She is passionate
about ending human trafficking.She is committed to that cause.She is ready to fight for the orphans, the abused and the abandoned, who
are all at risk to be trafficked and sold into slavery.
This is Stacey's dream.
God gave Stacey a dream to start
non-profit that would raise money to support the fight against human
trafficking.Stacey is going after
that dream, and started a non-profit based in the state of Texas called The 27
Project.The 27 Project, among
other things, will host running events [such as the 10k for Cambodia] to raise
money to support orphanages that protect at-risk youth from the threats all
around them.One great way to help
end human trafficking is to get kids off the streets and into safe homes where
they will be fed, sheltered and protected.Stacey's dream is to support such ministries all over the
world, by hosting more running events in the future.
This is how you can help.
This Monday, in Bangkok, Thailand [one
of the capitals of the sex trade industry, which fuels human trafficking], the
27 Project will be hosting an event called 10k for Cambodia.Our entire squad is participating in
this event, along with a few others who are stateside.All donations that come in through this
event will be going to:
An orphanage in Thailand that's in
dire need of food.They can
provide meals to 100 children for an entire month for $1,000!We've met the kids and they are simply amazing!The way they pray is incredible.They know the heart of the Father!
A pastor in Laos [closed country], who
is struggling to provide food and housing for street children that keep showing
up on his doorstep.The pastor
currently has 15 children living in a 2 bedroom shack.
And potentially another
orphanage in Cambodia. More details on each location to
come soon!
Support the fight against human
trafficking in one of the following ways:
1)Pray Pray
Pray!Pray for this event, for
support to come in, and for the ministries that support this cause
2)Give Give Give!$10,
$15, $20, $100, it doesn't matter the amount!Maybe there is someone out there who wants to give $1,000,
to support those 100 kids at the orphanage in Thailand with food for a month?! Go to http://speaktothehope.blogspot.com/ to GIVE.
3)Run Run Run!This
Monday, support the cause by running with us!Wherever you are in the world, run a 10k in support of this
fight! Or join in by doing a prayer walk on this day, praying for Thailand, and praying for the end of human trafficking.
What I've learned from nearly 3 years of Closer than Comfortable Community Living
Respond to the inconsistencies of others the way Christ responds to yours, with GRACE.
We're so often a people quick to judge, lets be a people quick to love. Love people through their inconsistencies and low points, but also have the courage to call them higher. Grace enables you to stay in relationship through conflict. Grace keeps your sights clear, enabling you to see as HE sees. Jesus, give us Your eyes, give us Your heart for others. You've been so patient with us, help us to be patient with the ones we walk closely with. "The cost of intimacy is always conflict" (Ken Helser), so don't be surprised when it comes. Instead,
1) Thank God
Thank God for the conflict, because it means He has blessed you with intimacy, with a close relationship with that person. Begin to thank God for the person you are in conflict with. Thank God for their life. Thank God for who they are in His eyes, and you just might begin to see them that way again.
2) Speak Grace
When relationships get tough, speak grace over them.
"Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!" (Zechariah 4)
No matter how high the mountain of conflict is between you and a person, shouts of "GRACE, GRACE to it!" can bring that mountain down. Not by your own might, not by your own power, but by His SPIRIT the reconciliation will come.
3) Seek His Heart
Seek God's heart for how HE wants to bring you back to a loving relationship with that person. 10 times out of 10, He will have a plan. Truly bring the situation before the Lord, hand it over to Him, and healing will come.
Who are you giving your love to? Who are you spending your life for?
Give the gift that keeps on giving. Give the gift of love and life.
When we spend our lives for the sake of others, they take that gift and carry it beyond the places we are capable of going.
Ryan Thomas and Kayla - New B Squad Leaders!
I have spent this past month doing life with Thomas, Kayla, and Ryan, the new squad leaders of the B Squad! I have been offering love and any wisdom I've gained from my journey with the Lord. They are going to take what I've given them, to places I could never have imagined of going. They are going to lead the B Squad with great passion for the Lord, and love for life.
It has been an incredible honor leading the B Squad in the field, and I'm completely confident in Thomas, Kayla, and Ryan to lead this squad with great strength.
Live beyond yourself this year, by giving the gift of your love and life to others!
Stay tuned for my next blog to find out about my coming transition and what is NEXT!
Prayer Requests
Safe travel - We will be traveling to Bangkok tomorrow, and then to Siam Reap, Cambodia on the 31st, and then I leave the squad and travel back to the states on the 4th
Support - I am hoping to find 20 people to give $55 to help me become fully supported for the 18" Journey [checks can be made to 'A Place for the Heart' and sent to 340 N Hayworth Ave #304, Los Angeles, CA 90048]
Got prayer requests? Send them to capeofbloom@gmail.com
Not because I was sick - after so long of being really sick I got past the misery, and accepted that there was nothing I could do to change my circumstances.
