Since my last post, my life has been filled with Bible Studies, Women's Missions Week, and a great visit from two pastors from my church. I traveled to the zoo with kids, went to the northern part of the island for a trip to Lake Dudu, and have had some time of rest. The little girls that I love are rising to the challenge to attend Emanuel House and school 7 days in a row to get a beach reward. I am teaching and still praying hard every day over my patience and over each child, their behavior and growth.
I have days when I am spiritually full…
and I have days that I feel empty.
Many days it hits me how so many people around me are still jobless, unable to read, and unsaved. The girls that I love return every day to a home that is unsuitable for anyone to live in without their mom, and often without the presence of their dad. Emanuel House is still over-crowded and in need of classrooms. The kids that I teach have broken families and need regular counseling and their parents need guidance from other parents. I teach and work with kids who are underweight due to being malnourished…
And, then it hits.
I get into my head.
I go around and around thinking about how to "fix it."
And then the lies come...
I'm not good enough.
"They" are not good enough.
God made a mistake.
I don't fit.
I have to be better.
I can do this...
I won't make it.
God can't.
I can't do this.
Work. Work. Work.
I can't mess up.
This should be easier.
I have to get this right.
Jesus said that the following people are blessed: those who realize their need for God, mourn, are humble, are hungry for justice, are merciful, have pure hearts, work for peace, and are persecuted (Matthew 5:3-10).
FIGHT LIES.
READ HIS WORD.
REMEMBER TRUTH.
So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27
You can enter God's kingdom through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Matthew 7:13-14
In John 10:9, Jesus says,
I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.
Jesus teaches that His followers give to the needy (and we do so in secret) and that we should go away and pray (in private). He teaches that his followers don't yield to temptation, nor love money, nor worry about tomorrow. He expresses that His followers seek His kingdom, don't judge others, recognize our own faults, and treat others as we would like to be treated (Matthew 6 and 7).
The Lord directs the steps of the godly,
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
Psalm 37:23-24
Jesus said,
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.
John 10:27-28
...you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.
1 Peter 2:9-10
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,
so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:9-10
He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.
Everything he does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong;
how just and upright he is!
Deuteronomy 32:4
And he who sits on the throne
will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne
will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Revelation 7:15-17
This is the Word of God!
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| Pastors Kris and Brad and Kris' daughter Mady visited for 4 days last week. They were such an encouragement to me and the ministry that God is using me to do here. So thankful for my church home! |
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| 7 Emanuel House kids went to the zoo as a treat from their sponsors for their birthdays. |
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| I ended up jumping off of 2 cliffs in Lago Dudu. It was scary but worth it! |
The Lord continues to remind me that He is good, He is in control, and that He is worth it. Even as I write this I am convicted that this life is not about me, but about Him and that I must trust Him.
Please continue to pray for community, discernment, rest, and self-discipline. Please pray for the struggles mentioned above and that God would be glorified in all that I do. Please pray for a quick trip that I have in a few days to the States for a wedding.
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