Find a Need and Meet It

This past weekend I said goodbye to one of the closest people in my life, my sweet grandma Gerry Barker. She entered into eternal rest with Jesus on December 14, 2010. She's been with me all 32 years of my life and will be with me in my heart as I take the next step forward to Africa. My grandma loved helping people, she was such a giver, always thinking about others needs and not herself. Even in the last few weeks she just wanted to make sure we were all ok. She's been a constant example in my life. She's helped me considerably on my journey to Zimbabwe and always loved hearing about my mission trips and what I would be doing next. I know that she will be smiling upon me when I'm in Africa full-time. I also know God's timing is perfect. My grandma lived with my family and I was able to live there also and work from home and help with grandma over the past few years. It's a time I will always cherish and I believe now more than ever God is releasing me to Africa; there is a peace knowing my grandma Gerry is being taken care of in heaven.

This past Sunday at Celebration Church I had the priviledge of hearing David Meyer speak. I will be working closely with Joyce Meyer Ministries in Zimbabwe as we help feed hundreds of thousands of children. David spoke about giving on Sunday. As he spoke I thought about my grandma, such a giver in life. She didn't just give at Christmas, she gave all the time. What I remember most about David's message was that he said Find a need and meet it. I pray that I can do that in my everyday walk in Africa and everywhere that I go.

There are so many children in Zimbabwe that are in need. Will you pray about meeting that need? It doesn't take alot, just a willing and obedient heart. One by one we will work together to change a life. You can see how you can partner into this ministry below if interested.

As I finish this blog I feel so many emotions. Sadness over missing my grandma, joy in that I have such a loving and supportive family, and excited expectancy for what is yet to come in Africa and what God is going to do.

I love you grandma, SO much!! Thank you for teaching me so much. I pray that I make you proud. - Shannon

Donation Details:

Online Donations

http://www.worldoutreach.org/

Click Donate and Select my name

USA & International cards accepted

OR Mail Checks to:

World Outreach Ministries

P.O. Box B

Marietta, GA 30061

(designate for Routzahn, Fund Code #91)

Partnership with World Outreach Ministries

I have some exciting news!! I am happy to announce that I now have a Missionary Agency assisting me on my journey to Zimbabwe! World Outreach Ministries will help me as my Stateside Office. They are an amazing organization that have been working with missionaries around the world for over 30 years. They will send tax deductible receipts to my supporters and facilitate Online donations to my account. I want to make it clear that my ministry plans for Zimbabwe have not changed. I will still be representing Celebration Church Zimbabwe with the Children's Ministry. I want to thank Celebration Church Jax for the amazing job they have done thus far with handling the financial donations!! It's an honor to represent Celebration Jax in Zimbabwe and reach the nations.

I have currently raised ALL of my upfront expenses (over $20,000!) and I'm at 60% of my monthly support goal. I'm praying and believing that by February (our goal to have me on African soil full-time) I will be at 100% for monthly support. All it takes to get me there is $1000 more in monthly support. Whether it be $10, $25, $50, or $100 monthly giving, you can help me get to goal and start ministering to the children of Zimbabwe. Will you prayerfully consider partnering monthly with me? I can't leave until I'm at 100% of my monthly support goal. You can respond by mail or you can join as a monthly partner via our Online Process. When you give Online by credit of debit card, you can choose the "monthly option" which will set up an automatic recurring gift for your record.

Also, will you stand in prayer with me regarding my Zimbabwe work permit? To live legally in the country I must have this. Right now my application is with African immigration officials. Please pray that it goes smoothly and speedy.

Here is how you can give:

Online Donations
http://www.worldoutreach.org/
Click Donate and Select my Name
USA & International Cards Accepted
(you can select monthly automatic set-up)


Or Mail Checks to
World Outreach Ministries
P.O. Box B
Marietta, GA 30061
(designate for Routzahn, Fund Code #91)


With your help we can make an eternal impact in the lives of African children! Working together to reach the nations!

