As I read my chosen title for this entry, I feel silly. It seems obvious, doesn't it? That Jesus should be my role-model?
Allow me to start at the beginning, that you may understand the inspiration for this post, because I can by no means take credit.
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the 50th anniversary, to be exact. Concordia had a wonderful speaker, a man from the westside of Chicago named Pastor James Brooks. His message is so inspiring for anyone who has a passion for helping others. He works in an urban church in Lawndale, a suburb with few resources, so few that there's not even a grocery store in the community. The statistics there are some of the worst I've heard, considering the town is in America.
Can I take a moment to go on a tangent? America. What comes to your mind? For me, it's red, white, and blue, the Statue of Liberty, videos of waving presidents, nice cars, manicured lawns and nails, shopping malls, laughing teens, smiling babies, and happy couples. This is the picture of American that has been painted in my mind. Now come back, back to the reality. Come back to the unemployment that reaches 25% in some urban communities. Come back to the broken families, to the high rate of poor literacy, or total illiteracy among students and adults. Come back to the young and single mothers, the violence rates, the prison rates, the homicide rates. Come back to the danger of walking on the streets, the fear of going hungry, and the poverty rates.
I don't know where you or where you've been. I don't know your life story or experiences. Here's what I do know: my life has been nothing like that. I've lived in areas where kids play in the streets, where young girls can walk alone and unafraid, where nearly 100% of kids graduate high school, and where we can afford to go to Wal-Mart as often as we like. I am comfortable, happy, content, secure.
I know I've written before that the idea of living in Russia is scary to me; how incredibly selfish of me. This is where my post title comes into play. Jesus, my Savior and your's. This Son of God, perfect in every way, came down from heaven to be among us. He became flesh, and came to live in a world of injustice, hate, and fear. He came and became one of us, connected with us, built a relationship with us, loved us. He left heaven. I think I need to let that sink in. Jesus. Left. HEAVEN. To be with humans.
And I'm scared to go to Russia, to leave my familiar lifestyle. Lord, forgive my selfish nature!
Jesus did mission work right. That sounds obvious, but he didn't just come, give us hugs, and then leave. He equipped us for salvation. He gave us leaders: the disciples. He gave us lessons: his parables. He gave us resources: The Lord's Supper. He spent around 33 years making sure we were ready to live without his physical presence.
God's just amazing, and I see it more and more, every single day. Pastor Brooks reminded me of so many aspects of ministry today, including the need for missionaries to live among the people and how important it is to empower those who we reach out to. No matter how long I live in Russia, it won't be forever. Nobody lives on this earth forever. If we want to continue to insure that lives improve and God's saving Word is spread, we are called to make sure that the people we work with become leaders themselves.
That's why we do work in the orphanages. Those babies, who have nobody, who are growing up in a society without religion and where wives can be legally beat, they already have influence. They may not know it, but they are the leaders of Russia. They're the ones who are next in line to create a better society. That's my mission: to share God's potential for them! They have so much power, those little ones. So much opportunity to change their own lives and the lives of those around them. I can only pray that they continue to grow in Christ, and to share Him more and more as they grow up.
I need to apologize if this post comes across as scatter-brained. I'm actually (and this is just proof of how ADD I am sometimes...) writing this in my World Civ II notebook until I can type it out later this afternoon. (Sorry, Professor Phillips...)
I know I've said this several times, and I'll continue to say it, over and over: You are a gift. I don't care if you're reading this and I've never met you, You. Are. A. Gift. Whether or not you know it, you're constantly touching someone's life. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, (sorry, couldn't resist,) is everywhere. It's where you are, right now. If you're making friends with the new girl on your hall (shout out to my new friend Krysten!), if you're praying for the homeless man you pass on the street, if you support a child through Compassion International, if you drop off a can of soup at the food bank, etc., God's using you, no matter what.
To quote Pastor Brooks today: We are the light of the world. What good are we doing if we're staying in the well-lighted places? We need to go and seek out the dark places, and start to light those places.
I know this one was long, but thanks for reading, thanks for hoping, thanks for praying. You are a gift in my life, to say the least. :)
Blessings on all that you do!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
My Mission Might Have Grown
So, two posts in one day seems pretty rare, unless I'm trying to catch up on journal entries, but you guys had to know this!
