That's my brother!

Recently I have become aware of just how widespread my family is. Many of you who know me might find this strange considering I only have one brother. One sibling is certainly not widespread compared to the many families around us. However, I do not only have one sibling. I have others... They do not have the same skin color, or same parents, but they are every bit as much my siblings as Brent is. 


Eleven years ago I met a three year old little boy. I immediately fell head over heels for this little fire ball. He was crazy! He was constantly in trouble with one teacher or another and could not sit still for anything. However, he had a heart of gold & a smile that lit up the room! He quickly stole the hearts of my family & we have never been the same since. I had the privilege of teaching this little boy when I was twelve. Every week I would take him into the hallway & tell him "You are a leader. Now you can choose to be a good leader or a bad leader." 


Now that little boy is fourteen years old & he still refers to us as his siblings. In fact, we went to one of his tournaments this weekend & he introduced me to his entire basketball team as his sister. Each of his friends clearly had the expression of "But she's white!" on their face. However, that didn't bother Elijah. We both know that the color of our skin means nothing! He is my brother. I love him just as much as I love Brent & I would do anything to ensure that this child is successful & that he has a place in heaven someday. 


Furthermore, it is not just myself that feels that way about him. Brent also claims him as our little brother. My Mom claims him as her son, and my fiance claims him as his brother also. We do not claim him for the reasons that some believe. We are not interested in his ability in basketball. While we love to watch him play we are much more concerned with the eternal. We love Elijah's ability to honor God in spite of the things he has been through. We love the leadership role that he takes in leading his younger siblings. We love watching him at Contact with other kids. It's not about a basketball game! It is about this child having & knowing the love of HIS Lord & the love of a family. 


Ministry would be easy if we believed that teaching scripture on Sunday mornings sufficed, but that is not the only thing we are about. Teaching scripture is the most important thing I could ever do. However, my life should be a sermon! If I do not live it out every day, it means nothing! Elijah needs to be loved every single day... NOT just on sundays. He needs to see Christ love through his family... not just hear about it. 


As I have stated many times, I do not take my commitment to the Lord's work lightly. Ron has often said that he loves that God shook up my plan. I had every intention of doing mission work in Honduras following college & Curtis was willing to follow that call with me as well. Yet God had a plan for me to stay here. He used foreign mission to teach me tools & then HE brought me home. HE brought me to a place where my entire family could be a part of HIS mission together. We will NOT quit! No one in my family is walking away! When God places a call on your life you must follow it. Even when it's scary, even when it's painful, & even when others oppose you & slander you. It is about the LORD & HIS children & their need to know HIM.. Nothing else matters.


I am so very blessed with a family that taught me early that the color of my skin didn't matter & that Elijah is & always will be my brother. I am also blessed that I have friends that have followed the same calling. Two of my very best friends got engaged last weekend. Dillan included one of our seven year old boys in his proposal. This little boy refers to Dillan as his big brother. On Sunday morning I asked the kids to tell me something cool  God had done in their lives that week. This young man said, "I got to see Dillan & Ariel last weekend. Dillan gave her a ring & she cried. " I said, "Why is that something special? Did God make marriage?" He replied, "Yep. God did it!" If you have not been around Contact you have no idea what a monumental moment that was in the life of this child. Our kids do not see marriage. They do not see family. Therefore, to have the opportunity to be involved in a proposal was a huge ministry tool! I am so grateful for the hearts of Dillan & Ariel & that they got engaged in the middle of the hood. What a lesson!


Our lives are such a beautiful story of who the creator is. He has made a beautiful masterpiece out of our tiny efforts that seem of little value. I am so thankful for the way HE is weaving together Curtis & I's lives, as well as Dillan & Ariel's so that as a team we can honor HIM & we can continue fighting for HIS children. This call is not easy... It is difficult & it's gonna take everything we have, BUT in HIM we can accomplish what HE put us here for. We can show these children FAMILY. We can show them the love of their FATHER & through that love HE will transform lives!





1 Thessalonians 2:8 "Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well. Because you had become so dear to us."

I want to be a hero for GOD

Well, today several amazing things happened with one of the boys I have been working with. About a month ago I started visiting his school every Friday. He was giving his teacher a run for her money & in order to improve his behavior we decided it would be best if I dropped in to check on him once a week. Since beginning this whole process of partnering in education so many changes have taken place within this child & I want to use this post to share what God is doing. 


