So what a week it has been...and its only Monday! :( This weekend was a wonderful roller coaster ride... extremely exciting and intensely stressful all at the same time. I now know though that I am forever loved by the Great I Am and He is always faithful! He will provide His answers when He sees fit.
Serving on the committee that seeks God's will to place college students in summer missions placements was such a blessing. I had a knot in my stomach the whole entire time because I did not want to be the reason that a student wassent to the wrong place... but here is what I learned : GOD DOESN'T ALLOW MISTAKES WHEN WE SEEK HIS WILL!!! Praise God! I had nothing to be anxious about... HE HAD IT! ALL! So by Saturday around 4:00pm, all things had been figured out and everybody was told where they get to serve our amazing God this summer... I know that many many lives will be changed through this summer! I cant wait to hear stories from all of these wonderful students! :) (And its cool to think that I get to be a sender!! I have been the goer the past few years,but now its my time to send out.. wow!)
Random lesson I learned today: Im learning to keep my mouth shut, even when I trully feel like I need to speak up...that's a hard lesson to learn! Its so hard to really feel like you need to speak your mind, and then when you do, its not received the way you had hoped and people get angry and deffensive. Ah... I will try my best to just stop and worry about myself... Let go and let GOD!
He will always provide all that I need! I trust Him to hold my hand through all things... and I trust that He will continue to teach me how to be more like Him... Even when it is not so easy to learn these lessons!
22 February 2010
18 February 2010
Prayer is Powerful
This is lesson number 11 in a 12 lesson packet that my team worked through while I was in Korea this last summer.... Its powerful! Check it out
It's not mine... aka: Im not trying to steal! Its David Smithers :) Just wanted to share it
The rest of the lessons can be found at http://thetravelingteam.com/
Apart From Prayer We Can Do Nothing
by David Smithers
The Law of Asking and Receiving
Did you know that the Kingdom of God will not come apart from PRAYER? The unreached will never hear the sweet name of Jesus without the labor of someone's Spirit-led prayers. Regardless of how things may appear on the surface, nothing of eternal value is ever released without somebody, somewhere PRAYING. Because prayer by its nature is often a HIDDEN work, being done in the SECRET closet, many come to false conclusions. Often credit is given to the more obvious and outward ministries of preaching or administration for what has actually been accomplished through prayer.
In spite of appearances, prayer is one of God's primary means of GRACE to achieve the desires of His heart. Our Lord has sovereignly chosen to govern His Kingdom by the simple law of asking and receiving. Prayer is not some human contrivance or scheme, it is the anointed strategy of God. King Jesus bids us, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives" (Matt. 7:7-8).
Today the Church and the world are both sin-sick and suffering because those who call themselves believers have not taken these promises seriously. "We have not because we ask not" (James 4:2). Hell is larger today than it was yesterday, because many of us have not prayed.
God has ordained that ALL believers everywhere should expand His Kingdom through the WORK of prayer and intercession. Jesus has emphatically instructed us ALL to pray for His Kingdom to come. (Matt. 6:10) We may not all be called to go to the ends of the earth and preach, but every one of us have been called to GO to the closet and PRAY!
Prayer that Makes a Difference
Yet what kind of prayer does God require from us? Are all prayers as equally effective? Does a mechanical two minute prayer truly usher in the Kingdom of God? The Epistle of James teaches us exactly what an effective, Kingdom prayer looks like. James writes, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit" (James 5:16-18).Effectual prayer claims the promises of God by FAITH with FERVENT and UNRELENTING passion.
James 5:18 says that Elijah prayed again and the heavens gave rain. That has to be one of the biggest understatements in the whole Bible. I Kings 18:41-45 tells us that Elijah prayed not once, not twice, but seven times before the fruitful rains of revival came. Prayer that truly affects the world around us is extremely intense and persistent. Like everything that God requires of His children, prayer must be done with ALL of our heart, ALL of our soul and ALL of our strength. (Deut. 4:29, Deut. 6:5)
The Prayer life of Jesus
Lest some should think that such prayer is only for the faithless or legalistic, let me remind you that Jesus also gave us an example of this kind of intense and fervent prayer. In Hebrews 5:7, the scriptures tell us that, "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears…" Jesus consistently gave Himself to the practice of agonizing and fervent prayer. Did Jesus weep and pray with such an intense fervency because of a lack of faith or because He was experiencing condemnation? Certainly Jesus had nothing about which to be condemned. Unlike us, He spent hours in prayer every day and never used any of that time to mourn over sin or a lack of faith.
