Beatrice means bringer of joy...

Such an appropriate name for this little girl; I believe it wasn't by accident that we came to know her by this name, even though her real name was Melissa.

**For those of you who are newer to my blog and may not know the story of Beatrice, you can click on the beginnings of the following blogs respectively to read about our journey together:

Blog 1: Beatrice: I spotted her from a distance sitting in the sun all alone. Right away I could tell something was not right. I approached the little girl to find her sitting in her own urine, bottomless wearing only a torn, dirty shirt. She was so, so tiny. I bent down to touch her. All I knew to do was call on the name of Jesus in desperation. Her body so frail and little, I thought she was maybe between 1 and 2. Who is this little girl? Why is she all alone?....

Blog 2: Beatrice Update: Beatrice is doing well. Each time I see her she seems to be more aware and have more energy. Her father seems to be doing well also. He looks different, brighter, more at peace. As you know we have been trying to find a better situation for Beatrice so she can get well. We looked at a couple of orphanages, and they were great, but we kept praying about it. We have taken her to see a pediatrician and a physical therapist. She will be going to the physical therapist three days a week to build her muscles in her legs and arms. She will also be going to a speech therapist. She needs a lot of care, a lot of attention and a lot of love. But the doctors are hopeful and so are we!...

Blog 3: Update on Beatrice: Quite a bit has happened since I left Kenya and said goodbye to Beatrice...she has been staying with Phillip, the youth pastor, who had been helping me with her while I was there. He and his wife took her in and had been caring for her and taking her to her medical appointments.  She was showing improvement and put on weight...

Blog 4: Walk My Beloved: I am so thrilled to update you on Beatrice (Melissa)! It is clear God has been continuing the work He started in that precious little girl. I received a message from Philip the other day stating that Beatrice is now WALKING!!!!! This once malnourished little girl is now well fed and able to walk when she holds on to things around her!!! Praise God!...

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I don't know how to say this, and it has been a struggle the past few days to be able to get this out. Sweet, little Beatrice has suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. Despite all the positive reports and care she has been receiving, it seems as though her tiny little body just couldn't take the years of malnourishment.

So many different emotions and thoughts have been racing through me. There are so many things I could say. This little girl had an impact that probably no one would have expected from her.

For most of her years on this earth, she was hungry, alone, and fighting. When I found her, she was seven years old, twelve pounds, abandoned by her mother, sitting in the dirt in her own urine, extremely malnourished and weak. For so long people had been passing her by as she sat by herself, just a child. For the past year, however, she has been getting cared for in a loving home, with amazing foster parents, receiving much deserved attention, love and care, and had been improving in her health.

Oh Beatrice, I'm so sorry this world was so tough on you. You stayed so strong. You were such a fighter. And yet you somehow brought so much joy; your little high-pitched whimper of a laugh, the way you would just point your little finger at things around you and smile. You laughed so often, and it was the most precious thing I have ever heard. I'm so proud of you. I am so, so proud of you. Just a little girl, body and development devastated by years of lack of nourishment. The world gave you nothing, but somehow you managed to give the world so much.

I hope you know the impact you left here, you made a huge dent in this world just by being. Little girl, your story has been spread all over the world and it has touched so many lives. Many people have been inspired by you, inspired to action and inspired to hope. You have touched the hearts of many. I hope you know all the tears that have been shed for you-across continents-and your death in this world has been felt and you are missed.

At your funeral, little one, SEVEN people gave their lives to Jesus. That is ONE life for EACH year you spent abandoned. You are a hero, and you saved those people's lives.

Because of you, your little brother has a chance at life. Because of you he was found. He was so malnourished, but since he is younger than you, he had a chance to get cared for before it was too late. Now he is a healthy, talking little boy who is going to school. You saved him Beatrice!

(This picture is from February, 2011 Beatrice and Patrick)

I am so blessed that God would allow my path to cross yours. It was a privilege to hold you and kiss you. You have blessed my life. Your smile has brought me life. Your laugh has brought me joy. And you have forever changed this heart of mine.