Blessings in Christ,
Shannon

Free from the Stuff

I've got to hand it to God, He sure does know what He's doing. God showed up BIG time for the Missionaries Yard Sale we had this past weekend. Now I'm free from all the stuff (how great that feels!) AND I raised over $900 in funds for the Celebration Zimbabwe Kids Ministry! That was just the icing on the cake :)

Between the 4 of us Celebration Missionaries headed to Africa and Greece, we raised over $2500!! And all from a yard sale, that doesn't happen every day. God definitely wants us there and is seeing to it that we get there.

It was a perfect day, sun shining; perfect location; and perfect time to share about what we will be doing to share the gospel to the nations. And it was FUN!

Not only that but my work permit application is in the hands of Zimbabwe officials and I'm praying and believing that all will go smoothly and quickly to get me there sometime in the beginning of the year. Will you stand in prayer with me on that?

I'm trusting that God will bring more monthly supporters in my path to get me to 100% goal by beginning of next year. I'm already 60% of the way there! Check out this video to see how you can help: http://vimeo.com/16488922

There are other great things on the horizon also, so be on the lookout for that soon :)

Together we can make a difference in the lives of African children!

Blessings in Christ,
Shannon

Will You Respond?

Will You Respond? It's a question we should ask ourselves daily. With so much need in the world how couldn't we? At the beginning of the year I make my journey full-time to live in Zimbabwe, Africa to help lead the Children's Ministry of Celebration Church Zimbabwe. It's a calling I don't take lightly. Moving half-way across the world isn't a decision anyone should take lightly. Will you take 4 minutes out of your day and watch this short video and pray about partnering monthly into this amazing ministry? I just have $1000 more in monthly I need to raise before hitting African soil. EVERY little bit helps. Your RESPONSE will last a life-time and change a life.

For info about how you can become a monthly partner email me at shannon_routzahn@hotmail.com

Blessings in Christ,

Shannon

I Can't Take it With Me to Africa

Come on out Saturday November 13th from 7 am to 2 pm for a HUGE Celebration Church Missionaries Garage Sale. We Can't Take It With Us!! We missionaries are headed to all four corners of the world to share the love of Jesus Christ. As you know I'm headed to Zimbabwe full-time to work with our Children's Ministry there. The less I take with me, the better :)

Location: The Learning Tree School Parking Lot, 7440 Merrill Rd

Face Painting by Linda Shrenk 8 am to 10 am Fun for the whole family!!

Hope to see you there!!

Shannon

Africa on my mind

My heart aches for Africa, the sights, the smells, the people, and especially the children. As I sit here by heart also goes out to the whole Ohlerking family and everyone around the whole world that Dave Ohlerking impacted and inspired. I personally didn't know him as well as others but his Godly mentorship as a long-term missionary in a time when I so needed it will never be forgotten. I cherish his advice as well as Jean's. God speaking through him has put me on the path that I'm on; a path to help the children of Zimbabwe- to love them, to value them, to continue the work for the children of Africa that Dave O started. I'm ready for God to work through me; for children's lives to be changed. Please stand in prayer for my full-time move there and also pray for the Ohlerking and Healing Place Family during this difficult time of Dave Ohlerking's passing to be with Jesus.

All for Christ's glory,

Shannon

Overflow

I'm in love. I'm in love with Jesus; I'm in love with Africa, with Zimbabwe, and the children here. My heart is overflowing with joy. What a precious trip this has been. Words can't really describe what I am feeling. I just feel honored and so very thankful that God called me to this nation, that He would use me. Most of all I just feel extremely blessed. Any comforts I will miss from the USA I know in my heart will be worth it. Because God knows the plans He has for me, plans to prosper and give me hope for my future. And my heart is telling me more than ever that Zimbabwe is what God has for me. As I sit here in the team house this morning enjoying the breeze come through the window I write this. I'm in awe of God's beauty here; the purple jacaranda trees are blossoming all over and are so beautiful. The team has left to travel back to the States to bring the good news of all that we have done to our friends and family. I have one more week here and I'm going to treasure my time with each person as much as possible. Because I know that is what is most important; the people God will put in my path.

