So many times, we mention things for prayer and then we forget to praise Him for the answers...or let people know that they were answered! Before I left for Croatia, I posted some specific things to pray for. I know that many of you (or the few who read this!) prayed for these things. The prayers were felt...it is beyond words to describe. I never in my life had felt the prayers of people before so powerfully- from the days leading up to the trip and while we were there. So I thought that I would share the list and show that they were all answered!! God is good!!
Traveling safety--we had some trouble in Memphis, but we got there safely, despite nearly missing our flight to Germany!
Wisdom in counseling the women- it was so neat, sometimes the words would just come out and I was like "where is that coming from??"
Compassion- i was able to love these women
Unity for the team- both the US Team and the Balkan team--Whoa!!!!! The unity here was incredible...I felt like I had known these women my whole life. We were able to pray and worship together- it was so beautiful.
Strength- we kept going and going
Endurance- - wasn't too bad
Spiritual renewal in the lives of the women- amen!!!! Brokenesss, fresh faith, joy, grace was abound
Laughter for these women- Lots and lots of laughter---a cheerful heart is good medicine.
I am changed....I am not the same. This trip totally transformed my life. I experienced the power of prayer in so many different ways. My God is good!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
What Family Looks Like....
November is the month for Thanksgiving and is usually when we talk about what we are thankful for (even though we need to be thankful all of the time-not just one time of the year.) Last night, I was reminded of one thing that I am truly thankful for...family. Yes, I'm thankful for my parents and my extended family, but last night I was thankful for my "adopted family."(not really the word I was looking for, but I couldn't think of what else to call it.)
I think that as a single person, you begin to define family differently. The definition changes and your circle expands. I've known the H family for probably all of my 27 years. J and I went to the same church and her parents have known my parents, and she was my children's choir director. She married E and they had D. I changed his diapers! Then they had their Princess D and shortly after that, E became my youth minister. Princess D and I have a bond like nothing else I've ever experienced. I love her like she is my own. She couldn't say my name when she was little so she started calling me "Nana." 11 years later, I'm still Nana. I remember her chubby arms reaching for me to hold her and her sticking her lip out when I didn't do what she wanted me to do. Then came A, who is 100% boy. Ahh, I love that kid. I can still remember him singing "Jesus Loves Me" on the phone to me when he was about 3...made Nana's heart smile. On a recent visit, out of the blue, A asks me, "Nana, are you fam-i-lee?(that's how it sounded!) And I said, "Well, I'm kind of like family." He replied, "Then, how come you don't look like my mama?" (they are all blue eyed and blonde haired--if you know me, I'm not!!) The H's are a constant presence in my life. Besides going to church with them, I would stop by to see them on my home from college on the weekends. When I started grad school, they moved to North La. A year later, I followed.
I can't begin to describe how much this family means to me. E has been a great example of obedience to me. J is the big sister that I've never had. She has listened to me moan about being single, listened to my frustrations at work, and let me crash at her house on the weekends. Last night, we were talking about how the kids were growing up so fast (they are 14, 11, and 6..yikes!) J made the comment about a situation with Princess D. She said, "I wanted to tell her...talk to your Nana about this!" That made me laugh. And feel needed. And feel loved.
As a social worker, my help is often not wanted by people. And certainly, in their mind, not needed. There are many days where I feel defeated, like I'm wasting my time, feeling a failure. And sometimes, being single makes it worse. I know that marriage is not everything, but it would be nice to feel valued, needed.
I've realized that in this season of singleness, God does a variety of things to meet my needs. He has given me friends that are amazing, adventures that I could have only dreamed about, and family that loves me. Even if they look a little different from me.
I think that as a single person, you begin to define family differently. The definition changes and your circle expands. I've known the H family for probably all of my 27 years. J and I went to the same church and her parents have known my parents, and she was my children's choir director. She married E and they had D. I changed his diapers! Then they had their Princess D and shortly after that, E became my youth minister. Princess D and I have a bond like nothing else I've ever experienced. I love her like she is my own. She couldn't say my name when she was little so she started calling me "Nana." 11 years later, I'm still Nana. I remember her chubby arms reaching for me to hold her and her sticking her lip out when I didn't do what she wanted me to do. Then came A, who is 100% boy. Ahh, I love that kid. I can still remember him singing "Jesus Loves Me" on the phone to me when he was about 3...made Nana's heart smile. On a recent visit, out of the blue, A asks me, "Nana, are you fam-i-lee?(that's how it sounded!) And I said, "Well, I'm kind of like family." He replied, "Then, how come you don't look like my mama?" (they are all blue eyed and blonde haired--if you know me, I'm not!!) The H's are a constant presence in my life. Besides going to church with them, I would stop by to see them on my home from college on the weekends. When I started grad school, they moved to North La. A year later, I followed.
