Just a branch

John 15 has always been my favorite chapter in the Bible. My life verse is John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. If you abide in me, and I in you...you will bear much fruit - for without me, you can do nothing." Learning to be "just a branch" is a hard thing to do. It's so easy for us to take care of things in our own strength instead of just being an empty vessel through which Christ's life and stength can flow.

Andrew Murray tells us when we feel that we can not or do not know Christ as we should to remember that it is His (Christ's) responsibility to make Himself known to us. He doesn't do this in thoughts or conceptions but in a hidden growth within the life that is humbly and restfully and entirely given up to wait on Him. As the Vine reveals Himself in the branch, thus comes the growth and fruit. So...I'm learning to be content in just being a branch. How about you?

God cares about every tiny need we have...

Today I received an awesome blessing! I needed 100 toothbrushes to give out to the students I'll be working with on my mission trip. One of our goals is to teach them about personal hygiene. I had no idea where to get that many toothbrushes and then, it hit me...you need to call a dentist. The only person I knew who worked for a Christian dentist, was a sweet friend of mine from church. I emailed this wonderful lady and was pleasantly surprised when she emailed me back stating that her employer, Dr. Taylor, had opened his heart and willingly agreed to donate the toothbrushes. This is just a constant reminder that God really does care about every need we have and if we trust Him, He will meet those needs in His own way and in His timing. I am very thankful that Dr. Taylor has a generous spirit. I know that God will bless him richly for his kindness. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I send him pictures of the students in SE Asia with the toothbrushes he has donated. Thank you, Dr. Taylor, and God bless you!

24 days and counting!

It's been a while since I've updated this blog and I apologize for that, but things have been very busy in my life. There's so much to do to get prepared to go on a mission trip. There are team meetings and planning sessions...learning the language of the country and more!

Learning a foreign language is difficult at my age! I learned Spanish when I was in high school and still remember a lot of it, but this language that I'm currently learning is very, very challenging. I am just praying I can learn key phrases like "where is the bathroom?", "I am an American", "where is the embassy?", you know, all the important ones!

Besides learning the language, I've been trying to come up with my lesson plans for teaching. I'll be teaching a variety of subjects that revolve around etiquette and manners. It's a challenge to find fun and creative ways to teach students how to set an American table or how to use proper phone etiquette, but my ESL training should help in this area.

As the days draw closer, I can't help but rely on God even more than I have the day/minute/hour before! I feel so inadequate to do what he's called me to do, but I guess that's a good thing because it just reminds me that I can't rely on my own strength to do this...I have to trust in and rely on Him. I can only be a branch on the vine...a branch through which His powerful life flows...just a branch...that's a very sobering thought, but an excellent reminder that it is not me who is going to do this, it's all about Him.

A wonderful thought

Zephaniah 3:17 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁷The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing.

What an awesome thought to think of the Lord rejoicing over us and doing it with joy as His Word says! Knowing that He has forgiven and forgotten our sins, if we've confessed and repented of them, also provides great comfort. I can't even imagine the next part of the verse...He will exult over you with singing. Webster's defines the word exult as being exceedingly joyful, or to leap with joy. So not only does the Lord rejoice over us, He does it exuberantly and with great joy. Isn't that wonderful? See how great the Father's love is for us!

Certified to teach!

I'm officially certified to teach English as a Second Language now. After completing 14 1/2 hours of training, the North American Mission Board has issued their approval for me to actually teach. I will have to come up with my own lesson plans for our trip to China, but with the help of our training manual, I should be able to develop some information teaching lessons that will be suitable for high school graduates and college freshmen.

This week we'll be submitting our applications for VISAs to China. Please pray that the process goes smoothly and that our passports or our VISA applications don't get held up in a lot of government red tape. I can't believe it's only 59 days until we go!

It's not your light

Matthew 5:16 says "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Fahter who is in Heaven."

God has commanded us to shine our light before men. The light He commands us to share is not our own light, but the light we receive from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The light of the Holy Spirit in our lives should be so bright that it illuminates every corner of our soul and exudes out of every tiny pore of our being! No matter where you are or what you're doing, people should be able to see that there is something different about you.

For this very reason, it's important that we allow our light to shine in a way that glorifies our Heavenly Father. The light others see is not our own, it's our Father's...therefore, it must be allowed to bring glory to His name.

Ephesians 5:8 says "For you were formerly in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." Are you walking in the light? Are you ready to illumine the world with His light? Will you be ready if someone responds to the light you project?

He who guides, will provide!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-22

God is amazing! A couple of months ago when I first heard that little whisper inside my head that this was going to be a year of great blessing and challenges; I never dreamed that I would be going on a trip to Southeast Asia to share the gospel. When I learned the cost of the trip, my first thought was "there is no way on earth that I can raise that kind of money." My thought was true! There was no way on earth that I could raise the money...but there was a way in heaven and nothing is impossible for Him!

Two months have gone by since that first thought popped into my head. During that time, I've watched God miraculously prompt people to give financially toward this trip. He's raised over $3000 through people who were willing to be obedient to His leading. He's used both people I know well and those I've never met!

Throughout this, God has taught me that if He calls you do to something, you don't have to worry about the details because He will take care of those for you. I know that those who've partnered with me will receive abundant blessings and those who've chosen not to join in, missed out.

I am thanking Him and praising Him for His abundant blessings! I could never have done this on my own, and I think that's exactly what He wanted to teach me...I couldn't, but He sure could!