MERRY CHRISTMAS
FROM THE HAUGENS!!!

NOT JUST A PIPE DREAM!?!



Sometimes I think my dreams and ideas are out there.
And sometimes they are... but 3 years ago I had a vision
of a band that I grew up loving playing at a stadium in Beijing, China...
Newsboys was in the vision.
Go figure.
Here they are... they have concerts Friday and Saturday.
On Saturday, who could have guessed?
They are in Beijing!
Heee Yahhh!

No more second guessing. What a faith builder.
More on this later.

UNVEILING OUR PASSIONS

Over the next month or so, I will be revealing on this blog the
founding principles of LIFT-OFF as a movement. Better said,
they much more than trite platitudes for Anna and I,
they are our PASSIONS.
The root word found inside of LIFT is LIFE. And if there
is one thing I should convey over and over, it would be this: We are
alive and we pray that other young folks would find the LIFE
we have found. We are about bringing LIFE where there is
death in this world. HOPE where is hopelessnes.
And COURAGE where there is discouragement!
For a long time I have been hashing through these PASSIONS as
I will call them (There are 7!).
For the longest time I called them PILLARS.
But that is not what they are... for they are not visible with
the naked eye. The passion we have lies in the world of the unseen.
So be checking here weekly for a new PASSION to be revealed here
each week for the next few weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving and Christmas season!

We moved to Minneapolis in October and are enjoying following God's leading as He begins to reveal more of why He has us here. Almost everyday Mark makes a new connection with someone who is interested in missions, Eastern Europe, or "Kingdom work" in the Twin Cities. Last night I (Anna) attended a prayer gathering for a wonderful organization called Kingdom Oil. Their mission is to see God's church get a vision of how God wants to build His kingdom in the Twin Cities. It is a group from all types of churches and ministries in the area. Large amounts of money are going through Kingdom Oil through anonymous donors and out to the ministries to do God's work. The gathering opened my eyes to see the bigger picture. I stopped seeing my own ministry and problems as the center of the world and saw God's big vision. The prayer was intense, powerful, and on a whole new level than what I'm used to being a part of. These people want more than their own agenda. They want God's agenda. That's what I want too. This life is not just about any one person, church, or ministry. It's about God's plan and I want to get on board with Him. Seek God and He will show you His plan. Ask Him to open your eyes and increase your faith. Dream big!
One more thing.......one of our mentors challenged us this week to think about what we would do with our lives if money were not an issue. That question made me stop and think. I've never given myself the permission to think like that. Have you? I decided that if money were not an issue, I would travel to foreign countries for the specific purpose of encouraging missionaries
2-3 times a year. I would take my husband and kids with me. We would all travel and be an encouragement to the church all over the world. I would buy a keyboard for our house (and a some furniture so I wouldn't feel bad when we have people over). I would give Ellie dance lessons and private tutoring in a foreign language. Wow, it's fun to dream, isn't it. Why does it make me feel guilty? My beliefs need to change. God is working the spirit of poverty out of me and preparing me for when large amounts of money are placed in my hands and I need to use it wisely for His kingdom work. That's not something to feel guilty about.
That's something to await with anticipation.