the Vine

Today, I'm heading back to work for the first time since SEND training. I decided earlier this week that every Friday night shift, whatever I make is going to go into my account for Japan. I spent yesterday evening making pins to wear. I feel creative--you'd be surprised just how hard it is to find ways to make buttons! I thought there were kits, but alas, neither Michaels nor JoAnn's sold them. So I bought three small pieces of wood and some safety pins. Surprisingly enough, they turned out pretty well! One is a Japanese flag, the other says "Ask me about Japan!" I thought that might be a good way to start conversation and share specifically what I'm doing with some of my regulars, especially.

My roommates and I are doing Beth Moore's study on the fruits of the spirit. This morning, the lesson started with John 15--the passage about the Vine and the branches. This passage has come up several times in the past few weeks and each time it strikes a different chord in me. Today, it was in conjunction with finding joy in the Lord. By remaining in Him and obeying His commands, our joy is made complete. Beth lists several things that could pull us away from joy in the Lord and as I read, I marked a dot by each item I could see myself potentially falling into once I reach Japan. By the end of the list, I had a dot by each of the five items. Rereading it, I realized that these are each items we had discussed this week in training. Here they were, pulled together.

So, here is where I need initial prayer. That once I am overseas, I would remain in the Vine. That my joy would be complete in Him as I remain in His word and obey His commands. Of course, please pray for support, as well. I'm currently working on my first letter and since this is my first ever letter asking for support, I feel like I'm bumbling through it. Pray that God would speak through me in what I write.

Thank you for your support and excitement! Encouragement is always needed.
I love you :)

Exodus

I had intended to title this entry "Genesis." In the beginning, and all that. However, as I started typing, I realized that this isn't the beginning. This is the middle. Not only the middle of my training with SEND, but the middle of my journey. This is my own personal Exodus to my Promised Land.

Months ago, when I first knew that I wanted to go somewhere, is when I started the journey. The prayer and the uncertainty and the trust. I knew I wanted to go somewhere, but was that what God had for me? I remember listening to Downhere's "Here I am," which echoes the words of Isaiah 6:8, and crying that to the Lord. Lord, I want to go. Send me! And He opened doors. It felt like a long time, but now, looking at the time frame from when I began to feel the tug to when I will return from my short term trip, it will have been just a little over a year. That's not very long at all!

That just goes to show that when the Lord wants something done, He makes it happen!

I'm thoroughly enjoying training thus far. It's stretching and challenging--this is a new world for me! I never, ever thought I would be a missionary! Creating presentations, creating a formal testimony, raising support--it's a lot to take in. But I'm loving every minute of it. And I'm realizing every second that the Lord will speak through me. If I have learned anything from my past, it is that the Lord's glory shines most brightly through my weakness. And these last two days, He's reminded me quite outright--even a few minutes ago when I practiced my testimony with Lisa. As soon as I finished, I sat back in my chair and just wondered how all of that flowed from me.

The Lord works through our weakness.

During one of yesterday's session we listened to a short presentation via cd. I'll leave you with words that I found striking:

If you are not a missionary now, you will not be a missionary then.
If you are not a missionary here, you will not be a missionary there.
Nothing magical happens on the plane.