No, I lay there weeping because a song played.
A song that brings back a rush of emotions. A song that reminds me of people who have absolutely touched my life. A song that reminds me of an experience that absolutely transformed my life. A song that always reminds me of the One who made the ultimate sacrifice.
In spite of extreme adversity, they fought for a dream, and fought until it became reality. Their dream is bringing life to the nations. Their music is awakening a generation. Their vision is reviving the hearts of men and women all over. You know that song, "Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby"? Well, they are the real thing baby. They are absolutely committed to God, to each other and to their two beautiful children. Beyond that, they spend their lives for the sake of their friends. They love beyond their capability, and then they love beyond that. They live each day like it's a miracle. They worship God with all of their mind soul and strength. They work hard, play hard, worship hard, and yet they live and breath rest. They walk in the unforced rhythms of grace.
Their lives inspire me.
The Experience that absolutely transformed my life:
The first day of school I stood in front of the class crying, because I felt so honored to be a part of something so special. Even as I write this tears flood my eyes, as I remember, all that was given to me at the 18" Journey.
It was a time for my heart to receive healing. I was having a hard time coping with everything I experienced out in the nations for 15 months, and the 18" Journey was a safe place for me to process. I took the creative writing collective, and found so much healing through writing. The class also awakened parts of my imagination that had lay dormant since I was a kid. I wrote a poem called "The Adventures of a boy named Noah", which I may share some day.
The school was two months of non-stop worship, discipleship and teaching. I received more in those two months than I can possibly comprehend.
I learned the secret of rest, and it transformed my life.
The One who made the Ultimate Sacrifice:
The cross has made a way, so we can enter in, to go back to the garden once again. The cross has made a way, forever I will say, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain'.
Receive the reward oh Lamb of God!
I want the Lord to receive the reward of His suffering. I want my life to be His reward. He is so worthy, and I want to give Him nothing but the best. So often I settle for giving Him what I have left. I want to always remember His sacrifice, and live my life in a way that the Lamb of God would truly receive the reward of His suffering.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive the reward of His suffering, worthy is the Lamb that was slain.
I lay there weeping.
Yes, partly because I had spent two days in a hospital, and been sick for awhile. But mostly because I miss my friends. Mostly because my heart has been so transformed. And mostly because I still owe $1,100 in support to 18" Journey, and have been unable to pay it. I've been given so much, and I'm not even able to repay the basic costs of the school. Would you please consider making a donation today? I guarantee you, your money is going to a good place. Thanks for reading!
[to give, you can make a check out to 'A Place for the Heart', and send it to 340 N Hayworth Ave #304, Los Angeles, CA 90048]
Do you remember the scene, in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, where they are in the hallway and licking the fruit flavored wallpaper?
"The strawberries tastes like strawberries!"
"And the snozzberries taste like snozzberries!"
Do you remember that?Well, this blog has nothing to do with that...
One day in Honduras, I bought some bagels...
One night in Honduras, I sat on top of a water tower with one of the teams. One of the girls, Brenda, had been going through brokenness for some time. She is someone who rarely ever prays out loud, and never sings in front of other people. She is usually very reserved.
I was encouraging her to step out in boldness, but she wasn't really responding to what I had to say. Finally, I told her to stand up. She said 'No', but I wouldn't take no for an answer!
"Stand up!"
Before us was a wide open field that stretched out for miles.
"I want you to think about something you want from God, and then shout out into the darkness. Declare it before God!" I said.
'No', she replied.
Remember how I had bought bagels that day? Well I randomly told Brenda...
"If you shout out loud, declaring what you want from God, I will give you a bagel!"
"REALLY?" Brenda exclaimed!
I was shocked at her response. Apparently, Brenda loves bagels!
"Really really!"
With NO hesitation, Brenda shouted at the TOP of her lungs into the darkness...
"I WANT TO SING OUT LOUD!!!!"
Everyone stood there for a moment in shock. None of us had ever seen her respond like that. Brenda came alive!
As we finished talking on the water tower that night, I asked Brenda if she would close us in prayer. She immediately said 'no', but then I told her I would give her another bagel and she jumped all over that offer.
Since that night on top of the water tower, Brenda has been a different person. She is no longer quiet and reserved. She is finding her voice! She is full of joy!
