Posted in Atlanta by Laura Hamilton on 3/3/2012
I am officially switching to my WordPress blog as of today, so if you are subscribed to this blog, you will be receiving an e-mail from my WordPress blog to confirm your new subscription. This is the last post I will make to this page, so if you wish to continue receiving my blog updates, just click "confirm" in your e-mail and you won't miss an update! Head over to www.laurajhamilton.wordpress.com to check it out!
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Posted in General Posts by Laura Hamilton on 2/3/2012
I'm not moving to India...
...just to live in a foreign country. 
...just to be in cross-cultural missions.
...just because I love the country and its people.
...just to work with women and children in the red-light districts because my heart breaks for those caught in modern day slavery.
I am moving to India...
...because the Lord has called me to go. He has entrusted me with a specific vision and has confirmed that calling over the past couple of months.
So it's time for me to share some big news. I am not moving to India with Adventures In Missions. I firmly believe in the mission of Adventures In Missions and I believe strongly in what they are doing as an organization; they are mobilizing a generation to reach the nations and to discover what it means to bring the Kingdom of God into some of the darkest corners of the world. My life has been changed as a result of my involvement with Adventures In Missions, and I am excited to see how A.I.M. will continue to impact the lives of young people in the future.
Adventures In Missions has been going through some major transitions lately, and as my team was in discussions with leadership over the past few months, it has become increasingly apparent that the direction that the organization is moving into is just a very different direction from the calling and vision that the Lord has placed on our heart as a team. After much, much prayer and many conversations, we have made the decision to discontinue our partnership with Adventures In Missions.
However, the exciting news is I am still moving to India! I don't have the particulars nailed down, but my team is talking through and praying through some options and we are in conversations with some promising contacts. I am still moving forward, and my team is still moving toward India. We don't know yet what it will look like, but I will be updating as the pieces fall into place and become more clear.
Thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement, and support over the past several months. I can't express how much it means to me to have you as a part of this journey with me. The phrase "life isn't about the destination, it's about the journey" has been spoken to me several times over the past few months, and I am seeing this truth more and more clearly every day. I wish I had all of the answers and could map out the next few weeks and months, but the Lord is showing me what it means to literally walk this journey one day at a time, and my prayer is that you will continue to walk that journey with me.
I know that many of you have questions about what this transition will mean financially. As I seek the next step, Adventures In Missions has been very understanding and my support account is still open. You can continue sending your financial gifts through A.I.M., and once I have a new direction I will be communicating with A.I.M. in order to be able to use my support in that new direction. I want to be open and honest with all of you about all of these decisions over the next few weeks and months, so if you have any particular questions or concerns, or if you would like to talk more in depth, please feel free to e-mail me or call me, and I would love to talk to you. I will be continuing to blog, but I will be transitioning my blogging from this page to my wordpress blog. If you haven't subscribed to that blog yet, please do so here so that you will continue to receive all of my updates.
Once again, THANK YOU for all of your encouragement and support. I need your prayers and your support now more than ever, and I am so thankful to have you on this journey with me.
I am moving to India...
...to share the hope and healing of Christ with the broken and forgotten in India's red light districts, because the Lord has called me to go and I am excited to see where each step on this journey will lead me!
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Posted in General Posts by Laura Hamilton on 1/17/2012
Last year on January 15th I was flying out of the Seattle airport with a group of 33 people that I barely knew to embark upon what would be the most life-changing four month journey of my life.
So naturally, the past few days since January 15th have been full of reminiscing and reading through old journal posts, and as I have looked back it has been encouraging to be reminded of the path on which the Lord has been leading me over the past 369 days.
In my conversations this week I have found myself saying, "this time last year..." more times than I can count. And I suspect that over the next few months I will probably catch myself making "this time last year" statements fairly often. It's hard not to reminisce. But beyond simply reading journal entries and looking at photos and videos on my computer, my reminiscing has been a reminder of all that the Lord has done in my life. Looking back at where I was "this time last year," I can see just how far the Lord has brought me in such a short period of time.
This time last year I was arriving in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, embarking on a four-month journey that would forever change me and redirect the path of my life. This time last year I was scared out of my mind and excited beyond any excitement I had previously experienced.
This time last year I was getting to know a team of five other people who I now call my family...people who I was privileged to live and learn beside and who have shaped me into the person I am today.
