Mission Trips - Part 1

In light of the adventure I am about to go on this summer (on a mission trip to Costa Rica), I thought I would highlight each of the other mission trips I have gone on up until now. I get a lot of questions about the locations and the activities done on the trips, so I am going to take the opportunity to share the details and pictures from each of my mission trip experiences.

I have to start off by saying that I am by no means some mission trip expert. Because of my testimony, you may already know that I didn't even become a Christian until late high school/early college. From there, it took me a few years to settle into my faith before I felt confident enough to go on a mission trip to share the Gospel. Although this is the way I thought it should be handled, I will say that you are never too young in your faith to share it with others and serve others. Once I truly gave my life over to Christ during my sophomore year of college, I felt an immediate tugging on my heart to do missions. I knew it was my duty as a Christian to get out there and share the Good News with others. It was my duty to selflessly serve others and be a light of Christ to them. If I wasn't willing to do this, who would?

I was a part of a wonderful ministry in college called the BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministries) and they really helped shape and form me into a more mature and less intimidated Christian. They offered a program called Summer Missions where students from all the BCM's in Georgia would raise money all year long and at the end of the year, the money would go into a big pot. That money was then used to send any college student that wanted to (there were no restrictions) on a mission trip over the summer. They had summer-long trips and week-long trips. They had trips to different towns within Georgia and trips to different continents. Little did I understand at the time, how much of a blessing and amazing opportunity this was. I went on three trips through this program: Mississippi, Brunswick, and South Korea. All three were great experiences and cost free, which is a big deal for a broke college student. This program provided us with opportunities that we would never have been able to afford otherwise. I also went on two trips through the BCM over two different Spring Breaks: San Diego and Texas.

So there you have it: a summary of my mission experiences thus far. I am going to do this as a series, so that I can go into each trip in detail without making one long, massive post. Hope you enjoy hearing about my experiences on the mission field! I would love to hear about yours! :)

I Can't Do This Alone

Over the past 9 months, I have had the pleasure of being a part of two special groups. The first being a girl's Bible study for the average 20 something and the second being my Sunday school class at my church. Both of these groups were answered prayers for me.

When I was in college, I was a part of a few different small groups and came to really enjoy and appreciate them. I was able to bear my heart and bond with those in the group through similar struggles, joys, and circumstances. You see, these ladies helped me understand the true need for fellowship in the Christian walk. I finally understood how essential other people are in our faith. Yes, you can do it alone, but it is so much more fulfilling to have others walk alongside you. I experienced fellow believers praying for me, encouraging me, and holding me up through the trials in my life. I learned so much more in a group than I would have ever learned on my own and it was truly a joy to be a part of these small groups.

Since I graduated from college, I have lacked that close bond of fellowship in my life. I didn't have a group of people to learn from and rely on. I didn't have a group of people to pray for me or for me to lay my heart out to. I struggled to find friends in the same phase of life as me and something just felt off about the few groups I did try out. At the end of last summer, I prayed for a group of people to come in to my life and allow for that close bond again. I wanted to learn and be pushed. I wanted to be surrounded by a few people who were in the same phase of life as me and would understand where I was coming from. I wanted to be held accountable for all these great intentions I had but never carried out. Well, that prayer was answered beyond my expectation. This year I was blessed with two different groups of people. Both of them are completely opposite and God definitely taught me that you can learn something from any group of people if you are open and willing.

The first group came about when one of my good friends asked me if I would be interested in starting a Bible study for young, married women. She asked at the perfect time when I was desiring to be around some women who were also newlyweds. Not that I didn't love my single friends, but being a newlywed, I knew there was so much I could learn from other married women. There were also struggles and joys that I wanted to share with people who I knew would understand. The group started this fall and has been nothing but a blessing in my life. I have grown so much through this group and the books we have studied. The material has been inspiring, but the women in the group far outdid anything I could have read. I learned so much from all of the ladies in this Bible study and finally got the fellowship that I had been craving. We laughed together, cried together, and shared our burdens and fears. Most nights we would lay it all out on the table and I would leave feeling nothing less than complete fulfillment, the courage to keep going, and the challenge to be a more Godly woman. I was so deeply encouraged by this group and it was a confirmation of how crucial fellowship is in my walk.

