Yesterday, after I had gotten to work, I got out the Word to read and prepare some for Africa. As 'How Great is our God' played softly beside me I could feel the Presence of the Lord all around. No customers came in during this time so it was just a quiet, peaceful few minutes I had, just me and my Father. Peace and Joy began to fill my heart. Tears filled my eyes as I sat their and talked to our God. I became overwhelmed with thankfulness of the many blessings He has been pouring out to me here recently. It was such a beautiful time I got to talk to the King of Kings. To our Creator. To the Great I Am. To Immanuel. To Prince of Peace. To Jesus Christ. To the One who wants more than anything else a love relationship with me and every single other person. Jesus Christ is actually willing to let me take His oh so precious Name to the Nations. He wants me to take His love and His Name to the Nations so much that He commands me to do so. What a priviledge it is! I am so unworthy of it all, yet He thinks something totally different. After How Great is our God went off I began to sing one of my favorite songs, How Great Thou Art. As I was sitting their praising and worshiping my Father, guess what song came on? How Great Thou Art! His Name, His love, His presence, His joy filled me up yesterday. My cup overflows. I pray that my cup would overflow onto others that they may see the joy I have in serving our Maker and want it also. I became even more excited about heading to Africa. I had a peace fill me. I get to share the love of Jesus to many who have no idea what love even is. I pray that my cup would overflow into each and every person I come in contact with this summer and that their cup would overflow onto others and so forth and so on. I pray that the Word of God would spread rapidly (Isaiah 55:11) through the mud huts of Rwanda, down the dirt roads, from every village it would ring out, into every city and on. I pray that the people would catch onto my joy and that they would want it. Pure joy that can only come from the Lord. I encourage you to read the lyrics from How Great Thou Art. It. Is. Beautiful.
Oh Lord my God
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds
Thy hands have made
I see the stars
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout
The universe displayed
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art
When through the woods, and forest glades I wonder
I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees
When I look down, from lofty moutain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art
And when I think, of God is son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the cross, my burden gladly baring
He bled and died, to take away my sin
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration
And then proclaim, "My God how great Thou art!"
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art
Yesterday afternoon, Chandler came in the shop for us to see each other for a few more minutes and to say our goodbyes : ( We went to the back of the shop right before she left and spent some time in prayer together for both of summers of her here and me there. I was honestly pretty much speechless but I know that the Holy Spirit interceded on my behalf. By the time we were done, we were both in tears. We are so excited to see what the Lord is going to do here and there. I am so beyond thankful for our friendship. My cup overflows. How great Thou art!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
A Simple, "I Love You" to us, is Life Changing to them
Eight days until I board the plane that takes me to my second home. I am so ready to place my feet on that beautfiul African soil. To breathe in deeply African air. I can't wait to be greeted by oh so many hugs and kisses from my sweet kiddos. I'm ready to be far away from America. Away from the everyday demands of life. Far away from the temporary wants that are thrown at me continually. It is when I am away in other countries when I find myself closest to Jesus Christ. I am not distracted by the things of this world but instead, completely focused on Jesus. It is in other countries that I see my Father in everyday life. I see Him as I walk down those dusty dirt roads. I see Him in the eyes of an orphan that I hold. I hear Him in the stories that these precious widows share with me. There is nothing that brings me more joy than holding sweet babes that most people think are worthless. They see them as dirty disease-ridden children who have no hope. But when I see these children, I see the most beautiful children who have been wonderfully created by my Father's hands. I see children who have a hope and a future that lies in the hands of our Maker.
I get to tell them that they are loved.
I get to tell them that they are beautiful.
I get to tell them that they have hope.
Most importantly, I get to tell them there is somebody so much bigger and greater than I am that loves them and He is the King of Kings. The Lord of Lords. The Great I Am. The Maker of the Heavens and the Earth. The Creator of ALL things.
Oh the smile that lights their faces when they hear they are loved. The three words they long to hear. Three words that can easily become so repetitive to us, yet to these children, and so many others, it is the three words that can change their life. For nobody has ever told them. They feel like they don't belong. They've been left on the streets to fend for themselves. They've been thrown in prison only to be fed porridge and maggots and told how worthless they are. And yet here, it's so easy for someone to cry over a pet dying yet never think twice about the thousands of children who have died today alone. How can we not be broken over that?
These are children. They are real people. They want to be loved just like you. They want to live life just like you. But instead, they are dying by the thousands and getting thrown into yet another category of how they died while we're over here living life everyday as if nothing is going on. Their lives are defined by a number. A statistic. They want to know they are worth something. That somebody out there loves them. Most importantly, they need to hear that Jesus Christ loves them.
What more do you have to hear before you are moved?
Romans 10:14-15 "But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News."
I get to tell them that they are loved.
I get to tell them that they are beautiful.
I get to tell them that they have hope.
Most importantly, I get to tell them there is somebody so much bigger and greater than I am that loves them and He is the King of Kings. The Lord of Lords. The Great I Am. The Maker of the Heavens and the Earth. The Creator of ALL things.
Oh the smile that lights their faces when they hear they are loved. The three words they long to hear. Three words that can easily become so repetitive to us, yet to these children, and so many others, it is the three words that can change their life. For nobody has ever told them. They feel like they don't belong. They've been left on the streets to fend for themselves. They've been thrown in prison only to be fed porridge and maggots and told how worthless they are. And yet here, it's so easy for someone to cry over a pet dying yet never think twice about the thousands of children who have died today alone. How can we not be broken over that?
These are children. They are real people. They want to be loved just like you. They want to live life just like you. But instead, they are dying by the thousands and getting thrown into yet another category of how they died while we're over here living life everyday as if nothing is going on. Their lives are defined by a number. A statistic. They want to know they are worth something. That somebody out there loves them. Most importantly, they need to hear that Jesus Christ loves them.
What more do you have to hear before you are moved?
Romans 10:14-15 "But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News."
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