Church

Today I visited a church, it was really interesting and it made me thankful for my church family back home. I sat in a pew in the back watching the congregation “worship”. I couldn’t understand half of what was being said, it was a Greek Orthodox Church, and even the English part was hard to understand because they sing it all! As I sat there, I watched this lady to the far left of me and noticed that she not only knew most of the prayers by heart but she even knew the hymns in Greek and Russian, and she crossed herself frequently. I would say that in an hour and a half service, she probably crossed herself 50 times! I understand the meaning behind crossing yourself, but sometimes I wonder when it becomes a habit or an everyday ritual and not something that is a meaningful symbolic reminder of the cross? When we arrived at 10 am the service was just starting. We walked into the sanctuary and less than a fourth of the pews were filled. Throughout the service people continued to file in, and fill the pews. By the end of the service, right before communion, the place was packed. I wondered why they didn’t arrive on time so I asked around, here’s why. For them, salvation comes in fulfilling the sacraments, i.e. communion. It doesn’t matter if you miss the “preachin” and the “singin” and you arrive two seconds before communion, as long as you are there to participate in communion. It’s all about the works and good deeds for attaining salvation.

While sitting there I couldn’t help but critique them, and that’s when the conviction happened. How many times do I do the same thing in worship? How often do I sing a song and not take the words to heart? How many times do I say “amen” or nod my head in agreement, but not really listen to the words being prayed or preached? Do I rush through the motions, arriving late just to check another thing off of my spiritual to do list?

I am thankful for my experience today even though I didn’t walk away encouraged or inspired by the Word, I did come away from that experience evaluating my heart and actions.

God Provides

God is so good to provide for me girls that I can just sit back and laugh with a recklessness, which is something I haven’t done since I left home! I love that and I’ve missed it so much. It has been a little hard here for these past few weeks, but like always, God provides. He has provided me lifelong friends, and I know that I will always keep in touch with these amazing godly women.

This week in our sessions, we are focusing on church planting. It is so true that God has called us to be fruitful and multiply, but so many times, we are just complacent and satisfied with our lives and happy with our casual addition to our numbers. We do not go out and reach the lost. I realized today that I have just been sitting back, and my short little two-week trips are nothing. Yes, they are great, but I feel like most of them only boosted my knowledge, self-esteem, or pride. Of course, I came away with a greater awareness for missions, and God can definitely use those trips for mighty ways, but many times, I think I’ve used them as a chance to see the world, not reach the lost. Yes, I have already answered the call, but my previous trips were nothing compared to what needs to be done. There are so many lost people groups, and not many church members are answering the call to reach them.

What are you doing to reach them?

The past couple of days I've felt like Bella in the Twilight series when she has to constantly drink out of her cup…all my avid Twilight buffs know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I felt like her in the sense that she has to have that cup of liquid to sustain her and to give her energy. Well, the past couple of days I've been living in a dorm type setting, and I forgot how hard it is living without a kitchen and frig, and with a big glass to fill with water. So, anyway I've been really thirsty so I got a styrofoam cup, with a lid and straw, from the cafeteria and I walk around all day long with this cup filled with water. I've been extremely thirsty, and I'm not sure why. I drink water at breakfast. Water at lunch. Water at dinner. It's water, water, water, yet I thirst for it all day long.
I can't help but think that as a Christian I should be just as thirsty for Him, and His living water. So many times as Christians we walk around all day long with a thirst for Him, but we do not always fill that thirst with the much needed liquid. We fill it with dr pepper or my favorite diet coke, when truthfully the only thing that will make the thirst lessen is water. How many times do I need Him, but fill myself with the diet coke of the world, and not His word, and seeking Him daily in continuous prayer?

My Adventurous Saturday Night

Well, I am doing the same thing I did tonight as I did last night...I'm in the library!!! Sounds like fun huh? For all my high school and junior high friends who complain about staying the weekend at the house with their parents, well at least you have your television, almost any dvd you want to watch, and you have a great cell phone signal to be able to talk with your friends. To get on the internet, I have to hike up the hill. To get cell phone service, I have to hike up the hill. To get television, I have to hike up the hill, and then check out an educational video. That's my television!!! Ha! :)

I'm tired of staring at my grayish-white walls and sitting on my twin size bed looking at the trees outside my window, in the complete silence of my room. So, I hiked up the hill, it's 27 degrees and extremely windy.

Ahh but the good thing is that we are walking constantly and with much walking, up and down hills, one usually loses weight!

I've Got Good News, Good News, Good News

Wow, so the information is continuously being given out to me here at training and I am officially overwhelmed. Actually, I'm at the point where I'm past overwhelmed, but I'm going to take one day at a time and I know that I will get things done. I feel like I'm taking Master courses because of all the reading that I will be doing for the next two months. But, I'm working on it a little at a time, so I know that I'll get it done. Plus, I have an amazing future roommate Julie, who is great at keeping procrastinators like me on task. :) Father knew what He was doing when He paired us together!

Anyway, I'm having tons of fun and meeting people that I love hanging out with, so it's all good. It's amazing knowing that we are all called for the same purpose and job, and that our Father is here to guide us. Keep on lifting me up and asking Him to help me stay on task, and to be focusing on Him above all else.

Oh and I will have a newly remodeled bathroom by the time I get to Russia...well hopefully! Anyway, that is my GOOD NEWS!!!

Speechless!

Wow! I am speechless by all the love shown to me by my family and friends! Thank you for the support and prayers, and really, I'm just blown away.

When I came to Lakeside, I knew that it was where I was supposed to be because I could feel the Spirit working in that place! I'm so grateful to call Lakeside my home, and I feel privileged to serve and represent the family!

I'll make sure to keep this thing updated so that all my brothers and sisters can keep up with my travels!

Again, thank you very much!

It's All About the Timing

Well, I received an email from the Regional Office today, letting me know that I will need to come home after training for about two weeks. I hadn't planned on this, and I wanted to leave directly from VA to Russia, but it looks like it's not going to work that way. The reason for this is that out of all of the countries I could work with, Russia is usually the one that is the slowest in returning the passports and visas. The last couple of groups the company sent to Russia, had to wait about two weeks after training for their visas to come in.

So with all of that being stated, my plans have changed. But does my plans really matter? Our Father, knows what's best for me! He has it all planned out, I just need to sit back and enjoy the ride, and that's exactly what I've decided to do from now on!

By the way, I received photos of my new apartment, obviously for those are the pics up above. For the most part, I expected it to look this way, but the toilet situation is a little weird. But to tell you the truth, I have lived in weirder situations than this(Don't believe me, ask me about Guatemala)!