This past week I got to see the women, men, and children of Zimbabwe flourish. A true revival is happening in this nation. It started even before this; with the Joyce Meyer Festival of Life conference and with all the previous teams that have touched this soil. Our team came alongside the women of Celebration Zimbabwe to put on the Taste of Shine conference and what a huge success it was!! With close to 500 women each day attending, they were pampered, valued, treasured, and empowered. Pastor Chipo, Pastor Dixon, and Pastor Mercy brought powerful messages and I know the women walked out of Bulawayo City Hall feeling a change in how God sees them. I had the honor of helping organize the childcare so the women could attend the sessions and really get poured into. We had over 100+ children each day and I had so much fun playing with the children, teaching them new worship songs, coloring with them, and just loving them. I'll treasure that time forever and I treasure the team that helped make it a success.

This trip has been such an important one for me. As I gear up for my full-time move here, I've been able to spend time with the Celebration Kids volunteers, attend kids services at our 3 main campuses in Bulawayo, introduce new Bible lessons and worship songs, and truly get to know my Celebration Zimbabwe family better. I've never known a more loving people than here in Zimbabwe. God also blessed our team with a trip to nearby Victoria Falls where we stood in awe of God's beautiful creation. To think that this natural world wonder will be on my back door step is amazing. I've never seen anything like it.

So as my time here this month wraps up I know the preparation time the next few months back in the States will be a very crucial and important time for me and the children of Zimbabwe. The kids here are ready for Auntie Shannon to be here permanently, as am I. With the goal of beginning 2011 in sight, I will be hitting the ground in the States full-speed to raise the remainder of my monthly support, which is $1500. I know it's totally doable with the people God will place in my path. Will you prayerfully consider partnering into this incredible ministry that will make such an eternal impact for the kingdom of God? All it will take is the following:

Either-

150 people giving $10 monthly
60 people giving $25 monthly
30 people giving $50 monthly
OR
Just 15 people giving $100 monthly

When you break it down like that it's so simple. If God has placed it on your heart to help please do get in touch and I can walk you through the very easy process. The goal is beginning 2011 for me to make the full-time move over and start the ministry calling God has placed on my life.

I'm excited, honored, blessed, thankful, and full of trust for what God has in store.

Blessings in Christ,
Shannon

Celebration Kids Zimbabwe!!!!!!!

It feels so great to be back home in Zimbabwe!!! I just love it here and God has been using me ever since our plane touched the ground on Friday. I've been immersed into Celebration Kids Zimbabwe and I'm loving it. All I want to do is spend time with the kids and teach them about Jesus and show them how much they are loved. Over the weekend I got to help run 3 of the Kids services at our 3 campus locations in Bulawayo. I taught them new songs with dance motions, "I am Free", and "Mighty to Save." It was such a sweet sound to my ears to hear their beautiful voices all singing out. The lesson I taught them at the kids services was about having Faith of Fear. They listened with expectant ears and I believe they truly understood what God wanted me to teach them. Then I got to give the 300 kids Faith bracelets to make and wear so they could remember to always have faith and not be afraid. Oh how they loved it!! The best part of my day yesterday at our Sauerstown campus was when a little boy came up to me after the kids service and with his faith bracelet on his arm said, "I love you so much." My heart just melted. I'm so looking forward to the day when I don't have to leave Zimbabwe, when I can see these children every day. My heart is full of joy with what God had called me to do here with the children's ministry. And I can't wait to see what is in store this week with Taste of Shine Zimbabwe. It's going to be AMAZING!!!! AWWWW YEAH!!!!!!!!!

Blessings,

Shannon

Taste of Shine

In just a little bit over a week I will be back in Zimbabwe, my future home. I have that nervous excitement in my stomach and I'm literally counting the days and packing already. Because I just love the people there; I love the children, Celebration Zimbabwe, the landscape, all of it...and I know it's where God has called me to do ministry work. And it's a great feeling knowing that this is probably the last short term trip that I go on there before moving over full-time at the beginning of the year. :)

I'm headed over Sept 15th with a team of 8 from Celebration Church to help with the "Taste of Shine" conference. It's so exciting to think about so many women of Zimbabwe coming together for this amazing conference that will lead up to Shine Zimbabwe next year!! Last year we launched the first Sisterhood Zimbabwe and it was a huge success! I can only imagine what "Taste of Shine" will be like. Our own Pastor Mercy Lokulutu will be one of the guest speakers along with Pastor Chipo from our Zimbabwe campuses. I'm expectant for lives to be changed, souls to be won, and the women to be empowered for greatness!

