End of the Beginning

“To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God” Psalm‬ ‭123‬:‭1‬-‭2‬a ESV‬‬

And so AOT comes to close. What a full and fulfilling few months it has been. God has taught me much both through our weekly lessons on different spiritual topics, and through the hands-on ministry we’ve done in the communities around where we’ve been staying. I’ve said this so many times since getting here, that a few months ago this was no-where on my radar. I had my plan, my future in the works, and God pulled the rug on me. What a blessing it is that he is in control and not me. While I could recount the multitude of things God has taught me through being here, I’m only going to focus on two lessons in this post. Trusting God in every step of life, and loving others as Jesus has loved me.

Firstly, trusting God in every step of my life. From the moment I committed to this trip, to the fundraising leading up to it, to the first time I met our team, to the first sermon I preached, to the first time I shared the gospel in a foreign country, to the next step I’m about to take in travelling to another country for a month of missions. I, in all of it, have needed Jesus. Something that breaks my heart, especially in the Philippines is that they believe they can earn their way to God. They have the simple truths, they have the gospel, yet they’re missing the most important part. That we need a savior, and that Jesus, Oh Jesus, loved us so much that he came to die for you and for me. I need him. In every second of every day how I need Jesus. That truth has only been magnified being here in a completely different place, relying on the spirit to speak through me and to use me greater than I can use myself. Sometimes I still struggle with this. I start to slip into relying on my spirituality or my disciplines and lose the good news that brought me to Jesus in the first place. That he has conquered the world, he is working in me, and that by trusting in him he will lead me and show me how awesome of a God he is. I believe if we’re a Christian we trust God in that we are placing our faith in him as our savior in lord. But often we can lose sight of our need for him. The more I seek Jesus, the more I see my sin, the more I realize my desperate unquenchable need for him. Nothing else. Only Jesus. He is faithful and true, and to him our praise is wholly due.

The second thing God has been teaching me through this training and trusting in him is the call to love others as Christ has loved me. As I look to Jesus more and more and find my identity in him, I lose the hold others’ perceptions have had on me. And as that distraction fades, and my heart is filled with my need for Jesus and the love he has showed me, all I can do is to live out my life like he has called me to. Jesus was a leader. He was a powerful speaker, could perform great miracles, and crowds flocked to him. Yet the way he led was not from a high place but from the lowest. He served humbly and called his disciples to do the same. He showed his love by serving us like this, by his death on the cross. As I seek him and look to him, my life become less about me and more about others. I’ve always loved to serve, and often prefer showing my love through my actions rather than my words. But God has been growing me in many areas of serving. In ministry being flexible and willing to sacrifice my preferences for others desires. Cleaning when I can around the house and giving up time to listen and lead others to God’s faithfulness. In all areas Christ is slowly growing me to love more like him. One of the key influences on my growth has been the individuals around me in this training. They have truly showed me what it looks like to love Christ and serve him, and I want to take a second and recognize them for that:

–Brielle for her enthusiasm and energy towards others, Brooke for her intentionality in 1-1’s and her go with the flow attitude, David for his compassionate servant heart and patience with all, Gracen for her endurance in Christ and love for her friends, Haley for her overflowing joyfulness and her humble heart, Holly for her passion in seeking God and sharing the gospel with the lost, Kaesi for her infectious smile and optimistic attitude, Lily for her wisdom in counseling and loyalty to those around her, Loren for her sacrificial-ness and strength in the Lord, Maggie for her unconditional kindness and leadership, Shealee for her meekness and maturity, Tatum for her confidence in Christ and goofy attitude, and Will for his curiosity in scripture and genuineness as a person.

You have all meant much to me, and as we part, I pray that God would continue to grow and strengthen you all until we meet again in December.

Quickly some highlights from this week were:

-Talks on millennialism

-Loren’s and David’s life stories

-Night talks

-Secret outings 😉

-Mobilizing presentation and sharing of testimony

-Movie night

-Redeeming myself with a very solid carbonara pasta

-Graduation ceremony

As I board this plane, and jump into the next part of this adventure some prayer requests I have would be;

• For wisdom, patience, & a humble heart towards my team
• Continued trust in God as I strive on
• A joyful heart produced out of thanksgiving for what he’s done
• For the other 2 team’s health, unity, and mission
• And for generous funding for the 5 staying on in the gap-year

I don’t know what to expect from these next few weeks, and I don’t know how the Lord will move, but I am so excited to be a part of it all. God is before me and behind me, and he is leading me on to him. As I take this next leap of faith, I trust that God will guide me through. I will see his faithfulness, and he will be my rock and my salvation. I look to him as I encounter my need and I come to him at the end of my beginning. And you too, as you live your life and strive to be obedient, look to him, seek him, and let him be your all. He is worth everything. Every sacrifice. Trust in that. With that I say goodbye to you all for a little while, until I find a time to write again. May God be with you, and in you, and may he fill you will an abundance of peace!

Till next time 🙂