Cynamon Butler and The Beautiful Feet

For whosoever shall call upon the name for the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Romans 10: 13-15

Her Story

Cynamon Butler has a story to tell.  Her narrative began at the age of five when she envisioned her future as a wife and mother. In fact, her dream was to marry, and have children by the time she was 30 years old. That vision was etched in her mind on her 30^th birthday, the one she celebrated as a single, educated woman with no husband or boyfriend. At age 5, however, little Cynamon would not have known about the promise of God and the places her beautiful feet would go to spread the love of God abroad to strangers.  What would she do if her dreams of marriage and motherhood were never realized?

Cynamon is our Abundant Life featured Mom. She is married to Marquis Butler and together they are parents of two daughters. The couple met on a cruise that Cynamon lovingly refers to as the “Successful Titanic Story”. Eleven months after their love boat cruise, Marquis proposed to Cynamon and they were married soon after. On the day of their wedding, Cynamon became the “bonus” Mom (or stepmother) to Marquis’ daughter. Just like that, Cynamon was blessed with the family of her dreams. And in December of 2019, the couple welcomed their baby girl into the world.

Her Journey

Before becoming a wife and mother, Cynamon was a college student with a passion for traveling abroad. While a college student, she traveled to Mexico. Sometime later, her travels would take her to Spain and then Brazil. Her most memorable experience was her missionary trip to Brazil. Months before, Cynamon lost her job due to layoffs. It was an unfortunate event, and yet, paradoxically, it opened a pathway to embark on a missionary journey. “I would not have considered going otherwise, Cynamon recollects. “I’d just started a new job and I could not risk losing it”. The layoff freed her to consider going abroad.

She had so many things to consider. First of all, the thought of going abroad was overwhelming. This was not a free venture. She would need enough money to cover her travel and living expenses. Her mind was full of so many questions and the answers were not readily apparent, so she waited. She needed confirmation. Was this her own personal quest? Or was this God’s calling for her? It was important to Cynamon to know that she was being obedient to God’s calling. As she waited for clarity, she got to work.

Instead of simply requesting monetary donations, Cynamon planned a yard sale. Anyone interested in supporting her missionary endeavor donated items to the yard sale. In turn, the items were sold and the profit would be used to cover her travel expenses. As Cynamon began running toward her destiny, people began to respond with support. To her surprise, she received a $600.00 donation from one donor. Others also responded to her call for support and within 3 months, she had all the money she needed for the trip. This outpouring of love was confirmation to Cynamon that this was in fact a divine calling.

Her Mission

While in Brazil, Cynamon shared the gospel while feeding the hungry and uplifting those in the hospital. Along with the Projeta Vida (Project Life) team, Cynamon visited the hospitals where they sang and prayed with those living in despair.  Her missionary experience enriched her life and gave her opportunities to practice love, compassion and faith. But more than anything, it was a chance to meet new people while taking in the sounds and attractions of a distant land. You can read more about Cynamon and her missionary journey on her parenting lifestyle blog, Cynamon Monique (https://cynamonmonique.com).

His Plans

Cynamon continues to marvel at the fact that the Lord used her to go abroad. “I never had plans to do missionary work”, Cynamon admits. She was reminded of Jeremiah 29:4 where the prophet states the following:

“For I know the plans I have for you, “declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.

“I never thought that I would be a Missionary. I thought that was for other people.” Cynamon laughingly recalls. In humility she concludes that it was not about her plans for her life. Her plans were important but, God’s plans were globally significant and timeless. The divine plans took precedence. His plan, to spread the love of God abroad, is a relentless, and prophetically driven spiritual force. God’s plan is always the promise that must be fulfilled above all else and that is the plan Cynamon was called to first. God called her to a different plan than what she’d envisioned for herself. She thoughtfully admits that God’s plan for her life is even better than what she had planned for herself.

Her Dream Come True

On December 19th, Cynamon woke her husband up at 1:30 am anxious to get to the hospital. There was no time to waste. Her baby was coming and her body was letting her know things were happening quickly. By 2:30 am, the car was packed and Cynamon was on the way to the hospital with her husband in the driver’s seat and her oldest daughter in the backseat. Everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion to Cynamon and that was a problem. “I raced through the hospital” she recalls. Cynamon was in a hurry to get checked in at the hospital and begin her pain management plan. Her intuition was right. By 4:30 am, Cynamon was holding her beautiful baby girl in her arms.

Today, Cynamon is a busy Mom with a full-time career who blogs as time allows. She is someone who knows what it’s like to dream. She knows what it’s like to discover God’s plans for her life. She knows what it’s like to travel and offer hope and relief to souls in other countries. She has seen the beautiful feet of those who preached the gospel of peace and she has walked among them.