A New Year, A New Way...3 easy steps to seeing progress and attaining your goals in the New Year

My family has had a really rough Cold & Flu season this year.  Not sure if we ever officially had the flu, but we had some pretty nasty stuff that lingered...and lingered...and then got bad again...and again.  It seemed like we would never get better.  The New Year came, and I began thinking of all the things that I would like to do or change for 2014.  Overall, 2013 was a very rough year for our family.  Sean started law school in the Fall which meant many transitions for our family.

I entered 2014 with high hopes and a sort of giddiness about a fresh start.  Not more than a week into 2014, my husband and three children all came down with nasty chest colds, body aches, coughs, tummy aches, headaches, etc.  I spent nearly 10 days nursing everyone back to health.

While they were sprawled out on the mattress that I had moved into the living room, I knew some things had to change.  I spent a lot of time reflecting over those 10 days.  I began looking into some different changes in our diet that might help us combat the ridiculous amount of sickness that we had been experiencing.  The Paleo and gluten-free diets where intriguing me mainly because of issues that we have had with our pediatrician and Victoria (I may write about this soon).  However, diving in as a newbie on a budget with very picky eaters in the house was quite overwhelming.

The New Year was getting away from me with a house full sick people, and I still didn't have any resolutions for this new year.  I usually don't make resolutions, but this year, I felt compelled to set some goals.  Being a big vision person that sees the end product and not always the process to get there, my resolutions usually look like:  1.)  Switch entire family over to a gluten free diet or 2.) Keep house clean every day....and so on.  These types of resolutions in MY life are destined for failure....leaving me feeling like...well, a failure.  The first week of a frustrated husband and children because of drastic diet changes would be enough to stop trying or perhaps, the drastic changes would not settle in leaving me falling back into our usual diet just because it is familiar and easy.

This year, I am taking a different approach to affecting and managing change.  Here is my plan:

SET SMALL GOALS...think baby steps

Most of us have visions of how we would like to be, how or home should be structured, how we would like to eat, and the list goes on.  Yet, many of us never get started because we either don't know how, the task seems too overwhelming, or we don't write it down and eventually forget the direction we would like to go.  Small, tiny goals and implementing baby steps helps us to make achievable progress that encourages us to continue.  In our culture of instant gratification, slowing the process to see lasting results can be hard to wrap our heads around.  This approach helps us to be more like the tortoise and less like the hare.  Slow and steady wins the race!

WORK ON IMPLEMENTING THESE GOALS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH

It is important to remember that your small goals do not need to be implemented all on the first day.  Write the goals down and place them somewhere you can see them.  This is very important!  A week or so after writing my goals down, I had a panic that the year was getting away from me and no changes were being made.  Yes, it was still only January, but I like forward progress.  I glanced up at my list, and to my surprise, three items had been implemented consistently each day and some progress had been made in other areas.  My beginning feelings of panic and failure quickly turned into a sense of accomplishment.

ASSESS AND REGROUP

While I have not yet reached the end of the month, I know that this will be a valuable step.  At the end of January and each month after, I will assess the progress that I have made in each area.  Then I will determine whether I will keep that goal, adjust that goal, or go in a different direction.

Repeat these steps month after month and begin to see some progress as you journey through your own Road in the Wilderness.  I would love to hear feedback on how this process works for you!

Boot Camp Notebook: A 6 week journey through physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual transformation.

After 3 years of working on this notebook here and there, forgetting about it, and being reminded again, it is ready for publishing.  You can purchase here at this link:

   buy





For a couple years, I did martial arts, personal training, and boot camps as a way to bring in extra income for our family. I wanted the women in my boot camps to experience something a little more than just a physical work out. I started developing sheets to give them each day to help them mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well. I love complete transformation! This resulted in a 6 week journey to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual transformation. This notebook was written for all the women who want to live life to their full potential. For the women who desire to be whole and healthy in every area of their life. For the women who want to be their best so that they can inspire others. I hope you enjoy! 


Here are some sample pages:

Building a Foundation

I am sitting here at what feels like the end of summer.  I think that technically we still have a bit more of summer left, but summer always feels like it is coming to an end with the hustle and bustle of parents getting ready for school to start.  For me, I am reminded and thankful of the slower and more flexible pace of homeschooling.  Sitting here tonight, I have been reflecting over how much has developed over the past 2 months that we have been back in Texas.

