I had been a nicotine addict for about 34 years. I smoked a pack a day. I had tried to quit at least a dozen times. I tried acupuncture, little computer programs, the patch & zyban. I even tried the patch & zyban together. Even after I gave my heart to God, I was unsuccessful. There was always a voice that kept saying “ just 1 cigarette won’t hurt”. Well 1 cigarette would lead to another & another etc. Of course I would always go back to my pack a day habit.

After attending the healing seminars things changed. I prayed the prayers to break off addictions, generational ties, soul ties. After a few days I noticed that my head was quieter & I felt the desire to quit smoking. I AM cigarette free & there are no voices telling me “just 1 cigarette won’t hurt”. This a wonderful & exciting time for me. God has silenced those voices of negativity & lies. Even though Satan throws stressful situations my way, God keeps me strong. I’m now free from a very ugly idol (cigarettes). Through Gods amazing gracious, love, & allowing Him to heal me, I HAVE FREEDOM. It is beautiful & sweet.

Nothing could have properly prepared me for the journey I was about to embark on; both in the natural and in the spiritual. During my growing up years, it seemed as though I was surrounded by family and friends whose deepest desires were to go to African countries or other third world countries on evangelistic or other outreach type mission trips. This was not my desire at all, as a matter of fact I was completely satisfied to stay at home, run the family business, keep the home fires burning, and tend to any other matters that needed tending to (or so I told myself) . Besides, if I went away what type of facilities would I be kept in, how would I get any sleep if I had to share a room, what if people cracked their gum in closed quarters and I was driven to insanity, what if there were obese spiders waiting to strike.....These were honestly my thoughts, amidst the thoughts of seeing people suffering and not being able to handle it because I could not help them. You can see the "I" pattern and God showed me this pattern soon after we learned of the opportunity of a trip to Kenya, Africa; to not only take the teachings of healing and intimacy but to take the River of God to our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

When I learned of the up coming trip to Kenya and we were asked to pray and ask the Lord if it was His desire for us to go, I said one sincere phrase to the Lord and He took me at my word, "O.K. Lord if You want me to go You will have to put the desire in my heart because not only would I rather stay home to watch the homefront but I'm scared at the very thought of going that far from my country that is comfortable and leaving my children behind." So many "what if's" flooded my mind that I thought I would be consumed. I quickly suggested to Mike that he pray as well because I was sure if anyone went it would be him; he had mission experience and I did not.

I am now excited to say that God must have looked deep within my heart and saw something that I could never have seen because He started to stir up this subtle feeling of desire to go. As I contemplated in my mind over and over, "is it you Lord or me", I was about to find out. Again, He heard my question and quickly answered me. I heard a prophesy the Lord had for the team going to Kenya that He was going to break open each one of their alabaster boxes and pour out to the people of Kenya. When I heard that word I don't think I was ever so impacted before by a word that cut straight to my heart and I knew I WAS going... definitely! IT TOTALLY AMAZED ME BECAUSE I WAS WAITING FOR A "THUS SAITH THE LORD" but instead knew from this word that He wanted to break and pour out my alabaster box. (I did not realize at the time that I WAS the box and He would break me open.)

Much happened during preparation time even facing the thoughts of leaving my loved ones behind and dealing with all those emotions, yet pushing forward to a new level of obedience. I had no idea that the reward would be so great and that this trip would far surpass any expectations that I could have ever had. I have to say that even having great assurance that this was totally God I still struggled even as we reached Montreal. I silently cried to God knowing that I now could not turn back, I was on my way to the unknown. Was I ever in for a surprise.....

The trip to Kenya could be described as unbelievably incredible and undescribable with English words; the Kenyan ladies taught us a Kenyan celebration cheer that would come close..... I went to serve but was served (like royalty), I went to teach but was taught lessons that I could never have learned in Canada. I went to obey and to sacrifice but saw the true meaning of obedience and sacrifice among the Kenyan people. We got to experience the freedom of the Lord in a country that is otherwise destitute. There are no lukewarm Christians there; you're either a sold out to Jesus Christian or a heathen. They do not water down the blood of Jesus but preach it with everything that's in them. They are hungry for every new nugget of truth you can share with them and are fully open to receive it even if that means making themselves vulnerable. Jesus is their ALL, they don't have so many comforts to fall back on so they fall on HIM. Never could I have imagined the relationships I was to make with my brothers and sisters abroad; when we met it was as though we were reuniting with long lost family members. This experience put the "family of God" in true perspective. We went to another continent to stay with people we had never met before and yet it was like being home away from home. The material comforts of home were not there, yet the comfort we felt with these beautiful people was undescribable. These people were amazing and my only regret was that my family was not there to share this experience and they would have to settle for my say so. This trip has spoiled me for normal life in Canada; I don't ever want to go back to complacent living; taking for granted all the blessings around me (with the help of the Lord). The Lord gave us unique opportunities to find out the specific needs of the people there, and their surrounding communities, and He gave us God ordained contacts in order to set up facilitating resources to Kenya for the widows, the orphans, the poor and the broken-hearted. God has not forgotten any of us and He has proven it over and over again....He has not forgotten those in need in Kenya and He sent us across the world to let them know this. He has definitely not forgotten me because He gave me a life altering opportunity to be broken open and to be poured out in ways that were not possible on my own. He gave me the absolute blessing to be His arms extended; to hug orphans, hold the hands of people sick with aids or malaria or even typhoid, to help in the provision of feeding orphans and caring for the widows, to yell "Jambo"(hello) to a passerby who didn't yet know the love of Jesus. He has taught me the utmost importance of obedience and how often it's the little things that carry the fragrance of our Lord.

Trying to describe my experience in Kenya, Africa in words just doesn't seem to do any justice but what I can say is thank-you to my Lord Jesus for not passing me by and for giving me such an incredible experience with an incredible team of incredible people, when I didn't deserve it and could never have earned it. But I guess that's what He's all about... unconditional love, grace and mercy.