The second group is not as traditional as the first, and that was the beauty of it. I first started attending Mountain View UMC in June of 2013. I was interested in joining a Sunday school class, but because I went to the early service, my options were limited. I ended up joining a class full of older people. To be honest, I was a little hesitant at first and nervous to see how I would fit in to the group. The impact this group has had on me has been a complete surprise and I have loved every minute of it. I have learned so much from this group of older believers and have been very challenged by their faith. They have really been there for me and encouraged me during hard times. They have consistently prayed for me and asked about specific things I have mentioned months later. They pay attention to the details and they care. They are such a sweet group of people and my eyes have been opened to the wisdom they carry. We have also read some great material in that class and going through it together allowed me to learn more and ask questions that I couldn't answer on my own. Reading it together allowed our study to be rich instead of just mediocre. The group effort allowed us to dig deep. I love my Sunday school class and am so thankful for our weekly meetings that I always look forward to. God had a different idea with this group and it ended up completely surpassing my expectations.

God has created us for many things, but one of the essential things that we have been created for is relationship. We have been created to have relationships with one another. God made us that way. He allows those relationships to spur us on and fill us up. Oh how different the Christian walk would be if we did not have each other. I am so grateful for the relationships and times of fellowship that God has given me. If you do not have others in your life that you can rely on for those important times of fellowship and relationship, I deeply encourage you to find a group or a few different people that can be that for you. It is such an essential part of my faith and I can't express the impact that these people have had on my life.

My Library -- Book Recommendations

Hey guys! I'm back for another blog post. I have been trying to switch things up lately and write about a variety of topics. Today I decided that I wanted to share my current library with you. This is only a small portion of my entire collection of books, but these are the books that I have read in the last 6 months. I have read a few of them on my own and a few of them with a group (my Bible study and Sunday School class). Either way, I would highly recommend all of these books and believe that they will strengthen your walk with the Lord. So, let me tell you about each of them!

 

My Sunday School class has been on a C. S. Lewis kick this year. We have read a few of his books and we started out the year reading through the Chronicles of Narnia series. Many of you may have read this classic series as children. I know I read a few of the books growing up. The awesome thing about C. S. Lewis is that he can write novels that appeal to both children and adults. His words carry weight although presented in a simple fashion. As our class read through each book, we were amazed at how he weaved the words together to really dig deep into the Christian faith. The books were beautifully written in order to challenge the adult mind to see God within these children's stories. Each book displays a different part of the Bible including creation, the redemption story, and Heaven. It really challenged my class to find the meaning behind the pictures he builds throughout his stories. We used the study guide pictured above to navigate our discussions throughout the books and also reveal truths that we may not have seen otherwise. I would highly recommend this series and I think you will be surprised by how much you fall in love with not only the characters, but also Lewis' style of writing.

 

Next is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. If you haven't heard of this book, I would honestly be surprised. This book came to me with very high recommendations and was actually a gift from my husband (he had also heard great things). The book starts out in an odd fashion if you are expecting the traditional cookie cutter Christian novel. It is Biblically based though and actually focuses on the story of Hosea. It starts off with an emotionally and physically beaten down girl named Angel who makes a living as a prostitute. She has no self-worth and a very ugly past. A man named Michael Hosea sees her one night and feels God telling him to marry this girl. He is immediately very confused and doesn't want much to do with Angel based on her outer appearance and her lifestyle. Michael ends up obeying God and marrying her and from there, things take a turn for the crazy. All sorts of events happen and many that are very surprising. This is a very, very powerful story of redemption. I know I personally started tearing up while reading it because of the way it shows God's unconditional love for us. I would say this is a must read for any woman and is a great example of God's extravagant, over the top, beyond anything we could ever understand, love for us. This book keeps you on your toes the entire time!

