an intangible experience

Hello, my name is Samantha Lou Owens. I am a Senior at Mizzou and this summer I went to India. Wait...did I go to India? Maybe it was a dream? NO...wait. I still have my broken toe. IT WAS REAL!


my broken toe that I broke the first week of ministry. GO SAM!

So, I apologize to you whom I have not told about my experience in India. I realize that I have become reserved on speaking about the topic. Not because I had an awful time, but because I have no possible way of explaining everything that happened. When people ask me, "How was India?" everything rushes at me. Should I tell them about how the Lord totally destructed whom I was and how that left me totally and unreservedly in LOVE with Him? Or how about the dead man that I saw right outside my friends house in the slums? Or how women have almost no respect in India by men? Or about my little nursery kids that I fell in love with? How the hospitality in India is IMPECCABLE? Haha! Yes, there are many things from all over the emotional spectrum that come to mind. One of the questions that might be going through your mind I can put to rest right now. Yes. Yes, the cows DO walk everywhere. They also poop everywhere, which I particularly loved having their excrement all over my chacos. I cannot even TELL you how much I dreamed of eating one of those darn holy cows.




yes, even cows go to the beach.

Anyways, being back I have happily enjoyed eating one of them holy cows...with pig added. Of course, being without meat for 2 months, I had to get a mini burger.
Sorry about going on the tandem. NOW BACK! So, India was the hardest experience of my life. Like all hard challenges, it become the most life changing experience that I have ever had. In India, I realized my authority in Christ. I realized that I hear the voice of the Lord. I realized that I am truly FREE from my sin. I even got baptized in the Arabian Sea by my good friend Emily Starr WITH my other bestie Kari Collins. I met so many awesome people, drank tons of chai, and walked around soaked by the monsoon rain. :) So for those who want to ask me about India, please ask, but be prepared to have to ask some questions besides "How was India?". ha and sorry that this is so not organized. Meh...welcome to my life!

My Beloved

"I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me." Songs of S 7:10
In every woman's heart, there is a desire to be desired, to be pursued, to be loved. The L has been really teaching me about His heart for me and the depth of His love. I have always known that He is a jealous G-d and that He will continue to pursue me with a vengeance, wooing me with beautiful sunsets, a community full of love, and other little things that capture my heart. However, I have just not been able to let myself fall deeply in love with Him. I could not understand how to do that since I viewed Him as the Maker of all things.
I was reading Hosea just the other day and verses 14-20 really opened my eyes. The L wants us to call Him husband rather then G-d. He wants us to view Him as a Lover as well as the Creator. What really got my attention was how in Hosea, the L is speaking of prostitutes. I have always viewed prostitutes to be well...the definition of the word. It was in reading that passage that He opened my eyes to the reality of things.

I am a prostitute. You are a prostitute. WE are ALL prostitutes.
We sell ourselves to things that are not of the L. Tv. Computers. Jobs. Money. We are forgetting who we are married to.
What is so amazing about all of this is that G-d still DESIRES us! He WANTS us! He will do whatever it takes to HAVE us! I mean He went as far as to send His only son to die for us. Yeah...that is true love right there folks. The very definition of LOVE.

So the L is wooing me here in India. He is telling me over and over that I am His Beloved. Even at this moment, the word is written in Henna on my foot reminding me of this beautiful message.

"For Your Maker is your husband, the L of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the G-d of the whole earth he is called. For the L has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off says your G-d." Isa-ah 54:5-6

The L is moving here. He is wooing the souls of the people who seem the farthest. Remember Paul!

My journey is thus commencing.

I was in the Maneater worshiping at Monday Night Worship!

Wow. I can't believe that it is here! India. Woah.
Tomorrow, I leave for Georgia at precisely 10 a.m. There I will train for a couple of days and will get to know my teammates during that time. I will be IN India the 9th but am leaving the 8th. Basically, I am traveling for a day and a half. Talk about a LOOONG time!

So, how am I feeling?
Peaceful. Calm. Tranquil. Serene. Unruffled.
I mean come on. I am only going to a country that I have never been before where I can't speak an ounce of the language.
Yaaaa, I lied. These are all words NOT attributing to how I feel! haha!

I would say I am nervous, but that would not be the right word. It's more like INTIMIDATED! I have absolutely NO CLUE of what to expect and for some reason that makes me incredibly intimidated.
I am vulnerable. I do not know the people, language, culture, anything! Never before have I been put in a situation like this. Even when I went to Honduras, I could at least get by with Spanish. I am out of my element. Because of this, there is one thing that I do know what to expect.
Change.
My life is in the Lord's hands completely. I am stepping out in faith, going to a foreign country for 2 months (longer then I have ever been from home), and all I am able to do is cling to His glorious dirty feet. I like to think that the Lord's feet are dirty because He is constantly moving. He has already walked the beautiful dirt streets of India. He knows every nook and cranny of the place, every single person's name. Basically, I got the CONNECTION! The Lord is faithful. He has me going on this trip to a country that I know NOTHING of for a reason and NO WAY will He just leave me hanging.
So, yes, I am intimidated, but I am not worried or scared. The Lord's got my back. You want to know why there is not any armor for the back? It is because whatever we face with the Lord on our side we will defeat. Nothing will come behind us because the Lord is in front of us. Yeaaaahh...awesome right?!

