More than I Imagined
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…” Ephesians 3:20
If you’ve heard me speak in the last 8 months chances are, you’ve heard me talk about this verse and about how God is doing MORE. Well, my friends, He’s at it again.
As I’ve prepared to go to Swaziland, my job description has been pretty fluid. This fluidity has left lots of room for me to imagine what I would do in Swaziland. I was imagining myself teaching English, mentoring young adults, and encouraging nationals and missionaries. I didn’t know if I would get to do any of these things, but I secretly hoped that I would.
Then, two weeks ago my hope was put to the test when I found out that I will not be able to go to Swaziland. This news surprised and confused me, so I started to pray. As I prayed, God reminded me of all the things I was looking forward to doing in Swaziland: teaching, mentoring, and encouraging.
At the same time Global Partners mentioned that I might be able to go to Haiti. Since I have a strong relationship with the missionaries there (the area director Dan Irvine was my pastor all through high school) I sent them an e-mail, listing all the things I was hoping to do in Swaziland.
Shortly after that, the Irvines contacted me to tell me that all the things I had been hoping to do in Swaziland are needs in Haiti! This week, Global Partners officially reappointed me as a one-year missionary to Haiti. I am very excited that God is taking my same passions in a new direction. He really does do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine!!
What I’ll be doing in Haiti
I am hoping to get to Haiti this May. Since the budget is a little less than my Swaziland budget, and since there is such a need there, this goal is very plausible.
Once I get there I will start taking language classes and preparing to teach. In the fall I will be teaching 3 levels of English classes to adults. These adults will be a mix of believers and non-believers, and I can’t wait to meet them all!
In addition to this, I may help debrief and direct short-term teams that come to Haiti.I am excited about all these things, and can’t wait to see what MORE God will do.
Prayer Requests and Praises:·
Logistics – lots of little details to take care of as I switch destinations and prepare to depart ·
Perseverance – finishing time in States well·
Cultural Preparation – different going to live in a country I’ve never visited·
Family time has been great. God’s moving in my whole family.·
Praise God for his provision and direction
The Number Crunch
Prayer Partners – 100% (over 100 people are praying for this ministry!!)
Funding – 94% (before Haiti budget change)
Total Times Speaking – 25
Number of Churches Visited – 21
Ways God has Advanced His Kingdom – Too many to count!!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
In Sickness and In Health
“I can’t be sick.” I told my mom Friday night, as I raided the kitchen, taking zinc, drinking orange juice, and looking for any other vitamins in the house. “I have to speak Sunday.”
“You’ll be better by Sunday. You just need to rest,” she reassured me. And at her advice, I cancelled my Saturday plans and scheduled a day home in bed. Boy was I glad I did.
Saturday morning I woke up at 6 with a high fever, and aches everywhere. My whole body was weak, and just walking down stairs wore me out. So I took some medicine and crawled back into bed. I stayed in bed with a stack of Kleenexes most of the day, hoping to recover. But when Saturday night rolled around, my fever got even higher, and I began to worry. “What am I going to do about tomorrow?”
I had planned to speak for 20 minutes Sunday morning at a small church nearby. They had given me the entire sermon time, and I had called to confirm these plans on Tuesday. But Saturday night, I wanted nothing more than to cancel those plans.
I imagined myself calling the pastor and saying in a raspy, pathetic voice, “I’m sorry I can’t come tomorrow. I’m sick cough cough.” Though I could see him in a panic scrambling around Saturday night, putting together a message while his kids were fast asleep, I knew he’d have to feel bad for me. Maybe he’d even let me reschedule. Surely I was too sick to speak.
But as I contemplated this cancellation, I remembered a something I had read that day in Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. It was in a chapter entitled “Sacred Struggle: Embracing Difficulty in Order to Build Character.” In it Thomas talked about how our difficulties in marriage and in life are opportunities for us to become more like Christ. One quote by Gary and Becky Ricucci stuck out to me. It says, “…God doesn’t protect Christians from their problems—he helps them walk victoriously through their problems.”