  This book is an oldie, but goodie. Its Beth Moore's Breaking Free. If you aren't familiar with Beth Moore, then you are missing out. She is a phenomenal teacher especially when it comes to women's studies. I actually read this book a few years ago and it came at the perfect time for me, a time where I was feeling very captivated and almost trapped by certain strongholds in my life. I reread this book recently and was surprised at how much I got out of it considering I had already gone through it once. Breaking Free is about the obvious: breaking free from the things that hold us captive and finding freedom in Christ. But this book also offers more healing than you would expect and dives into exploring the abundant life God intends for us. The book goes through the benefits and challenges to finding our liberty in Jesus, our past and how to mend our wounds for the future, obedience through the obstacles, God's unfailing love, and the joy that comes with freedom. This book is full of encouragement and you can only walk away from it feeling God's presence and fullness in your life. I personally really connected with this particular Beth Moore writing, but I find that most everything she puts out is something worth reading.

 

Like I said, my Sunday School class is very into C. S. Lewis right now. That being said, they chose to read Mere Christianity after reading the Chronicles of Narnia. I'm not going to lie, I was a little concerned that we would all go into a Lewis coma and be quickly burnt out by reading another Lewis book, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is probably one of my top favorite Christian books. It is so good. This book is different than the Narnia series because he is talking directly about his faith instead of using characters and stories to portray it. These "talks" by Lewis were originally done on the radio in the 1940’s. He was asked to share little segments about faith every week and to explain why he thought Christianity was the way to go. In some ways, Mere Christianity is like an apologetics book (defending a position through the use of information). Lewis defends Christianity and explains how it works. What makes this book really interesting is that Lewis was not always a Christian. He didn't convert until later in his life, so hearing his position on Christianity and non-believers is a unique and inspiring one. He writes in such a captivating way and he explains a religion that can be a tangled web with a completely simplistic approach. He uses logic to explain Christianity in such a profound and powerful way. I can't recommend this book enough!

 

The last book is my most recent read and I am not quite finished with it yet. I am part of a girl's Bible study and we are currently reading Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney. The book focuses on 11 spiritual disciples and each chapter entails why this discipline is important to our faith. Obviously, discipline isn't the most fun topic to discuss and it's rarely easy, but Whitney reveals that discipline actually brings freedom. This book has exceeded my expectations so far and challenged my walk. It is a great catalyst for discussions and has allowed me to dig deeper into my faith. So far we have discussed the discipline of Bible Intake, Prayer, Worship and Evangelism and I have yet to be disappointed. If you are looking for a challenge and a way to grow in your spiritual life, this book is for you!

Thanks for sticking with me on this journey through literature. I hope you enjoyed learning more about what is in my library and that you will pick up one of these great books in the future. I promise you will not be disappointed!

"God Made Dirt, Dirt Don't Hurt"

Happy Tuesday, everyone! If you live in Georgia, then I'm sure you are doing the happy dance right along with me because the sun is out today! After a gloomy, stormy day yesterday, it is refreshing and encouraging to see some sunshine.

This weekend was quite a busy one for me and I got a lot done. My biggest accomplishment by far was cleaning the house. I don't say the world cleaning lightly. To be more accurate, I should probably say I spent all of Saturday scrubbing the house.  I am the kind of person who likes organization and for everything to be in its place. I don't like things on the floors and I can say that most of the time my house is picked up and not a disaster zone. But, I don't enjoy actually cleaning: wiping things off, vacuuming, mopping, sweeping, getting down on my hands and knees and scrubbing the bathroom, etc. Nope, that's not really my thing. One of the joys of our new home is the space while one of the challenges of our new home is the space. We love having more room, but every wife knows the more space you have, the more there is to clean. Let's just say I haven't made this "deep cleaning" thing a ritual or a weekly ordeal. I definitely should, but I'm just not there yet. With all that being said, although the laundry was done and everything around the house was picked up, I was shocked at how long it took me to clean a seemingly put together home. I literally cleaned every surface of our house (knowing that it will be some time before this "spring cleaning fever" strikes again).  Throughout my cleaning venture, I discovered my house was a lot dirtier than I expected and the process of really getting the house to really "shine" was much more time consuming than I would have guessed.

