Faithful Provider

So I haven't written for this blog yet really, but God has been moving in my life so much lately, that I couldn't help but write about it.
As you can read from the blog before this, I went on the Orlando Project with Campus Outreach this summer and through that trip God changed my heart and changed my life. He stretched me so much and my love for Him has grown tremendously.

After that trip, however, a potential relationship with a guy became an obstacle. We went up and down and back and forth with if what we were doing was right and if we should date or not. We had made idols of one another and spent way too much time together. We were getting in the way of each other's relationship with God. We both knew what we were doing was wrong and that we needed to fertilize our relationships with God, but we both lack discipline and it was hard for us to carry out what we knew we should do. We both knew he was not leading me very well, and I knew I wasn't doing anything to help either. So after looking back at the things I learned over the summer, and getting affirmation on some things after a women's retreat, I decided I finally needed to make some steps forward. I took the things we struggled with and thought of ways that could help prevent us from looking to one another and instead looking to God and seeking after Him. I made a list of 10 things both of us should do that would be helpful whether we were in a relationship or not and that would steer our focus back on Christ. God blessed that list and the guy agreed with all of it. He was thankful that I stepped in when he couldn't lead. He even added 5 more things to the list. It was a great comfort having him be so supportive and not wanting to just give up.

Now, that's one area God has really been faithful to me and given me strength where I didn't think I had, but there is more He has been doing...

Also, after getting back this summer, I had been wanting to get a mentor. Everyone talked about "Discipleship groups" which I had never heard of before. I still don't know many people well, and those I do know are already in a group. So I thought getting someone to lead me one-on-one was a good start. And once the relationship with the guy started to become a real problem, I really wanted someone there with me to advise me. So, I attend Second Presbyterian Church and awhile ago I asked one of the women that heads up the women's ministry there to help me find someone that would like to mentor me. While she was looking, my father proposed a woman he knew from his church that really has a heart for younger women. Well, I ended up meeting both her and a woman that attends Second Pres. My dad's friend is Kelly, and the woman from Second Pres. is Courtney. So I was stuck not knowing which one God had for me to be my mentor, because they were both great.

Anyway, I had met with each of them once, and planned to meet with them a second time. By the time Kelly and I met the 2nd time, we both wanted her to be my mentor. When we got together, we talked about different things. One of the things the guy I like had added to our list was reading a book by authors like Tozer, Piper, or Packer, and he had suggested 3 different books he thought I'd like. Kelly had one of them: Knowing God by Packer. So I told the guy that's the book we were going to read, and he said that that "happens" to be the book he and his mentor are going to be reading together! Coincidence? I think not. ALSO- Kelly had mentioned to me about doing a study on Joshua that her friend gave her. It was a huge pile of papers that had not been bound yet or anything, so I figured we would just go through it together when I was at her house. She said she would make copies though so I could have my own. I thought that would be too much to copy, so she called her friend that gave it to her in the first place. Her friend said that she "happened" to have one more copy she didn't know who to give it to. Coincidence? I think not.

So, I still hadn't met with Courtney a 2nd time to decide whether she would be my mentor or not. So I did this morning finally. I told her that Kelly would be my main mentor, but that I would still love for us to get together once a month or so and catch up, and for her to make herself available to me if I needed her. She agreed and thought that was great. After telling her how I knew Kelly, however, it turns out she knew Kelly too! Courtney had visited my parents church and met Kelly and they had a great talk because they knew a lot of the same people. Not only that, but Kelly had been wanting me to meet a friend of hers, Leah, whose story might relate to mine. Well, it "happens" that Leah is one of Courtney's good friends too! All of this coincidence? No, it's not. God's hand has been in my life and He has been working to connect all of these friendships and has brought all of us together for a reason! He wants Kelly and I to do the Joshua study and read Knowing God.

And just to add, I had mentioned that I went on a Women's Retreat... well, I didn't say anything about it, but one of the great blessings from that was just fellowship with other women. I have more guy friends and never really get to have a lot of girl-time, but during this retreat I did and it was great. I even met this girl Lindsay who happens to have a lot in common with me. I can tell we did not meet by chance. She already has been a good friend to me and has reached out to me.

It is all so exciting and it's so amazing to see that if we just let go of the things of this world and run after Jesus, He is faithful and He provides just what we need. He knew I was going to fail Him, but He also knew I was going to seek after Him, and He went ahead of me and prepared the way. He is letting me know He is here with me, walking alone side me, and that He loves me. Whether or not the guy and I will date has become so insignificant compared to whether I'm chasing after God or not. If we are meant to be together, this will help him grow and become a leader. If we're not meant to be together, this will strengthen both of us to be able to say goodbye to the relationship and let it go. God is my faithful provider.

Orlando Project

I am writing this to update you on my experiences on the Campus Outreach Orlando Project trip I attended this summer. First, I was able to raise all the needed cost and even a little more which went to help my friends on the trip who were still in need of money!

I also grew so much closer to God than I ever have before in my entire life. Let me share with you what the trip consisted of and how it helped me grow. The theme verse for the whole summer was 2 Corinthians 3:18 which says “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” and the theme behind it was Behold and Become. We all should behold God and who He is, and become like Him. Most of the trip was getting to know God, not just know about God, because those are two separate things. Once we know God personally, we cannot help but fall in love with Him.

Each week consisted of a theme talk, worship, Bible training, spontaneous evangelism, and fun socials. I roomed with three other girls, my “Discipleship group,” who kept me accountable and who helped show me what godly women look like. Before this trip I was having difficulty with many areas in my life. I did not have a consistent quiet time, I did not have many friends in Memphis, I missed out on many activities with the body of Christ, I was not memorizing scripture, and I had never evangelized before. This trip helped me daily get in the Word, make 130 new friends, fellowship with other believers, memorize scripture (I memorized 20 new verses, many of which helped me in times of temptation or struggle), and it helped me often discuss God with my coworkers and random strangers. There were many other benefits I experienced on the trip. Living away from home gave me a good sense of independence, responsibility, and maturity. Getting in the habit of reading Christian books (The God You Can Know) helped me gain a desire to read more. I also was able to develop and share my testimony for the first time in my life. Overall, this trip helped me fall more in love with Christ.

At first I thought I would be working in merchandising at Discovery Cove. Once I came to orientation, however, I found out that I was moved to guest arrivals at Aquatica, SeaWorld’s waterpark. Though I was disappointed at first, I soon realized that God switched me there for many reasons. I would have missed out on so many great opportunities had I not been there. God’s hand was moving in my life in every aspect.

I have been Christian most of my life and even attended a private Christian school for 9 years. Even with all of that, I have never been challenged and stretched in my relationship with Christ as I was on this trip.

During the trip, there was also a world missions vision conference. The speaker, Todd Ahrend, helped show me how important world missions really is. I now am starting to actively seek God for a vision for my future, instead of hoping something comes my way. I am considering world missions because God has really opened my eyes to how much He wants all of us to spread His Word, and the need is not in the United States. I am still unsure if I will continue school after community college or not because I have no major that grabs my interest. However, I desire to do all it takes to carry out the plans God has for me.

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

I hope this is a good reminder to you of how faithful, loving, forgiving, and great God is.