Literally, a whirlwind, sometimes spinning you out of control. For me that has been the last couple of months. At times I find myself overwhelmed and feeling like I’m sitting in the middle of the ocean with waves just crashing over me. But thank God, its times like this that I am reminded of the peace and comfort of my Father, I am reminded that he will calm even the fiercest of storms when we call on Him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”- Romans 10:13
Have you ever felt like life was just passing you by so quick for you to catch up?Upon returning to the States in late July I have not only walked through the storm, but have been blessed to feel, see & hear the loving peace of my Father. With the loss of my grandmother a few weeks back, the insane amount of medical issues, working full time at the nursing home and taking on a couple new positions at the church I have learned a lot. First of which being that I never stop learning!!! But in all seriousness, I have learned to praise God more, to praise him in the good and bad. To be thankful more, and to really make these two things a way of life instead an occasional thought…I have learned that though I sense the presence of God in a lot of circumstances, it is amazing to feel Him even more strongly through the days you just don’t think you can push through. I had such awesome opportunities at home to really spend time with my friends and family, not just to be with them but to be invested IN them. This was so special and brought such a peace over my life. Through the loss of my grandma this past month we also had an irreplaceable opportunity to share in a time of love and laughing with her. The day we decided that it was time to put her in the care of hospice the rest of my dad’s family came to town. My grandma (who had been very confused and somewhat combative) immediately turned in to this fun, sweet, loving, happy woman. She began to make jokes, she recognized every single one us, which was abnormal at the time, and then something happened…. She began to comfort US….. She found peace and comfort in the arms of her redeemer. She simply looked at us who surrounded her bed and in such a sweet soft voice said “now, don’t you cry for me, I’m ok, I’m not in pain, just take care of each other.” My grandma found a peace the surpassed all understanding (Philippians 4:7). She went unresponsive shortly after that time with our family. Those moments were a blessing and miracle our God provided for us, it was the closure that we as a family required to move forward. As the next couple days passed and we sat with her reading her favorite scripture verses, singing her songs and praying at her bedside someone asked the question, “why doesn’t He just take her, why does he allow her to just be here like this?” I don’t know the answers, I never will, but what I do know is that for some of us, it was that precious time that we had with her that brought us a little closer to him, that made us confide and trust in him a little more than we already did. It was in that time, that for me personally, my thankfulness and praise far exceeded what it had before. He taught me to love, laugh, mourn, find joy, and most importantly, to receive his peace and to bask in it, to enjoy just sitting in the grasp of His loving arms. My grandma is gone, but the legacy she left, the lesson I learned and the impression God made on all of us is something unforgettable and irreplaceable. Life is full of these moments, we just have to ask ourselves if they are going to just pass us by because we are to “busy” to just STOP, wait, listen and accept what He is trying to teach us.
These last year and a half has been filled with joy and sorrow, fun and weariness, excitement and discouragement, but that never fails! And lately I have been face with big decisions that needed to be made. After seeking God’s will and desire for my life, I have come to terms with where he is leading. In Proverbs there is a verse that says “two things I ask of you, Oh Lord, do not deny me before I die; keep falsehood and lies far from me, and give me neither riches nor poverty, but only my daily bread.” Is that honestly the desire of our hearts, to receive only our daily bread, to be willing to work within the confines of what we need as opposed to what we want? That should not just be our desire but our honest plea…For me personally; I am not equipped to have any more than my “daily bread”. I love and enjoy waking up every day asking God for just the day’s tasks. Successes, failures, joy and pain, knowing full well that if I desired more than that, say maybe a weeks’ worth at a time, I may not be able to handle it. It would only set me farther from the grasp of my Savior…
I have decided that after this trip (Oct. 15- Nov. 1), I will stay home and work fulltime for a while in order to save, set some things straight and maintain my insurance which at this point is a necessity for me for my medical issues. I plan to continue to work very closely with MGM, taking trips throughout the year to work with medical teams and maintain relationships I’ve been blessed to have with Haitian & Dominican people. MGM has been great and has encouraged me to continue to raise support so I can return and work with this mission as much as possible!
While in the states I will be working on the newly formed College Outreach Team within my church. God is always opening new and exciting doors. It is safe to say that I am a missionary…that is my calling, the desire of my heart and soul and I believe with every ounce of my being that God will provide a way for me to continue serving in this way… He has never failed, He is mighty! I want to thank you all, not just for financial support, but for the huge amount of prayer that has been covering me for so long now. I have been in some crazy situations the last year and half and can definitely say that I was covered by the prayers of His faithful servants. Thank you to those of you who have been praying and encouraging my whole family over the past couple of months in the loss of our dear Grandma. The love of our brothers and sisters in Christ has been such an inspiration to us. I hope and pray that you all continue to seek God, to run after Him and to cry out in the midst of the storms. Life never gets easier, even after becoming a servant of Christ, but when you believe in His truths, He provides us with enough peace and understanding to push through. Find encouragement in the fact that He chose you, specifically. He longed and waited for you, His child, to seek His face. Make praise and thankfulness a way of life, and my friends, never stop pursuing.. His love is greater than we can comprehend!