The process of "deep cleaning" my house reminded so much of life, especially our spiritual lives. How often do we breeze through without taking the time to focus on the details?  It's easier to skip over the mess and hard work that we know would be involved in cleaning it up. You can glance at your spiritual life like I glanced around my house and convince yourself that there's nothing more to be done, but we all know that's not true. It takes courage and honesty to take a self-inventory of our spiritual lives and it's scary to see what we might find. We know that God is calling us to dip deeper and push harder, but that requires facing what can sometimes be a dirty mess.We would rather go on in ignorant bliss than deal with all the emotions and fears that lie within those crevasses and cracks. God is challenging us to stop going through the motions and really let Him prune us and put us through the fire, so that we can come out molded into something even better on the other side. Exposing the buildup of gunk in your life to God is scary, but that's where the blessing is. We don't want Him to be like a guest in our house and pile all of the junk under the bed before He comes over. We need to be transparent about our spiritual lives with the Lord in order to be transformed. In the Bible it says that God "makes beauty from ashes". He takes the "dirt" in our lives and turns it into something beautiful. He looks at the things we aren't proud of, the things we regret, and the things we aren't very good at and then smiles at us, reassuring us that He loves us no matter what. That love is what makes us whole again. That love is what cleanses and renews us. Only God has the power to do that. Hiding those darker spots in our lives won't give God the opportunity to do something great with them.

Like I said, it's easy to go through the motions when it comes to your faith. It's easy to do the parts that come easily for you and avoid steps of faith that you know will be hard and require work.  It's easy to hide from the "dirt" in our lives without ever exposing it to God because we just don't want to deal with it. And it was easy for me to go on for months glancing at my house convincing myself that it was "clean". I knew how much work it would require to get it where it needed to be. I knew I would find spots along that way that I wasn't proud of. I knew I would find more dirt than I cared to see. But at the end of my Saturday, my house looked good! After a lot of scrubbing and accepting that I really don't do it as much as I need to, those dirty spots were washed away. The awesome thing about Jesus is that the hard work is only found in getting up the guts to share our whole selves with Him, dirt and all. After that, He does the work. He loves us. He accepts us. He transforms us. All we have to be is willing to "clean our house".

LETTING GO

It's interesting to me that lessons meant for children or youth, always hit me harder as an adult. The kids may walk away learning nothing, but I find myself touched and intrigued by the simplicity of the message.  This happens often during our youth group. My husband is the youth pastor and the funny thing is that because of our busy lives, we rarely discuss what will be happening at youth group beforehand. I usually don't know what he will be speaking about and I hear it all for the first time with everyone else. Our simple talks with the youth tend to resonate with me more so than any complex teaching I ever receive.

This week we talked about God's promises. Josh taught us about the concept of a covenant or an agreement that God makes with us. Of course, there are times when we don't uphold our end of the bargain, but He remains true in His promises to us always. He never fails to keep His end of the deal. Knowing that, we then looked at the commitments He had made to us throughout scripture. Among the plethora of promises God has made to us, we found one that particularly stuck out because of the New Year. God says to us, "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."  In these verses, He is showing us that if we just let go of the past, He will do a new thing within us. He desires that for us, not to be stuck in the past but to give us a future full of hope. He wants us to be excited about what is to come! God wants to carve a new path for us, if only we would let Him.

 

I've heard this verse many times, but as someone who struggles with letting things go and moving forward, it convicts me each time I hear it. I had a wonderful 2013, but it wasn't perfect. Like anyone, I made some mistakes and bad choices. I held onto grudges and fears. I struggled to forgive when others had wronged me. I would definitely say 2013 was a pruning year for me, where God showed me areas of my life that needed work and slowly began molding me into the wife, daughter, friend, co-worker, etc. that He has called me to be. He showed me the things I needed to let go of: selfishness, pride, irritability, anger, self-consciousness, not trusting, anxiousness...just to name a few. I had to learn some of these lessons the hard way and anyone who has ever felt the Lord trimming away their problem areas knows it isn't easy. It was a year filled with growth, but I still have a long way to go. Too often we put our focus on the past and on all these things I've listed from my 2013 that I'm not too proud of. There is nothing we can do about the events that have already passed, yet Satan loves to torture us with them. The past can preoccupy our minds, but nothing about it will ever change. It's a pointless battle that we need to retreat from.

