hey friends !
My team and I have been living in the Philippines for a week now and it has truly been amazing. The Holy Spirit has been so present everyday, showing up in the big and little things. In ministry we have been able to do things such as serve food to kids and families in the local area, serve in women’s prisons, and lead women’s and kid’s bible studies! Everyday we get to do something new and everyday the Lord shows up in a powerful way. Every person here is so loving towards us and never fails to greet us with the biggest smiles. This community has so much joy and love for the Lord. You cant help but feel joy when you are surrounded by it.
love this little girl !
STORY TIME
The Lord speaks through such simple things and I love it. The other night I was standing in line for the shower in our house. We have fifteen girls and two showers so you can imagine how long that takes 🙂 I looked at the book shelf that was in front of me and saw a “Jesus Calling” book. I decided to pick it up to just look at it. I ended up opening it to a random page and the Lord spoke saying just what I needed to hear. The first words I read were “I am taking care of you”. As I read it, I automatically felt the Holy Spirit’s presence surround me and I felt His comfort. As I continued to read further, it began to talk about TRUST. It read “Trust the Lord at all times. Trust the Lord in all circumstances. Trust the Lord with all your HEART”. I had heard that phrase a hundred times before but this time it was different. I realized I had been saying I trusted the Lord fully but in reality I was not. I was keeping what I thought was a safe distance from full trust because I feared disappointment. I feared that if I trusted the Lord with everything and He did not do what “I wanted” then I would feel disappointment. See, the thing is, that our God is a God who never disappoints.
Romans 5:5 “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
I realized that I was letting my fear of thinking that the Lord’s plan might not look like mine, cripple me. It was holding me back from feeling the freeness that comes with putting your whole hearted TRUST in the Lord. By putting your TRUST in Him your worry is no longer needed, your fear is no longer present, and your peace is overflowing.
It brings me so much joy that the Lord can speak through such small things, like a book on a shelf. Even when we least expect it, he shows up and reminds us how much He cares. Even when you are just standing waiting for your shower and all you are thinking about is going to bed, He shows up. Honestly all that was on my mind that night was getting some good sleep and the Lord said “I’m going to use this simple time to show you how much I care”. God’s love is so beautiful and all we have to do is except it.
