"I remember your faithfulness to me"

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

Today, as I began to prepare to leave for Guatemala, I became a little nostalgic about my time spent in Nicaragua last summer.  I put lots of things from that trip (sea shells, letters, pictures, notes and drawings from the children there, and my journal) in a box at the end of last summer, so I decided to spend some time sifting through those memories.  I started to read the journal I had kept those two weeks and it actually made me tear up seeing how FAITHFUL God had been that whole time!

That trip was really one of the first times I had handed everything over to God and lived by faith and trust in Him rather than in myself or my own plans.  Now, I'll be honest, one of the main reasons I handed everything over to him is because, for most of the trip, I had no earthly idea what I was supposed to be doing.  I didn't have a daily schedule to go off of, I didn't know the language at all, I didn't really know where I was half the time (I'm horrible with directions), I was a little worried about hiking all day (I am by no means naturally athletic), and I didn't know any of the people I was going with before the trip.  So pretty much my only option was to say "Alright Lord, my trust is completely in You".  And you know what? Not once did God misuse my trust in him or lead me in a wrong direction.  He pushed me out of my comfort zone the entire time, but never let me wander there by myself.

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." 2 Samuel 22:33

Two of the biggest promises he kept to me last summer were him giving me strength and fellowship.  I learned to really rely physically on him for all my strength because I certainly did not have enough myself.  One day I even wrote "Sooo I probably should have worked out a little more before I came here cause Lord, I am tired!  But I know it really doesn't matter what I do because if you want me to hike up that mountain to give this gospel to that family, you'll get me there.  So Lord, please be my strength cause we are going up that mountain!"  I know it might seem silly to some of you to ask God for physical strength, but God really does want you to surrender EVERY part of your life to him, not just a few things that you think you need help with. He is a big God, but he doesn't just want you to hand him your big problems.  He wants us to surrender everything to him daily! And in living by faith and full dependence on him, we are able to experience first-hand how trustworthy, loving and faithful our God really is.

The second thing that I was reminded about was the awesome bonds created between my team members and me. The Lord totally blessed me day after day with uplifting conversations, deep discussions, and so much joy and laughter between us all.  It amazes me how complete strangers can grow so close so quickly when they are united under Christ.  And this fellowship was even with the people of the communities, too.  One week at church in the town of los encinos, the members of this small mountain community prayed for our team while we prayed for them.  The presence of God was almost tangible in that one-room, dirt floor church!  It was just so powerful to know that, although we have completely different lives and don't speak the same language, all of us our living for and praying to the same awesome and powerful God.

Re-reading my journal made me reflect back, not only on my summer, but on my whole year.  I realized how many promises he's kept and prayers he's answered. Going into this summer, I pray that I surrender myself daily to Christ so that I can do his will for me there.  I know that he will be my strength and my guide if I just let him take over completely.  I'm not sure if this is exactly appropriate to pray, but last summer I also wrote "daily prayer: Lord, please let me not screw up your ministry just because I can be stubborn and selfish". I honestly want to pray that every morning this summer.  I pray that Christ will humble me and teach me how to be a servant to others while there, and that I continue to live like that once I'm back home in the fall.

"Therefore, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. " Philippians 2:3


Currently Listening to: Jesus You're Beautiful by Jon Thurlow http://youtu.be/EQQMG93kxqM (yes, it's 13 min but it's so amazing)