Good morning…
One amazing woman who spent regular time in our living room, learning, growing, blossoming alongside me over the years, was Julie Harlan. A powerful prayer warrior, a faithful friend, an incredible daughter and sister, wife and mother, Julie listened to the dream God planted in her heart.
In the spring of 2017, Julie and I shared lunch at a restaurant in downtown Vinings, a few minutes from our each of our homes. She described to me in great detail the mammoth dream God had been growing within her since 2008, when she summited Mount Rainer in Washington state with her husband, Chad. Julie was overwhelmed by the impact of the breathtaking wilderness and stunned by the ways our Creator speaks boldly through nature, teaching us about our Heavenly Father’s trustworthy character, Christ’s living presence among us, and the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. Almighty God inspired in Julie Harlan a dream to get disadvantaged children out of the city of Atlanta, giving them the hope and love of Jesus Christ through awe-inspiring wilderness experiences and outdoor adventures.
That spring day at lunch, Julie put words to her dream and her passion was palpable, oh so palpable. She was feeling called to leave her well-established career and shift her full focus onto nurturing her family and bringing to life the dream God had implanted in her. A few days later Julie reached out with an urgent prayer need. She was feeling pain in her stomach and was going to the doctor to check it out. My prayers for her were lifted high and remained strong and persistent as Julie suddenly learned that she had Stage 4 stomach cancer, that she would need to face grueling treatment, and that the cancer was ravaging every inch of her beautiful, healthy-looking body. Within one month of our private, peaceful lunch, a time when the word “cancer” was not yet on her radar, Julie was welcomed into heaven by our Creator just before her forty-second birthday.
In Julie’s honor, following the detailed notes she had left behind, Chad Harlan, their two young sons, and many of their friends and family members joined forces to make Julie’s dream a reality. In lightening quick speed, by the end of 2017 the non-profit organization Julie’s Dream was established, keeping in step with the original timeline Julie herself had set forth for the launch the ministry.
Though COVID has changed many things for all of us in 2020, Julie’s Dream has continued to provide safe, outdoor opportunities for disadvantaged kids to fish, to hike, to tube, to camp, to take day trips, to breath fresh air, to have Bible study, to receive outdoor education, to explore the wonders of God’s incredible creation. In addition, the organization has pivoted to provide essential, hands on relief for the vulnerable families who are served by the ministry thriving in Julie’s honor.
Please touch on the link below and be captivated by this year’s highlight video, which was shared virtually at last night’s Dream Big 2021 event.
“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up,” says Galatians 6:9, the Scripture verse welcoming us onto the Julie’s Dream website.
…Sue…
