Blessings Beyond Expectation

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done." Psalm 105:1

I'm sitting here reflecting on my blessings and honestly, I'm a bit overwhelmed! Now that I typed that, the song "count your blessings" is playing in my head! :)

First recent blessing is that I finished my time at Grace Children's Home strong; I was able to work hard and stay focused until the end and feel extremely loved by all of the people there.  I was delightfully shocked by the time, effort, and love that was put into sending me off with much reminiscing, celebrating and yes some tears.  It was so hard to leave and know that I wasn't going to have the same role in the lives of so many people I love, but I know God is at work in their lives as well as mine.

Second blessing: everything fit in my car and my brother's pick-up so that my parents could move me home. My parents and little brothers were a huge blessing in helping me pack and movie back home! God also boldly reminded me that I need to sort through my over-abundance of possessions and bless others instead of filling my closet to the brim. I'm actually feeling excited at the thought of eliminating some of the needless items I have accumulated. I hope I can continue learning to live out a life of simplicity and learning to discern more accurately the difference between a want an a need.

On Tuesday I began my trip toward Kentucky for my missions training. I spent a couple days in St. Louis visiting my roommate from freshman year in college Megan and her adorable son Eli, who calls me Auntie Lys! It was wonderful to spend some time with them, relax, and just enjoy life together for a couple days. Megan is a great friend who I appreciate so much! She always encourages me to enjoy the blessings in my life. She is a wonderful mother and friend!

Now, I'm in Muncie, Indiana visiting another dear friend, Tiffany and her little boy Fisher who is six months old! Tiffany is a wonderful friend and mentor and I appreciate her wisdom and point of view on life as a wife and mother. I'm excited to spend time with her before I go on the my training that begins on Saturday.  

These are just two of the many encouraging and wonderful friends God has blessed me with! I have no biological sisters, but the sisters in Christ I have been blessed with never cease to amaze me!  They are gifts from God and I'm so thankful for all of the phone calls, letters, emails, and texts that I have been receiving in the last few weeks/months as I prepare for going to Romania!

Another blessing I've been encouraged by this week,and always really, is my family.  Mom got me all prepared and set up with lots of healthy snacks for my road trip, including homemade zucchini bread! Dad helped load the car and drove to meet me a few miles out of town when I forgot something important!  My brother blessed me with a more dependable car to take on this trip! I've been very blessed with avoiding the storms during my driving time! The weather report was delightfully incorrect during my travel time to St. Louis where I only used the windshield wipers for about 10 minutes. Such a comfort for me and all the worriers who are nervous that I'm traveling "so far alone".  I'm not sure what they are going to do when I actually leave for Romania in less than a month!

Another huge blessing is that I have 73% of my support raised!!! Praise the Lord!!! I'm feeling so blessed and encouraged by all of the people who are letting God use them as a part of my mission trip to Romania. I pray that God continues to bless and encourage them abundantly!

I'm excited about my training and hoping it will be a time where God builds me up in preparation for what He has in store for me in Romania. I know that there will be many surprises, but God is faithful and I am confidant that He who began a good work in me will carry it out to completion. May God be blessed through all these blessings of mine!

Now here are some pictures of my cutie nephews! I feel like such a bragging Auntie, but come on! Look at them! 

Trying to get a good picture with Auntie Lys
but Eli was being a little stinker...but such a cute one!

Caught a good smile he was aiming at mommy

Having fun in his wagon!

Fisher being silly in his bumbo

A little drool and some big eyes for the camera!

LIfestyle of Service

Okay this is long, but my newly 23 year old mind is crankin’ today! 

Today at church we were talking in my Sunday school class about the people Jesus chose to hang out with, you know sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, widows, poor people, fishermen, lepers….  He was constantly serving these people, every day! Sure He spent some time at home growing up, but His lifestyle was one of sacrifice and service.  So often I hear or even say things myself like:  “Well, I tried to help this single mom for a while, but it was just too time consuming.”  Or “If I start helping people, they’ll take advantage of me.” Or “If I do things for people, they will just stop trying to help themselves because letting me do it is easier.”

