Hello Friends and Family,
First and foremost, praise the Lord for He is holy, completely other, none like Him, good, righteous, faithful, just, and abounding in steadfast love! He makes known His ways that we might know Him. He loves His Church, and great is His gracious choice! Praise the Lord for the gift of not having to be under the wrath of God for eternity because of the slaughtering of the Lamb, and the resurrection. Our God is living and He is powerful. Praise God for subjecting Himself to be human that we may be personally connected to Him, intimately as His children.
I write to tell of one tiny aspect of the Lord showing His beauty to me and His holiness and complete GODNESS. May 8, 2009, some friends of mine got together to go evangelizing (the semester had just come to an end- why we could spend all day evangelizing). We had a bible study that morning and had decided to go get lunch before going out to the mall to evangelize. My sole influence in my regeneration and disciple me through my junior high and high school years, Jonathan Murdock (missionary in Mexico City and former youth pastor), had come to the states for a month and came up to Fort Worth for my birthday and to go evangelizing with us. He desired to go eat Mexican food because he missed being home. We ended up going to Taqueria Vallarta on Seminary Dr. which is where this all began. He had been the day before with Dr. Calvert ( a professor at Southwestern) and they began a conversation with Esperanza and Claudia, the end of the conversation resulted in Jonathan promising them he’d bring them Bibles. We came back May 8th and he brought them the Bibles back. They asked for someone to teach them about the Bible and Jonathan pulled me up to talk with them, and I told them I would do so. I had a commitment during the summer, but when I come back for the school year then I would definitely be commited to teaching them. I had met with the women throughout the month of August just attempting to find a time to do the Bible Study. (It became very hard, and we could not find a day.) I began praying that the Lord would provide an opportunity for us to teach the ladies, and if this isn’t where He wants us then to show us how to interact with them.
The girl that I am working with is Alma Alfaro. She is also a student at the college, and she is from Guatemala. I asked her to translate for me and she came with me on Monday night to meet with the women at the Taqueria. Alma and I went in with nothing prepared and prayed that the Holy Spirit would guide our words and that our hearts would be compelled to love these women and be broken for their lost souls. Claudia was off of work, but Esperanza was there. It was a rainy day so there were not many customers and it was around 3 or 4 so no one was really there to eat. We asked for Esperanza and she came out. We simply asked if she could talk. She said yes with a delight on her face. We got to know her a little bit. She has one daughter who is twenty months (she will be two on December 17th). She asked me where my family was (because I brought my parents there to eat previously). My response was simple, that my family doesn’t live in Fort Worth, they live in Salado, TX two and a half hours away. She said “Oh, you’re alone just like me. We should spend time together so that we won’t be alone anymore.” My heart was broken. She finished by telling us that she has no family, no friends, and no loved ones around. Just her little girl, her job, and a new boyfriend who she doesn’t know how long he will stay around because he doesn’t understand Spanish (he’s white). I told her that I would love to spend time with her and her daughter. I asked her about her Bible that Jonathan had given her, and she said that when her mother had visited from Mexico that she gave it to her mother. So, currently she is in need of a Spanish Bible which will be provided for her soon. Finally, we got around to talking to her about what she believes. She says that she was raised Catholic, but she believes that every person who goes to church is a “good person”. She also said that all people who go to a church, mosque, temple, whatever, worship the same god… just in different ways. ( I believe that part of this is because she said she has a Muslim friend who has been teaching her the Islamic faith for… 6 years)I then asked her if she believed the Bible to be true. She said yes, and then after that said that she believes one is saved by the sacraments. Sad and ironic. I told her that the Bible says in Romans that “none is righteous no not one” and that no one is a “good person” apart from the standard of Christ. She then got very upset (because this “bad person” thing didn’t sit well with her) and asked… “How can everyone be bad and both of you be good?” The grace of the Lord hit my heart and I was suddenly broken by the profound words of this woman, and the remembrance of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We had JUST said that EVERYONE is bad, and yet she had distinguished us as good. Right at that moment of me rejoicing in my heart of the opportunity to share with her about the costly grace that our Lord has given the saints by the wrath of the Father being poured out on Jesus…. She got called back into work. She then said, as she was rushing up to go back to work, “I am convinced I am a bad person, please teach me about this on Monday.” We discussed meeting later during the week and we then left. With heavy hearts Ally and I began discussing the brokenness for her and the false prophets around the world, and we prayed.
Thursday, I met with Esperanza at the Taqueria and went with her to her ESL classes (English as a Second Language). There were about 35 people there, none of which had their citizenship. It was a sad thing to see, but also a hopeful one (with the thought of what the Lord could do in these women hearing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ). The first thirty minutes was spent teaching Esperanza English on the computer (helped me brush up on my English and Spanish alike!) and acted as a personal tutor teaching her things like negative responses “don’t, doesn’t, no” and positive responses and introductions. The second portion of the class was in a classroom setting and the teacher went through reading and dialoging. (Introductions was a main portion of the class.) Everyone went around and said that “ Hi, my name is Maria (there were a million of them!) I am from MEXICO.” I then had to stand up and say my name and I was the only one from the United States there other than the teacher (who looked super Spanish, but born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas). We then left (one of my friends at the college, Dana, went with me, she did homework in the library!) and the women were in the parking lot talking and I forgot my keys. When I came back Dana was speaking with them about what she was in school for. We then discussed what I was in school for and I told them I had the same degree as Dana, but our concentrations are different, and I told them my concentration was in missions. They then asked if the bible study was a part of my school. I told them no. The looks on their faces were so confused. Then, “Do you get paid?” No. …. Dumbfounded. Well…. We don’t understand. You have spent so much time with us this week and you’re teaching us on Mondays…. Why? We didn’t even know you before this and you picked us out? My simple response was that I loved them and that is only through the cross of Jesus. We love because He first loved us. And I felt that no more was necessary. We then took her friend home and I brought Esperanza to Southwestern and showed her my job. Her daughter was thrilled to see the pool, and I told her that I would take her swimming any time, and if she wanted to work out we could work out together. We played with her daughter in the basketball court for about 15 minutes and threw the ball around and Esperanza and I shot some hoops for a little while and then we left. We got to know each other a little more and by the grace of God grew a little closer. She is dear to my heart. I invited her to dinner with my friends and I Saturday night and I am praying that God will grant that.
Prayer:
-For the salvation of these women’s soul, that they may be desperate before God and become constantly dependent upon Him. That they may live lives of obedience and raw submission to Him, and that they would know joy and peace like never before. That they would be godly mothers to their children and that generations would see Jesus through them.
-The Bible Study- For the preparation beforehand, for the submission of my heart to the Lord, and for the night itself. That the Lord would reveal Himself to each of these women and that they would have a constant yearning for more. For the children to be around godly women taking care of them during this time.
-Language barriers- that the Lord would grant quick learning and that both sides would gain from this to further the Gospel message..
- for a place to hold the Bible Study. As of right now there are a few potential temporary places on campus, but praying for an eventual permanent place for ministry.
-Men to rise up and reach the unreached men who are believing false messages around the Fort Worth area that they may lead families the way a godly man should in the way of our King.
“Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.” Ezekiel 37:12-14
SOLI DEO GLORIA.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Fifty
Hey fam. It's the middle of the week and there's so much going on here. Simply stated, Clayton King proclaimed the gospel tonight. The Word was preached and he made a huge point that there will not be any music played, and if God has saved yoru soul during the sermon to stand up and say Jesus is Lord. 50 students stood up tonight. There are several testimonies which testify to the grace of God in the transformation of souls and there were others who shown no understanding of salvation whatsoever, but God is sovereign in this and we can trust Him. It was definately a night testifying to the power of His name.
