The Blessing of a Kidney Stone

Ever since June 22 when I was admitted to the Craigavon Area Hospital I heard people talk about how awful it was for me to spend my "holiday" like that (the nurses said it to me and behind my back...I was the talk of the ward, after all, it's not every day they get a visitor from Alabama).  Even now that I've returned home, people still comment on how it must have been a miserable experience to get sick out of the country. 

First of all, I am hardly ever sick, and when I am, it's even rarer that I will go see a doctor (I believe that I should spare all those poor people in the waiting room and I don't want to catch whatever they have).  I am generally very healthy, so whenever I get sick, I mean really sick, I'm miserable.  Sick=miserable.  But that wasn't the point of what everyone was saying.  Their point was that I was on holiday in a foreign country and instead of enjoying my holiday I was in the Majors Ward.  I guess from their perspective it would have been awful, but I had a completely different perspective on the whole situation.  Let me share with you why I believe that the kidney stone was one of my greatest blessings on the trip.

Starting with the day before, I hardly ate anything.  I lost my appetite and I was very tired.  I just assumed it was from being on the go for a week operating on less sleep than I'd like.  I had been talking with the other girls about what the Saturday schedule was going to look like.  I encouraged them to sleep in a little later because they were tired, too.  And I reminded them that as we moved on to our next host church and the BBQ that they had planned that they were going to be excited and eager to meet us and it would be important not to brush them off because we were tired.  This would be our second week, but it was important that we go into it with as much energy enthusiasm as the first week because it was their "first week".  Later that evening the minister came to me with "bad news".  He had just been in contact with the other minister and apparently they weren't going to pick us up as early as we had originally thought.  The minister then explained to me that he was concerned because 1.) he had a wedding to perform and couldn't look after us and 2.) he felt like it was too late to ask the people in the church to come up with an activity for us.  I told him not to worry about it, that actually it was providential, as long as the church hall was open, we could just be dropped off by our hosts at the scheduled time (so that they could go on with their plans for the day) and we could just chill until we were picked up (I was sure that the couches would all be occupied by exhausted team members), and I told him not to worry about feeding us, we could just walk down the street to the grocery store and buy our own food.  They had been wonderful hosts and we weren't put out in the least that this had happened.  He thought the plan was agreeable so we went off to tell the team members and host families.  Actually, it worked out great because the girls were asked to do a private ballet lesson, everyone was happy.

Saturday morning was supposed to be my morning to sleep in (granted, I still had to pack) but at 4:30 I woke up in severe pain.  I had no clue what was going on.  Disoriented and unable to catch my breath because with each pain wave it was knocked out again I ran through possibilities of what was going on.  Was it my appendix?  I had no clue which side the appendix is on, but I knew that if that's what it was, it could be very serious...I Google searched it...not my appendix.  Other than ruling out the appendix, the search was quite unhelpful.  So I woke up my roommate, she was just as disoriented as I was, and texted my dad (like he could do anything), took ibuprofen, my roommate went back to sleep, and for a few hours I fluctuated from dull pain to excruciating and nauseating pain before I finally woke up my host.  Because it was Saturday my options were 1.) wait for a doctor to get to his office or 2.) go to the A&E.  The decision for the A&E was made just as another wave of pain hit like a ton of bricks.  We woke up my roommate again, who, still disoriented, made plans to go to the hospital with me.

My first thought when we called for an ambulance (the reason for the ambulance being that I would be admitted faster) was Thank God our plans changed last night.  He was providing for the team in more ways than we expected.  It's now 9:30, we were originally supposed to be picked up at 10, at least this way the team (and new church) won't be waiting on me...Then came the ambulance ride, my first ever (and Lord willing, last) ambulance ride.  As someone who is prone to motion sickness, I was a little worried about the ride, but God held of the next wave of pain and nausea until after we arrived at the hospital...but I'm getting a little ahead of myself.  I don't know too much about medical bills, again, I'm generally a healthy person, but I do remember that when my "baby" brother was about 5 he had a few ER visits and ambulance rides and I remember my parents talking about how they were going to pay the bills, especially the one for the ambulance.  As I rode in that ambulance I thought about how Memorial Day weekend someone emptied my bank account and although the bank promised to get my money back for me (she made it sound like it would happen fast) I still was waiting (even now as I write this I am still waiting on my money to be returned).  Okay, to be honest, I wouldn't be able to afford the bill even if the money wasn't stolen, I live on a single teacher's salary with student loans that I'm working to pay off.  The money that was stolen was the cushion that I was just starting to build up.  I knew that I had to trust in God's provision in the matter.

