and they most definitely could tell that we were different, but they showed us that love of open arms and welcoming into their community. Or how at that carnival where it was probably the first time any of these people had ever seen us but they were thanking us without even knowing what we were doing or how those little kids just wanted someone to love them and to love. We all came together as one community, as one body under God. Now, all that's left to do is live it out. Live out this life of community, love, leadership, justice, and vulnerability. To "be not afraid for He has overcome satan and evil and He is with us." To lead with prayer and to have a willingness to step out of our comfort zones. To let the Holy Spirit direct us and let it change who we are. To be accountable and keep our strength to stand up and be who we really are in Christ. To love beyond what we can imagine. To love in God and take a leap of faith. To let His power empower us. To love in action. This trip has taught me more than you can even begin to imagine and more than I can even begin to explain, but God is truely working and moving through all of us, so be ready world, we're ready to impact you!
This trip has most definitely given me a whole new definition of the word family. If you were to have looked at the team of kids who were called to go to Jackson, you would have been like... Really? Do they even know each other. Really? She doesn't even look like she would fit in with this group? How are they going to come together as a team? But guess what? This is my family and I could not ask for a better one either. No matter what we looked like, whether we hung out in the same group or whether we had a lot in common or dressed the same, didn't matter at all. And that's truely what they teach you out here in Jackson. To be a diverse family of color, location, clothes, and race is truely what God calls us to be. A family that loves no matter what's on the outside. "Love is the final fight." is something that Mr. John Perkins really reveals out in Jackson and it's so true. Just showing that love of the Lord can change a person's life and how they choose to live it. After we've loved, the rest is up to God and we all know the wonders He can do. It's insane to see these words Jackson, Mississippi and how they aren't even close to just a couple of words or just a little city on the East Coast anymore. It's so much more than that. It's taught me to love limitless and to believe in the truth of Jesus Christ because it will set us free. It's taught us to really be a community under God's love and how much that little statement really means. Jackson has taught us how to really live that lifestyle out and how important it is. It was crazy to see in the little things how much they were able to show love. Running on the streets, or sitting outside on the porch... People made it a point to honk and wave. How often do you and I ignore the people that we don't know? Well, these people certainly didn't know us and they most definitely could tell that we were different, but they showed us that love of open arms and welcoming into their community. Or how at that carnival where it was probably the first time any of these people had ever seen us but they were thanking us without even knowing what we were doing or how those little kids just wanted someone to love them and to love. We all came together as one community, as one body under God. Now, all that's left to do is live it out. Live out this life of community, love, leadership, justice, and vulnerability. To "be not afraid for He has overcome satan and evil and He is with us." To lead with prayer and to have a willingness to step out of our comfort zones. To let the Holy Spirit direct us and let it change who we are. To be accountable and keep our strength to stand up and be who we really are in Christ. To love beyond what we can imagine. To love in God and take a leap of faith. To let His power empower us. To love in action. This trip has taught me more than you can even begin to imagine and more than I can even begin to explain, but God is truely working and moving through all of us, so be ready world, we're ready to impact you!
[Community. Love. Prayer. Vulnerability. Confession. Accountability. Vision. Humility. Hope. Belief.]
I only wish that you too could see God moving in all these people out there. Trust me, they'll change your life and leave you speechless. I can't wait to live out this life God is calling us to with no fear and no regrets. God is so good and gracious..I believe in an endless love... I believe... I believe He loves me... And that's all I need to know.
.Love.
In Christ,
Kali Taeleifi
"And you, my child will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,"
"to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
Luke
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