So, I am off. To learn how to become a better woman, servant, and follower of the one and only Jesus Christ, Lord of all things. Holy Spirit, rain down on us!

Psalms 37- Read it and soak it in.

Btw, just a shout out to my k-life girls. HOLLA! Told you I would. :) Miss you guys and love you!

Peace out homeskillets. I'm going to go eat me some Indian food.
Samantha Lou Owens

INDIA! Wait...whaaaat?????

UM YEAH! India. haha! Still wrapping my mind on that.

Okay so rewind. I have been having trouble again this semester concerning school. I just don't get why I am school. Yeah, yeah...I get the whole "having a diploma will open up doors" thing. I do! However, I feel like I am being dragged along rocks.

I found out that I will not be graduating in December as I thought. Long story to that in itself. This whole discovery made me think..well maybe I should take a year off. Go on the World Race in October (which almost ALL the countries are in Latin America...HEAVENLY CHORUS SINGING!), ya know? The only thing that was keeping me back was my k-life girls. Awhile back my roommate Courtney prophesied to me saying that God has me here for my girls. Now, I know that some of you may be IFFY on spiritual gifts. I believe them full heartedly, therefore, I believed what she was saying to me.

So, if I am here for my girls, why was I feeling myself pulled towards a break? Why did my contentment and motivation go down the drain?
I started to look into my options and also continually praying. I knew that the decision that I made (no matter what people though of it) it would be for the Lord.
I found some summer options. India, Nicaragua, and Bolivia. Of course, one would think that I would be naturally pulled to the Spanish speaking areas.

ERRR WRONG! India. Yeah, WHAT?! INDIA! India has never been on my radar. Neither has Asia! I prayed it over. God confirmed. India.
So...INDIA! I will be working with women who are rescued from prostitution, in the slums, AIDS patients, and orphans. 2 months. I will live in India for two months. Haha! I repeat because it still has not hit me.
The question that I have been getting...Am I excited?
Am I excited? Hmm...yes! Right now, I am a little numb to everything. I am still trying to finish this semester (which is SUPER busy) and also on top of that figuring out how to raise $4, 950 for this summer. This also is so unusual. so sudden. Oh man...is God so unpredictable or what?!

This is really going to strengthen my faith in the Lord. Faith that He will bring in the money. that He will take care of me. I have always said I have a incredible faith. I just... have faith. Now, I say that with the deepest humility. I do not think I am better at the whole faith thing then the other person. This trip has especially revealed my doubts in the Lord. I don't doubt that He can do it. I know that He can do it but i don't believe that He can do it. I want to believe. I just have never seen it. I have never seen the Lord do the unimaginable. I have always heard about it. I am a very weak person indeed. :) However, God is working. I am excited because my faith will strengthen. He will reveal Himself in a way to me that will be with me for a lifetime. He's cool like that! teehee. Our God is a great God! Glory to His name!

YEP! Samantha Lou Owens is headed to India! Better be afraid Satan, because I have the Lord in me. You canNOT touch me. I am the daughter of the High King. I will proclaim His name wherever He sends me. And thats to India! haha. oh india.

The significance of today.

Today isn't just an ordinary day. It is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day! This subject, Human Trafficking, is very near and dear to my heart. I cry out for the 27.1 million people who are enslaved by human trafficking. They are slaves. They are treated no better then animals. They, daughters and sons of the Lord, are seen as things to be abused and used. Each year, 800,000 victims are smuggled into human trafficking. Women and children take up to 80% of that number! 161 out of 192 countries are involved with trafficking.

32 BILLION dollars are made each year. 32 BILLION DOLLARS!

What has our world gone to?
Little girls are being raped repeatedly by men. Women are being treated no better then dirt.
When did it become like this?
What justified that this is okay?

Our world is broken. Our world is shattered. Our world...more then ever...needs a Savior.

Our God is moving! He hears the cry of the broken! HE HEARS! He hears and he will answer...possibly through you.
I beseech you, do something about this! Don't just sit by and let this happen. These people, these beautiful wonderful creations of the Lord, are hopeless. They are completely and totally hopeless. Dwell on how it would feel to be hopeless. Have you ever truly been hopeless? The feeling of despair that would accompany that. Even if you are not a believer of God or even religious, I am talking to you as well. These people are human beings. They are seen as gems in the eyes of the Lord. I ask all to somehow, whether it is through prayer or even joining a club that raises awareness, do SOMETHING!
God is listening. He hears. He is just waiting to BURST OUT in all of His glory!

Our job as Christians and followers of Christ is to bring HOPE to the HOPELESS!

