God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. :)
Many things have happened over the past month, and I will try to address them as best as I can.
Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to lead my first mission trip. We went to Cheney, Washington and worked at a woman and children's shelter, a homeless youth shelter, a crisis nursery, and a couple of local Baptist churches. My team consisted of 2 guys, and 6 girls. Intimidating enough I would say. But one thing I have come to notice, is that through prayer and petition God always seems to put the perfect team together, especially on mission trips. Everyone did such a fantastic job, and worked to the best of their ability, and then some! It was such an awesome, and a priveledge to lead such a fantastic group of people. We also learned how to evangelize on college campuses, and it is definitely something that I have taken back home, as well as all the other ministry tips I learned from our awesome host, Arlette. I also got to learn how to drive a 15 passenger van that just so happened to be a part of a local spanish church (as you will see in our team picture)
Other news: I knew from within the first month that I was here that God was telling me that I would be staying here longer than one semester. As of right now, I have signed up to stay another semester through December, if not longer. There is still so much work that needs to be done, and God has allowed me to be a part of it! Please continue to pray for me, and those souls here that we interact with who have not received Christ.
And now the news that everyone is waiting to hear about:
Yes there is a girl. Yes she is wonderful. And yes I am interested, to say the least. God's will is being sought continually in this process, and prayer for that process would be much appreciated. There are some complications in regards to my standing as a missionary and pursuing relationship, but I trust completely that God is faithful to reveal what to do in His timing. And that is what it is all about, Christ Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. As I continue to pray and seek His will, it is about Him and what glorifies Him. She is a wonderful, smart, funny, insightful, dignified, beautiful, and amazing woman of God. Yet despite all of these things, Christ must be the focus where are eyes are fixed. Whether God wants us to pursue this relationship now, or at a later time, it is going to be done the right way. It is a refining process to say the least. One that teaches both of us to practice patience, and to wait on Christ.
Now here is the questions, what does this process look like, not just for me, but for all Christians?
It starts first and foremost with abandoning the world's idea of relationships and dating and focusing on what God desires for a relationship. God's desire is that it would glorify His name, and as Christians it should be our heart's desire to do exactly that. It requires setting boundaries. It requires seeking Christ personally, as well as together. It requires giving up what your "perfect" list of a future spouse, and allowing God to show you his list. It is time consuming. It is not physical. It is spiritual first and foremost. I could tell you that I have been perfect in relationships in the past, but it would be a bold faced lie. But thanks be to God that He continually renews us and gives us new opportunites. And He gives you new opportunities as well.
My prayer and my hope is that first and foremost, I will stay in God's will and do what He has called me to do. Everything else will fall in place. And to be honest, that can be a little intimidating, but that is where the word "faith" comes in. As Hebrews says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Have faith my friends, for if you seek God, you learn that He is faithful.
SpreadtheWord my friends,
Phillip
