Letter from the heart of a leader

To my team, my girls, dear sisters in the Lord and daughters of the King,

It has been an absolute honor to walk alongside each one of you as you begin the journey toward a life of abundant joy and freedom in the Lord. I truly never anticipated being as blessed by you all as I have been this summer. I responded in obedience to the Lords call to come and lead you all this summer, expecting to lead you all into deeper intimacy and knowledge of the Lord from what I’ve already walked through; however, you all ended up being instruments in the Lords hands used to teach me depths of knowledge and joy previously unattainable in my walk with the Lord. To even try to express how much I have learned leading all of your dear hearts this summer would not begin to come close to the blessing of Lord that I consider you all to be. You have loved with a love fully abandoned to the heart of our Savior. You have served in strength not your own, you have spoken words given from God, you have humbled flesh time and again to let Christ reign. I am honestly humbled by your hearts, dear girls, and even more humbled before our God and King to have been found worthy to lead such hearts of purest beauty and radiant glory. I will hold you all in my heart, etched there by the hand of God, forever remembering this season of such blessing. On a final note, let me share a glimpse of my heart and my journey with you girls; one last bit of leader wisdom if you will…here is my letter to the Lord as I sit with Him in the cafe reflecting on these final moments together…

Lord,

     I can’t believe you have brought me this far, to this place of such indescribable joy and freedom. I am astounded that it is our last day at Zion, that I’m sitting in my little coffee corner for the last time; it seems so surreal that I will be home in less than a week. My heart is beginning to ache at the reality of our impending goodbyes. This place has been home for two months, these people have become family; the staff and my girls all hold pieces of my heart. Oddly enough I feel at peace leaving; I know to be true the beauty of seasons ending so new ones can be ushered in. Yet, I sit in this bittersweet moment realizing how truly beyond blessed I have been to be in this season here in Chiang Mai. I never anticipated it to be as incredible as it has been; by the grace of God my limited expectations have been shattered once again. Reflecting on the beginning of this journey I remember how anxious I was going into this season; even more so than when leaving for 11 months on the World Race.  I’ve come to realize the overwhelming anxiety and fear leading up to this season was instilled by the enemy because he knew this season would be one of such freedom and joy truly ushering in kingdom living.

     Freedom and joy, the two words that best encapsulate this season. I am standing in such unexplainable freedom, freedom that far surpasses the knowledge of it; beyond knowing to being. “Be free” could be no truer a word of spoken life. The more I uttered those words to our girls, the more the power of that spoken truth clothed me with the same garment of freedom I’ve always proclaimed yet seldom worn. I can’t even begin to explain how it happened. I didn’t work to be in this place, I couldn’t have if I tried. My entire summer was spent being so invested in these girls hearts being made whole and their own journeys to freedom. Yet, that is the beauty of the heart of our God. As He equipped me day by day to journey with them towards freedom, Jesus was seated at the right hand of God interceding on the behalf of my freedom journey as well. Without effort on my part, or even awareness in the midst, but rather retrospectively can I now move out of the cleft of the rock and see the glory of the Lord that has passed by. I walk on fully dressed as the bride of Christ I was fashioned in the depths to be. Joy adorns this garment like no other ornament. My truest life now radiates purest joy. Life abundant is drenched in joy abounding; abounding from utter freedom. I know self fully because I realize now how fully know I am by my maker. Fully known and formed intricately, just as I am now and am to be fully for glories sake. Freedom usher in glories greatest declaration. Joy is my crown of life; Jesus my Savior, Abba Father love abounding. Amen and Amen.

So girls, I will say on final time with every fiber in my joy filled heart…be free, be free, be free and above all BE FREE!

Love you all always and forever,

Angela