My school is offering the opportunity to go to China on a 3-week mission trip starting in June! I would be teaching English to students in grades preschool-8th grade. The setting will be a summer camp designed to teach students how to speak English.
The best part is this: the trip is paid for. I could potentially be going to China on a pre-paid mission trip!! GUYS!! THIS IS AWESOME!!!
I'm so excited about this, I can't even express it. I'll need to pray about it, consider it, and then pray some more. As I'm doing this, I must ask a favor: please, please join me in prayer. This is a huge opportunity, and I don't know how many other students will be interested in it, but they're taking 10 students total.
Again, please keep this in your prayers. If it is God's will that I go, we will see this great trip come to fruition, and if not, then we will see him at work in some other great way. I'm just so excited, I can't really formulate any other thoughts!!
Blessings on all that you do!
My school is offering the opportunity to go to China on a 3-week mission trip starting in June! I would be teaching English to students in grades preschool-8th grade. The setting will be a summer camp designed to teach students how to speak English.
The best part is this: the trip is paid for. I could potentially be going to China on a pre-paid mission trip!! GUYS!! THIS IS AWESOME!!!
I'm so excited about this, I can't even express it. I'll need to pray about it, consider it, and then pray some more. As I'm doing this, I must ask a favor: please, please join me in prayer. This is a huge opportunity, and I don't know how many other students will be interested in it, but they're taking 10 students total.
Again, please keep this in your prayers. If it is God's will that I go, we will see this great trip come to fruition, and if not, then we will see him at work in some other great way. I'm just so excited, I can't really formulate any other thoughts!!
Blessings on all that you do!
A Poke from God
Greetings and blessings, dear friends!
Well, I have details for this year's trip! Things are on a roll again as I begin to prepare for Russia, Part 2. I received my itinerary for the trip, and things are a bit different this year. We're going to be starting in Latvia and traveling through the Baltic States before we go into Russia, and then we'll be leaving from there. So, in a sense, we'll kind of be doing it backwards, but that's only because the "forwards" way is the only way I've experienced it.
We're going to be leaving from Omaha on May 27th and flying through New Jersey (which is weird... Who routes through NJ??) and then going through Frankfurt, Germany, and finally landing in Riga. On the way back (and this is possibly one of the most exciting flights I'll have been on yet,) we're going to be flying through Munich. With a 9 hour lay-over, we've been told that we can possibly get out and walk around. IN GERMANY!!! This girl's pretty excited!
That being said, I have a really cool story to share with you guys. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm supposed to be a teacher, or if I'm supposed to be a missionary, or if I'm even supposed to be going back this year. But then God sends some pretty cool nudges my direction, and my faith in my decisions is renewed.
Story:
I'm part of an improv-acting troupe at Concordia, and I'm one of three students who helps to organize and teach the group. We had a professor at the school contact us about his daughter, who was adopted from Russia. She lived in the orphanage for a long time, and because of that, doesn't deal with conflict very well. She would prefer to run from it or fight out against it. Her dad thought that her coming to IMPROVables meetings and working with no script would help her learn to address conflict instead of burst out against it.
Last night was her first time to join us, and she's a very sweet girl, and very willing to participate. I enjoyed having her! The God moment came when she and her dad came in, and I introduced myself to her. There's a member of the troupe who has been the bridge of communication between the professor and the group of student leaders, so she also came to welcome our visitor to the group. As I was introducing myself to our new friend, the "bridge" was telling the professor how I've been on mission trips to Russia, and am planning on going again. This caught our friend's attention, and she asked if I had gone over for pleasure or to visit family, and when I told her I had been on mission trips to work in orphanages, she broke into a huge grin, probably the biggest I saw all night.
That's it, right there. That's why I go over to Russia, that's why I want to go back. I may never be able to understand the language that the kids use to communicate with me; I may only ever get to the point where I can look into their smiling faces and shining eyes and accept that as my proof that I'm doing something that affects them. But when that affirmation can be voiced in English, and can be talked about without a language barrier or a translator, it's a whole new level for me. Seeing that girl light up and understand that she and I had a connection, that we've seen the same things, that she would know exactly what I talk about as far as experiences, it was a wonderful, wonderful moment.
Thank you all for reading this, for supporting me, for praying for me. Cheers to Russia 2013! I pray these experiences will be just as rewarding as last year's, for all involved.
