Hey,
I’m currently at a hotel writing this. I have been in Georgia for the last few days for more training and bonding time with my team. In all reality, I dont think that the fact I’m leaving the country for a year has hit me yet. I think it probably will hit me after a few months. I’m excited to get to our first ministry location somewhere in Indonesia. We are finding out teams today, and these will be our teams for the next few months.
Backing up… I went to a christian confrence the other day in Kansas City with 26,000 other believers. It was great! I went by myself and met a few people while I was there. The Lord reminded me how much he loved me and how he likes to spoil his kids sometimes. I met two different people while I was there, that choose to buy me food at the conference and blessed me with shoes to wear for the race. I felt very undeserving and probably am, but the Lord said that he put it on their hearts and that he just wanted to spoil me. This definitely impacted me greatly and I will never forget the fact that we don’t earn the Lords love, provision etc. but that it is purely a gift from him. I also hadn’t wanted to go the confrence beacause it seemed like it would be more draining before I left for the race than it was worth. I felt like the Lord still wanted me to go so I went. To my suprise, it was what I needed. It was refreshing and was a good retreat with the Lord. He definitely knows what we need. 🙂
Financially, I’m getting close to being fully funded. Thank God! I’m about 81% funded and have about 3,000 dollars to go. If the Lord lays it on your heart to give financially, I have until April to be fully funded and you can give anytime up until then.
Prayer is a big need too…. as my team and I step on to the field. We are findining out teams tonight and who will be filling the different roles such as: team learders, treasurers etc. If you could, be praying that we wouldn’t allow bitterness or comparison to enter into our minds tonight. Also, please pray for anything else that comes to your mind.
Some cool verses that the Lord has highlighted to me over the last few days in my time with him are:
Psalms 136 and specifically the fact that it says: “For his steadfast love endures forever”. Throughout the chapter there are different things that are said before this statement, some harder to hear than others, but in all things that his “steadfast love endures for ever”. It is never changing! That is very comforting to me.
Another is Isaiah 41:17-20
Thanks so much for reading this, I hope it was encouraging. Remember that the Lord loves you and that we don’t do anything to deserve his love and that He is excited to give it to us in abundance….sometimes even in the form of gifts from others. John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8, James 1:17
