My name is Kristie Reville. I am originally from Augusta, Ga, but I am the process of moving to Siem Reap, Cambodia! What?! You read that right..
I have been a follower of Jesus since I was 13 years old, but in the last year the Lord has revealed Himself in many different ways in my life all leading up to this big move!
I grew up wearing many different masks from good church girl to a promiscuous good girl gone bad. My identity was wrapped up in what people thought about me whether that was church mentors, friends, or the guy I was dating. I had a lot of head knowledge about God, but it took a very long time for that head knowledge to become heart knowledge from the time I was sixteen till now.
When I was sixteen, I felt like the Lord was leading me to reach the nations, specifically to Africa. He created this passion in my heart to move there and be a mom to all the babies in need. So when I was eighteen, I went on my first international mission trip to Kenya to work in a school that teaches children, but the Lord had other plans for me in Kenya. I did work with the children, but in the mornings a group of the team had small groups with the women… pouring into them, teaching about Jesus’ love, and creating a space of vulnerability for them. I did not know then, but the Lord was preparing my heart to work with women instead of children.
When I was twenty, I went to Honduras for a week long mission trip. I was not sure why I was supposed to go there, but that is where the Lord started to somewhat shift my eyes from Africa to just the nations. I fought with the Lord about this because Africa became my everything… all my hope, my dream, my idol. During this time, my life was shifting a lot. I became single. I left school to do it online. All these dreams I had for myself were not happening except for Africa, so I held onto that as much as I could!
That same year, the Lord led me to go on a two month mission trip to Swaziland, Africa to work with orphans… my dream came true or so I thought!! During that time, God rocked my world! I was away from all distraction, from people who knew me, from the world it felt like! The Lord revealed Himself to me in so many ways. My identity in Him was restored. The shame I carried from wearing all the masks was completely taken away. All the lies satan threw at me were replaced with the Word of God. The Holy Spirit became so real to me! He healed people and protected us from darkness. As my identity was being restored, the Lord revealed to me how much I held onto Africa. He was calling me out of my comfort zones. He was leading me away from Africa and away from orphans because He wanted me to rely on Him and only Him! Africa does not scare me. Babies love me and I love babies. He revealed to me once everything about myself was stripped away that if I were to move to Africa full time, I would not be relying on Him but on myself. My glory. My strength. Through all of that, the Lord kept bringing up the nation of Cambodia OVER and OVER again. Cambodia is in SE Asia. He also was stirring up the desire to work with women. The Lord used Africa to get me to Cambodia, a place that scares me and makes me completely uncomfortable and utterly reliant on Him.
In the last year, God has shown His sovereignty. His love for me and His children. His plan for my life. I am not perfect at all. I need to repent and ask for His grace everyday. He has and continues to teach me new lessons. Whatever you are carrying, lay it down at His feet. God does not shame you for the things of your past, present or future. He loves you through it and calls you higher! You are made in His image. You are a new creation. Be real with where you are at. Shame, masks, fakeness, sin has NO room in your life! Tell your story, so God can receive the glory from it from His redemption in your life!
