Don't worry, today's thought isn't as long as the first one. Today was a quality day. I worked at the YMCA and at Curves, which made for a long morning, but I don't mind. At CURVES I had my surprise of the day. A member came in and asked if my name was Katie. She said that she was my kindergarten teacher, and asked if I remembered her. I didn't remember her by looking at her, but come on, who forgets their kindergarten teacher. Mine was Mrs. Assion. It was such a joy that she remembered me. She worked for forty years as a teacher, I found out, and it was crazy that she had remembered me. Haha, I had asked her if I looked the same as I did at age 5, and was that how she remembered me. She said I looked the same, just a little mature-er... which is good, i guess! It's always a blessing when people remember you and bring it up, especially someone from long in the past.
So that was joy #1. I had a great time during the car ride with one of my favorite high school sophomores. She and I went to our churches Youth group and we got to talk the whole way there and back. Her family is one of my favorites and I was so encouraged to hear her heart about church, going to high school, and being the oldest of four children. She has such a good head on her shoulders and I love spending time with her!
And joy #3... talking with the lovely Kristin Chantel! I am ALWAYS encouraged by the heart of this girl. We talked for awhile about what God has done, is doing and will continue to do. She always helps me evaluate my life by the good example she sets! What a JOY it is to catch up with old friends!
It's getting scary to look at the calendar and see that my days at home are numbered before heading out into the scary world of Durham, NC. I'm not excited yet, but hopefully the anticipation will start to build and I'll be ready to move. Who knows... only time will tell. I just need to keep giving it up to HIM...
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
And we're at the beginning...
All great things have a moment in time where they begin, right? Sometimes they are easy to see and pinpoint; other times they are hidden beneath the to-do list that we create for our lives. I have often struggled with forgetting specific beginnings of things in my life. Now is a time where I can say, this is the beginning of a new Katie. I got home on Sunday night from a week long trip to Tijuana, Mexico. The trip itself was one of the greatest displays of GOd's faithfulness that I have ever had the privelege of experiencing. I had emailed my youth pastor at the start of the summer to see if any spots were open. Well, there were no open spots. I was thoroughly disappointed, but thought nothing more about it, since spots on these kinds of trips rarely open up. In mid-June, my pastor had sent an email saying that there was a possibility of a spot opening up. Without getting too excited, I began going through all the possibilities in my head. I had already asked of a week of work, and so the idea of asking off again seemed too difficult. WHen I got the final OK that indeed a spot was open and I could take it, my head was spinning. How on Earth was I blessed with this opportunity. THe entire trip was paid for through the support raising of the church, all I had to do was show up. I was nervous before I left that somehow I would miss the purpose for me going on this trip. A wise friend encouraged me, saying that God uses the weak people to further His Kingdom. Another wise person in my life said that God uses us in times when we are not even aware. We just needed to be faithful. So that was my prayer, that God would be glorified through me on this trip, whether I knew it or not!
As you may have expected, this trip was an incredible experience. Having gone once before, I was anxious to see how the experiences would match up. Going on a mission trip cross-culturally allows God to speak in ways that we would most likely miss if we were in the comforts of our own culture. The speakers during the week had a HUGE focus on missions and how we fit into God's desire for all people to know Him. The men who spoke to us each morning had an INCREDIBLE heart for people all around the world. Growing up in the church, African and Chinese and Indian missionaries are always talked about in SUnday school and in services. I saw these people in a whole new light on this trip. As I allowed myself to think about ME being out in the mission field some day, it was interesting HOW QUICKLY the excuses came up. And I mean, these excuses were lame. Satan would do anything to keep the Gospel from being spread. Some of my "hesitations" to going into the mission field abroad were things like, " I can't, what if there's no sunscreen and I get extremly burned" or " I don't like to go barefoot, so how could I live in a place with no shoes and dirty, jungle land?" I was thankful that God gave me the wisdom to see that those sorts of fears and hestitations are within His ability to account for. That was a cool revelation for me, to trust that God would take care of those things if I did go.
Another lesson that the speakers talked about numerous times was the idea of making our own plans. How many people in American, from the time we're little, play our the plan of having the great American life, LIVING the American dream? From toy cars to Barbie dolls, we are bombarded with the idea that true success and happiness comes from having stuff and making a life easy for ourselves as we age. A missionary who has lived in Papau New Guinea said it this way, "Are we working for a great retirement on Earth, or an Eternal Retirement with God?" That really hit me... especially being closer to the "real world" than I have ever been. What is my greatest desire? To serve the Lord and share His freedom and saving grace with people who haven't heard it! Could God use me in a tribal setting? Could He use me in a setting outside of the continental United States? I'm not sure. I have so many things floating through my head now, it's hard to keep it straight. All I know is that GOd uses everything in life to bring us closer to Him, and closer to ways that we can bring Him the most glory.
I don't know what's in store for me, but I know that I want to give up my plans, give up my future, and have the faith to trust the Lord to put me where He wants me. I know it may sound foolish to some, and even writing it now it seems quite impossible, to give up dreams that I thought were from God. All I know is that I want to be in God's story, not my own.
To GOD be the glory, great things He has done!
As you may have expected, this trip was an incredible experience. Having gone once before, I was anxious to see how the experiences would match up. Going on a mission trip cross-culturally allows God to speak in ways that we would most likely miss if we were in the comforts of our own culture. The speakers during the week had a HUGE focus on missions and how we fit into God's desire for all people to know Him. The men who spoke to us each morning had an INCREDIBLE heart for people all around the world. Growing up in the church, African and Chinese and Indian missionaries are always talked about in SUnday school and in services. I saw these people in a whole new light on this trip. As I allowed myself to think about ME being out in the mission field some day, it was interesting HOW QUICKLY the excuses came up. And I mean, these excuses were lame. Satan would do anything to keep the Gospel from being spread. Some of my "hesitations" to going into the mission field abroad were things like, " I can't, what if there's no sunscreen and I get extremly burned" or " I don't like to go barefoot, so how could I live in a place with no shoes and dirty, jungle land?" I was thankful that God gave me the wisdom to see that those sorts of fears and hestitations are within His ability to account for. That was a cool revelation for me, to trust that God would take care of those things if I did go.
Another lesson that the speakers talked about numerous times was the idea of making our own plans. How many people in American, from the time we're little, play our the plan of having the great American life, LIVING the American dream? From toy cars to Barbie dolls, we are bombarded with the idea that true success and happiness comes from having stuff and making a life easy for ourselves as we age. A missionary who has lived in Papau New Guinea said it this way, "Are we working for a great retirement on Earth, or an Eternal Retirement with God?" That really hit me... especially being closer to the "real world" than I have ever been. What is my greatest desire? To serve the Lord and share His freedom and saving grace with people who haven't heard it! Could God use me in a tribal setting? Could He use me in a setting outside of the continental United States? I'm not sure. I have so many things floating through my head now, it's hard to keep it straight. All I know is that GOd uses everything in life to bring us closer to Him, and closer to ways that we can bring Him the most glory.
I don't know what's in store for me, but I know that I want to give up my plans, give up my future, and have the faith to trust the Lord to put me where He wants me. I know it may sound foolish to some, and even writing it now it seems quite impossible, to give up dreams that I thought were from God. All I know is that I want to be in God's story, not my own.
To GOD be the glory, great things He has done!
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