What a month. I’m finally sitting down, ready to think through and process all that I’ve got to experience since the beginning of June… and now I’m staring at the screen, deleting every other sentence that I write because the words seem to fall short of clearly depicting the stance of my heart in this moment.
All I can say is I am in love with my Savior.
He has shown me time and time again of His goodness, of His heart for His children, of His grace, of His relentless pursuit. And I am unworthy.
But I accept Him.
And praise Jesus, so do many boys and girls who heard about His saving love and understood it for the first time this past week. How humbling, that God chooses to use me, in my no-voice, nose-running, distracted, sinful self to teach these children about His love, how He took their punishment, and how He wants to call them His own.
Neveah, who’s name is Heaven spelled backwards, is now my sister in Christ. Her little face beamed a smile that lit the day when I told her we are a part of the family of God together. Her faith grew each day, soaking in Bible stories, claiming them as truth, and relating them back to her own life. Praise Jesus, that He goes out and seeks those who are lost.
So many children got to hear the Gospel this week. I was tired, I was sick, I was thinking about things back home.
But, in His grace, in His faithfulness, God is keeping His promise that His Word will never return empty, and that He is not finished completing the good works He has started in His children.
In the weeks prior to Flood Philly, I was in Georgia meeting my squad of 26 other people at training camp. We prayed together, learned together, praised our amazing Jesus together, and grew to know each other. In those ten days, we camped outside, had heart transforming sessions together, and worked through different “field scenarios” stimulations like lost luggage, sleeping in an airport, and large group sleeping areas. These stimulations gave me the opportunity to grow my relationship with some of the people on my squad- you get pretty close pretty quick when you’re sharing everything you brought, including your tent;). I’m excited to have this base to grow our friendships with Jesus as the center.
The most impactful thing during training camp for me was the worship nights. Praising our Savior through song with a hundred other believers was so powerful and encouraging. I loved remembering who God says He is, and praising Him for that in song. Through these worshipful times, my heart was reset to saying “YES” to Jesus in every moment, every day. Many of our leaders would be praying for us during this time, and would come share what they felt God was saying to them on our behalf. I was so encouraged by the words they shared; that God is refreshing me like streams in a desert, that I am chosen by Him, and that He is making me to be a warrior. Each of these had a profound impact on my heart, and I know God will continue growing me in each of these areas. I’ll share more about each of them as He works in me, so stay tuned :).
So, June has come and gone. I have seen God do mighty and powerful things, and I have seen Him gently draw me to Himself with His love. He is so good to us- don’t forget to notice His gifts to you each day.
A few weeks have passed since I’ve written these words. The time for goodbyes is coming closer, and my heart feels heavy with those impending words. But Jesus is the same no matter where we are, and I can always hold onto Him, for He is always holding me. I’m thankful for the sweet time I’m able to spend with my dear family and close friends, and trying to cherish the moments we have before I leave. And soon, a time of hello’s will be here, where I can say “?????? ????” to the people I’m blessed to meet in Ukraine, and Jesus will be working in new ways as I step out into the adventure He has prepared long before I knew about it.
