Okay, I’m ready…I’ve got my coffee, my flannel, and a beautiful view…now let’s catch up. Go ahead and grab your coffee, too, because it’s been a while, and a lot has happened.
So last month (May) we were in Malaysia. It was another ATL (Ask the Lord) month where we prayed about what God wanted us to do and then did it. My team served alongside of a soup kitchen, where we helped prepare and serve meals to people in need. We helped sort and organize items at a thrift store. We spent time at the house of prayer, just soaking in the presence of God and advocating for His Kingdom. We made new friends. We learned more about ourselves and about God. We made memories and continued this crazy adventure that I still can’t believe is real life.
Then, at the end of the month, our squad had a mini debrief where we received our first team change, and surprise…they asked me to be team leader again. It wasn’t quite as shocking as it was the first time, but still not necessarily something I would choose for myself, but again, I believe God is the one asking, so my answer was yes. So, I am on a new team with five other awesome women, and I’m so excited about what God has in store for us. In praying about our team, He laid Psalms 5:11-12 on my heart, “But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your Name may exult in You. For You bless the righteous, O Lord; You cover him with favor as with a shield,” and I do believe that it will be a time of growing and resting in the presence of God as a team and individually.
So, new team, and now a new country. After our debrief, we headed to Indonesia, where we are now. It’s another ATL month, so after spending a few days praying and planning as a team, we quickly saw God opening and closing doors of opportunities. We crossed paths with people that only could’ve been orchestrated by Him, reminding me that He cares about the one. Now we’re staying near a small village in the mountains. There are more spiders than we’d like and we shower in the river, but it’s been a place of refreshment and a reminder of God’s goodness. I’ve mentioned that I love butterflies because they are a reminder to me of God’s presence, and do you know that I’ve probably seen a hundred butterflies here. We’re able to minister to our host. We’re getting to know each other as a new team. We’re enjoying God’s creation.
Through it all, God continues to work in my heart, drawing me closer to Him and reminding me of who He is. Lately He has overwhelmed me with His goodness. I was sitting in that same spot in the picture at the top, just thinking of all of the ways that God has been good to me, and it brought me to tears. Even in the valleys, He has been faithful, and He is always good. Then the song Never Once came on by Matt Redman, and the lyrics said, “Standing on this mountaintop looking just how far we’ve come, knowing that for every step You were with us, kneeling on this battleground, seeing just how much You’ve done, knowing every victory is Your power in us. Scars and struggles on the way but with joy our hearts will say, yes our hearts can say, never once did we ever walk alone, never once did You leave us on our own. You are faithful, God, You are faithful.” And that was exactly what I was feeling. Even as I write this now, I’m overwhelmed again at just how much He loves me, how He pursues me, and how He has always been faithful. God is just as good in the pain as He is in the blessings, but lately He has been reminding me that He desires good things for me, and He delights in giving good things to His children. Sometimes I find myself expecting the worst, waiting for the next thing to go wrong, so much so that I’m surprised when it doesn’t. But what if I stopped holding my breath waiting for the next thing to go wrong, and started breathing in hope and joy and trust in His faithfulness? Because I know that He is faithful on the mountaintops and in the valleys, and that never once will He make me walk alone.
