Prayers Answered! Faith Strengthened! Future Brightened!

Last week, after meeting numerous people in the villages, our team of about 30 people came together and spent time "prayer walking" in a circle around specific names of people we had met.

As we walked that circle, I became OVERWHELMED by the thought of all those people who had caught only a glimpse of our Savior and now were left with the possibility of never hearing His name again.

You see, with so many contacts made, each visit has to be rated on the level of interest and whether follow-up is encouraged. After all, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

I spent that prayer time that night begging God that we would have some chance of meeting these people again, the ones who may never have a chance to hear again apart from our mouths. I prayed over and over specifically that somehow we would run into these people from way out in the village when they came into town for a dr visit or an errand of some kind. I'll be honest, in a city of a couple million people, I ended the evening very disheartened. Wondering how we could possibly get the task done.

This takes me to a specific village that I visited on the next to last day. It felt like a day with little "profit". We visited the home of one woman where a large crowd quickly gathered and we told stories to no avail. I even listed THAT woman on my prayer walking sheet the final night. She had broken my heart because she was an elderly woman and when I asked her to tell me about the best day of her life, she simply cried. It broke my heart to think that possibly no one has ever cared enough to ask her that before. Or maybe she couldn't think of a best day. I was burdened for her.

There was also a young man sitting right next to her who walked with crutches and had one bad eye. He caught my attention because (aside from his injuries) he looked exactly like an Indian version of a friend of ours. It was crazy how much they looked alike!

Well, would you believe that he got on our bus today right here in our town!!!! He lives a good hour out into the village (the one we had to ride a buffalo cart to get into) and he was here in our town on our bus!!!!!!!!! I just about cried!!!!!

Jason actually spotted him too (having never met him) because... He said he looked exactly like that same friend of ours!!!! I told Jason "I met him in a village last week!!!! I can't believe this. I prayed this exact thing would happen!! We have to talk to him." And would you believe... HE UNDERSTOOD SOME ENGLISH!!!!

We were able to give him a tract and pray for him right there!!!!! It was amazing!!!!

My faith was strengthened big time today! SPECIFIC prayers that I prayed answered so beautifully!

Please pray for our new friend, Shahjad, (sounds like 'C- zar'). He asked that we pray for a bright future for him! Ha! Will we ever! Join me in praying that his future will be brighter because of Jesus!!!!

A Memorable Day

By now maybe you've realized I really enjoy blogging for myself just as much as for others to read. It's a quick, easy way for me to keep track of what all is going on in my life.

So, today was a doozie of a day. But in a good way. There was hardly a moment I felt frustrated or down. That's not to say I didn't have those moments but the good far outweighed the difficult.

The day started with a very fast rickshaw ride to language class! Thank goodness!

Language class was a bit overwhelming but I know we can do it. It was just information overload after not enough sleep.

Then, we came home after picking up our friends' kids (all four of them) and bringing them back here for science and gymnastics and lunch. I guess we must have been late getting back because my house helper didn't show up which definitely put a damper on things, but we persevered. I definitely had a few moment of " I can't seem to do anything right" but looking back, that was silly. So, I washed all the dishes we own after doing a really cool edible cell science experiment and Jason was nice enough to take over gymnastics. Then we learned a lo more science which I thought was super fun.

After "school" was over our landlord's little girl came up to play for a little while and she even helped us a little bit with language. So did Kiley which was really fun.

Both Kiley & Kamden played really well together and were in the greatest moods. They ended up coming to help me in the kitchen and actually took quite a load off.

We made a quiche ( my first ever) while daddy ran to the store (twice) to grab candy for our family trick or treat and milk for my quiche. Then we made personal pan pizzas shaped liked jack-o-lanterns which turned out delicious- made from rori!

Finally it was time to dress up and trick or treat around the house. Priceless moments. The girls chose from tech very limited supply of dress-up clothes they have. Kamden was Strawberry Shortcake & Kiley was a "dressed up" puppy. Jason was the hit, tho. He wore quite the attired and called himself a hippy. We laughed and laughed.

