My Babylon, My Assenta, My Trace

Hi SF family,

June 2025 was my big STOP. I ended up in hospital with pneumonia—the exact time my new SALT product had to launch. I felt completely stripped. My plans, my “I need to keep going” attitude—it all disappeared. For the first time, I couldn’t do. I could only be.

On the second night, the Holy Spirit whispered the words “Babylon… Assenta” to me. I had no idea what they meant at the time, but I wrote them down and held onto them.

• Babylon → the place of captivity, of being forced to slow down, of not being in control. For me, the hospital became that Babylon—a place where my strength was stripped, where I couldn’t “do” but only “be.”

• Assenta → the call to sit, rest, dwell, and reorder your life around Him. It’s not wasted time; it’s holy time. Rest is not laziness, but obedience.

After three days in the hospital, I remember thinking, “Wow… so this is how it feels to be in your rest-and-digest nervous system all day.” My body slowed, my mind slowed, my pace slowed. I had no choice but to rest, and it was eye-opening. It took me two months to regain strength, and physically I couldn’t do much—but what I could do was learn.

I read the book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer and praised God—this book was exactly what I needed. It confirmed what He was teaching me: slow down, rest, and reorder life around Him.

I also had a vision of Jesus pulling me out of the waves, and I walked behind Him, holding both His hands. Now I finally understand—His pace, His way, His lifestyle—it’s steady, intentional, full of presence.

Launching SALT in the middle of my Babylon taught me something huge: even when I feel the urge to start doing, doing, doing—when I just want to jump back into everything—God’s plan is still moving forward. He’s teaching me to rest, abide, and trace His steps, even in the midst of my own “doing.”

This season also reminded me about priorities—what really matters. I kept asking myself: At what cost am I doing this? My health? My family? My time with Him? Going back to basics, slowing down, and embracing simplicity isn’t boring or limiting; it’s beautiful. It’s in the simple, steady rhythms of life that I find presence, peace, and space to truly follow Him.

And now it all makes sense—my word for 2025: Trace. Trace My steps, trace My lifestyle. Look at Jesus. Busy, yes—but never hurried. Always making space for His Father. That’s the rhythm I want to follow.

• Babylon became my classroom.

• Assenta became my freedom.

• And now, I trace—not perfectly, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, because honestly, it’s hard. It’s hard to go against what this world has to offer—but man oh man, it’s so worth it.

With love,

Minette 🌿