Hi Everyone,
Wow, it's been almost a half a year since I finished the World Race…isn't that insane????? I counted the days last night and I was stunned. It feels just like yesterday.
I wanted to send one final post to this blog that served as a beautiful outlet for me last year and that served as a connection for all of you who watched, believed, prayed and spiritually participated back home. Your faith in me and even bigger faith in Papa has done more than you or I will EVER know. Thank you for fighting for me . Thank you for fighting for the King and the Kingdom. I pray that all those times Papa spoke to you through my blogs would not fade or be a passing moment of emotion and inspiration. If you found truth in these postings, then hold on to it! Truth will always remain.
I feel as though I have barely begun to process my journey around the world, but as I do I feel there is a much needed symbolism in embracing a new blog for a new season. Oh trust me, my stories from the race are not going to end here. As I dig up and unpack the past, I embrace and walk towards the future. You will hear stories of then, but even more you will hear stories of now.
This June I am moving to Fredericton, New Brunswick to join an already strong and passionate staff at Corbett Avenue Church to serve as the Children's Ministry director and their administrative assistant. I am so excited and so ready. Not ready as in I have it all figured out, but ready as in I know I am walking into the ordained will of God and that makes me very excited indeed. I can't wait to love on those kids and be the example of a GOOD and LOVING Father. Can you believe that?? I GET TO teach young, blossoming lives about the Mighty God I know. I get to be one of the first people to build on a foundation of Christ that will take them in an endless possibilities of paths for the rest of their life. I get to sing, and dance and be creative with them. And I get to nurture, direct and develop them. I am about to become a Spiritual Mom to 30+ kids! And then I get to be the face that says "Welcome", I get to do all kinds of behind the scenes task that help make a ministry flow. YES! These kids and these tasks are about to teach me and stretch me in ways the Race left open for another season. "…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ." (Phil. 1:6)
After the Race I went into this "Victim Mentality" for a while. I was focusing on all the things I had lost in ending the race, instead of all the things I was coming in to, and now I say no more to that! I am not a Victim, but a Victor in Christ! I LACK NO GOOD THING! As I move in to this next season of new community, new ministry, new surroundings, I am racking up a list of all the ways God is providing for me. From furniture and dishes, to the furthering of what is already a good friendship will be provided for me. There is so, so much to be thankful for and so many miracles happening all around us. If you let the media, the negative people around you, and your own internal insecurities distract you, sight of the good is easy to lose. It's interesting to read the account of Jesus multiplying the loaves and fish for the 4000…nowhere does it say that the 4000 were actually even aware of the miracle. They just ate, and ate until they were full. Only Jesus and the 12 new what had happened. It makes me wonder, "how many miracles happen everyday, all around me, and I am completely unaware, simply because I am only concerned about me and what I have right in front of me?"
I have opened a new blog titled The Art of Redemption. Yes you have heard that before, because it is the name Jesus has given to my life's ministry. I have hopes of it becoming a real, live and active organization someday, but until God brings that to fruition I will start here, with words, faith and renewal expressed beautifully and sometimes not so beautifully, in my daily life. I want to share what Jesus is doing in my life and the lives of those around me. I want to put an arena of PRAISE out there. I want to contribute to the pool of written WORSHIP. I am tired of the media only ever highlighting the bad and the ugly. I want to highlight the GOOD.
So please join me and follow the link below, enter your email on the right of that page, and sign up for updates! I will post about beauty in food, and books and art, and photography, but also in ministry experiences and life lessons.
Here's to what may come.
Here's to the King, the Kingdom and his glorious art of Redemption!
Cheers.
-Aisha