 This time last year I was cramming four months worth of supplies into a backpack, wondering how on earth I was going to survive with so little, only to return four months later and wonder how I could ever need more than what fits in a 65 liter pack.
This time last year I was saying goodbye to family and friends, unsure of what it would be like to not see them for four months. 
This time last year I didn't know how it felt to hold the hand of a 14-year-old girl who had been recently rescued from sexual slavery.
This time last year I didn't know what it meant to build a friendship with a woman working in a bar in Thailand, forced to sell her body to support her family.  This time last year I didn't know what it felt like to sit on a bed in a brothel and talk with a woman who knows no alternative to a life of bondage and captivity...a woman with a twinkle in her eyes that I will never forget, because in the midst of the dirtiest, smelliest, most degrading place on earth, she was still able to find joy to get her through. This time last year I was learning what it meant to have my heart break for injustice every single day. This time last year I was learning what it looks like to love the way that God loves. This time last year I was taking the first steps toward becoming the person that I am this time this year.
This time this year I am again embarking on a new journey. I am again stepping out into the unknown. I am putting myself in a position to have my heart broken over and over again, and to continue learning what it means to love others the way that God loves me. I tremble again at the gravity of what I am preparing to do, because once again I don't fully comprehend what it will be like, or how much it will change me. But I know that the Lord has called me here, and that He has a lot more transformation to do in my life and in the lives of those to whom He is calling me. There are battles to be fought, tears to be cried, hugs to be given, prayers to be prayed, hearts to be restored...and in the end, I know that it will be worth it. Because this time next year, I will be able to look back and recount the Lord's faithfulness once again.
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Posted in General Posts by Laura Hamilton on 1/11/2012
rev• o• lu• tion
3. a sudden, complete or marked change in something:
Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. I am thankful to live in a country that places value on raising awareness. But what does it really mean to be aware? To acknowledge that an evil exists in our world that needs a remedy? To understand that 27 million people are currently enslaved around the world? To recognize that an unacceptable atrocity is occurring right under our noses, in our own backyards and across the globe?
Raising awareness is crucially important. But awareness without action is more harmful than ignorance. With knowledge comes responsibility. It is what you do with what you know that really matters. A rallying cry for justice is going up all over the world, and it is calling for a revolution.
So what are you going to do?
Today, on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day 2012, I present you with a challenge:
This year, be a part of bringing freedom to the 27 million people caught in modern day slavery.
Most of you have already finalized your new year's resolutions, so instead of adding to your list, consider being a part of the "new year's revolution."
Be a voice for the voiceless: raise awareness in your sphere of influence. At church, at your office, at school, anywhere. Make sure those who know you know about modern-day slavery and what they can do to be a part of ending it. You never know - you could be the person to introduce the issue to the next "William Wilberforce."
Get involved with a ministry that is making a difference in the fight against trafficking. If you need suggestions of ministries to look at, check out my resource list here. Also, do some surfing on the internet...there are some pretty incredible ministries out there that need volunteers and financial partners this year.
Pray. "For our struggle is not againstflesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." The most important thing you can do this year is to pray. Pray for freedom. Intercede on behalf of those on the front lines. Proclaim liberty for the captives.
Ignorance may be bliss, but in the case of human trafficking, ignorance is death. It is death to those in bondage around the world. It is spiritual death for those who have yet to hear about the freedom that can only come through Christ. We cannot afford ignorance in this fight. It's time for a revolution: a sudden, complete and marked change in the fight to end human trafficking.
With knowledge comes responsibility. Now you know...what are you going to do with what you know?
Be part of the solution this year.
Join the revolution.
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Posted in General Posts by Laura Hamilton on 12/27/2011
Since the day I came home for Christmas break it seems like we've gotten nothing but rain. Every day has been gray and overcast, and it has rained on and off constantly. This morning there was a brief break in the clouds and we saw the sunshine for a few minutes, and then the clouds quickly moved back in and the gray, blustery December weather continued.
Although the weather has been nasty this week, there is one thing I've yet to see: a good thunderstorm. Ever since I can remember, I've always loved thunderstorms. Sure, they scared me as a kid, but what kid doesn't squeal in awe at the booming thunder and blink in wonder at the beauty of lightning bolts that light up the sky on a dark night? And jumping in puddles afterward? I mean, come on...does it get any better than that?
I feel like the last few weeks my life has mirrored the weather. Lots of gray days, filled with lots of rain. And I keep waiting for the big thunderstorm to erupt. The clouds are swirling, the rain is falling, but I keep waiting for the explosion in which everything in my life is catapulted into chaos. I keep staring out the windows, but it just keeps swirling overhead; building...
