For the past 10 ish years, I have sought God about where I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to do with my life. He never outright gave me blueprints but slowly gave me pieces of a puzzle all along the way. And I believe that Hes put more structure to that puzzle in the last couple days than I have seen before. I'm expectant and so thankful for a much clearer vision. I share this to hopefully encourage you as well as for anyone that would like to join me in this journey.
Ill rewind a little bit.
While I sat on a bus in Tacoma, WA going to work at Starbucks in 2008, I was staring out the window, then God interrupted me and said "You are going to have a Career that is going to allow you to travel and this is the beginning of what your going to do for the rest of your life." This started my journey which led me to many years of being with Youth With A Mission and being able to travel to many nations.
While I was in Australia in 2009 doing my discipleship training school, there was a moment where us students all laid on the floor and just allowed God to speak to us. (Mind you God had previously spoken to me about having my own ministry not knowing what that would like at all. But I trusted that God would bring it about.) He suddenly spoke to me without me asking or even thinking about it and gave me the Title/Name for my ministry. Which was Simply "Life Restored."
After that year where God radically changed my life, He CLEARLY spoke to me and told me to go to Kona, Hawaii and eventually staff at the YWAM base there in 2010. This year was like the gold at the end of the rainbow. One of the most joyous freeing years of my life. During this time I felt like God cultivated in me a desire to be in community and to forever live that way. Seeing how its crucial to building each other up and living life to the fullest. He increased my desire to free people from heartache and pain. So many things that God had set me free from.
2011 Lou Engle came to the YWAM base while I was staffing. Thursday night we had meetings called Ohana-meaning family. During that time Lou spoke about a call to the nations and something a long the lines of his Ministry being called The Call changing to The Send. There was just something significant and Holy about that night that God did in me specifically.
During that same week, one morning I woke up with this hunger inside of me to really give God everything I had. Holding nothing back. No self preservation, no fear of man, whatever that looked like I was going to give ALL of me to God. That same day we had an intercession time with Lou. It was loud and rowdy. I remember crying out and yelling as loud as I could. The hour of intercession ended but yet God was still doing something in the room. Everyone was free to leave but those that felt to stay were allowed. In that moment I decided to stay and the strangest thing happened to me that day that I am not sure if I will ever be able to fully explain. As I was praying, I felt like others around me could hear. Usually in those moments I quiet down out of fear, but I chose to not care and give God what I had. As I did that, the more I felt I could give. The more I cried out to God and prayed instead of feeling drained I felt like my capacity to give God more grew and the more and more I could give him. I literally felt like my spirit grew. Something in my belly enlarged. These words on the page do not do justice to what I felt happen inside of me. Im still boggled to this day. All I know is I grew inside and I was able to give God way more than I ever thought I could give without any fear. He was so proud of me.
At the end of that year God told me to go back home in Washington. I didn't want to. I was afraid and I had no idea what I was going to do. But I obeyed. I thought I would return to Kona in 2012 but God clearly told me to wait. As soon as I surrendered to his request, I had peace. After a few months the door opened up for me to help staff a 2 week Circuit Rider School that was going to be in Kansas City, Missouri at the International House of Prayer. I rode tripped with a few friends down there. We stopped in Denver, Colorado first for the end of the school happening there. During that trip, Lou Engle got up on stage and spoke about how that moment in time was significant for him, for what reasons I do not recall. But in that moment I knew it was another highlighted moment for me, Colorado was the 1st place I had flown to and knew God was calling me to go to YWAM as well as Lou Engle being there.
We then finally drove down to Kansas City. While there, this sweet Chinese woman came to pray for me. She prayed over me for a good 10 mins. Everything she had said over me, was everything that I was holding dear and praying to God for. I am forever grateful for that woman's obedience. I have since held onto a few of those things that God spoke through her. After that I was prepping to prepare snack for the worship leaders behind stage and out comes Lou. Him and I alone standing behind stage. As I am standing there, I remember years prior watching him on TV and thinking to myself, "I hope I get to run along side people like him who Love Jesus so much." Here I am with that happening. And every time I am around him I feel like there's always some sort of importance to it.
Fast Forward a bit to the end of 2012... I am back in Washington still unsure of the direction that I am going. Knowing all along God has called me to Missions and Ill have my own ministry some day. God then tells me to study the story of Joseph and the Book Of Joshua. I then went and got a book to help me study Joshua and another book called 'Dream Killers' unknowingly is about Joseph. One day as I was studying Joseph, God tells me "this is a season of Fulfilled promises over you and this region and the Sea hawks are going to win the Superbowl as a sign of what I am going to do" I am not a sports fan really, Ill watch the Superbowl but not a avid watcher! So this word was a little uncomfortable to me. I did not tell anyone until after the fact because I honestly was afraid that I heard wrong. After they destroyed the Broncos, I began to tell people what I felt like God said. And as I did, I was amazed at how many other people God as spoken a similar word to. It was definite confirmation that God is really doing something on the west coast.
Over the course of the next couple of years of 2013-2015 it was the most confusing and hard years I have ever experienced. All the while still believing that God said its a season of Fullfilled promises. He confirmed it and spoke it to me so many times. There are a few specific promises that he gave me that I haven't even seen them come close and very many times feeling discouraged and lonely. But God would still give me little glimpses of encouragement to keep me going. I went to a service in the Seattle area where Rick Pino was leading worship. The only other time I had seen him was while I was in Kansas City while that little Chinese lady prayed over me. After he sang, he paused and said I really feel like for some of you in particular this is a season of fulfilled promises. My jaw dropped. Thats the exact phrase God has been speaking to me for years! He began to share about the kingdom and seeds. We start out small and grow into trees. He explained a little about the verse that says Hope deferred makes the heart sick but a promise fulfilled is a tree of life. And promises start out like a seed and they grow into maturity and then begin to bear fruit. Everything he spoke about were little snippets of things God had spoken to me over the course of the last 3ish years. AHHHH! God so speaks to me and I am always amazed! He then shared a testimony about him and his wife. They were having trouble getting pregnant for years. So many people would give the prophetic words about them having children and after awhile it honestly gets hard to hear when you see nothing happen. Gods promise over them was fulfilled and they found out they were pregnant! I left so encouraged! God really is going to do whatever he promised!
2015-So now I am currently in Redding, California doing a school called BSSM (Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry). I never thought I would ever end up here. It was never my desire. But I do believe that God set it up and that I am here in this specific time. I have received so many prophetic words and haven't seen all of them come to pass but as I received words during our School retreat, I felt like God was giving me a blueprint and confirming thins he has spoken.
This is the Vision: I dream of having a home that is on acreage with a garden and able to have bon fires to have worship around. But this home is meant to be a place for people to come and feel loved and refreshed. A community that does life together that inner parts of them are healed. They dont just come in for a once in a while prayer time but a place where LIFE is lived and laughter is created! On top of that I am also dreaming of having a water sports business on the side that is also fully a part of the Home. I have been praying that God would give me the Home and or Land that this is supposed to happen. I cannot do this on my own. God also showed me that I would not have just one home but it would eventually expand and have "restoration" homes all over the world. I fully believe that I am here at Bethel getting healing up and learning about how to be a life coach and have healthy relationships so that I can be that for others. I KNOW God is going to do this. Hes been giving me PIECES of this literally for 10 years!
Please be praying for:
Doors to open
Discouragement wont have a place
People to come along side and be a team to carry this
Finances
Absolute BREAKTHROUGH
I know that I know that I know that this is a glimpse into what my future holds and what is on Gods heart. I would love to know if this is something that has been on your heart or would like to partner with the vision
Email me at : Shawnajoycemarie@gmail.com
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