Hey USA! Just got in from a mean game of dodge ball with the kids. Me and my South African friend owned it on the courts. Lots to be grateful this past week.. so much answered prayer, so much of God’s presence in Vizak. Life doesn’t get much better than this. A girl from LU was saved, my friend got a job, my cousin’s brother-in-law was taken off life support and can now breath and talk on his own, I had banana pancakes on Saturday (my first American meal in 20 days!), an awesome church, The Summit, helped my parents unpack their moving van, and many more answered prayers came about in ONE week. Pray. That’s all I have to say. God loves you and listens to the prayers of those He loves. He is power. He is almighty. He cares. Sometimes we have not because we ask not. Ask for anything in Jesus’ name and the Father will answer it if it’s according to His will.
I read a book this past week called “Tortured for Christ” by Richard Wurmbrand. He spent 14 years tortured in a communist prison where corrupt, evil men ripped off his fingernails and put him in a stand-up coffin embedded with nails. He was put in a freezer until doctors told the torturers he was minutes away from death. They would then proceed to defrost his body and do it again. How does a man who undergoes such brutality say “ A flower, if you bruise it under your feet, rewards you by giving you its perfume. Likewise, Christians tortured by communists rewarded their torturers by love.” Over and over again he told the reader how he loved the communists but hated the sin. He said he would gladly die if it brought one of the communists who beat him to a relationship with Jesus. That kind of love is not humanly possible without Christ. This is the power we have received. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And while our enemies sin against us, we must still love them and share the power of the cross with them. We do this because Jesus joyfully was nailed down while we still “esteemed Him not” (Isaiah 53:3). We must not look at those around us as they currently are, but as they will be. God never sees us where we are at, but where we will be. Praise Him for that. This is the hope we have for our friends. We don’t need to be burdened and held down by where they are at-but have vision for where they will be, by God’s grace.
Yesupadam gave a pastor from a neighboring village a motorcycle on Wednesday. I have never seen a more grateful person. Everyday he would walk 10 miles to and from the church he preached at because he couldn’t afford any other form of transportation. He was filled with so much joy-it overflowed into my spirit. What a beautiful thing to witness. We must learn to live more simply so we have room to receive. It is a blessing to people to give to you.. what good is it to you though if you already have it? Likewise, save room in your wallet to give to others. Yesupadam says the secret to receiving is giving. Take this advice.
I washed my clothes in a bucket on Saturday.. the end result wasn’t very pretty. The detergent was so strong, it made my hands peel, I look like I have a disease. Haha. The girls here are like the most caring mother. I came into study hour this week and it was the first thing they noticed. They took my hands in horror, but attended to them and put lotion on them. They would seriously give up anything for you. I am a very affectionate person, and God knows this. That is why I am convinced that He cares about the small things. I’ve needed the love that these girls have been showing me. Their faces light up every time I walk in the room, they cling to me and love me and hug me.. and every hug, every hand held, every kiss on the cheek is like the Lord’s affection, and the Lord telling me how much he cares about me and my life. It is very beautiful.
All I need is You, God. Take my life and use it.
This morning in prayer, I got so much direction for my life. My heart burned for the things the Lord showed me. I am so excited to see those things play out. He has great plans for my life, I love listening to Him and obeying Him.. He wants me to have every blessing. He wants you to have every blessing. Listen to Him. Have patience with Him, He will meet you right where you are at. Obey what He says, even if it sounds crazy.. that’s how I ended up in India. That’s all for this week. Sorry it took longer this week to write, the internet doesn’t last for long periods of time. Pray for me as I do for you. Love you all. God loves you more.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
He Fights for You
This week I've been working with 2 and 3 year old's. Oh, how the Lord is teaching me patience. I also had to sing.. apparently I'm getting over all of my fears here. Thank God you can't go wrong with twinkle-twinkle and old mcdonald. The kids learned how to write three letters yesterday-T, U and V. There is a large upper-case letter that they trace with the help of our hand over theirs. I realized at one point that the T looked like a crucifix so as I guided the child's hand, I prayed for them to one day know the Lord and for them to know the cross that they were tracing. It was only me and God that knew what I was doing and it made it so much more powerful.
