The past 10 days have been a learning experience to say the least. I have learned so many different things that prove that I do not need to be comfortable to grow in Jesus. Camping, bucket showers, and sleeping pads are not what I would call “comfortable”.. however through all of that God shows up exactly where we are and calls us into a deeper relationship with Him. There are a few key points that I learned during camp that I would like you to think about. Oh by the way, you may have to get outside your comfort zone to do this!
- DON’T WAIT! When God calls, Answer.
I sat down with one of the guys who has been on the race before and I asked him “what advice would you give someone in my position who is getting ready to leave” and that is what he said. He told me to not wait for someone else to make the first move or wait for the right moment. When I hear the holy spirit telling me to do something just DO IT. And that goes for every day life, even here in Houston there is plenty of opportunity to serve, we just have to be in tune with His voice.
- Living in Community is FUN
At first I was a little hesitant with being okay with living with people that I just met, all the time, with no “alone time”. We ate meals together, we sweat together, we studied scripture together, we prayed together, we worshiped God together. Spending so much time with people who have the same mind set and the same goals to reach as many people as we can for the name of Jesus Christ has been one of my favorite parts of the week. Leaving home will be one of the toughest decisions I have ever made in my life. Realizing that I have such good Godly parents and a Church that has relentless love on people is something to cherish, because not everyone has that. I am just excited to have new friends that became family over a short 10 days that I will spend the next year with. God has a very special plan for this group who serve.
- God did not give us a spirit of fear or timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and self discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
This was the verse that God put on my heart this week to not only focus on but to memorize! I have read over it numerous times before but to read it and apply it to my life of where I am at currently is Gods fingerprint. I hear Him telling me that everything is going to be okay, and to keep trusting in Him. Fundraising is not an easy thing to accomplish but to know that I have over $9,000 on the way to my $16,000 goal is HUGE!! There is a lot of unknown involved with traveling to different countries to spread the good news. There is a lot of unknown that comes with leaving everything at home that makes me feel comfortable and that I have it all together to walk alongside of Christ and give up a year of my life to GO places that I don’t feel comfortable. I know that it will all be okay because HE Gives me a SPIRIT inside of me that is Powerful and shows LOVE!! He is where I find my comfort and my rest. He is where I find my peace. He is where I find my joy.
I’ll close with this short testimony..
On the way home from dropping a couple of guys in Dallas, I had to stop and get gas. I pulled over off the highway (probably not the greatest part of the city) and went in to use the restroom and buy some snacks for my drive back to Houston. Between the bigger guys walking around the store and the young man with a 6 pack carrying an aluminum bat in his hand I looked up to heaven and whispered “okay God, I hope you’re in the middle of this situation.” Showing no fear and being as polite as I possibly could they left one by one. After purchasing my items and walking to the car I noticed a homeless man sitting by the other pumps. As I started to put gas in my car he called out “hey buddy, do you have any water?” to which I truthfully responded “I’m sorry, I don’t.”
Something I learned at camp through a scenario is that God calls us to love others no matter how big or small, and to acknowledge them as a person and not turn our backs on people. After I was finished pumping I went over to this gentleman and said “this is what I have” and handed him $2. His eyes lit up and became so thankful and grateful! He told me that God has been the only thing he has been holding onto and He is the reason he is alive to this day!! I responded “He is the Way the Truth and the Life” and he said “God Bless you young man.”
