Wednesday 12 June 2013

God of This City

I just have a short little thought tonight.

The packing has begun - and as I started shuffling through my belongings deciding what to throw away, what to pack away, and what to take with me the song God of this City started playing in the background.

I was reminded again tonight that God IS indeed the God of the city I am going to despite the spiritual darkness. He is in control. He loves the people more than I ever could. He is showing himself to his people even if they do not recognize Him.

Pray for India, friends. Pray for the softening of hearts. Pray for God to be seen.

Pray that hearts would turn to Jesus.

Sunday 2 June 2013

Whom Shall I Fear?

I love seeing God's hand in all things.

Over the past few weeks fear has started to creep in. When I really think about what I'm doing, the unknowns, and that I am a single white girl going to India - to be honest I get a little freaked out. But in these times where fear tries to settle in God proves his faithfulness to me again.

One day when I was struggling with one of these moments of fear I listened to the song "Whom Shall I Fear" by Chris Tomlin. The truth of the lyrics brought me complete peace I know who goes before me, I know who stands beside, the God of angel armies is always by my side. As I sat and let these words sink in it brought me to tears. My God is already in India. He has and continues to pave the way for my arrival. He is already at work there. He will protect me when I go. And my God, the same one who is in India right now, is also with me here. Right now. He is standing beside me, preparing me, and telling me do not fear for I am with you (Isaiah 41:10). So then whom shall I fear? No one. Nothing. My God, your God, is standing with us in every moment every where we are.

This trip is forcing me to trust in my God like never before. And so as I continue to trust and surrender this journey to Christ he is snatching that fear, throwing it away, and replacing it with comfort, excitement, and joy! So now as my trip sneaks up on me in just three short weeks I can honestly say that the fear is gone and all I am filled with is excitement! I am anxious to arrive and meet the beautiful children who I am blessed to spend the next six months with. Sure I may still not know exactly what all of this holds but I know God is faithful and I cling to that.

All you need to do is trust, my friends. God is with us. God is with you.

Do not fear.

Trust.

Wednesday 1 May 2013

Expectations

It is easy for us to hold expectations and easily become disappointed. Okay, it is easy for ME to do this. Too often I find myself holding high expectations in things like relationships or in a moment and many times I end up with a disappointed heart. So I begin to wonder if I should instead live my life with no expectations? Because every time that I have any the situation never lives up to what I hope for. Or should I continue to expect the very best from everything and set myself up for disappointment time after time? It is hard to find a balance between the two. I still don't have any answers about this, however, in the last few weeks I have recognized God working through this struggle.

In 51 days (WOAH!) I am moving to India - at this point there are still a lot of unknowns that will remain unknown until my plane lands, until I walk off the tarmac and am smacked in the face with Indian  humidity, until I meet my local friends face to face. The unknown. How am I supposed to have expectations of something that is uncertain? I cannot.

To be honest it is hard for me to walk into this trip without knowing every detail - I am not usually a person who needs every specific detail lined up, however, because I am doing this all on my own it is a bit more overwhelming and scary. I am doing what I can to know as much as I can but I have to accept that I will get to India and still have questions.

Of course this is not a coincidence. I have sensed God's intentionality in allowing this uncertainty. If every single question that I had was answered and every detail was figured out I would probably be going into this trip with high expectations that most likely would be let down. Instead, this unknown is causing me to give my complete trust in God and his plan rather than what I know and the expectations that come along with that knowledge.

And so instead of using my knowledge of how this crazy journey will go and basing expectations off that, I have a different kind of expectation. The only thing that I expect, I anticipate, I strongly believe will happen, is that God's will WILL be done and he will use me if my heart is willing. I have complete faith in God and know that he will work in and through me and the people in India because he has proven his faithfulness in my life over and over. Should I expect anything less?

Thank you so much to all of you who are supporting me and this crazy journey - you are so important to me and I am excited to bring you along and share my experiences with you!

Sunday 21 April 2013

Preparation

So upon request from quite a few different people I have started a blog that will keep you updated on my trip to India. Here I will post pictures, updates, what God is teaching me, how preparation is coming along and how life is going once I actually arrive. I thank you in advance for your prayers and support for my trip - know that you are appreciated by me! So here's my first post:)

This morning I decided to begin the countdown for when I leave for India - 63 days. Wow. That time is going to fly by and in this time of preparation I want to be very intentional with every moment that I am given. Intentional in the relationships I have and continue to build into them, intentional in preparing all of the essentials and logistics for my trip, intentional in how I spend my time, and intentional in preparing my heart.

I have been reading through Proverbs lately. Wisdom is clearly the theme. From the beginning to the end Solomon emphasizes over and over the importance of seeking after wisdom and knowledge. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" 1:7 "For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding" 2:6 "Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men" 2:12 "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil" 3:7 "Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding" 3:13 "My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight" 3:21 "Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them" 4:5 "Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding" 4:6;7.

Beginning to get the point? Yeah me too. Wisdom is clearly so essential in our lives. In how we make decisions, how we choose to live each moment, how we react in difficult situations, how we spend our spare time, and in every area of our lives we need to be seeking wisdom. And this wisdom does not come from ourselves but from God. He promises that if we seek him we will find him (Jer 29:13). So if wisdom comes from God and we are seeking after God who promises that we will find him, then it seems to me that we will find wisdom. Pretty neat.

As I follow God in this time of preparation I am seeking his wisdom in everything I do and in every decision I make. Moving to India by myself can be super exciting at times but it is also beginning to prove intimidating and a bit scary. As I continue to grow deeper with our Father I will continue to develop a deeper knowledge of the wisdom that comes from him and how he wants me to live every moment and I pray that you find this too.