The door of I Will Stand International was opened, and we willingly walked through.  It began with a vision of a village in Rwanda where rescued women and children would regain hope and have a chance at a future.  When we began our journey to Texas, this was our vision.  Since then, it has developed into so much more.  We truly have developed an international focus and have been making connections around the world.  While at times I feel that we are in a standstill as I want to be hands-on making an impact in the lives of others, I know that this is a foundational time.

One development that we are working on is a rescue program for victims of domestic violence whose lives are in immediate danger right here in America.  God has connected us to an human trafficking investigator who has developed a similar program in another country to the one that we have envisioned here.  I have again been amazed at God's alignments.  It seems that just at the point when I start to feel anxious, frustrated, and helpless, realize it, and then purpose to trust God more fully that is when He opens another door.  The anxious, frustrated, and helpless feelings are manifested from me beginning to trust in my own insufficient abilities to accomplish what God has purposed for us to do.

Another exciting development is our STAND AGAINST VIOLENCE & ABUSE events where women will be sharing their testimonies of violence and abuse and how God has/is healing and restoring them.  I envision them being powerful places of healing and empowerment for the people that God sends through the doors.  Please pray for these events as the first one is scheduled for January 26.

I think back to the beginning of the summer when a man heard our vision which at that time was only the vision of a village in Africa.  His first response was to question my credentials.  I am thankful that God does not operate in this manner.  I am thankful that God sees our heart and our intentions.  He knows us from the inside out.  I encourage you that if God gives you a dream to hold on and never let go no matter the criticisms or the sacrifices that you may face.  We have sold nearly everything that we have, given up much, lost friends who couldn't understand what we were doing...because quite honestly we didn't know either.  We just knew that we had to chase God where ever He took us.  Now as God begins to reveal the bigger picture of what we have been sacrificing for and trusting him for, I can promise you that it has all been worth it.  Continue on with Him.  Stay close to Him so that you can hear His whispers and stay on His path.  You will not be disappointed.

The Story of Donata, a Woman on the Streets

Below is the first of three interviews that Desire collected for me while in Rwanda.  He went directly to the streets capturing stories from the very people that we are hoping to impact through I Will Stand International.  Some of the grammar has been changed so that it is more understandable.

I am going to share with you a story of a street woman and her 2 sons and 1 daughter.  She is going to tell us why she ended up on the street and what she thinks about her life.

It was Monday, May 14, 2012 at 8 o'clock.  I met a woman named MUKANDORI Donata who has 3 children and lives on the street.  It was difficult to interview her because she was afraid of losing money [from begging].  I asked her to share with me the story of her life.  She refused and said, "I can tell you my story if you give me money."  I had 300 RFW in my pocket that I gave to her, and she began telling me her story.

MUKANDORI Donata was married to HABARUREMA J. Claude.  She had two sons with J. Claude. (Currently, they are 12 and 8 years old) She began living on the street in 2008 after the death of her husband.  She began using her sons to ask people in the streets for money to feed her and her two boys.  I asked her about the difficulties of living in the street, and she told me that the police would catch them and put them in jail.  Also, men on the street would do some violence towards her like beat her and rape her.  Her daughter, now 3 years old, was a product of rape.

I asked her son how he felt about street life.  He told me that the street life is very bad because they did not have food to eat.

I asked the woman what vision she has for her life.  She told me that if she could get some support that she would become a business woman.

This woman went to the streets because she depended on her husband without income for her own life.  I would like to ask all women to work hard in order to get a good life, and they must try to create their own business without depending on someone else.

By: BIZIMANA Desire in Kigali, Rwanda

Please leave your comments below.  I have much to say and quite a bit of insight on this interview above, but I would love to hear your perspective on the interview above.

The Life of a Street Boy...Meet My Friend, Desire

It has been a little while since I have blogged.  Much has happened in my life over the past month of which the biggest is our move from Colorado to Texas so that we can begin to develop I Will Stand International (www.iwillstandintl.com, www.facebook.com/iwillstandinternational).  The past few weeks have consisted of doing all the administrative activities required to become a recognizable organization....all the while my heart aches to be on the streets bringing hope to the hopeless.  I think that it is hitting me particularly hard today because my husband had a construction and design meeting with our CFO today and because of the hills and rainy seasons in Rwanda, it may take a bit longer than I had wanted before we are on the ground.  As my heart is deeply saddened, I must embrace God's timing in all things. 

