It sure has been quite awhile since I have blogged, so be prepared for a ton of updates!
The yard sale was a huge success & I raised about $800! I want to thank those who came out to support me & also those who prayed over the yard sale as well. Your prayers were answered & I deeply appreciate you! I'll be honest, I went into this yard sale believing the Lord was going to financially bless me beyond belief & while He did do that, I was blessed in a totally unexpected way! As exhausting & difficult a yard sale can be, the best part was the people who came to support me. I had the opportunity to meet such genuine, unique, & loving people & because of their uniqueness I experienced the beauty of the Lord. I cannot even begin to describe to you what it was like, but whenever I would have a conversation with someone I felt God & I saw His beauty in them. By far the best part of my yard sale! Once again, thank you all for your prayers & support!
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photos from my film camera |
In the middle of September I surprised all of my friends from Ft. Collins by showing up to a retreat (Breakaway) near Monument one weekend & God blew me away. He spoke to me multiple times & it seemed as if the message Paul Austin (the speaker) spoke was directed toward me. At this time I was struggling with my decision to leave Ft. Collins & the decision to leave Colorado in general. I am really excited to head off to Japan, but what scares me is not knowing exactly how long I'll be there. I was slowly, but surely, convincing myself I didn't want to go. Paul Austin spoke of how so often we attempt to make God a part of our life when in reality, we need to be a part of HIS life; God desires us to partner up WITH HIM, not vice versa. I also realized I was the type of person who was holding God's hand saying, "Yes, I will follow You," but all the while digging my heels in the ground as my Father walks forward. I was also reminded that walking with God wasn't a walk in the park. . .there are going to be many times with the Lord that hurt like hell, scare me half to death, or situations I flat out don't want to be a part of. That is where I find out where my faith, trust, & hope reside. . .do they reside in my common sense or in the Word of my God? If all 3 reside in my common sense (or there lack of, ha ha) then I will never have a beautiful, dangerous, exciting, risk-taking adventure with the Lord! A moment I will never forget was during worship one morning when I began to cry because I heard Him tell me, "You are weak, but through you, My power will shine." It is the truth; I am so incredibly weak, especially when it comes to moving to Japan! It was a beautiful reminder of 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:
"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Another exciting thing about this retreat was the freedom that came with it! My small group & I spent a lot of time in prayer & we were all honest about the things we were all struggling with, the things that were weighing us down & keeping us from running with God. Tears, words, snot, & laughter were all shared & I fell in love with the stunning hearts the Lord placed inside of these women. During my prayer time with these ladies, I heard the Lord say, "Even though you are women, you are warriors for My kingdom & you, as warriors, will break the chains off of others in My powerful name." Exciting right?
A lot has happened in this past month, but sadly I cannot share ALL of it here, but I will end with telling you I had a job interview this morning & that was an answered prayer, praise God! Also, I cannot be more excited to follow the Lord to Japan & God has been filling me with His joy as I am here at home with my parents. It gets lonely, but I am learning how to have intimacy with Him & that is worth the loneliness. I have 2 more months until I leave & still a TON to do! Please keep support raising, the Lord providing a camera (my Nikon is sadly broken), the nation of Japan, the organization PAZ Japan & FUSE Jesus Community Church, & all of their workers in your prayers. Thank you! You & your support is cherished & let me know how I can be praying for YOU!
"This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it & established it - the Lord is His name: 'Call to Me & I will answer you & tell you great & unsearchable things you do not know.'"
-Jeremiah 33:2-3
how cool (:
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