It's truly and honor to be able to go to Zimbabwe twice this year and help on the mission trips. I want to thank all of my supporters for generously giving and having a giving heart for such a great cause. God has been so faithful and I'm truly blessed by everyone that has partnered into my full-time ministry to Zimbabwe!!

With only $1500 in monthly support left to raise I know with the help of the people God has placed in my life I will be on African soil full-time by the beginning of next year, 2011. I continue to trust God in all of this. If you have any questions on how you can become a monthly partner please do get in touch. It's super easy and the children of Zimbabwe will be so blessed. As little as even $10 a month will make an impact in their lives. I can't move over full-time until I have raised 100% of my monthly support.

God's timing is always perfect as I keep learning.

Please keep myself and the team in your prayers. I will be in Zimbabwe Sept 15-Oct 6. I will be staying an extra week to work on prep for my full-time move and working with the Celebration Kids services.

Love and Blessings,

Shannon

At the Coffee Shop, Yeah, the Coffee Shop, Yeah.....

This past Saturday night I held my first big fundraising event for Zimbabwe and it completely exceeded my expectations! God is so faithful! What a blast I had at "Stepping out to Zimbabwe Cafe Concert" at Viaggio Coffee. I would estimate that about 200 people came out to show their support and I know Viaggio's has never fit that many people into the shop, it was a sight to see for sure!! It looked like a block party :) My thanks and gratitude goes out to EVERYONE involved in making this event happen and making it such a success. It was a fun night full of many things that make me smile; Blameless, JP Fuller, MC Miss Mary P, DJ Red, Jill Dykstra Massage, Hilary Markel of Take Heart Jewelry (incredible African jewelry line!), Raffle & Silent Auction, trivia, free give-aways, coffee, the Viaggio staff, and Ps John Wyatt- AWWW YEAH! Everyone's kind words will stay with me forever.

Throughout the preparation process for this event (with many bumps along the way) God kept teaching me to be flexible, to let go, and to TRUST Him completely. I know that this event was also preparation for the many events I will plan in Africa for the children. I can see God working in everything. This Viaggio event happened because of GOD, it was so not me. It was HIM helping me along the way.

So what kind of support did I get from this event? Drumroll please.........

Over $2000 was raised towards my upfront expenses and I have now met goal for that. Wahoo!!! How crazy is that?! It can only be GOD when you raise close to $20,000 in just 4 months!! It blows my mind.

7 new monthly partners joined the team and MANY seeds were planted!! $115 in new monthly support came in and that brings me to $1370 monthly raised so far. That's 31 partners total on my monthly team. Keep it coming, the more on the team the better!!! I want everyone to share in this incredible ministry to the children of Zimbabwe. This isn't just about me.

My goal for monthly is at least $3000 due to the inflation in Zimbabwe. Will you prayerfully consider becoming a monthly partner? No amount is too small, it all adds up and will get me to goal. Just giving up Starbucks a few times or eating out once a month can help get me on African soil :) And think about the eternal impact!!

My goal to be in Zimbabwe full-time is beginning of 2011 so that means I need at least $1630 more in monthly support by then. $10, $15, $25, $50, or $100 a month will make all the difference or any amount in-between. If you think this is something you'd like to do I'd love to answer any questions you may have.

I'm going to continue to trust God as I've already seen so many blessings during this prep time. EVERY day is part of the journey, each step equally important. I can see God working, thank you Jesus!!

Blessings,

Shannon

God ALWAYS shows up

As I sit here and write this my joy is overflowing in God's goodness. True AWE is what I call it. During this season of preparation, God is continually stretching me and teaching me. I know that it's a crucial and important time and I will never take it forgranted, as hard as it sometimes may seem. Growing isn't always easy but it's necessary. What I am learning is that God ALWAYS shows up, and it's usually when we least expect it. HIS timing is always perfect.