Blessings on all that you do!
Well, I have details for this year's trip! Things are on a roll again as I begin to prepare for Russia, Part 2. I received my itinerary for the trip, and things are a bit different this year. We're going to be starting in Latvia and traveling through the Baltic States before we go into Russia, and then we'll be leaving from there. So, in a sense, we'll kind of be doing it backwards, but that's only because the "forwards" way is the only way I've experienced it.
We're going to be leaving from Omaha on May 27th and flying through New Jersey (which is weird... Who routes through NJ??) and then going through Frankfurt, Germany, and finally landing in Riga. On the way back (and this is possibly one of the most exciting flights I'll have been on yet,) we're going to be flying through Munich. With a 9 hour lay-over, we've been told that we can possibly get out and walk around. IN GERMANY!!! This girl's pretty excited!
That being said, I have a really cool story to share with you guys. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm supposed to be a teacher, or if I'm supposed to be a missionary, or if I'm even supposed to be going back this year. But then God sends some pretty cool nudges my direction, and my faith in my decisions is renewed.
Story:
I'm part of an improv-acting troupe at Concordia, and I'm one of three students who helps to organize and teach the group. We had a professor at the school contact us about his daughter, who was adopted from Russia. She lived in the orphanage for a long time, and because of that, doesn't deal with conflict very well. She would prefer to run from it or fight out against it. Her dad thought that her coming to IMPROVables meetings and working with no script would help her learn to address conflict instead of burst out against it.
Last night was her first time to join us, and she's a very sweet girl, and very willing to participate. I enjoyed having her! The God moment came when she and her dad came in, and I introduced myself to her. There's a member of the troupe who has been the bridge of communication between the professor and the group of student leaders, so she also came to welcome our visitor to the group. As I was introducing myself to our new friend, the "bridge" was telling the professor how I've been on mission trips to Russia, and am planning on going again. This caught our friend's attention, and she asked if I had gone over for pleasure or to visit family, and when I told her I had been on mission trips to work in orphanages, she broke into a huge grin, probably the biggest I saw all night.
That's it, right there. That's why I go over to Russia, that's why I want to go back. I may never be able to understand the language that the kids use to communicate with me; I may only ever get to the point where I can look into their smiling faces and shining eyes and accept that as my proof that I'm doing something that affects them. But when that affirmation can be voiced in English, and can be talked about without a language barrier or a translator, it's a whole new level for me. Seeing that girl light up and understand that she and I had a connection, that we've seen the same things, that she would know exactly what I talk about as far as experiences, it was a wonderful, wonderful moment.
Thank you all for reading this, for supporting me, for praying for me. Cheers to Russia 2013! I pray these experiences will be just as rewarding as last year's, for all involved.
Blessings on all that you do!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Happy New Year!
Hello, friends! Happy and blessed New Year to everyone! It's hard to believe that it's already 2013, but I suppose I feel that way every time we reach another January 1st.
I apologize for my absence in writing as of recent. I have been very busy with my school life, and, honestly, nothing new has come up about Russia for several months! However, that has changed, and I have dates for my trip, I've started to write fundraising letters, and I'm back on the ball for trip number two!
This year, I will be traveling with Pastor John Reehl to the Saint Petersburg area, and we will also be visiting the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia). We leave on May 28th, and will be returning on June 12th.
Some people may be wondering why I want to go back, since it'll have been just a year when I return. At first, I wasn't sure that I was supposed to go back. Maybe I was just going back for myself, maybe it wasn't really God's plan to have me return. However, after prayer and consideration, I have decided to return, for many reasons.
First of all, I made many connections over there with so many different people. If I can actually learn a bit of the language before May, I hope to be able to deepen my conversations with these beloved individuals, maybe figure out correspondance, and, especially, strengthen my relationship with them in Christ.
Secondly, I'm considering full-time mission work in Russia. (That sounds scary to me, but at the same time, the scariness makes it seem more right, if that makes ANY sense.) If I'm going to be working in that culture and teaching the Word of God, I want to be more familiar with my possible future mission field. Last year was amazing, but I struggled to get past the initial culture shock and take everything in. I'm hoping that a second trip, especially one so close in date to the first one, will help me to gather more information, and to take in more fine details.
