It's been a long time.
Food for thought... why?
1) Life is good and I guess doesn't seem out of the ordinary compared to being a missionary.
2) I don't have supporters to keep updated on what I'm doing and feel no one else would be interested.
3) Blogging was a way I processed what I was learning and now I do it through my emails encouraging the ladies in my bible study.
So quick update. My grand blessings are fabulous but live 12 hours away so my visits are not as often as I would like. My youngest son Michael, his wife Stephanie and my grandson, Ryder, after much prayer, will be moving to England next year to staff a discipleship program with YWAM. (In short, going back out on the mission field.) My oldest son Kristopher (who is married to Christina and has my twin granddaughters, Analyn and Aralei) has written a book that will soon be out on Amazon ebooks. I still live in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and attend South BA Baptist (a merge between my previous church, Indian Springs and Haikey Park). I facilitate a women's bible studies (G.I.R.L. Time), teach weekly at AWANAs, cook for youth during summer camp and help with summer Vacation Bible School, I'm on one of the altenating praise teams on Sundays and sit on committees at my church. Outside of church I volunteer at Arms Around Broken Arrow (local Christian food pantry/clothes closet), try to workout, zumba at the Senior Center and walk Logan (my Yorkie from South Africa). I am fortunate to live with my mom and not have to be in the work force. See....nothing too exciting.
So why blog again? A friend asked me too. As I finished the first week of our current G.I.R.L. (Growing, Inspiring, Renewing, Loving) Time study, one of the exercises in Priscilla Shrirer's new "Discerning the Voice of God" was to express to God about the week. "Marinate in what He's been leading you to consider and act on....do what you most like to do when you want to be sure you remember something important. Journal it. Type it up. Draw a picture of it. Write a song or poem about it." And at the end the nudge came to share it with you. May whomever the nudge is for, be blessed to trust God with whatever it is He is asking you to do. Here is the prayer/journal to Him that I wrote.
"Lord, I process best in writing to You. Through the study this week and the sermon today I appreciate even more the gift You gave me when You called me to be a missionary to Africa! Thank you! Why me? And You are responding with 'why not you?'. Your timing was so perfect. I was to the point of seeking you above all else. I had failed at my marriage. I had fought to be right over submitting to Your voice in my marriage. But afterwards I had sought to seek You, know You, surrender to You and obey YOU! It was the first time I was ever prepared to obey whatever You asked. At first it was simple, change the ministry I volunteered in at church but then it was AFRICA. I was open. I had prepared my answer before the question came. It didn't make sense. It was impossible but I said yes and YOU did it! I asked for you to call me and You did and I got out of the boat and WALKED ON WATER!!!!! I faltered at times and You were always there to lift me out of the waves. It is what CHANGED ME FOREVER. I don't want to set aside that desire to walk on water because I seem to now be back on dry land. Pastor Kelly was on target today when he said that letting go is worth it. Nothing I let go of was missed amoung the blessings gained in the letting go. There was a point in Africa when people would ask me what I miss about America and I honestly was at a loss for how to answer.
Lord, ask me to come out of my boat again and walk on water! Maybe I've been looking for the deep water and missing the miracle of walking on top of what seems only shallow water. Isn't the miracle the same? Don't let me miss out on walking on water. I want that closeness, that dependancy on You, that loving obedience. Get me prepared again, before the question comes to obey unconditionally!!! Thank you ahead of time for my next step, whereever and whenever it comes and whatever it is!"
Thank you for reading. Have a blessed week. I pray you take time to just talk with God and enjoy His presence.
