6.4.08
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold, my high tower, my savior, the one who saves me….” – 2 Samuel 22:2-3
There is such comfort in these verses. As we went to the hospital yesterday, passed out fruit in the children’s ward and the dieing ward of the hospital, it really put many things into perspective. Without Christ as my hope and salvation, without Him as my rock and strength, I am nothing, I have nothing, and I can do nothing. So much suffering with such little resources, so many empty faces who have no hope….I find myself crying out to God to make some sense of it. The darkness can feel so heavy, the people so hopeless…and many do not want to listen. It breaks my heart….the children especially. And as Katie prayed before we went in, these are the people that Jesus would have spent time ministering to…He came to bring hope to the hopeless, the sick, the dieing: spiritually and physically.
Amidst it all, though, we did meet with a women who is a Believer who Katie had talked to before. She had such a huge smile on her face as she greeted us and held Katie’s hand. She asked that we would come visit her village and preach there once she is better and able to go home. With tears in her eyes and a smile on her face she told us that we are close to her because we are a family in Jesus. What a contrast to those we had met who do not know Jesus and were not very open to listening.
Later that day we met in the park again for English club, although not many people showed up because it had been so hot that day that many were hiding at home. It was a good time of fellowship, though, as we played games and hung out together. I’m coming to relish the times of sweet fellowship with the team and those from the church who are excited about their relationship with the Lord. Lonya, Daniel, and Yadak came, as well as Delya. They are teens in the church who got saved in the past year and a half and are on fire for sharing with others and being a part of God’s work in Kyrgyzstan….they are such a blessing!
Please pray, when I came home last night I crashed with a terrible headache and stomach ache :o( I pray that I am not coming down with something…pray I keep well hydrated in this heat (it is suppose to be 45 C today!) and that God would be my strength and sustain me.
6.5.08
Our God is so good to give us exactly what we need right when we need it! In my devotions this morning my heart was desiring that God would speak to me…I feel like during my time here He has been quiet. I have been watching Him work, seeing Him grow those around me, but I want to hear His voice in the midst of this time. I have also felt at times VERY ineffective due to the language barrier, and that can be so frustrating! I never wanted to be a burden to those serving here full time…I wanted to be able to give something back to the team…to really be a part of the team while I am here.
In His faithfulness, God answered my prayers…
Several from the team, and myself, met at Jed and Renee’s house this morning to talk about children’s ministry and brainstorm ideas for the growth of the ministry and the needs of the kids (language needs, size of the group of kids, etc.). It was such a great time of being able to contribute using past experiences and drawing from how we do things at my church (both recalling the beginning days of one Sunday school class during the one service we had at our church to the present with three services and multiple classes for each age group). So many things we want to do and try out, yet my time here is quickly passing and what is left seems so short!
As I sat there and thought of different games and crafts, verse review strategies and songs, puppet and drama skits, I couldn’t help but think of all the things I would pack in a suitcase to bring back if I could return….and that is when God spoke to me. I’m still seeking Him in regards to the future, and would ask that you would do the same, but I know in my heart that He has brought me here for a purpose and that there is much to be done. Everyday seems to bring a new opportunity to share His word and equip many with the truth. I’m finally feeling like I fit with the team here and seem to have found my niche….but as to how the Lord is leading for the future, well, I am still praying. As I told Yadak today after the Wednesday night service, in response to His question of if I was coming back, “Bog zniet, ya nez zniu” (God knows, I do not know).
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold, my high tower, my savior, the one who saves me….” – 2 Samuel 22:2-3
There is such comfort in these verses. As we went to the hospital yesterday, passed out fruit in the children’s ward and the dieing ward of the hospital, it really put many things into perspective. Without Christ as my hope and salvation, without Him as my rock and strength, I am nothing, I have nothing, and I can do nothing. So much suffering with such little resources, so many empty faces who have no hope….I find myself crying out to God to make some sense of it. The darkness can feel so heavy, the people so hopeless…and many do not want to listen. It breaks my heart….the children especially. And as Katie prayed before we went in, these are the people that Jesus would have spent time ministering to…He came to bring hope to the hopeless, the sick, the dieing: spiritually and physically.
Amidst it all, though, we did meet with a women who is a Believer who Katie had talked to before. She had such a huge smile on her face as she greeted us and held Katie’s hand. She asked that we would come visit her village and preach there once she is better and able to go home. With tears in her eyes and a smile on her face she told us that we are close to her because we are a family in Jesus. What a contrast to those we had met who do not know Jesus and were not very open to listening.
Later that day we met in the park again for English club, although not many people showed up because it had been so hot that day that many were hiding at home. It was a good time of fellowship, though, as we played games and hung out together. I’m coming to relish the times of sweet fellowship with the team and those from the church who are excited about their relationship with the Lord. Lonya, Daniel, and Yadak came, as well as Delya. They are teens in the church who got saved in the past year and a half and are on fire for sharing with others and being a part of God’s work in Kyrgyzstan….they are such a blessing!
Please pray, when I came home last night I crashed with a terrible headache and stomach ache :o( I pray that I am not coming down with something…pray I keep well hydrated in this heat (it is suppose to be 45 C today!) and that God would be my strength and sustain me.
6.5.08
Our God is so good to give us exactly what we need right when we need it! In my devotions this morning my heart was desiring that God would speak to me…I feel like during my time here He has been quiet. I have been watching Him work, seeing Him grow those around me, but I want to hear His voice in the midst of this time. I have also felt at times VERY ineffective due to the language barrier, and that can be so frustrating! I never wanted to be a burden to those serving here full time…I wanted to be able to give something back to the team…to really be a part of the team while I am here.
In His faithfulness, God answered my prayers…
Several from the team, and myself, met at Jed and Renee’s house this morning to talk about children’s ministry and brainstorm ideas for the growth of the ministry and the needs of the kids (language needs, size of the group of kids, etc.). It was such a great time of being able to contribute using past experiences and drawing from how we do things at my church (both recalling the beginning days of one Sunday school class during the one service we had at our church to the present with three services and multiple classes for each age group). So many things we want to do and try out, yet my time here is quickly passing and what is left seems so short!
As I sat there and thought of different games and crafts, verse review strategies and songs, puppet and drama skits, I couldn’t help but think of all the things I would pack in a suitcase to bring back if I could return….and that is when God spoke to me. I’m still seeking Him in regards to the future, and would ask that you would do the same, but I know in my heart that He has brought me here for a purpose and that there is much to be done. Everyday seems to bring a new opportunity to share His word and equip many with the truth. I’m finally feeling like I fit with the team here and seem to have found my niche….but as to how the Lord is leading for the future, well, I am still praying. As I told Yadak today after the Wednesday night service, in response to His question of if I was coming back, “Bog zniet, ya nez zniu” (God knows, I do not know).
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