God blessed me with a HUGE breakthrough in my support raising this past week. I'm still speechless when I think about it. I love how God interweaves our seasons of life to fulfill His purposes. He brings people into our lives for a reason. So you are probably asking, what was this big breakthrough? As I sat down to read my emails last week I received an email from some friends of mine from overseas. I had to do a double-take as I read the email. I couldn't believe my eyes. I was being blessed with a donation towards my WHOLE vehicle cost for Africa!!! How could this even be? It still blows my mind. And how do you even say thank you to something like that?? So many days I would find myself wondering how in the world all my up-front expenses would come in, see many days I wasn't putting God in the equation. God has been teaching me to trust more and to stop trying to figure it all out.

Some may ask why I need a vehicle in Africa and why is it so important. Having a good reliable vehicle in Zimbabwe is crucial to the children's ministry work I will be doing with Celebration Church. We have over 23 campuses throughout Zimbabwe, some are in cities, many are in rural villages many hours out from our main campuses in Bulawayo. The terrain I will travel will require a good vehicle to get me there, it will be one of my tools to spread the love of Christ to the children of Zimbabwe!!!! Now I will be able to get to wherever God needs me to be!

So where does that put me with my support raising? I'm now only about $3,000 away from my upfront expense goal and $2500 away from my monthly support goal. Building up my monthly support team is my focus at this time. I KNOW God will provide, He always does. Will you prayerfully consider partnering with me in this ministry to the children of Zimbabwe? I truly know that some are called to GO and some are called to SEND and both are equally important. Below is a breakdown on what can put me on African soil :) All monthly donations are through Celebration Church and can be set up as automatic withdrawal.

$10 monthly from 250 people

OR

$25 monthly from 100 people

OR

$50 monthly from 50 people

OR

$100 monthly from just 25 people

If you haven't received a letter and pledge card from me yet just let me know and I'll get one to you with all the details :)

And for those of you in Jax, don't forget to save the date for July 24th 7-11 pm at Viaggio Coffee.

Come out and show your support at my first fundraising event for my ministry and help me step into my calling to Zimbabwe. MUSIC, SPOKEN WORD, JEWELY, MASSAGES, RAFFLE and SILENT AUCTION, COFFEE and much more!!

Thank you Jesus for your overflowing blessings! May it be all for your glory!!

-Shannon

Joyce Meyer "Festival of Life" Zimbabwe

It's been one day since I returned from my future home, Zimbabwe. It brings me great joy to say that it will be my home. I'm in love with the people there, the children, Celebration Zimbabwe, the landscape, the HOPE. I close my eyes and I'm back there instantly. The sights and sounds so vivid. It brings a smile to my face. I'm in complete awe of what God did the past two weeks through the Celebration, Children's Cup Swaziland, and Joyce Meyers Medical team. I can honestly say that I've never experienced a mission trip like this one, in all the 17 years I've been doing mission work. God honestly blew my mind. My faith is forever deepened from what I saw. So many miracles I can't count. God showed up in a HUGE way.

What I take from this trip is re-confirmation that my calling is to Zimbabwe and the children there, that God WILL get me there in His timing. I also take with me the joy of watching my team grow and flourish, their lives changed forever, probably the best reward of all as a leader. I have a new family I love so much, not only the Celebration team but the Children's Cup Swazi team and JMM team.

Each step of the way to Zimbabwe, God is stretching me, teaching me, preparing me.

So what happened the past 2 weeks that has me such in awe of how God works?

-Seeing 1900+ people accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 5 of them being witchdoctors.

-5 days of medical clinics, over 3200 patients seen. Over 9000+ prescriptions filled.

-Bondages broken!

-Countless miracles EVERY day. The blind could see, the mute could speak, the deaf could hear, the lame could walk......cancer healed, cysts disappeared, broken bones mended, demons cast out, infertile women given the gift of childbirth.......and so many more.

-Standing amongst over 200,000 Zimbabweans praising God with all their hearts at Joyce Meyer's "Festival of Life" event in Harare.

-Seeing the unconditional outpouring of love from all the teams that came together as one.

-Seeing a spirit of HOPE throughout the whole nation

-Listening to Pastor Stovall preach and bring the fire to Zimbabwe!