I didn’t feel like walking victoriously that night. I felt like curling up and going to sleep. But for whatever reason—maybe it was God’s grace or maybe it was your prayers—at 7:00 Saturday night I decided again to speak Sunday morning. Though I knew it would be tough, it would not be impossible. So I made a plan. I would practice for 20 minutes, pick out my clothes, have my mom iron them, have my dad pack the car, and I would get directions. Then I would drink some more thera flu, get a shower, practice for another 20 minutes, and get to bed by 10 (which was 11 with the time change). The next morning I’d have to wake up in time to take more medicine and lower my fever before going. Then if I could hold it together for 2 hours I could come home and crash.
And this is what I did. The plan couldn’t have went more smoothly. I spoke on Sunday for 20 minutes. It was the first time since Friday afternoon that I had stood up for that long, and I had to speak leaning on the podium the whole time. When I was done, I was still pretty shakey and missed a step walking off stage, dropping my bible to the floor. But I was so excited that I made it through, that I didn’t care about my clumsiness, and the people didn’t seem to either.
The rest of the service was a blessing to me. They took time to pray over me before I left, and several people asked me questions and came to look at my display afterwards. As I talked with them, I was a little embarrassed to think of how close I was to canceling my engagement, and I did my best to look healthy while I talked.
After I got back to my house and had some lunch, I crawled back into bed and slept the rest of the afternoon. This morning, I thought again about the whole thing and felt a big sense of accomplishment. Maybe that’s prideful or silly, but I just felt like yesterday, we won. Satan threw sickness and discouragement and temptation to quit my way, but through your prayers (it had to be prayers I don’t know how else it happened) I was able to stand for 20 minutes, God’s message was shared, and a church was encouraged.
“…God doesn’t protect Christians from their problems—he helps them walk victoriously through their problems.” It’s a quote that makes so much more sense to me this morning, not just in light of marriage but in light of walking with God in sickness and in health.
“You’ll be better by Sunday. You just need to rest,” she reassured me. And at her advice, I cancelled my Saturday plans and scheduled a day home in bed. Boy was I glad I did.
Saturday morning I woke up at 6 with a high fever, and aches everywhere. My whole body was weak, and just walking down stairs wore me out. So I took some medicine and crawled back into bed. I stayed in bed with a stack of Kleenexes most of the day, hoping to recover. But when Saturday night rolled around, my fever got even higher, and I began to worry. “What am I going to do about tomorrow?”
I had planned to speak for 20 minutes Sunday morning at a small church nearby. They had given me the entire sermon time, and I had called to confirm these plans on Tuesday. But Saturday night, I wanted nothing more than to cancel those plans.
I imagined myself calling the pastor and saying in a raspy, pathetic voice, “I’m sorry I can’t come tomorrow. I’m sick cough cough.” Though I could see him in a panic scrambling around Saturday night, putting together a message while his kids were fast asleep, I knew he’d have to feel bad for me. Maybe he’d even let me reschedule. Surely I was too sick to speak.
But as I contemplated this cancellation, I remembered a something I had read that day in Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. It was in a chapter entitled “Sacred Struggle: Embracing Difficulty in Order to Build Character.” In it Thomas talked about how our difficulties in marriage and in life are opportunities for us to become more like Christ. One quote by Gary and Becky Ricucci stuck out to me. It says, “…God doesn’t protect Christians from their problems—he helps them walk victoriously through their problems.”
I didn’t feel like walking victoriously that night. I felt like curling up and going to sleep. But for whatever reason—maybe it was God’s grace or maybe it was your prayers—at 7:00 Saturday night I decided again to speak Sunday morning. Though I knew it would be tough, it would not be impossible. So I made a plan. I would practice for 20 minutes, pick out my clothes, have my mom iron them, have my dad pack the car, and I would get directions. Then I would drink some more thera flu, get a shower, practice for another 20 minutes, and get to bed by 10 (which was 11 with the time change). The next morning I’d have to wake up in time to take more medicine and lower my fever before going. Then if I could hold it together for 2 hours I could come home and crash.
And this is what I did. The plan couldn’t have went more smoothly. I spoke on Sunday for 20 minutes. It was the first time since Friday afternoon that I had stood up for that long, and I had to speak leaning on the podium the whole time. When I was done, I was still pretty shakey and missed a step walking off stage, dropping my bible to the floor. But I was so excited that I made it through, that I didn’t care about my clumsiness, and the people didn’t seem to either.
The rest of the service was a blessing to me. They took time to pray over me before I left, and several people asked me questions and came to look at my display afterwards. As I talked with them, I was a little embarrassed to think of how close I was to canceling my engagement, and I did my best to look healthy while I talked.
