I remember when I heard a missionary in church one Sunday. She said….
“Life is not about the big leaps…but the small, “Yes'”.
She challe
nged us, the congregation….”Will you say yes in the small things?”
I committed right then and there that day, to say yes, wherever the Lord leads.
In the past twenty years, the “Yes” has lead me to….
- Teach for 7 years.
- Later, homeschool for another 8 years.
- Teach in Children’s Ministry for 11 years.
- Do Foster Care for nearly a decade.
- Adopt 10 years after our last child.
- Go to Guatemala on missions with our family, as well as the Philippines, China, Dominican Republic etc.
- Lead in Prayer, Women’s, Home groups, Small Groups….and various other areas of service.
More recently, the “Yes” has lead me start writing this blog.
I am open and willing (as the Spirit of the Lord leads) to share, speak, write, engage with others in any way I can to impact people for the sake of the Kingdom and to grow people into a love relationship with Christ.
My greatest passions include….
- Sharing Jesus. I always joy to share Christ whenever and however I can, leading people out of “legalistic”, duty-bound, religious mind sets, into personal, intimate, loving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Stirring Faith. In a day of slowly evaporating hope, the need seems increasingly imperative to call faith to rise and awaken a complacent, lukewarm people. My joy is to lovingly stir faith, courage, hope to uncertain people and to motivate us all to reach past the “grey areas”, into a fully inflamed pursuit of Yahweh, The Maker of Heaven and Earth.
- Testifying to Deliverance & Freedom. Sharing through both personal testimony and the truth of The Word, the deliverance and freedom there is through Jesus Christ. I have come from ashed to beauty, and know the death of captivity, being bound, enslaved to sin. God wants to move us from “barely getting by”..into a love relationship that beckons our hearts to continually cry out, “Abba Father”.
- Adoption. As adoptive parents, adoption advocates, a sister to an adopted brother, and an adopted child of God….One of my greatest passions is to share both our story and to advocate world-wide for the orphan, broken, and forgotten ones.
- Foster Care. As a foster parent for the past eight years, we have vast experience in all aspect of foster care. We have done receiving, respite, long term, and short term care. We are eager to share our experience and encourage people to see the unseen within our own societies.
- Marriage. My husband and I have been married for twenty years. Books, counseling…nothing can prepare people for the real life walk with another in the closest covenant we have next to our relationship with God. Our marriage isn’t perfect, but we are always open to humbly and honestly share what God has taught us. The greatest instruction we have for marriage is to embrace humility and keep Christ at the center.
- Parenting. Again. We are no experts. We have only tried to follow God’s lead as we have parented infants, toddlers, and teenagers. Our oldest just graduated from college at eighteen. Spent nearly a year in Bible training and service, in Hawaii & the Philippines. And is now in ministry in the Panama. In our experience, the best parenting we have found works, comes from paralleling God’s “parenting” with us. He is our model.
- Homeschooling. After homeschooling eight y
ears, we have noticed that even within the homeschooling parameters, homeschooling can look very different, according to how a parent leads and what resources being used. We have always used the “balance” approach. Seeking to keep, body active, friends abundant, activities engaging, learning essential, and spirit flourishing. Again, God has been our instructor. We simply follow. We always joy in sharing about our journey. - Missions. There are few things that give me greater joy than seeing the world and sharing the love of Christ. Put them together and you get, “Missions”. I long to be, “The Sent One”. Any area where I can serve in this area, I rejoice and welcome.
God is stirring my love to write and my passion to share Christ in any and every way possible.
As He leads….I will prayerfully follow whatever doors He opens that comes as a result of this act of obedience.
The following are some people groups and topics I have been blessed to speak on:
- “Hope Redeems”, Missional Women’s Retreat (Durango, Colorado)
- “Unshaken: When Life Changes, Kids Rage, & The Foster Journey is Different Than You Think.” Currently licensed foster & adoptive parents. (Everett, Washington)
- “How To Use the MESSAGE, MISSION, & MIRACLE of Orphan Ministry To Make Jesus Known.” Missional Women Conference (Denver, Colorado)
- “Missions to China”, Women’s Group (Stanwood, Washington)
- “Missionary Work Overseas”, Girl’s Group (Everett, Washington)
- “The Truth About Adoption: And Why You Are Not Exempt From The Calling.” Conference (Denver, Colorado)
I can be contacted through e-mail.
cjavellaneda@gmail.com