I am with all ages of kids in India. In the morning I teach pre-school and in the afternoon I tutor 8 and 9 year olds. The girls in the afternoon are amazing. They just want to be with you and love you and hug you. It's beautiful. It was so heartbreaking though the other day when one of the little girls came up to me with tears rolling down her cheeks. She told me she missed her daddy. It kills me. I look at the world and how messed up it is and I plead for restoration. I'm learning though how little by little the earth can be pieced together by prayer. Nothing could have comforted her in that moment except the love of her ultimate Father who promises to "never leave or forsake" her. So I laid my hands on her fragile little shoulders and started to pray. In seconds I could feel her sobs lessen, her breathing return to normal and a rush of peace flow through her body. Nothing can take away pain like the love of our Father. Nothing. And this isn't just for children, amen? If you see someone hurting, don't be a wimp and keep your prayers to yourself, be bold and go pray for them. There is POWER in the spoken word.
I've been struggling a lot this week with the questions Harvey has been having. He challenges me with the things he deals with,I guess because I deal with the same things. Like why are our friends falling away from God? Why does He allow us to stray? This week God has been revealing answers to me. I've been learning that we are the ones who walk away from God, he NEVER walks away from us. Or.. the sheep walks away from the Shepard, the Shepard NEVER walks away from the sheep. The word sheep has never been a term of endearment. They are dirty creatures. Hundreds of years ago when sheep would wander away from the flock, the Shepard would break its leg and carry the sheep over his shoulders and feed it out of his hand. After the leg heals, the sheep is so in love with the shepard because it was taken care of and watched so closely- It relies on Him now. We were given life to depend on God, so if you feel crippled, it's not without purpose. He wants you to grow to need Him and be fed by Him alone.
I also got the chance to sit out on the porch with Yesupadam today. He is so wise and insightful. It is such a blessing to be here. All the money in the world couldn't pay for the knowledge and wisdom I am receiving at Love-n-Care. Today though we talked about how to counsel our friends... how the most important thing to remember is identifying ourselves with those we are advising. The greatest example of this is Paul in N.T. The bible says that he went to the third heaven..He could have boasted and pridefully thought he was better than everyone else. Instead, he not only relates with the people he writes to, he considers himself the "worst of sinners".
We all go through dry spots in our walk with God. The enemy will tell us that we are worthless, guilty and scum of the earth. But the first thing we need to remember and grasp a hold of is the promise in Romans 8 that there is "no condemnation in Christ". When we remember that God is our "daddy" and loves us unconditionally we can start to loosen the chains that weigh us down by shame and disgrace. It's good to know too that it's not us that is doing wrong, it is our sin. People will tell us to "pray and read the bible"- but honestly sometimes you feel paralyzed, like you can't read scripture and you can't pray. But God says in 2 Chronicles 20 that " the battle is not yours, it is God's". When we feel like the enemy is beating us senseless and there is no air to grasp in the middle of his spiritual suffixation-we need to know not to be afraid or discouraged. All we need to do is "stand firm and see deliverance". Give thanks to God for where you are at.. suffering for God produces righteousness. He will fight the battle for you, and when He wins it for you, you will be like Juduah and Jerusalem and fall down in worship before the Lord. When we think we are alone, we never are. The bible says that God's eyes are "fixed on you". Rest in that, it was a great lesson to learn.
Anyways, that is all for now. I'm learning new things every day. It's amazing the wisdom the Lord is showing me. Continue to pray for me. There are panthers and cheetahs and cockroaches here. Oh Lord help me. ha.
