Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Emmanuel!
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Matthew 1:23 KJV)
Emmanuel ... God With Us. Why is it that I relegate a name with so much meaning to the confines of Christmas and the manger scene? Not that the Nativity is not a miraculous moment and time to be appreciated deeply, but there is so much more. What an amazing failure to limit the meaning to that!
Today, I find myself learning the meaning in a whole new way. I again find myself on a plane going back to Puerto Rico unexpectedly. This time, leaving behind a whole new group of friends that have become as family in the Potter's Field Ranch in Montana. As I leave them, I go to Puerto Rico to the funeral of the father I barely knew and to meet my siblings.
My comfort is that God is with me, He is my Emmanuel! Not only at Christmas, not on a picture or in a movie scene, but here, now, alive, real, and with me, going through the intense moment.
My time at PFR is two thirds complete before commissioning and going to Costa Rica for 6 months. I have about 4 more weeks left. Everything that is going on was the furthest thing from my mind when I began this time. I didn't think I would need to step away from the classes and training before completing, but the Lord is not surprised. He knew it before I came. He also knew that He would be coming with me.
I am missing going to Habitat for Humanity with my team and I am sure I will miss many other things, yet I have very few days to accomplish the mission the Lord is sending me on now. I will be returning to Montana on Sunday and I know I must stay focused on what is at hand.
For many years, I have longed to meet my brother and sister, with no real knowledge of how I could accomplish it. The only contact I knew was a phone number that is no longer in service and the names are not as unique as mine. Now, with excitement and some nervousness, I anticipate meeting them in the coming days. I have been in communication with my uncle Hector, my dad's brother. I have exchanged messages with my brother Omar and I briefly talked to him and we will be talking tomorrow.
Please keep us in your prayers.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
More than Half Way!
Many busy days have gone by faster than I could have imagined. The days are full, the hours go by at lightning speed and the weeks blend together. I can't believe we are more than half way through the time here. So sorry for the delayed communication.
I am so blessed. I am stretched. I am dying to self. My heart is at peace.
We have had many great teachers and many wonderful lessons. We continue going through the book of Acts. So many aspects that have proven essential on the field are being taught in practical ways. We live in close proximity, four to five girls to the same room. We are a large team of 18 interns and we have been further divided up into three sub teams. I am very blessed and stretched to serve as leader in one of the sub teams. I need to lean on the Lord constantly to know what He desires. I would love to say that I have it figured out, but I don't really. Unity has been a central topic. We have team building activities and we work together trying to help us to go from our natural tendencies of seeking self benefit, to esteeming each other higher than oneself. We are learning to be a choir with one voice. We work as teams and share responsibilities as teams.
We had a cultural meal where we learned and ate as many different countries in the world. It is so convicting to think how much we take for granted ... How much I have taken for granted!
I am enjoying the beauty of the Montana scenery. These mountains are breathtaking!! It's amazing how each morning the mountains look so spectacular speaking of the majesty of God and every evening the stars are so bright that speak of His glory.
We went on a midnight float on a number of rafts on the river in Glacier National Park a few weeks ago. It was a full moon and the trees and canyon were lit up by the brilliant moon. We left around 11:00pm, stopped for a campfire and baptism in the frigid waters, to then come out around 6:00am. I was freezing, but it was glorious! There is no real way to explain how amazing it is.
We went to a lake close by that has a 35-40 foot cliff overlooking the beautiful view of trees, rock and water. The highlight of the hike is to plunge into the lake and overcome the natural fears that precede the jump. It was my second time to hike there, but it was my first time jumping in. The first time, I had just arrived, barely knew anyone and I was sick. This time, I was surrounded by my team, precious brothers and sisters that I have grown to love and appreciate, and I wasn't sick, so I took the plunge myself and jumped in. The fall felt longer than I anticipated, but the water was more refreshing than I thought. As usual, I did hurt myself a bit, but I am better.
The countries and destinations have now been selected and announced. I will be going to Costa Rica with three other sisters, one of which will return back to her home in Uganda after a month. The rest of us will be in Costa Rica for 6 months.
We are also practicing a mime skit with our new country teams to take to our respective locations.
Thank you all for your prayers and I will try to update more soon. I have many pictures which I will need to upload on my next time connecting.
I am so blessed. I am stretched. I am dying to self. My heart is at peace.
