Tag: Missions

Every season God puts us in refines us for the next season and then that season refines us even more.

I believe I heard our Pastor say one time , “God is more concerned about our character than our comfort”.

There is not much more to say after that point but it’s encouraging to know that through each process we are getting molded into the person  God designed us to be if we actually allow ourselves to go through the process.

Process helps us to gain perseverance. There is always a great blessing at the end of persevering through each season.

Don’t quit at being a caterpillar when you have the potential to become a butterfly.

The stage looks great from a far. The title can make one feel extra important. The cause your going after is one you will be applauded for.

Stepping out of the boat seems impressive, bold and brave but continuing to walk on the water is the test. Remember the story of Peter and when he took his eyes off of Jesus that’s when he started sinking but when he cried out to Jesus he was still rescued.

I say all of that to say that our step of faith has not kept afloat without the waves hitting us with challenges and frustrations along the way. We have been in the process of rebuilding a lot and when the new hits the old that can cause friction.We knew to expect challenges but the type of challenges we were coming against were surprising to us and of course frustrating. It was to the point where I believe we became like Peter for a moment on this journey because we were hit with a lot from the beginning and there was a point that our focus was more on the challenges rather than the God that can help us through the challenges.

We asked the question, stay or leave? It’s amazing how God can move so many mountains in our lives days ago  but when new waves come we can forget that. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. But when your in the midst of storms it can be hard to see that so that’s why we always say do not do life alone. Seek and keep people in your life that can give Godly wisdom.

We sought out those that cover us for prayer and words of wisdom. The most simple yet powerful thing that was said was “tune out every other voice and truly seek God on what direction you should take”. Were we allowing other voices or situations to remove us from our assignments we knew without a doubt we were to accomplish? I feel like there was a  part of us that was afraid to truly seek God to hear his answer on what to do.

We became open to God’s voice and I asked for signs and he did just that. There was a quote that I saw on face book that said “grow where you are planted.” Oh how true that was becoming to us as God was sending many signs of confirmation for us to stay where we were planted. I saw another sign driving home that said ” are you running with faith or just running?” ha! God was sending us  Gideon moments, every sermon, song, etc spoke to the answer he was giving us so we say, even when we don’t understand everything.. it is well, it is well with our soul. We will complete the work God has for us while our eyes are continually fixed on him.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us runwith perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pionee rand perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” – Hebrews 12 : 1-3 

When we drove up to our new location it was raining. Pouring. We slept somewhere else that night until the next day when we could actually move into our home.

Next day, rise and shine!……not really..its still raining out. Ugh.. is this a sign? haha!

Maybe it was a symbol of washing away the old and preparing for the new but at the time it just seemed inconvenient. I started to feel this weight of not being settled. I think I was just over tired and so over the packing and unpacking. Thankfully, a few members from a church within the area came to our house and helped us unpack a few things and put stuff in order. We were so grateful for their help!

After everyone  left there were still some boxes left over and some how I had this thought that I could unpack and clean everything in 3 days. Um yeah….3 months later and we still have some boxes and bags in the closet LOL.

The first week was challenging. We had left everything to come to where God had called us to and that’s awesome but that doesn’t mean that everyday was or is roses. The first week , week and a half we had no cell service or internet. If we wanted those necessities we had to go to another part of town that had wifi. When your out in new territory by yourself those necessitates feel important to connect with the outside world, ya know.

If we needed to get to the stores, they are about 35 – 40 mins away.

We had also taken a huge pay cut to come here and there were some days that the bank account and what we needed just didn’t matching up. I remember one day I was at the dining room table and I was just looking out the window seeking God. I believed God would provide but I needed to know he was with us right then… at that moment. It was a lot of new everything at one time. Jason and I worshiped and prayed together, cried together and just lifted up everything to God.

It’s a crazy feeling to know you are where God wants you to be but you can only see but so far. It’s like Lord we  don’t know how this will work  but we have to trust you because this is where you want us.

Planted.

We were some what exhausted from the weeks of packing and visiting as many people as possible before we moved.

It just didn’t feel real, “this is our last Sunday here”? Although, we knew we would come back and visit often, it still was different. Part of our heart is in Lancaster with the many friends we had made and came to love like family. 8 am service was the worst because the tears just wouldn’t stop flowing. This was partly due to the service being so good! PC preached about worship, we sang and spent time in God’s presence. It was wonderful and my heart was so full.  But then when we went over to the Missions Hut and everyone came to hug us and we said our good byes, omg, my heart. I didn’t want to let some of the people go.

During one of the services me and another young woman that asked to pray for me started crying and that was the first time that we had met haha!  But God was sending people to us that day to speak words of confirmation about the journey we were about to embark on. I was thankful for those that were obedient to God’s voice to speak to us about what they felt God was telling them to tell us. They were spot on! By the time we got to the end of the third service, it had finally sank in. Transition. It’s time.

We finished packing up the u-haul and off we went! On to the new chapter God had called us to.

