My whole life I have loved to write. I loved to write stories and papers for school and on occasion I would pretend I was an author and make up storybook beginnings. I might not have excelled in math or science in school (lol) but English was always my favorite course.
For so many years I struggled deeply with feeling like I didn’t hear God or that He didn’t speak to me. I just could not figure out how to hear His voice and I compared my ability to hear Him to everybody else. I tried everything. And my “inability” to hear God was the cause of many seasons of doubt in His very existence. This continued to be a theme in my life for years.
In 2017, I made the decision to take some time off from college. I was struggling with deep depression and suicidal thoughts. I was lost and felt purposeless and, although I knew that God existed, I struggled believing that He would want anything to do with me personally.
During this season of my life is when God started writing to me.During the 8 months that I spent at home, God completely liberated me from depression (praise the Lord!), spoke life into me and reminded me of my gifts. And He revealed some new ones! He brought a woman named Evelyn into my life who showed me how she heard from God through writing and journaling and she encouraged me to give it a try.
It started off small. I would ask him simple questions and I would write down the first thing I heard Him saying to me. But quickly it grew into all sorts of questions about the future, about relationships, about verses in the bible I didn’t understand and so much more. I finally felt like I had discovered how I heard from Him personally, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. I started writing fervently.
Around 6 months into my time off from college, in the summer of 2018, I went to a worship school at Bethel in Redding. The weeks I spent there shaped me in a lot of ways and grew my confidence in myself and my relationship with the Lord. On one of the days I was there, I felt God pulling me to go ask for prayer from their intercessors. I walked into the room and she prophesied and spoke so much truth into my life.
I didn’t think much about it then, but she received a vision from God of me writing a book of love letters to God’s children.Two weeks later, at a church service in Austin, I was worshipping in the back of the room and a woman walked up to me and started praying for me. She stopped me and said, “does a book of love letters mean anything to you?” Of course, I started laugh crying. I just love when God speaks to us in such specific and undeniable ways, someone else had just spoken this over me only two weeks before! She shared that she had seen a vision of a book of love letters that had been written by me and that the book was sealed with God’s glory.
This started the beginning of me writing love letters.These letters began as a way for God to minister to me. I started writing God’s love letters to myself, asking God what He thought about me, what He loved about me, what my future was. These letters walked me through it all.
And then God started giving me names.So I started to write to strangers, too. I knew nothing about these people but God spoke love to them, encouraging them and confirming things about their future. At first I was on fire, writing as many as I could and searching for the people to give them to. But then, slowly but surely, life started getting in the way. The letters became fewer and fewer and eventually I stopped writing them.
But I never forgot the prophesy.
While we were in Idaho a few weeks ago, a couple of girls on my team met this woman named Candace. Candace ended up inviting us to her friend Pat’s house to treat us to what we thought would just be lunch. When we arrived though, these two women not only had food for us, but they also had water basins to wash our feet and tiaras to place on our heads. They walked us through communion and then prayed and prophesied over us. It was such a gift and we left feeling so loved and so filled up. While Candace was prophesying over me, she said, “There is a psalmist anointing on your life, Annie. A beautiful gift and He wants to use that gift to break the yokes of heaviness and bondage and chains off of people.”
Immediately, I thought of the love letter prophesy that God had spoken over me years ago. It was like a new fire was sparked within me. I left this day walking in so much freedom and could feel in my spirit that I was walking into a new season with God. And I left feeling so much excitement and anticipation, knowing that God had love letters He wanted to give to His children.
The very next day, my team and I prepared to do an ATL (Ask The Lord) day. We prayed and worshipped together beforehand, asking God what He wanted to do that day and I felt God tugging on my heart to write love letters to His people.
He gave me the names Anthony, Sarah and Sam.I’m writing this blog in multiple parts because it continues to get longer and longer, but I will let y’all know that God showed up in some BIG ways. Keep an eye out for my next few blogs, I can’t wait to share the stories of each of these letters with you 🙂
The day after our ATL day in Idaho, we went to the place we had been volunteering the past two weeks and a woman named Doty asked if she could prophesy and pray over us. Of course we said yes. As she prophesied over me she said, “there would be these love stamps all over her that just says that the sender is delivering her to the right address. With each divine appointment that she is set to go into, people would see that stamp and know that they’re loved, that they’re cared for. I just see that the kind of person that you’re going to be, I see letters being sent out.” My team and I immediately started laughing, amazed at the fact that this was being prophesied over me again, especially right after the ATL day we had had the day before. I am so thankful that our God is an encourager and that He never tires of reminding us of our purpose.
At this point, God has made it incredibly clear to me that He is calling me to write love letters to His children. It’s been prophesied multiple times and already there have been so many incredible encounters that I can’t wait to tell y’all about in the blogs to come! I don’t know fully what God wants to do with these letters, but for now I will remain faithful in writing for the names that He gives me. Keep an eye out for the stories of the letters written in Idaho! I am so so blessed that God gives me the opportunity to be a part of them!
