I'm back to tell you that I'm moving. As I look ahead to this next
phase in life (ie. the Costa del Sol area of Southern Spain), I'm excited to announce that I also have been
working on a new website & blog. Check it out. It's my
heart. Look around, stay awhile, dive in and join me! It includes past research, new vision,
educational pieces and how you can get involved. And trust me, God needs all of us in one fashion for his
love to reach Spain and beyond...
From now on, I will strictly be blogging from this new
site. On the right hand side of
the page, you will see a "SUBSCRIBE" button. Click on it, enter your e-mail and you will once again
receive updates via e-mail every time I write a new blog.
I have much to catch you up on. God's been moving, fine tuning the vision and preparing me
as I take steps into the unknown frontier of long-term missions.
I just finished the book The Cross and the Switchblade. It tells of how Teen Challenge
(the largest, Christian drug and alcohol rehab organization in the States) was
founded over 60 years ago. God
called a country boy into New York City to work with gangs and drug
addicts. An ignorant, yet
passionate man of God who recognized the call - and chose to focus on God's
possibilities rather than his own impossibilities....
Here's a quote from the book that spoke volumes to me: "We are naive.
Just about as naive as David was when he STEPPED UP to Goliath with
nothing but a sling, a pebble...AND the conviction that he was on God's
side!"
As I continue to
move ahead with what God has spoken unto me - "Serve. Go to Spain. Disciple your generation. Inspire. Take them with you and go to
the streets. Go to the
prostitutes. Love them and show
them God's tangible love."
My inadequacies
shout, "Stop. What are you thinking,
girl from small town Iowa? What do
you think you can do to make a difference on the streets in Spain? You have
absolutely no idea what these women have experienced. How can you help them?"
But, my
convictions, faith and passion shout even louder (rallied by your prayers and
encouragement!), "Keep going. God
is with you. God is there -
inviting you. He can do it. He is the one that will transform their
hearts. You are a channel. Keep going."
In upcoming blogs,
I will shed more light on the journey - where it took me the last 6 months and
where it is taking me. There is a
thread in all of our lives. I pray
to God that we all take notice and follow.
Also, October 3rd I am running the Twin Cities Marathon as a declaration of my initial commitment to Spain - 26 miles for 26 months! I hope that you join me in this mission. See how YOUR INVOLVEMENT will change lives in Spain and beyond.
Please let me know
if you would like me to come and share more about the vision with you, your
church or what ever avenue you may have in mind. I will be in Arizona and California Aug 31st-Sept
21st followed by Iowa and Minnesota for the fall. (stephanie.fisk@gmail.com or 651-395-0649)
This Thursday, I graduate from the G42 Leadership Academy out in
Spain. It has been six months jam
packed with new revelations and relationships that are serving as a springboard
to launch my vision into reality.
The G42 hiking crew on top of one of the mountains in our 'backyard'!
An overarching theme: I feel a bit like the Apostle
Paul. On his second missionary
journey, he took off for Asia. He
was moving and focused on bringing God's word to the Gentiles. Asia was his destination, but preaching
the Truth was his focus. While
Paul's focus and mission remained in tact, God re-directed his footsteps towards Europe. So, Paul preached
the Word throughout Europe.
How does this apply to me? As many of you know, I have been talking about returning to
Asia (Thailand), to work with women and kids who are at risk of or are being
prostituted. As I have taken steps
towards Thailand, God has continually re-routed my footsteps towards
Europe. While my focus, passion
and heart remains the same, my destination has changed. I have committed to returning to Spain
indefinitely to work with G42 and "the women of the night" (prostitutes) in
this area. Will Asia still be in my future? I think so, but it might just look different than originally expected.
In the past, I have always marveled at Americans who buy
round-trip tickets starting from a foreign' country. It's seemed to make the statement, "I have left home and am
committed long-term to (insert a country) no matter the cost..." Last week, I
bought a round trip ticket from Spain. I return to the States April 13th and come
back to Spain January 4th, 2011.
Skiing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains!
I will give the quick version of What, Why, Where, Who and
When, but will be providing more info in future blogs, and soon - face to face
conversations with you!
My heart aches for the women here along The Costa
del Sol (southern Spain where I live) who have fallen victim to the life of
prostitution. There are hundreds
of women who sell themselves or are sold by others here in this area. And there is virtually nothing being
done about it. This is not right
and something needs to be done to help provide hope and an opportunity so they
can pull themselves out of the grave if they so choose. Most of these women are tenacious. They are dreamers just like you and
me. They are from Brazil, Romania,
Russia, Nigeria, Columbia, Spain, Morocco. They desire love yet settle (or in some cases forced to
settle) for a twisted version of lust night after night. "The devil comes to steal, kill
and destroy"...Death comes in the night... Yet, God comes to give life
abundantly...His mercies shine anew with each new day.