We have had many great teachers and many wonderful lessons. We continue going through the book of Acts. So many aspects that have proven essential on the field are being taught in practical ways. We live in close proximity, four to five girls to the same room. We are a large team of 18 interns and we have been further divided up into three sub teams. I am very blessed and stretched to serve as leader in one of the sub teams. I need to lean on the Lord constantly to know what He desires. I would love to say that I have it figured out, but I don't really. Unity has been a central topic. We have team building activities and we work together trying to help us to go from our natural tendencies of seeking self benefit, to esteeming each other higher than oneself. We are learning to be a choir with one voice. We work as teams and share responsibilities as teams.
We had a cultural meal where we learned and ate as many different countries in the world. It is so convicting to think how much we take for granted ... How much I have taken for granted!
I am enjoying the beauty of the Montana scenery. These mountains are breathtaking!! It's amazing how each morning the mountains look so spectacular speaking of the majesty of God and every evening the stars are so bright that speak of His glory.
We went on a midnight float on a number of rafts on the river in Glacier National Park a few weeks ago. It was a full moon and the trees and canyon were lit up by the brilliant moon. We left around 11:00pm, stopped for a campfire and baptism in the frigid waters, to then come out around 6:00am. I was freezing, but it was glorious! There is no real way to explain how amazing it is.
We went to a lake close by that has a 35-40 foot cliff overlooking the beautiful view of trees, rock and water. The highlight of the hike is to plunge into the lake and overcome the natural fears that precede the jump. It was my second time to hike there, but it was my first time jumping in. The first time, I had just arrived, barely knew anyone and I was sick. This time, I was surrounded by my team, precious brothers and sisters that I have grown to love and appreciate, and I wasn't sick, so I took the plunge myself and jumped in. The fall felt longer than I anticipated, but the water was more refreshing than I thought. As usual, I did hurt myself a bit, but I am better.
The countries and destinations have now been selected and announced. I will be going to Costa Rica with three other sisters, one of which will return back to her home in Uganda after a month. The rest of us will be in Costa Rica for 6 months.
We are also practicing a mime skit with our new country teams to take to our respective locations.
Thank you all for your prayers and I will try to update more soon. I have many pictures which I will need to upload on my next time connecting.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Two Full Weeks plus in Montana
I can't believe it has already been two full... Actually, half way through my third week! The days just blur together.
I am starting to get settled in and figuring things out. It still is somewhat surreal. Our days are very full and there is never a dull moment. I so appreciate all the emails and card I have received. There is something amazing and almost unimaginable in that it feels like home, even though I have been here for such a short time.
Among the many things that we have been doing, we go through a number of classes on:
Walking through the book of Acts, Inductive Bible Study, Apologetics and defending our faith, Inductive (IBS) Devotions (which you will get to see samples here soon), and so far going through the life of David with Pastor Don McClure.
We went to a Jeremy Camp concert, participated with an outreach to a wrestling camp close by and have met brothers and sisters from local churches. We have also had some serving opportunities around here that have really been new to me.
I don't have a lot of time, but I wanted to update you and thank you all for your prayers. I will try to write more soon.
God bless!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Travels and New Beginning
I arrived at Potter’s Field Ranch yesterday late
evening after driving almost 2500 miles!
The drive took four days and three nights rest. I have never driven that long and I was only
able to do it with the Lord’s help. I
felt His company and guidance every step of the way. I listened to music and teachings, I also was able to skype or talk on the phone with a few people too. Thanks for keeping me company!
The first day (July 4) I drove through Michigan and I had lunch with my Uncle Doug and Aunt Chris in Port Huron and then went on to spend the night outside of Chicago. The traffic through Chicago was very mild and I was very thankful. It was fun to see the city.
The first day (July 4) I drove through Michigan and I had lunch with my Uncle Doug and Aunt Chris in Port Huron and then went on to spend the night outside of Chicago. The traffic through Chicago was very mild and I was very thankful. It was fun to see the city.
The morning of the second day on the road, I met a young
girl that had traveled to the same hotel I was in, in the outskirts of Chicago,
for a funeral of her friend that day. I was able to sit with
her at breakfast and listen to her story and I promised to pray for her.
I was able to take some pictures along the way, which I
posted on Facebook. The second day, I
was able to see the Mississippi. On the third day, I took a detour to see Mt.
Rushmore. After that, that day was a bit
of a harder drive. Entering Montana, the
route was very desolate. The third night
I was able to spend the night with John and Michelle Merkovsky and their kids in
Bozeman, MT. The final day’s drive was
very beautiful as I came further into the mountains.