To be continued 🙂
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. I am so blessed by each and every one of you. I keep you all in my prayers!
Much love and many blessings,
Annie
210-323-2296
P.S. if any of you would like a love letter (either for yourself or a friend), please don’t hesitate to reach out to me and send me your email or address to send you one! It would bless me so much to be able to send some out 🙂
Annie Gayle, I’m so proud of you and honored to know you! What a unique gift God has given to spread His love. And even letters for your readers-what a blessing!
i am SO proud of you!
WOW! One of my favorite world race blogs I’ve read! It’s on the faithfulness of God and I’ve experienced the power of this calling myself. I cannot wait for the next blogs. Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your testimony in this as well, this foundation is going to go so far and it already has to touch many lives!
Annie, God is the best lover we’ll ever have…always there, unconditional, speaks truth always…don’t you love it! In life, we have the opportunity to help one another be the most and the best we can be…what a blessing. I would love a love letter from you…when you have time. You’ll love this…as of today I am certified to work with gang members…pray they see the Path. Love you bunches, JJ
Annie Marie I just love being able to see you walk in this beautiful gift God has given you!!
It’s amazing how everything we’re passionate about comes from Him, and how He uses it for His glory in the end!
Your boldness and Holy Spirit led life inspires me. Thank you for your obedience
Love you neighbor!!!
Oh man… the world needs a “set-free” Annie so badly!! The Lord has given you such an incredible “combo” gift of writing/encouraging. I have no doubt He will speak through you to the rest of us… right when we need it.
This reminds me of a song I learned when I was somehow given a solo for a church musical…
“A love letter from God to me, it’s a love letter from A to Z…”
The Lord’s beauty and peace exudes from you. Thank you for obediently sharing His lavish love with those around you!!
Annie! You’re incredible. How sweet to hear more of your story and how you’re sharing God’s love. So encouraging!!!
Annie,
I’m proud of you! Your love letters will inspire so many people in this world. They will brake the chains on people and free people from struggles they are going through.
You are such an inspiration! Your letters are a part of your assignment from God. This world needs you to write.
I was just thinking about this earlier today because I want to share it with my wife. I would love it if you could send one to my wife Amanda Kay Hurd. My email is [email protected] and her email is [email protected]
I think you would inspire her to write love letters herself if she received one from you.
So inspired and grateful for your obedience sweet friend!! I would love a love letter! Message me and I’ll give you my address. I love you!!
Annie, you are so dang incredibly special. Don’t have much more to say than that. Keep moving mountains with Him!!!
I love this, Annie! Your words reminded me of this passage of scripture, one of my favorites: “God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes” (Psalm 18:24, The Message). He’s writing a beautiful story through you!
I can feel your confidence in this blog and I am so happy for you! I would love an Annie love letter 🙂
Ahhh thank you lauren!! So thankful for you and your encouragement :,)
love you lots & lots Kylie!!! thankful for you
Hannah!! Thank you so much!!! So thankful for getting to walk side by side with you in this season and grow in callings together. Love you lots friend!
Yes so true!! It is such a blessing. I will absolutely send you a letter!! And amazing that you got that certification! Can’t wait to hear what you get to do with that! Love you jean jean!
Neighbor!! Love you mucho. Thank you for always encouraging me and inspiring me also!! So thankful for you and getting to do life with you!!!
Thank you so much Keith! So thankful for you walking with us through this season. Thanks for being there every step of the way with us!
Aww Caroline love that!! And love the idea of you solo-ing in the musical!! So thankful for you and miss you a whole lot
Anna!! Thank you so much! Miss ya and love ya a whole lot!!
Ryan, thank you so much for the encouragement!! I would absolutely love to send one to you wife!! We need more people writing Gods love to His children!
Aw thank you Gisele! I will absolutely send you a letter! Love you lots!
Jenna! Thank you sweet friend!! Love ya and can’t wait to hopefully hug your neck soon!
Karen!! I absolutely love this scripture! Thank you for sharing it with me. So very thankful for you and the way you always share wisdom with us gals!
Gracie!! Thank you 🙂 I would absolutely love to send you one!!! Miss you and love you tons.
Annie!
Ahhh, I love this and that God brought the prophecy back up and is pushing you deeper into His purpose for you!
I am going home today and reading the letter you wrote for me in Asia as soon as I am home!!
If you feel prompted I am always up for another one 🙂
I CANNOT wait to read about the stories of those letters in Idaho!!
Love you Annie!!!
WOW!!! What an exciting way God is working through you!!! He is so Good and Loving , and you get to tell people that in ways that are unexpected and true! Thank you for being faithful to His call on your life! I would love to receive a love lette, of course. who wouldn’t) !!! (when the time is right)