I desire to provide love and counsel a home where she is
removed from her current environment and can be restored to the women she was
created to be WHOLE AND LOVED.Obviously, this removes her income and a stop-gap measure (alternative
income) is needed. These women
need jobs. They need to be trained
in self-sufficiency.
I am currently in the research phase and have been meeting
some girls in this area who desire a way out of prostitution. They are very real girls who need very
real answers. Not just a "Jesus
loves you" and "I hope that you change your ways"; but a "If you want to quit
this lifestyle, come with me and I (Jesus) will make you..." as Jesus told his
disciples. He didn't leave them
hanging, he invited them to join Him.
I desire to invite these girls to join me in experiencing
and sharing the FREEDOM that is found in Christ.
This will not be easy, but Christ never told us it would be
easy if we choose to follow him. In fact, it will cost us our very life.
Jesus is FREE, but Christ will cost you EVERYTHING!
Now, this isn't a warm and fuzzy, but a call to action. And we are moving. And I truly mean WE Jesus, You and Me
We need to do something. I pray
that you will continue to fight alongside of me in this new season of
life. With our prayers, time and finances,
We will bring hope and love and freedom and opportunity to women who would not
otherwise experience it!
Also, as I mentioned before, I will be helping out with the
G42 school out here in Mijas. Watch the video below to find out more about what goes on out here in
Spain.
While I've been sharing some revelation that the Lords been
teaching me through poetry, I thought that it might be helpful to give you a
glimpse into my daily routine. Many of you have asked me, "what are you actually up to in Mijas, Spain?" Here's a sample of 3 days in the life of a g42 intern (scarily similar to my last three days)...
Monday
8am - Go running, shower, eat breakfast. Have quiet time.
9:30am Coffee time with who ever is sharing that morning.
10 - 12pm Class (ex - Tabernacle of David)
12pm Lunch and Internet in the town square
2-4:30pm Class (ex Dealing with Failure)
4:30pm Homework and study (if it's your week to cook, you
prepare dinner for the crew)
6pm Dinner with all 7 interns and our teachers and their
families (Discipleship over the "kitchen table" is a huge part of our time here
at the training center. Our
teachers not only share their knowledge and wisdom with us, but they invite us
into their lives. A lot of the
incarnation and impartation of the spiritual comes over this casual, yet
intentional time together)
7:30 - 8:30pm Modern dance class (a friend and I are
taking dance in a local town and we are loving it! It's an expression of myself that the Lord has reintroduced
into my life and I believe that it is giving me a new sense of freedom.)
9pm Monday classic movie nights with the 7 of us
(Casablanca, Godfather, North by Northwest are a few we've seen so far)
11pm Movie finishes and conversations about what the
Lord's been teaching us/laughing/prayer ensue until the last two decide to
retire for the night
Tuesday
8:30am Wake up, eat breakfast, read
10 - 12pm Guest speaker (ex- prophecy)...We break out in prayer
and speak life to each other, the nations, family, friends, home towns, human
trafficking, etc. The Holy Spirit
rocks us!
12pm Sandwich lunch at the house
1pm Have a one-on-one' time over cafι con leche at a
local cafι (I love going out for coffee with one other individual in order to
learn about them.)
2-4pm Class (We hike up the mountain behind our house
group activities that reinforce leadership and listening)
4:15pm Meet with a lady who is actively involved in
ministering to the prostitutes in this area. For this semester, each intern has a hands-on project that
they get involved in to serve the community. I am becoming educated on the issue of prostitution and
human trafficking in this area and next week I am going to be going out in the
evenings to meet the girls and start building relationships with them. I am praying about how the Lord wants
to use me in this area)
5:15pm English class (Every Tuesday and Thursday
afternoons for one hour I help teach English to 6-8 year old Spanish kids)
6:15pm Dinner with the entire crew
7pm Homework (or dance party some of us are learning the
dance to Thriller!)
9 - 11pm Go over to our "teachers" house: amazing stories are shared over wine
out on their terrace...
12am Goodnight!