I take this verse as a challenge for this year. God is holding His hand out to me, to all of us, asking us to let go of what is currently in our hands occupying our time and energy and put that weight down, so that we can grab ahold of Him and what He has for us in 2014. To symbolize this, our youth group lit sky lanterns and released them to show everyone including ourselves that we are putting the past behind us and embracing everything that we are trusting the Lord to do in the New Year. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done and it was very meaningful for all of us. We didn't let them go individually, but all together. We are in this together. Here's to 2014 and the great things that we know are to come!

HILLSONG UNITED CONCERT

Last week was a particularly rough week for me. I had a conversation with a few people very close to me and was taken aback by their views. I knew their beliefs did not exactly match with mine, but I had no idea how different the two actually were. I suddenly felt alone in my faith and somewhat hopeless about the situation, knowing there wasn't much I could do to change their minds. I felt like every word that came out of my mouth was being viewed as a dagger against them and nothing I said would make them feel the way I did. I felt so discouraged.

Thankfully before the conversation ended, I got the opportunity to describe to them how I felt about my faith, that it was more than just "religion" to me. I told them it is my passion. It is the driving force behind my life and my marriage. It is something I would die for. It's like being deeper in love than you could ever imagine. I told them it was the ultimate love story in my life. They said they had never felt that way about anything, in their whole life. I desperately wanted them to experience that kind of love.

Later that week, I went to go to the Hillsong United concert. Hillsong has always been my favorite Christian band. Their style of worship is so powerful to me and I can always feel God's presence as I worship with them. This was the third time I was seeing them in concert, so I knew to expect a great show. Little did I know how crucial that concert would be for me. I wasn't in the best mood then we got there and I half sung the songs with the opening band. There was a really long break before the main act came on and I was irritated that we had to wait so long for the show to start, being that I had to work early the next morning. They finally dimmed the lights and Hillsong took the stage. They started playing one of their most powerful songs, "The Stand" which talks about letting everything go and just praising Him. From that point on, I shut out everything around me. I didn't pay any attention to the people, the lights, my thoughts, or my pain from earlier in the week. In that moment, it was just God and I. If you haven't, I hope you someday get the chance to worship God with a massive group of people. There is nothing like it. It is like a little glimpse of Heaven and it is always beautifully breathtaking.

That concert was exactly what I needed. I spent 2 full hours worshipping Jesus with all I had, being still before Him, and listening to what He had to say to me. I was strengthened and encouraged in my faith. I felt part of a community of believers around me. I didn't feel alone anymore. After feeling so broken earlier in the week, I felt whole in His presence. I thought to myself, this is why I live my life the way that I do. This is why I am willing to take criticism for my faith. This is why my life has been transformed. This is why I am passionate and dedicated to what I believe. This is why I am deeply in love. This is why all of the sacrifices and hardships are worth it. This is why I have to be bold in my faith no matter how scary it is and how different it makes me. Being in God's presence, worshipping Him with all I am, this is worth it all.

"I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the one who gave it all
I'll stand, My soul Lord to you surrendered
All I am is yours"

Trials and Tribulations

No one likes hardships. They are never fun and never easy. Trials weigh you down and challenge you to rise up despite the weight on you. They force you to see things that maybe you would rather not see. They can tear people apart and allow you to see who that person really is, good or bad. The truth comes out when people are pressured and stressed. Like I said, hard times are never enjoyable for anyone. The question remains, why is it that these times in life are necessary? Why can't we skip just over the tribulations and go straight to the victories?