(where I got the stats... http://www.bible-knowledge.com/blog/index.php/2009/09/29/human-trafficking-statistics/ )

The World Race: United States edition

For those who are around me, they have constantly heard me talk about The World Race. It is a missions trip that lasts 11 months and you go to 11 countries. I literally pour over the current (or past) World Racer's blogs. I know, slightly creeperish. I have memorized names by reading their blog entries so when I talk about it with people and they say they have a friend on there...I know the name. Oh yeah...the guy with the red hair who lives in michigan and has 5 brothers and sisters...I know him! Yeah...I know I need help. It is my deepest prayer and desire to go on the trip. Lately, God revealed to me through a friend that my passion for international missions is not something that isn't of Him. He put that desire there and has huge plans for me. Can i hear a AMEN! AAMMMEEENN!!!! Hearing that, I knew that what I thought about my future, what I thought was going to happen, is going to happen. Not necessarily the world race, but I am going to be a missionary internationally. I am going to be a missionary. That is my job title. Missionary of the LORD! Can i hear a AMEN! AMEEENN!!! Because of my heart for other cultures, it has been hard keeping my soul content at being in the United States. To create a passion for what God has called me to do here. I am a k-life leader and lead two 7th grade girl bible studies. I LOVE these girls as if they were my own. I have a passion for telling them about Jesus. For coming up beside them and carrying them through the awful awkward years of middle school. I can't be letting my mind wander, or my heart, to places that are not here and now. God put these girls (something He also revealed through my friend) in my life specifically so that I can speak truth into their lives. I want to give them a joy that only Jesus can provide. So, WHY am I looking towards the future! If I can't focus on what God has given me here and now, how will I be able to ever do that even overseas? There will always be something more "exciting" in the future. Contentment is the main word. I need to be content.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God"- Philippians 4:6
or how about when Paul says...
"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content....In any and EVERY circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME."- Phil. 4:11-

What I like most about that sentence is that Paul says "I have learned..." He's HUMAN! woah. Just like I am learning and will continue to learn, the fullest way and to my full potential that I can serve the Lord is to be content. To be not anxious.
My best friend Becca said that I should treat my time hear as The World Race: United States edition. It may not have all the languages and different smells as other countries have, but I can make it as fun and exciting as I want it to be! I can serve God here too! I am here in the United States for the Lord and to serve Him by serving my girls. I mean hey...I get adventure out of being with them. I have been Aladdin, played countless games of Murder in the dark, been glittered upon, been treated like a jungle gym, talked about the latest boyfriend (which seem to come and go every week), and most of all talk about the awesomness of God. Uhh...sounds like the World Race to me!

dawn of the present

So, I am sitting here in Memorial Union (surprise surprise) at 7:01 a.m. Now, those who know me are thinking, "What is she doing up that early? How did she part with her pillow?" Well, the answer is, I neglected my pillow last night and decided to stay up all night. All NiGHTER WAHOO!! COLLLEGE!!! I sat in Pershing all night slaving over my psychology book when I would rather be salivating all over my pillow. Don't worry there is a point to this...I think. There might be. I plead the sleep deprived excuse if this is absolutely idiotic. Anyways, as I stuttered out of Pershing at 6 in the morning, all I could think of was to get to Memorial as fast as I could because 1. it was FREEZING 2. I was tired and 3. did I mention HOW COLD IT WAS!? For some reason, maybe because I was slightly delirious, I started to ponder over where I was going in my life. What I had to do. Take notice that all is said in a future tense. The Lord really brought this to my view as I walked, teeth chattering, to Memorial. I have been looking to the future waaaay to much. Gotta get my Gpa up (future). Gotta study abroad (future). Have to do well on this test (usually tests, FUTURE). I have turned into one of this rushing through life sort of persons! I have constantly looked to what I HAVE to do, forgetting that I need to dwell in the present as well. I feel that God is present. I mean I say this because of course He will and forever be in the future. However, we can't ever plan God. We can't plan what He will do, what He SHOULD do. We can only look at the now with the Lord. That is what I mean He is a present God. In looking into the future, I have failed to focus on what KNOWS the future...the Lord. UHHH HELLOOO SAMANTHA!!!! WATCHAAA DOING??!!! Yeah that was basically what my head screamed. It could have been God but I like to think that He would be more quiet. haha! Oh and after this wonderful epiphany of a moment, God asked me to dance....in the middle of Lowry. Yeeeaaaahhhh...did I mention that our God is a mysterious God? So I mean who am I to say no to the Being who CREATED the world. Yep, I danced amid a backdrop of the beautiful purple and pink sunrise. I think I felt angels dancing too. :) Now, the dancing wasn't David-dance-your-clothes-off kind of dancing. It was more of a sway and toe tap little ditty. Oh, the day when I won't feel self-conscious. Anyways, I hope there was a point. Oh, and I told God that He can dance with me at sunSET...I will NOT be getting up any time soon to dance with Him at sunrise. HEEECKKKK NOOO!!!!

I LOVE MY JESUS!!!