Three girls from my share group, Providence Baptist Church, were radically saved and transformed tonight. One of which I had specifically been praying for and had the opportunity to counsel. The leaders asked to speak with Mike and I afterwards and we prayed for a good fourty five minutes dealing with things with the kids and decisions that needed to be made and burdens. It's been a blessing working with and being able to love because people are in Christ.
I would covet your prayers family. There is a lot going on. Two ladies from a church I have worked with in the city and friends of a close friend have died, so it's hard to take in, and Jeffrey Collin's best friend died in a car accident tonight. There are several home situations and things that the interns are dealing with, but just pray that we would trust God and seek Him. He is doing wondrous and mighty things.
Love you all and miss you. Call me and I will seek to call you back.
Your sister in Christ,
Katelyn
"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22
Three girls from my share group, Providence Baptist Church, were radically saved and transformed tonight. One of which I had specifically been praying for and had the opportunity to counsel. The leaders asked to speak with Mike and I afterwards and we prayed for a good fourty five minutes dealing with things with the kids and decisions that needed to be made and burdens. It's been a blessing working with and being able to love because people are in Christ.
I would covet your prayers family. There is a lot going on. Two ladies from a church I have worked with in the city and friends of a close friend have died, so it's hard to take in, and Jeffrey Collin's best friend died in a car accident tonight. There are several home situations and things that the interns are dealing with, but just pray that we would trust God and seek Him. He is doing wondrous and mighty things.
Love you all and miss you. Call me and I will seek to call you back.
Your sister in Christ,
Katelyn
"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Toccoa 2
This is a picture from the girls breakout group on "identity theft", and finding your identity in Christ. Sabrina Bailey is playing the cello, while Tara and I are singing the More I Seek You for worship to end the session.
Mahalo friends and family for all of your prayers! It has been a challenging, yet beautiful past two and a half weeks.
Last weekend, about 8 interns, including myself, went to a place called Henderson Falls Park, and it was amazing. The first thing we saw was a copperhead snake, and of course the boys wanted to touch it, but that held off for a couple hours at least. Haha. We had an adventure at the waterfall, and though it was small, it was still very beautiful. God definitely reveals Himself in nature. The water was soooo cold, but refreshing and we were under a canopy of extended branches from trees that surrounded us. We played in the water and Melissa, Timmy Tew, and I followed the creek as far as we could until we hit a gate, and some disgusting stagnant water. We then came back and we found an empty field and played ultimate until Kortney and Shelby got tired (which was within the first three scores..haha). After finding and catching a huge crawdad and dunking Shelby and Kortney in the water, we found a spot to lay all of our towels out and we shared Scripture for about 45 minutes. We then were hungry and went to Walmart and came back to the Conference Center and made a bonfire by the huge lake we have a beautiful view of, and cooked hotdogs and went swimming. We then played volleyball out on the rec field, and ended a fun packed day of fellowship and loving Jesus. That Sunday we went to Ebenezer and just had Jesus time and finished setting up for week two of camp.
Week two of camp began with registration again, and I had the amazing opportunity of meeting all of the youth pastors and female leaders before camp even started and getting to know what they are like under intense stress (of being on a bus with their youth for almost 8 hours each). So, it was intense to see the different responses. My contact was really bothering me during registration, and I rubbed my eye a lot and I couldn’t understand what was wrong. We listened to Fred Luter speak the first night, and it was really good. “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, and all the King’s soldiers and all of the King’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again. Why did Humpty fall? Why didn’t they look to the King?” The next morning I woke up to one eye completely sealed by hardened puss (so gross I know). I waited for the nurse to see me, she prescribed me go to a local clinic. Pink eye. So I was out of commission for two and a half days and received the high priviledge of being alone with God for two and a half days. I did get the opportunity to sit in the back with TD and listen to the sermons each night and pray for each of the kids during that time period. So, God definitely taught me a lot with the time I got with Him, and I had time to rest. I missed the kids and the interns so much, but I really learned much about God being enough.
God has taught me much about His grace and mercy, just because I have been reading in 1 Thessalonians and I decided to do a word study on grace and peace (since I had plenty of time in the two days I was out), and there are several verses with each of these, but remember that grace leads to salvation and teaches us to renounce worldly passions and trains us in righteousness and how to do good. Peace is given when our minds are stayed on Him.
God has really blessed me with friends that I have made here. Hannah is my best friend already, and it’s been intense to live right next door to each other and not see each other very much, but it has been good to see how God is transforming her life and using her in the midst of the sin in both her life and the campers around her. God is really showing me that in my life, that He uses the unredeemable who He has so radically changed and formed and is sanctifying for His purposes. Tis’ grace that He uses the simple. God has really used Tara Davis in my life. She is a beautiful artys woman who I have the priviledge of also seeing the Lord transform her life and teach her right before her life. She sings with me and has a beautiful voice. She is becoming closer to her Jesus. On that note, I have met three of my favorite ATF people ever: Red, David, and Heather. Red is pretty much the person who is most similar to me when it comes to being relaxed and loves Christian rap. We jam to Shai. David and Red have code when we play rummy and Tara, Heather, and I are still attempting to figure this out. LONDON IS FOREVER. (Inside joke.) Um, God has really placed Heather in my life for some reason I don’t know why, but He has placed such a special love for her in my heart and I’m not exactly sure why, but He’s using her in my life. She is such an encouragement and she loves Jesus. Her cousin died within the last 24 hours so you can pray for her. There are little things that God has just proven Himself to be so evident in. Like, I sent Heather a text yesterday night that didn’t send until right after she found out her cousin died and it says “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116:15. God uses little things like that to show His preminence and how He perfectly orchestrates things for His glory. How beautiful.
This weekend has just been a weekend of rest and sleep. This is the last weekend that we have to stop. Next weekend we travel to Virginia and the weekend after that we make the long roadtrip to Texas. (19 hours!) I am really cherishing the love of my friends back home whose text messages are all that I get to really see of them because I have little to no time, and the time I do have I don’t really want to talk to anyone, to be honest. (Alone time is so necessary here.) But, I miss all of my friends from Southwestern. This is the second year in a row I haven’t been able to see my daddy for Father’s Day, but it is a blessing that I have a father and that I have a phone to call my precious father. So, family and friends, know that I miss you so much and I have so much that you can be praying for!
Prayer:
-Next week of camp. God’s really been working in my heart about being intentional with the campers. There are two opportunities for almost every intern where they are intentionally placed somewhere for them to get to know their kids: 1. Breakout groups: the interns teach, lead worship, and play games with the kids. 2. Church Share Groups: an intern sits in the share time and helps if needed but really just gets to know the kids. Because I am in the drama team, I practice during the breakout groups and because I am a discipleship group leader I do not have an opportunity to have one specific church to be with, so I have to be very intentional with getting to know the kids. So, pray for me to be discerned in my speech and who to speak with and get to know.
-Discipleship groups: I have three amazing girls in my group! Amanda Barragy is an amazing girl who has so much trust in the Lord. She is a volunteer and I only have one more week with her. Shelby and Sarah are both interns. Lovely and beautiful girls. I only have two more weeks to intentionally get to know them and pour into them! So sad! Please pray that I will spend adequate time set apart just for them each day, and that I would really seek God in how to pour into them. I have been reading through some Scriptures with them, and praying a Puritan’s Prayer with them in the mornings and then just asking what God has been doing throughout their weeks. It’s been awesome to see what God is doing, but I feel like God can do so much in the next two weeks in each of us having accountability and hearing them and seeing them grow. So, pray for humility in that as well. I am taught so much by them and their humility.