I feel like a common theme in this blog has been seasons of life. I have been learning more and more about the different seasons and wading my way through each one as it comes along. Recently, Josh and I found out that we will have a lot of changes coming our way: we will be moving soon and Josh is entering his second half of seminary (crazy!). With this news, we have to start thinking about a smorgasbord of different things. We have to start considering the future now more than ever. My head is spinning with a thousand different options and choices that will have to be made. Needless to say, our boat is being rocked. And for some reason, I find myself asking the question of "why?" Why can't we just carry on with our lives the way they are uninterrupted by all these changes? Why can't we put off these decisions until later? Why is this all happening and what good is going to come out of it? Why do we have to go through all this? Just why?

After I am done throwing myself this little pity party, I am always hit with the truth. There is a purpose behind our troubles. At this point in my Christian walk, I know that God is up to something. He has a plan for us in spite of (or maybe using) all these changes and decisions to be made. And His plan is perfect. I believe He is in control, but I find that my actions don't always reflect that. I tend to freak out and try to take matters into my own hands. I have to take a moment to breathe, take a step back, and trust. He is trying to show us something, to teach us something, to refine us into something better. The Bible says "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." God tells us to view the struggles we face each day as pure joy. JOY. He tells us to relish in these times knowing that it is producing a steadfast faith within us. He reassures us that there is a purpose behind our suffering.

Trials don't have to be all bad. During the hard times, the best in people can come out. Selflessness and kindness can rise up in those who are hurting. Couples can cling to one another and stick together despite the rough circumstances. The things that are actually important come to light while the stuff that really doesn't matter starts to get dim and fade away. There are many lessons to be learned during these times. You learn a lot about others and a lot about yourself. Trials put everything into perspective. They force us to make a choice: are we going to be selfish and feel sorry for ourselves during this struggle or are we going to trust the One who holds it all together? Are we going to throw ourselves a pity party or try to find the lesson to be learned? Are we going to give up or press on towards our goal? Let God test your faith and let God strengthen it through the tribulations.

During each hardship we face, we have the decision to make. Which perspective will you choose?

Fear

Fear - a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

Fear is something that plagues each of us in one way or another every day. In this world, there are so many things to be scared of, more "what-ifs" than your mind can even bear to imagine. It's so easy to get bogged down in being afraid and living in that fear on a daily basis. We tend to get distracted from the "abundant" life God has planned for us and get stuck in the prison of fear instead. 

Sometimes I forget how real spiritual warfare is, until I get so caught up in fear that I am no longer focused on the things of God. In that moment, I realize that I have fallen right into that trap that I have been so desperately trying to avoid. Warfare is defined as "armed conflict between two massed enemies". And that is exactly what is going on. It is a war between God and Satan for our mind. I believe that fear is Satan's tool, his most powerful weapon against us. He uses it to distract us from what God would want us to do, from what we should be doing, from the true desires of our hearts. Satan uses fear to tear us down and to make us question what we already know to be true. He wants fear to DESTROY us, plain and simple. He wants us to get our minds off of the freedom and peace that comes from being in Christ, so that we are ineffective in the Kingdom of God. Once we turn our heads from the place of trusting God and keeping our minds focused on Him, we are in the devil's playground.

Thankfully, war isn't just one-sided. Yes, Satan does attack us with fear and doubt, but that doesn't mean that we can't fight back. We have the ability to fight back and WIN with God on our side. Fear is talked about all throughout the Bible and God gives us strategies and tactics on how to fight in this "war". That is the awesome thing about our God. He has lived on this Earth and He understands the struggles that we will have. Our God won't leave us empty-handed and He won't forsake us in this battle. He gives us just what we need to make it through each day unscathed. We can claim victory one battle at a time while leaving the ultimate victory up to Him. I have to constantly remind myself that Jesus has already WON the war. He has overcome everything that I could possibly be afraid of. So what's the point of being scared? Why am I fearful if I trust my God to rescue me like He has proven that He will do over and over again? 

For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of POWER, LOVE, and SELF-CONTROL. 

God promised us that in this world we will have trouble; there is no doubt about that. He also promised that He would be with us, fighting each and every struggle right alongside us, always. 

"You keep him in PERFECT PEACE whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." -Isaiah 26:3