-Darlene Zschech and the Hillsong band bringing unbelievable worship to the people of Zimbabwe!

-Listening to Joyce Meyer preach encouragement and hope to such a nation in need. What an amazing woman of God!!!!

-And simply seeing God place all the pieces together, everything so intricately woven.

Zimbabwe, countdown 4 months until I see your beautiful face again. I cannot wait.

Shine and Zimbabwe chicks

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of fun! Some of our pastor's wives from Celebration Zimbabwe came into town for our annual women's conference Shine. The photo above is with Pastor Chipo, wife of Pastor Dixon of Celebration Zimbabwe- what a sweetheart she is! I had the opportunity to spend alot of time with them and I'm so thankful for that!! What an amazing group of women we have at Celebration Zimbabwe! We had days of fun before the conference going to the beach, shopping, exploring St. Augustine, killing snakes (eek!! not that fun), and just spending quality time together. Ps Chipo, Faith, Auntie K and Auntie Joyce- love to you all, I can't wait to do life with you in Zimbabwe soon! I know I have a big family waiting for me there :)

Well what can I say about Shine? It's hard to express in words. I was literally blown away by how AMAZING the Shine conference was this year. And I know all the ladies in the house will agree. The topics were just what I needed to hear- all about courage and empowerment. With each step of my journey to Zimbabwe God just knows when I need lifting up, He's so cool like that. There are days when I may be feeling discouraged but I will keep pressing on because I know God has called me to help the children in Zimbabwe.

I loved Ps Kerri's message called "Having the Courage to Fight". She spoke about many things in this message. About how our place of safety can become our place of containment and we need to step out of that safe place. AMEN!! God is helping me step out of my safe place every day. Her three points were:

1) We need to stand up to our bullies
2) We need to stir up Passion (passion comes with courage)
3) We need to learn to love the fight.


What is your battle cry? Put all your focus into your battle cry! My battle cry is for the children and lost in Africa. I'm believing God will help me have the courage to fight!

And then there's Christine Caine. I don't need to really say anything else, right?! Her messages on Risk and Suffering Well always hit home. She said something at Shine that really stuck with me. She asked the question, "Are you willing to go where there is no path?" So many times we want a clearly paved path. God wants to take us to places we've never been, paths we can't imagine. And then the question, "Why didn't we come sooner?" rings in my head. God doesn't want us sleepwalking anymore, He wants us awake and ready. The siren is sounding and we need to rescue a lost and broken generation, we can't keep them waiting. Life is short and eternity is long. We can't get caught up in the temporal. Chris is just full of wisdom, God surely spoke through her and these are messages I won't ever forget and ones I will put into action.

I could go on and on about Shine and the amazing speakers- Jentezen Franklin, Julie Hadden, Mercy Lokulutu (Be a PIG Christian!), Delynn Rizzo, Stovall, and Lori Champion- ALL were so good!! I'm so blessed to be part of Celebration Church, I don't ever want to forget how truly blessed I am.

My journey to Zimbabwe continues. Tonite my mom is hosting a Zimbabwe vision party for me and many of her friends are coming to show their support. I'll get the chance to share my heart and the vision of what I will be doing in Zimbabwe. I'm praying for a fruitful night and that lives are touched. And Thursday I get to have another Zim vision nite at my neightbor's house. God is good! And in just 1 week I will be on my way to Zimbabwe leading a team on a 10-day trip! We will be coming alongside Joyce Meyers medical team to help with clinics and support Ps Stovall as he speaks at Joyce Meyer's "Festival of Life". Wahoo!!!! I can't wait to see what God is going to do!


Be blessed in all that you do!

Shannon

ARC Conference- Baton Rouge

Sitting here in the Missions Cafe of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge at the ARC conference feeling inspired and blessed to have so many leaders all at one place and so many amazing words spoken so far. :) John Maxwell, Brian Houston, Priscilla Shirer, Rick Bezet, Kerri Weems, Miles McPherson.......WOW!