While I love this child with all of my heart, I also know him way to well. Therefore I was not at all surprised by the problems he was having with his teacher. Long story short, in the last month he has only gotten in trouble one time. Before God opened the door for me to be involved at the school he was getting in trouble every single day. So this is a HUGE step in the right direction! Not only is he making huge steps in his educational process he is making huge steps in his spiritual relationship with the Lord. Today while at his school I said, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" He replied, "I want to be hero for GOD." He ABSOLUTELY floored me! This was not what I was expecting at all. He went on to say, "And I want to be a hero for Tulsa.. I want to be a fireman." I am still absolutely amazed at this young man! Last semester I taught about becoming heroes of faith. I used people from the Old Testament to demonstrate to the kids how they have the same power to be a hero for God. That being said it is amazing to know that this child is holding onto that truth. He hears the word of God & it is changing his heart. 


As if this conversation wasn't enough to bring me to my knees, I had the opportunity to visit with his reading teacher as well. She began sharing the progress he has made. She said, "In staff meeting I told everyone, that little girl must pray a lot & her prayers must work. Because only God could make this big of a change." What an honor!... That is exactly what I want people to see in this ministry. I want them to see the work that God does. I can't do it without HIM & I am so grateful that there is a school that realizes that with God all things are possible. 


Later on in the day one of the other boy's in his class started to pester him & we began to talk about people that pick on us. He said, "Miss Kayla he's always picking on me!" I said, "Well Bub, you need to forgive him." His exact reply was, "I ain't forgiving that fool! He don't treat me right!" I replied, "Was Jesus treated right?" He said, "No... they beat the dog out of Jesus & then they killed him & he still forgave him. That means I gotta forgive him, huh?"... I love conversations like this! It is a true joy to hear children process the story of our Lord & savior & then discover what we have been called to be through HIM.

Lastly, before leaving the school today I was joking with him about how I'm getting old & can't keep up with his quick legs. He said, "Miss Kayla, someday you really will get old & you know what I'm gonna do then? I replied, "What buddy?" He said, "I'm gonna take care of you & make sure you gotta a house & some food 'cause you always take care of me." This conversation absolutely broke my heart!  You see? I don't have a choice anymore. GOD placed me in this ministry with children who desperately need HIM. I don't get the option of quitting! If I do what happens to this child? He is just one child in a ministry of many... one child that goes without food, love, & affection... one child that desperately needs to feel loved & know that he's good! Where does he end up in fifteen years if I quit on the calling God placed on my life? 


These questions literally haunt me! Because I know the answer to them... he ends up in a gang so that he can somehow belong. And then he ends up in a jail, along with two of his older brothers who went before him. I refuse to allow that to be the case. I will continue to fight for this child every single day because my LORD fought for me! Not only did HE fight for me, but he placed a call on my life... a call to FIGHT for HIS children & I will do so every day until HE calls me HOME!!


I have been ruined for the kingdom of heaven. I no longer have a choice...


Lord- Thank you for the opportunity to be involved in the lives of your children! I cannot put into words what it means to be involved in your kingdom. I am amazed by the work you are doing. Please continue to work through me in spite of my weaknesses. I pray that these children will continue to see you & will want to commit their lives to you forever. You are so good! Please continue to fight for your children. 


Ephesians 3:7-"This is my life-work: helping people understand and respond to the gospel of God's grace"

The Christian Chronicle: A conversation with Kayla Bilby

The Christian Chronicle: A conversation with Kayla Bilby

Here is the link to the article about Contact featured in the Christian Chronicle. Thank you to everyone for all your support.

Taking back the fight!

For those of you who do not know... Curtis & I got engaged a few weeks ago! Getting engaged has caused me to really think about all of the reasons that I want to share my life with Curtis. 

One of the most important reasons he is the man that I will spend the rest of my life with is because he is a man that honors  God first! He does this by being more concerned with others than himself. He is constantly looking for ways to better my life, as well as the lives of the Contact kids. And he is daily searching for the direction that God wants us to take. 

Another reason that I want to marry Curtis West is because he is a man that prays!... Yes praying would fall under honoring God, but because I believe that prayer is the single most important way to grow your personal relationship with the Lord praying would be a separate reason for marrying him. He prays about everything, but most importantly he prays with and for Contact kids. Intercession for God's children has become such a huge part of our relationship. I love to hear him pray for Contact, for the kids, and for wisdom in how to go about ministry.

Thirdly I want to marry him because he is my friend before he is my fiance. We met when I was sixteen. We were friends for two years before we started dating during my senior year of high school. During that time I learned so much about him; his faith, his interests, his family, etc. Today, five years later, I am proud to say that we are still friends first. He is the person that I call when something amazing happens at work, or I do well on a test at school. He is the person that I call when I've had a bad day & need someone to make me laugh. He is the one that I want to go to football games with & do exciting challenges with (aka ride a canoe down rapids on summer vacation.. or go tubing with while Grandpa tries to throw us off the tube :D ). He is included in all of these aspects of my life because he is a great friend to me before he is a great fiance. 