Wednesday
8am Girls breakfast at a local bakery
9:30 12pm Class (ex drawing up a ministry plan)
12pm Lunch of leftover Indian food:)
1-4pm Afternoon off from class and time is spent working
on our ministry write-ups. (We
have a semester-long project of creating a ministry plan. Two other girls and myself have a
vision of opening a hostel/cafι here in Mijas that serves as a place of
discovery. Individuals will feel
welcomed and loved. "Church" will
happen everyday as people discover hope and faith and are challenged to walk in
their passions and callings. We
will educate the locals and tourists to orphans, genocide, human trafficking,
etc and provide opportunities for them to serve in their community. We will offer wine tastings, poetry
slams, open-mic night, bible studies, etc at the cafι. I will employ women who used to
prostitute themselves on the streets teaching them about gardening,
baking/cooking, managing a cafι, customer service while discipling them in
their faith. This is the brief
intro...side note: I also want to become a beekeeper!)
4:30pm We tour a building that is For Sale'. It would be the ideal location for our
hostel/B&B. Huge potential for
renovation, but currently quite run-down. ( I think of Under the Tuscan Sun and Chocolat two of my
favorite movies set in Italy and France where women see the potential and
transform a building into an environment that inspires those who enter)
6 9 pm Dinner with the crew again followed by dance
party and game night. (Pictionary,
charades, Who's coming to Dinner...)
9-12am Homework/reading (interrupted by a craving for
chocolate chip cookies...we run to the store, buy chocolate, rush back and make
cookies. Yum!)
1am To bed I go
__________________
I hope that this gives you some insight into my life. I LOVE every minute of it and wish that
every one of you could come out here to Spain yourself to experience the heavy
anointing upon this place. Tomorrow, we take off for Barcelona for a week. We will be working with a church up
there manual labor, helping with a conference, teaching English, bringing
life...!
Thank you all for your prayers and I hope you have a great
Thanksgiving! (Which reminds
me...last year around this time is when my World Race squad was stuck in Bangkok,
Thailand due to the rioting that was taking place in the airport! Crazy!)
Here's an outpouring of my heart and the Holy Spirit...a cry to bring dead things to life...and prophetic call to WAKE UP!
Prophetic Mysteries of I AM
(Mystery of Potential)
I AM
I AM
the source inside of the FRONTIER
yet to be EXPLORED.
I AM
the source inside of the COURAGE yet
to be MOBILIZED.
I AM
the source inside of the STORY yet
to be TOLD.
I AM
the source inside of the BABY yet to
be BIRTHED.
I AM
the source inside of the SONG yet to
be SUNG.
I AM
the source inside of the WORD yet to
be WRITTEN.
I AM
the source inside of the DANCE yet
to be EXPRESSED.
I AM
the source inside of the STEP yet to
be TAKEN.
I AM
the source inside of the LAMP yet to
be LIT.
I AM
the source inside of the COLOR yet
to be PAINTED.
I AM
the source inside of the TEAR yet to
be SHED.
I AM
the source inside of the TOUCH yet
to be GIVEN.
I AM
the source inside of the ORPHAN yet
to be HELD.
I AM
the source inside of the POOR yet to
be TAKEN IN.
I AM
the source inside of the LIVES yet
to be INSPIRED.
I AM
the source inside of the BEAUTY yet
to be ADMIRED.
I AM
the source inside of the RELATIONSHIP
yet to be REKINDLED.
I AM
the source inside of the JUBILEE yet
to be REALIZED.
I AM
the source inside of the MANNA yet
to be EATEN.
I AM
the source inside of the WELL yet to
be TAPPED INTO.
I AM
the source inside of the TRUTH yet
to be REVEALED.
I AM the
source inside of the PASSION yet to
be EMBRACED.
I AM
the source inside of the LOVE yet to
be RECEIVED.
I AM the
source inside of the HEART yet to be LOVED.
I AM
the source inside of the COVENANT
yet to be AGREED UPON.
I AM
the source inside of the MYSTERY yet
to be DISCOVERED.
I AM
the VOICE.
I AM
November '09by Stephanie Fisk
I am currently attending a leadership training center in Mijas, Spain. Check us out on our website if you would like to learn more about the school....or please send me and e-mail if you have questions! http://www.g42leadershipacademy.org/.
To set the scene, Charles Stock - the senior pastor of the Life Center in Harrisburg, PA - came to the G42 school and blessed us with his wisdom.
I have had class for two weeks now and love every minute of my time in Spain - learning from amazing men and women of God, making lemon bars with lemons from our lemon tree, watching the sun rise above the Mediterranean sea, praying for 'thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven', drinking Spanish wine and eating Spanish olives, dancing while doing dishes and running up and down the cobblestone streets...
(left: mijas, the Spanish pueblo i inhabit)
The Glory of thee Lord was in the room. I believe his glory is in this room
every day we have class, but by God's grace, my capacity to recognize it increased
in that day. Charles said he was
coming "heavy with His glory" but knowledge of Glory and the manifest
impartation of that glory is something totally different.
