Thursday, March 22, 2012

Finding Purpose

                  A few weeks ago, a friend lent me the book Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis. She knew that I had a heart for Africa and told me I would enjoy the book.I'm so thankful that the LORD had her lend me the book! Even though I'm only a few chapters in, the LORD has used the book not only in my personal life, but has used it to reveal my purpose in going to Malawi this summer. In the book, Katie talks about how when she first went to Uganda that she struggled in why the Lord would choose to send her halfway across the world at such a young age. The reason that the LORD gave her was to love others with the love of God. When I read that the section today, it hit me that the reason is choosing to send me half way across the world this summer to Malawi for extended period is to love others with God's love. Whether it be by loving on the orphans or widows that are a part of the program at Esther's House, sharing the Gospel with someone in nearby villages, or helping with administrative tasks, I am showing the love of God to others. I've known for sometime now that I was supposed to go back to Malawi this summer for extended stay, but now I know the purpose of me going back to Malawi this summer.
                   As for an update for where I am in preparing for my journey back to Malawi, I have just started the support-raising aspect of the journey. To learn more about Pure Mission/ Esther's House and how you can support me click on the following link http://puremission.org/give/send-a-servant/#/35. I will meet soon with people in charge at Pure Mission to find out my specific tasks to accomplish while I am over there this summer. I've completed basic training for the trip, but will soon start training with others that will be coming over while I am in Malawi this summer. 

Saturday, March 17, 2012

GOD ANSWERS SPECIFIC PRAYER!!

      Over the last several weeks, there is something else that the LORD has been teaching me both in life and through preparing for my journey back to Malawi. He has been teaching me about surrendering all to Christ and about praying specific prayers.
     About a month ago, during a sermon at church Pastor Nick Floyd encouraged us to pray specific prayers and to watch for and praise God for the specific answers that God gave us. One of my recent prayers has been that God would help me to be diligent with my online class (only class left to have my degree completed). Many of my close friends have prayed (and have been sweet to encourage me along the way) this along with me. The last couple of weeks have been very busy for me but the LORD has helped me to get a lot done with the class!! My specific prayer is that the LORD would help me to get the class done by May 1. And I know that He will be faithful to answer that prayer! My next specific prayer has been what areas of my life do I need to surrender to Him fully that I have not already surrendered to Him. 
    There were several areas of my life that the LORD showed me that I had not surrendered fully to Him. Some of those areas that are related to going to Malawi this summer included things like surrendering my comforts (like my favorite foods, Diet Mountain Dew, my car), my family, and the cost of the trip of the journey. I pray that my response to ALL the things that the LORD revealed to me that I needed to surrender would be giving them to Him with open hands with no grip on ANYTHING! I know that this will be hard but with God all things are possible.
     I encourage you to pray specifically & to watch and praise God for how HE answers those prayers!!


Specific prayer requests that I have for the upcoming week (related to my journey back to Malawi) are: 

  •  that I would surrender all to God
  •  that I would trust Him for the amount that I need to raise
  • that I would continue to seek God for specific things & praise Him when he provides specific answers




TO FIND OUT HOW TO SUPPORT ME FINANCIALLY PLEASE GO TO THE FOLLOWING LINK
http://puremission.org/give/send-a-servant/#/35

Sunday, March 11, 2012

a bit of encouragement

so I started this blog so that I could let others in on my journey back to Malawi. Most of these blog posts will have to do with things related to my journey back to Malawi; both before and during the journey. Sometimes it may be about the things God is doing in my daily life that is preparing me for what lies ahead.

Tonight I heard something at church that I wanted to share with y'all. We talked about discouragement. Specifically we talked about how living from the inside out will lead you through discouragement. We were in the book of Nehemiah. Man, did I need this sermon! One of the ways that satan tried to discourage Nehemiah was by distractions. satan has tried to discourage me through distractions in many ways over the last few weeks by being sick (mostly asthma & allergy problems), through busyness of life, and by trying to give me distracting thoughts. The way Nehemiah handled the distractions was focusing and completing the task at hand. I have a task at hand right now and that is preparing for what is to come this summer in Malawi. There are tasks that need to be completed before that and I pray that God would help me to stay focused on those tasks and the call He has placed on my life for the summer. I also pray that this would encourage you to focus on what God wants you to be doing and that you would look to God and His word when you feel discouraged and distracted from the plan He has for your life!