Brenda is in need of some support to continue serving God in the nations this year. If you would like to support her, click here. To read her blog, click here.
Prayer Requests
Healing: I've been very tired and worn down, with random aches and pains. Not sure what's going on, but I am currently taking some antibiotics and trying to rest whenever I can.
Support: I still need another $1,100 for 18" Journey, and $3,300 for World Race.
Clarity: I will be stateside in February to work, and I am praying to God for clarity about where I should live and work.
Finishing STRONG: Our squad is transitioning. Stacey and I have been raising up leaders to take over as squad leaders, and we are also heading to Thailand soon. After Thailand, Stacey and I head home. Pray that we finish STRONG!
B Squad: Pray for our squad as we have a pretty crazy travel day(s) ahead of us. We leave the morning of January 4th and don't arrive in Thailand until the night of January 7th... yep! We will be together as a squad from January 1st-3rd. Pray that God blesses our worship and time together!
Sometimes it is hard to capture in words what exactly it is I do on a daily basis. Most of my ministry is about building relationships with the squad and people we meet, and leading them to God every chance I get.
In Honduras there was a former World Racer named Ashley who was also working with our contact. I got this letter from her as we left. It really blessed me, and I wanted to share it with you because I think it really captures the heart of what it is I'm doing in the world...
"Mike and Stacey,
You are inspirational.
Not only is B squad blessed by you but so are many others
that you meet along the way, like me!
Both of you have HUGE hearts that overflow with Jesus' love and
goodness. I know it's hard to love more
and more people knowing that you might not see them again, but you do it
well. You love people like they're the
only one you love. You give them your
whole heart. Continue to be strong and
fight for what's right, fight for Jesus.
You are doing an incredible job with B squad. I can see how much they adore and respect
both of you.
Thank you so much for constantly including my sisters and
I. We have been so blessed to know all
of you. Thank you for your
friendship. You will all be in my thoughts
and prayers.
Ashley"
All I want for Christmas is to pay the bills!
I have two more months on the mission field before I fly back to the states, and I need your help to make it through!
This Christmas, you can support my ministry in one of the following ways:
1) Pray that God brings swift financial provision that allows me to continue to be a blessing in the nations.
2) If you'd like to bless me with a gift this Christmas, the best way to do that would be with a financial gift to help me catch up on payments. (capeofbloom@gmail.com)
3) Consider buying a World Race t-shirt. $25 or more gets you a shirt, and helps me to stay afloat! (email me at capeofbloom@gmail.com to find out how to purchase one)
Thanks so much for your continual support! I'm blessed to be doing what I do!
("This is so much fun", Gabby and I playing a game where you're not supposed to smile... yep, we're both losing)
I could write a book about everything that has happened this
month, so to try and capture it in a blog is nearly impossible. There are so many stories of redemption,
healing, and restoration from this month, it blows my mind. Jesus' prayer was for the Kingdom to come to
earth, just as it is in heaven. We have
seen that happen this month...
I'll try to just focus on one day, although everything seems
so connected.
The other day I went to ministry with Brandon's team. We walked the streets praying for
people. We talked with two young
men. Their demeanor's completely changed
while we prayed for them. The older boy
was really encouraged and the younger decided he wanted to give his life to
Christ. He told us he wanted to change
his clothes before we prayed (which at first seemed silly, but then we realized
it was an act of honor towards God). So
we went to lunch, came back and prayed with him. It was amazing.
We walked outside his house, and right away started talking
with a man who was very drunk and hanging outside the tienda, playing
pinball. He shared his struggles, we
shared our testimonies, and he found freedom through Christ.
As we were waiting for our ride to pick us up, we noticed
two guys across the street hanging outside the gate to their house. They were looking over at us, so we walked
over to them. Through our conversations
we found out they were Christians. I
shared a verse God put on my heart and then we prayed for them. Simple enough, and it could have ended there,
but Brandon started to have pain in his right shoulder, and took it as a sign
from God that one of them needed healing.
He asked the two men if either of them had pain in their right shoulder. They both were amazed, because one of the
guys had injured his right shoulder while working out, and had been in a lot of
pain. We all gathered around the man
(John), and prayed for healing. It was a
powerful prayer and we all felt the Holy Spirit ministering. All of a sudden John's demeanor completely
changed, and he stepped back in shock.
His shoulder was completely healed!
We all started to thank God and were soo filled with joy! John told us that he had been following God
for awhile, but didn't realize how BIG He was!
He told us he would never forget that moment. We won't forget either!
(Standing in front of the "wall of encouragement", everyone on the squad got some wall space)
After praying for John, we walked further up the hill to
meet with some members of our contacts church.