And third, if I'm going to be honest, I just really want to go back. My experience last year was fantastic! And if I have the opportunity to reach more people through a second trip, then I would very much like to use that opportunity to the best of God's glory.
That's about all I have that's new on the Russia trip. Prayers are always welcome, for successful fundraising, for open hearts and minds, for safe travels, for growing ministry, and for touched lives. Thank you, readers, for all you do for me, for reading my posts, for praying for me and the people who God will touch during these trips.
Just a final note, a request for your prayers: You may have heard that Putin, the president of Russia, recently signed a law that prohibits Americans from adopting children from the orphanages in Russia. Please pray for the kids over there! The conditions are already less than ideal, and as less children will be leaving the establishments, more will be packed in, or less will be taken in. Please, also pray that Putin stops there, and that we are continued to be allowed access into the orphanages on our trips.
Thank you so much, again, for all your prayers and support.
God bless you in all that you do!
I apologize for my absence in writing as of recent. I have been very busy with my school life, and, honestly, nothing new has come up about Russia for several months! However, that has changed, and I have dates for my trip, I've started to write fundraising letters, and I'm back on the ball for trip number two!
This year, I will be traveling with Pastor John Reehl to the Saint Petersburg area, and we will also be visiting the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia). We leave on May 28th, and will be returning on June 12th.
Some people may be wondering why I want to go back, since it'll have been just a year when I return. At first, I wasn't sure that I was supposed to go back. Maybe I was just going back for myself, maybe it wasn't really God's plan to have me return. However, after prayer and consideration, I have decided to return, for many reasons.
First of all, I made many connections over there with so many different people. If I can actually learn a bit of the language before May, I hope to be able to deepen my conversations with these beloved individuals, maybe figure out correspondance, and, especially, strengthen my relationship with them in Christ.
Secondly, I'm considering full-time mission work in Russia. (That sounds scary to me, but at the same time, the scariness makes it seem more right, if that makes ANY sense.) If I'm going to be working in that culture and teaching the Word of God, I want to be more familiar with my possible future mission field. Last year was amazing, but I struggled to get past the initial culture shock and take everything in. I'm hoping that a second trip, especially one so close in date to the first one, will help me to gather more information, and to take in more fine details.
And third, if I'm going to be honest, I just really want to go back. My experience last year was fantastic! And if I have the opportunity to reach more people through a second trip, then I would very much like to use that opportunity to the best of God's glory.
That's about all I have that's new on the Russia trip. Prayers are always welcome, for successful fundraising, for open hearts and minds, for safe travels, for growing ministry, and for touched lives. Thank you, readers, for all you do for me, for reading my posts, for praying for me and the people who God will touch during these trips.
Just a final note, a request for your prayers: You may have heard that Putin, the president of Russia, recently signed a law that prohibits Americans from adopting children from the orphanages in Russia. Please pray for the kids over there! The conditions are already less than ideal, and as less children will be leaving the establishments, more will be packed in, or less will be taken in. Please, also pray that Putin stops there, and that we are continued to be allowed access into the orphanages on our trips.
Thank you so much, again, for all your prayers and support.
God bless you in all that you do!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Branching Out: Des Moines, Iowa
Looks like it's been a while since I've posted! I've gotten into the full swing of my sophomore year of college (I should say second year, because I'll be a junior by December!!) and between my full-load of credit hours, my extracurriculars, and my own crazy life, I just haven't been blogging too much!
However, this past Sunday was a really neat experience for me! First of all, it was a three-day weekend. Those are always fun!! More importantly, though, I was able to give a presentation at my dad's church in Des Moines, Iowa. The church there had supported me while I was on my trip, and I was really excited to be able to return to this small, loving family and share what God did in Russia!
First, as I was talking to a member's visiting parents, we were chatting about where they were from, where I went to school, what I was going into... Typical small talk with a college student! I was talking to the father, and he said that he and his wife sponsor an orphanage in Saint Petersburg! I got pretty excited and asked who they did that through, and he said Pastor Reehl! Oh man, I was excited! They were unable to stay for the presentation, but I was able to give them my contact information. Their church in Gretna, Nebraska is working on mission work out of their church, a new program. They said that Reehl has spoken, but they'd like me to come and speak some time! What an awesome outreach! After that, I gave my presentation to the Bible study group.
