Posted in Back in America by Natasha Blount on 7/16/2011
I'll be honest I have been glued to the television over the
last four weeks watching the United States play in the women's world cup. With each match I seem to grow more attached
to this team of twenty-one, that is fighting to reach the highest stage in soccer.
If you have a television you've probably seen the last minute, literally last
minute, goal by Abby Wambach that tied a very good Brazilian game. You can't deny that it was pretty incredible
soccer fan or not.
A brief or not so brief celebration led to a moment of
realization for me. As I sat and watched the final seconds of the game and then
pks (penalty kicks) God kind of revealed something to me. First that his timing
is perfect, yes I would have loved for the team to score thirty minutes earlier
but it wasn't in the cards. However, they never gave up. They kept pushing
forward giving a 100% because they believed. We as Christians have to adopt that mentality. When our backs are up
against the wall and we are facing defeat we need to have that fighting spirit
and belief that God is faithful. Many time I've thrown in the towel in the
118th minute because I have lost faith in God, who makes the impossible
possible.
Second, I realized that even though Abby Wambach is the
featured hero of that play it was a team effort. That one play has been played
at least 100 times on SportsCenter, a slow motion of Abby jumping in the air
redirecting the ball into the goal. What
you may not know is that ball started on the opposite side of the field. A
great run through the midfield, an incredible cross by Megan Rampinoe, and the
finish by Abby made that goal possible. TEAMWORK!
I sometimes forget that I am on Gods team and that my
teammates are other believers. It becomes about what I can do instead of recognizing
what others have to offer. We each have
different gifting's and abilities that allow us to further the kingdom of
heaven WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER. We should
build each other up, encourage, believe, and support one another. Paul wrote in
Romans 12:4-5 " For just as we have in one body many members, but the
members do not all have the same function, so we, although many, are one body
in union with Christ, but member belonging individually to one another."
God thank you for reminding me that working for you is a
team effort, by using a game I love to watch.
1, 2, 3 TOGETHER!!
Oh p.s
Check it out...Sunday 2pm E.T ... ESPN.... Finals against Japan
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Posted in General Posts by Natasha Blount on 2/12/2011
When people ask me what my favorite country was, without a doubt I say the Philippians. The people of that country truly touched my heart and even though its been almost a year I long to go back. Recently, the area I had the opportunity to work in last March, right outside Manila, has been hit with two fires that have destroyed lives, water supplies, and homes. Below is a letter from the president of Kids International Ministries who has been working hard to help the area. Please read below and consider donating. A link at the bottom is from a fellow world racer who also served in this area. Please, Please, Please consider donating to help this area.
Dear friends,
In
the past two weeks we have seen not one but two deadly fires break out
in the middle of the slums of Manila. These fires have destroyed
hundreds of homes, displacing thousands of lives. At this point more
than a dozen people have been found dead in the ruins...many of these
victims are kids.
In
the aftermath of such events, the people, including children, get no
clean water, very little food and become sick. Many of these people do
not have a relocation site to go to, resorting to sleeping along the
roads and huddling wherever they can find shelter.
We
have an opportunity to help in this urgent time of need. Our
missionaries, local Filipino team members and short-term workers are
delivering food and water and meeting other needs as supplies become
available.
If
you can help at this time, our promise is that 100 percent of your
donation will go to help these kids and families. We will work in and
through local bodies of believers so they will be seen in the community
as people who reach out to address the physical, emotional and spiritual
needs of the lives devastated by these sudden tragedies.
We
are currently heading into the hot season when families without basic
shelter are exposed to tremendous heat from the elements. Besides food
and water, there is a need for building materials, buckets and cooking
items.
God
knows each one's pain. Join with us in showing His compassion by
helping these families and communities rebuild their lives from the
ashes.
You can give online at www.kidsim.org
or by sending a check to Kids International Ministries, P.O. Box 1369,
Lawrence, KS 66044. Those inside Asia can connect with me at jefflong11@hotmail.com or Josh Manthe at joshua@buhaysports.com.
God bless,
Jeff Long, President
Kids International Ministries
http://trevorcurington.theworldrace.org/?filename=philippine-ministry-started .... check out this world racers blog to see a few of the faces that touched us while in the Philippines.