I am with all ages of kids in India. In the morning I teach pre-school and in the afternoon I tutor 8 and 9 year olds. The girls in the afternoon are amazing. They just want to be with you and love you and hug you. It's beautiful. It was so heartbreaking though the other day when one of the little girls came up to me with tears rolling down her cheeks. She told me she missed her daddy. It kills me. I look at the world and how messed up it is and I plead for restoration. I'm learning though how little by little the earth can be pieced together by prayer. Nothing could have comforted her in that moment except the love of her ultimate Father who promises to "never leave or forsake" her. So I laid my hands on her fragile little shoulders and started to pray. In seconds I could feel her sobs lessen, her breathing return to normal and a rush of peace flow through her body. Nothing can take away pain like the love of our Father. Nothing. And this isn't just for children, amen? If you see someone hurting, don't be a wimp and keep your prayers to yourself, be bold and go pray for them. There is POWER in the spoken word.
I've been struggling a lot this week with the questions Harvey has been having. He challenges me with the things he deals with,I guess because I deal with the same things. Like why are our friends falling away from God? Why does He allow us to stray? This week God has been revealing answers to me. I've been learning that we are the ones who walk away from God, he NEVER walks away from us. Or.. the sheep walks away from the Shepard, the Shepard NEVER walks away from the sheep. The word sheep has never been a term of endearment. They are dirty creatures. Hundreds of years ago when sheep would wander away from the flock, the Shepard would break its leg and carry the sheep over his shoulders and feed it out of his hand. After the leg heals, the sheep is so in love with the shepard because it was taken care of and watched so closely- It relies on Him now. We were given life to depend on God, so if you feel crippled, it's not without purpose. He wants you to grow to need Him and be fed by Him alone.
I also got the chance to sit out on the porch with Yesupadam today. He is so wise and insightful. It is such a blessing to be here. All the money in the world couldn't pay for the knowledge and wisdom I am receiving at Love-n-Care. Today though we talked about how to counsel our friends... how the most important thing to remember is identifying ourselves with those we are advising. The greatest example of this is Paul in N.T. The bible says that he went to the third heaven..He could have boasted and pridefully thought he was better than everyone else. Instead, he not only relates with the people he writes to, he considers himself the "worst of sinners".
We all go through dry spots in our walk with God. The enemy will tell us that we are worthless, guilty and scum of the earth. But the first thing we need to remember and grasp a hold of is the promise in Romans 8 that there is "no condemnation in Christ". When we remember that God is our "daddy" and loves us unconditionally we can start to loosen the chains that weigh us down by shame and disgrace. It's good to know too that it's not us that is doing wrong, it is our sin. People will tell us to "pray and read the bible"- but honestly sometimes you feel paralyzed, like you can't read scripture and you can't pray. But God says in 2 Chronicles 20 that " the battle is not yours, it is God's". When we feel like the enemy is beating us senseless and there is no air to grasp in the middle of his spiritual suffixation-we need to know not to be afraid or discouraged. All we need to do is "stand firm and see deliverance". Give thanks to God for where you are at.. suffering for God produces righteousness. He will fight the battle for you, and when He wins it for you, you will be like Juduah and Jerusalem and fall down in worship before the Lord. When we think we are alone, we never are. The bible says that God's eyes are "fixed on you". Rest in that, it was a great lesson to learn.
Anyways, that is all for now. I'm learning new things every day. It's amazing the wisdom the Lord is showing me. Continue to pray for me. There are panthers and cheetahs and cockroaches here. Oh Lord help me. ha.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Year of God's Presence
They say the grass is greener on the other side, and without a doubt India is greener and much sweeter. Everything from the banana's to the bread to the coffee-natural or man-made, life and food here have the ability to make your heart curve up into an over-joyed, mouth gaping, teeth showing grin. Everything and everyone is so beautiful. I read this morning in Colossians that " whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." This verse describes the children with such accuracy, you'd have to see it to believe me though. They never approach you with a shallow "Hey, what's up?"..instead " Bless you sister, praise God for this day!"- Little four year old girls say this..can you imagine? I wake up every morning at 5 am to the praise and worship coming from the school downstairs. The light breeze whisps past my bed, almost like the Holy Spirit coming in to tell me it's time to get up..and with that I know my day will be good, not because of my circumstances, but because of His deep desire to be with me.