-Silence and Alone Time. I need alone time with my Lord every day, and when you only have 5-6 hours of sleep a night and 3-4 depending on if anyone needs to talk or pray about something, it’s really hard to wake up an hour early to spend time with the Lord. So, please pray that I will have that opportunity, and even if I lose sleep that I would just absolutely desire nothing but to be poured into. Because I cannot pour out if I do not get poured into. My mind needs to be quieted as well, because I have all of these prayers and intercessions and sometimes I just need to hear God speak.
There’s so much that you can pray for. Anything that you feel the need to pray for. Do not forget to pray for our missionaries around the world proclaiming the gospel, and also do not forget to pray that God would cement the tongue of the false prophet to the roof of his mouth.
Lord, shield us from the lies that so often deceive us, and tame our wreckless hearts and our flesh.
Daughter of the King,
K-Dizzay.
“Do not be anxious in anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7 (Please pray this over my heart, if I could ask one thing! Sometimes I’m so anxious and it’s not trusting the Lord by any means.)
Mahalo friends and family for all of your prayers! It has been a challenging, yet beautiful past two and a half weeks.
Last weekend, about 8 interns, including myself, went to a place called Henderson Falls Park, and it was amazing. The first thing we saw was a copperhead snake, and of course the boys wanted to touch it, but that held off for a couple hours at least. Haha. We had an adventure at the waterfall, and though it was small, it was still very beautiful. God definitely reveals Himself in nature. The water was soooo cold, but refreshing and we were under a canopy of extended branches from trees that surrounded us. We played in the water and Melissa, Timmy Tew, and I followed the creek as far as we could until we hit a gate, and some disgusting stagnant water. We then came back and we found an empty field and played ultimate until Kortney and Shelby got tired (which was within the first three scores..haha). After finding and catching a huge crawdad and dunking Shelby and Kortney in the water, we found a spot to lay all of our towels out and we shared Scripture for about 45 minutes. We then were hungry and went to Walmart and came back to the Conference Center and made a bonfire by the huge lake we have a beautiful view of, and cooked hotdogs and went swimming. We then played volleyball out on the rec field, and ended a fun packed day of fellowship and loving Jesus. That Sunday we went to Ebenezer and just had Jesus time and finished setting up for week two of camp.
Week two of camp began with registration again, and I had the amazing opportunity of meeting all of the youth pastors and female leaders before camp even started and getting to know what they are like under intense stress (of being on a bus with their youth for almost 8 hours each). So, it was intense to see the different responses. My contact was really bothering me during registration, and I rubbed my eye a lot and I couldn’t understand what was wrong. We listened to Fred Luter speak the first night, and it was really good. “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, and all the King’s soldiers and all of the King’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again. Why did Humpty fall? Why didn’t they look to the King?” The next morning I woke up to one eye completely sealed by hardened puss (so gross I know). I waited for the nurse to see me, she prescribed me go to a local clinic. Pink eye. So I was out of commission for two and a half days and received the high priviledge of being alone with God for two and a half days. I did get the opportunity to sit in the back with TD and listen to the sermons each night and pray for each of the kids during that time period. So, God definitely taught me a lot with the time I got with Him, and I had time to rest. I missed the kids and the interns so much, but I really learned much about God being enough.
God has taught me much about His grace and mercy, just because I have been reading in 1 Thessalonians and I decided to do a word study on grace and peace (since I had plenty of time in the two days I was out), and there are several verses with each of these, but remember that grace leads to salvation and teaches us to renounce worldly passions and trains us in righteousness and how to do good. Peace is given when our minds are stayed on Him.
God has really blessed me with friends that I have made here. Hannah is my best friend already, and it’s been intense to live right next door to each other and not see each other very much, but it has been good to see how God is transforming her life and using her in the midst of the sin in both her life and the campers around her. God is really showing me that in my life, that He uses the unredeemable who He has so radically changed and formed and is sanctifying for His purposes. Tis’ grace that He uses the simple. God has really used Tara Davis in my life. She is a beautiful artys woman who I have the priviledge of also seeing the Lord transform her life and teach her right before her life. She sings with me and has a beautiful voice. She is becoming closer to her Jesus. On that note, I have met three of my favorite ATF people ever: Red, David, and Heather. Red is pretty much the person who is most similar to me when it comes to being relaxed and loves Christian rap. We jam to Shai. David and Red have code when we play rummy and Tara, Heather, and I are still attempting to figure this out. LONDON IS FOREVER. (Inside joke.) Um, God has really placed Heather in my life for some reason I don’t know why, but He has placed such a special love for her in my heart and I’m not exactly sure why, but He’s using her in my life. She is such an encouragement and she loves Jesus. Her cousin died within the last 24 hours so you can pray for her. There are little things that God has just proven Himself to be so evident in. Like, I sent Heather a text yesterday night that didn’t send until right after she found out her cousin died and it says “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Psalm 116:15. God uses little things like that to show His preminence and how He perfectly orchestrates things for His glory. How beautiful.
This weekend has just been a weekend of rest and sleep. This is the last weekend that we have to stop. Next weekend we travel to Virginia and the weekend after that we make the long roadtrip to Texas. (19 hours!) I am really cherishing the love of my friends back home whose text messages are all that I get to really see of them because I have little to no time, and the time I do have I don’t really want to talk to anyone, to be honest. (Alone time is so necessary here.) But, I miss all of my friends from Southwestern. This is the second year in a row I haven’t been able to see my daddy for Father’s Day, but it is a blessing that I have a father and that I have a phone to call my precious father. So, family and friends, know that I miss you so much and I have so much that you can be praying for!
Prayer:
-Next week of camp. God’s really been working in my heart about being intentional with the campers. There are two opportunities for almost every intern where they are intentionally placed somewhere for them to get to know their kids: 1. Breakout groups: the interns teach, lead worship, and play games with the kids. 2. Church Share Groups: an intern sits in the share time and helps if needed but really just gets to know the kids. Because I am in the drama team, I practice during the breakout groups and because I am a discipleship group leader I do not have an opportunity to have one specific church to be with, so I have to be very intentional with getting to know the kids. So, pray for me to be discerned in my speech and who to speak with and get to know.
-Discipleship groups: I have three amazing girls in my group! Amanda Barragy is an amazing girl who has so much trust in the Lord. She is a volunteer and I only have one more week with her. Shelby and Sarah are both interns. Lovely and beautiful girls. I only have two more weeks to intentionally get to know them and pour into them! So sad! Please pray that I will spend adequate time set apart just for them each day, and that I would really seek God in how to pour into them. I have been reading through some Scriptures with them, and praying a Puritan’s Prayer with them in the mornings and then just asking what God has been doing throughout their weeks. It’s been awesome to see what God is doing, but I feel like God can do so much in the next two weeks in each of us having accountability and hearing them and seeing them grow. So, pray for humility in that as well. I am taught so much by them and their humility.
-Silence and Alone Time. I need alone time with my Lord every day, and when you only have 5-6 hours of sleep a night and 3-4 depending on if anyone needs to talk or pray about something, it’s really hard to wake up an hour early to spend time with the Lord. So, please pray that I will have that opportunity, and even if I lose sleep that I would just absolutely desire nothing but to be poured into. Because I cannot pour out if I do not get poured into. My mind needs to be quieted as well, because I have all of these prayers and intercessions and sometimes I just need to hear God speak.
There’s so much that you can pray for. Anything that you feel the need to pray for. Do not forget to pray for our missionaries around the world proclaiming the gospel, and also do not forget to pray that God would cement the tongue of the false prophet to the roof of his mouth.
Lord, shield us from the lies that so often deceive us, and tame our wreckless hearts and our flesh.
Daughter of the King,
K-Dizzay.
“Do not be anxious in anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7 (Please pray this over my heart, if I could ask one thing! Sometimes I’m so anxious and it’s not trusting the Lord by any means.)