I am so sad that I don't get to see you again on this earth, but I know you are now free. You are not restricted by the limited functions of your body and mind. You are free. God has set you free, and now you are living abundantly in the fullness of His presence and Glory. You are being loved to the full. I thought I was going to hold you in my arms again, but instead we will be singing and dancing together at the appointed time.

I love you so much. I will never, ever forget you. You have drastically changed my life. And it is because of you, that I am coming for them, those like you, and like your brother. I am coming for your inheritance baby girl, and together we will share in His glory.

You know those moments when you know, that you know, that you know, you are in the exact place at the exact time, doing the exact thing that you are meant to be doing, and nothing in the world could take its place? The other day I had one of those moments...

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Stepping out of the train station, the atmosphere was immediately different, it was dark and eerie. Some of my housemates and I gathered to cover ourselves and the area in prayer, then separated with colorful flowers in hand, homemade cookies, and muffins to go talk to women on the streets selling themselves. The streets were staggered with women, and only men were scanning the pavement in their cars, rolling down their windows and looking over their selection. The area was dead, with rundown warehouses and lonely streets that seemed to be going nowhere. My friend and I began to walk, not knowing exactly what this time was going to look like; not having an agenda, prayerfully we walked, waiting on God to show up in this place of prostitution. (Spain, along with Italy, are the top two destination countries in Europe for sex trafficked women, and during my time here I am working on doing something about it)

In between talking to women on the streets, men would slow down their cars to see if they could buy time with us...I can't begin to explain what that felt like...while being disgusted and angry, I had a deep sense of compassion and heartbreak for these men who are looking for something in all the wrong places.

I met young women from Romania who hate what they are doing, and have dreams of being hairdressers and manicurists, one of the girls was 19 years old, she's been doing this for 4 years...

My friend and I exhausted all of our flowers except the one I had in my hand.

We approached a woman and asked how she was doing and asked if she wanted a flower, she accepted it. With my limited Spanish, this is a small part of her story:

She told us her name was *Patricia* She's Brazilian and has been working the streets for over 14 years. She hates what she does, she would rather do anything, but her lack of education makes finding other work impossible. She has two children and a husband, who she met three years ago, a client of hers. Her dream is to do something in law. As she talked I felt her hunger for something more, something deeper.

After about 30 minutes of conversation, my friend asked if she could pray for her, she said yes and so my friend prayed. I felt I was just suppose to look into her eyes and tell her she is beautiful over and over again...

Eres bonita

Eres bonita

                                                       

So we hugged. We kissed countless kisses, and then we hugged again, and again and again, with intensity and strength. Neither of us could say goodbye. She cried, I cried, we cried. Our time was so...holy.

With tears running down her face she picked at her flowers and smiled down at them, she talked of the abusive men who paid for her body, she talked of how nice it was to just embrace. And as she held on to me and to my friend, I could feel her deep hunger for affection. She was holding on to me for deeper life.

But it came time that we finally had to leave. And as my friend and I were walking away, we were about 50 feet from her when she called out to us and beckoned us back as she began to run toward us.  With hope and joy in her eyes she said, "My real name is ..."

We told her we would be back, and she said she will be looking forward to it, anxiously waiting for next time...

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If you would like to help me continue to go to the streets, total transportation costs to get to the area of prostitution for the remaining of my time here is $150. If you would like to contribute to enable me to continue going to the streets and ministering to women in prostitution, you can send a check to:

Martha Lemke

14095 Ohio Avenue

Cologne, MN 55322

I am still in need of financial support to stay here at G42, so far I am funded through the end of February, however this is a 6 month school and I still need funds to say here through June. To support me and help me stay as I prepare for a lifetime of missions you can donate online by clicking here or if you prefer to pay by check, you can make checks payable to G42 and send to:

G42

P.O. Box 130611
Houston, TX 77219-0611

For a lot of my life, some of my daily interactions with God would be:

"What do you want me to do?"

