This past week was different from any of our weeks before this. The boys were serving over the mountain with one group while Heather and I stayed home most of the week. We spent a couple days with a youth group doing day camp, window washing, and similar projects. I worked at Pardue Mobile Home Park, a different type of location from what I've been serving in. Up to this point I've served in resort areas where the children are all on vacation, but the mobile home park is low income children of this area, exactly where my heart and passion is. I was told several weeks ago there was the potential of doing some nutrition related things in this mobile home park, so I was excited to get to serve there this past week and get my face in the community to hopefully begin to build some trust in the people there if there should be an opportunity to work with them in that capacity. I get to return there this week as well!
God had some things He wanted to teach me this week. It started Tuesday night with our team Bible study. Keith talked about not being hesitant; be willing to give it all up to go big for Jesus. I've been wrestling with this, because I desperately want to do that, to say yes to Him, do whatever He asks, and not walk away from Him after He tells me to sell all my possessions with my head hung low. But I'm not exactly sure what that looks like or where I go from here, from this summer. On Wednesday, Heather and I got to go over the mountain, meet the group over there, and spend the night in a hiker hostel called the Blueberry Patch owned by this wonderful couple Gary and Lennie. Lennie has so much joy all over her face. It was very inspiring to me. I would love to have that kind of confidence, joy, and love of Jesus pouring so obviously out of me onto all the people I come in contact with. And she had much wisdom to share as well. I liked when she said, "You just have to look at life like an adventure. When you're on adventure, you never get upset. You just laugh about the problems, and find a way through." What a great attitude. No wonder joy overflows from her. On Saturday in my quiet time, I read about not having a divided heart. Psalm 86:11 says, "Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name." To quote Beth Moore, "we'll never be men and women after God's own heart with half-hearted devotion. A heart wholly devoted to God is a heart like His." I also heard some really great songs by a group called According to John this weekend talking about how we as God's people need to be so in love with Him others can see it written all over us, and how we shouldn't hold anything back from Him; not our dreams, not our plans. He's writing the story and it will turn out so much better if we release the pen to Him. I've decided I want to be God's girl over and above anything else, and so now I just wait patiently and listen for His direction. Maybe someday I can be like Ms. Lennie with so much joy and wisdom to share.
The week ahead should be interesting. We have 120 youth here for Youth on Mission. My prayer is for God to move in a big way in this county this week. We're going to be spread out all over the place, with the potential to impact thousands of lives through our carnival's tomorrow and day camps and servant ministry projects the rest of the week. Please be in prayer for this week that God will be glorified, seeds will be planted and watered, everyone will have the energy they need, each person will be focused, and that we will get to see God move.