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Doing This Camp Thing :)
June 5, 2009
“So teach us to number our days that we might gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
This passage is really just so realistic. The psalmist in this passage is very descriptive, and I believe this passage could very much be attached to a sermon on Ecclesiastes thematically. He describes the grass and flower withering and dying away. The life of any human being is that of a vapor, and this verse really showed the grace in God allowing us to live on Earth, and that there is a specific purpose for us being here ( and that God cares about His children in the little things… like who we room with in college or what food we eat daily). God’s grace is so abundant in the fact that we might gain wisdom… which the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1). Fearing the Lord only occurs once we have been completely redeemed in His grace, mercy, and love.
June 3rd I read this passage in the Psalms and I heard a sermon that very day on the things a Christian sees as being completely centered in the God of the universe and seeking His face which beholds the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the small things. (2 Corinthians 4)Paul Washer said that as a Christian we see the grace of God and the beauty of God in stalks of wheat blowing in the wind and minnows swimming in a tiny creek. I agree with this and praise the Lord for the assurance in this. Katy, Hannah, and I were driving from Texas to Georgia June 2nd and even until today I am continually amazed and how honkin’ big these clouds are! The trees are quite large as well, but it was definitely a blessing to behold the majesty of our King in the clouds that His very breath has formed. I have been able to praise my God in the eyes of the interns and seeing their hearts in their faces.
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” Romans 12:9-13 (I would highly encourage you to read the rest of the passage… I cut it short for the sake of length.)
This is a constant prayer for me in my friendships with other people. Dear friends, I encourage you to read this and to never think that you have done this in its sufficiency. Please remember the grace of God to allow you to read this passage and to know evil in a new way than when you were a transgressor. (Once Christ does a regenerating work in us, we not only have a new relationship with Christ and holiness, but we have a new relationship with sin that directly correlates with that.) I ask that this would be one of your prayers for me brothers and sisters. With fourty-something interns working around me, and each of them being my brother or sister in Christ, (we are living with each other 24/7 basically)… I need this to be worked in my heart, and I know this cannot be done without the work of the cross being central. Please pray this passage over my heart.
Just to give you the “down low” on what has happened so far… Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009, Katy, Hannah, and I (with Ali’s help) packed my little red neon versa stuffed full and began our 14 hour drive to Duluth, GA for training week with Go Tell. We arrived in Duluth and landed at La Quinta (our hotel that we were sharing with Kaye and Lindsey, two other interns who we had never met before). That night was quick, and we went to training. Rob and Jenny are just amazing, godly people centered in truth, and there is honestly much this summer that is so much different this summer (which is a good thing!) God’s glory is so centralized and I cannot stress how beautiful of a change that is. The truth of the gospel has been laid out by Rob and Jenny in the packet that they gave all of the interns in training. Chic-fil-e was the first meal of the whole summer (what a God sent meal sent straight from His grace! And what a way to start the summer off! I mean really?!) It was good meeting all of the new interns and fellowshipping with the oldies. About four other girls and I practiced that night to worship the next morning and it was BEAUTIFUL (we had a cello player named Sabrina/Sabby) She’s so beautiful , her heart is beautiful, and her music is absolutely breathtaking. It was a blessing singing with her Tara (T.D’s younger sister), Kerri Lynn, and Jenny. Absolute blessing. I was picked to be on the drama team again this year, and we are actually being trained by one of the Skidiots from previous years so that was a complete priviledge. (It’s really funny because he’s from Fort Worth.. his wife works at the education building Redeemer uses, and their church is maybe 15 minutes from where I live. Crazy?!) So my next training day was filled with skits and ideas/ improv stuff. (so fun!) We then decided to go to a baseball game that got rained out, but there were several opportunities on the train to speak with people (and just get to know some). These were all so providential. I met a woman from Hawaii, a man named Wes (who blatantly said that he wasn’t a Christian, and that all people were children of God… it was a brief convo), and a woman named Mary from Zambia (which reminded me to be praying for our missionaries from our church in Mali and the others from RCB in Tanzania.) Then I ended up getting a henna tattoo with 2 Corinthians 5:21 on my hand and the woman asked what that means. I had the opportunity to halfway tell her about the cross (the bus was being held for us), but she had claimed to never hear the name of Jesus. Sad that we had to leave.
The weekend has just begun, but we are praying for how God is going to work in and through us, and camp is starting Monday! Please pray that God really uses the skits we will do. The two most important ones are “Chisel” which is a skit concerning the sanctification Christ uses in our life to conform us into His image, and the Lifehouse skit that really presents the gospel. (I would check it out on youtube… or something… we might have the videos on for sale on the website or something, but I will definitely be putting that up soon.)
I do have a wonderful praise that Jonathan and others will understand. There is a handful of people here from Southeastern who are reformed and it’s a blessing to have the same theology as others you are working with because of the very fact that orthodoxy and orthopraxy go hand in hand and it is reflected in the way they conduct themselves. Please be praying for my brothers and sisters in this. Melissa Clift, Blake and Amber (a married couple this year..precious!), KerriLynn, Katy Camp, and Nick Majors. For those of you who are reading this, I plead with you that you would not take offense to these statements, or think that I love them more or treat them with more respect than with the other interns, but it has humbled me to see the humility within a true belief of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these specifically.
I love and miss you all at Redeemer Church; I’m listening every weekend… I have to be fed solid food somehow. Mom and dad, I miss you so much and I’m praying for you. Your text messages truly show your love and desire to communicate with me. Because for you guys it’s not easy to text. Haha. Drewjy Chan I’m praying for you and your family. That your time in the big J-AY-pan would not be wasted but used solely for His glory. Friends from Southwestern, I cannot describe how much I miss you. I am so grateful for the ability to spend the summer with Hannah and Katy for the summer. I plead that you stay focused and centered in His Word. My sisters on the islands, I PRAISE THE LORD FOR OUR OHANA IN HIM! I hope to meet you all face to face before the Earth dies and to fellowship in the Father (either way Jesus comes back and He will surely do it!) Love you all (everyone mentioned here.)
Prayer:
-Total dependence on God,Rest, Alone time with God, Rich fellowship (in patience)
-I am leading a discipleship group with two girls (sarah and shelby)Please pray for this time to really grow us and to encourage each other in the blessing of this time in prayer and going through the book of Micah.
-Pray for the interns to constantly remember that everything we do is for the fame of Jesus. :)
Aloha ke akua.
“So teach us to number our days that we might gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
This passage is really just so realistic. The psalmist in this passage is very descriptive, and I believe this passage could very much be attached to a sermon on Ecclesiastes thematically. He describes the grass and flower withering and dying away. The life of any human being is that of a vapor, and this verse really showed the grace in God allowing us to live on Earth, and that there is a specific purpose for us being here ( and that God cares about His children in the little things… like who we room with in college or what food we eat daily). God’s grace is so abundant in the fact that we might gain wisdom… which the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1). Fearing the Lord only occurs once we have been completely redeemed in His grace, mercy, and love.
June 3rd I read this passage in the Psalms and I heard a sermon that very day on the things a Christian sees as being completely centered in the God of the universe and seeking His face which beholds the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the small things. (2 Corinthians 4)Paul Washer said that as a Christian we see the grace of God and the beauty of God in stalks of wheat blowing in the wind and minnows swimming in a tiny creek. I agree with this and praise the Lord for the assurance in this. Katy, Hannah, and I were driving from Texas to Georgia June 2nd and even until today I am continually amazed and how honkin’ big these clouds are! The trees are quite large as well, but it was definitely a blessing to behold the majesty of our King in the clouds that His very breath has formed. I have been able to praise my God in the eyes of the interns and seeing their hearts in their faces.