I can't begin to describe how much this family means to me. E has been a great example of obedience to me. J is the big sister that I've never had. She has listened to me moan about being single, listened to my frustrations at work, and let me crash at her house on the weekends. Last night, we were talking about how the kids were growing up so fast (they are 14, 11, and 6..yikes!) J made the comment about a situation with Princess D. She said, "I wanted to tell her...talk to your Nana about this!" That made me laugh. And feel needed. And feel loved.
As a social worker, my help is often not wanted by people. And certainly, in their mind, not needed. There are many days where I feel defeated, like I'm wasting my time, feeling a failure. And sometimes, being single makes it worse. I know that marriage is not everything, but it would be nice to feel valued, needed.
I've realized that in this season of singleness, God does a variety of things to meet my needs. He has given me friends that are amazing, adventures that I could have only dreamed about, and family that loves me. Even if they look a little different from me.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Lessons from Croatia
I've got so much to talk about in regards to Croatia!! So I figured I may need to do it in pieces, although the pieces will probably not be in any particular order! I learned so much from this trip. Probably the biggest lesson (and by the far, the coolest!) was more about the Holy Spirit. I've always known God the Father and the God the Son, but while in Croatia, I really began to know God the Spirit. Learning about how He moves, how He speaks to me, how He guides me, how He is unseen yet felt. The whole weekend was Spirit filled and led by the Holy Spirit--probably because the whole thing was bathed in prayer from both sides of the ocean!
On Saturday morning, the morning session was awesome. It ended up being nearly a full hour of pure worship and pure praying--genuinely loving each other as sister's in Christ. I met Sherri at the conference and she was in my small group. Sherri is in her mid forties and lives in the US. Earlier in the year, one of the missionaries came to her church and they kept in touch. 3 ago, God told Sherri to come to Croatia, she wasn't sure why, just to come. So she came with the missionary to the conference and was a huge help and blessing! She really felt like God was calling her out from where she was from--she just wanted to be obedient. During the morning session, I prayed over her. Just praying for wisdom and direction. I often think "musically" and in my prayers, it is no exception. I was trying to think of the words of a particular song while I was praying and they wouldn't come. I just prayed, "Lord, let her run with reckless abandon to You." She shot up and her eyes were wide as saucers and she had this huge smile on her face. She asked me, "What did you say? Did you just say Reckless Abandon? Did God tell you to say that?" I told her yes, it just came out. She told me that three years ago, to the week...she felt God lead her to write this poem, entitled..."Reckless Abandon"! She had never told anyone about it and had not looked it at since. She had the poem on her computer and showed it to me...it talks about running after God. We both just sat there in amazement and laughing...God showed up!! At times during the conference, I felt like a waste of time because I wasn't counseling. But God sent me from the South to Croatia to be there for Sherri. It was incredible!!!! You just have to be willing...you never know what He is up to!
On Saturday morning, the morning session was awesome. It ended up being nearly a full hour of pure worship and pure praying--genuinely loving each other as sister's in Christ. I met Sherri at the conference and she was in my small group. Sherri is in her mid forties and lives in the US. Earlier in the year, one of the missionaries came to her church and they kept in touch. 3 ago, God told Sherri to come to Croatia, she wasn't sure why, just to come. So she came with the missionary to the conference and was a huge help and blessing! She really felt like God was calling her out from where she was from--she just wanted to be obedient. During the morning session, I prayed over her. Just praying for wisdom and direction. I often think "musically" and in my prayers, it is no exception. I was trying to think of the words of a particular song while I was praying and they wouldn't come. I just prayed, "Lord, let her run with reckless abandon to You." She shot up and her eyes were wide as saucers and she had this huge smile on her face. She asked me, "What did you say? Did you just say Reckless Abandon? Did God tell you to say that?" I told her yes, it just came out. She told me that three years ago, to the week...she felt God lead her to write this poem, entitled..."Reckless Abandon"! She had never told anyone about it and had not looked it at since. She had the poem on her computer and showed it to me...it talks about running after God. We both just sat there in amazement and laughing...God showed up!! At times during the conference, I felt like a waste of time because I wasn't counseling. But God sent me from the South to Croatia to be there for Sherri. It was incredible!!!! You just have to be willing...you never know what He is up to!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tagged
I "stole" this from Laura's site..i thought it was fun and different.