There have been a lot of changes in my life lately, and I know that there are more to come. I am in a season of change. And change has never been something I enjoy or that I handle well. In fact, my usual response is much kicking and screaming. But in the midst of a time in which the only constant seems to be change, the Lord has been teaching me something. He is teaching me to trust Him. He is teaching me that no matter how ugly the clouds get, or how hard the rain pours down, He is still there. He never changes, and that truth is becoming more and more precious to me every day.
So when the thunder finally breaks and the lightning starts flashing, I know that I will find the beauty in the storm. My eyes are peeled to see the work that the Lord will do in the midst of changing everything that I have held to for security. I know that when the storm ends I will be changed, and that it will be for the better. So for now, I am trusting the Lord with my heart, and I am looking forward to a good thunderstorm.
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Posted in General Posts by Laura Hamilton on 11/28/2011
Two church services I recently attended concluded with the familiar "every head bowed and every eye closed" invitation. The pastor pled with those in the congregation who didn't know Jesus to raise their hand and repeat a simple prayer in order to be saved. I felt something inside of me cringe at this point in each service, and it took me a while to put my finger on what exactly I found disturbing. It certainly wasn't the fact that the pastor was inviting people to become followers of Christ...so why my hesitation? 
After much pondering, I figured out what was troubling me. I see a danger in this routine. The danger is this: if we are only willing to admit that we need Christ when it is "safe" (a.k.a. when no one is looking) then what happens when it isn't safe to be a follower of Christ? What happens when the whole world is watching?
I wonder if instead of creating a "safe" environment for people to silently acknowledge their need for Christ, we should encourage people to boldly and courageously step out in faith and declare that they will give their life to Him fully and unreservedly. After all, isn't that what Christ demands of us? To confess Him before men? To boldly declare that He is Lord of our lives; that we have died and that He lives in us? Isn't that cause for a wild celebration? So why do we quietly slip our hands up in a service and then silently walk out the door of the church with only the pastor knowing of our "decision"? Where in the Bible does it talk about keeping our faith private and concealed?
Matthew 5:14-16 says "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." I think we have to ask ourselves; are we teaching people to shine from a lampstand or to hide under a basket?
My second hesitation is this: if we tell people that all they have to do is pray a "simple prayer", we make following Christ sound easy and simple - something to be checked off of a to-do list. We rarely communicate to people the gravity of the decision they are making. I mean, sure, we give them all sorts of information about hell and why they should want to avoid it, but how much information do we give in a sermon or an invitation about what it means for someone to give their life to the Lord? How many times do we declare from the pulpit that "this is the most difficult thing you will ever choose to do?" Oh but that would scare people off and prevent us from getting people to make decisions that we can write into our church reports! Why would we want to tell people that? Seriously?
This is the danger. We are sending the message to people that Christianity is as easy as praying a prayer and moving on without anyone else seeing their hand go up on a Sunday morning. Jesus called His disciples with a simple "follow Me" and they dropped what they were doing and went with Him. Wait, did you catch that? They dropped everything...their jobs, their families, their homes...they laid it all down to pursue the One who called them to follow Him and their lives never looked the same.
I wonder if our invitation scenario stems from a wrong focus. I fear that we as the church focus too much on getting "decisions" rather than making "disciples." Jesus commanded "go and make disciples of all nations." He didn't say, "go get people to raise their hands in a service." I'm not saying that a person's heart won't be changed because of a sermon brought from a pulpit. I'm not limiting God to say that He doesn't change hearts in the course of a Sunday morning. Of course He does! What I am saying is that God is relational, and He created us as relational beings. He created us to pour into others and to be poured into by others. We are created for relationships and for community.
So, what if this was the scenario instead: what if the pastors, elders, mature families and couples in the church sat around the dining room tables and living room fireplaces of the people who sit beside them in the pews every Sunday and simply lived their lives as an example of what it means to follow Christ? What if instead of trying to win people over through rapid-firing scripture at them, we as the church simply lived the Word in our everyday lives? What if "decisions" to follow Christ flowed out of decisions made by believers to invest in, teach and disciple others? What if...?
I think that we are afraid of what that would actually look like. We are afraid to let people get so close to our personal lives that they will see the real us: the good and the bad. The parts of our lives that don't line up with scripture. We know that it is far easier to preach at someone than to live a life of integrity before them.