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” Romans 12:9-13 (I would highly encourage you to read the rest of the passage… I cut it short for the sake of length.)
This is a constant prayer for me in my friendships with other people. Dear friends, I encourage you to read this and to never think that you have done this in its sufficiency. Please remember the grace of God to allow you to read this passage and to know evil in a new way than when you were a transgressor. (Once Christ does a regenerating work in us, we not only have a new relationship with Christ and holiness, but we have a new relationship with sin that directly correlates with that.) I ask that this would be one of your prayers for me brothers and sisters. With fourty-something interns working around me, and each of them being my brother or sister in Christ, (we are living with each other 24/7 basically)… I need this to be worked in my heart, and I know this cannot be done without the work of the cross being central. Please pray this passage over my heart.
Just to give you the “down low” on what has happened so far… Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009, Katy, Hannah, and I (with Ali’s help) packed my little red neon versa stuffed full and began our 14 hour drive to Duluth, GA for training week with Go Tell. We arrived in Duluth and landed at La Quinta (our hotel that we were sharing with Kaye and Lindsey, two other interns who we had never met before). That night was quick, and we went to training. Rob and Jenny are just amazing, godly people centered in truth, and there is honestly much this summer that is so much different this summer (which is a good thing!) God’s glory is so centralized and I cannot stress how beautiful of a change that is. The truth of the gospel has been laid out by Rob and Jenny in the packet that they gave all of the interns in training. Chic-fil-e was the first meal of the whole summer (what a God sent meal sent straight from His grace! And what a way to start the summer off! I mean really?!) It was good meeting all of the new interns and fellowshipping with the oldies. About four other girls and I practiced that night to worship the next morning and it was BEAUTIFUL (we had a cello player named Sabrina/Sabby) She’s so beautiful , her heart is beautiful, and her music is absolutely breathtaking. It was a blessing singing with her Tara (T.D’s younger sister), Kerri Lynn, and Jenny. Absolute blessing. I was picked to be on the drama team again this year, and we are actually being trained by one of the Skidiots from previous years so that was a complete priviledge. (It’s really funny because he’s from Fort Worth.. his wife works at the education building Redeemer uses, and their church is maybe 15 minutes from where I live. Crazy?!) So my next training day was filled with skits and ideas/ improv stuff. (so fun!) We then decided to go to a baseball game that got rained out, but there were several opportunities on the train to speak with people (and just get to know some). These were all so providential. I met a woman from Hawaii, a man named Wes (who blatantly said that he wasn’t a Christian, and that all people were children of God… it was a brief convo), and a woman named Mary from Zambia (which reminded me to be praying for our missionaries from our church in Mali and the others from RCB in Tanzania.) Then I ended up getting a henna tattoo with 2 Corinthians 5:21 on my hand and the woman asked what that means. I had the opportunity to halfway tell her about the cross (the bus was being held for us), but she had claimed to never hear the name of Jesus. Sad that we had to leave.
The weekend has just begun, but we are praying for how God is going to work in and through us, and camp is starting Monday! Please pray that God really uses the skits we will do. The two most important ones are “Chisel” which is a skit concerning the sanctification Christ uses in our life to conform us into His image, and the Lifehouse skit that really presents the gospel. (I would check it out on youtube… or something… we might have the videos on for sale on the website or something, but I will definitely be putting that up soon.)
I do have a wonderful praise that Jonathan and others will understand. There is a handful of people here from Southeastern who are reformed and it’s a blessing to have the same theology as others you are working with because of the very fact that orthodoxy and orthopraxy go hand in hand and it is reflected in the way they conduct themselves. Please be praying for my brothers and sisters in this. Melissa Clift, Blake and Amber (a married couple this year..precious!), KerriLynn, Katy Camp, and Nick Majors. For those of you who are reading this, I plead with you that you would not take offense to these statements, or think that I love them more or treat them with more respect than with the other interns, but it has humbled me to see the humility within a true belief of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these specifically.
I love and miss you all at Redeemer Church; I’m listening every weekend… I have to be fed solid food somehow. Mom and dad, I miss you so much and I’m praying for you. Your text messages truly show your love and desire to communicate with me. Because for you guys it’s not easy to text. Haha. Drewjy Chan I’m praying for you and your family. That your time in the big J-AY-pan would not be wasted but used solely for His glory. Friends from Southwestern, I cannot describe how much I miss you. I am so grateful for the ability to spend the summer with Hannah and Katy for the summer. I plead that you stay focused and centered in His Word. My sisters on the islands, I PRAISE THE LORD FOR OUR OHANA IN HIM! I hope to meet you all face to face before the Earth dies and to fellowship in the Father (either way Jesus comes back and He will surely do it!) Love you all (everyone mentioned here.)
Prayer:
-Total dependence on God,Rest, Alone time with God, Rich fellowship (in patience)
-I am leading a discipleship group with two girls (sarah and shelby)Please pray for this time to really grow us and to encourage each other in the blessing of this time in prayer and going through the book of Micah.
-Pray for the interns to constantly remember that everything we do is for the fame of Jesus. :)
Aloha ke akua.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Katelyn.. SLOW DOWN!
So, I was just itching to get back home to Salado, TX, early last Wednesday afternoon. I went straight from the pool at SWBTS to Grace Baptist Church, Salado, TX. I was already exhausted and I walked in the door to see surprised faces. It was as if they'd never seen me before... like I've been gone, to college or something? (Imagine that.) "How've you been?" "How's school?" "What are your plans for the summer?" All of these exciting questions are shuffled in my ears through my brain and the answers out of mouth, regurgitated to each person who so inquisitively asked. It seems that my answers were always the same, and the responses the same as every visit. It was beautiful, though, at some expense to see Daisy, an old friend who I've prayed for her salvation, seen her grow, and then not see her for a long time because God is using her as a missionary in Guam to the Chukese and the Palauans! God is doing so much in her life and she was in visiting for the month! It's beautiful to see how she's grown! Her hair is long and her heart is being so conformed to His image. So beautiful to see a girl lost in the darkness of her lonely lost heart be conformed and strong in His Word, rebuking, exorting, encouraging, edifying, etc. Then, behind her I saw my best friend from back home, Kortney. How beautiful to see the hands and feet of those who preach the good news. She has the same quiet, beautiful spirit, but things had changed. Her heart has been in the same sanctification as Daisy's (although by different means I'm sure... situations, etc.) (Obviously God is working in and through both of them) To see two women of God standing before me and reminiscing on the process that God has allowed me to be a part of is a beautiful thing.
Then, behind them I see Jonathan, Josh, and John Goodnight. Another wonderful thing to see. To see my youth pastor and mentor, and two young men who also are following his lead, questioning his every step and belief and lining those up with Scripture. I've seen maturing in all three of these guys over the years and to see them again is a blessing.
But also with the beautiful comes the ugly. The only place that I've seen such hard hearts was in Mexico or Ft. Worth. Even people on the streets aren't as cold as these. One of the saddest things I can think of is to walk into a church where everyone believes they are Christians (bondservants of Jesus Christ!) and they sit cold in the church pew cursing that someone is in church and they shouldn't be because of what they believe rather than listening to the sermon on forgiveness and boldness. Faith, availability, and teachability. My heart broke yet again, while all the while I was able to rejoice at the grace and peace God has worked in and through the lives of people at Grace that I only hope the unsaved and the lost will see. There is a remnant there, and as time goes by they will leave. Please, friends, continue to pray for the man of God that He has for His church to hear the gospel proclaimed and the people discipled to go proclaim the gospel here in this nation and across the globe.
