My life, in a rather large nutshell.

So I as I sit here under two blankets in Lima, Peru I thought, how do you even start a blog? What is the point of a blog? And will this actually benefit anyone? Well, I am still not entirely sure how to start it, nor the point, nor if it will benefit anyone. But I do know this-- in five years I will probably have forgotten many of the highlights and details of living here, what God was teaching me, and so on. As you can probably already see I am not much of one for writing, but if I convince myself just one person might read this and be encouraged it will be worth it.

In my twenty years of life I have seen some interesting things, some not my favorite, some the most beautiful things I could imagine. Yet all of them have worked together and grown me into who I am today-- funny when you think about how that works. A little over twenty years ago when my mom found out she was having yet another child, her ninth to be exact, she was in a horrible car accident. She woke up in the hospital and heard God say "Lucy you are having another child" her first thought after that was "wait am I still even alive?" not the most ideal way to find out you are preggo. Through out the time there were many complications and because of those and her age the doctors were not a fan of her having another child. But she knew if God gave her a child He wants it here and I am not going to abort me. So September 16th, 1990 there I was, the ninth Fowler child, Naomi-June Victoria. Naomi after my dad's mom, June after my moms' and Victoria because my mom always said I had a victorious birth, satan wanted me dead, but God won!

A huge part of being part of a family with ten kids, where everyone is out going and you have amazing parents is-- everyone knows you, about you, about your family, the whole nine yards. Since my Dad perviously was a pastor, and my mom is the most Christ-like person I have ever met you quickly learn how to walk the walk and talk the talk of Christianity, they lead by example. Which for me resulted in a very shallow relationship with God(which was in no way my parents fault) and just depending on my families name, and my parents amazing walk with God. I learned to what was supposed to be said, and just go through the motions. When I was 14 I went to a summer camp with a church my family used to attend with one of my best friends at the time-- there was a guy who made it very clear he was very attracted to me. One of the nights the pastor told us to go take our bibles and read on the beach for a little while. I decided to walk probably a good half a mile away and the boy ended up following me (with out me realizing of course) one thing lead to another and I ended up being raped. A lot of stuff happened after that and I hurt more than I know I could, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. After that I got in several relationships with guys behind my parents back they were in no way healthy. Got my heart broken, and hardened.

At the time I was attending a private high school that had some very strict beliefs on what was acceptable as a christian and what was not. I sadly was no were near what they expect a christian woman to be like, and was pulled aside and was told I had a spirit of disunity, and impurity-- and that no one should ever look at me as a leader or example. Those words burned more than I knew they could, if sticks and stones can break your bones, those words came close to doing the same. After that for about two years I felt worthless in every way-- I had no idea who Jesus was or why He wanted me.. I was impure, a horrible example and would never be able to change anyones life never less my own.

During that time we were going to a church called the Vineyard and because of a few things my parents prayed and felt called to go to Riverstone. My first experience with the church was their summer camp, and let me tell you I was 16 and not happy my parents were forcing me to go to a church summer camp that I had never even attended-- even more so with my past experience with Summer camps. After going I did encounter God and did enjoy the camp but still everything in me hated it to be honest. The following February they had a missions conference and a woman shared her testimony about being molested and afterwards she prayed for me and just said "You are pure." over and over again, I just broke, never in my life had I thought I was pure. Part of me wanted to believe it and part of me wanted to run away and never turn around. I was hurt, and was so focused on my pain I forgot who the healer was, the one that took the pain away, Jesus, had become a complete stranger to me. I continued going and my parents pretty much pushed me out the door and made me go to youth every week. The week before my 18th birthday my parents told me if I wanted after I was 18 I could attend any church of my choice-- I went to the September Facedown and saw vision for the whole church. I pulled together as much courage and told Tom the Sr. Pastor, he then asked me to share it with the whole church. Shaking in my boots I went up and shared it. After that all of the sudden something clicked in me, my mom will tell you it was like a light switch that had been off was turned on. With in a week I talked to Cory and got involved with the youth and started assisted with leading a 10th grade girls bible study, ironically enough on purity. Which looking back on it now makes me chuckle, not only was I leading youth which I thought would never be an option for me, I was teaching them what living a life of purity was.