Fourthly I want to marry him because I trust him. I trust that he will make decisions that honor God within our relationship. I trust that ten years from now he is still going to be the man that is there every single day. He isn't someone that grows weary of doing good. For this reason I can trust that he is going to fight for souls with me. 

Last but certainly not least I want to marry him because he provides incredible partnership in ministry. Once again I realize that this combines with several different aspects, however, as someone who plans to spend the rest of my life in full-time ministry I was looking for a spouse who could share in that. Curtis does an incredible job within the ministry at Contact. He brings such a patient, loving, and kind spirit to Contact. He's incredibly slow to anger... that is unless someone has something negative to say about inner city ministry. He is quickly angered when someone diminishes the work that God is accomplishing in Tulsa. 

Actually, that is true for both of us. We are easily angered when it comes to ministry, because to us North Tulsa is not just the "bad part of town." The kids aren't simply "chaotic kids that don't know how to act." And it certainly isn't "somewhere people should stay away from." To Curtis & I North Tulsa is a place that desperately needs Jesus & as a couple we are willing to fight for those souls! We know that inner city ministry isn't going to be comfortable... we are okay with that. If Jesus wasn't comfortable on the cross what gives us the right to be comfortable in HIS church? Ministry is a fight for souls! It is not supposed to be easy. However, the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross makes it worth it every single day. Because Jesus fought the hardest battle a man ever faced when He was separated from God because of our sins on that cross, we will fight the battle now. HE took HELL for us! The least we can do is tell others about the price HE paid. 

All of that said, I know that marriage is not easy and I know that ministry is not easy, but today I am absoultely ecstatic about embarking on both journeys. Curtis & I are committed to allowing God to lead our steps in ministry. As long as HE leads & we simply follow we cannot fail. HE will win souls in Tulsa & HE does not need Curtis & I to do so. HE won when Jesus died & rose again. However, we are willing to fight the good fight & proclaim the victory for as long as HE wants us in ministry. I am looking forward to the plans that HE has for us both as individuals and as a couple united in HIM. I am so grateful for both the man God has given me & the ministry position that HE has provided.

North Tulsa is not worth the coat on my back, or the money placed in the collection plate every week. They were worth the Son of God dying for. Contact was worth dying for!... People who we haven't even met yet were worth your son dying for! And because of that we take on the fight... YOUR fight for SOULS! We know that we are not encouraged to help the poor, but Lord we are COMMANDED to do so! And we want to answer that call

1 John 3:17

"If anyone has material possessions & sees his brother in need but has not pity on him how can the love of God be in that person?"

Student works in and on heart of the city

Student works in and on heart of the city

Recently Emily Greele, a student at Oklahoma Christian, wrote an article in the Talon about Contact Church. You can read her post by clicking on the link.

Blessed BEYOND Measure!

Wow!!! I do not really even have the words to describe how overwhelmed I am with blessings right now. As many of you know, The Christian Chronicle published an article about Contact this month. I am still in disbelief that there is a national magazine telling the stories of the incredible kids that I work with and the amazing things that the Lord is doing at Contact. It is absolutely inconceivable! I love working at Contact & am so grateful that Contact is where the Lord has chosen for me to be.


I simply want to say thank you!.. 


Thank you Lynn McMillon for taking the time to visit Contact and to write the article. You have influenced me so much throughout my college experience.


Thank you Ron & Judy Babbit for being my mentors over the years & for telling me years ago that I should be in ministry.


Thank you Joel, Kaytie, Jamie, D, Courtnay, Dillan, Ariel, and Houston for letting me work alongside and learn from you. We truly are blessed with an incredible team.


Thank you Dallas Koehn for continually critiquing my writings about Contact, as well as being concerned about my own spiritual walk.


Thank you Gary Kennedy (Grandpa) "for having all the faith in the world in me" & teaching me all my life what ministry looks like. I could not have asked for a better example of what real christianity looks like.


Thank you Greg Kennedy for teaching the boys for sometime now. They desperately need examples of good men! Thank you for filling that role.


Thank you Shelly Logan for working alongside me in everything that I am involved in at Contact & for continually challenging me to be a better Christian woman. 


Thank you Mickey Bilby & Ladean Bilby for continually supporting me in the work at Contact. I appreciate everything you do & have done so that I can continue there. 


Thank you Brent Bilby, Maddi Kennedy, & Brock Kennedy for being the best sibling/cousins anyone could ever ask for! You've encouraged me so much just by using your gifts to touch other people. 