When we arrived at the hospital the Majors Ward was full so we went back to Reception where I signed my life away.  Northern Ireland has socialized health care for its citizens, but since I'm not a citizen of Northern Ireland I had to sign a form saying that I would pay for the services.  I took a deep breath--God will provide, He is not surprised by this turn of events, He is faithful--and signed.  I thought about the insurance that I thought we got for the trip, I didn't know how it would work, but I was sure once I could contact someone it would all be taken care of.  Shortly a bed opened up in the Majors Ward and and once again we waited.  For the first time the whole trip I really felt like I was in another county.  I was disconnected, which hadn't bothered me before, but this time it left me feeling quite helpless.  It had been 5 hours since my last contact with my dad (shortly after I texted him, I lost the ability to send any more messages to update him...iMessage said it couldn't connect to the internet...oddly enough I was still able to connect to Facebook so shortly before I left the house I posted what was happening, hoping that he would see it).  Neither my roommate or I had any ability to contact anyone, our phones only worked with wifi, so we sat there wondering how the rest of the team was doing, who would pick us up when it was all over, etc. 

It was a long day with a lot of waiting.  Blood and urine samples were taken and I was sent off for an X-ray...I sighed I'm going to be in debt for the rest of my life but God is good.  Lunch was served and a member of the congregation showed up...relief.  Actually, the other team members were all at his house, so when he got there he called his wife and the silence was broken.  At least now people would know what was going on. Then another wave of pain hit that was just as bad as the one that woke me up.  The others excused themselves to get food and to let me rest and the nurse came back reporting that nothing showed up on the X-ray but the blood showed a problem with my kidney and she told me that they were prepping a CT scan for me...then she realized I was in pain and administered morphine (I had previously refused morphine in the ambulance, but this time it was so bad that I was ready for some relief).  When she left, and my head cleared a little, I found myself praying.  I prayed for all of the people we worked with over the past week.  I prayed for the private ballet lessons.  I prayed for the upcoming week.  I praised God because He is sovereign.  I asked God for His provision (by that point I finally had contact with the person who was supposed to get the insurance...he said I would have to submit the paperwork when I got home and I would be reimbursed).  And then I acknowledged that God has a purpose for all things, it was no accident that I was in the hospital, and I prayed that God would open the door for me to share my faith (everyone in the ward was talking about me, so I knew that there would be an opportunity) and that He would give me the boldness once the door was opened. 

While I was praying, someone in a bed near me started to sing.  I don't know what she was singing, but I think she was singing to her husband.  When I finished my prayer, my morphine induced state emboldened me to also start singing.  This is not normal for me.  Yes, I like to sing, but I also am reserved and don't like to draw attention to myself, but I thought, hey, if other people are singing, I might as well sing praises to my God.  I'm pretty sure I sang "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" because we sang it the night before and it was still floating around in my head.  When I finished, I dozed off until the nurse came to take me for my CT scan.  She asked lots of questions, but my head was fuzzy, so I was concerned that I was giving the right answers...I do know that I told her I was there to work with local churches to help with their Bible Club...she was disinterested.  Then the technician asked me a series of questions, again I wondered if I was giving the right answers, but then I remember very clearly his curiosity of why in the world I was in Northern Ireland...so I dove in.  I told him that I wasn't on holiday that I was working with a church.  I talked about my love for the people in Ireland and how it paled in comparison to God's love.  I talked about sin and our need for salvation and that the salvation only comes through Jesus Christ.  I hope I made sense...anyway, it's God who saves, not me, I am just an instrument. 

