Faithful Father

            It has been over a month since I packed up Zion, my black Ford Taurus and headed to Tacoma Washington. Wow, time flies! I meant to tell you this story the first week I was here… but time got away from me!

            Anyway here goes. Well first things, I had just left my new home in Idaho and I had most likely cried for about an hour straight. My heart was sad to leave but ready to go where The Lord called me. I was only four hours into my daunting thirteen hour drive, I had just made a quick pit stop in Jerome County Idaho and was merging onto an 80mph highway. A big ole semi was on the ramp and was taking his sweet time picking up speed. So naturally I went around him and merged onto the highway before he did. I quickly did a left mirror check and merged. I did not know what hit me! I saw my mirror fly off and realized I had just side swiped a huge semi traveling about 70mph. I couldn’t merge right because the semi I passed was entering the highway. For a split second my only thought was “I AM GOING TO DIE!” But praise that didn’t happen. Thankfully the Lord gave me a sound mind in the moment to speed up and get around the oncoming semi.

            Whew! I pulled over and caught my breath. Zion was still drivable, her mirror came off and her driver side doors were pretty smashed. All things considering I am still alive and Zion is in tact. My heart was pounding so fast but I knew it wasn’t horrible. Then came a stern reality check from the semi driver that I hit. He approached me and told me, “you should not be okay it is a real miracle you are alive. I was pulling you for a second. You really don’t understand what just happened. You could have died.” He proceeded to explain to me how I collided with him, as I veered left I hit him right in the gap between his cab and trailer and was getting pulled by him. I was so shocked I honestly didn’t know what to say.

            We took care of all the legal stuff, and then he came and got into my car and looked in my eyes and told me in a fatherly tone, “Someone is watching out for you.” Yes, I replied I believe God is looking after me. “It was God, I have been walking with him twenty plus years and it only gets better. You have a call on your life kid, you have destiny with Jesus, and a great journey ahead of you. You are in God’s hands. You shouldn’t be okay but He spared you today.” I probably cried for oh about an hour. This man totally blessed me, his kindness was exuberant and I am so grateful for him! He honestly pointed me to God and cared for me like his own daughter. I don’t know his name but he forever will be the semi driver who pointed me to Jesus, spoke destiny over me, believed me, loved me where I was at. God is my protector!

            On the other side of this eventful accident Zion is repaired and we are enjoying every day of First Year life. I will tell you more about that in my next blogJ

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is The Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

            If you have a story of God’s protection I would love to hear about it. Comment below.

Love & Support

This past summer, as you may know, I spent six life-changing weeks in Tacoma, Washington at Catalyst Training School; a hands-on, full-time training program designed to root and ground young adults in their unique design and identity in Christ. Emphasizing truths from the themes of Prayer — adoring God, Restoration — becoming like Jesus, and Missions — contending for the Kingdom; God used this school to radically transform my heart and make me more like Him.

The same church offers a year long program, conveniently called First Year:) Throughout the weeks there, I will have the opportunity to partake in a variety of different ministries. I will also participate in different spiritual forming activities such as attending classes throughout the week, serving in and attending church, and engage in daily communal prayer. This year I want to seek God’s face by learning more about His heart and spreading His name.

I’ve chosen to say YES! God has opened the doors wide for me to walk this direction for the next year of my life and I know that I cannot do this on my own, but only by the grace of God and the love of community.

~ I would greatly appreciate your support and it doesn’t necessarily have to be financially; it can be primarily through prayers or encouragement.

~The link here is a description of the First Year program and you can support me here, if you choose to do so. (All donations are tax deductible.)

~This link here is to my blog, where I will keep you updated on all the experiences, lessons, and adventures that I go through during First Year.

I love each and every one of you so much and I look forward to this next adventure!

Hannah Thames

Snapshot of my Summer

I spent six amazing weeks in Tacoma, Washington at a discipleship training school called Catalyst. The focus of Catalyst is prayer, restoration, and missions. The very first day one of the staff members told all thirty nine students that, “Death is a good thing; die to yourself so Christ can live in you.” Feeling confused I asked the Lord to teach me what that meant. Little did I know how faithfully and completely He would answer that first simple prayer.

My Summer weeks went a little something like this: Every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday after class we would go to the street corners, shopping mall, and the beaches to share Jesus. Even as I’m typing this, tears are streaming down my face as I remember all the many lost and broken people I encountered this summer. I got a glimpse of God’s heart for the lost and broken like I've never had before! Jesus is always after our hearts and while he walked on this earth he was always willing to stop for that One Lost Sheep. On the streets of Tacoma we got to pray for people, sit and hear life stories, laugh, cry, and share Jesus’s message of freedom with them. Almost every time I would walk away thinking that, “That person just blessed me WAY more than I blessed them”.

One of the greatest lessons I learned through those experiences is this: If you want to die to a lot of fear-of-man and a quick-to-judge mindset, share Jesus with your neighbor, friend, co-worker, or a stranger; trust me it works!

Doing life with the staff and students at the catalyst mansion made community REAL personal and constant. Living under one roof with thirty five other people is quite the adventure I tell ya! They truly loved me unconditionally throughout all the spiritual heart surgery the Lord did on me. We did so much together! From the spikeball, soccer, good talks, nights in the basement, girl times, dinner times, worship nights and so much more, the Lord grew us together insomuch that I consider them family. Every single person honestly challenged me to love like Jesus loves. Life long friends? I think yes.

We had class just about every day except Saturday and Sunday. Through this intense schedule,I saw continually that God is always after my heart! Not only is He my Master, He is my loving Father. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, I can live this life abundantly; He died and took the curse for me so I could live, for Him and not for myself; for others and not for myself. Praise the Lord! I learned and experienced the importance of repentance as a key step to walking in complete freedom. As a believer, the Holy Spirit has the power and authority in Christ to tear down strongholds that satan, the world, and myself have set up. There is power in declaring truth, and I have learned how important my words are. They have the power to build up or tear down; the power of life or death, to create or destroy.

     “For the LOVE OF CHRIST CONTROLS US, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have DIED; and he died for all, that THOSE

WHO LIVE MIGHT NO LONGER LIVE FOR THEMSELVES but FOR HIM who for their sake died and was raised.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15