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Posted in Fun by Natasha Blount on 10/16/2010
Traveling the world you get the opportunity to try a lot of new things and one my favorite is the Tim Tam. A chocolate cookie found in New Zealand, Australia, and parts of Asia. They truly are one of a kind and you can do so many things with them. While in Cambodia my team created what we call the Tim Tam Banana Slam.
Recipe: 1 Tim Tam, Peanut Butter, and Banana
Take one Tim Tam and apply a thin layer of peanut butter on top of the tim tam. Take one banana and cut two medium thin slices and place on top. Ready, set, eat.
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Posted in Hungary by Natasha Blount on 10/12/2010
 I've always found the topic of spiritual gifts complicated. They perplex me each day that I spend thinking about them. Why are we given spiritual gifts? Are there guidelines to using them? Do we follow those guidelines? etc. Most of all how much do we desire these gifts?
This is the question that always gets me. One because we should not desire any gift over God; if that happens we are erecting the gift to be an idol. What is supposed to be used to glorify him, has now become a hindrance to the believer. Second, what is the greatest commandment in the Bible? You can find it in Matthew 22:37-39
And he said to him, "You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And a second is like it: You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself."
Love, that is the foundation of the greatest commandment. So why do we so often push aside love and desire these spiritual gifts. Without love the gifts are useless. I Corinthians 13:8-13 "Love never fails. Where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
"Prophecy and tongues will cease because they are limited in nature but love has always existed and will always exist because God is love." (I John 4:16b)
So maybe you already see where I'm going with this. It is love that we should want to be filled with and want more of. It is love that allows us to use these gifts to glorify God. It is love that set forth creation, and it is love that hung a man on a cross.
I'm not denying that Paul says "desire spiritual gifts" look in I Corinthians 14:1, but even Paul mentions "follow the way of Love." For me, I won't be praying for tongues or the gift of prophecy, no I'll be praying that God fills me with an overwhelming abundance of love. That every man, woman and child I meet, I will show them the love of the father. That I would overflow with it. Now if God uses tongues or prophecy in the process, great, but I have to remember it is a gift. It is given to me within his will and used to glorify him, in his perfect timing.
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Posted in Romania by Natasha Blount on 10/9/2010
  Ministry
  Children
  Fun
  80's Party
New Friends
Dino and Dominance
Thanks you guys for a great month!!!
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Posted in 411 by Natasha Blount on 10/5/2010
round 2 for what?
support raising!!!
a few weeks ago God provided big when I needed to raise 2100 dollars in a matter of days. he provided that support just when I needed it and I learned a valuble lesson in trusting the Lord.
However......
a new goal has been set
What is it?
875 dollars!
How can I reach that Goal?
if i have..
88 people donate $10
44 people donate $20
30 people donate $30
I will have reached my goal!
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Posted in 411 by Natasha Blount on 9/24/2010
 They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I find at this moment in time it still holds true. I don't have the words to express how I feel with only eight weeks left. Each day someone asks me what is next and my honest reply is "I don't know". All I know is this community, the seven strangers that have become my family. All I know is at the end of each month I pack up the little I have with me and move to another country. My mind can't comprehend more then that. I know that my life was different before this year. I know that this packing up and moving around, living in deep community, living amongst the poorest of the poor wasn't my life nine months ago but a part of me doesn't want it to change.
However, this year has been about emoting change. To see it for what it is, accept it, an  d then embrace what God has for you next. We have changed ministries, teams, and countries but each time God has provided and opened up doors for us. I spoke to a congregation in Uganda about trusting the Lord and I referenced Deuteronomy 31:5 & 8
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you...He himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do n ot be afraid; do not be discouraged."
 During this time of transition it is important to remember that God never leaves us. I may have moments at home where I feel alone and I am afraid because I don't know what is next but God is always by my side. He is walking every step with me and I need to trust that whatever he has planned for me next is going to be perfect.
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Posted in Race Time by Natasha Blount on 9/16/2010
"God can you hear me?" is often the question we shout into the universe when circumstances become dyer, relationships are strained, hearts broken, but does God say the same thing to us? "Tash can you hear me?"
Today I took the day off to read and sit in silence. Why? Right now I'm not hearing God so clearly. My tuner is broken at the moment and so finding the station God is on has been a little difficult. Let's be honest, we all have those moments where we start to doubt if God really speaks to us at all; if he really is up in the throne room listening intently or if he has forgotten all about us.