Please don't mishear me in all of this. Making a decision is important. In fact, making the decision to follow Christ is the most important decision a person will ever make! But if the environment in which we encourage people to make a decision is one in which no one else is looking, how are they going to learn to live their faith on a day to day basis? Will they shrink back in fear when they realize the world is watching? We should be preparing people for a relationship with Christ - not pressuring them to make a decision. Is the decision important? Absolutely. But let's stop focusing on pushing people to make decisions and start to focus on making disciples.
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I realize that this blog asks a lot of "what if" questions. In this journey I find that I often have to wrestle the questions for a long time, and I always have more questions than answers. So...I want to hear your thoughts on this...what does it mean to "make disciples," and how does that play out in your church? In your life?
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Posted in India Initiative by Laura Hamilton on 11/8/2011
vi• sion
noun
1.
the act or power of sensing with the eyes; sight.
2.
the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be
3.
a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation:
Today my team spent the majority of the afternoon and evening attempting to write one sentence. Seriously, one sentence. Sounds like an easy task right? On the contrary, this single sentence carries with it the weight of summing up the one thing that all of us on this team have in common: our vision.
As we have fleshed out the wording of this one sentence, I have been pondering in my own mind what it means to have vision. What is the true weight of this one sentence that we are so painstakingly constructing?
Vision defines our existence. It is why we are here today. It identifies the reason we need to be in the place we are going - and outlines the path we will take to make the impact that we hope to achieve as our outcome. Vision is the ability to see beyond what is right in front of us. It is the ability to see what could be, what will be in the days, months, and years ahead. It is a drive that propels us forward into things we never thought we would do. It is a force to be reckoned with. It is something on the inside of us that constantly whispers, "keep going."
It is vision that keeps me motivated to continue on this journey. It is vision that keeps me sane when the amount of things I have to do continues to grow every day and I want to scream because I don't know how on earth I will find time for one more thing. It is the constant in an environment that changes on a daily basis. It is the calm in the storm. The Lord has given me a vision for the people of India. He has given me vision to see hope and love restored to women and children in bondage and to shine His light in some of the darkest places in the world. To be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. To empower change in communities and walk with people in community and discipleship.
Vision defines us as a people. As believers, our vision is our identity. It is the thing that the Lord has planted within our hearts and the passion that drives us forward. We all have vision. We all have something inside of us that cries out to make a difference in this world, whether in our own home or across the globe. Vision unites us as a body. Vision is individualized to each person but it is also universal throughout the body of Christ. Our vision as the church is this: make disciples and spread the Kingdom everywhere we go.
As individuals within one unified body, let's focus on pursuing the Lord and the vision He has set forth for us. Let's seek Him and relentlessly go after the vision He places within our hearts. The fulfillment of our purpose to glorify Him will come through our relentless pursuit of His heart and our faithfulness to walk out His vision for our lives.
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Posted in India Initiative by Laura Hamilton on 10/6/2011
Sunday morning I woke up at 4:15 a.m. after a night of restless sleep and troubled dreams involving 13.1 miles of disaster. I ate half of a bagel with peanut butter and drank a protein shake praying that it would stay inside of my body for the next several hours. I stretched, put my shoes on and re-checked my bag for the umpteenth time to make sure that I had everything that I needed for the race. Then Becky and I drove down to Atlanta. We arrived at the course around 6:00 a.m., and I stretched again, trying to quiet my nerves and the doubts in my head that were competing with my adrenaline for my attention.
As I walked from the parking lot and headed over to the center of the arena where the half-marathon would begin, something caught my attention...the starting gate and the finish line were literally less than a 10th of a mile apart. As I lined up at the starting gate I could look over my left shoulder and see the finish line.
I didn't think about the proximity of the two lines again over the next couple of hours as I ran the course. My concentration was focused on putting one foot in front of the other. I turned up the worship music on my ipod and pushed through mile after mile of Atlanta hills. The first 8 miles went smoothly and I was picking up the pace from my training runs. I was feeling really good and then I hit mile 9. The 9 mile marker was my entry into uncharted waters as 9 miles was the furthest I had ever run in training. But that wasn't the only obstacle facing me beyond the mile marker. Looming ahead was a giant hill. Everything in my body started burning as I charged up the hill. Then I heard something over my ipod worship...a man at the top of the hill was yelling "don't you give up on me! You own this hill! You can do it! You're almost to the top!" It was exactly the motivation I needed to keep going. As I ran down the other side of that hill I knew I could keep going. I had to finish. I had told everyone I was going to leave everything out there on the pavement, and I meant it.