God taught me a lot through that bible study and through those girls, what pursuing Him and being pursued by Him looked like. What walking in freedom and learning your identity was. Mainly I found out who He was, and who I could be through Him. It was like a fire that had been pent up in my bones was released and rapidly took over my body. Through that I started finding my passion for healing, not only just the heart and seeing people set free and step into intimacy in with God, but physical healing as well. As strange as it still seemed to me it became natural-- like I had been doing it for ever. Later I found out Riverstone did a youth internship over the summer and allowed a certain number of college age students to be discipled. I applied and had no idea I was in for a life changing summer. Through the summer I got to learn even more of what a surrendered life looked like, a life that screamed love, and reflected Jesus.

As the summer went on I was very torn as what to do in the fall, Bethel, IHOP, or YWAM, little did I know it would not be any of them. Through a good friend I heard about Hiedi Bakers school in Mozambique Africa. Let me tell you I never felt called to missions, nor Africa-- the thought of living in a 3rd world country made me nauseated. But for some reason I felt this pull, and let me tell you I did not like it. I decided to pray about it and apply and honestly in no way did I think I would be accepted, I mean come on this was Hiedi Baker how many radical passionate christians were probably apply as well? That were probably older and a lot more grounded. After applying I had probably some of the craziest confirmation-- to the point I had complete strangers at Wal-mart ask me if I had heard of Hiedi and if I was going to her school. A week after I apply I got an acceptance letter. After that is seemed like instantly things fell into place in a way that if I told you, you would probably ask if I was lying.

On October 8th almost a year from today I was on a plane flying across the country for three months, and let me tell you I had NO idea what I was getting myself into. I would love to say I instantly fell in love with Africa, but I would be lying. I was broken when I saw a level of poverty that even those commercials trying to get you to sponsor kids didn't even touch. Part of me hated the United states how naive we were to poverty and what desperation really was, and part of me wanted to run back to my comfortable life. After being there for two weeks almost to the day I got attacked my a local Mozambique, he grabbed my neck and by the grace of God I got away but ended up majorly hurting my ankle, I had pulled muscles, pinched nerves and broken a bone in my foot. The doctor put me on bed rest for at least a week and I was not allowed to do anything. Now for any one you who know me, I am not a big fan on receiving or asking for help-- but let me tell you what God did to me while I was laying on that grass mat for a week wrecked me. I discovered how much bitterness I had towards men, and how much I just expected them all to screw me over, leave me hurt, and not protect me. Well obviously God was much of a fan of those lies.

Through out my stay in Mozambique I saw things sometimes I have a hard time understanding were real. One of my favorite was a little boy who was blind in one eye and cataracts in the other eye. It was our ten day bush outreach and God was showing me His heart of healing and why He does it-- its ALL for love. The last night of the bush outreach I met this boy, I just stared at him broken, just simply asking for him to know Gods love, because thats all I wanted. I didn't care if his body was healed to be honest, I wanted that boy to know the most amazing love ever. All of the sudden before my eyes I see his blind eye that was completely white turn to a dark brown and his face in complete shock. He ran off, and I quickly went to inform my team of what happened. It was like everyone was recharged and we saw more healings that night than the whole ten day out reach. The little boy came back at the end and hugged me and as I pulled away his other eye was completely healed, he looked up at me my face being the first one he saw with two eyes and just told me I was beautiful. I gave him a kissed on the forehead as I just began crying, there was no way to deny we both encountered the love of God that night.

On December 31rst, 2009 I returned to the states, but looking at everything so differently. It was if I just like that boy had been blind and my eyes were open to things I don't now I ignored before. Upon returned I knew God had called me to Lima, Peru for a season and after getting over the reverse culture shock of the States and learning again just how to function in a normal american life. Now I am here, sitting on a bed again in another 3rd world country. I have been here for over three months.

My life hasn't always been perfect, I have gone through struggles but I have seen some of the most beautiful things. I still wonder how God uses me, even through typing this I try and figure out how God took the ashes and turned them into beauty, how He taught me what love and trusting looked like. October 4th, 2010 I know that I am about to experience the Holy spirit ignite a revival that is going to take Peru. I look at these high school students and I am in awe, this is happening... His love, this is true reality. So thats my story, well, the cliff not version anyways. I wish I could put everything, more testimonies of healings, more struggles, more victories, I am sure I will have plenty more to write about in my time in Lima. I hoped this blessed someone, if not that is okay too. If you have any questions let me know! And please don't just assume because I am a full time missionary I don't have enough time, you are worth it and I will make the time!

Loving through His love,

-Naomi-June