In the last two months, I have cried, laughed, conversed, read, pondered, and evaluated. God continues to teach me, challenge me, and speak to me through His Word and though my experiences. He is teaching me about Sabbath and taking care of myself. He is teaching me to follow His example, keeping my eyes on Him and not getting weighed down by circumstances. He is teaching me to be in His Word and depend on Him each day. He continues to teach me to keep walking towards the finish line -- even though I might fall along the way, the path may not be clear or I have hard days.
This past Sunday, I woke up early to go with Mirqueya to her church morning service, "matutino". The two of us arrived, via motorcycle, to the church just before 6am. It was a good way to begin the day -- in prayer, praise, and a quick Word from Matthew 25.
And as I sat in the pew and listened to Jesus' parable about the 10 virgins…I remembered.
Some years back, I was "sleeping." Going through my normal routines. Attending church. Reading some. Being "good" in the world's eyes…
And yet, at the same time -- listening to people… not focusing on Him... not giving my life… not giving my body… not giving my whole self to Him each and every day. I wasn't fostering my relationship with Him.
Of course, Ephesians says that it is by grace that we have been saved because of faith. It is not anything that we have done, but instead it is a gift from God. Thus, we cannot earn our salvation. There is nothing that we can do to merit His love for us. God just wants us to recognize our need for Him, ask forgiveness for our sins, and let Him take control. He wants us to have faith.
God is not a God of tradition, of rules, of religion. He is a God of relationship. He wants to be in relationship with His creation. He wants us to recognize our eternal separation from Him if we do not decide to accept Jesus Christ as our savior. God wants to be the most important in our lives.
I can think about a time in my own life when I definitely put others' opinions before God's, other relationships before my relationship with him, and didn't give God the attention that He deserved. I knew truth, believed it sincerely, but had lost my way a bit.
And yet.
God was still beside me...
God was still loving me...
God was still my father...
God had still chosen me…
...even though my eyes were not on Him.
I imagine that I made God feel sad at times. And yet, in his perfect goodness, He still loved me. He never let go. He never left.
Sometimes, I feel ashamed about those years. Wasted years of not focusing completely in on my savior, my friend, and my Lord.
And of course, I have moments when I struggle to give Him the time He needs or when I focus on a negative circumstance or person instead of keeping my eyes on Him.
But I know that in the midst of those times in the past God was growing me, and I know that He continues to do so.
I love God and want Him to be proud of me and my life lived for Him. I praise Him for choosing to send me here and work for Him in the place where He has me right now.
And oh, isn't life different when our eyes are on Him, our will lined up with His, and our hearts and ears opened to learn from His Word?
My prayer is for those who know and love God, but who aren't allowing Him to be Lord over your lives... May you re-focus, remembering that life is only found through Jesus. My prayer is for those who don't know Him... May God reach out and ignite His light inside you in a miraculous way. My prayer for those of us who are running the race… is that we would keep running -- staying focused always on the finish line -- Jesus Christ.
May He give us strength, endurance, and patience along the way.
Here is a glimpse last 2 months in pictures.
While in the States, I was able to visit 3 different churches and speak about how God has been working and using my team to further His kingdom. I spoke at Solid Rock Church in Jacksonville, Florida, Providence Church in Ormond Beach, Florida, and at Sabbath Home Baptist Church in Holden, NC.
View my video of the last year here.
In both Florida and Georgia, I visited with family, friends and past co-workers.
Since coming back, I had a visitor from Washington, DC who helped at Emanuel House this past summer and quickly after arriving, I re-started Bible Studies with some Emanuel House moms.
Last week, we finished administering the tests to see the kids' progress in learning since last year when many could not read. We still have a long way to go, but we are seeing improvements.
I took a group of 11 kids to the mall where they enjoyed bouncing at an inflatable fun place, going to the aquarium and eating in the food court. They received this gift from their sponsors. Most had never been to the capital city, Santo Domingo. None of them had been to a mall.
I have enjoyed Wednesday afternoons of Sabbath and a trip to Samaná just yesterday when there was a holiday from teaching. A group of GAP girls traveled with me about 3 1/2 hours north.
Praises.
I thank God for safety in all of the travels while in the States and since I've been back in the Dominican and for all of the people who are praying for me!
I praise God for continuing to provide for me and for Emanuel House financially. Over the break, we received final donations to complete the four classrooms at Emanuel House. Thank you to all who contributed! Construction will begin soon.
I praise Him for a new copy machine donated by the members of Providence Church.
Thank you!
Petitions.
For upcoming initiation of Kids Club again which will be held every 1st Saturday.
Patience in the classroom.
Continued time in the Word and memorization of scripture in Spanish.
Upcoming short term trips to Emanuel House. This season is busy with teams through March.