(re-wind) The night before Charles spoke in
class, I had specifically asked God to grant me more wisdom. God was also challenging me on "asking
in faith and believing that God would answer my prayers". So, I boldly asked for more wisdom and
a greater capacity to grasp God's love.
(fast-forward) During the time of impartation
when Charles was praying over us individually his main prophetic word for me
was "God was granting me an increase of wisdom". I couldn't help but jump for joy...or plunge into this
promise. He spoke James 1:5-6
If any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it
will be given to him. But when he asks, he must
believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown
and tossed by the wind.
After that, I felt a
new heaviness' in my gut and my spirit. My chest and stomach were burning. I felt as though there was a stream of wisdom pouring from the Lord into
my very being. An
impartation...
I began to ask the
Lord what this new "heaviness" was because it didn't feel like a burden, but a
blessing. I felt the Lord
say this heaviness is a new realization of your "righteous responsibility"
that you have in me and the glory surrounding it all is a new sense of awe and
reverance...a deeper Fear of God...
(overlooking Mijas)
And then it hit me..."the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Ps. 111:10a)
I had truly received
an increase of wisdom. It was
evident in my spirit and I needed to claim it as truth and proclaim that it had
happened. It was not just an act of
pretending, but an actual impartation had taken place. Charles came "heavy in Glory" and had
imparted to me that which my spirit longed for and had asked for!
Just like Abraham had
to stand upon the word that he was a Father (before he was truly a Father), I had to stand upon the word that
I had a 'spirit of wisdom' (a word that many people have spoken over me). I had to Plunge into the Promise spoken over me....and
stand upon what is unseen, not what is seen...
(Andrew - founder of the G42 school, tara (another intern) and Me)
Soak in the revelation of what the word below has to say to you today...
We call Abraham
"father" not because he got God's attention by living like a saint,
but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that
what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, "I set you up
as father of many peoples"?
Abraham was first named "father" and
then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do:
raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was
hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he
saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father
of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have
a big family, Abraham!"
Abraham
didn't focus on his own impotence and say, "It's hopeless. This
hundred-year-old body could never father a child." Nor did he survey
Sarah's decades of infertility and give up. He didn't tiptoe around God's
promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He
plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready
for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said.
That's why it is
said, "Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him
right." But it's not just Abraham; it's also us! The same thing gets said
about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the
conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set
us right with God. (Rom 4:17-21 in The Message)
Mijas, Spain is the mountain puebla where I will be laying my head for the next six months. I love mornings here. Around 8am, I crawl out of bed, grab a blanket and walk 5 feet to my bedroom balcony. This view of the Mediterranean sea greets me anew each day with God's besos ('kisses' in Spanish) and breath of life. His Voice often inspires my spirit through words...
Between 7:58am and 8:01am, the horizon transforms from a
mysterious black haze,
to an orange and red glow.
Pale pink and blue hues emerge.
Africa can be seen in the distance
looming almost beyond
reach
highlighted by the colors staining its contours. (What's new?)
As the sun rises above the tree-lined hill, the sea shimmers
like diamonds.
The clouds dance
lazily,
yet expectantly, upon the first mercies of day break.
Two morning doves join me...
perched on the tippy-top of an
evergreen tree.
Taking in the
wonders from the best seat in the house.
Look at the birds...worry not.
My breath escapes me as a new morning awakens from its
slumber.
New paints. New hopes. New mysteries.
New opportunities. New cups
of coffee. New smiles.
A new day has come!
Your Kingdom come.
Thy will be done.
On earth
as it is in heaven...
"Come, meet with Me again tomorrow morning,"
I hear a Voice
beckoning. "I will do it all over
again.
Just for you."
And for some reason, I know this to be true.
- Mijas sunrise 9-7-2009
(What am I doing in Mijas? Check out the new Generation 42 Leadership Academy website www.g42leadershipacademy.org)
Two weeks ago, while in Romania, my travel companions (Dre and Tara) and I made it back to Ville Tecii - a tiny, gypsy village that we lived in last spring. When we were there previously, some of the men were building an outdoor pizza oven. This time we capitalized on that incredible oven and baked around 50 personal pan pizza's - sausage, bacon, ham, cheese, onion, pepper, mushrooms - all topped with ketchup or gypsy sauce. No tomato sauce here.
I have eaten a lot of amazing pizza all over the world, but I dare say that this takes top honors. My belly was beyond satisfied. When I didn't think that I could possibly eat any more - cinnamon, nutella, and blueberry jam was smeared on top of the remaining dough to create scrumptious dessert pizzas!
Then, the first fist of flour was thrown...