We ended the night with Charlie Brown & the Great Pumpkin. It was a great day and lots of fun memories were made.

It didn't keep me from waking up with a touch of sadness after seeing all the pics of home but it sure was a special time.

The other note I'd like to remember from the night was that many people were praying for me as the sounds that we hear through the night and really all day everyday are very unnerving. But last night, it was (almost) silent! Praise The Lord for answered prayers!

You can all pray for the noise some more. Noise is my trigger point and as I type this I sit on a bus listening to constant deafening honking. To the point that I have resorted to holding my ears in public. It's almost roughy me to tears a few times. So please pray for my ears to adjust to the volume. Thanks a ton! :)

*pics will be posted on Facebook.

A Day in the Life

Every morning I awaken to the sounds of another day. Construction, loud Hindi music, horns galore honking constantly, and men calling out from bicycle rickshaws advertising whatever they may be selling.

I dress myself in my kurta, pants, & dupatta, adjusting the dupatta a number of times before finally feeling like its not going to fall off. I pull my hair back into a ponytail attempting a different style each day in an effort to change it up a bit. Each day I feel a little more comfortable in what I'm wearing.

On a good day I'm able to spend some time in God's Word, and sometimes begin fixing some chai for the family and maybe some cinnamon-sugar roti with some type of fruit so that we can gather around our new table and grab a quick bite to eat.

I get the girls ready for whatever happens to be on the agenda that day and we head out. Immediately upon stepping outside, I see the dust flying through the air as it was awoken from the streets very early in the morning by the business that takes place each day. Bicycle rickshaws are already busy and people are traveling to and fro by foot, bike, scooter, car, rickshaw, and the occasional buffalo cart. We say good morning to our landlord and then to our neighbors, MooMoo & MaMa (a calf and mama cow).

We begin walking down the dusty street, our feet already beginning to show the grime that we will encounter that day. We stop a bicycle rickshaw and give him the name of a destination. The girls hop on first, facing backward where they are able to enjoy the sights behind us. I step up, sometimes remembering to gather my dupatta so it will not get caught in the wheel. More times than not, I forget.

Among my first thoughts are always, "I can't believe I'm really living this out!" And "I wish so & so could experience this!" The girls are a constant chatter, naming animals as we pass them and waving hello to each one. I smile and thank God for the amazing experiences they are having. Then, I snap back to reality and remember I have to tell this driver how to get where I need to go! I often let him pass my turn before I remember to tap his shoulder and point left or right.

Riding down the busy street on a rickshaw means ALL eyes are on you. People literally stop and gaze at the American and often nudge their friends to get a glimpse. Most welcome with smiles when they can pick their chin up off the ground. I smile and sometimes offer a 'namaste' to the women I pass.

By now, I've probably been told that my dupatta is dragging at least a couple of times and I smile and nod as I gather it back before it gets covered in dust, mostly laughing at myself and thinking that nothing goes unnoticed when you stick out like a sore thumb among millions.

I pass mounds of trash, dirty water, and typically a number of cows, puppies, or pigs grazing through the trash looking for something to eat. If its a longer ride, I pass homes made of tents or sheet metal or whatever is available where people are laying on cots, children are often unclothed, and many are working hard hammering metal and welding it into shape hoping to sell a good today in an effort to feed their family. Young children can be seen frying roti over an open flame and we dodge toddlers who are running much too close to the busy street. Intermixed are food carts, vegetables for sale, shrines, and laundry being hung to dry. I may even spot someone relieving himself wherever he chooses along the busy highway.

By now, I've attempted to tune out the sounds of I don't know how many deafening blaring horns. The larger the vehicle the louder the horn. The sound threatens to unnerve me but with each passing day I think I'm growing more accustomed to the constant noise. There's never a dull moment and we come much too close to accidents more times than I can count. I hold my girls close, silently thanking God that they know their birthdays and their age (many people here do not) and yet get the amazing opportunity to experience more than a DVD player in the car on a safe road in America.