When I went back to the Majors Ward I was informed by my roommate that the church member had talked with Reception and that I would not be charged for the visit.  I don't know how he took care of that, but I am grateful.  After a little more waiting (for a total of 6 hours in the A&E) they reported back that they found a small kidney stone, that I should be able to pass it on my own, they prescribed pain killers and something else to help with the kidney stone, and scheduled a followup visit.  A side note, during the time I was in the hospital we were in contact with the other church and once again the pick up time was moved back so by the time I was released I had plenty of time to have tea (I still wasn't feeling great so I only ate toast), go back and pack, and then meet up with our new hosts.

Never once did I doubt God's sovereignty in the event.  I trusted that He would provide a way to pay for all the expenses that were piling up, I just didn't know how.  I knew that He had a purpose, I just didn't know what other than to show His power and glory.  Even in the days ahead as my recovery was slow (I didn't pass the kidney stone until late Tuesday night) I felt God's presence and strength.  I was never actually admitted in my followup, I sat in a waiting room and the doctor visited me there, I had more blood work, an ultrasound (which showed the kidney stone was still there), got more medicine, but still no bill.  Even though the medicine made me extremely drowsy, God gave me the strength to keep going in the ministry (I did miss all of the Sunday events and a couple of the outings, but even when I was feeling absolutely rotten God strengthened me for the Bible Club). 

Again I will say that I believe that the kidney stone was one of the greatest blessings on the trip.  Through it God displayed His power as a provider, as sovereign, as the One who gives strength for His glory.  It was a blessing that strengthened my faith.  A blessing that I will be able to look back on in the future and say, See what God did?  God can do the same now.  And even if He doesn't, I will still praise Him.

"Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" 

by Robert Robinson

Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of God's unchanging love.
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Without Excuse

I have been spending a little time this morning catching up on the Mondays with Mounce blog.  A fellow teacher introduced me to the blog at the end of the school year with the suggestion that I could use it in my Greek 1 and 2 classes.  I still haven't worked that one out, but I have a lot of reading to do before I dismiss the idea all together.  Anyway, when I left for Ireland I naturally stopped following the blog (limited internet, limited time, and all that).  So this morning I read the past couple of entries, I probably would have "caught up" with the entries, but the one about General Revelation and God's Love reminded me very much of the experience I had about 3 weeks ago in Ireland.

While the team is in Ireland the churches we work with take us sightseeing during our "downtime".  I've seen several beautiful places in Northern Ireland, and the church members joke that I am Miss Northern Ireland Tourism and apologize for taking me places I have already seen.  (Are you kidding me?  I love returning to the sights!  Besides, most of the people on the team have not seen these sights.)  This year, though, the first church we worked with brought us out to a place I had never even heard of, the Marble Arch Caves in County Fermanagh.  For those of you who keep up with politics, Enniskillen where the G8 summit was held just the day before we went to the Marble Arch Caves is in County Fermanagh.  The church we were working with was even in the flight path so we saw many helicopters going to and leaving the G8 summit.

From the moment we began our descent into the cave and the cool air surrounded me, I was struck by the beauty of the place.  And then we were at an underground lake and we had to take boats in order to continue the tour and I knew this was going to be a highlight of my trip.  Everything was so still, so peaceful.  The air was naturally cool (we were in a cave) and I like cool temperatures.  And everywhere we looked there was more beauty.  I was struck at how much beauty was underground and how only God, the Creator of the universe, who is Beauty, could create something so lovely.  It CRIED OUT His praises.  Even in the stillness of the caves, even in the silence, you could almost hear the rocks singing, the stream that flowed bubbled with songs of His glory.  By the time we got to the Underwater City (a place where the water is so still that it reflects so clearly the ceiling above that it looks like there is a city in the water) I was so overwhelmed by the beauty and the majesty of the place that I stood for a while trying to hold back tears. 

