waiting to go.

I leave for Colorado for my discipleship training school through YWAM in a little over three weeks. It's interesting...of course I am excited but I am also sad about leaving Montgomery. God continues to amaze me through the people He has surrounded me with. As I think about my years in Florence--so many great friends there that love the Lord and are striving to serve Him; it is the same in Montgomery. The people God has placed in my life are amazing! I am so thankful for them!

I know that YWAM will be an awesome experience. How can it not be? Three months focused on getting to know my God better and then two months spent in ministry to Him...I know it will be better than i can imagine (and probably much harder than i think too!). I have learned that the outreach possibilities are: Mexico, Columbia, or Argentina. (Quite a bit different from my original impression that i would be somewhere in Asia...:) I do not know at this time what they will be doing in each outreach--i won't have to decide until something like the fourth week of the DTS.

But anyway, no news really for me. Just waiting to go. :) Pray that I would have ears to hear the voice of the Lord and the grace to follow Him.

Much love!

-megan

india.

wellllll.....we got back from india two and a half weeks ago now. what a trip.

lets see....JP had been there since the middle of june; jeff, jake, gary, and patrick went on the 17th; cindy and i went on the 20th; everyone else came on the 25th. what an amazing blessing it was to go early. we had the opportunity to spend time at the children's home that Jiwan and Esther are in charge of. it was amazing to see how they live day to day. they live seamlessly--as opposed to how i think of my life in america. Here it seems we are able to somehow keep up with two very different lives--one for church and one every other time. in india its all the same. church is a part of their everyday lives--naturally. it is not forced and it is not a burden. it is awesome.

so we were at the children's home a few days and were able to help esther teach (the boys all went to nepal to visit churches and villages--25 saved in one village!! :) the kids are amazing. there are about 15 kids ranging from ages 3-12ish. only two boys--they are waiting to take in more boys when they have more housing facilities.

when the rest of the group got there (july 27th) we jumped into the youth camp. the youth camp was a gathering of student aged believers from india and nepal. we were expecting around 180 and i think around 250 came! praise God! throughout the youth camp (july 27-30)we had times of worship and teaching followed by family time. each american had a family group--all girls or all boys that would discuss what matt talked about. the girls each had 20-25 and the boys had about 15-20 in each group. Praise the Lord that Selina (Jiwan's daughter who has excellent english) was in my group and my translator.

it was really an amazing experience and different from any other trip i''ve taken because we were able to really spend time with the people. both at the children's home and at the youth camp. The last night of the youth camp we did a foot washing service where we, the leaders, got to wash our family group's feet. what an incredible experience--the girls responded so sincerely. it was beautiful.

Many thanks to all who prayed for us. God did amazing things. I think one major thing was simply connecting believers to the body of Christ. Many believers there are the only one in their family, school, etc. I believe that fellowship is central to God's kingdom and some may just be starving for it there. i encourage you to continue praying for the people there. we are planning another youth conference possibly in march...

"to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." -Jude 1:25

Mark 11:24

I must share what God has done lately!

I had sent my passport away in order to get my visa, in order to go to india. this was in the middle of june. I was supposed to get everything back by the end of june. alright.

so end of june/beginning of july i keep asking my dad if its there, its not. online the fedex tracking number says it was delivered on june 27--dropped off at the door. this is like...july 6. then i call fedex and they say the dropped it off at my old apt address where no one i know lives. but i figure its alright because its probably in the office of the apts. well then on july 7 i call the offices and they say its not there. sarah goes over there (i've been out of town since june 20) and checks--she says its not there. melanie goes the next day and they say someone once had the package and it is probably now in the trash. yes. in the trash.

so i freak out. to get a new passport and visa in time would take about $600! (oh by the way people are praying as soon as i find out that the apt did not have it)

so i am talking to people, praying, doubting everything i have been planning on--going to india and after that ywam. and i talked to my mom. she told me to get my dad to go over there. he goes. meanwhile i am reading back through my journal and i read through the 11th chapters of the gospels. Mark 11:24 says: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
awesome, right?
luke 11 includes the verse about asking, knocking, seeking; and john 11 is the chapter about lazarus in which Jesus talks about the situation not ending in death but that it is for the glory of God. hope.

my dad calls and says no one is at my apt; not looking good. we pray.

about 20 minutes later my dad calls, "i have your passport in my hand!"
wow, what relief and joy i felt! assurance, confidence, trust, and thankfulness to my God.
as it turns out a maintenance man at the apts found it on the ground all folded up and just held on to it and then happened to run into my dad. God is amazing.

just thought i'd share.

I am so incredibly excited to see what my God is going to do in India!!! great things are in store. pray, pray, pray! JP is already there...part of our team is going on the 17th (4 days!)... Cindy and I are going on the 20th (one week!) ...and everyone else on the 25th (12 days!) we are all staying until aug 2. God is amazing. He is so faithful and good.

more to come...

Mark 11:24.

Eyes Wide Open

This morning i read in acts 20 about how Paul....well I'll just write it:
vs. 22-24:
"And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God."

verse 24 has always stuck out to me...but today the Holy Spirit really brought my attention to the verses before that. I think its pretty amazing and beautiful that God told Paul what was coming--bonds and affliction. Paul knew what he was getting into because the Holy Spirit told him. And he kept on because he knew that Jesus is worthy.

I really feel that God has been bringing me through a process lately of making me aware of what I will be giving up by going to these different places... i.e. DTS with YWAM. Today I met with Jeff and Trudy McFarland--the missionaries to India about the possibility of extending my visit with the group. They went through the same thing--making sure I know what I am in for. God is so cool.

So it looks like now I am planning on going to India for about 2 weeks and then preparing to leave for YWAM I guess. I have changed my mind about Australia though--I think I am going to go to a DTS in the states--most likely Denver...God willing :)

I am SO excited about India--even more so now that I am going early. so so glad. Prayers are much needed and much appreciated--for the group, the people we will talk to, travels, etc... :D

Matthew 6:33

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

A couple of years ago at Faith in Florence, AL some guest speaker was talking about Jesus--saying that His absolute number one concern was the kingdom of God. At the time I did not even comprehend it because I have been so focused on myself. But its funny how God plants seed that takes root and bears fruit sometimes much later.

I have been reading through the gospels with all the LCBF teachers at Vaughn Forest (in Montgomery now) and God has been showing me that truly He is kingdom minded. Everything Jesus did was a reflection of the kingdom of God. Which is amazing in itself because that means that the kingdom of God is all about redemption, restoration, healing, mercy, forgiveness, and truth.

Shifting paradigms....new wineskins--a new way of thinking. Shifting the focus off of myself and onto the Kingdom of God and His glory. This is my journey now.

The Passion movement is one that has had that vision all along and as I follow what they are doing it is amazing to me to see what it looks like for people live for His glory. Everything about it is different. The language they speak is one of unity and understanding of the kingdom. It is an awesome reminder that we are not alone--that it is not crazy to trust in the Lord to be our provider, strength, and Saviour. I am honored to be a part of it all through my prayers.