This conference is re-energizing me and birthing so much more hope in my spirit! More than anything God is confirming to me that I can do this, I can boldly walk into this calling to Africa! And most of all that this time of support-raising is so crucial for not only my ministry work in Zimbabwe but for ministry IN the support-raising! This isn't about me, this is all about God! Priscilla Shirer's message this morning hit me hard. God speaking through her, she reminded me the importance of making sure God is present in my ministry, His presence needs to be hanging heavy with me all the way.

Being with my Africa buddy Beth this week has been so encouraging as well as my African brother Brandon- all three of us headed to Africa to shine the light of Jesus! Whoop- whoop!!

Here are just some nuggets that I have gotten so far from this amazing conference. I hope they bless you also!

Connecting Requires Energy- can I get an AMEN?! We need to expand to connect. Something I have been learning in this process to get to the mission field.

We are all ordinary people- God does extraordinary things through us!!

The manifest presence of God is what people want and need the most!

Jesus needs to be the star of the program in ministry!!

Criticism from people should never be a surprise when working in the ministry

Don't apologize for preaching God's word!

Every day the devil is saying "You want to stop the fight?" My answer, Not in your life!!!!

We have to hurt with people before helping them

Good stuff, hey?!

Ways to Partner

I'm well on my way in support raising mode and I wanted to let all of you know the various ways you can become a partner in this amazing ministry work I will be doing in Zimbabwe for Celebration Church. I've already started meeting with many people here in Jacksonville and I can't wait to meet with more of you over the next several months! It's such an honor for me to share the vision with so many people!! As I call or contact you just remember that this is an opportunity to invest/partner and reap eternal blessings in God's kingdom and it's a joy for me to even be able to share about this ministry with you.

In order to get to my mission field in Zimbabwe I need partners to help in 2 ways:

Become a monthly partner AND/OR become a partner by giving towards my Launch Expenses.

There are a few different payment methods and all are super easy.

- You can pay online right here on my BlogSpot by clicking the PayPal link to the right and money will go directly into my Celebration Zimbabwe account.

-You can fill out the pledge card you have or will receive in the mail. Monthly partners need to fill out the pledge card for monthly automatic payments as online is not set up for monthly automatic donations. My focus is to build a strong team of monthly partners. Will you consider joining the team for $25, $50, $75, or $100 a month?

-You can make a check out to Celebration Church with my name and code A6236 in the memo line.

Pledge Cards/Checks are to be sent to my attention at 7749 Greenwich Ct E, Jax, FL 32277. Then they will be turned in to Celebration's accounting department.

If you attend Celebration Church you can also turn into offering.

Thanks much and I'm already in awe of how God is working through people in my life.

Blessings and love!

Shannon

World-Changers!

Here are the awesome men and women of God I got to attend the Boot Camp fundraising seminar with in Greenville, SC. What an amazing group of people to learn with!! I got to hang out with my Overland Missions buddies and meet all sorts of amazing talented people in the ministry. Good times.

Feeling Empowered!

So, I'm sitting here at my friend's house in the mountains of Tennessee just in awe of what God is doing in my life. I just got done attending an intense 2-day support raising seminar called Boot Camp in Greenville, SC through an organization called The BodyBuilders. Wow, it's really changed my outlook on support raising!! Now I feel ready and empowered and can't wait to ask people to partner into the amazing ministry with Celebration Zimbabwe. Because that's what it really is; it's inviting people to be involved in something life-changing. I'm letting vision and compassion pull my train and not the budget. It's an honor for me to sit down with people face to face and share what God has put on my heart for Zimbabwe. I'm not begging for money, I'm walking into the calling God has for me and building a support family to help me walk into that calling.

I've already met face to face with several friends and family and God has already blessed those meetings.

Many of you have probably received my support letter detailing my journey and what I will be doing in Zimbabwe. That's just a heads-up letter to let you know my plans. Over the next several months I will be sitting down face to face with people that have been a part of my life and helped shape it. See, I want my support family to be EXCITED, to feel that they are part of this ministry in Zimbabwe, to know what they are investing in.

I'll leave you now with some great quotes and tips I learned- it's good stuff.