Once I arrived at the Ranch, there have been a lot of
introductions and new friends to meet and get along. I share a room with 3 other girls. One of them is the first international
student. She is from Kenya and will be
returning to oversee the site there after the program here. Another one of my roommates has been to the
El Salvador site that I went to in 2008. I will try to get pictures later.
My Bed :)
This morning, we had a church service and a group of 70
young guys from a nearby youth wrestling camp joined us. Two of them received Christ as their Lord and
Savior!!
I am still sick, although with the medicine, vitamins and
treatments, I am able to go through the day.
I normally have a hard time sleeping in new places. I have been taking a night-time cold meds
that have knocked me out, which has been a blessing in disguise in that I have
been able to sleep and rest well in 4 different beds 4 nights in a row.
View from back porch of the house I am staying in
The program officially starts tomorrow. We have orientation at 9:00am. I am sure I will be very busy starting then. Today was low key. Most went to town to buy a couple of things and I took advantage of it to take more meds and take a long nap. It's 8:35pm and I am already feeling sleepy, so it seems to have been very needed.
The cell reception here is terrible as we are in the mountains. I am able to receive texts in at least two
known locations (one that I just discovered) and I am able to call from
one. There is WIFI here, but my laptop doesn't seem to want to connect to the internet, even though it connects to the wireless router. My iPad does, but I can't do all my blog on it. In any case, tomorrow we start a
“Media Fast” where we won’t be connected to technology to keep us undestracted,
so I won’t be accessible for a while, I think a week, maybe two. Please keep praying and I will be in touch as
time and schedule permits. Please write
and I will respond as I am able to.
For the few photos that I have been able to upload, see:
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
New Direction or Redirection?
These past two weeks have been a complete whirlwind!!! If anyone would have told me this would happen, I would have been hard pressed to believe it.
Two weeks ago today at church, we had a beautiful presentation of Jeremiah 18:1-6 by Mike and Pam Rozell. You can see a little description video here:
http://www.pottersfield.org/10477/content/content_id/193800/About_the_Touring_Ministry
I had seen this presentation before and I knew it would be good, but little did I know how the Lord would use it in my life. During the presentation, some of the things Mike and Pam said touched me deeply. The photos of the kids in El Salvador reminded me of when I went there to work along side this ministry, but I didn't seem to receive a dramatic revelation at the moment.
At the end of the presentation, I went up to the table thinking that I would ask about possible ministry opportunities after I would complete the plans that I already had in motion, somewhere in the January timeframe, as I didn't really have plans then. During the conversation, it didn't seem like there was a really good fit, particularly for that timing, so I saw it as a closed door and moved on. The next day, Pastor Ray texted me and asked if I had considered going with them. Although I shared my impressions and proceeded with my plans, he contacted Pastor Mike to explore if there were any options where I would be a good fit. As they talked, the doors just flung open. Later that day, I spoke with Pastor Mike and the options just opened up wide for changing my plans entirely, which completely turned my world upside down!!!
Potter's Field Ministries has been serving the Lord for many years. In addition to the presentations that they do, they have orphanages in Central America, Africa and South East Asia. Along with the orphanages, they have community outreaches and church planting working together to minister to the surrounding areas. Various churches partner with them and send teams for short term trips. They also have an internship program for young adults (18-29 year olds) where they dedicate a year to the Lord, go through training and serve at one of their mission bases. More details are here: http://www.pottersfield.org/10477/content/content_id/251896/What-is-IGNITE
PFM also has other service opportunities/needs that they don't announce, but rather seek the Lord and wait for direction from the Lord for connections. As Ray and Mike talked, it was evident that I fit into a discipleship/overseer role that they have need for, particularly with my Spanish translation skills. There are two sites that seem to be a good fit for me and I would potentially be sent to either. The sites are in Costa Rica, where the current couple that is there would be coming out later this year, and Guatemala, where a new work is being established. Either one of these locations would be very exciting and the opportunities are also long term. In order to be part of the ministry, I would need to go through the initial 3-month training at Montana with the interns, beginning July 9!!