God, the Creator of the universe, made all of what we saw and He enjoyed it for centuries before the caves were explored.  The tour guide explained that the early inhabitants knew about the caves but were very superstitious and afraid of the caves.  God created it to glorify Himself.  He enjoys it.  And He loves us so much and desires for us to glorify Him so He has shared its beauty with us.  That humbles me.  We can have an intimate relationship with God and He does share His beauty with us so that we might know Him better.  I am not worthy.

While I was soaking in the beauty all around me, I was reminded of the very passage that Mounce references in his blog (see link above).  In light of all of this I am convinced now even more than ever that we all really are without excuse.  All of creation testifies that there is a Creator God and it is by the hardness of our hearts that we are unable to see it and recognize the True God.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divne nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse. ~ Romans 1:18-20

Be Strong and Courageous

For years, yes years (ever since I took my first short term trip in the spring of 2006), I have longingly browsed websites for various missions organizations, thinking, praying that one day once my student loans were paid off, I would go full time.  While I think that most of my intentions for waiting until my students loans were paid off (I didn't want to put that burden on supporters), part of it was fear (maybe I'll grow up a little and be more ready, more usable on the mission field).  Every spring since then I look for full time opportunities, then check on my student loan status, and then pray, and let it go...next year will be the year, if only I could pay off that loan faster...

This past spring I finally decided that I would inform my principal that the 2013-14 school year would more than likely be my last (I know, that's a lot of notice, but it's not always easy finding someone to teach Latin and Greek.  That move terrified me.  I have security at the school.  I have friends at the school.  Even now the thought of this next year being my last kind of scares me.  It also strangely excites me as I am beginning the search for a missions organization.  I received my first mailing from an organization yesterday.  I hope to hear from others soon.  I hope that at least one will hear what I propose, a performing arts ministry in Northern Ireland, and want me to join their team.  

What does God have in store for me as I move forward?  I honestly don't know.  A few things I do know: 1.) I am still contracted to teach this upcoming school year so it's not over for me yet.  I'll make the most of it. 2.) God has sent me friends who are like-minded in missions.  Perhaps He is already building his team. 3.) God is faithful and He has already addressed my fears: 

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.  ~ Joshua 1:9

Book Review: Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper

I just finished John Piper's book Let the Nations Be Glad: the Supremacy of God in Missions.  I tackled it in 2 days.

First, I highly recommend this book to any Christian.  It's not just for those who are on the mission field or who are considering missions.  The first and the last paragraphs of the book explains why:

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church.  Worship is.  Missions exists because worship doesn't.  Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.  When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more.  It is a temporary necessity.  But worship abides forever (35).

Not every Christian is called to be a missionary, but every follower of Christ is called to be a world Christian.  A world Christian is someone who is so gripped by the glory of God and the glory of his global purpose that he chooses to align himself with God's mission to fill the earth with the knowledge of his glory as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14).  Everything a world Christian does is with a view to the hallowing of God's name and the coming of God's kingdom among all the peoples of the earth.  The burning prayer of the world Christian is, "Let the people's praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!" (Ps. 67:3).  So whether we are those who send or those who go, let us glory in the supremacy of God in missions, and let us link arms together as we join in the refrain of old, "Let the nations be glad!" (264).

This book covers worship (What is worship anyway?  Is it something that happens during a weekly church gathering or is it something deeper?), prayer (What is the purpose of prayer?  Is it the way we get our "3 wishes from a magic genie"? Or did God ordain prayer for something bigger?), suffering (Why is there suffering in a Christian's life?  Jesus said, "A servant is not greater than his master.   If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you" John 15:20, but what is God's purpose in allowing our suffering?), the supremacy of Christ and the supremacy of God. 

While Piper makes it clear that he views missions as taking the gospel to the unreached peoples, not Gentile individuals, (see chapter 5 for this discussion), I believe that this book is also valuable in evangelism and discipleship at home and abroad for those people groups who are already "reached".

Second, I recommend that you not try to tackle this book in one weekend.  Piper packs in a lot of information in every section of every chapter. There were several times when my brain was spinning (but I insisted on highlighting and pushing through).  My next time through (and yes, there will be a next time), I plan on taking more brain breaks and possibly even journaling.  The good news is, each chapter has several sections so you can take several breaks to ponder what you just read.