It was a difficult presentation, though not any different from my previous ones. As soon as I hit the spots where I talk about the special needs kids... I just lose it. I can't help it. That has become even more meaningful since my Special Education class this semester. I have yet to get through that section without choking up.
Afterwards, I learned that one of the parishioners had taken four years of Russian in high school. (I'm so jealous...) We talked to her a bit, and she said she'd love to go on the trip! I gave her Reehl's number, and she could potentially be going on this summer's trip!
The outreach that I was a part of this past Sunday blows me away. I was sharing with one of my friends, and she told me "Steph, God is using you in so many ways!"
She's right, but what a humbling comment! I have to go back to my favorite quote from Kisses from Katie: "I am blown away that my God, who could do this all by Himself, would choose to let me be a little part of it!" Every day, whether or not we realize it, we affect someone's life. Whether it's our roommate, our best friend, or a random stranger who we smile at as we walk by. We have the power to change someone's life, for better or for worse.
Keep in mind, God's using you, too. Every day, every moment, you are His child, a witness of Jesus' ultimate love and sacrifice. With that in mind, God bless you as you go out and spread his joy, love, and peace with those around you.
God bless you in all that you do!
However, this past Sunday was a really neat experience for me! First of all, it was a three-day weekend. Those are always fun!! More importantly, though, I was able to give a presentation at my dad's church in Des Moines, Iowa. The church there had supported me while I was on my trip, and I was really excited to be able to return to this small, loving family and share what God did in Russia!
First, as I was talking to a member's visiting parents, we were chatting about where they were from, where I went to school, what I was going into... Typical small talk with a college student! I was talking to the father, and he said that he and his wife sponsor an orphanage in Saint Petersburg! I got pretty excited and asked who they did that through, and he said Pastor Reehl! Oh man, I was excited! They were unable to stay for the presentation, but I was able to give them my contact information. Their church in Gretna, Nebraska is working on mission work out of their church, a new program. They said that Reehl has spoken, but they'd like me to come and speak some time! What an awesome outreach! After that, I gave my presentation to the Bible study group.
It was a difficult presentation, though not any different from my previous ones. As soon as I hit the spots where I talk about the special needs kids... I just lose it. I can't help it. That has become even more meaningful since my Special Education class this semester. I have yet to get through that section without choking up.
Afterwards, I learned that one of the parishioners had taken four years of Russian in high school. (I'm so jealous...) We talked to her a bit, and she said she'd love to go on the trip! I gave her Reehl's number, and she could potentially be going on this summer's trip!
The outreach that I was a part of this past Sunday blows me away. I was sharing with one of my friends, and she told me "Steph, God is using you in so many ways!"
She's right, but what a humbling comment! I have to go back to my favorite quote from Kisses from Katie: "I am blown away that my God, who could do this all by Himself, would choose to let me be a little part of it!" Every day, whether or not we realize it, we affect someone's life. Whether it's our roommate, our best friend, or a random stranger who we smile at as we walk by. We have the power to change someone's life, for better or for worse.
Keep in mind, God's using you, too. Every day, every moment, you are His child, a witness of Jesus' ultimate love and sacrifice. With that in mind, God bless you as you go out and spread his joy, love, and peace with those around you.
God bless you in all that you do!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
When the Door Closes... And I'm on the Side Facing the Whole World
Often times, God puts our hearts at rest in ways that maybe we didn't see coming, or that we didn't want to come at all. Often times, questions plague us, distract us from daily work, from friendships, from family time, from homework, from anything that we should be doing besides thinking about our issues.
In my case, I was dealing with something that left me with a sense of insecurity, uncertainty, confusion, and many other feelings that, I'll be honest, I just did not need in the middle of my first week of sophomore year of college. I kept asking for an ultimatum, an end to the things that were rolling around in my brain, a sure answer to the questions that I kept asking of myself and sometimes other people.
Last night, by the grace of God, it came. Now, I've said that I strive to make this blog about my mission that has been given to me by God. This mission is often affected by other things life offers. Things like relationships. To keep things short, I just got out of a relationship that I thought would follow me to my mission in Russia, that I thought would be beside me for the rest of my life. But sometimes, even if you have your life planned out, God steps in, especially if He's not a big enough part of it. I see now that He was not in the center but on the outskirts of my first relationship, and I thank Him that He pulled me back to His side, though it was painful to have to be pulled way from my guy.