I felt a lot of peace and I had confidence that I had heard from the Lord, but a lot of plans needed to change, some added and some removed and others even to undo current plans, particularly last minute (as it was 4 weeks until my departure to China). I also had a lot of conversations that needed to take place. In addition to the direction from the Lord to my heart, there are a number of factors that make this opportunity uniquely special and evidently the Lord. Yes, here is a list of the top 10:
Two weeks ago today at church, we had a beautiful presentation of Jeremiah 18:1-6 by Mike and Pam Rozell. You can see a little description video here:
http://www.pottersfield.org/10477/content/content_id/193800/About_the_Touring_Ministry
I had seen this presentation before and I knew it would be good, but little did I know how the Lord would use it in my life. During the presentation, some of the things Mike and Pam said touched me deeply. The photos of the kids in El Salvador reminded me of when I went there to work along side this ministry, but I didn't seem to receive a dramatic revelation at the moment.
At the end of the presentation, I went up to the table thinking that I would ask about possible ministry opportunities after I would complete the plans that I already had in motion, somewhere in the January timeframe, as I didn't really have plans then. During the conversation, it didn't seem like there was a really good fit, particularly for that timing, so I saw it as a closed door and moved on. The next day, Pastor Ray texted me and asked if I had considered going with them. Although I shared my impressions and proceeded with my plans, he contacted Pastor Mike to explore if there were any options where I would be a good fit. As they talked, the doors just flung open. Later that day, I spoke with Pastor Mike and the options just opened up wide for changing my plans entirely, which completely turned my world upside down!!!
Potter's Field Ministries has been serving the Lord for many years. In addition to the presentations that they do, they have orphanages in Central America, Africa and South East Asia. Along with the orphanages, they have community outreaches and church planting working together to minister to the surrounding areas. Various churches partner with them and send teams for short term trips. They also have an internship program for young adults (18-29 year olds) where they dedicate a year to the Lord, go through training and serve at one of their mission bases. More details are here: http://www.pottersfield.org/10477/content/content_id/251896/What-is-IGNITE
PFM also has other service opportunities/needs that they don't announce, but rather seek the Lord and wait for direction from the Lord for connections. As Ray and Mike talked, it was evident that I fit into a discipleship/overseer role that they have need for, particularly with my Spanish translation skills. There are two sites that seem to be a good fit for me and I would potentially be sent to either. The sites are in Costa Rica, where the current couple that is there would be coming out later this year, and Guatemala, where a new work is being established. Either one of these locations would be very exciting and the opportunities are also long term. In order to be part of the ministry, I would need to go through the initial 3-month training at Montana with the interns, beginning July 9!!
After this conversation, I sent some short messages to some of you asking for prayer as I found myself needing to make a decision very quickly about a dramatic change and I desperately needed direction from the Lord. I found myself needing to pray hard and hear from the Lord, since I had many questions that needed answers. My mind was spinning and my heart was racing! To those of you who heard and prayed, I am very grateful!!! The Lord met me in that desperate moment and reassured me that this new direction was from Him. I very much struggled with making this change and I also needed to know that it wasn't in my flesh that I had been making the other plans up to this point. What about my travel to China? What about the people that I was going to meet there? What about my friend in Bulgaria, who I miss and would love to see as her baby is born? As I spent time with the Lord, He brought me to Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah.
And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” - Gen. 22:12
Of course, this is a popular passage and it can be interpreted many ways for our lives. The Lord pointed me to my desire to serve with a ministry organization and spoke to my heart that before allowing that, He wanted to know and wanted me to know that I would be willing to go anywhere with Him alone, that I wouldn't depend on anyone or any organization backing me up ... that it wasn't until I bought my ticket to China, that I fully surrendered and was willing.I felt a lot of peace and I had confidence that I had heard from the Lord, but a lot of plans needed to change, some added and some removed and others even to undo current plans, particularly last minute (as it was 4 weeks until my departure to China). I also had a lot of conversations that needed to take place. In addition to the direction from the Lord to my heart, there are a number of factors that make this opportunity uniquely special and evidently the Lord. Yes, here is a list of the top 10:
- I have already worked with this ministry in El Salvador and I have seen what a mission base looks like and how it operates with a short term team, along with part of the role that I am needed for.
- The Lord directed multiple people to different places and multiple conversations to line up just at the exact time to open these doors. Of course, a huge evidence is that the pastors and ministry leaders of PFM have extended this invitation to me!! This is a role that no one off the street can apply for!!!
- It is a year commitment that begins July 9 ... the EXACT day my leave of absence begins and matches it perfectly!!! The date selection was done way before and for completely different reasons, yet the Lord had them match exactly! The timing couldn't be better!
- The opportunity has potential for long term service, should the Lord direct that way, once the year completes. Although an amazing experience in the Lord, after going to China and Bulgaria, I still wouldn't necessarily have a long term vision for service, so this is unique.