I attempted to sleep that night, anxiously awaiting the next morning 530 to leave for the McClain's Ranch to work with the 8th grade girls from CTCS on their retreat. You know the thoughts that go through every teacher's mind, or at least I think so (I might be the oddball!) are: Lord, take me and make me available for You. Open my eyes to where You deem me a necessity to be used. That You make speak the gospel through me and that I might not be a stumbling block or a hindrance to these girls but that You would help me to trust You. That I would not speak out of place or remain mute when I must speak. Rather, Lord instill in me a fear to speak Your Word truthfully and rightfully. For if I do not, I must tremble at the thought.
I had one more girl in my group than all of the other leaders and with my group came several girls with beautiful faces. As a song I've heard "her face was clear, but her vanity's clearer." The weekend started off with the voices of several girls rattling of "I got his number, and he texted me this... and he's FINE!" and "Girl, where'd you get that?" and song lyrics that I haven't heard in over a year or two because of the conviction of the Spirit in my life about music "Kiss me through the phone.... blah blah blah" The unholy talk of 8th grade girls filled my ears as we loaded and unloaded everything. Did they not know that the leaders HEAR? We have ears!
When the baggage was unloaded and everything was in place, it was time to unload the truth and pray these girls would be knocked down by it. But not merely knocked down, broken, shattered, and that the Lord would pick them up and enrapture and captivate their hearts with none other than Himself. We rallied the girls together and I had the amazing blessing of an opportunity to pray over the girls before we started the weekend. We began by doing some icebreaker type things that would encourage the girls to see their tastes in musice, etc. and what society has stamped an "OK" to them listening to without them even noticing it. "Boom Boom Pow" "The Notebook" "Kiss Me Through The Phone" All of these very secular songs, and I can't even remember the rest, but this started the day off. We seperated and the girls did a bible study on their own. They came back and we started crafts (bracelets) my team was "THE BLUE SKY!" and this was because our bracelet colors were blue and what is blue? THE SKY! Obviously, coolest name ever. Anyways, as we were making our bracelets we began talking about music and how it affects us in the way we think, how that reflects in our lifestyles, etc. The girls were very open, and others were not so open to start with but they cracked towards the end of the weekend.
We had lunch (Subway!) and we then had our group discussions (this is my favorite part of the day because I had the opportunity to teach and hear what the girls had to say about the topics we were speaking about) Day 1 was Lies About Relationships: these encompassed how we often go to our friends before we go to God because "our friends are physically there whereas we forget that God is a reality sometimes.", "I am my own authority." This encompassed relationships with parents, teachers, coaches, and any other authority that is over them. This brought up several discussions including the authority a man has in a relationship with his wife. (Which was supposed to be saved for day 2, but we started early in my group!) Day 2 was Lies About Guys: these lies dealt with "I have to have a boyfriend" and "If we don't have sex, we're still pure". This was awesome because I got to explain to the girls the sufficiency of Christ (go through the gospel once more), and then go into what purity is, and biblical womanhood. :-) AWESOME! We then went into Christ and Him being head over the Church and how that parallels with marriage. Day 3 we talked about Lies About Media. This one was pretty much covered all weekend, but we talked about "I have to be a size zero" and it was really good.
We played Sh-ding-ding-wa. (Really fun Go Tell/ Camp game that works with your mind), and the next day we played another game that was really cool. We paired the girls up in couples and they were "dating" (scenario game), and we tied a balloon to each couple with a sin written on them "Sex, Drugs, Pornography, Lust, etc." and so often we have our own sin that we try and point out everyone elses and we tried and keep ours safe. So, we had the teams of two attempt to save their "sin" and all the while attempting to pop everyone elses.
The camp was really good. The girls made boxes for their husbands someday (to put prayers that they've written for them,etc. in) We also had them do a skit about something that they had learned about. My group did a skit about hypocrasy and gossip in their skit (school setting) YOU GIRLS DID AMAZING! Two groups did kind of an acting scene where several girls were sins "drinking", "drugs/depression", etc. and then one girl was Jesus and "He" demolished all of the other girls and saved the one affected by the lusts of her heart. The last group did commercials and insisted upon the stupidity of the media and how worldly it really is.
I had the amazing opportunity to lead worship for these girls. I will tell you this. The Father really did work in a way that I haven't seen ever before except at Redeemer Church where the Lord lead girls to praise Him on their own, and pray outloud and shout that they need Him. The desperate cries of a lost man are beautiful, and the the desperate cries of a saved man are beautiful still.
It was an amazing retreat and God really blessed it. I came home Saturday afternoon, went and picked my car up and came back home, fell asleep at 430, woke up about 830 and laid around in bed for a little while. I then woke up and hung out with my family.
Sunday I went to church , and then came with my family back home. We had a crawfish deal at my house (yummy! my favorite!) and we ate and ate and ate and fellowshiped and it was so amazing. Jonathan's girlfriend Ivonne came in and everyone got to meet her and her mom. It was a sweet time. I began feeling sick about Saturday afternoon and after we went shoe shopping and to church I was really feeling it Sunday night. I had heavy headaches ALL DAY, nausea, nose was bothering me, and at the end of the night my throat was killing me. This morning I woke up and it was so bad I had to bail out on going to Enchanted Rock with Jonathan and Ivonne and the Pucketts. So, I ended up waking up and then going to the doctor this afternoon. Praise the Lord it isn't strep! I do have an upper respiratory bacterial infection. So, I'm on drugs (again!) and praising the Lord for friends who talkedwith me for hours praying and laughing and getting my mind off of the sickness, and teasing me about how the medicine is affecting me. For my amazing parents who work all day and spend their evenings with me. For their love and their hearts. but mostly for our Lord Jesus Christ because of what He did on the cross and how that affects my life in every way possible.
I go back to Fort Worth tomorrow and I will start working on the Isaiah 6 song, Greek tutoring, and the bible study for the ladies at the Taqueria. Praise the Lord for rest. I pray for healing and discernment. He is a great and faithful God! Praise Him all the earth!
Then, behind them I see Jonathan, Josh, and John Goodnight. Another wonderful thing to see. To see my youth pastor and mentor, and two young men who also are following his lead, questioning his every step and belief and lining those up with Scripture. I've seen maturing in all three of these guys over the years and to see them again is a blessing.
But also with the beautiful comes the ugly. The only place that I've seen such hard hearts was in Mexico or Ft. Worth. Even people on the streets aren't as cold as these. One of the saddest things I can think of is to walk into a church where everyone believes they are Christians (bondservants of Jesus Christ!) and they sit cold in the church pew cursing that someone is in church and they shouldn't be because of what they believe rather than listening to the sermon on forgiveness and boldness. Faith, availability, and teachability. My heart broke yet again, while all the while I was able to rejoice at the grace and peace God has worked in and through the lives of people at Grace that I only hope the unsaved and the lost will see. There is a remnant there, and as time goes by they will leave. Please, friends, continue to pray for the man of God that He has for His church to hear the gospel proclaimed and the people discipled to go proclaim the gospel here in this nation and across the globe.
I attempted to sleep that night, anxiously awaiting the next morning 530 to leave for the McClain's Ranch to work with the 8th grade girls from CTCS on their retreat. You know the thoughts that go through every teacher's mind, or at least I think so (I might be the oddball!) are: Lord, take me and make me available for You. Open my eyes to where You deem me a necessity to be used. That You make speak the gospel through me and that I might not be a stumbling block or a hindrance to these girls but that You would help me to trust You. That I would not speak out of place or remain mute when I must speak. Rather, Lord instill in me a fear to speak Your Word truthfully and rightfully. For if I do not, I must tremble at the thought.