If we happen to be visiting in homes, we arrive at our destination and pay the rickshaw driver his wage then begin walking down brick-laden streets weaving in and out of concrete slabs for homes. We do the spin move multiple times as I hold the girls' hands on my left or my right depending on which side of me the traffic is on. Once again, we stop traffic with our fair skin, eyes constantly gazing on us. A few prayers have already been lifted for the people of this particular community and we are quickly invited into a home for chai. Before we can be seated a large crowd has gathered, everyone just staring as I begin to speak. "Apca nam quia hai?" "Mira nam Angel hai." "Ap quesa hai?" "Mai tik hoo". By this point I've exhausted the majority of the language I know. With an interpreter I'm able to share with the people hoping for some type of a response. We leave after being begged to stay for a meal and being invited to please come again.

The girls and I head back home chattering about the best parts of our day and theirs usually include the numerous animals we've spotted. As I hop back on a rickshaw for my ride back home I realize that my positive outlook (given to me only by God's grace) may have caused me to make living here almost seem glamorous and I'm reminded by the sights, sounds and smells assaulting me and often taking my breath away, that it is the farthest thing from glamorous. And then, I'm thankful that I enjoy adventure and love a good challenge and wishing I could adequately portray this place in pictures and with words.

We arrive home, scurry up to our first floor (meaning second floor) flat and the girls remind me not to look into the eyes of the monkeys that are sitting on our porch as if they are our very own Welcome Home committee.

At some point everyday something reminds me of home and I remember that this is long term. That always spurs a mix of emotions and I would be foolish to say that I don't get homesick every day. But at the same time, I am reminded that I was made for this and that I have been blessed with the most amazing support system and I quickly jump back into the joy of what's happening here.

I spend the rest of the day washing dishes, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, or reading with/playing with the girls and then at the end of the night begin to wind down in order to do it all again tomorrow. But instead of the same ol' same ol', it's always a brand new adventure awaiting us!

Modes of Transportation

Just a quick rundown of one trip to the village:

Hop in a vehicle (designed to hold 7 people) with a total of 16 people. Ride about 15 minutes to a bus stop. Ride the bus for about 15 minutes. Hop off and walk about 1/4 mile. Ask around about transportation. Too expensive. Stop a passing buffalo cart. Hop on. Ride about 10 minutes to a "tempo" stop (an open auto rickshaw/SUV style vehicle). Sit for almost an hour waiting for the vehicle to fill up. Should hold about 11 people not so comfortably, ended up holding 22! Ride into the village. Walk around for a bit. Then ride back out of town on another crowded tempo, walk some more, ride another crowded tempo, walk to the bus stop, ride to our neighborhood, hop on a cycle rickshaw, and finally arrive at home!

First Day of Organized Ministry

Oct. 22, 2012

Already we've had many opportunities to speak the name of Jesus, but today was our first day to actually go out into the communities and find ways into people's homes with the end goal being to share the Gospel with them!

Kiley & I went out with a translator and had a wonderful day! First, we survived our first rickshaw accident! Our rickshaw was hit by another rickshaw in the front tire. We were unharmed and were approaching our destination so we just hopped out and went on. I felt bad when I looked back and saw that his tire was bent and that probably meant the loss of income for him.

We went into some alleyways where we were quickly invited into homes and soon were being begged to "please come to my home"! We were fed snacks, water, cookies, soda and chai galore!

I was surprised at how quickly and easily I was able to present my testimony or a story from God's Word or even share the gospel story. The people listened intently and seeds were sown!

One woman in particular has been suffering of a fever for over a month. I was able to pray for her healing and then she allowed me to tell the story of the bleeding woman. Please pray for her healing so that she will recognize the power of Jesus. She was elderly and this was the first that she had heard of him!!! She truly had never heard the name of Jesus! Later, she came to another home where we were to sit with us some more!