- It will be great to have my language skills be an asset to the ministry, rather than a hindrance.
- The training at the Ranch in Montana will be a great foundation for the future work the Lord would take me to, where great pastors and teachers, such as Don McClure will be teaching!
- The Spirit has bore witness of the new direction through spiritual mentors, such as my pastor, pastor's wife and other leaders, friends, in addition to my family, Mom and Grandfather that this is not a decision made on a whim.
- A dear friend shared with me:
Colossians 3:15 from the Amplified Bible (AMP)
15 And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].
Also, Is. 30:21 And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left. - Other than my initial location in China and my friend in Bulgaria, those plans were starting to enounter a difficulty to line up.
- Before this happened and without telling me, my dear friend Marina and even her mother in law in Bulgaria had started praying that if the Lord had something different for me than visiting them in Bulgaria, that He would re-direct my plans. She saw the Lord's hand in the change and generously released me from my plans to come see her, even through we both would like for me to visit during this time. We both still hope the Lord will open the door in the future.
- I spoke with Pastor Ted, and although a slightly more difficult conversation, given the gap that I am leaving with this change, he also was able to see the hand of the Lord in this.
- My preparations and travels - I still have a lot to prepare and will be driving cross-country from Rochester to Montana July 4 - July 7 (or July 8 if the days become too long). Yes! I leave in 2 weeks from today!!!!!!!
- My heart is still burdened for the people I would have visited in my travels that are now being canceled. They still need someone to take my place and fill the gap left by my change of plans. Please pray the Lord provides and directs Ted to fill this gap!
- That I would learn the Lord's heart during the training months in Montana and that the training would join my heart to the ministry teams already in place and the interns. That the time would be the preparation I need for what is ahead of me.
- That the Lord would direct the selection of the mission base I will go to at the end of the 3 month training.
- That the Lord would be confirming and directing if this is His plan for me long term.
- For provision financially and understanding what it means to raise financial support, particularly if the Lord calls me to this long term and full time.
- That I would be able to go to Mexico for a short visit for Chelsea's wedding in November :)
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
The Countdown has Begun!!!
I have a clock app on my iPad that allows me to countdown from now until a specific date/time in days, hours, minutes and seconds. It's really cool to see it go down as the time passes and the set date/time gets closer. The funny thing about countdowns is that you kind of need to have a set goal before you can count down.
Webster's Dictionary defines Countdown as "an audible backward counting in fixed units (as seconds) from an arbitrary starting number to mark the time remaining before an event; also: preparations carried on during such a count"
OK, so it doesn't have to be audible ... the rest of the definition is great!
“And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.
- Psalm 39:7
What are we counting down to? I am sure there are many things we are waiting for, but I am sure that we can't actually count down to all of them. For some, we just wait without being able to count how long it will be, simply because we don't know. Also, once that countdown is complete, there will be yet something else to wait for after that. The cycle will repeat itself as we wait for many things, until the Lord returns. We do not know when the Lord is returning, but we wait, while the Lord knows and He counts down. In the meantime, we can still be carrying out the required preparations ... actually, we must. After all, don't we want to be found like the 5 wise virgins from Matthew 25? This is the ultimate countdown.
My current coundown is to my departure for China. I can actually count down because I purchased my first two one-way tickets!!! I leave for China Thursday, July 12, 2012!!!! I say "my first two" because they take me to Beijing and then Fenyang, and I will be purchasing many one-way tickets before I make it back to Rochester again in October.
What? Is that right? I will leave Rochester July 12 and I won't be back until October!?!?!?!? Yup! Actually, I will likely be going to Missouri and Mexico shortly after I get back too ... but those plans are still a bit far.
I ask that you please pray during this time for:
Please feel free to print out these dates and prayer requests if you so choose. I will also be putting together some bookmarks with prayer requests and the most up to date itinerary to help with how to best pray for me during this time.
- Psalm 39:7
My itinerary (dates beyond 7/24 are tentative) is:
Travel from Rochester to Beijing 7/12
Travel from Beijing to Taiyuan 7/13
Youth Camp 7/13 - 7/18
Beijing Touring 7/19 - 7/23
Additional In-China Travel 7/24 - 8/28
Travel to Bulgaria 8/28
Travel to Italy 10/2
Travel to Rochester 10/9
Travel to Missouri 10/18 - 10/19
Travel to Mexico 10/25 - 10/27
Travel from Beijing to Taiyuan 7/13
Youth Camp 7/13 - 7/18
Beijing Touring 7/19 - 7/23
Additional In-China Travel 7/24 - 8/28
Travel to Bulgaria 8/28
Travel to Italy 10/2
Travel to Rochester 10/9
Travel to Missouri 10/18 - 10/19
Travel to Mexico 10/25 - 10/27
At the Youth Camp, I will be sharing with a group of 15-year olds from Jmes. I will also be bringing my travel guitar and playing some songs in English. I understand the area is not westernized, so the culture change will be quite noticeable.
