Close to Kenya, but can I stay?

Almost 6 months into the year and 6 more to go. My sights are set on the mission field with a perspective leave date of January 2013. Of course, all is not going to go smoothly along the way; I know this. Right now the struggle I face is acquiring a visa that allows me to stay in the country longer than 6 months. If i only get a tourist visa when I arrive in country, then at the end of six months I will need to leave the country and return. I know many missionaries face these issues in the countries they serve in. It is no easy task sometimes and often not a cheap task. I ask you all to pray for me as I am gathering information and moving forward. Pray for revelation about the Lord's leading and about where and how long I am to serve at a given ministry as well. Thanks :) 

(If you are a missionary in Kenya reading this blog and have any suggestions, I welcome your input! God Bless!!)

Commission to Every Nation

We are commissioned to preach the Gospel here and around the world. We are to spread the love of Jesus world-wide! Everyone's purpose is to love God and love others...this is very apparent in God's word. However, He assigns as different tasks as we walk through this life that enable us to reach others with Truth. Two tasks that I feel that were specifically assigned to me from Him are to be a missionary and to work with special needs/disabled people. About 3 1/2 years ago, when the Lord confirmed these two areas of focus, He also told me that He would provide me with an organization that would help me to be a full-time missionary. The waiting was becoming hard and I had seasons of doubt. But lo and behold, the Lord again showed me that He is faithful and keeps His promises. The things He speaks to are hearts, He will make come to pass.

I happened to find Commission to Every Nation (CTEN) on the internet one afternoon as I was doing a search. It seemed at the time an accidental find, but it would turn out to be a gem..a treasure from the Lord. I e-mailed them and then spent time on the phone with the director of pastoral. I liked what I heard but I wanted to find out more. So, I e-mailed about 15 CTEN missionaries and heard very positive feedback about the organization. Also, at the same time, I had a couple close friends and my pastor check out the organization to see if they saw any red flags. It seemed to me, after all this, that this was the promised organization so I took the next step of faith, I applied.

I sent in my application and two weeks later I heard I was approved. Two more weeks later I attended an orientation in Texas with CTEN and I was so pleased with all the staff there and with the orientation in general. I had moments where I was like "Is this for real?" and "I can't believe this is happening." It was all coming together and it was totally by the Lord's hand.

The organization asks that I serve with an established ministry in the country I am going to first. I am prayerfully considering my options and know that the Lord will give me a peace about what special needs/disabilities ministry I am to serve with. Join me in praying for clarity as I move forward.

So The SKY Mission will come under Commission to Every Nation and will accomplish the calling I have received. CTEN's motto is "Helping ordinary people partner with God to accomplish the extraordinary." This is a true representation on how I feel: I am (and we are) ordinary but with Christ in me (in us), I (we) can accomplish extraordinary things. And to Him be the glory and honor forever!

Obedience

What are some reasons we obey:

1. Out of fear or to avoid negative consequences of not obeying.
2. Social obligation. For example: He is a cop so i need to listen to what he says.
3. To get some reward or compensation for following the rules.
4. Out of love and respect for the person who is making the rules and setting the guidelines.

I would say these are the 4 big reasons we are obedient. I would say often you and I jump back and forth between the first 3 listed more often than we successfully achieve #4. In fact, the reason I am writing this blog tonight is because my realization of how I lately, in one area of my life in particular, have been obedient to God and looking for the reward instead of being obedient out of a complete and genuine love and respect for my Lord. When I say things like "Jesus, I've followed your calling and I know it would be a lonely calling but if you would just now provide for me a husband, that would be grand", which reason do you think I am obeying for?? Another way to say it would be " Lord, I've done this for you...now do what I want." Ouch...here I am in my head and heart trying to boss the maker of the Universe around.

And the thing of it is: Jesus tells us that there will be negative consequences for our disobedience out of love and respect for us. Jesus is not obligated to give us anything or do anything for us, but He does out of love and respect for us. Jesus blesses us for our obedience because of His great love and respect for us. So essentially i am serving someone who will love and respect more than any other man ever will. He ALWAYS operates for that place of love and all He does he does out of unconditional love. He has no ulterior motives, no angles He is playing, no scheme He is working out...He is pure and genuine through and through.