So what are you waiting for?  Go, buy the book, or check it out from your local library (or share with your e-reader), and read it.

As the Rain and the Snow

Happy 4th of July!  Sadly, the plans I've been making since the end of the school year for today have been rained out.  So here I sit in Starbucks, enjoying my vanilla latte, and looking out at the rain.  My first reaction to the rain was extreme disappointment.  I mean, it's Independence Day and that means being outside, right?  But actually, this rain is a blessing.  It's a blessing not only for the land, but also for my soul.  You see, God is making me slow down today.
As I watched the rain fall my mind naturally wandered back to Ireland (granted, we only had 2 rain days while we were there this year, and one was while I was in the hospital so I didn't really experience it...but rainy days still bring me back to Ireland every time).  And as I was watching the rain, thinking about Ireland, the Spirit recalled to my mind Isaiah 55:10-11.  While a part of me may grieve that the mission trip is over and a bigger part of me longs for the day when I will return, I am encouraged that the work that we did there was not in vain.  God promises that His word will not return void and so with confidence I can continue to pray for each of the children, teens, and adults we met and ministered to.  I may never know the full impact that we have while there, but that's okay because I know that we are being faithful to God's call and He knows.
This also encourages me as I continue on in my ministry here in Alabama.  Sometimes I get discouraged.  Am I really evangelizing and discipling? I should be.  Every day in my class.  Every week in my small group.  I get discouraged when the students just seem to have hard hearts.  But it's not my job to change their hearts, only God can do that.  My job is to be faithful to His call.  To speak His truth, even if their hearts are closed and leave the rest to Him.
Be encouraged.  Keep faithfully sharing God's truth.  Surrender the rest to Him.  He will produce the fruit.

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." ~ Isaiah 55:10-11

My Grace is Sufficient for You

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

From the start of the trip God was going to keep reminding me that it is only in His strength that we would be able to do anything for His kingdom.  To start off with, we were a small team of 6.  I usually travel with 14-16 people...that number is "perfect" because there's always someone to cover each of the responsibilities, and if when someone gets sick there's always a backup.  But this year we only had 6.  How in the world were we going to manage when someone got sick?  I wondered in the days leading up to the trip. No, we just can't get sick.  Everyone needs to pray for good health.  So I did, daily.
God answered my prayer, but not in the way I expected.  He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Tuesday night I had a severe asthma attack while playing soccer.  Shortly after that Libby got sick.  Then on Saturday I woke up with severe abdominal pains...kidney stone, the doctor said.  That kidney stone put me out of commission for three days (but God was in control, two of those days were the weekend, and on Monday I suffered through it).  Then Sarah got sick. 
Half of the team was sick, but God was still showing His power.  During that second week the six of us put on a club for nearly 60 kids in grades K-6 (which by the way is nearly 50 more kids than the church expected) and then played games and shared testimonies with nearly 20 teens.  Was it by our power that these things were accomplished?  Absolutely not!  It was only by God's grace that we were able to do anything.  It was by His grace that so many kids were brought into the club.  (On Monday as the team was setting up the Hall while I was in the hospital they named the first kid who would walk through the door Faith...it didn't matter if it was a boy or girl...and they were praying that Faith would bring all of his/her friends.  It turns out that there actually was a girl in the older group named Faith.) 
We were weak, but He was strong.  His grace is always sufficient.

A Vessel

As a new week begins and the mission trip is just about over (we begin the long journey home early tomorrow morning), I am finally able to sit back and reflect on this trip and, more importantly,what God has done.  In the next few days and weeks I hope to post specifics, but for now here are just a few short thoughts of the whole experience.

I think about the vessel in Jeremiah 18 and how I am marred and God is constantly reshaping me as He sees fit. I am thankful for how He is constantly working on my life, even if it does hurt at times. Even though I can see great improvement in my life I'm not done yet, and that is the most exciting part. There were some definite expectations that I had going into this trip, expectations that had to be worked out of me. I pray that I am pliable clay that is easy for my Maker to shape.