I am: determined
I have: a job that I'm called to do
I dislike: being lied to
I miss: my grandparents
I fear: that I'll never get married
I think: that gas prices are coming down
I know: that Jesus is my Savior
I have no idea: how the Presidential election will turn out
I want: a house of my own
I hope: that I will get a phone call soon
lI feel: productive
I smell:my heater
I crave: chocolate chip cookies
I cry: when I am extremley tired
I search: for the the bottom of my desk!
I wonder: did i do something wrong?
I regret: being so selfish
I love: spending time with my friends
I care: about my "kids"
I always: take a bath at night
I worry: about the future
I am not: perfect
I remember: spending time with my dad when I was little
I believe: that God is in control
I dance: to God's grace
I sing: All the time!!
I don’t always: do my best
I wish: my dreams will come true
I listen: to my IPOD when I clean
I don’t understand: how people can harm an innocent child
I can usually be found: at work!
I need: to see my family soon
I forget: lots of different things
I am: blessed beyond measure, loved by God
Now, It's your turn!
I am: determined
I have: a job that I'm called to do
I dislike: being lied to
I miss: my grandparents
I fear: that I'll never get married
I think: that gas prices are coming down
I know: that Jesus is my Savior
I have no idea: how the Presidential election will turn out
I want: a house of my own
I hope: that I will get a phone call soon
lI feel: productive
I smell:my heater
I crave: chocolate chip cookies
I cry: when I am extremley tired
I search: for the the bottom of my desk!
I wonder: did i do something wrong?
I regret: being so selfish
I love: spending time with my friends
I care: about my "kids"
I always: take a bath at night
I worry: about the future
I am not: perfect
I remember: spending time with my dad when I was little
I believe: that God is in control
I dance: to God's grace
I sing: All the time!!
I don’t always: do my best
I wish: my dreams will come true
I listen: to my IPOD when I clean
I don’t understand: how people can harm an innocent child
I can usually be found: at work!
I need: to see my family soon
I forget: lots of different things
I am: blessed beyond measure, loved by God
Now, It's your turn!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Hands Tied Behind My Back
I know that everyone is waiting to hear about my trip and that will come...soon. My computer is still sick and now I'm at work (yes, I know it's Sunday, but I had to come on campus for somehting else, so I decided to check my email here.) This post has something to do with my trip, well at least with lessons learned from the trip.
The conference theme was "Moving to the Rhythm of His Grace." That was so powerful to me...to learn to walk to His pace, to His steps, to His guiding. Which leads me to the title, "Hands Tied Behind My Back." One thing that God has shown me lately is the need for surrender. Surrendering of everything. All of my plans, my dreams, my agenda. For example, at the conference, I was supposed to be there as a counselor. There were 50 women there and I had at least 6-8 slots. I saw 4 people all weekend and one person twice. I think if I had told her that she could come for the rest of the available times, she would have. I really didn't do much counseling, I just listened. I was feeling a bit defeated, like, "Why did I come here?" But when I let go and acknowledged the fact that God had called me here and that I answered the call, He used me in incredible ways.
There is a particular situation in my life (it's a good one, it's just that I'm not going to get into specifics here..if you want to know, ask. I don't mind telling you.) that is very difficult for me to surrender to the Lord. But I want to, I need to. I want to lay it down at His feet and leave it there, not pull it back. One of the hardest things for me is to realize that i'm not in control. (anybody else relate?) I want this so badly, to work out, to be great. But I'm also realizing that it can't be great, it can't even be possible if I don't lay it down. Last night, I was praying about it and the image of my hands being tied behind me came to my mind. That' s what I pictured: me at the feet of Jesus, laying this burden at His feet, humbly bowed, but my hands tied behind me so that I can't pick it back up, even if I wanted to. Strange. But honestly, that's how I feel. Lord, keep my hands tied as long as You need them to be. Teach me to walk in Your rhythm of grace, to your speed.