I had one more girl in my group than all of the other leaders and with my group came several girls with beautiful faces. As a song I've heard "her face was clear, but her vanity's clearer." The weekend started off with the voices of several girls rattling of "I got his number, and he texted me this... and he's FINE!" and "Girl, where'd you get that?" and song lyrics that I haven't heard in over a year or two because of the conviction of the Spirit in my life about music "Kiss me through the phone.... blah blah blah" The unholy talk of 8th grade girls filled my ears as we loaded and unloaded everything. Did they not know that the leaders HEAR? We have ears!
When the baggage was unloaded and everything was in place, it was time to unload the truth and pray these girls would be knocked down by it. But not merely knocked down, broken, shattered, and that the Lord would pick them up and enrapture and captivate their hearts with none other than Himself. We rallied the girls together and I had the amazing blessing of an opportunity to pray over the girls before we started the weekend. We began by doing some icebreaker type things that would encourage the girls to see their tastes in musice, etc. and what society has stamped an "OK" to them listening to without them even noticing it. "Boom Boom Pow" "The Notebook" "Kiss Me Through The Phone" All of these very secular songs, and I can't even remember the rest, but this started the day off. We seperated and the girls did a bible study on their own. They came back and we started crafts (bracelets) my team was "THE BLUE SKY!" and this was because our bracelet colors were blue and what is blue? THE SKY! Obviously, coolest name ever. Anyways, as we were making our bracelets we began talking about music and how it affects us in the way we think, how that reflects in our lifestyles, etc. The girls were very open, and others were not so open to start with but they cracked towards the end of the weekend.
We had lunch (Subway!) and we then had our group discussions (this is my favorite part of the day because I had the opportunity to teach and hear what the girls had to say about the topics we were speaking about) Day 1 was Lies About Relationships: these encompassed how we often go to our friends before we go to God because "our friends are physically there whereas we forget that God is a reality sometimes.", "I am my own authority." This encompassed relationships with parents, teachers, coaches, and any other authority that is over them. This brought up several discussions including the authority a man has in a relationship with his wife. (Which was supposed to be saved for day 2, but we started early in my group!) Day 2 was Lies About Guys: these lies dealt with "I have to have a boyfriend" and "If we don't have sex, we're still pure". This was awesome because I got to explain to the girls the sufficiency of Christ (go through the gospel once more), and then go into what purity is, and biblical womanhood. :-) AWESOME! We then went into Christ and Him being head over the Church and how that parallels with marriage. Day 3 we talked about Lies About Media. This one was pretty much covered all weekend, but we talked about "I have to be a size zero" and it was really good.
We played Sh-ding-ding-wa. (Really fun Go Tell/ Camp game that works with your mind), and the next day we played another game that was really cool. We paired the girls up in couples and they were "dating" (scenario game), and we tied a balloon to each couple with a sin written on them "Sex, Drugs, Pornography, Lust, etc." and so often we have our own sin that we try and point out everyone elses and we tried and keep ours safe. So, we had the teams of two attempt to save their "sin" and all the while attempting to pop everyone elses.
The camp was really good. The girls made boxes for their husbands someday (to put prayers that they've written for them,etc. in) We also had them do a skit about something that they had learned about. My group did a skit about hypocrasy and gossip in their skit (school setting) YOU GIRLS DID AMAZING! Two groups did kind of an acting scene where several girls were sins "drinking", "drugs/depression", etc. and then one girl was Jesus and "He" demolished all of the other girls and saved the one affected by the lusts of her heart. The last group did commercials and insisted upon the stupidity of the media and how worldly it really is.
I had the amazing opportunity to lead worship for these girls. I will tell you this. The Father really did work in a way that I haven't seen ever before except at Redeemer Church where the Lord lead girls to praise Him on their own, and pray outloud and shout that they need Him. The desperate cries of a lost man are beautiful, and the the desperate cries of a saved man are beautiful still.
It was an amazing retreat and God really blessed it. I came home Saturday afternoon, went and picked my car up and came back home, fell asleep at 430, woke up about 830 and laid around in bed for a little while. I then woke up and hung out with my family.
Sunday I went to church , and then came with my family back home. We had a crawfish deal at my house (yummy! my favorite!) and we ate and ate and ate and fellowshiped and it was so amazing. Jonathan's girlfriend Ivonne came in and everyone got to meet her and her mom. It was a sweet time. I began feeling sick about Saturday afternoon and after we went shoe shopping and to church I was really feeling it Sunday night. I had heavy headaches ALL DAY, nausea, nose was bothering me, and at the end of the night my throat was killing me. This morning I woke up and it was so bad I had to bail out on going to Enchanted Rock with Jonathan and Ivonne and the Pucketts. So, I ended up waking up and then going to the doctor this afternoon. Praise the Lord it isn't strep! I do have an upper respiratory bacterial infection. So, I'm on drugs (again!) and praising the Lord for friends who talkedwith me for hours praying and laughing and getting my mind off of the sickness, and teasing me about how the medicine is affecting me. For my amazing parents who work all day and spend their evenings with me. For their love and their hearts. but mostly for our Lord Jesus Christ because of what He did on the cross and how that affects my life in every way possible.
I go back to Fort Worth tomorrow and I will start working on the Isaiah 6 song, Greek tutoring, and the bible study for the ladies at the Taqueria. Praise the Lord for rest. I pray for healing and discernment. He is a great and faithful God! Praise Him all the earth!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
For God Alone My Soul Waits In Silence (Psalm 62:1a)
Ah! I have arrived! Brethren and sistren... it's summer! Okay, so to start my summer off, on the 7th and the 8th of May a group of about 10-13 brothers and sisters in Christ came to the school (Southwestern) and Jonathan taught a bible study both days at 1130, both of which were refreshing and encouraging about missions and the gospel and the need for both. We went out to eat both days (Taqueria Vallarta and Chickfile). The first day we went to Taqueria Vallarta and met Esperanza and Claudia (our waitress and another lady working there). These women aren't Christians, and they both desired to have Bibles. The next day we brought them Spanish Bibles (because Esperanza's English is poor and Claudia can't speak English), and later found out that they desire to be taught. To the praise of His glorious grace and by it I will begin teaching a Spanish Bible Study at the Taqueria Vallarta next week! (I plead for your intercession brothers and sisters) Also, at Chickfile Jonathan and Yessica had an opportunity to speak with Gerardo (the man cleaning) who is from Mexico. On Thursday, a group of us went to Parks Mall and evangelized to a few people there.
Personally, Beth and I had the opportunity to speak with a few girls: one wasn't a Christian, the other two were Seventh Day Adventists (that discussion turned into a Calvinistic Debate oops!) but please be in prayer for Bree (the girl who isn't a christian). Beth and I will have another opportunity next week to spend time with her: she got kicked out of her house, lost custody of her one-year old son, and is in a sad,lost boat without Jesus Christ. We also have another opportunity to meet with Genina and Mara (the other girls), and I ask that if you pray for this pray for fellowship within the Body (Beth and I believe these girls were definately Christians).
Then we went inside the mall and met with Blayne. He went to TD Jakes church and believed a lot of truth, but was also deceived into believing several lies like "God is everything". (Without using "in") He ran into a man that was a Church of Christ preacher and that conversation was so interesting I cannot even find words to type. That conversation lead into one with a lady who contradicted herself several times. She was glad that "young people" are out doing this. "It needs to be done" and then she began talking about her grandson and how he needs to be in the word.
We met up with the other half of the group and they had several stories and accounts of the gospel being presented. Andrew and Matthias went and talked with a guy in the food court and the police officer came up and asked us to leave (although we weren't "soliciting" anything, we aren't supposed to approach people in the mall in that manner) It's interesting how our world is beginning to dehumanize us because of the message we bring and the fact that it's offensive. We cannot make friends in a public mall, but God opens doors and until the ones to the mall are shut for us, we will continue to go.