- That I would be able to complete all the preparations needed before the start of the trip.
- Please pray for safe travels and provision, along with enduring and sleeping on the long flight (first 12 hr plane for me)
- For organizers for the camp and the youth coming to the camp that their hearts would be ready
- For leading and direction for the plans after 7/24. For where I will go, who I will meet and what to do.
- For wisdom on my return location (if I should visit Italy before returning to Rochester), as I need to finalize that part of my plans very shortly for insurance purposes.
- That the Lord will lead my words at the youth camp and their hearts will be touched
- That I would be able to handle the culture differences with grace as the Lord would have me.
- For a team that might come to China 8/16 or so and if I should be meeting up with them.
Please feel free to print out these dates and prayer requests if you so choose. I will also be putting together some bookmarks with prayer requests and the most up to date itinerary to help with how to best pray for me during this time.
So ... my coundown to my trip to China and the beginning of travels around the world is at 35 days, 16 hrs and 30 minutes ... (when I am writing this, but less when you read this)
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Next Steps and Guiding
Whew! What intense, but God filled, several weeks following my last blog!!! And what crazy intense weeks since then too!! Thank you all for praying during my most recent ordeal! I would like to share with you a bit of what the Lord has been doing. Some are aware of all that has happened, while others may not know all that has happened. There is a lot to share, so I will try to share as much as I can as clearly and succinctly as possible.
Last I wrote, I was heading to PR for my friend's funeral. The trip was sweet, memorable and in some ways also difficult, as is understandable. I was very blessed to spend the week with Luan, Edan and Diego. What dear friends and what fun we had! It was bitter-sweet to recall with joy many memories of my friend Edwin and share about how much we loved him and things he would say or do if he was with us. I still pray regularly for them and I am in somewhat regular contact with them even as I am back. Please continue praying for them.
On the day before I was to leave PR and go to FL, I spent 1 hr at the beach at what was the hottest time of the day. I enjoyed the beach and went back to the house with Luan for a fun afternoon with the boys. It was fun, but oh, did I fry! I looked like a lobster!!! That night, I got up in the middle of the night and ended up fainting and falling on the bathroom floor. I woke up in a pool of blood and called Luan to help me. I had a couple of ambulance rides and spent about 36 hrs hospitalized. After many exams, all of them yielding normal results, I was released from the hospital. It was good to know that all serious matters (such as heart attack, stroke and seizure) had been ruled out, which effectively only left either heatstroke/dehydration or blood sugar as the possible reasons. Because my blood sugar was normal when I woke up from the fainting spell, it is most likely to have been dehydration. After all the ordeal, my flight to Florida was delayed by two days and I was scheduled to arrive the night before the missions conference.
With little sleep and still dazed, I drove to Merritt Island the next day and was super blessed at the conference. The whirlwid was worth it!! At the moment, there were several blessed instances where I felt the Lord confirming things to my heart and blessing me with direction and encouragement, although I would need to pray and dwell on them more to be certain. I was also blessed to make connections and new friends that are like-minded. I was even hosted by a wonderful missionary family that had been in Belize previously and will be moving to Italy in the summer. We were able to share experiences and fellowship sweetly during the time we had. I so look forward to meeting with them again.
So a bit of time has gone by as I have been praying and planning and seeking ... and the direction that I thought I was going in is changing, yet again! It definitely seems to be the story of my life right now. I am confident that the Lord is guiding me, although a lot of questions seem to take over more than answers. Every time I take a step of faith, some clarity comes, which is very encouraging. That clarity is sometimes in the form of a closed door and other times it is in the form of an open door, new opportunity and new connections. I am thankful the direction isn't just in circumstances, but also in prayer and through the Word.
