Looking back on the year 2010

I was thinking today about this past year. I am in awe of how much the Lord has shown me and done in my life. There is nothing greater in my heart, than to serve the Lord in whatever I do for all my days! Being at DCPI full time has helped me to serve Him and others with my whole heart. I know that the Lord is using me here to change lives for eternity, and I have the privilege to witness and share with others, all that He is doing around the world!!! I look back to September and I remember how hard it was to step out in faith and quit my job. I am so glad I did! I was not sure how I was going to make it by financially, but each month the Lord continued to amaze me by His great provision. He is so wonderful! I learned a lot about discipline this past year, and how to stick to making good and healthy choices for my life. I learned to look at Christ and not circumstances. Christ never fails, even if circumstances are not ideal. I think about how the Lord challenged me to give more when I had less than before. What a faith builder that was for me! Every time I gave as He called me too, I saw him provide in a way that I couldn’t see unless I stepped out in obedience.
As I was pondering the New Year, I realized that I want to continue to do more to put my faith in Christ and not in this world…. that is fading away. I realized in a greater way this past year that His love is really deeper than any ocean; it’s higher than any mountain, and reaches across to Heaven. There really is no limit to His love and He continues to knock my understanding of Him off the shelf. How great is our God! His mercy endures forever! I am looking forward to a new year walking with my Lord! I am in great anticipation of all that He has! I am surrounded be great people who love God and put Him first, for that I am so thankful! What an amazing year it has been! I will always remember it! I am so blessed and I don’t deserve any of it, all I know is that His grace is sufficient for me and He loves to give good gifts to his children and those who walk in His ways! My life is a testimony of that, and all the praise goes to God!

Lord thank you for being with me through it all, for holding my hand when I was afraid, for pushing me when I wanted to stand still, for convicting me when I was in the wrong, for loving me when I was hurting, for speaking when I was confused, and for never leaving me though I am prone to wander! You are the mighty one! The great “I am”! All your ways are right and you are High and exalted! I love you because you first loved me!

Surrendering All this Christmas

Today I was reading a devotion about surrendering, and what it meant for Mary to surrender to God's assignment for her life. She was going to be the mother of Jesus, and have to face the shame of a premarital pregnancy to a people that would not understand that the one she carried was of a virgin birth conceived by God. Her response was found in Luke 1:38.... "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." What a beautiful response! To say Lord i am your servant, let you will be done according to your word!

I was in a deep conversation the other day with a friend and discovered that the idea of "surrender" does not make sense to some. We talked about how, each person on our own apart from God is selfish. I shared that it takes surrendering yourself to follow God. Once you truly give your heart to God, you can't help but to change your life as you learn more. God's love and grace compels us to change and become more like Him. All of us who call ourselves Christians have to learn to deny ourselves and surrender each day. It is not like once i surrender to Jesus that i am finished, but the Lord continues to teach us how to trust him.

I find that when i am vulnerable, i must not give in to fear, but look to Jesus as the author and perfecter of my faith. He has a perfect love for me, which casts out all fear! He is the source and His Spirit living in me teaches me to lay down my life daily, and see His plans go before me. This Christmas may we all look to Mary's example and surrender our will, to be in His perfect and pleasing will!

Missionary December Update "Rescued from Death"

My Brothers Car Crash!!!

Seasons Greetings friends & Family,
The Lord is at work in mighty ways! I was inspired by my weekly bible study in a time of sharing with the ladies to put together a bunch of verses, after we talked about living in the light and not in darkness. It challenged my heart to know that so many people choose to live in darkness. It reminded me that I too was once in darkness and that God reached down into my pit and rescued me. The Holy Spirit led me that next week to find truths about how he rescues us from the deep pits and puts us in the light through His deep love. The Lord reminded me that no pit is to deep because His love is even deeper for us. No darkness is to dark, because the light penetrates the dark. All it takes is a surrendered heart to Jesus! Being willing to grab out for His hand! It was after gathering those verses, that my week revealed these truths in God in amazing ways.

This past week on Thursday, the Lord called one of the girl’s mothers (in that same group) home to be with Him. Debbie fought cancer for five years and now she is free from all suffering and pain. Her life is a testimony to Jesus! She walked in His light here on earth and now she is walking with Him in eternity.

That same day, I got a call from my mother and she told me that my little brother was rescued from a car crash! He feel down a ravine and got stopped on a tree branch. Without that tree branch, he would have fell another 100 ft or so! My mom said that her and my aunt shared how it made them thankful to God that they have all their children still alive and well. The Lord rescued my brother from death!

In addition to all of this, on Saturday, I went to see my older brother in jail and he told me his cell mate committed suicide. He woke up in the morning and his cell mate was dead on Thursday morning. That was also the day of his Birthday so his spirits were really low. My brother mentioned that, an email I sent to him really encouraged him in a great time of need. He said he felt like there was great spiritual darkness, and that it wants to take his life too. I was able to speak truth’s from the word to him because the Lord prepared me in advance!

I am overwhelmed at how amazing the Lord is to have prepared me for understanding His truths in a deeper way through my bible study and one conversation, before all these things happened. He also helped me remember this season that the Lord sent Jesus to rescue us from darkness and death. In John 1:9 it is explained of Jesus' coming to be, “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” My prayer this Holiday season is that you live as children of the light, because that is what we are if we have confessed with our mouths and believed in our hearts that Jesus is Lord!
I am so thankful for your partnership in the gospel and that we will one day walk with Debbie and our Lord Jesus together, as we have received forgiveness of sin and freedom from death! Merry Christmas!