Any way, in favor of keeping things short, God finally gave me time to talk to this someone, this someone who is now a great friend of mine, who supports me, talks with me, seeks me out for advice, and is exactly what I would want in a great friend. Last night, I was shown just how great a friend that he is, and that he will continue to be. God put my wandering heart at rest, gave me peace in this newly established situation, and I am forever grateful.
Maybe it's not the outcome that I wanted. However, sometimes God shuts us out of "rooms", if you will, that we've gotten too used to. When we realize that door has been shut, we don't even take the time to look at the next room He's put us in. Instead, we turn around, too scared of the new section. We start banging on the door, crying and begging to be let back in to the "norm", the situations that we're so used to, that maybe we've fallen in love with.
And God gives us time. He never pushes us faster than He thinks we can go. But slowly, gently, He wipes away the tears, puts His hands on our shoulders, and turns us around. That's when we see it: the world behind the door. What He shuts us out of is only a small portion of our lives, is only a room that we walked through. When we clear our heads and take a look at the new place that He's "shut us into", we see new people, new opportunities, new situations, new passions, new needs, new successes... The list is completely endless.
Take it from a girl who took two months to see that big, open world. If God has recently shut a door in your life, stop trying that locked handle. Stop pounding on the door. If it's meant to be reopened, God's got the key, and He knows when the best time to reopen will be. Trust in your heavenly Father. He will not ever lead you into a new "room" that He doesn't think you can handle, with His grace.
Blessings on all that you do!
P.S. - A shout-out to my overseas readers! Blogger lets me see where my audience is spaced out, and I have readers from the U.S. (obviously,) but I've also got some readers in China, Germany, and my strongest audience is in Russia!! So God bless you! Thanks for reading!! :)
In my case, I was dealing with something that left me with a sense of insecurity, uncertainty, confusion, and many other feelings that, I'll be honest, I just did not need in the middle of my first week of sophomore year of college. I kept asking for an ultimatum, an end to the things that were rolling around in my brain, a sure answer to the questions that I kept asking of myself and sometimes other people.
Last night, by the grace of God, it came. Now, I've said that I strive to make this blog about my mission that has been given to me by God. This mission is often affected by other things life offers. Things like relationships. To keep things short, I just got out of a relationship that I thought would follow me to my mission in Russia, that I thought would be beside me for the rest of my life. But sometimes, even if you have your life planned out, God steps in, especially if He's not a big enough part of it. I see now that He was not in the center but on the outskirts of my first relationship, and I thank Him that He pulled me back to His side, though it was painful to have to be pulled way from my guy.
Any way, in favor of keeping things short, God finally gave me time to talk to this someone, this someone who is now a great friend of mine, who supports me, talks with me, seeks me out for advice, and is exactly what I would want in a great friend. Last night, I was shown just how great a friend that he is, and that he will continue to be. God put my wandering heart at rest, gave me peace in this newly established situation, and I am forever grateful.
Maybe it's not the outcome that I wanted. However, sometimes God shuts us out of "rooms", if you will, that we've gotten too used to. When we realize that door has been shut, we don't even take the time to look at the next room He's put us in. Instead, we turn around, too scared of the new section. We start banging on the door, crying and begging to be let back in to the "norm", the situations that we're so used to, that maybe we've fallen in love with.
And God gives us time. He never pushes us faster than He thinks we can go. But slowly, gently, He wipes away the tears, puts His hands on our shoulders, and turns us around. That's when we see it: the world behind the door. What He shuts us out of is only a small portion of our lives, is only a room that we walked through. When we clear our heads and take a look at the new place that He's "shut us into", we see new people, new opportunities, new situations, new passions, new needs, new successes... The list is completely endless.
Take it from a girl who took two months to see that big, open world. If God has recently shut a door in your life, stop trying that locked handle. Stop pounding on the door. If it's meant to be reopened, God's got the key, and He knows when the best time to reopen will be. Trust in your heavenly Father. He will not ever lead you into a new "room" that He doesn't think you can handle, with His grace.
Blessings on all that you do!