...then the first BOWL of flour was released...
...hand-fulls of nutella, butter and blueberry jam added an artistic touch...
...followed by buckets full of water and eggs smashed in the hair...
...We soon BECAME the pizza...
No life-changing message here, but I can testify that food fights need no cross-cultural translation:)
Below is a video about the ministry - Gypsy Agape - we partner with in Villi Tecii. And click here to read a blog I wrote last April while serving with them.
I have just returned to Spain after a three-week journey to
Moldova, Romania and Hungry. It
was amazing to reunite with friends and literal enjoy the fruit of our harvest
spiritually and physically.
Last May, we worked in the fields alongside the villagers (picture above). Planting season: seeds, potatoes, beans - buried in the
rich soil as a prayer is uttered from the lips...hopes and life lie in the hands
of mother earth...
Four months later, we return. Harvest season. The air is heavy with the sweet fragrance of watermelon, grapes,
pumpkin. A plate of creamy, yellow
mashed potatoes is placed before me. As the rich, buttery flavor dances on my tongue, I am reminded of that
windy day in May when I placed these very potatoes in the ground.
As a daughter of God, I often ponder my inheritance....now
that I have tasted it (literally) I can say with new reverence "Taste and see
that the Lord is good. Oh, the
joys of those who trust in him!" (Ps. 34:8) Talk about enjoying the fruits of your labor!
Moldova is a country of irony. The land is blessed as harvest is found in abundance, yet
many families do not know where their next meal will come from. Inflation and corruption choke out
joy. Many love the Lord, yet are
tied down by religion.
Below is a poem that I wrote one afternoon while eating the
purple Isabella grapes I hand-picked from my friend's 50 year-old
vineyard.
Moldova
Harvest in abundance. Inheritance...
Grapes hang heavy on the vine. Tantalizing, sweet juice drips down the throat as they burst
with life. Harvest realized.
Wine. Made with
excellence, yet exported.
Dance. Made to
celebrate, yet forbidden.
Old wine skin stretched as new wine is released. Come, Holy Spirit.
Moldova is ripe. Mouths hungry to be fed.
Hearts aching for hope. Bodies crying for rest.
Come to Me. Come
and lie down in green pastures.
Enjoy the fruit of your labor. Do not labor in vain, but rejoice, for the bridegroom is
here.
The curtain is ripped.
The blood is spilled.
The law is banished, the prophecy fulfilled and freedom is
released.
Forgiveness, grace, mercy reign down. The old wineskin is parched...and stained
with blood...
I just wanted to let you all know that I made it safely to Mijas, Spain where I will be attending the G42 Leadership Training Academy for 6 months. My term does not actually start until Oct 5th, but I wanted to make it out here before my friends (who are currently at the school) return to America.
Many of you have been asking me what this school will be like and what the purpose behind it is. Below is a video made by the students who are currently out here in Spain. It explains how and why many of them made the decision to study at the academy. Many of us realize that the Lord has placed a gift of leadership in our lives - like the others, I feel so blessed to be able to develop this gift and passion under the discipleship of incredible men and women of God who believe in us.
I am going to start blogging again. I've been meaning to for the last month...
I have had an amazing two months of summer, building memories with friends and family and savoring my "hello's" and "Good-byes". In one week I take off again for Europe. September will bring amazing reunions with friends in Moldova and Romania and October will signify the start of my 6 month leadership training school. (http://g42global.org/leadershipacademy/)
To kick off this new season of my life, I want to share two videos with you. I guarantee goosebumps for both. The first video (Awakening) reflects a personal look at how my July '08 squad was awakened to God and himself/herself throughout their journey. One of my squad-mates, Katie Rowland, made it. The second video is an incredible overview of The World Race program. Kim Daniels, another World Race alum, produced this one.
Why am I involved with the World Race program? And how are your prayers and donations changing my generation and the world? Just watch...
I'm back to tell you that I'm moving. As I look ahead to this next
phase in life (ie. the Costa del Sol area of Southern Spain), I'm excited to announce that I also have been
working on a new website & blog. Check it out. It's my
heart. Look around, stay awhile, dive in and join me! It includes past research, new vision,
educational pieces and how you can get involved. And trust me, God needs all of us in one fashion for his
love to reach Spain and beyond...
But, my
convictions, faith and passion shout even louder (rallied by your prayers and
encouragement!), 
To set the scene, Charles Stock - the senior pastor of the 
(fast-forward) During the time of impartation
when Charles was praying over us individually his main prophetic word for me
was "God was granting me an increase of wisdom". I couldn't help but jump for joy...or plunge into this
promise. He spoke James 1:5-6 