There has been a huge revival here the past few days. A well-known pastor has been coming and speaking to Vizag . People have been healed in the name of Jesus. I've seen a woman get her hearing back, another woman cured of her cancer, still another man cured of his blindness. Salvation has come to hundreds of people the last three days and it's with great honor and humility to see God change hearts right in front of my eyes. If you are reading this and you're not a christian, believe on the miracles that I've been witnessing. Its all so crazy and so real. I was told a few weeks prior to my coming that a villiage woman was raised from the dead when people from the church prayed over her. The US doesn't see these kinds of miracles because we don't rely on Him.. we rely on doctors, health insurance and ourselves. They don't have that here though. I love the speakers and the pastors because they don't sit on a rock and preach until they are blue in the face.. sure they have a message, but most of their time is spent healing and prophesying and through that, God shows His mighty power and strength. It's a testimony of His existence and people run back with great excitement to tell their families. It reminds me of Jesus' ministry.
The most powerful thing I've seen so far though was last night at the revival. The speaker called us up on stage in front of thousands of people. He had the crowd raise their hands up to God and then sway them back and forth. They looked like wheat blowing in the wind. He encouraged us with the story in Matthew about how the harvest is ready but the workers are few. Last night though, he told us to look out at all the thirsty people craving to know Jesus more and said that the workers ARE ready.. it's time to reap the harvest. It was incredible and so true. This is the year of God's presence in India. Exodus 33:14 says " the Lord replied 'My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'" God is giving people rest here-He is healing them of anxiety, shame, disgrace, and all sorts of diseases. He wants so bad to do the same in us.
Pray without ceasing, love without bounds, and know that God cares for your life, otherwise He wouldn't have sent His son to die for it. Love you all! I'm missing home so much, but I'm so content where God has me. By the way.. apparently the rumors of Cobra's are true. The missonary's son just found a 6 foot long snake skin. ahh haha.
There has been a huge revival here the past few days. A well-known pastor has been coming and speaking to Vizag . People have been healed in the name of Jesus. I've seen a woman get her hearing back, another woman cured of her cancer, still another man cured of his blindness. Salvation has come to hundreds of people the last three days and it's with great honor and humility to see God change hearts right in front of my eyes. If you are reading this and you're not a christian, believe on the miracles that I've been witnessing. Its all so crazy and so real. I was told a few weeks prior to my coming that a villiage woman was raised from the dead when people from the church prayed over her. The US doesn't see these kinds of miracles because we don't rely on Him.. we rely on doctors, health insurance and ourselves. They don't have that here though. I love the speakers and the pastors because they don't sit on a rock and preach until they are blue in the face.. sure they have a message, but most of their time is spent healing and prophesying and through that, God shows His mighty power and strength. It's a testimony of His existence and people run back with great excitement to tell their families. It reminds me of Jesus' ministry.
The most powerful thing I've seen so far though was last night at the revival. The speaker called us up on stage in front of thousands of people. He had the crowd raise their hands up to God and then sway them back and forth. They looked like wheat blowing in the wind. He encouraged us with the story in Matthew about how the harvest is ready but the workers are few. Last night though, he told us to look out at all the thirsty people craving to know Jesus more and said that the workers ARE ready.. it's time to reap the harvest. It was incredible and so true. This is the year of God's presence in India. Exodus 33:14 says " the Lord replied 'My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'" God is giving people rest here-He is healing them of anxiety, shame, disgrace, and all sorts of diseases. He wants so bad to do the same in us.
Pray without ceasing, love without bounds, and know that God cares for your life, otherwise He wouldn't have sent His son to die for it. Love you all! I'm missing home so much, but I'm so content where God has me. By the way.. apparently the rumors of Cobra's are true. The missonary's son just found a 6 foot long snake skin. ahh haha.
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