God the Provider

At the beginning of this year, I found myself challenged to fight the sin of worry in regards to money. God had already gone above and beyond and supplied the money for me to go to South Africa this summer, but I suddenly had several large expenses and realized just how low my savings account was getting. This is when I realized it wasn't that I always trusted God...but that I always trusted my savings account. He sustained me and taught me a lot about His care for us.

Now He has amazed me once again. I didn't think I would make any money this summer, but God works for our good. Without me asking or looking,He provided several short, well paying jobs for me in these weeks before I leave for South Africa. Praise God! He always takes care of His children!

Yesterday I read these words from 2 Corinthians 9:

"6 Now I say, he who sows sparingly 

will also reap sparingly, 

and he who sows bountifully

will also reap bountifully.

 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, 

not grudgingly or under compulsion,

 for God loves a cheerful giver. 

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, 

so that 

always having all sufficiency in everything,

you may have an abundance 

FOR EVERY GOOD DEED;"

If you are worrying about your finances or letting them keep you from being a cheerful giver or from serving..stop! I promise you that He will take care of you..even better, HE promises you! I'm not saying that we should not be good stewards or wise with our money. I don't have a family to take care of or bills to pay and I know that adds different responsibilities. I just want to encourage you to praise God with me for His abundant care and to remember that he will supply the need for every good deed!

Another Summer arrives... and so does Winter.

Summer is here and I'm off again on another adventure! I leave in eight days to fly to South Africa! A sunny, hot, dry, wear all khaki and a nice safari hat kinda place... oh wait! It is actually winter there! :) That's right.. I'm packing my big coat and long underwear for this trip! I'm beyond excited to meet my fellow intern, the missionaries, the people of SA, and especially the little nuggets (i.e. babies) I get to love on for the next two months!

If you don't know about this trip here's a quick update: God has given me a desire to work in an orphanage since I was very small. My junior year in high school I started working for a family who has a huge heart for some missionaries that our church supports and their mission in Pretoria, South Africa. As I worked along side this family, God opened my heart to love these missionaries too. Last year, I spoke with our missions pastor and found out that they have started taking interns. We began the application process and through the help of many people, if God wills it, I will be leaving soon to be an intern for 2 months at the Muphamuzi Baby Home.

Preparing for this trip has felt different from any other for reasons I'm not sure I can put into words yet. But for starters, this is my first mission trip to go on alone. That in and of itself is teaching me a lot. It has made me search my heart and find two things: First, in whom does my dependence and security lie? And secondly, on what/whom does my joy and excitement lie? It is easy to feel safe and secure when you are in a group of people and it is hard not to get excited about something when people you love are excited and going with you. Don't get me wrong... I'm bouncing up and down about this trip! It has been a dream of mine ever since I was a little girl to work in an orphanage and God is blessing me to allow me to serve him in this way.But, as I get ready, I'm learning that God is enough, he is where my joy and contentment is found. Only God will satisfy. I love that my lessons start even before I have a single pair of socks packed! God is going with me on this trip and he alone will be my rock and my strength - what more could I need? I'm so glad he is giving me the opportunity to pull other factors out of the picture and be convinced that my heart is truly full of Him.

The other big thing God has been convicting me of as I prepared for this trip all school year is living like a missionary now. It might fun, exciting, and even a command, to go to other nations and proclaim is gospel, as well as to take care of the orphans and the widows, but that most certainly doesn't exclude us from living that way now. If we don't live like a missionary at home - what makes us think we will in another country? I want to pursue holiness now - not just every summer. I want to share the gospel every chance I get - and make opportunities if I don't already have them. I want to glorify, enjoy, and proclaim God every day of my life - not just every summer.

I'm so thankful for the body of Christ! There are so many people who are making it possible for me to go! It is amazing how God has formed not only our physical bodies, but HIS body - the church - to work in such an intricate way that requires every member to function. I'm so thankful for my parents for supporting me, my dear friends the Everetts for encouraging me so much, all the secretaries at church and Pastor Hamline for organizing everything, as well as, all the other people who support me every summer as I pursue the desire God has given me to go unto all the nations. I'm thankful for the prayers and encouraging words, and I'm thankful for every person who has asked me about the trip.

I plan on keeping people updated through this blog so if you wanna see pictures of some cute babies or here about how God is working in my life you can read about it all right here! Please smother me in your prayers!

Requests:
- For safety as I travel alone, (I've never gone this far before.)*
- Pray that God would go before me and prepare what people I will interact with on the planes and in the airports.
- Pray for boldness, dependence, and a radiant joy that would draw people to Him.
- Pray that I would love selflessly, like Jesus does.
- Pray for all the intern, missionaries, baby home workers, and church members in SA and that God would knit their hearts and mine together quickly.
- Pray I'd know what to pack :)

*Departure is June 3rd at 5:30pm