The final home we visited was full of sisters in their 20s who begged us to visit. They had two dogs ( which Kiley was dying to pet) so we went into their home. They fed us yet again and were very proud to show us their home. They were especially proud to show us their worship room where they kept their shrines. They are very deep into Hinduism and say that it brings them peace. I was able to share a lot about my faith with them and they concluded that they believed all that I said was true but they believed you can believe in whatever way you wish. It broke my heart that even when presented with the truth that Jesus is the only way, they did not choose to place their trust in Christ. It was a great visit and I believe good seeds were planted. We received a formal invitation to their wedding so hopefully we will have a chance to visit with them again.

It was a great day of ministry and I believe the Holy Spirit gave much boldness and great open doors! I was amazed at how easy it felt to turn conversations spiritual. I left this morning nervous that I wasn't prepared but, as always, God came through!

Below are some pictures of people you can pray for that I met today.

Lessons from a Press Wala

From the girls' window you can watch the "press wala" working all day long. He opens his shop early in the morning and stands in front and irons clothes without fail. Needless to say, I'm quite thankful for him! ;)

At one point I looked out the window and saw him standing in the same place he'd been all day and I wondered, "Does he even dream there is more to life?" What is his purpose in life but to stand in front of his shop ironing clothes for other people to earn a mere 2 rupees per item just to come back and do it all again tomorrow.

I'm broken hearted for the people who do their jobs well, only hoping that if they are faithful in this life that somehow they will receive a greater one the next time around. What will this young guy's hard work get him aside from an eternity apart from God if he never hears and accepts the Good News.

So many lost people. Some searching. Others content. But all lost.

Dusty

Wednesday I stepped out of one culture and into another as I spent the day at a handicrafts fair looking to make contacts for our jewelry business. It was a fun day of laughing, getting lost (normal if you know me), and learning my new phone number after writing it down a hundred times for business contacts.

Yet, the day was filled with culture shock in my mind as I felt like I was walking through a Pier One or Pottery Barn in the States. So many goods were on display for buyers to choose for their high end companies to sell. Needless to say, it was a strange mix of cultures and feelings of absurdity when I saw items made here for almost nothing but then sent to ritzy places and sold for obscene prices.

Of course, all of it was right before my eyes and I couldn't buy any of it because it was sold only in bulk. Although, I did manage to talk one guy into selling me bedding for our room (which we desperately need to keep the dust from setting into our sheets every day! Sadly, I wasn't as successful in talking another store into selling me some adorable bedding for the girls.

It was a great day and yet another opportunity for God to strip away even more of the yuck that seems to stay filmed over on my heart. The dusty streets of our city seem to constantly glaze over the floor of our home but its a good reminder of what my heart looks like to my Savior. This place has a way of revealing the parts of your life that aren't totally sold out to Him.

Still learning. Still growing. Still changing. Still dusting off corners of my heart.

Darkness to Light

Last night we experienced the major contrasts of our country. Here in the capitol city alone we went from traveling dirt roads on an auto rickshaw with children begging at our doors at every traffic light and walked straight into a five-story mall nicer than any I've been to in America. This stark contrast is one thing that makes this country so peculiar.

As we rode through town in our auto rickshaw we saw sights that broke our hearts. Entire families laying on the sidewalk together. Homeless. Tired. And hungry. Upon spotting a group of Americans, one father nudged his son, not much older than Kiley, and made him come beg from us. We later spotted two little girls probably our girls' ages, maybe younger, sitting on the sidewalk scraping bricks for a living. I held my girls a little tighter and thanked God that they had the freedom to enjoy their childhood. Our hearts broke for those precious little girls. We then had a man who appeared blind approach our auto carrying a baby boy whose hand was wrapped and oozing with infection. It broke our hearts that we couldn't help each person but we were able to give some snack bags to as many as we had enough for. I had brought along a big package of Oreos for the girls to snack on when they got hungry, but when we ran out of snack bags the girls agreed to open the Oreos and give them out to people we passed along the way. They each had one cookie and offered the rest to the hungry. We've been encouraged not to give literal money because of where it goes, so we've tried to make it a practice to carry some food with us wherever we go.