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:17-18
These verses really ministered to me in the beautiful progression that they show. This progression is not coincidental, it is sequential. The first thing we need is the spirit of wisdom and revelation, but the knowledge that we need is of Him and not of things. As we have knowledge of Him, our eyes our enlightened and we are able to know and understand His calling. I love that it is described as the "hope of His calling". It is something to hope for, to aspire, to long for. Finally, we are able to know what will be our inheritance, His inheritance described as riches of glory!!! I am comforted that the Lord Jesus is granting me knowledge of Him and He will cause me to understand His calling!!! Isn't that an awesome promise to us?!?!?! Does that excite you as much as it excites me!?!?! It should! :) His plans and calling for each one of us are unique, but they are perfectly designed for each of us, they are "tailor made" by our Heavenly Father. Don't you want to learn and fulfill His purpose for you? I certainly do!
On the Sunday that I was in PR, I went with my friend to a ladies retreat. I had never met the lady that was ministering there. After the teaching, during a time of prayer, she came to me and spoke to my heart a very specific Word from the Lord that she had no way of knowing other than through the Spirit. The message was prophetic and included comfort and also direction. She shared that doors had been closed, but that I could be comforted that the enemy wasn't closing the doors, but He had closed the doors and He was opening a door to me to Asia. At that time, Asia was a far thought in my mind. I do have contacts there. I know dear friends in China that are like-minded and dear to me. I also had met Pastor Ted, a dear friend of my pastor Ray, who is a point of contact with my friends, and at a previous time had visited my home church in CC Webster. In spite of knowing them, I didn't really feel like that was a place where I would go to soon. When I heard this, I set it in my heart and waited for further clarity from the Lord and to see how the matter would turn out. I was not ready to just jump at a prophesy without the Lord continuing to confirm that He was calling me directly.
When I was in Florida at the conference, the Lord established some dear connections and provided further direction. I was able to meet up with Ted and establish connections and talk about possible future opportunities for joint service. We left matters as we would continue to pray over the options and seek the will of the Lord.
During my remaining time in Florida, I was able to visit with Margie, Beka and her kids, play a lot of Angry Birds, hang out at the pool and recuperate from my hospital ordeal. What fun time too!!
Before going on the trips, the Lord has made clear to my heart through many scriptures, emails, doors and conversations that my plans to go to Mexico in the summer is encountering a closed door for that time. Since I have been back from the trips, it has become evident that another door is being opened to go to China during that time instead. In my mind, going to China would be something I would do only after having more "experience" under my belt as a missionary, yet, the Lord is seeing fit to orchestrate that as the first trip on my leave of absence. How exciting and how terrifying at the same time!! What this all means is yet to be discovered and I am open to the Lord's direction and further adjusting, should this not be the time, although I believe it is. Stay tuned for the upcoming plans!!! :D
Three months ago today, I read this as part of my devotions:
Woe be to the soul who tries to put his foot in any other direction when once that call has come to him. This College exists for you, and you – to see whether God has a man or woman here who cares about proclaiming His Gospel; to see whether God grips you. And beware of competitors when God does grip you.
-Oswald Chambers, from Utmost Feb 2
I know I am not attending the same college that Oswald was at when he spoke those words, but it still rings true of the circumstances that we are in. We are to explore whether God is gripping our heart to proclaim His Gospel, to share the good news of salvation that Christ died for our sins and rose again!!! And we must beware of anything or anyone competing with Him!
Last I wrote, I was heading to PR for my friend's funeral. The trip was sweet, memorable and in some ways also difficult, as is understandable. I was very blessed to spend the week with Luan, Edan and Diego. What dear friends and what fun we had! It was bitter-sweet to recall with joy many memories of my friend Edwin and share about how much we loved him and things he would say or do if he was with us. I still pray regularly for them and I am in somewhat regular contact with them even as I am back. Please continue praying for them.
On the day before I was to leave PR and go to FL, I spent 1 hr at the beach at what was the hottest time of the day. I enjoyed the beach and went back to the house with Luan for a fun afternoon with the boys. It was fun, but oh, did I fry! I looked like a lobster!!! That night, I got up in the middle of the night and ended up fainting and falling on the bathroom floor. I woke up in a pool of blood and called Luan to help me. I had a couple of ambulance rides and spent about 36 hrs hospitalized. After many exams, all of them yielding normal results, I was released from the hospital. It was good to know that all serious matters (such as heart attack, stroke and seizure) had been ruled out, which effectively only left either heatstroke/dehydration or blood sugar as the possible reasons. Because my blood sugar was normal when I woke up from the fainting spell, it is most likely to have been dehydration. After all the ordeal, my flight to Florida was delayed by two days and I was scheduled to arrive the night before the missions conference.