Even if those thoughts ARE accurate, how should they motivate our actions?  Surely not to inaction or to the common decision to “take a break from helping out” because we’re overworked.   Maybe the cliché phrase “a hand up is better than a hand out” is accurate.  Maybe the concept “give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, feed him for life” is worth considering.  However, are these just easy ways to get us out of helping those around us?  Do we truly plan to give a “hand up” or “teach”??? It does take much more time to truly become involved in someone’s life, teaching and loving them than just sending a check to some mission organization.

What struck me is that we often think we have satisfied some “quota” of serving after a few hours a week being poured into others.  Ever heard the saying, “good deed of the day”???  Yet, if we are to model our lives after Jesus, that is nowhere near a reflection of His choices.  Jesus lived a LIFESTYLE of service and sacrifice.  Not because He had the human strength to always be serving others, but because He sought God for strength. Yes, the Son of God sought time with God to, in essence, recharge His bodily strength. 

Luke 6:12 says, “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”

Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”

So, if we rely on our own strength to serve others….well, it’s no wonder people poop out at 2-3 hours a week.  However, if we seek the strength that comes directly from the God of the universe, there-in lies the power to become imitators of Christ who live a lifestyle of service. If we sit around wondering if our service is perfect, I’m guessing we’ll never actually serve.

James 1:4-5 “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Living a lifestyle of service won’t be easy, it’s not glamorous, beautiful, and sometimes not even satisfying.  It’s a choice and it’s not for our praise. It often takes humility and yes sometimes it wears us out and drags us down. Our own ideas, won’t always suffice, but we have a giving and gracious Father in heaven just waiting to lavish His blessings on our open hearts.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Can I truly live a lifestyle of service???   I know that if I do it will never come of my own strength.  Yes, I will try to love my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, but in the end, that is still small. To truly live it out I need the unending strength that flows from my Father.  I need to be an open vessel willing and eager to let the Holy Spirit work in and through me!  Thus, I find myself daily placing myself under the fountain of God’s grace, bending low to humble myself, admitting my weaknesses before the almighty creator of the heavens and the earth!

2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Wow, that’s the God I serve, one who GAVE HIMSELF up for me, though I don’t deserve, I AM LOVED! There is NO other like my God!!!!

Prayer, petition, thanksgiving....

Tonight I told "my girls" (the girls who live in the cottage I work in at Grace Children's Home) about my plans to go to Romania.  This meaning I will be leaving my position here at GCH and stepping out of my role as their care-worker/house parent.  This was probably the single most difficult part of my decision to go to Romania.  It is so difficult to step away from a ministry that involves living int he same house and walking through life with these girls who I love so much! I was incredibly torn over telling the girls; I didn't want them to be upset, but I also knew I would be disappointed in myself if my presence in their lives wasn't making enough of an impact that they are affected by my leaving. I of course, over-analyzed the situation, which I should have trusted God more with, rather than worrying over.
    In the end there was a mixture of reactions.  One girl who knew of my heart for Romania was excited for me, while lamenting my leaving.  Another girl began crying and hugged me. Of course there was also the one who was "pretend" upset and pretended to be angry and hurt that I was leaving.  The most quiet girl in the house simply responded, "At least you're doing something you've wanted to do for so long." Wow, could I have been more blessed by their reactions, and the group hug that followed!?!?
    I'm reminded of the truth of Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Maybe someday I will learn to follow the command not to be anxious, but that day wasn't today.  Yet, my God is faithful and answered my prayers and the prayers of the few people I quickly texted seeking their prayers. I am so incredibly blessed with friends & family who I can count on to pray for me at the drop of a...text :)
   My petition for God's comfort and peace to reign in this cottage will not end.  I will continue to struggle thru my transition from my ministry here to a new and largely unknown ministry in Romania.  But I know that my God is faithful and I will continue praising Him with thanksgiving for the ways He continually works in my life and blesses me beyond measure!!!

This evening ended with one of my girls and I practicing a song we are going to sing at church together in a couple weeks.  The song is a revamped version of "This little light of mine" by Addison Road.  and as I sang with her I was reminded of another verse in Philippians.  "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe." Phil. 2:14-15  I know on my own strength I will never achieve the righteousness outlined in those verses, but the power of the Holy Spirit is boundless and I pray that my light may shine brighter and brighter until the day of Christ!

My hope: to never stop thanking God that He would choose to shine through me!