P.S. - A shout-out to my overseas readers! Blogger lets me see where my audience is spaced out, and I have readers from the U.S. (obviously,) but I've also got some readers in China, Germany, and my strongest audience is in Russia!! So God bless you! Thanks for reading!! :)
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Blessed to be a Blessing
Life.
Never simple, never perfect, never crystal-clear. We never have everything we want, we never have all the people we love within hugging distance, we never have all the money we think we need.
And yet, through it all, there's God. God. My miraculous, loving, omnipresent Father, never leaves me, never deserts me, never walks away.
My God offers me tough times, times to fully rely on Him, times where I have no other choice but to lift my hands up to the stars and say "God, this has to be You, because there's no physical way I'll be able to do it on my own."
"Blessed to be a blessing." What a great theme for a school year! Here at Concordia, the focus, at least for the first three days, has been that quote. We've heard some wonderful speakers, one on her own mission trips this summer, one on how "genius" simply means helper, and that we can all be geniuses. But they all tie in: How blessed we are to be blessings.
That turned my thoughts to Russia immediately during the first two days of chapel. How blessed I was to be a blessing to the children and the patients who I reached out to! But tonight, I was reminded of my own belief in witnessing where you are, where God has put you.
So many people who I know and love have come to trust me with their issues, their ups and downs in life. How blessed I am, to be approached and trusted by friends who are struggling. As I prayed with a friend tonight, we finished up and did what any two confused and wandering girls would do: held each other and cried. Not necessarily totally out of sorrow, but maybe because when all the emotions in the world get mixed together, tears are the result.
When we had finished, she said "I'm sure that God has sent you tonight to help me." What a powerful, wonderful, and totally moving statement. That's when I remembered, "blessed to be a blessing." I am blown away by the number of times God uses me, as I said earlier in my Russia journals, to reach out, to be the hand at the end of His arm. All the glory to God! I praise Him and thank Him for the wonderful friends I have, not only to reach out to and to pray with, but who I know, in a heartbeat, would do the exact same things for me, when I need them.
God the Father has truly blessed me, continues to bless me, on a daily basis. I can not express, in words, how amazed I am at His constant love, His never-ending mercy, His compassion that extends further than I can ever understand. I look forward to the day when I can sing about His grace and love and wondrous might forever in heaven.
Blessings on all that you do!
(And may you be "blessed to be a blessing.")
Never simple, never perfect, never crystal-clear. We never have everything we want, we never have all the people we love within hugging distance, we never have all the money we think we need.
And yet, through it all, there's God. God. My miraculous, loving, omnipresent Father, never leaves me, never deserts me, never walks away.
My God offers me tough times, times to fully rely on Him, times where I have no other choice but to lift my hands up to the stars and say "God, this has to be You, because there's no physical way I'll be able to do it on my own."
"Blessed to be a blessing." What a great theme for a school year! Here at Concordia, the focus, at least for the first three days, has been that quote. We've heard some wonderful speakers, one on her own mission trips this summer, one on how "genius" simply means helper, and that we can all be geniuses. But they all tie in: How blessed we are to be blessings.
That turned my thoughts to Russia immediately during the first two days of chapel. How blessed I was to be a blessing to the children and the patients who I reached out to! But tonight, I was reminded of my own belief in witnessing where you are, where God has put you.
So many people who I know and love have come to trust me with their issues, their ups and downs in life. How blessed I am, to be approached and trusted by friends who are struggling. As I prayed with a friend tonight, we finished up and did what any two confused and wandering girls would do: held each other and cried. Not necessarily totally out of sorrow, but maybe because when all the emotions in the world get mixed together, tears are the result.
When we had finished, she said "I'm sure that God has sent you tonight to help me." What a powerful, wonderful, and totally moving statement. That's when I remembered, "blessed to be a blessing." I am blown away by the number of times God uses me, as I said earlier in my Russia journals, to reach out, to be the hand at the end of His arm. All the glory to God! I praise Him and thank Him for the wonderful friends I have, not only to reach out to and to pray with, but who I know, in a heartbeat, would do the exact same things for me, when I need them.
God the Father has truly blessed me, continues to bless me, on a daily basis. I can not express, in words, how amazed I am at His constant love, His never-ending mercy, His compassion that extends further than I can ever understand. I look forward to the day when I can sing about His grace and love and wondrous might forever in heaven.
Blessings on all that you do!
(And may you be "blessed to be a blessing.")
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