Lord, help me to do everything for you out of love and respect. I repent for the times where I have been obedient to you because I am Your follower but then I allowed my heart full of wants to twist the truth up and then look for my reward. I repent for feeling You were obligated to do for me because I had done something for you. Lord, make me genuine in my thoughts and acts and reasons for serving. I really do only want your will for my life and I trust in Your perfect timing in all areas of my life. Allow me to stay focused and BELIEVE!

Whimsical

Life with Jesus is such an adventure!!! But we forget :( We settle for the daily hum drum when our every day walk with Christ can be such an amazing journey. We get scheduled, we get frustrated, we get distracted, we get bored, etc. We become shells of people or corked up bottles of energy and passion. We decide to fit in and make due instead of being real about who we are in Christ. We also choose to be in control and have set times in our date books instead of being available to follow the Lord's leading at a moments notice.

A word that resonates in my heart lately is "whimsical." In life in general and in life with Christ, I want to be whimsical. I want to try things I have never tried before and go places I've never gone. I want to experience life and enjoy each moment. I also want to be whimsical in the sense where I finally know what its like to be so totally sold out for Christ that on a whim, a hunch, a nudge...i will do things in Christ's name that I've never done before and experience Christ's love and power through me in a way I never have before, to reach out to people that I've never reached out to before. I/We sometimes think that such experiences are to be saved for focused times of ministry or missions trips. But NO, every single day opportunities are given to us. Do we listen and go and do or do we ignore and check off the next thing on our to do list??

My mind and heart are certainly in adventure mode more than ever before. I am ready...waiting...wanting more of Him and less of me. Let's do this Jesus!!

Back from Camp

It's been long since i have blogged but I thought we had some catching up to do. It looks like i will have a much lighter schedule this next year in some respects, which just might warrant more time to blog. I returned from summer camp almost 2 weeks ago. It was an amazing time where I learned not only about working with those with disabilities but also about community, myself, adventure, vulnerability, etc. I almost turned down the position to work at this camp but obviously i am glad i did not.

The Lord needed to take me away from the norm to get my full attention. He blessed my obedience by providing a group of people who are excited about working with those with disabilities but also with such hearts for Africa!! I think i have at least 15 people who want to come and volunteer...haha...and I am ready to welcome them when that time comes : ) I felt encouraged and free to share. I also just adored the campers that came and they brought joy to my heart. Their personalities were big and their hearts were bigger still. I felt that I could love well and that I was loved well in return.

I will elaborate more later (because i will get better at this blogging stuff!!!). Since "life is not summer camp," i am back in PA getting my heart and mind ready for preschool to start up again. Satan has really hit me hard this week (which i was fully expecting) but "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do." (lol) I am glad i have this to time to get refreshed and refocused.

And the Answer is...........

Okay, this post is in response to the questions people ask me about The SKY Mission and what I am up to! So I will answer the "biggies" that i can think of and if you have any additional questions...post them on here or on Facebook....and i will answer them as well. In no particular order:

Are you going to Kenya this summer??
The past two summers I have gone to Kenya for 3 months. However, this summer I believe I will not be traveling to Africa. I have different options at the present time, which I will tell you about when I have a clearer idea on what July and August will look like. Preschool goes until the end of June and will start back up at the end of August, so I only i have 8 weeks at the most to play around with. As much as my heart longs to be in Kenya sooner rather than later, I believe the Lord has something different and exciting in store for me those 2 months.

When are you moving to Kenya??
I am still working on paying off my college loans. With God's help, I have been able to save half of the total loan amount in 6 months. It is my hope that by the end of the year, I will be able to clear the whole amount!!! Once I am able to do this, it will free me to go with out any financial responsibility holding me back here. I am considering if i will finish the school year out in 2012 with the kiddos and then move on with them (the majority of students we have now will be transitioning the end of next year). Still praying and seeking the Lord to see what He would have me do. I've said that I want to move to Kenya before I'm 30, and that seems like a really good possibility.

Do you have an organization you are with??
This is in the Lord's hands. I do believe it is one of the reasons God has me in America for this season. This decision is a big one and I want the Lord to make it...not me. When an option presents itself, I approach it with prayer and I know as long as I keep on surrendering the matter to Him, He will help me find the best fit for me and the SKY Mission. So, right now, the answer to this question is NO. But I see how the Lord is at work and is putting the pieces together. Also, i know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was suppose to move forward independently in faith these past 2 years and that that would be part of the means to the end goal.

