Dear Mt. View,
I have been called to be a missionary, and honestly, typing it even seems a little crazy. Although it doesn’t frighten me anymore, for awhile it did. I couldn’t fathom why God wanted me to help spread His love, when my baggage was so heavy. The things I have done, and have been through just never made sense to me. For so many years I was confused, for so many years I was hurting, and for so many years I felt abandoned by God. I was completely numb, and I thought my circumstances was my destiny because it was all I knew. I strayed away from God’s love because I felt like I couldn’t be loved. I thought I didn’t deserve it. Nothing made sense to me. So when I finally gave into what God had laid on my heart, of course it all started coming together.
A while back I wrote this in my journal:
“You are born in sin, you live in sin, and you will die in sin, but I am not alone. God can take my sorrows. I might feel down, but God will put that baggage on Himself, and He will give me peace. Lily don’t fake your goodness: give it to God. Trade your old to new. Just give Him the broken, and He will mold it into His plan”.
From that point on I was on fire. I had gained this amount of peace that felt everlasting, and it is still burning. I finally realized that if I didn’t fully surrender, then I couldn’t serve Jesus. I noticed that I have to be willing to lay down my life, and set aside my desires to fulfill His plan. I learned that If I deny myself and follow Him I can live in the Kingdom, and bring others with me. I see not with my eyes, but with my faith that the worldly things I give up; I gain a million in Jesus.
I want to say thank you to everyone who has ever attended Mt. View. Even though I will be serving in other countries around the world you all have served me here. The amount of examples I have been able to witness growing up in this church is unreal. Thank you for following God. Thank you for acting out the fruits of the spirit. Thank you for taking the time to pour into me when I was younger. Thank you for praying for what seemed like forever for me to finally get saved. To finally allow Jesus in my heart, and thank you for still praying because I know you all still do. I know without a doubt that this is a church of prayer, and I know that you all have prayed so hard for the ones you love. So thank you for setting such amazing examples for me.
Love, Lily!