The conference theme was "Moving to the Rhythm of His Grace." That was so powerful to me...to learn to walk to His pace, to His steps, to His guiding. Which leads me to the title, "Hands Tied Behind My Back." One thing that God has shown me lately is the need for surrender. Surrendering of everything. All of my plans, my dreams, my agenda. For example, at the conference, I was supposed to be there as a counselor. There were 50 women there and I had at least 6-8 slots. I saw 4 people all weekend and one person twice. I think if I had told her that she could come for the rest of the available times, she would have. I really didn't do much counseling, I just listened. I was feeling a bit defeated, like, "Why did I come here?" But when I let go and acknowledged the fact that God had called me here and that I answered the call, He used me in incredible ways.
There is a particular situation in my life (it's a good one, it's just that I'm not going to get into specifics here..if you want to know, ask. I don't mind telling you.) that is very difficult for me to surrender to the Lord. But I want to, I need to. I want to lay it down at His feet and leave it there, not pull it back. One of the hardest things for me is to realize that i'm not in control. (anybody else relate?) I want this so badly, to work out, to be great. But I'm also realizing that it can't be great, it can't even be possible if I don't lay it down. Last night, I was praying about it and the image of my hands being tied behind me came to my mind. That' s what I pictured: me at the feet of Jesus, laying this burden at His feet, humbly bowed, but my hands tied behind me so that I can't pick it back up, even if I wanted to. Strange. But honestly, that's how I feel. Lord, keep my hands tied as long as You need them to be. Teach me to walk in Your rhythm of grace, to your speed.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
I'm back!
I made it in last night around 8:30. I've never been so glad to be back in the USA! Now, I'm still reeling a bit from the jet lag. The conference was incredible!!!! I'm still processing everything, but God was able to do increasing more than i ever thought was imaginable or possible. I was just willing. Croatia is absolutley gorgeous. I had a great quiet time in front of the Adratic Sea. I had a wonderful time, but am ready to get home. Work awaits me tommorrow, and I've already been warned that it is chaotic. But I'm going to trust my God to meet my needs. More later!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Leaving on a jet plane...
My bags are almost packed...and I'm getting ready to fly out on Monday to Croatia. I'm super excited. The Lord has been so good! Friday was a very smooth day at work, I'm way more organized and almost fully packed, the Lord provided for my every need for this trip through some very dear friends, a dear friend washed, waxed, vacummed and had the oil changed on my car simply because he wanted to give back to me. Wow! I still can't believe that I'm going to Croatia! I'm super excited for the opportunity to serve these precious women. I can't wait to hear about what God is doing in their lives in the Balkan area, and to also just encourage them and love on them. I need this trip as much as they do. I need to be renewed, refreshed, recharged, challenged, refocused. I'm already reaping the blessings of being obedient, but I can't wait to see what else God has in store for me.
Going overseas has a been a desire of my heart for several years, one that I only shared with one or two people. I knew that one day I would go overseas, even if just for a short time, but had no idea how, when, where, or even how God was going to do it. But He blew me away....rocked my world with this opportunity. I just had to be faithful in the here and now. In where He had me today. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 36:4. How true this is!!!!!!! I'm seeing that in more ways than one.
I'm going to try to blog some while i'm there, but internet will be scarce. I have unlimited text messages, so I may try to text some. Feel free to text me! They are 7 hours ahead, so if you get random texts at odd hours, it's me!
Going overseas has a been a desire of my heart for several years, one that I only shared with one or two people. I knew that one day I would go overseas, even if just for a short time, but had no idea how, when, where, or even how God was going to do it. But He blew me away....rocked my world with this opportunity. I just had to be faithful in the here and now. In where He had me today. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 36:4. How true this is!!!!!!! I'm seeing that in more ways than one.
I'm going to try to blog some while i'm there, but internet will be scarce. I have unlimited text messages, so I may try to text some. Feel free to text me! They are 7 hours ahead, so if you get random texts at odd hours, it's me!
- A few things to pray for:
- Traveling safety--especially for the 8 hour flight from Germany to Croatia!
- Wisdom in counseling the women
- Compassion
- Unity for the team- both the US Team and the Balkan team
- Strength
- Endurance- it's going to some long days, not helping- jet lag
- Spiritual renewal in the lives of the women
- Laughter for these women
Thanks for the prayers. See you in a week!
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