Missionary Send off – Victory Church Lancaster May 31st, 2015

I was probably 13 years old when I heard the still small voice saying ” I want you to preach my word” followed by a giant vision that has followed me up til this day. I was on a stage preaching/speaking to what looked like thousands of young people. I  wondered, especially as a 13 yr old getting that vision , how would I get from here to there? One thing I did know was that my life would never be “normal” . Following Gods lead can have you in one place today and another place tomorrow. Over the years I have seen God totally shake up my life and my plans and although they always turned out for the good, they were inconvenient in our american standards of what convenient looks like.

Within the past couple of weeks of all of this NEW, there are times that I feel like I wish my life could just be normal. I want to stay here in Lancaster, maybe be a stay at home mom, volunteer some places, eventually go back to work, enjoy time with my husband and baby, sit on my patio and call it a night. But that’s not the walk I was called to.

Part of me feels privileged that God would trust me with so much but the other part of me wants to scream, especially when I feel like I have been called lots of times to help organizations in  transition which can entail fixing things the last person did or completing something they didn’t do. My flesh says, “I just want to make impact, not worry about being the clean up crew”. My spirit says, “Lord, your will be done”.

The truth is, following the will of God is great, but sometimes it’s messy.  Do you remember what Elisha was doing when Elijah came to pass the mantle to him? He was doing the dirty work.( 1 Kings 19: 19-21) . Sometimes God wants to see who will get down in the dirt before he can elevate them to the palace. Even in the palace there is work to do. Elevation doesn’t mean less work, it means you’re held even more accountable because there is much more to oversee and manage.

It’s not going to be easy but it’s going to be worth it. God is in control.

Let’s live a life that is open to what God would want and where he wants to lead us.I don’t know where this new chapter will lead us but I’m going in with my eyes wide open,  my hands to the sky and my spiritual armor on. I need thee, oh I need thee. Every hour. I need thee.

And that’s just where God wants us. In that place of full surrender.

This time on earth is temporary so let’s make it count. Heaven is my view, eternity is my perspective.

Signed,

A servant that will go wherever you lead, even when its tough.

Did I really just quit my job? Yup! …Okay God now what? We started sharing our decision with those close to us . You should see peoples eyes light up. ” you quit your job, but don’t have another one lined yet?” and our response, “nope, we are just trusting what God told us to do.”

I said this very prayer, ” God you now have many eyes on our situation , I need you to come through big now. ”

I had no idea what I was asking for , LOL, seriously.

In the midst of all of this God started stirring my heart to an issue going on in the world that I was starting to learn more about. The issue of Sex Trafficking in America. The more I learned, the angrier I got. A holy anger, like this cannot happen! I was upset, “God why is this happening? Please free these victims!” I felt so sad for the victims. I felt sick. I felt every emotion possible.

I started to think of my own life and how when I was younger and looking for love in the wrong places, God heard the prayers of my parents because I put myself in many dangerous situations that I could have been taken and someone could have put me in a place where I was also a victim to this horrible mess. But I wasn’t and I needed to do something about those that were.

I asked God to show me what I could do with this passion to see these victims set free. Our God is one that cares about justice  in this world. God gives us free will but some people don’t make the right decisions with that free will. There are people out there that want to enslave people and make people loose all their dignity and thats just WRONG! I believe there are some issues that we are just to pray about and others that we are suppose to be an active participant in speaking up and protecting the voiceless. I knew God was calling me to do more than just pray about this issue.

It was time to get to work to bring more awareness to this issue and help to those being held captive. I didn’t know with which organization or when but I knew  it would happen.

I reached out to multiple organizations and just prayed God would open up the right door.

Who knew that he would have a better door for me to go through than the ones I was knocking on. :).

This Song Sums up the Call God was giving to me and my husband.

After coming back from my mission trip , I really was thinking about how I could apply what I learned and felt in Haiti back to my community in PA.

I know I came back with greater faith, a new lens and new perspective on my daily life. I once complained about things that I dare not complain about now. More than anything I wanted to make a greater impact for Christ.

I stayed very active in my church, active in my community, looked at my work differently, etc….. and then something started to happen. I felt like God was about to start shifting some things.

Words like preparation, transition, influence …..were starting to circulate in my heart and spirit.

I was starting to feel an unease and restless, like there was more that I was being called to do.

I prayed and prayed and God spoke.

I felt God telling me that it was time to transition from job. I prayed that God would prepare my husbands heart as I revealed this news to him. I wrote down pros and cons to leaving and just shared my heart and what God was saying.

We prayed about it that week and then were in agreement that it was time to move forward. That next Monday I resigned. Due to having a higher position I gave a two months notice in order for there to be a smooth transition.

I had speaking engagements that were to come later in the year and I felt God telling me to cancel them. So I did.

It felt like God was clearing the room for something. Something big. Our  job was to be obedient and have faith and God would do the rest.

Mission = Faith.