I came up to my room and remembered a street boy that I grew to love in Rwanda.  He wants to be a journalist so I challenged him to begin practicing by first writing his own stories and then interviewing others.  By the time that I had left, he gave me his story and the story of three others.  They touch my heart each time that I read them and take me back to the streets of Rwanda and a land that I have grown to love.  Here is his story:

My name is Bizimana Desire.  I was born in 1990.  I am going to share with you the story of my life about my lost life and the life I have right now.

I was born in Kigali in the country of Rwanda in Africa in the family of two brothers.  During the Genocide of 1994, I lost my mom and my two brothers.  In 1995, I lost my father.  It was very bad for me because it made me become a street kid.

In 1995 in the month of July, I became a street kid.  I began the bad life of a street kid at the age of 5 years old.  Older street kids began to abuse me, and it was hard for me to get food or find a place to sleep.  In 1997, the priest of the Catholic Church came in the street where I was staying and told us that we could attend the school.  Because I saw other kids going to school, I liked school.

There were 55 street kids in my group, but only 23 street kids accepted the offer.  The other 22 refused to go because of the conditions such as having to study but not having a place to sleep and taking lunch but not supper.  I chose to study under those conditions, and I was intelligent.  I studied hard even though it was difficult for me.  I attended school a few days a week because I had to get a small job that could give me money to eat.  I studied like this for 6 years.

After 6 years, I passed the national exam which ended primary.  I got a good grade so I was able to go to high school.  When I got to high school, life changed.  I had a place to stay during school but was back on the streets during holiday. 

In 2006, I took the national exam ending ordinary level senior 3.  After I passed the exam, the state told me to study agriculture.  At that time, the Catholic priest told us that they could no longer pay our school fees, and we should check other opportunities.  I suffered from a lot of regret wondering why I even chose to study.  I stopped studying for one year.

In 2008 because I was good at playing football (soccer), a school asked me if I could play on the school team, and they would pay my school fees.  I accepted.  The school had a section of language and literature that I really liked.  After one year and when the school had finished the championship, the headmaster told me that the school could no longer pay the school fees for me.  Since I could not pay them, I left the school and was back on the street.

2009 was a black year for me.  I had money problems and went to prison 8 times.  The reason was because of my hard life I began to sell many kinds of illegal drugs such as marijuana and local beer.  I suffered a lot in that year.

Let me back up a bit.  In 2006, I became involved with Vivante Church.  Vivante Church is a church that helps street kids by feeding them lunch on Friday and Sunday.  In 2010, I met a sister coming from the USA named Kristen Kline.  It was nice meeting her because she loved me so much even though I was in the street life.  Sometimes, she came to visit on the street and brought me food.  Unfortunately, I met her when she was only staying one month here in Rwanda.  In one month, I spent a good life with her.  Before she left Rwanda, she asked me how she could support me.  I told her that I wanted to continue school.  She told me that even though she was a student and didn't have many resources that she would pay for 1 year of school fees.  She told me after a year that God would create other opportunities for me.  She left, and I went back to school.  I then met "Daddy" Serge and Jenn.  I thank them so much because they accepted me and continued to pay for my school fees until I finished high school.

Furthermore, I would like to encourage every person to have a confidence in themselves because if you need something, you can get it.  I liked to study even though I was in bad conditions.  I finished my high school, and I look forward to university.  I have a vision to become a journalist.  Special thanks to Daddy Serge and Jenn, Kirsten, Gabby, Logon, and everyone who has supported me in my life.

What an amazing story of constant provision of this young man's education which was his main goal!  I met Desire, and he is a very sharp young man.  God is going to do amazing things through him.  He did 3 other interviews for me that I will share over the next couple of days.  I started with his first so that you could see the heart of this young man.  Despite his situation and circumstances, his optimisism is astonishing.  Perhaps, you can catch a glimpse of why I have fallen love with this country and these people...our brothers and sisters in Christ.  His story shows how little acts of love can be very influential.

Knowing him and Him

A few days ago, I was reflecting on a pivotal situation in our lives.  I say pivotal because this situation had to happen to shift our thinking into the possibility of moving to Africa.  My husband had a really good job making more than he had ever made before.  Three months ago, he was fired.  To make a long, complicated story very short, he was accused of quite a few sexual advances towards a female subordinate (some a bit outlandish) and was accused of plotting to leave me for her.  How did this affect me? I was overjoyed!!!!  Why?  Because my husband was no longer working a job that drained him and kept him away for so long.  Because this occurrence meant that God had to be moving us into a new stage.  And because I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the allegations made against my husband were false.  How did I know this?  Because my husband and I know each other on an intimate level.  We have always put a big emphasis on communication and have even talk through uncomfortable situations and scenarios in a "what if" kind of way.  Our neighbor, who worked for my husband, told Sean that we must have a good relationship because his wife would have left him following such accusations. 