With little sleep and still dazed, I drove to Merritt Island the next day and was super blessed at the conference. The whirlwid was worth it!! At the moment, there were several blessed instances where I felt the Lord confirming things to my heart and blessing me with direction and encouragement, although I would need to pray and dwell on them more to be certain. I was also blessed to make connections and new friends that are like-minded. I was even hosted by a wonderful missionary family that had been in Belize previously and will be moving to Italy in the summer. We were able to share experiences and fellowship sweetly during the time we had. I so look forward to meeting with them again.
So a bit of time has gone by as I have been praying and planning and seeking ... and the direction that I thought I was going in is changing, yet again! It definitely seems to be the story of my life right now. I am confident that the Lord is guiding me, although a lot of questions seem to take over more than answers. Every time I take a step of faith, some clarity comes, which is very encouraging. That clarity is sometimes in the form of a closed door and other times it is in the form of an open door, new opportunity and new connections. I am thankful the direction isn't just in circumstances, but also in prayer and through the Word.
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:17-18
These verses really ministered to me in the beautiful progression that they show. This progression is not coincidental, it is sequential. The first thing we need is the spirit of wisdom and revelation, but the knowledge that we need is of Him and not of things. As we have knowledge of Him, our eyes our enlightened and we are able to know and understand His calling. I love that it is described as the "hope of His calling". It is something to hope for, to aspire, to long for. Finally, we are able to know what will be our inheritance, His inheritance described as riches of glory!!! I am comforted that the Lord Jesus is granting me knowledge of Him and He will cause me to understand His calling!!! Isn't that an awesome promise to us?!?!?! Does that excite you as much as it excites me!?!?! It should! :) His plans and calling for each one of us are unique, but they are perfectly designed for each of us, they are "tailor made" by our Heavenly Father. Don't you want to learn and fulfill His purpose for you? I certainly do!
On the Sunday that I was in PR, I went with my friend to a ladies retreat. I had never met the lady that was ministering there. After the teaching, during a time of prayer, she came to me and spoke to my heart a very specific Word from the Lord that she had no way of knowing other than through the Spirit. The message was prophetic and included comfort and also direction. She shared that doors had been closed, but that I could be comforted that the enemy wasn't closing the doors, but He had closed the doors and He was opening a door to me to Asia. At that time, Asia was a far thought in my mind. I do have contacts there. I know dear friends in China that are like-minded and dear to me. I also had met Pastor Ted, a dear friend of my pastor Ray, who is a point of contact with my friends, and at a previous time had visited my home church in CC Webster. In spite of knowing them, I didn't really feel like that was a place where I would go to soon. When I heard this, I set it in my heart and waited for further clarity from the Lord and to see how the matter would turn out. I was not ready to just jump at a prophesy without the Lord continuing to confirm that He was calling me directly.
When I was in Florida at the conference, the Lord established some dear connections and provided further direction. I was able to meet up with Ted and establish connections and talk about possible future opportunities for joint service. We left matters as we would continue to pray over the options and seek the will of the Lord.
During my remaining time in Florida, I was able to visit with Margie, Beka and her kids, play a lot of Angry Birds, hang out at the pool and recuperate from my hospital ordeal. What fun time too!!
Before going on the trips, the Lord has made clear to my heart through many scriptures, emails, doors and conversations that my plans to go to Mexico in the summer is encountering a closed door for that time. Since I have been back from the trips, it has become evident that another door is being opened to go to China during that time instead. In my mind, going to China would be something I would do only after having more "experience" under my belt as a missionary, yet, the Lord is seeing fit to orchestrate that as the first trip on my leave of absence. How exciting and how terrifying at the same time!! What this all means is yet to be discovered and I am open to the Lord's direction and further adjusting, should this not be the time, although I believe it is. Stay tuned for the upcoming plans!!! :D
Three months ago today, I read this as part of my devotions:
Woe be to the soul who tries to put his foot in any other direction when once that call has come to him. This College exists for you, and you – to see whether God has a man or woman here who cares about proclaiming His Gospel; to see whether God grips you. And beware of competitors when God does grip you.
-Oswald Chambers, from Utmost Feb 2
I know I am not attending the same college that Oswald was at when he spoke those words, but it still rings true of the circumstances that we are in. We are to explore whether God is gripping our heart to proclaim His Gospel, to share the good news of salvation that Christ died for our sins and rose again!!! And we must beware of anything or anyone competing with Him!
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