Miles 10 and 11 were tough. My knees and ankles ached but I was able to push through...with some help from Jake Hamilton on my ipod! Then I saw the 12 mile marker ahead and I knew I only had 1.1 miles left to run. That was really the point when I knew I was for sure going to make it to the finish line. As I rounded the last curve on the home stretch, I saw a whole cheering section of faces from my Adventures In Missions family cheering me on. That was exactly the push I needed for the last 10th. I rounded the curve and saw the finish line up ahead. My eyes scanned the spectators on the sidelines and I spotted Becky cheering for me. I put my fists in the air in celebration as I passed her.
Nothing compares to the moment when my feet crossed the finish line. It made it all worth it. The four months of forcing myself to get up early, of fighting injuries, soreness and the mental battle with myself. It was all worth it in that moment when the race staff handed me my finisher's medal and said "congratulations!" I wish I could put into words the way that I felt in that moment. A sense of accomplishment, victory and the satisfaction of attaining a life goal flooded over me...along with all of the adrenaline left in my system.
But as I walked away from the finish line into the center arena, my attention was drawn back to what I had noticed earlier. Standing right in front of me was the starting gate I had crossed just 2 hours and 10 minutes before. I don't think the full realization hit me until later, but in the days since the race I have started to grasp the truth of what caught my attention. I didn't just cross a finish line on Sunday. I didn't just accomplish a goal and walk away. I transitioned from one starting line to another. This journey isn't over for me. It isn't about running one race and being done. It isn't about finishing a half-marathon, or even finishing a 2 year commitment to this India Initiative team. In earlier blogs I compared life to a race. And I am constantly finding more parallels between running a race and living life.
Life is a race. But it isn't a race to the finish line. It is a race to the next starting gate. It is a race of being faithful in the thing the Lord has given you and seeing it through until He gives you something else to do. It is a race of living our lives faithfully until we get to the starting gate of eternity. The starting line where Jesus waits to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter now into the joy of thy Lord." Start. Finish strong...cross the finish lines of life with your fists in the air and celebrate the victories the Lord gives you...and then start again.
What things are you finishing in your life? What are you starting? What would you like to be starting?
(Oh yeah, and for those of you who are wondering, the 13.1 sticker is being proudly displayed on my back window!) Thank you to everyone who joined me in prayer and financial support and everyone who encouraged me and commented on my blogs along the way! It's been an incredible journey and I couldn't have "finished" without you!
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Posted in India Initiative by Laura Hamilton on 9/30/2011
"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."
It's finally here. After four months of intense training and battling through injuries, my half-marathon race day is only two days away. And I have to admit, the last few weeks have been a tough mental battle. Doubts have begun creeping into my mind. I have wondered if I will really be able to accomplish this goal, or if all of my efforts over the past four months will result in failure. After my first 9 mile run two weeks ago, my body ached and I felt sick for a few hours afterward. Not the stellar 9 mile performance I had been hoping for. And with that as the longest run I have accomplished in this training regimen, my confidence began to spiral downward.
I have realized over the past week just how much my perspective affects the outcome of my training runs. When I stumble outside grumbling about how much I would rather sleep in instead, or focused on sore muscles and aching feet, my runs were torturously difficult. But the days I left the house confident and excited were the days when my runs felt easy and I felt like I could keep running forever.
Sunday's race is no longer looming ominously over my head like some kind of unavoidable monster standing in my path. I am choosing to put aside my fear of failure, my doubts, and to move my focus off of the "what ifs." Instead, I am choosing to walk in confidence and to run this race putting everything I have into it. I remember my basketball coach's favorite phrase "leave everything on the court." In other words, play in a way that you give it everything you've got and hold nothing back. That is how I am going to run this half-marathon. Even if I have to stumble across the finish line with barely enough strength to put one foot in front of the other, I am going to give it everything I have. Finishing a half-marathon is a dream I have had for a long time, and I am excited for this chance to "leave everything on the pavement" and fulfill this dream. I will finish and I will finish strong. And I admit, when I put that little 13.1 sticker in the back window of my car it will not only be about achieving the dream of running a race, but it will serve as a constant reminder to me to pursue the Lord and the dreams that He has given me with the attitude of "leaving everything out there."
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