After I got back to my house and had some lunch, I crawled back into bed and slept the rest of the afternoon. This morning, I thought again about the whole thing and felt a big sense of accomplishment. Maybe that’s prideful or silly, but I just felt like yesterday, we won. Satan threw sickness and discouragement and temptation to quit my way, but through your prayers (it had to be prayers I don’t know how else it happened) I was able to stand for 20 minutes, God’s message was shared, and a church was encouraged.
“…God doesn’t protect Christians from their problems—he helps them walk victoriously through their problems.” It’s a quote that makes so much more sense to me this morning, not just in light of marriage but in light of walking with God in sickness and in health.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Blessed by a Broken Car
On February 6, I set out for Marion, IN. The plan was for me to get to Marion February 6th, hang out with friends for a couple of days, speak on Sunday the 8th, and head back to PA Monday morning. But after driving only one hour, my plans were put to a halt.
I was driving just outside of Youngstown, when I ran into some heavy traffic. I hit the brakes and slugged along at 10 miles an hour. This slow pace lasted only a minute or two before traffic sped up again, and I hit the gas eager to get going. As I did, however, I noticed that the car didn’t pick up like it normally would. The RPMs climbed to 4 then 5 while the speedometer was barely reaching 50. At the same time, I noticed a flapping fwhoop, fwhoop, fwhoop noise coming from the car. I needed to find a place to stop.
With a strange calmness, I started scanning for a good place to stop and made my way through the four lanes of traffic to the far right. Within a mile, I’d reached an exit and found a Taco Bell to pull into. Just as I made it into the parking lot, however, I lost all power steering and all the lights came on. I coasted to a stop. I tried to restart the car, but the engine wouldn’t turn over.
And then I realized my nightmare had come true. I had broken down alone. As I let this thought come in, I felt my throat tighten and my chin quiver. “You’re fine,” I reminded myself. Then I called my dad.
I felt much better after arranging for my rescue and informing the Taco Bell employees of my plight, so I walked back out to my car. As I did, I thought to myself, “What am I going to do for three hours? I wish there was a coffee shop around here.” Just as I thought that, I looked up, and noticed a Starbucks across the road. I was so excited.
I grabbed some books, a journal, and some money and abandoned my broken down car for a cushioned chair and a tall white chocolate mocha. As I sat there listening to soft jazz music and scribbling thanks in a spiral notebook, I felt a wave of relief sweep over me. “I don’t have to be anywhere or do anything for at least three hours,” I sighed.
Then I opened up a book I was reading and saw the story of Martha and Mary. “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made…” it said. It’s the typical bible story about busyness, and we always read how Martha was “upset about many things but only one thing was needed.” I had read it a hundred times.
But this time, in Starbucks with a broken down car, it was different. Why was I so relieved to have nothing to do? Why did it feel so good to read my bible and journal and be alone for three hours that Friday afternoon?
I thought back to the week leading up to Friday. I had spent all week scrambling around getting ready for the weekend. I had worked every day making phone calls, cleaning, packing, e-mailing, and had taken little to no time for myself or for God. I was so worried about all the things I needed to do to be ready to speak on Sunday night, that I had forgotten the “one thing” that was needed. Time with Jesus.
I was driving just outside of Youngstown, when I ran into some heavy traffic. I hit the brakes and slugged along at 10 miles an hour. This slow pace lasted only a minute or two before traffic sped up again, and I hit the gas eager to get going. As I did, however, I noticed that the car didn’t pick up like it normally would. The RPMs climbed to 4 then 5 while the speedometer was barely reaching 50. At the same time, I noticed a flapping fwhoop, fwhoop, fwhoop noise coming from the car. I needed to find a place to stop.
With a strange calmness, I started scanning for a good place to stop and made my way through the four lanes of traffic to the far right. Within a mile, I’d reached an exit and found a Taco Bell to pull into. Just as I made it into the parking lot, however, I lost all power steering and all the lights came on. I coasted to a stop. I tried to restart the car, but the engine wouldn’t turn over.
And then I realized my nightmare had come true. I had broken down alone. As I let this thought come in, I felt my throat tighten and my chin quiver. “You’re fine,” I reminded myself. Then I called my dad.