So today I sat in silence for a long while and realized that nothing was being accomplished. Just because I close my mouth doesn't mean I'm being silent. Actually I think I become more restless. Pondering over ever thought from God, not from God, if not from God then from who, me? It can be confusing.
So I asked God this question first: God do you speak to me? Reply, a simple "yes".
Okay that is awesome God, now can you tell me what you would like me to do? Reply...still waiting.
However, it came to me, has God already given me his answer. Am I asking the same question over and over and over again. I can see God right now holding up a BIG YELLOW YEILD sign saying LISTEN. Stop asking all the questions and just listen. I have given you the answer.
See I fall into this habit a lot. Lately I have been thinking about returning home for a handful of reasons. And so I began to ask God, "What would you like me to do?" actually that is a lie (still working out this while typing) I began to ask myself "What should I do". How many times have I phrased that question to myself and have gotten into big trouble.
I start to worry about all the things that will happen after the race. I started worrying about all the what-if's instead of listening to what God has promised me "he will never leave and never forsake me." My fear of failure has always existed, I believe. Growing up in athletics my drive to win often was excessive. In everything, I wanted to be the best. Now I know that even the best lose. But I began to fear losing or failing and so I began to fail intentionally. I began to make the wrong choices because I wanted control over my failure.
So today while sitting in my bedroom, somewhere in Romania, I realized that I had started to shut down. I was afraid of failing to meet my fundraising goal. I was afraid that I would fail my parents, teammates, and friends. I began to fear that I would fail myself and God. Oh man of course I'm going to fail! I'm human, of course I'm going to fail. But that is the beauty of God's grace.
Alright, so all that being said I'm laying down some pride and ego and asking for some help. By the September 21st I have to have $2188 in my account. I am praying that God will provide. I have to get over my fear of failure and step confidently into what God has for me. I have to trust that God will provide even though I have been standing in the way.
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Posted in Pictures by Natasha Blount on 9/15/2010
 "take my picture, take my picture" that is what you'll most likely hear, if you find yourself walking down the streets of Manila with a camera in your hand. These are some pictures from the Philippians. It was my favorite stop on the race so far. God taught me humility, patients, and love. I'll never forget the faces that God used to touch my life that month.
This is a sad reality but one we had to face day in and day out. While visiting a community one day I took this photo. This little boy was playing amongst the filth that surrounded his home.
 Maybe one of my favorite photos of that month. To the left are two of the 40 or so kids that we helped take care of for a month. They stay at a orphanage near Kids International Ministries. The stories and circumstances that placed these children here are heartbreaking. However, K.I.M has loved and cared for each child and is restoring hope. I miss these two, they always made me laugh.
 the school kids sporting yellow, last day of school.
A day spent playing in the rain that I'll never forget, with a child who touched my heart.
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Posted in Support by Natasha Blount on 9/9/2010
Recently we had a conference that we had the privilege to attend. It was an opportunity for teams out on the race to have a week of just worship and teachings. The opportunity to refocus and rejuvenate and really dig into what God wants for us for the rest of the trip.
We have some super talented writers, musicians, photographers, poets, dancers, etc. floating around the world race community and one night we had a talent night. Pulling from five squads of people we got to see some awesome performances. However one of my favorites was from a guy named Jake, he is part of N squad, and his poem was called "Statistics". The gist was that the Feed the Children commercials and World Hope commercials are about children and people who are no longer just a statistic to us. They are no longer just a face on a tv screen.
We have seen these children, we have held their hands and walked down a dirt road with them. I have sat in their huts and I have eaten rice and beans with them. I have walked among the squalid homes of the Philippians. I have taught their girls how to play basketball and I have felt loved by those who have nothing. I have held the hands of a little boy named Danelio, who's mother was either killed or saw the opportunity to abandon him during the September flood in Manilia. I have searched through the busy streets of Manilia during Easter weekend when millions gather at the cathedral to find a child who didn't feel loved. I have cried over the lost and broken and abandoned this year.
I don't feel as if my journey is finished yet. However, I need your all's help to continue on. By September 21st I have to have 2,188 in my account or I will have to come home. Please pass this email on or consider praying and supporting me. You can support me at www.natashablount.theworldrace.org, on my page there will be a box that says support me, click on it and it will provide the information needed to help continue this journey.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to see and touch and love the people I have met this year. I pray that I will continue to have the opportunity to do that.
God Bless,
Natasha
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