Time has truly flown these last couple of weeks. Amid it all, the Lord has provided over and beyond what I could have imagined. I am in awe of Him and how He has provided. He is just incredible!! There have been so many times where I've taken it all before Him and said: "Lord, there is no way this is going to work. It's impossible... If you want it to happen, it's going to have to be all of your doing." And in each of those situations (work, support raising, Peru details, deadlines, timing issues, seminary classes...etc.) the Lord has blown my mind with grace that has far exceeded my need at the time. Wow, I can't wait to see what He will do over the next year. :)
Thank you to those who have given!! You are an incredible blessing and encouragement to me. The Lord has already used you in so many ways in my life! I didn't realize just how much the Lord would teach me while support-raising, but I can honestly say it has been an opportunity to see God at work in my life at a level that I have never experienced before. Just as an update: My one-way ticket to Peru is bought! I leave in 10 days on June 5th! Needless to say, I am incredibly excited! One of pieces of wise advice you hear when preparing to go overseas is not to have expectations. Flexibility is key. So, while I am trying to hold my plans and expectations loosely, the one thing I am excitedly anticipating is how the Lord is going to work in my life over the next year! Through the pressure and discomfort (at times) of support-raising, I have been able to experience the Lord in incredible ways. How much more will this be the case in Peru? :) It's going to be a journey for sure. I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! --Psalm 57:9-11 I have to admit, I don't have a cool calling-story where the Lord spoke to me in an audible voice and told me exactly what country to go to. Boy, that would have made the last 10 years so much easier! Instead, I grew up with a burning desire and determination to give the Lord my entire life "to the hilt." For me, I had no doubt that that meant serving as a missionary overseas. Up until about three months ago, I wondered if, when, and where the Lord would send me. I never felt "called" to a particular group of people or a particular country, and so knowing when and where to start was always a challange.
Over the last three years since finishing my undergrad, it's been so cool to see how the Lord has worked! I've had so many incredible opportunities to serve in ministry while being mentored and attending seminary. It is so awesome to see how the Lord has prepared me in more ways than I could have imagined in preparation for ministry opportunities that far exceed my own plans and dreams. :) After many years of praying and waiting on the Lord to open a door for me to serve overseas, it's finally happening!! I'm moving to Peru to work with Pioneers! For some of you, this is old news. ;) For the rest of you, you're probably not surprised since I have a tendency to talk missions a lot whenever given an opportunity, lol. I'm hoping to be leaving for Peru the first of June, Lord willing. Between now and then, I'm finishing up another semester at Southern (this time on the Louisville campus), working, soaking up as much niece and family time as I can, and support raising. It looks like I'll be in the Chicago area two weekends and the Hartwell area for a couple weeks in May. So if you want to get together before I leave, just message me and we should try to get coffee whenever I'm in the area! Two things: First, if you haven't already signed up for my monthly newsletters, please help me out and do that here! No matter how long we've been friends, I don't have your mailing address, which means I can't send you my first newsletter and prayer magnet... =( I know! As a Millennial, I've got to do a better job of keeping up with physical mailing addresses. I'm working on it. ;) Secondly, if you are interested in supporting me, just click the "partner with me" tab above. I've been told that some people find it helpful to have an idea of how much I need to raise. So here it goes: I'm praying for 40 supporters who are willing to give $50 a month (or another way of looking at it would be 80 monthly supporters givine $25 a month). Whatever the Lord lays on your heart to give, is such an incredible blessing! I'm so excited to be able to work among the unreached in Peru, and in whatever way you support me, you are a huge part in making it possible for me to go and share! In that way, you are a part of the ministry that is going in Peru! Thank you so much for your support! However you support me (whether through financial support, encouragement, or prayer), you are a huge blessing!! Stay tuned for more information on ministry in Peru! Did I mentioned, sign up for my newsletters? ;) This is by far one of my favorite prayers from the Valley of Vision collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, and this has been a prayer that I have gone back to over and over again as I've prayed over the last four years! As is the case with all of the prayers in this collection, it articulates a prayer more elequent than anything I could come up with on my own, and yet it expresses perfectly my heart's desires to the Lord. It seems fitting to open with this:
"Service and Equipment" Thou God of my end, Thou hast given me a fixed disposition to go forth and spend my life for thee; If it be thy will let me proceed in it; if not, then revoke my intentions. All I want in life is such circumstances as may best enable me to serve thee in the world; To this end I leave all my concerns in thy hand, but let me not be discouraged, for this hinders my spiritual fervency; Enable me to undertake some task for thee, for this refreshes and animates my soul, so that I could endure all hardships and labours, and willingly suffer for thy name. But, O what a death it is to strive and labour, to be always in a hurry and yet do nothing! Alas, time flies and I am of little use. O that I could be a flame of fire in thy service, always burning out in one continual blaze. Fit me for singular usefulness in this world. Fit me to exult in distresses of every kind if they but promote the advancement of thy kingdom. Fit me to quit all hopes of the world's friendship, and give me a deeper sense of my sinfulness. Fit me to accept as just desert from thee any trial that may befall me. Fit me to be totally resigned to the denial of pleasures I desire, and to be content to spend my time with thee. Fit me to pray with a sense of the joy of divine communion, to find all times happy seasons to my soul, to see my own nothingness, and wonder that I am allowed to serve thee. Fit me to enter the blessed world where no unclean thing is, and to know thee with me always. |
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