Well, as you all would probably guess, my life continues to be incredibly busy and FULL but I have GREAT news - God's still giving me the grace for every moment to be enjoyable! As long as I stay connected to Him, stress is FAR from me :). I feel like the overriding anthem over this season for me is "Without You I can do nothing but with You, ALL THINGS are possible!" There's this divine tension that exists between those two realities... and I honestly love having to ACTIVELY pursue Him for His grace for all the responsilibities I've been given in this internship. It scares me when I get comfortable, when I become too secure in my own ability apart from Him - I want to be accutely aware of my need for Him every moment of the day, constantly in tune with the truth that my every breath flows from Him, that HE is empowering me in all I do! :)
Something AMAZING that has been happening lately is that God has really been opening doors of promotion for me in my internship. My leader has been asking me to carry more significant responsibilities - She had me teach her Prophetic Arts AMT class (I taught on partnership in the Arts, one of my FAVORITE topics EVER, and during the class time, God's presence was SO strong. One of the students even felt like God wanted to heal someone's back, and sure enough, He did!), lead a group time with all of our Small Group/Coaching leaders, do class transitions and prayer in her place, and so much more... There's a new level of trust and heart connection that's been growing between us, and it's SO life-giving :). In the very same day, I was also asked by our 3rd year leadership to lead an interactive teaching and discussion on one of our "Kingdom Keys" lessons! It's a series of lessons on the foundational principles of our faith, and I'll be leading a group through the truths of Jesus' Deity and humanity :). SO EXCITING! 
Yet ANOTHER exciting piece of news: It's time for missions trips again, and guess where I'm headed?? San Francisco and NORWAY! :D This is actually another place of promotion for me because I'm co-leading the San Francisco trip with my best friend Kate, and I'm Theresa's right hand girl for our trip to Norway. We met with our San Fran team last week, and they are absolutely PHENOMENAL - the unity of our hearts is so strong already, and I have no doubt that the 17 of us will have a PROFOUND impact upon the city in February. In step with that, we had our first Norway Team meeting yesterday, and I feel the very same way, though with a different flavor - our team is carrying SO much. There are many different gifts and passions but UNITY OF HEART remains, and that is the KEY. Our trip to Norway is definitely a setup from God because there is a powerful revival happening there already. Thousands saved and healed throughout this past summer... We just get to pour gasoline on the flames as we partner our lives with them in March! I am just so in awe of all the Lord is doing, and my heart is set on stewardship - I want to handle well everything He's pouring out so His glory is seen and His heart revealed through me. I don't want to miss a thing! :) On the note of missions, I'll be sending out letters with more details VERY SOON so if you'd like to receive one, please just email your name and mailing address to m.jadesfire@gmail.com. 
I suppose you're curious about all these pictures :). I've been a busy girl in my artwork as well! That's been another HUGE area of expansion for me in this past month... Not only has He been giving me increased clarity in my visions from Him but He's been opening doors for commissioned work (if anyone's interested, let me know because there's a GRACE on that for me!), and continuing to give me and my friend Katie paintings to do TOGETHER :). I so feel this beckoning from the Lord when it comes to artwork... there's something really deep and profound He's inviting me into, and I'm not sure what that looks like yet. But I'm hungry for people to ENCOUNTER Him when they look at my artwork... The painting I've posted pictures of is a great example of that desire becoming reality. I had started this painting not really knowing what it would be or who it was for but God put so strongly on my heart to paint something regarding the issue of LIFE and the ending of abortion. I painted the background with my hands, and was just worshipping Him as He reminded me that EVERY CHILD is a dream of His heart... the red coming up from the bottom of the painting was the cries of the children that have been lost through abortion, their blood crying out from the ground. But then HIS BLOOD is answering from heaven with love, declaring that they have NOT been forgotten. A week or so after that, I was playing around with the painting again, and my friend Alicia began to share her testimony with me, that God had radically transformed her life and brought her back to Him after she had an abortion. Right in that moment, the Lord told me this painting was for HER, for the call on her life to bring His redemption over this issue! So the hands are hers - she has such a beautiful thing of sacrifice and surrender upon her life, and it it releasing a fragrance of worship up to heaven before the Lord. And His response to her is to pour out His anointing and healing power upon her life, and the authority to save these babies from death, and instead release them into their DESTINIES. Each one of the babies were ones that could have been forgotten and aborted but I saw a gateway open up in the spirit, and BECAUSE OF HER LIFE, they were being ushered through this gateway of LIFE and REDEMPTIVE POWER. They will LIVE and NOT DIE. She is a steward and guardian of the DREAMS of the heart of God! Wow, I can feel the fullness of that even now as I'm typing... THIS is the kind of encounter I want to release through all my art, through every bit of creativity that comes out of me. Please pray for me in this, that everything God has spoken over me with regard to the Arts and my future will come to pass!
(This is our garage studio with many things in process...)
All I can say is THANK YOU, to whoever reads this... Press in to the Lord. Take advantage of the season we're in - SO MUCH is available, and NOW is the time to partner with what is in His heart. Let Him deposit in you that which you are destined to carry...I love you all more than I could ever express!
Love, blessings, and GRACE,
Melissa
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