My reflections began to draw a comparison.  If knowing my husband so intimately...his character, the way he makes decisions, his values, what he things and feels about me, what he thinks about extramarital affairs, what he thinks about divorce, and so on....allows me to really know him to the point that I have a foundation and a truth about him in which I am able to make sound judgements about him and his character, how much more does an intimate relationship with Jesus allow us to stand firm on who He is, how He feels about us, and how we feel about Him.  When our feelings, thoughts, and what we accept to be truth are based on the written Word of God and our interactions with Christ on an intimate personal level, we will not be shaken but stand firm in our relationship.  When accusations are made against Christ, we can cast them down because we intimately know who He is.  Our faith is built when we know Him intimately by when we hear, meditating on, and studying his Words:  "faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17) 

Now if I only knew about my husband from what others said about him and I did not know him intimately, I might have a hard time believing his innocence.  My belief in his innocence would depend on the perceptions of what others had told me about him.  My belief in his innocence would be based off of others opinions and interactions with him.  I would not have that intimate knowledge of him.  I believe that the same is true with my relationship with Christ.  Without the intimate knowledge of scripture, my time spent meditating on the Word of God, my times of conversation with Him, and my times of worship and prayer, I would not have a relationship with Christ; therefore, if I claimed any relationship with Him then it would be based off the the relationship that another had with Him.  A good example would be going to church and only listening to what the preacher said and taking every word that is said as truth and never going and weighing what is said against the Word of God.  In this scenario the "relationship with Christ" is based off of the experiences and relationship of the preacher not a personal intimate relationship created from seeking Him and knowing Him intimately through His Word.  I believe that many have been lead astray throughout history because people did not have that intimately relationship, took what was told to them by others as truth because they did not have a foundation of their own based off of the Bible, and was lead astray by false beliefs and notions. 

I encourage you today to know Christ intimately...to know Him for yourself.....to keep your eyes fixed on Him, and then watch how your life is transformed by this intimate knowledge of Him.

Preparing us for Purpose

I am beginning to see the tangible benefits of seeking direction from the Lord and resting, trusting that He is working behind the scenes getting me to where He needs me to be.  Being in the midst of a culture like ours where there is an expectation to have goals and life plans, waiting for the Lord's direction is a difficult task.  I don't mean just saying that you are waiting.  I mean not making a move until you are clear of the direction.  This does not include being stagnant out of fear but being still out of an obedience and deep desire to truly walk out the will of God in your life. 

Looking back now, I can see all of the preparations that God was making in an effort to prepare me for the call that He has for me in this life.  I went from running a school and not truly understanding how to follow the leading of God's peace in decision making to two years of isolated training in allowing God to really lead me.  My training period had to include the isolation of not being involved in anything for me to really grasp what was being taught.  My personality causes me to get caught up in the doing; this "doing" has at times caused me lack the patience needed to wait on God for every step...and perhaps, I really didn't know how to wait on every step.  But God is faithful in that when we can identify an area within ourselves that needs improvement and we ask for Him to teach us His ways, He is faithful in teaching us.  This process may be painful, and it may look illogical to the outside world.  However, God knows what He's doing.  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). 

I believe that God is always preparing us for a greater calling in life.  Some step up to that calling; some do not.  Where ever God has you right now, you are being prepared for a kingdom purpose.  Your life has purpose.  You may not see but God promises that He makes a road in the wilderness and streams in the desert (Isaiah 43:19).  You may not feel like you measure up to the others around you because our culture has you standing next to a measuring stick, but God does not look at the things of this world.  "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at....God looks at the heart," (1 Samuel 16:7).  I read a devotional by Beth Moore.  She stated that many preach that God chose David as King despite his lowly stature as a shepherd.  However, her perspective was that God chose David from the beginning and his life as a shepherd prepared him for the greater task of shepherding God's people as King:  "He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance, and David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them," (Psalm 78:70-72).  Those skillful hands came from experiences.  God knows how to shape us when we are submissive and obedient to His will. 

Life may not look like it makes sense for a while.  Perhaps after being annointed King of Israel, David wondered how he would go from shepherd to king.  I know many (including myself a few years ago) who would start strategizing and contriving ways to get themselves into the position of King.  However, truly waiting on God is waiting for His perfect timing in causing all things to work together effortlessly and undeniably by the hand of God.