The husband has been battling colon cancer. He had recently been radically healed by
God. A tumor the size of a fist
completely disappeared and baffled the doctors.
It's necessary for him to continue the chemo treatments for another
three months, and so we got to pray for him.
Then things got crazy again. We
prayed for one woman who for years has gotten intense migraines, and her
headache completely went away. Another
woman, has had pain in the right half of her body for as long as she can
remember. As we prayed for her, I got
discernment that there was someone she needed to forgive. Kelly translated, and the woman immediately
burst into tears, sobbing. As it turns
out, her son was murdered when he was just 20 years old. We continued to pray for the Holy Spirit to
minister healing to her heart. One of
the pastors with us urged this woman to forgive the person who killed her
son. I heard once, that forgiveness is
releasing someone from a prison, and then finding out that person was you. The woman was finally able to forgive, and the
pain subsided. Then, through her tears,
she made declarations to God. It was
incredible.
A few days before this, we went out into the streets, and
saw a woman healed from arthritus, a murderer repent and give his life to
Christ, and a man become completely free from physical addictions to the drugs
he promised God he would walk away from.
These are just a handful of experiences from that day, and from this month. We have seen SO many people healed. I just got word as I was writing this, that
the teams went out again today and saw more people healed. God is good!
Besides the street ministry and some painting, a lot of my
ministry this month has been with the squad.
Having the entire squad together in one place has been amazing, but also
very challenging. Some days it seems I
am pulled in 53 different directions, but I've been able to have so many
amazing conversations this month. It's
an honor to play a small part in seeing people get their breakthrough. People are finding their voice, stepping
forward in worship and ministry, and serving and loving their teammates. It's been a fruitful month, to be sure!
Do you remember when you were sitting in your garage, with
not much more than a vision from God? A
vision of a generation that would become wrecked for the Kingdom of God. A vision of a journey. A journey that would lead to abandonment, brokenness,
dependency, and empowerment. A vision
that would call forth the greatness of a generation. A vision that would mobilize that generation,
to live out Kingdom dreams on this earth. A vision that would change the world...
MTV Hits is playing throughout the restaurant. Katy Perry is emotional. The environment has the capability of
drowning out any conversation of real value.
Stacey Nicole Compton and Michael James Sanders sit across from each
other. The television, instead of capturing
attention, is making them nauseous.
Instead of giving a second glance to half naked pop stars and less than
talented rappers, they are deep in thought.
That morning, Stacey and Michael were reacquainted with a
dear old friend named Brokenness. Before
being dropped off at the mall for their day off, they accompanied Tony on a
trip to drop off two young girls at their home in Los Pinos. The girls, Nicole and Sandra, had spent the
last few days with the entire B Squad. For
the first part of the drive, the girls laughed and played with Michael and
Stacey, but as they got closer to Los Pinos the girls' smiles disappeared. Nicole climbed into the back and retreated into
the fetal position. Sandra took off the
red and white polka dot headband given to her. It was as though she were removing the hope of
a better life and accepting the reality that awaited her. For the remainder of the drive,
Michael and Stacey listened to Tony tell stories about the girls' life. Brokenness listened alongside them.
They arrived in Los Pinos, one of the poorest and most
dangerous colonies in Honduras. The
girls walked as slow as possible up the long dirt stairway that leads through
the slums. There is an old green door that
marks the entrance to the girls' house.
For Michael and Stacey, it is just another door that they are free to
walk through, but for the girls, it is a symbol of their confinement. After long hugs goodbye, Michael and Stacey walked
back through the old green door, and back down the long dirt stairway, leaving
the girls in the home they dreaded returning to.
"Puedo tomar su orden?
Estas listo para comer?" Michael
and Stacey struggle to understand the waitress, and also to come to a decision
amidst the endless menu choices. Their
friend brokenness joins them at the table; they realize that although they may
struggle to decide what to eat,
Nicole and Sandra will struggle to eat at all.
"I think that most of the world's problems could be solved
through access to good education", Stacey remarked.
"I spend a lot of my time wondering how my
life can make the greatest impact for the Kingdom. Is it through discipleship, or
education? Or feeding programs? Or access to clean water? Or fighting human trafficking? I want to know that I spent my life in the
best way possible", Michael replied.
"If
God's plan for your life, was to adopt Nicole and Sandra, and be Jesus to them,
would changing just two lives be enough?"
Stacey asked.
"Absolutely".
Dear Seth Barnes, it worked.
We are wrecked for life.
~Michael James Sanders and Stacey Nicole Compton
Sandra on the lower left, and Nicole upper right :)