We split up the next day, sides of the Seminary. Jonathan and his group had the park outside of the school, and our group had a street right outside of the Seminary; it was on the directly parrallel to the railroad tracks. We only hit one street. The first house we all went up. A woman named Claudia arrived at the door, and in an instant we knew we were in little Mexico. Her little boys were inside on the sofas watching cartoons on the t.v. Yessica translated for Van and he presented the whole gospel to her. She didn't know whether or not she was saved and she yearned to know more. I will meet with her next week to invite her to the Bible Study. Please pray that she will come and the teaching will show fruition in the coming weeks. (*on a side note, please pray that God will give me discernment in helping these women find a Bible believing, solid Spanish speaking church to teach them in the weeks that I will be gone) Matthias and I were in a group and Yessica, Van, and Jonathan Luu were in a group. Matthias and I had the opportunity to speak to Josephina and Reinaldo. Reinaldo didn't believe the Bible was correct because it was written by men and not God. I truly believe Josephina is my sister in Christ and believes the truths of the gospel. She basically spoke the gospel to me. We also had the opportunity to speak with a woman named Rosa (her daughter lived next door and the other group got to speak with them). Please pray for her nephew who is in prison that he would come to know the Lord and that her husband will taste and see as she has. Those two days were the beginning of an awesome end to the semester! Friday night, I cooked curry and spam musibi for the guys and Hannah before everyone headed out for home!
A couple of weeks ago, I went with Rock Creek Baptist (my best friend's dad's church) to evangelize at the Hollywood Movie Theatre in Burleson (I think?) We had the opportunity to speak with a guy named Shane and several of his friends. I had the opportunity to reason out the Scriptures with him, he didn't believe that Scripture was inerrant because man wrote it (went through this with him and he was easily persuaded), he then didn't believe that the God of the Old Testament wasn't the God of the NT. His biggest reason for not following Christianity is because of the hypocrites in churches today (which is completely understandable). We spoke about this and then I got to present the gospel to him. Well, we hooked him up with Rock Creek Baptist's website and all that. Well, last night he texted me and told me he wanted to go to church. Apparently, he had a six hour long debate and discussion with his Christian friend and he texted me about the church. He said he would go tonight. I'm not sure if he went, but I do know that church discipline was going to happen tonight (and his biggest flaw seen in the church is hypocrasy) Providence of God! Please pray that God will continue to work on his heart and that he will begin to understand the truth of God's Word.
Lastly, I am leading a girl's conference tomorrow (in about four hours, I'm waiting for laundry to finish!) until Saturday. As my brothers and sisters, I plead with you to pray for me as I am leading not only worship but discussions and bible studies this weekend that I will depend solely on God and that I will learn much this weekend. Studying for this bible study I've learned about myself, which is necessary. It is only by the grace of God that I am fit to teach. Please pray that these girls will see that and that they will truly have their eyes opened to what it means to pursue biblical womanhood and have a desire to do so. Only God can stir up such affections in their hearts. I hope to hear from you all soon and I know you devout friends will pray.
"For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken." Psalm 62:1-2
Personally, Beth and I had the opportunity to speak with a few girls: one wasn't a Christian, the other two were Seventh Day Adventists (that discussion turned into a Calvinistic Debate oops!) but please be in prayer for Bree (the girl who isn't a christian). Beth and I will have another opportunity next week to spend time with her: she got kicked out of her house, lost custody of her one-year old son, and is in a sad,lost boat without Jesus Christ. We also have another opportunity to meet with Genina and Mara (the other girls), and I ask that if you pray for this pray for fellowship within the Body (Beth and I believe these girls were definately Christians).
Then we went inside the mall and met with Blayne. He went to TD Jakes church and believed a lot of truth, but was also deceived into believing several lies like "God is everything". (Without using "in") He ran into a man that was a Church of Christ preacher and that conversation was so interesting I cannot even find words to type. That conversation lead into one with a lady who contradicted herself several times. She was glad that "young people" are out doing this. "It needs to be done" and then she began talking about her grandson and how he needs to be in the word.
We met up with the other half of the group and they had several stories and accounts of the gospel being presented. Andrew and Matthias went and talked with a guy in the food court and the police officer came up and asked us to leave (although we weren't "soliciting" anything, we aren't supposed to approach people in the mall in that manner) It's interesting how our world is beginning to dehumanize us because of the message we bring and the fact that it's offensive. We cannot make friends in a public mall, but God opens doors and until the ones to the mall are shut for us, we will continue to go.
We split up the next day, sides of the Seminary. Jonathan and his group had the park outside of the school, and our group had a street right outside of the Seminary; it was on the directly parrallel to the railroad tracks. We only hit one street. The first house we all went up. A woman named Claudia arrived at the door, and in an instant we knew we were in little Mexico. Her little boys were inside on the sofas watching cartoons on the t.v. Yessica translated for Van and he presented the whole gospel to her. She didn't know whether or not she was saved and she yearned to know more. I will meet with her next week to invite her to the Bible Study. Please pray that she will come and the teaching will show fruition in the coming weeks. (*on a side note, please pray that God will give me discernment in helping these women find a Bible believing, solid Spanish speaking church to teach them in the weeks that I will be gone) Matthias and I were in a group and Yessica, Van, and Jonathan Luu were in a group. Matthias and I had the opportunity to speak to Josephina and Reinaldo. Reinaldo didn't believe the Bible was correct because it was written by men and not God. I truly believe Josephina is my sister in Christ and believes the truths of the gospel. She basically spoke the gospel to me. We also had the opportunity to speak with a woman named Rosa (her daughter lived next door and the other group got to speak with them). Please pray for her nephew who is in prison that he would come to know the Lord and that her husband will taste and see as she has. Those two days were the beginning of an awesome end to the semester! Friday night, I cooked curry and spam musibi for the guys and Hannah before everyone headed out for home!
A couple of weeks ago, I went with Rock Creek Baptist (my best friend's dad's church) to evangelize at the Hollywood Movie Theatre in Burleson (I think?) We had the opportunity to speak with a guy named Shane and several of his friends. I had the opportunity to reason out the Scriptures with him, he didn't believe that Scripture was inerrant because man wrote it (went through this with him and he was easily persuaded), he then didn't believe that the God of the Old Testament wasn't the God of the NT. His biggest reason for not following Christianity is because of the hypocrites in churches today (which is completely understandable). We spoke about this and then I got to present the gospel to him. Well, we hooked him up with Rock Creek Baptist's website and all that. Well, last night he texted me and told me he wanted to go to church. Apparently, he had a six hour long debate and discussion with his Christian friend and he texted me about the church. He said he would go tonight. I'm not sure if he went, but I do know that church discipline was going to happen tonight (and his biggest flaw seen in the church is hypocrasy) Providence of God! Please pray that God will continue to work on his heart and that he will begin to understand the truth of God's Word.
Lastly, I am leading a girl's conference tomorrow (in about four hours, I'm waiting for laundry to finish!) until Saturday. As my brothers and sisters, I plead with you to pray for me as I am leading not only worship but discussions and bible studies this weekend that I will depend solely on God and that I will learn much this weekend. Studying for this bible study I've learned about myself, which is necessary. It is only by the grace of God that I am fit to teach. Please pray that these girls will see that and that they will truly have their eyes opened to what it means to pursue biblical womanhood and have a desire to do so. Only God can stir up such affections in their hearts. I hope to hear from you all soon and I know you devout friends will pray.
"For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken." Psalm 62:1-2
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Trust
Man, I am foolish to take grace which is so mercifully placed by the King, and whine like a bastard child who desired a different kind of candy. Lord, Have Your way with Me. I'm busy, spent, tired, and attempting a life of stewardship for the King. Father, all Yours. Take me.
Amen.
Amen.
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