Wow! That’s all I can say about our debrief at Ko Samet last week. After five days of fun, sun, ATV riding, worship services and snorkeling I’m back in Bangkok. Check out some awesome photos courtesy of Ryan Stewart.
One heck of a view just off the ATV trail!
Me, Shawn and Becca soaking in all the beauty!
Obviously we had a great time exploring the island and digesting our last month of ministry, but God also continued to teach me about patience, trust and being His beloved son. All month He’s had me deep in Lamentations 3, particularly verses 25 thru 29. It seems anytime I start asking Him anything about my future this is where my heavenly Father always takes me.
“The Lord is wonderfully GOOD to those who WAIT for Him and SEEK Him. So it is GOOD to WAIT QUIETLY for salvation from the Lord. And it is GOOD for the young to SUBMIT to the yoke of His discipline. Let them SIT alone in SILENCE beneath the Lord’s demands. Let them LIE face down in the dust; then at last there is HOPE for them.”
Basically, God is telling me to sit down, shut up, relax and trust him. Trust his promises for my life. Trust that He IS good – “wonderfully good!” Trust that my future is secure so all I got to do is rest in His love, rest at His feet and continue to seek Him. He wants me to learn to live in the moment, to live in His love, to live in patient expectation of the life He has for me. Wait, I AM living the life He has for me! And what an abundant life it is! (John 10:10b) It’s not always about looking ahead, planning for the future, flipping out about what to do next. To truly not worry about the future, in my opinion, is to truly trust our heavenly Father. That’s faith! That’s how the Bible defines it: Hebrews 11:1 “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen.” So this is where the Lord has had me living – in the moment, and for me, living in the moment means digging in the Word, meditating on God’s truths, staying in prayer and always being ready to be the hands and feet of Jesus. As far as future based questions; what am I going to do when I get home, where will God lead me from here, what’s to come of different relationships in my life, when will I meet my wife, or have I already met her and not know it, whatever the question may be, I just turn that stuff over to God pretty much every second of the day. It ain’t easy folks! But it’s a great thing “the Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek Him.”
Anyway, moving on, debrief is also a chance to transition to the next ministry and for us that is in the Philippines. We’re hanging here in Bangkok for a few days getting ready for our trip. We fly out Thursday and these next couple days my prayer for our team is that we just draw closer to God. (James 4:8) I also pray for team unity. Not to say we’re having problems, that’s not it at all, it’s just that Scott, Linnea, Josh and I are with a whole new group of gals. Here’s our new team, we don’t have a name yet, but we’re working on it. If ya’ll got any suggestions please email me. Starting from the left, Alissa, Linea, Leah, me, Lynette and Amy.
Our mission while in the Philippines is to do set-up work for future world race teams. Basically, we’ll scout out new ministry contacts, hang out with them, check out their operation, actually get hands on with the ministry and see if it is something future teams could do. I know the first seven to ten days we’ll be in the slums of Manila living and working with inner city kids. I hear this is some of the worst slums on the planet, in terms of just shear poverty and crime. I know it says in Isaiah 58:8, “Your godliness will lead you forward and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.” But I still ask for your prayers of protection over us, especially our girls.
