One Month!

Well, what to say. So much is happening SO quickly it is hard to put it all into words, or even half of it. As the days get more filled, the quicker time breezes by before I can grab a hold of it. Can’t believe I have officially been in Germany for a MONTH! Unbelievable. Before I know it I will be back in good old Hartville, but thankfully not as I left it. It is hard to believe all the things God has been teaching me and all the ways in which my very core, my foundation of life is rapidly changing and growing and maturing. While it has not been the quick, emotional change of a spiritual high that I’ve experienced at summer camp or a week-long missions trip, it is so much deeper. A genuine, deep, lasting, life-changing….change. However, at the same time, it is so easy to not take advantage of all the opportunities I have here to get to know God better and be used by Him.

In other news, I’m going to KENYA, which really is an amazing story in and of itself. I will start out by saying that I have never especially desired to go to Africa. I have never NOT wanted to, but I would much rather tour Europe or other parts of the Western World. Not sure why, just how I was made. Well, about 2 weeks ago I was sitting in one of our prayer times silently waiting on God, to see what He wanted to tell me, when a picture of Africa popped into my head. I looked up, thought about how odd it seemed, but then put my head back down and continued to focus, when this time it zoomed into Eastern Africa. I then saw a picture of young children playing in the street. It was so random and seemingly out of place that I knew it was from God (mind you, I had not prayed at all about any kind of location for outreach or anything). I figured He must be telling me where He wanted me to go on our major outreach, which we don’t find out the options for until the end of November. I immediately thought of how the base here in Germany always sends one team to Ethiopia (in E. Africa) and figured that is what it meant. But the more I thought about it, the more Ethiopia did not seem like the answer. It HAD to be something else.

I ended up moving on and, for the most part, completely forgot about the vision. Then, before I knew it, it was the day for them to present our choices for mini-outreach (a week-long missions trip to introduce us to what our big outreach is going to be like). That day I had been figuring out my financial situation, which brought to my attention that I only had $300 over what I needed for school fees, leaving me very little travelling money for the holidays (which is when Missy is coming!) or any other needs I might have. I was very worried about it and wondering what I was doing to do. Nevertheless, they began to introduce each mini-outreach, it’s location, and the ministry it would be doing. As they ran through the choices, none of them jumped out at me. I figured I would have to pray about them because why would God ever give me a clear answer….the choices seemed so vague…Berlin, Paris, Prague, Czech Republic, Budapest…then, the last team introduced their location. KENYA! My heart began to beat out of my chest as I KNEW right then and there that this was exactly what my vision meant! Then they went on to say they would be working with kids on the street!! It was so clear I could hardly contain myself. BUT there was a catch. Since it was so much farther than they had ever gone on mini-outreach, it would be an additional $950 on top of the school fees. My heart sunk! I was already short, how could I ever go! But as I prayed and debated and asked God what to do, I could only remember that vision and how clear it was. I never got a clear answer, but decided to do what my spirit was telling me to, which was lay down my right to have control over my money for what was a very faint, random image that is not easy to risk $1000 on. I handed in my choice and exhausted myself worrying and wondering if I had made the right choice. Why do we fear and worry SOOO often, when God is always good and always has our best interests in mind. Little known to me, at the time I handed my choice in, my church had a check ready to give to me for almost the exact amount I needed to go. Sunday, I talked to my dad on the phone and he informed me that the church had a check for me. Cool! I thought it was probably like $50-$100, but every bit counts. Then he informed me that the church had given me a check for $685!!! As I added up my finances, I could not believe it. I needed $6750 for all my school fees, and behold! With the additional donations I now had $6785!!! God had called me, trusted me to blindly follow Him (which must have been His grace in me, because I don’t know how He got me to do it), then provided for my needs! What an awesome God!!