God Bless!
Have you ever felt like life was just passing you by so quick for you to catch up?Upon returning to the States in late July I have not only walked through the storm, but have been blessed to feel, see & hear the loving peace of my Father. With the loss of my grandmother a few weeks back, the insane amount of medical issues, working full time at the nursing home and taking on a couple new positions at the church I have learned a lot. First of which being that I never stop learning!!! But in all seriousness, I have learned to praise God more, to praise him in the good and bad. To be thankful more, and to really make these two things a way of life instead an occasional thought…I have learned that though I sense the presence of God in a lot of circumstances, it is amazing to feel Him even more strongly through the days you just don’t think you can push through. I had such awesome opportunities at home to really spend time with my friends and family, not just to be with them but to be invested IN them. This was so special and brought such a peace over my life. Through the loss of my grandma this past month we also had an irreplaceable opportunity to share in a time of love and laughing with her. The day we decided that it was time to put her in the care of hospice the rest of my dad’s family came to town. My grandma (who had been very confused and somewhat combative) immediately turned in to this fun, sweet, loving, happy woman. She began to make jokes, she recognized every single one us, which was abnormal at the time, and then something happened…. She began to comfort US….. She found peace and comfort in the arms of her redeemer. She simply looked at us who surrounded her bed and in such a sweet soft voice said “now, don’t you cry for me, I’m ok, I’m not in pain, just take care of each other.” My grandma found a peace the surpassed all understanding (Philippians 4:7). She went unresponsive shortly after that time with our family. Those moments were a blessing and miracle our God provided for us, it was the closure that we as a family required to move forward. As the next couple days passed and we sat with her reading her favorite scripture verses, singing her songs and praying at her bedside someone asked the question, “why doesn’t He just take her, why does he allow her to just be here like this?” I don’t know the answers, I never will, but what I do know is that for some of us, it was that precious time that we had with her that brought us a little closer to him, that made us confide and trust in him a little more than we already did. It was in that time, that for me personally, my thankfulness and praise far exceeded what it had before. He taught me to love, laugh, mourn, find joy, and most importantly, to receive his peace and to bask in it, to enjoy just sitting in the grasp of His loving arms. My grandma is gone, but the legacy she left, the lesson I learned and the impression God made on all of us is something unforgettable and irreplaceable. Life is full of these moments, we just have to ask ourselves if they are going to just pass us by because we are to “busy” to just STOP, wait, listen and accept what He is trying to teach us.
These last year and a half has been filled with joy and sorrow, fun and weariness, excitement and discouragement, but that never fails! And lately I have been face with big decisions that needed to be made. After seeking God’s will and desire for my life, I have come to terms with where he is leading. In Proverbs there is a verse that says “two things I ask of you, Oh Lord, do not deny me before I die; keep falsehood and lies far from me, and give me neither riches nor poverty, but only my daily bread.” Is that honestly the desire of our hearts, to receive only our daily bread, to be willing to work within the confines of what we need as opposed to what we want? That should not just be our desire but our honest plea…For me personally; I am not equipped to have any more than my “daily bread”. I love and enjoy waking up every day asking God for just the day’s tasks. Successes, failures, joy and pain, knowing full well that if I desired more than that, say maybe a weeks’ worth at a time, I may not be able to handle it. It would only set me farther from the grasp of my Savior…
I have decided that after this trip (Oct. 15- Nov. 1), I will stay home and work fulltime for a while in order to save, set some things straight and maintain my insurance which at this point is a necessity for me for my medical issues. I plan to continue to work very closely with MGM, taking trips throughout the year to work with medical teams and maintain relationships I’ve been blessed to have with Haitian & Dominican people. MGM has been great and has encouraged me to continue to raise support so I can return and work with this mission as much as possible!
While in the states I will be working on the newly formed College Outreach Team within my church. God is always opening new and exciting doors. It is safe to say that I am a missionary…that is my calling, the desire of my heart and soul and I believe with every ounce of my being that God will provide a way for me to continue serving in this way… He has never failed, He is mighty! I want to thank you all, not just for financial support, but for the huge amount of prayer that has been covering me for so long now. I have been in some crazy situations the last year and half and can definitely say that I was covered by the prayers of His faithful servants. Thank you to those of you who have been praying and encouraging my whole family over the past couple of months in the loss of our dear Grandma. The love of our brothers and sisters in Christ has been such an inspiration to us. I hope and pray that you all continue to seek God, to run after Him and to cry out in the midst of the storms. Life never gets easier, even after becoming a servant of Christ, but when you believe in His truths, He provides us with enough peace and understanding to push through. Find encouragement in the fact that He chose you, specifically. He longed and waited for you, His child, to seek His face. Make praise and thankfulness a way of life, and my friends, never stop pursuing.. His love is greater than we can comprehend!
God Bless!