Today I had the opportunity to hear the testimony of a man who became a Jesus follower after years as a Sikh. What an awesome story he had. He suffered emotional persecution from his family and has been completely denied by them. Yet he radiates with joy!!!

I also got to visit a Sikh temple. Though there weren't many people at the time of day that we went, we were able to experience some reading from their book and see the area where they "put it to bed" each night. They believe that the gurus live on in this book and so it is treated with great care and reverence.

The darkness here can be overwhelming at times if you let it, but thankfully God gave me Psalm 139:11-12 "If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night' even the darkness is not dark to You. The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to You."

That was Laughable

Well, we got our first taste of healthcare. Many of you know that Kiley fractured her arm in Richmond before we left for our big adventure. The big adventure just got bigger when we discovered we would be trying out the healthcare almost immediately upon arrival. Kiley then proceeded to remove her own cast almost a week early by accident!!! The good news is she has a whole cast now to keep as a souvenir!

Today, we made our way to the hospital to haver her wrist x-rayed to be sure her treatment was finished. Note to self: don't leave at noon having not eaten lunch or even much of a breakfast and expect to just happen upon some food along the way! It is now 4 pm and no one has had lunch!

The laughable part was how the healthcare system works here. To be honest, I'm not actually sure how it works still. All I know is that we went on multiple wild goose chases which felt to our disadvantage but the good part was that we were seen and helped almost immediately everywhere we went. It was different. Very different. And time consuming. But interesting to say the least. And above all, it was an adventure! :)

Kiley & Jason went on to finish the visit while Kamden & I looked for food. Which was also an adventure. I didn't recognize that they offered chai because it was written in English as tea! I was disappointed that I didn't order any but when I asked for "roti" pronounced "ro-tea" they thought I was asking for tea so we got some anyway! Ha! I guess they know more English than I do! ;)

We also had the chance to sit with two sweet H women. They offered us a seat at their table. After getting to know them and why they were here, they allowed me to pr@y for them and we were able to speak the name of Jesus! So exciting!

We definitely learned today that everything takes longer in South Asia but it left us with a smile on our faces, some new experiences (like riding a very crowded train and a tuk-tuk/ auto rickshaw for the first time) and it allowed us to spread the love of Christ! You be pr@ying for these women too!

Through the eyes of KamKam

I love [South Asia] and I love the guest house and Mary Grace is in the guest house with me. I saw a cow and a buffalo and a elephant*. It feels like I'm 7 but I'm not 7.

About the time the buffalo walked right past her car window: Daddy was pointing and then I looked out my window and I was right here and it was going by!

What types of food have you been eating: some chicken and some bread. A mango shake and I liked it a little bit**.

*the elephant was a fib but she was determined it had to go in there. You know Kamden, pretend world is more real than real life.
**she demanded I write "a little bit" after the mango shake but she's full of it. She sucked down the whole thing without stopping. She loved it! ;)

Worth Gawking At

Tonight I had my first chance to walk into the slums that are just across the street from my house. As I approached the first alley the smell of urine was overwhelming. Men sat, barely clothed, on outdoor cots just to escape the heat of the inside of their "home". A little boy stood in the alleyway wearing absolutely nothing.

As we got further in the smell turned slightly more pleasant due to the little pots of burning coal used to heat the food that they have.

We passed a larger than life Hindu idol sitting out in the street amidst all the homes as if his job was to protect them or give them good fortune. Something tells me he's not answering.

As we approached some women, S was able to start some conversations just talking about children and how they are a blessing from The Lord. One woman said no we are in charge of how many children we have.