I also think about how the clay cannot make itself into a vessel. No matter how much strength it may have, it cannot do anything of its own will, it must have the strength of the Craftsman to put it on the wheel and to shape it. So also was our work in Ballygawley and Kilmore churches. It couldn't have been of our own strength that we held the Bible clubs, got all of the kids to come, and organized volunteers. It was God who had already gone before us and worked in the hearts of the people, planted the seed, molded the clay. That was especially evident to me when I suddenly took ill. There was nothing that I could do, and my medicine made me very tired and nauseous...but the team kept going, the gospel was presented, and God gave me the strength to continue on. There He was, shaping out that imperfection, by His strength all things came together.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

2 Corinthians 4:7

Auto Pilot

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my brother's missions team and their families.  We met together to talk logistics about communications, give pointers to the team, and to encourage and pray for the team.  During the meeting one of the dads, a career missionary, said the following about missions and one's walk with God, "Auto pilot doesn't work here and it doesn't work over there." 

My first few trips to Northern Ireland our team didn't have a set devotional time.  We had a couple of guys who would lead a Bible study in the afternoon right before tea, but if we were running behind the Bible study got pushed aside.  I could feel my spirit hurting for those team devotions.  While I had my own personal devotions, I longed to study scripture in a group and pray together with my fellow workers.  On a side note, I am advising a student whose senior thesis is on the importance of community and how it is through community that we can better know God.  I've been doing a bit of reading since school let out so I can advise her.  Some of titles include Bonhoeffer's Life Together, Bridges' True Community, and Colson's The Body.  I know it's no coincidence, but what I just wrote above is absolutely in line with what these men say (and I didn't even know that five years ago).

It's important for individual team members to have their personal devotions, but it is also important for the team as a whole to have devotions.  I personally like having daily team devotions.  It's encouraging to go into a busy day after having studied the word and prayed with my fellow workers.  After all, if we aren't studying scripture and fellowshipping (i.e. bearing with one another through prayer and sharing what God has shown us in our study) with one another, how else will we be able to "make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted"?

Of All Nations

My brother leaves tomorrow for his summer-long mission trip to a county in Asia.  I am so excited for him!  I am thankful that he has heard the call is being obedient to Christ.  He is going to make disciples.  As I try not to cry (this is his first overseas trip), I think about all of the summer missions trips that my students, friends, and fellow church members are going on.  There's a group headed to Belize at the end of the month, a team in Tanzania, a team headed to Swaziland, a group down in Florida for the Summer Beach Project, people headed to Poland and Hungary, there was the soccer camp this past week, VBS, a team going to help out at the Palmer Home, and of course, my team going to Northern Ireland.  I am excited about all of these opportunities, and I cannot wait to hear reports when we all return.  I am so excited that the Church is going (and sending) to make disciples of all nations.  I pray that more will hear the call to go.  I pray that more will be obedient to send.  I pray that we all would make (more) sacrifices for the sake of the gospel.  It's not enough to just go to church, sit through a sermon, sing some songs, participate in Sunday School.  God has saved us from death.  He has blessed us abundantly.  We should "Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted."  I am so excited that my brother has the opportunity to do this in another county.  I am so excited for all of the teams going out and for all the people at home who are getting ready to faithfully share the gospel with hundreds of kids in VBS.  I pray that God will be glorified.

Lord, send me

My prayer:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” ~Isaiah 6:8

All I want is that He will send me out there full time, but I know right now my full time call is to evangelism and discipleship here at home.  Not that I'm complaining.  I love the kids I teach, the people I work with, my small group, my choir, my church, my Sunday school class.  I can see (at least in part) what God has done in my life since He's called me to this particular community.  I am growing in Him, and honestly, I wouldn't have been ready to go out when I graduated from college...not full time anyway.  I pray that I am faithful in what He has called me to now and I pray that I will be a willing vessel, moldable, so that He can prepare me for whatever else He has for me.