Humility as Jesus had

Since I cannot sleep right now & I just cleaned our kitchen inside out... I've decided to blog. Today I was able to spend a lot of time with my local Church--the bride of Christ, His beautiful creation--and also had great pondering time! I learned a new song that was centered around the Church of Christ being a beautiful bride, learned about servant hood and how to biblically solve problems when they arise, meditated on the attributes of God in His perfect holiness, tried to play basketball, prayed with brothers & sisters, played some songs for Jesus, & just got to be with my Lord. What a beautiful Maker He is!

There are so many different thoughts that come to my mind, but really the only one that continues to come as clear as a bright summer day is that my God is great. He is greatly to be praised, He is gracious & merciful, slow to anger & great in lovingkindness, His greatness is unsearchable, so much so that all His godly ones should bless Him & speak of the glory of His kingdom & talk of His power! (Psalm 145) My human mind can only fathom so much of God's beauty and nature. Even today when I was on the courts I looked up and saw a rainbow; I was so mesmerized by it that when I pointed it out to my buddies I got knocked in the head from a missed shot! haha I wish I could always be captivated by the Lord...it's all in these small things that He uses to show me His love for me. It's amazing to just think that my God delights in revealing His glory to me and blessing me with His goodness! Who in the world am I to even deserve such a thing?!! Because of His Son's blood spilled on the cross that redeemed me from eternal separation from the Father, I am found blameless, without blemish before my beautiful King! Are you seeing this picture? Your darkness can be made light & white because of the red, cleansing, purifying blood of Jesus Christ that was sacrificed so that you may be reconciled to the Father, if you put your faith in Jesus alone! Wow. Col. 1:19-22

I have been burdened much more recently than normal for specific people in my life who are lost and also for brothers & sisters who are struggling or experiencing tribulations. It has been a wonderful sanctification process, though! The Lord has taught me a bit on humility, what it really looks like to cast my cares upon Him when I can do no more than pray...(1 Pet. 5:7) After discovering hard news about my dear friend whose baby went to be with Jesus, another friend who is unwilling to bend low to the earth & allow God to humble her, another who continues to reject the Good News each time I mention it, my life has been just becoming softer & softer into the clay that my Potter wants me to be! Fallen tears, discouraging talks, doubtful hearts, and continual prayers make me just desire my God to save & work in and through me even more! God's hand is NOT too short to save nor His ear too dull to hear (Isaiah 59:1)!

I realize this isn't much of an update on my life, but it is definitely what the Father has been working on in my heart for the past month-ish.. God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Will you humble yourselves before Him?

Leavin' On A Jet Plane

I began this blog on the 20th of August which was very close to my return to America, but I never did end up finishing it. I used what I started with & you can probably tell where I started writing tonight...

Well, my team & I have left the 3rd village and it doesn't feel right, almost! While we stayed there for 3 weeks, we lived with a family. It consisted of 2 boys (12 & 4 years old), a mother, father, and the mother's dad. Living with them truly was the main difference from everywhere else we've been, because in the other villages people primarily just visited frequently. We watched them morning after morning as they would enter their temples and offer their sacrifices & send up empty prayers to man-made objects & non-existent things...If you could only imagine the brokenness. It was such a huge joy, at the same time, to have so many different opportunities to talk with the family members. As we would read the Word, teach English through stories of significant characters we are all familiar with, and even just eat with them, we were able to talk about the One who could give them hope, make them free, guide them to light. Father totally opened up multiple doors with many people while we were there.

On the contrary, we also met people who had never heard His name before and were so lost. I was left speechless when I heard a woman say "no" to the question if she has ever heard of the Son before. My Savior! My redemption! She was clueless. She kind of just shrugged her shoulders as to say, "Well who is this Man you make seem so important?" Our partner shared a bit with her, but unfortunately the woman showed no interest. THAT is what breaks my heart.

Major praise that we were able to see an elderly man make an eternally changing decision to have JC in his heart!! The day still sits so clear in my head. Old friends were visiting and checking up on us and a translator walked to the back of the house to converse with the grandfather. Matter of 30 minutes she comes around the corner of the house with the Wonderful News!:D PtL!

There are so many quotes, situations, praises and requests [answered or still being lifted up] that I could insert in this blog, but that would make this blog probably about 6 pages long, so I'm trying to focus on some of the most significant ones. We were able to help the family pick coffee beans (yes, they grow on trees & they are abundant!), pr-walked a lot, eat about 4 dinners in one night, attend some unique ceremonies, spit our toothpaste out from the second floor (ha--only sometimes), listen to gamelan rap music and Jason Mraz from our teenage friends constantly, meet many wonderful little girls anxious to learn English and be something in this world, and establish priceless, irreplaceable relationships with people in that village-- which is very close to my heart. Even writing this now, every one of those things is so fresh in my mind. I grabbed my journal just in case I needed a quick refresher, but none was needed. The Father has blessed me greatly in allowing me to experience this past summer on another island...



I know that many of you have already heard my stories that I've told which relate to this life-change that happened to me, and you have also been able to see it in me on account of you telling me. Thank you. But, truly all glory to the One who made me and is enabling me to be living this life.

Plenty of things have happened since I have returned, as you can imagine, but my love for Him has grown stronger--being tossed in the waves while doubting every so often, but I am relying on His love for me and nothing from myself. For anything in me which is good is from the Father above, who loved me and gave Himself for me so that I might be rescued from this present evil age (Gal 1:4).

I would love to put people's names on here to pray for individually, but I will refrain from doing so for security purposes. Please lift up this precious island, though. The whole nation, actually. And ours, while you're at it. :D

The Lord said [referring to Jesus], "I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will appoint You as a covenant to the people & a light to the nations.." Isaiah 42. He is sovereign.