We continued chatting and were eventually invited in after having our picture taken by a man who attempted to speak English. It's really a big deal here to see Americans as we are far enough away from a major city and there are only 2 families from the States in this town.

The home we entered was only lived in by a family of five but when we went inside practically the whole community followed. There were probably 30 people inside this little concrete living room complete with a fridge and a pot of coals for heating food. What should have been the kitchen held an old fashioned sowing machine which the lady used to make pillow cases.

We were offered water and of course did not refuse for fear of offending the ones who had invited us in.

At one point, a little boy about 12 or so, was so in awe that two white women were sitting on his couch that he was bent over head cocked staring in the face of my friend as she spoke. His sister promptly slapped him to get him to come back to his senses. I looked to my left and saw the crowd that had gathered. At that moment, I thought to myself "if they are this excited to see two average Americans, what would be their reaction should they have the chance to come face to face with their savior. What a life changing day that would be!

I plan to go back to that little community just across the street from my house to practice language among the people there. And hopefully one day soon I can introduce them to Someone really worth gawking at, the one who gave up everything.

Blessed

The Internet is down for the time being which should be fine but I'm wide awake at 2 a.m. so it would have been nice to be able to make some phone calls and check some things out on the World Wide Web but instead I'll just type up a blog to post later.

I gotta say, things are really going great! Now, before I sound all super-human, I have to preface this with the fact that I know there will be major hard times to come and I know we are not above culture shock and Delhi belly and days when we just want to come home but at this point we are taking it one day at a time and this day is great.

Not to say there aren't trials because there are. But, there are so many joys to go with those few trials that right now it hardly feels like a sacrifice.

We were blessed with a beautiful home! Sure, one toilet is a squatty potty, the power will go out unlimited times during the day (but we get an inverter to help with times like that), we get a fridge but it seems like it won't do much seeing as how the power will be out fairly often, but did I mention that the house is truly beautiful?! Something I really prayed for that I would be able to make my home feel like home and I am pleased to say that the prayer was answered.

Jason is totally in his element here. He's loving the challenge, making some really funny mistakes (I'll let him tell his own stories), and really just doing a great job as usual. I just love him!

And both girls are doing well! Kamden is tired, hot, and four. Four being the most difficult of those ;)! But she's doing great. And Kiley really seems to be loving it! Their favorite part of today was that mommy was their teacher (I taught science and gymnastics to all 5 girls today) and Kiley was most thankful that when her tummy hurt today that I cuddled her and made her feel better! So, I'm pleased with those few little accomplishments!

Jason spent most of the day at our new house listening to people "discuss" home improvement repairs in Hindi. It was quite humorous to try to ask a simple opinion of someone and that get turned into a few nationals arguing over where the curtains needed hung in a completely different room. Explanation needed? We were curious if a curtain was needed in the girls' bathroom. So, in English I asked "do you think we need a curtain in here?" So, to elaborate I pointed at the window I was discussing and then walked into the next room and pointed to the curtain that is already installed. And then pointed back at the other window. Simple enough? Nahi! (That means no, by the way, in Hindi! ;) Suddenly, there were 5 nationals crowded around using hand motions, talking all excitedly about that window in that room when that decision had already been settled! Ha! We just stood back, nodded, and smiled!

I did have one major accomplishment! I successfully asked my landlord's wife if I could watch her make chai! :) and I got across the point that "KamKam piar chai!" (KamKam loves chai!) That's what they all call her here because Kamden is too hard to say.

The girls are opening up to the landlord's little girl and Kamden at least let a few people hold her and give her hugs. She's four, people, what more do you expect! ;)

Like the name of a store here, "all is well"! Oh, and, by the way, the name of our town means "place of revival"! How cool is that!