I felt much better after arranging for my rescue and informing the Taco Bell employees of my plight, so I walked back out to my car. As I did, I thought to myself, “What am I going to do for three hours? I wish there was a coffee shop around here.” Just as I thought that, I looked up, and noticed a Starbucks across the road. I was so excited.
I grabbed some books, a journal, and some money and abandoned my broken down car for a cushioned chair and a tall white chocolate mocha. As I sat there listening to soft jazz music and scribbling thanks in a spiral notebook, I felt a wave of relief sweep over me. “I don’t have to be anywhere or do anything for at least three hours,” I sighed.
Then I opened up a book I was reading and saw the story of Martha and Mary. “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made…” it said. It’s the typical bible story about busyness, and we always read how Martha was “upset about many things but only one thing was needed.” I had read it a hundred times.
But this time, in Starbucks with a broken down car, it was different. Why was I so relieved to have nothing to do? Why did it feel so good to read my bible and journal and be alone for three hours that Friday afternoon?
I thought back to the week leading up to Friday. I had spent all week scrambling around getting ready for the weekend. I had worked every day making phone calls, cleaning, packing, e-mailing, and had taken little to no time for myself or for God. I was so worried about all the things I needed to do to be ready to speak on Sunday night, that I had forgotten the “one thing” that was needed. Time with Jesus.
What I Need
At the beginning of December I was really struggling with fear about my finances. I remember looking in my checkbook to write my tithe and getting teary. 10% seemed like a lot to give when I knew I didn’t have enough to pay for the things I needed like dental work, glasses, and college loans. I tithed anyway, but I was still really worried.
To ease my worry, I turned to one of my favorite passages in the bible Matthew 6:25-34. This is where Jesus talks about not worrying about what you’ll eat or wear etc. As I was reading verse 32 really stuck out to me. It says, “For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them.” Wow! I loved the idea that God knows my needs.
But just knowing that God knows wasn’t enough to stop my worries, so I decided to write my needs down on an index card as a way of giving them to God.
On one side I wrote Needs: - Filling in my tooth (I told him which tooth.)
- College loans paid each month (I wrote the specific amounts.)
- Funding for Swaziland
- Speaking engagements
- Food and housing while I’m speaking
- Transportation to and home from speaking
- Sleep
- Friendship
On the other side I wrote Wants: - winter coat
- glasses
Then, I dated it 12/5/08 in the corner, tucked it into an old journal, and forgot about it.
At the beginning of February, I rediscovered the list. And to my surprise, God has been working on providing for every need on the list! Some of the ways He’s been providing have been a little miraculous, like a waived dental fee, a 76% discount on a winter coat, and a donation designated for traveling costs. Others have been every day, like a steady job so I can make loan payments, having $43 from work to pay the eye doctor, and phone calls from old friends.
God’s been so faithful. When I wrote the list, I was hoping that I would be able to look back and see a couple of ways God provided. But I didn’t expect him to address every need and to do it in less than 2 months! He knows what we need.
To ease my worry, I turned to one of my favorite passages in the bible Matthew 6:25-34. This is where Jesus talks about not worrying about what you’ll eat or wear etc. As I was reading verse 32 really stuck out to me. It says, “For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them.” Wow! I loved the idea that God knows my needs.
But just knowing that God knows wasn’t enough to stop my worries, so I decided to write my needs down on an index card as a way of giving them to God.
On one side I wrote Needs: - Filling in my tooth (I told him which tooth.)
- College loans paid each month (I wrote the specific amounts.)
- Funding for Swaziland
- Speaking engagements
- Food and housing while I’m speaking
- Transportation to and home from speaking
- Sleep
- Friendship
On the other side I wrote Wants: - winter coat
- glasses
Then, I dated it 12/5/08 in the corner, tucked it into an old journal, and forgot about it.
At the beginning of February, I rediscovered the list. And to my surprise, God has been working on providing for every need on the list! Some of the ways He’s been providing have been a little miraculous, like a waived dental fee, a 76% discount on a winter coat, and a donation designated for traveling costs. Others have been every day, like a steady job so I can make loan payments, having $43 from work to pay the eye doctor, and phone calls from old friends.
God’s been so faithful. When I wrote the list, I was hoping that I would be able to look back and see a couple of ways God provided. But I didn’t expect him to address every need and to do it in less than 2 months! He knows what we need.
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