Do you know Swahili?
I am learning! I know enough Swahili to make children think I am fluent. I know enough Swahili to be able to piece together conversations, sermons, songs, etc. and know what people are talking or singing about. I know enough Swahili to get around and suprise Kenyans who think i am just an English speaking mzungu. Trouble is, when you start to know enough Swahili to be understood and understand others...then Kenyans switch to their tribal languages and really lose you. And with over 40 tribal languages spoken in Kenya, thanks but no thanks..i'll stick with Swahili and English thank you (well atleast for now).

Are you worried about moving to Kenya?
NO! I know that when I am in God's will, I am safer in Kenya being obedient to His will than here being disobedient. He is equipping me and will continue to equip with me with everything I need to do the work He has sent me to do. I have never felt like I would be a lone ranger in this calling, so am excited to see how the Lord will provide an individual, a team of individuals, an organization...(whatever His plan is)...to help Him and I do the work that I am meant to do.

Would you be okay if the Lord sent you somewhere else after Kenya??
This question was asked by a friend of mine in 2009, a month or so after returning from Kenya that 1st summer I went on my own. When she asked me this question, I was taken back because I had never even considered it. In my head I thought, " Of course God would not send me somewhere else, that's ridiculous." But in the year and half since then, I have been able to think about this question and I've realized that no matter where the Lord sends me, I will serve Him faithfully. So, if the Lord has me in Kenya the rest of my life...praise God...I will serve Him faithfully. If the Lord presents another need in another country and says " Go "...I will serve Him faithfully there. Heck, i didn't even think i would EVER go to Africa and EVER want to move there and He made that change of heart in me. Whatever His plan is, it is much better than mine.

Where will you live in Kenya?
I am hoping to start the home in a village area. Once a place is built or bought, I hope to be on the same compound as the ministry. While I was visiting my friend upcountry in Kenya, I came across many beautiful huts that I really did admire. I took maybe 6-10 pictures of this one hut that I really fell in love with (crazy white girl...right??) Therefore, i think a cozy hut is what I will call home, in a village area, surrounded by "my" wonderful kiddos : )

How can I be praying for you??
Pray that I continue to surrender everything to God. Pray that I remain confident and secure in His plan for me. Pray against the schemes of the devil and the ways he tries to make me ineffective. Pray for PATIENCE as I wait upon the Lord to see how all the lingering pieces will come together. Pray for an open heart that knows how He wants me to serve in the here and now.

Okay, thats all I have for now. Thanks for joining me on this journey. Any more questions?! Feel free to ask. God Bless You abundantly.

God's Will and Nothing Else!

I want God's will and nothing else. Yet still sometimes I play around and try to control things in my favor. When Jesus was in the Garden, He said "If you can, please take this cup from me. But if not, your will be done." Either way, it was up to God. When I pray sometimes, I bet it sounds more like this "If you can, please make this or that happen. But if not, then I will have to make things happen for myself." Do i know that God's will for me is best?? YES!!! Do I still sometimes struggle with my flesh for the ability to decide all the where, when, who, what, and how questions?? YES!!!

Luckily, I at a point in my walk with Christ that I can usually catch when I fall into this trap. Also, I have great brothers and sisters in Christ who keep me accountable. We have to help each other out because it is hard to remember that there is just one option....not numerous options to pick from when making our live's decisions. Our one option is: God's will and nothing else!

But, boy, do we live in a society that loves options?!? So how are we possibly able to live with a "one option mindset"? The answer is: surrender. Surrender is not an easy thing so it might need to be a one day at a time sort of thing. But when we do it and live a life of surrender, we will most certainly reap the benefits and be living life more abundantly because of it. God does not want us to die to self so we can be miserable here on Earth. Instead, He wants to use us, bless us, strengthen us, and have us fulfill the purpose for why we are here. If we keep on getting in His way, this is likely not to happen or likely not to happen in the way He willed for it to.

With surrender comes sacrifice. We sacrifice our own ways for His. We sacrifice our own wants for His. We sacrifice our decisions for His. And the results will be amazing.