Jungle + Grace Massage studio

"We get asked pretty frequently where our brand came from. It's an emotional personal story. We've been married since 2015 and I am beyond blessed with my incredible husband, my love, my playmate, and my partner in creativity and projects and in business. However, at the beginning few years of our marriage, my husband and I had a lot of friction and we struggled to the point of desperation. We are Christians. We love the Lord. But I was not always a believer in Jesus Christ or in the ways of God and how a real relationship operates, nor how His blessings can pour down on us...even when we're in the midst of adversity and cannot see it.

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In 2017 we were scheduled to go on our honeymoon, at one of the worst stages in our marriage. We were in Maui and Kona, spending 2 weeks in paradise, while struggling to heal our marriage. About halfway into it we began to soften. This was the beginning of our marriage being saved. Hawaii had truly been a blessing and we found ourselves gravitating back to each other and truly enjoying each other as we did when we dated.

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One of those days we had planned on traveling the 'Road to Hana' and all the while I was fighting the effects of Hawaii chewing me up and spitting me out alive. To the point my husband and I had a physical battle over who had access to the last of an inflammation reducing salve  which seemed like our saving grace over our physical wounds from the beach and landscape. I was bit by a big fish, had almost a 2 degree burn on my scalp, had incredible jet lag, experienced a panic attach, elevation sickness, and ocean sickness in 3 days, PLUS our initial squabbles. 

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About halfway through our journey through the incredibly lush and breathtaking Maui, I  was overtaken by the landscape. How miles of vines, leaves, and trees intertwined in a 3 dimensional dance of plant and wildlife. I appreciated the heat, the humidity, random rain showers, rainbows, birds, etc. It reminded me of what the Garden of Eden could have been like -teaming with life. 

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I began to think "How can something so full of life, also be so dangerous to step foot in? How can a jungle both be place of thriving as well as a place that is so unforgiving you may not survive it?" I thought futher.... well, what's the difference in circumstance? The answer came to me from the Holy Spirit in His quiet voice "My Grace".

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That was it.... 

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I was forgiven. My husband was forgiven. We could be redeemed. We can heal. We can survive and thrive in difficult circumstances because the center of our marriage is Jesus. 

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On that trip I told God "do with me what you will, and put me where you want me. I have no requests, just help me to serve you." 

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I had then decided to commit my practice and my work to the Lord and rebranded from "Urban Kneads" to "Jungle + Grace". The plus sign refers to the abundance of God's provisions for us regardless of the season. 

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The juxtaposition of pain and relief is evident every day when I come to work. I love my work. I love what I do. But more importantly, I love the people that come in the door. They were perfectly and wonderfully made, regardless of their cosmetic procedure, and they have refuge here, same as the refuge God gave us.

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I hope to work with you. I appreciate you checking out our site. If you have questions. Please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you."

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-Christina Acosta CMT #39170

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