hi friends and family!
i wasn’t originally planning on posting this, but God laid it on my heart to share. this is very real, raw, and vulnerable. i hope that this can provide some insight as to what it’s really like coming home from the missions field. enjoy 🙂
coming back to america has been one of the hardest trials that i’ve faced in a long time. some days can be lovely and abounding in joy and others look like staying home all day and pondering the future and rediscovering a purpose in this season of life. my heart actually longs to be with all of my sweet girls and closest friends in asia again. it didn’t feel right to be here again. God had to remind me (and still is reminding me!) that this season is full of purpose and that it is bearing fruit, even if i can’t quite see it. God doesn’t let any season of life go to waste and that this season has full dependence on Him and what He has in store for me. God is showing me His comfort and love for me everyday through these past few weeks. He is so patient and full of grace. He is paving a path for me, even if it isn’t totally clear in this moment. He is the Provider and Sustainer of my life and He knows exactly what He is doing. i trust God’s plan. i’m trying to sow good seeds in this period of uncertainty. i’m trying to find joy everyday, which has been challenging me but also bringing me closer to Him.
a song that has been getting my through this difficult period is “another in the fire” by hillsong united. it talks about how you are not alone when you’re in the fire. God will reveal Himself time and time again and that i’m sure of. in daniel 3, king nebuchadnezzar demanded people to worship a gold image of him and 3 men, shadrach, meshach and abednego, refused. they were brought to the king and they were ordered to worship the gods that the king did as well as the image of himself. the king said if they didn’t, that they would be thrown in a furnace and he then asked “what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” they proceeded to say that God would save them and the king threw them in the furnace. the king was at first relieved that they were going to be killed, but he soon noticed that there were 4 men in the fire, not just the 3 that he saw get thrown in. there were 4 men unbound and unharmed and the 4th man looked like a “son of the gods.” spoiler alert: it was Jesus!!!!!!! they didn’t know who it was yet but this is one of the passages in the old testament that foreshadows Jesus. they came out unharmed and the king believed that only their God could save everyone. here’s the link to the song: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zmNc0L7Ac5c! go listen to it it’s so incredible!
God is literally right there next to us in the fire. i’m so grateful for this song and how it paints a beautiful picture of Jesus standing right next to us and making sure that we know we are not alone and will NEVER be alone. what a mighty God!
thank you for the continued prayers, even now that i’m home! each day is getting easier and i’m finding peace despite the uncertainty.
blessings,
natalie
