The past week has been a period of exponential growth for me. I didn’t think it was possible for someone to grow so much in just a few days.
I have so many thoughts, feelings, and stories I want to tell. It’s all so jumbled in my head so forgive me if this blog is a mess.
First of all! We made it to Thailand! Let me tell you. It’s HOT. Like lose 10 pounds-in-a-quick-minute hot. It’s also full of culture and wonder, and I’m so excited to dive in and experience all I can! We finally got to actually have showers instead of using cold buckets of water and I got to sleep in a bed for the first time in a week. Praise the Lord for the little things! This is my first day here and I’m so looking forward to what the Lord is going to do!
Anyways back to the point. One of the most prevalent things God has placed on my heart in training camp is the word “bold.”
This means so many different things to me and my hope for what my team and I will be able to do to further the kingdom.
I’m praying that we have boldness to step out and claim the gospel and share it with abandon. Boldness to have authority to stand against temptation from the enemy. Temptations of giving into anxiety, fear, and feelings of worthlessness. If those are things holding us back they are not part of us, or from God. This is one of the biggest things I learned about myself this week. Anxiety is not a part of my identity but a tool for Satan to push me away from what God is so sweetly calling me to do.
More than that I feel a call to boldness in a way that is sensitive to other cultures. I think it is so important we have boldness to be humble and to immerse ourselves into the unique beautiful diversity culture is. If we approach sharing the good news in an American way we will not succeed as much as we will if we present Jesus in a way that respects culture. How beautifully unique He made us, I hope we will honor that in all ways. This even applies to people in our own environments that may have different lifestyles than us. To seek to understand and share Gods love.
The most important though, is to have the boldness to love. To love our neighbors just like Jesus would. To open our hearts to be vulnerable and laid bare. In a sense, the vulnerability to truly love is boldness.
I’m so excited to see what God does with my heart, my team’s, and the people around us.
w/love Dana
