Today marks two weeks here at training camp!!! Over the course of these last 14 days, I’ve been sleeping in a tent every night, washing my laundry in a bucket, discovering bugs I didn’t even know existed, and doing life surrounded by other people 24/7. I absolutely love it here!!
As I looked ahead at what I hoped this year would be for me, I was most hopeful for the experiences I would have overseas. The spiritual growth, new appreciation of other cultures, and a deeper understanding of God’s calling for my life were things I considered to become true as soon as we entered into our first country. However, what I did not expect was how much I’ve already learned and grown in through just being here in Georgia! The Lord has taught me so much already, and I’d love to share those lessons with you!
- There is a difference between being expectant and having expectations. I can be expectant for what the Lord will do, but I shouldn’t come in with expectations that are based on my own judgement. Lately, I feel like my quiet time with God has felt rushed. What He’s revealed to me is that my heart hasn’t been open to wait and hear what He wants to show me. I’ve entered into my time with Him thinking I already know what God will teach me, when really He is the only one who will guide me, not myself.
- He honors our obedience to Him. Two main examples of this are coming to mind. The first happened before I even left home. All summer, I knew the Lord was calling me to go up and speak in front of our church about my mission! I’ve struggled with the fear public speaking for a while, so I pushed it off. But! On one of the last Sunday’s before I left, I finally gave Him my yes and spoke on stage. In the next two weeks, I raised about $6,000 from my church family. Praise God!! I am now fully funded!!! One other example occurred two nights ago during a revival night. People were getting baptized, there was worship, and some were simply sitting in His presence. At the beginning of the night, I asked the Lord how He wanted me to spend that time with Him. I kept hearing Him tell me to just sit in His presence. So I sat and waited… and waited… and continued to just sit with Him, because He was asking me to. Eventually, the Lord began to reveal things inside me that were keeping me from fully grasping my identity in Him. I got to sit at His feet and give up comparison and fear. Truly, it was an incredible night that lifted so much weight I’ve been carrying, and I owe it all to Him.
- Worship is all about giving Him the glory. Yes, this is something I’ve always known. But after spending so much time day after day in worship here, there’s been moments when I haven’t felt like worshipping. There are mornings when worshipping the Lord through song wouldn’t necessarily be my first choice, but the Lord has been teaching me that this was never about me. He is the one who is worthy, and He deserves all my praise each day even when I don’t “feel” like it.
I love my new family here, and I’m so excited to see how God continues to grow these friendships over the next nine months! Thank you for taking the time to read this, I love you all!!
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