modern day world changers

 {wynne elder, krista box, jessica honegger & me)

i'm not a fan of long wordy posts myself

so i apologize for this one...maybe i won't post for 5 days to redeem myself!

this weekend i had the last minute opportunity to 

head over to the Created for Care conference

that was being held outside of Atlanta

& meet some amazing women.

jessica, the founder of noonday was going to be there

& since she lives in texas

& since i think she's amazing

& since she said..."hey why don't drive up so we can meet"

i decided to clear my schedule

& take advantage of this opportunity.

the day was incredible for me.

while it was more like a glorified blind date,

the connections i made were priceless.

the opportunity to meet some women that i've admired from a distance

to see them

hug them

hear their stories

was overwhelming for me.

honestly.

jessica started noonday sorta on a fluke by raising funds for her own

adoption of jack from Rwanda.

( her story is here)

her desire to create a pathway for people in poverty

her heart for the world

& her spunky personality 

make her so easy to love

and want to get on board with whatever she's doing.

also at the conference was trevor's mom, susan.

(trevor is savannah's sweetheart)

ok, susan is amazing ( & i honestly try not to overuse that word)

let me share this little bio with you~

"Dr. Hillis has been a believer for 38 years, married to a godly servant for 35, a mother for 26, a US government federal official for 20, and a university professor for 10 years. She is the mother of 11 children, 8 of whom were adopted from Russia after the tragic death of her first-born son on the day before his tenth birthday. It is her deep joy and privilege to have received untold personal blessings from the living God. She has worked and ministered in countries in South America, Africa, and Eastern Europe. She participates widely as an invited speaker at scientific and Christian conferences. She has published more than 80 articles in scientific medical journals and is considered one of the leading infectious diseases experts on the HIV risk among vulnerable youth around the world. Dr. Hillis is a recent recipient of the Outstanding Service Medal as a Captain in the U.S. Public Health Service.

During her married life she has worn many hats, including stay-at-home mom, graduate student, missionary, government official, nurse, scientist, and university professor. She has experienced infertility, caring for a son with a fatal heart condition, loss of her son through a fatal biking accident, and 8 international adoptions of older children from Russian orphanages. She, her husband, and their 10 children recently lost their home in the 2009 Atlanta floods, which were declared a presidential disaster.

Her experience suggests that God’s goodness is bigger than all the storms of life."

seriously. i love that woman & have immense respect for who she is,not only on paper

but who she is in her every day.

i had only sat down with jessica for a couple minutes

when susan walks up with a friend

she wants to introduce me to.

the friend was emily vogeltanz.

the Do Something Now Initiative from Passion

was the brain child of emily & her hubby.

ok stop right there & let me tell you...

besides being blown away because

i'm now in the presence of not one, not two, but three women

who truly are world changers 

the timing of this was such a sweet gift from the Lord.

remember when i talked about doing something now

i shared about how logistically the volunteer gig for those several days turned out 

to be something i couldn't quite pull off.

how defeated i felt because i couldn't be there

how disappointed i was 

that i was missing out on something big?

as i sat glued to my computer for many hours during the passion conference

i was blown away not only by the event itself

but by the passion of this generation of college kids

who truly do want to stop human trafficking & end slavery on their watch.

i asked the lord to show me how to do something in my own little world,

a way to connect and a way to touch others.

during that time is when i began to look at the Noonday site

and began to pray about coming on board with them.

when susan walked up with emily

the one who planned much of the campaign with passion

during the exact time i was meeting jessica

the founder of the company i had since joined,

it was one of those moments

where i felt the Lord saying

see...you're right where i wanted you all along.

it was like the two moments 

the two biggies in my heart

occurring at the same time.

confirmation.

ya'll it was all i could do to hold it together...

all day i just kept smiling & thinking

thank you jesus for being the giver of all good things

& for bringing this all together.

the timing was just a super sweet gift.

the other super cool part about that connection

is savannah would love to intern with passion

& so many cool connections are already in the works

but this was an awesome one.

ok...

 i was also able to meet gwen

gwen is one of the founders of 147 million orphans.

have you heard about katie?

well, that's the group 147 million orphans.

the first time i stumbled upon them i sat and read all their blogs

& fell in love with them

& was so inspired by them.

gwen & suzanne were at the conference this weekend

& i loved meeting gwen.

you must read their stories ya'll.

you must.

when i started my photography busines

i decided to support either in donation or purchase of product from companies 

like 147 & Noonday.

to meet both of the women from those companies

was such a gift for me!

full circle if you will.

these are all real women

real women

changing the world we live in,

called by the lord to make a difference in so many lives.

while i probably have them all on a pedestal in my heart

i know we're sisters in the lord.

i can pray with & for each of these women,

the lives they touch & the ministries they represent. 

what an honor.
gwen , jessica, wynne, krista, susan & emily...what an honor!!

cowboy boots or TOMS

jeans & funky jewelry

or

pearls & trousers

gentle spirits & loud and spunky

blond or ginger

Tennessee accents or Texas drawl

each an adoptive mom

each with a huge territory of influence

each with a contagious passion

for the things that bring glory to Him

each 

making a difference.

what a privilege to call each one, friend

~~

"i see a generation

rising up to take their place

with selfless faith.

i see a near revival

stirring as we pray and seek.

we're on our knees"