Blessings and love- Shannon

"You don't test the resources of God until you attempt the impossible." - F.B. Meyer

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill

"Simply put, God favors those who ask. He holds back nothing from those who want and earnestly long for what He wants." - Dr. Bruce Wilkinson

"Don't allow fear of the unknown to cause you to miss out on what God wants to do through you. Worse than failure is living with the regret of never having stepped out in faith to pursue your vision." - Andy Stanley

What Matters Most

"It will be your best year ever if it's your best year spiritually." -Pastor Stovall Weems


How true is that?! The closer we are to God the better are walk here on earth is.

So, this is my first ever blog and I'm sitting here drinking my Starbucks Soy Chai Tea Latte with Vanilla just contemplating on the journey God has taken me on. This past year has been a year of growth, one with some of the best times and some of the worst, a time of healing from a past relationship, a time of strengthening my leadership skills on and off the mission field, and a time of revelation and confirmation from God on what my next steps are.

God has me exactly where I'm supposed to be...for now....AND He has me on my way to Zimbabwe, Africa!!! When I think about it I'm blown away, the way God intricately weaves things together to get you where He wants you, you just have to be open and willing, submissive and obedient. And most of all you have to listen for His still voice in your quiet times. Most of you know my heart for missions and my heart for Africa and now I'm about to put this calling into action full-time. Almost 3 years ago I walked into Celebration Church in Jacksonville after returning from London and I had no idea what God would do through me there. Immediately I felt at home and my heart for serving just started to burst forth. I got involved in many serving areas from youth to worship, missions and now to children's ministry. These years of serving in different ministries have prepared me for what God has in store next. You see God is good like that. His timing is absolutely perfect.

2 years ago was my first trip ever to Africa. I went to Swaziland and helped with Children's Cup. Holding an African child in my arms and hearing her say "I love you" just captured my heart, it was then I fully understood God's unconditional love for me. When I left I knew I would be back, and sure enough just 1 year later I was and this time to Zimbabwe to help with our Celebration campuses there. First impression of Celebration Zimbabwe, HOME but on another continent. I kept thinking to myself, "how can this be?.....that I feel so comfortable here and can envision a future where half the time the electricity is out and also where there is no Starbucks?!" But when God puts a dream in your heart those things kind of fade into the background. So I started thinking "What matters most?" instead of "Where do I want to be?". I spent months going back and forth and praying about where on the mission field I would be. And it all came down to where I could make the most impact for God's kingdom. I may have loved doing mission work in places such as The Amazon, Haiti, Laos....but God was opening up doors for me in Africa I couldn't ignore. And when that happens you need to step forward and just trust.

So that's my story, I'm on my way to be a full-time missionary to Celebration Zimbabwe and will be helping specifically with the children's ministry and just be a willing vessel to help wherever is needed. God placed me in a role of helping lead children's worship for a reason here in Jacksonville, see how God weaves things together for our journey? How cool is that?! You know, I dream about seeing Celebration Church not only in Zimbabwe but one day possibly Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Malawi.....the possibilities are endless!! And the children are the next generation for Africa, they need to see the love of Christ, to feel loved, to feel hope.

This is just the beginning of my journey to get there. Over the next few months I will be working on raising my funds for being a missionary to Celebration Zimbabwe. I have no doubt that God will use people in my life to provide the way, I'm not worried, I'm excited! I'm excited to share with all of you the vision God has put on my heart and how each of you can get involved!!!

Keep a look out soon for more info to come on how you can be a supporter in this ministry. And remember, any money donated is for the children in Zimbabwe, not for me.....I'm just the willing vessel God will use.

I want to leave you with a great message from Dr. Leon van Rooyen of South Africa. He offers some essentials a person needs to have to be in missions. Please pray that I can always possess these characteristics that are so important as I make my journey to Africa.

1. You must have a sense of humor and learn how to laugh. Enjoy what you do. Be joyful. You will need this on the mission field!

2. All ministry flows out of a relationship with Jesus. Work with God not for God.

3. Stay committed to developing your relationship with God. It's our fruitfulness that counts not our busyness.

4. You must have a love for God AND His church.

5. You must be possessed with courage and boldness.

6. Be a servant in heart and nature.

7. You must have a vision but be possessed by leader's vision though.

8. Work as a team

Blessings to you all for reading what is on my heart!! I can't wait to share this amazing journey with you.

Shannon