So... Are we tired? Yes! Getting over a cold? Yes! Dealing with minor adjustment issues? Yes! Struggling with the silly dupatta falling off all the time? YES! But are we thankful to be here and excited about what's next?!? A resounding yes! It doesn't hurt that our team leaders are fantastic either! Or that we have amazing people praying for us constantly! So we are blessed! So very blessed!

First Day in our Host Country

Kiley's first blog post:

"Welcome to real South Asia. It is so crowded but its a really good view. The first night we slept in a hotel and I got the top bunk. I've seen baby taxis and rickshaws. I even saw a baby. The mommy was carrying it on a bicycle. And it is so cool! I always want to stay in South Asia!"

*as spoken by Kiley. Names of places have been changed. ;)

If you can't tell, Kiley is very pleased with her host country. She woke up her first morning here and said "Good morning, South Asia!"

Pictures:
-Some airplane fun
-Kamden rides up front after feeling like she was going to throw up
-Girls watching a movie at 4am


Both girls have been superstars. They did amazing on the plane. And hit it off with their new friends almost instantly. Now you'd see them walking hand in hand and dancing around the house with people they didn't know only a few short hours ago.

As promised, we've already had a couple of embarrassing moments. Such as asking Clinton Kelly if he was married and then proceeding to ask him about his "wife". Oops! (You figure that one out).

And, of course, after getting off the airplane, getting our bags, and talking about how unbelievably smooth everything went, Jason managed to dump a cart full of our luggage. But it didn't end there. We were on the moving walkway. And he was in the front. Get the picture? When his dumped, the rest of us had to try to run backward, pulling our carts to keep from slamming into his spilled one. We were, of course, unsuccessful. So, the rest of the carts dumped too! We couldn't help but laugh (after making sure the girls didn't get trampled). We learned a very important lesson not to speak too soon!

We are so blessed that everything is exceeding our expectations. Our home ( no pics yet) is far better than we imagined. We still need to work out some logistics and have a long road ahead to learn how to buy everything we need for our house but in a different language!

We are definitely suffering from jet lag. Even though we managed to keep everyone awake from 8:30 am until 7:30 pm without even a nap, Kiley woke up at 1 am and asked if she could get up now! Kamden soon followed and Jason & I are wide awake too. So, the girls are watching a movie after we pushed them as long as we could to stay in bed. We will try again tomorrow.

What an awesome adventure so far. One day at a time!!!! He's got this!

Luke 9:62

Here it is, folks. The time we've all been waiting for, dreading, anticipating, fearing, counting down till.

There are moments that I wish for just one second that I could go back in time and un-break everyone's hearts. Including my own. But I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am directly in the center of what God has for me. And so... Luke 9:62.

My prayer for you is that you'll join in this incredible task in your own big way!!!! What an incredible way that would be to spend your life!!!

Reflections

Psalm 40:3 "He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord."

It's hard to believe that these eight weeks are actually coming to a close. We've made this our home for the time-being and so as you can imagine, saying goodbye will bring some sadness. It's exciting though because our time here has served us well, it has fulfilled its purpose of preparing us (as much as is possible on this side of the world) for the future.

I'm thankful today as I sit and reflect that the Lord gave me a new song to dwell on over the next stage of my life. Many of you know that over the past year my song has been "Take My Life" which has carried me through many challenging days. Now, I have a new song that I'm excited to share with you all. And as the verse says, I hope the result will be "many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord."

"All the Way My Savior Leads Me"
version by Chris Tomlin

All the way my Savior leads me
Who have I to ask beside
How could I doubt His tender mercy
Who through life has been my guide

All the way my Savior leads me
Cheers each winding path I tread
Gives me grace for every trial
Feeds me with the living Bread

You lead me and keep me from falling
You carry me close to Your heart
And surely Your goodness and mercy will follow me

All the way my Savior leads me
O, the fullness of His love
O, the sureness of His promise
In the triumph of His blood
And when my spirit clothed immortal
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages
Jesus led me all the way
Jesus led me all the way

All the way my Savior leads me
All the way my Savior leads me