Impact
In the giving plan laid out by the Most High God for Salt Earth Massage and Dry Salt Therapy, the people are represented by three yet equally important organizations; one group rescues nationally, one group rescues internationally, and one group helps to restore those who did not know they needed restoration, these are their stories.
Life Impact International
It was just before Labor Day 2007 when I sat with Cherie Horton in the Fort Lauderdale airport awaiting my final flight into Haiti. It took much longer than expected to sort everything out as not only was our luggage weighed to see which plane we would be traveling on, but each of us was required to stand on the scale ourselves. As we waited for our turn,Cherie told me of a woman named Lana of South American descent, who was rescuing children from trafficking on the Thai Burma border. My heart had always been connected to ministering to children in third world countries. At the time, I believed I was more called to Brazil, but my heart spring with joy and fervent prayer for Lana and I have not stopped praying for her since.
For many years, all I knew were the details that Cherie had spoken of. I did not know the name of her organization until Super Bowl Sunday of 2020.
As I sat in church that day, I cried out to God because Salt Earth was so big in my heart, but I had just been denied the last little bit of a loan that I needed to to start the build out. Pastor Paul gave an alter call, but I have no idea what it was for. All I knew is that I was to go down and surrender everything I am to see the plans I knew He laid in my heart come to pass.
In the moments of my surrender, God downloaded a giving strategy. He named three organizations that Salt Earth would give into every month whether we made profits or not. As I turned to leave the altar, I saw two people that I knew were connected to Lana. I stopped and asked him what the name of her organization was, and then we all went on our way.
As Chad and I were driving out of the parking lot, I pulled up the name of the ministry that I had been given. I fully expected to see beautiful pictures of Thai and Burmese children, but instead, I was met with a surprise statement saying that a door had been opened into Brazil!
Tears poured down my face as I realize how God had connected me to Lana since way before I knew who she was. We began giving shortly after that every single month, even though we hadn’t opened the spa yet. Eventually, we felt impressed to reach out and invite Life Impact International to bring some merchandise to sell at our first birthday party. It was such a joy to have them with us.
It wasn’t until right before Labor Day 2022 that I was able to come face-to-face with Lana, exactly 15 years to the week that I had begun to pray for her!
Lana and her organization, Life Impact International provide safety and Hope for a great multitude of children from Burma, Thailand, and several locations in Brazil. I encourage you to take the time to check out her website to see the details of how she is showing the love of Jesus to all the children of the world.
Divine Horse Reflections
There is so much to tell about Divine Horse Reflections that I have even considered writing a book of my experiences, however, for today’s purposes, I will share the first one and how God whispered tender words of who He sees me as and gave me a bold charge to walk in that truth through an exotic horse named Gitana.
There were six of us at the retreat on a perfect mid October day in 2017. Shannon, our host, advised us to spend several minutes, observing the horses and journaling everything that we thought and saw and felt. As I walked towards the railing, I saw a beautiful grey horse who was smaller in stature. Her features on her face were sleek and exotic looking to me. As she stepped forward somewhere on the inside of me words that pierced the barriers I had built around my heart rose up and took root. I heard.”You are glorious! It is time for you to step out of the shadows and allow others to see you.” This was beginning of my first equine guided therapy experience.
By the end, the message I had received from God through Gitana was to Jump! I knew that meant to finally start moving forward in opening my own spa which had been a dream for almost 20yrs at this point. On the drive home I received a call from one of my professors saying that a couple who lived close to me was looking to sell two shipping containers of pink salt!
I still go back at least once, sometimes 2-4 times a year to encounter God through time with Shannon’s horses. I have not only fallen in love with her herd and land but have encountered many beautiful women from all of the US.
Divine Horse Reflections is a place where I began to remember who God created me to be and I love being able to give into that reminder for others!
The Demand Project
As I’m writing this, I’m just now realizing that I also learned about the Demand Project in the fall! Apparently, I have a season to which God speaks to me about giving !
So one fall morning in 2019, I went with a friend to a local Faith in Business breakfast. The speaker spoke about the pygmy people in Africa and was absolutely captivating. As we mingle around to network after the presentation I was briefly introduced to a man named Jason Weis.
My friend told me that Jason and his wife Kristin had started an organization that rescued children from sex trafficking locally. My friend told Jason that I was a massage therapist. Jason’s response was that maybe I could help the girls who were recovering in their program someday become accustomed to healthy touch so that they might be able to move forward with their lives and have families of their own.
Jason’s words sprouted in my heart almost immediately! Shortly after we began giving monthly but felt impressed to not get too involved yet as I was opening the spa and had little energy to give.
In February of 2021 with the spa open we hosted an event to benefit the Demand Project. It was at this time that I knew I was to start getting a bit more hands on. Through a lifetime of events packed into just a few years I have become involved in ways I would have never seen in a million years but here we are!
We get to not only give monthly but also get to give services to the Demand Project team either complimentary or at a reduced rate and sometimes get to have the children come in to the slat room. We have sponsored events either through buying a table at their annual gala,selling products at their educational summit and golf tournament/ladies tea events and rallied sponsors to support us as we walk at their yearly walk to raise awareness.
So many think that child trafficking does not happen in their own community but it does. The Demand Project has been working hard to educate Americans, change and create laws, recover children and restore victims of child sex trafficking for many years. Please check them out to see how you can get involved!