"Where do you want me to go?"

"What is your will for me?"

"Just tell me what to do and I will do it."

"I just need to hear you tell me what to do."

I thought those were the questions I needed to ask and the things I needed to say. I so desperately wanted to be IN the will of God. But when you ask and ask and don't hear a clear answer, well I found myself just sitting around.

While those are all legitimate, good questions to ask, I have been grasping a new level of freedom within it all.

I AM the will of God.

When I heard those words, the weights fell off. Relief set in. I experienced a freedom and a creativity that I wasn't really walking in before.

So now, as I seek the direction God wants me to take, I know ultimately that I am the will of God, and while He very well might tell me where to go and what to do before I step, if I don't hear Him before it's time to move, I know I can make a decision, go somewhere with pure motives and a pure heart, knowing I can't make a mistake. I trust that I am in tuned to the Holy Spirit, that I will hear Him whisper guiding my path along the way.

So rest and BE, know that you ARE the will of God. Trust that you will hear Him along your journey. He will nudge you a little left or a little right. But relax, You are the Will of God!!

"Where you go, I go.  What you say, I say."

These are words that Martha Lemke has sung and prayed countless times.  It was her anthem as she packed up her life and traveled the world doing missions work for an entire year.  It was her mantra as she went to the broken, the hurting, the outcasts of the world and brought them the Hope of God.  Martha has decided that laying down her own desires are worth the Cost of Christ.  As she traveled the world this year, Martha followed the Lord as he told her to go to some of the darkest places.  She went - and as a result, countless people now know the Love of God.

And now God is telling her to go again.  In January, Martha will be going to Spain for a 6-month training school called G42.  This school specializes in equipping and empowering missionaries and then helping them get to the place on the field God has called them to.

While I traveled with Martha this year, I watched as the Lord broke Martha's heart for the "least of these".  Martha has one of the most tender hearts I have ever met.  She often stopped to talk and help people whom others past by.  I watched as the Lord used Martha to show his love to people who had never experienced it before. In the countless times we preached that year - Martha's message remained the same: "God loves each of you so much.  He wants you to experience that love and grace.  You are worth it.  Nothing compares to the love of God."  Martha was the one who first stopped and saw Melissa on the side of the road.  Many had passed by her, but Martha refused to let this injustice continue.  Melissa and her brother Patrick were dying of malnutrition and did not have adequate caretakers.  Because of Martha's love, both Melissa and Patrick are now healthy and living with an amazing Christian family.

G42 will be a launching pad for Martha.  While at the school, the teachers will work together to help Martha achieve her Kingdom Dream.  I simply cannot wait to see what the Lord does through Martha while at G42 and after.  I write Martha's story to share with you an opportunity for 2011.  Martha will be gone for 6 months and needs to raise support during this time.  Retouch is partnering with Martha to help her achieve her dream and be equipped to touch the nations.  We are launching a new sponsorship program for the next six months.  Below are the different sponsorship options - with each one you receive a different level of collectible photographs.  This is a great cause to donate to this holiday season, and the photographs make great gifts!!  To join the program, simply select which option you want and follow the below instructions.  Thank you for all of your continued support and encouragement!

Option 1 - $10 a month.  You will receive two collectible, signed photographs from Retouch Studios.

Option 2 - $25 a month.  You will receive one collectible, signed photograph from Retouch Studios every other month while Martha is at school.

Option 3 - $50 a month. You will receive one collectible, signed photograph from Retouch Studios every month while Martha is at school.

Option 4 - $100 a month. You will receive two collectible, signed photographs from Retouch Studios every month while Martha is at school!

How to join the program:

2.     Under "Monthly Donation" select the desired monthly support amount.

3.     Very important! Be sure to write Martha Lemke under "Name of Staff or Intern".

4.     Complete the Paypal information.

5.     Email Jennifer - RetouchingtheWorld@gmail.com .  I will then send you a confirmation email and you can even choose which photographs you would like to receive!

Thank you so much!  Looking forward to hearing from you!