i look back and can hardly believe that this adventure started nearly 6 months ago. when hannah first mentioned an overseas mission trip, i half jokingly said let's go to the UK! not knowing God would actually say yes and would open ALL of these doors to get us there!
i think the reason for my skepticism was that i had thought i would be in Cambodia by now. a few years ago God placed a burden on my heart for young girls that had been trafficked. through different events and connections i thought for sure God was leading me on a journey to Cambodia with the intent on rescuing girls that were victims of this horrible abuse. however, when i got the call that everything had fallen through i was utterly disappointed. i couldn't believe it. why? why would you place this on my heart, open doors only to shut them? i had to come to the conclusion that it was more of ME wanting to go right then instead of waiting on God's timing and location. that's a tough pill to swallow, ya know? humbled by that experience, i knew when things started to progress w/ England (nearly 2 years later!) that i needed to get on my knees in prayer and genuinely seek out what God was speaking to me.
hannah and i prayed (often!) about this and sought wise counsel. we grew in our friendship with each other and the more we talked about England the more in sync we were about going. we approached our pastor, knowing he would help us seek the right direction, however, not realizing how he would challenge us both regarding our motives for overseas missions! thankful for his wisdom and understanding his passion in wanting us to succeed, we again prayed and heard God tell us to GO.
it's funny when you start to really see how God is leading you in a certain direction and things just start lining up. :) i had reconnected with my mentor who in turn connected me (via Facebook) with a woman currently residing in England. through this new friendship i found out about YWAM (she had gone through the program herself several years ago) and then sent the link to hannah. so as you can guess, we prayed about it, decided to go for it & ended up getting accepted! unbelievable!
so 6 months later, seeing God's undeniable faithfulness, i have learned to TRUST Him, even when it doesn't make sense or seem remotely possible. for example, just today hannah & i received an unexpected donation. and then on top of that was promised another donation to be given to us right before we leave! incredible. i am just in awe of how God has been providing.
by the way, i still have that burden for girls being trafficked all over the world and i realized after i applied to YWAM they had an additional school program. one you can apply for after the initial DTS program. that school specializes in film & documentaries. which is what i want to do, to use as a platform to share these stories, their stories, with as many people as possible. i may not be a part of the actual physical rescue of these girls, but i can be a part of their healing process. Isaiah 1:17 - Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of the orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. (NLT)
thank you for taking the time to read this and for being a part of something bigger than yourselves. i am incredibly grateful for the community of friends, church family, and coworkers that God has given me. i would never have gotten to this point without them - so thank you. <3
beverly
i think the reason for my skepticism was that i had thought i would be in Cambodia by now. a few years ago God placed a burden on my heart for young girls that had been trafficked. through different events and connections i thought for sure God was leading me on a journey to Cambodia with the intent on rescuing girls that were victims of this horrible abuse. however, when i got the call that everything had fallen through i was utterly disappointed. i couldn't believe it. why? why would you place this on my heart, open doors only to shut them? i had to come to the conclusion that it was more of ME wanting to go right then instead of waiting on God's timing and location. that's a tough pill to swallow, ya know? humbled by that experience, i knew when things started to progress w/ England (nearly 2 years later!) that i needed to get on my knees in prayer and genuinely seek out what God was speaking to me.
hannah and i prayed (often!) about this and sought wise counsel. we grew in our friendship with each other and the more we talked about England the more in sync we were about going. we approached our pastor, knowing he would help us seek the right direction, however, not realizing how he would challenge us both regarding our motives for overseas missions! thankful for his wisdom and understanding his passion in wanting us to succeed, we again prayed and heard God tell us to GO.
it's funny when you start to really see how God is leading you in a certain direction and things just start lining up. :) i had reconnected with my mentor who in turn connected me (via Facebook) with a woman currently residing in England. through this new friendship i found out about YWAM (she had gone through the program herself several years ago) and then sent the link to hannah. so as you can guess, we prayed about it, decided to go for it & ended up getting accepted! unbelievable!
so 6 months later, seeing God's undeniable faithfulness, i have learned to TRUST Him, even when it doesn't make sense or seem remotely possible. for example, just today hannah & i received an unexpected donation. and then on top of that was promised another donation to be given to us right before we leave! incredible. i am just in awe of how God has been providing.
by the way, i still have that burden for girls being trafficked all over the world and i realized after i applied to YWAM they had an additional school program. one you can apply for after the initial DTS program. that school specializes in film & documentaries. which is what i want to do, to use as a platform to share these stories, their stories, with as many people as possible. i may not be a part of the actual physical rescue of these girls, but i can be a part of their healing process. Isaiah 1:17 - Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of the orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. (NLT)
thank you for taking the time to read this and for being a part of something bigger than yourselves. i am incredibly grateful for the community of friends, church family, and coworkers that God has given me. i would never have gotten to this point without them - so thank you. <3
beverly
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