The Last Training...

There's a week long training segment that's about to take place.  They say this is this most intense of all the training segments.  I honestly don't know what's about to happen... I just know there's going to be a lot of role play.  I think we're going to be put in "the worst case senario" so that we're prepared for anything.  It'll be good for us, no doubt... and they say that the worst part is the cold.  I just don't know what's about to happen.  Pray that we'll survive the cold and rely on God to make it through this last training.

Well, I'm off to finish the last of our homework and to study for finals.  I'll be home for Christmas in a few weeks.  The time has flown by so quickly.  I'm excited for what God holds in the coming months.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."

1 Peter 3:15

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 2:10

Feasts, No-talent, PT, and Really Good News.

THE FEAST
Yesterday (Thursday), we celebrated Thanksgiving as a group.  It was fantastic!  Everyone contributed food to the table.  My team leader baked a delicious turkey; the other teams brought ham, more turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, pies (but sadly no pumpkin pie), cookies, and so much more.  I could barely fit it all on my paper plate.

NO-TALENT
After our stomachs had been filled, we laughed to our heart's content during the No-Talent Show.  Let me explain... the No-Talent Show is like a regular talent show, except the talents displayed are definitely not skills... just dumb fun.  So one at a time, each team got up on stage to perform.  My team performed a No-Magic Show, in which all the tricks were clearly not magical.  The other no-talents included: lip syncing to a song from the trailer of the movie, Despicable Me;  a skit that nobody really understood;  a skit about football (with tackling involved);  a line-dancing lesson;  a song from the movie, Nacho Libre;  a skit about the daily life of that team, in which each team member played the part of a different team member (it was hilarious);  and the winning skit was done by a team of girls that dressed up like one of the guy teams and did perfect impersonations that had us laughing tears.  But... I guess you had to be there.

PHYSICAL TRAINING
After our stomachs were still full and our hearts filled with joyous laughter, our PT instructors came to the front and told us, "Ok everyone, we're going to take a vote.  Would you rather have PT tomorrow morning as usual, or tonight at 10:30pm?"  My first thought was, "I just ate a full thanksgiving meal.  How is exercising after eating a bunch of food a good idea?"  But EVERYONE voted for night PT.  So, I had no choice in the matter.  But it ended up being the best PT yet.  We did push ups, crunches, and we almost did a three mile run.  But, we were surprised with a game of glow in the dark Ultimate Frisbee instead.  Woohoo!

REALLY GOOD NEWS
Lastly, I have REALLY GOOD NEWS.  Remember the family that we have been visiting this semester?  It's been interesting sharing the Gospel with them.  I've been able to share Bible stories with their six year old daughter, and Jeremiah has been able to have some really good conversations with Jack.  It's been kind of a long process, but every week, whether we got to talk to them or not, we could see that God was working in the heart of this family.  Jeremiah visited them on Wednesday and has been able to drive Jack to get groceries, since Jack's car isn't working.  Anyway, the good news is that Jack says that he really feels like he can believe the Gospel now.  His daughter has been asking him questions about Bible stories and he's become more interested in reading the Bible (Romans to be exact).  He wants to come to church on Sunday.  So, Jeremiah is going to pick up Jack and Amanda (his wife) on Sunday to bring them to church.   Their kids will be staying with someone else this weekend, anyway.  I'm so overjoyed to see God working in this family and drawing them to Himself!

PRAY
I know it's none of my doing.  I'm glad I have been able to talk to Amira (their six year old daughter), but I know that I can't take credit for the heart change that's going on in her family.  Praise be to God alone.  Please keep them in your prayers.  God is still working.  

Matthew 10:39

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Letting Go...

It's been a couple weeks since we got back from transportation training.  In this time, we've gotten back into the swing of school work, finished midterms, had a Chili and Flannel Cookoff (we make chili, carve pumpkins, wear flannel shirts, and sit around a campfire), and revisited people that we've been trying to share the Gospel with.

~~~

This past week, God has taught me about letting go. ...letting go of my dreams and hopes for my future.  To be specific: personal goals, marriage, etc.  That sums it up.  I've been focusing all my thoughts on my dreams for the future.  To focus on goals and dreams is not a bad thing, but it was getting to a point where I was getting impatient or worried, or I was just missing what was going on around me.
But in the midst of that impatient/worried pondering, God interupted my thoughts to say, "I want you to let go of these thoughts for awhile.  They're consuming your mind, but I need you to be consumed with Me first."
So, I ended up taking a deep breath and handing everything to God.  I'm not saying I can just change all my emotions and let go and say, "woohoo! I'm free!"  No.  I don't know how to do that.  But instead of trying to work out all my plans in my head, I'm running straight to Christ ...who has all good and perfect things in mind.  So, to the best of my ability, I let go.
That was Monday.  It's now Saturday.  I'm looking back over the week and I can say that it wasn't easy, but I allowed to God free my mind this week.  He then was able to fill my mind with more and more of Him.  I'm still pressing foward, eager to learn from Him and for His glory!

In conclusion: It is ok to let go of a dream (even a good one) for awhile.  Focus on the current task of drawing near to God and spreading His love, His Gospel.  When and if God wants to bring that dream back into focus, He will do so in His own perfect timing.  His purpose and glory will be evident in that timing.

Romans 8:5 & 6

"...but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ...the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace."

Psalm 139:23-24

"Search me, oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Ecclesiastes 3:11

"He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done form beginning to end."

~~~

How you can pray:

1. Please pray for the family that Jeremiah and I are visiting each week.  Things haven't gotten better for them.  But, I think God lets these bad things happen so that people can see how weak they are, and how much they need God.  So pray that He will draw them to Himself and that they will seek Him.  

2. Pray for unity in our group.  We not only need to be united with each other, but united by Christ first and foremost.  There are always things that try to tear us apart.

3. Praise God for the way He is working in each one of our hearts.  It gives me so much joy to hear what God is doing in everyone's lives.

Thank you for your prayers!!  I love you all!!