Thank you Curtis West for being a man that honors God first and through so caring about the children we work with and helping them know God. I am blessed to have such an amazing partner in ministry & am so grateful for everything you have done. 


Thank you to all of Park Plaza for your continual emotional, spiritual, and financial support. I was truly blessed to grow up in a place that is mission-minded and contains so many powerful examples.


And finally... thank you to every single person who supports me in any way, shape, or form. A ministry like this is impossible without every single one of you. Your prayers mean more to me then you will ever know! Thank you for your emotional, spiritual, and financial support. And thank you for taking the time to read my blogs, support letters, and The Christian Chronicle. You have each blessed my life beyond measure.


Lord, thank you for placing me at Contact! Thank you for each  & every person who has supported me over the years. Thank you for each and every child that you have allowed me to work with. Never let me forget that it is you who gave me a job in ministry. Thank you for using me. I pray that you will continue to use me however you see fit. You truly have blessed me more than I could have ever imagined. You are an awesome God!


"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all that we ask or imagine. According to His power that is at work within us."- Ephesians 3:20

It's all about the LABEL!

Lately I have become aware of just how often christians place labels on those around them... "He's just a BAD KID!, "Well she's a LESBIAN!", "She's just a crackhead!", "He's a drunk!", "She's just a TOUGH person to deal with.. It's just how she is!"...

We all do it! Every single one of us at one point or another decided that we had the right to put a label on someone else. For whatever reason we begin to decide that we are better then whoever we decided to label. I became painfully aware of this reality a few weeks ago.

Curtis & I had decided to take two of the boys from Contact to the Union/Jenks game. They were incredibly excited. The 7 year old wanted five dollars to give his friend for her birthday party the next day. I made a deal with him that if he was good at the game & didn't beg for anything I would pay him five dollars. He was wonderful at the game! We had a blast. So the next day I kept my word & took him with me to the bank so that I could pull cash out. On the way there this conversation took place..

"Miss Kayla, someday Jesus is gonna come back & get us."

I replied, "Yes He is baby! We just have to keep loving Him!"

He started to cry & replied, "He's gonna get me too because I am good. I'm not a bad kid Miss Kayla! I'm not! I only steal when I don't have any food. Will you please tell my mom I got money for being good? She thinks I'm bad all the time."

Hearing this little boy so torn up about being a "bad" kid ripped my heart out. He is right! He isn't a bad kid, but he has been labeled as such. He was labeled by his mom, by his teachers, principals, people at church, etc. I too have been guilty of labeling the kids. Even though I never speak it to them I still mentally label them & I am just as guilty for the destruction that labels cause.

Another time in which I saw the pain that comes from labeling was when Ron & I did a Bible study with one of the families. We walked into this home with a preconceived idea. We know the Mom of these children is a lesbian & her girlfriend lives in their apartment. Her son struggles greatly because of her sexual choice. However, before labeling her none of us had taken the time to ask her why? Or how we could help her get out of her sin.

That day Ron asked her two questions. "Where are you from?" "And what is the worst thing that has ever happened to you." She was from St. Louis. From what I have been told St. Louis is a nasty place! There are parts of town that you shouldn't even go to during the day. She went on to say she had been sexually abused from the time she was two years old on by every man in her family.. Grandpa, Dad, Uncle, brothers, & the list continued. 

For the first time in my life my heart broke for someone who is completely wrapped up in homosexuality. Why would she want anything to do with a man? Throughout her life men have caused her nothing but unbearable pain. Does this make what she is doing acceptable? Absolutely not! It is wrong.. it is sin. But does she deserve to be labeled any more for her sin then I do? No she doesn't! We can call it a lifestyle of sin to justify our label placement or we can look square in the mirror & remind ourselves that we too live in a lifestyle of sin. 

As I've read the Gospels over & over never once have I seen Jesus give anyone a LABEL. HE is the only one to ever walk this earth that had the power & the right to condemn. However, time after time HE met sinners with grace. The only label Jesus ever placed on a sinner was "YOU ARE WORTH DYING FOR!" HE did not judge, or label, or condemn. HE climbed down in the trenches & HE TOUCHED! We are called to be the hands & feet of Jesus Christ through His spirit... Nothing less! I am by no means suggesting that sin is of no importance anymore. It is of the utmost importance. We have violated the heart of God & nothing we ever do will change that. Sin is still just as wrong today as it was 2,000 years ago. Speak truth. Push people to be who God called them to be, BUT let GOD handle the judgment. And never forget that the only label we can Biblically give to anyone is "YOU ARE WORTH DYING FOR" Speak that over every single person you touch every day & speak it to yourself when you look in the mirror... "YOU ARE WORTH DYING FOR!"

Philippians 3:12-14 "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers & sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind & straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."