Without question, Jesus prayed as no one else has ever prayed. The fervent prayer life of Jesus was driven by His unlimited vision of ETERNITY. (Prov. 15:11) Jesus was consumed with the sight of multitudes of lost souls, past, present and future, all rushing into the ever growing mouth of HELL. (Is. 5:14) I believe that it was this vision that gripped His heart as He knelt and prayed with broken cries and hot tears streaming down His face. Is there any other kind of prayer consistent with such an overwhelming view of eternity? Our lack of fervent prayer is the direct result of our blindness to the realities of an eternal HEAVEN and an everlasting HELL. Many of us are still motivated far too much by the temporal and sensual realm, the things we can personally see, taste and touch. "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Prov 29:18). Where there is no vision of ETERNITY, there is no prayer for the PERISHING.
Embracing the Broken Heart of Jesus
Prayer opens prison doors and preaching doors. Prayer binds the enemy and opens the heavens. Prayer is the plow that breaks up the fallow ground for the Gospel seed. Prayer ushers in the manifest glory of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Therefore, is there really any such thing as a Christian who genuinely LOVES the souls of men who fails to passionately pray for them? Can anyone truly preach about the world's unreached millions and then fail to fervently pray for them? NO, of course they can't, but I am afraid that's exactly what MANY are doing. Many, out of a false sense of accomplishment are talking and writing and preaching, while never FERVENTLY praying!
Today God the Father will witness the death of every lost man, woman and child as they slip into a burning HELL. He will observe every brutal act of child molestation, incest, murder and rape. Today His heart will be broken and tormented by every vile act of sin that happens on the face of the earth. Yet does He turn His head or hide His eyes? No, He purposely sees it all and WEEPS and grieves.
Today the heartbroken cries of Jesus are echoing throughout the heavens. Have you ever heard that haunting cry? Do you ever embrace the broken heart of Jesus? He longs for His Bride to enter into His BROKENNESS through fervent and loving prayer. The Spirit of God is crying out to each of us today, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore PRAY…" (Matt. 9:37,38)
It's not mine... aka: Im not trying to steal! Its David Smithers :) Just wanted to share it
The rest of the lessons can be found at http://thetravelingteam.com/
Apart From Prayer We Can Do Nothing
by David Smithers
The Law of Asking and Receiving
Did you know that the Kingdom of God will not come apart from PRAYER? The unreached will never hear the sweet name of Jesus without the labor of someone's Spirit-led prayers. Regardless of how things may appear on the surface, nothing of eternal value is ever released without somebody, somewhere PRAYING. Because prayer by its nature is often a HIDDEN work, being done in the SECRET closet, many come to false conclusions. Often credit is given to the more obvious and outward ministries of preaching or administration for what has actually been accomplished through prayer.
In spite of appearances, prayer is one of God's primary means of GRACE to achieve the desires of His heart. Our Lord has sovereignly chosen to govern His Kingdom by the simple law of asking and receiving. Prayer is not some human contrivance or scheme, it is the anointed strategy of God. King Jesus bids us, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives" (Matt. 7:7-8).
Today the Church and the world are both sin-sick and suffering because those who call themselves believers have not taken these promises seriously. "We have not because we ask not" (James 4:2). Hell is larger today than it was yesterday, because many of us have not prayed.
God has ordained that ALL believers everywhere should expand His Kingdom through the WORK of prayer and intercession. Jesus has emphatically instructed us ALL to pray for His Kingdom to come. (Matt. 6:10) We may not all be called to go to the ends of the earth and preach, but every one of us have been called to GO to the closet and PRAY!
Prayer that Makes a Difference
Yet what kind of prayer does God require from us? Are all prayers as equally effective? Does a mechanical two minute prayer truly usher in the Kingdom of God? The Epistle of James teaches us exactly what an effective, Kingdom prayer looks like. James writes, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit" (James 5:16-18).Effectual prayer claims the promises of God by FAITH with FERVENT and UNRELENTING passion.
James 5:18 says that Elijah prayed again and the heavens gave rain. That has to be one of the biggest understatements in the whole Bible. I Kings 18:41-45 tells us that Elijah prayed not once, not twice, but seven times before the fruitful rains of revival came. Prayer that truly affects the world around us is extremely intense and persistent. Like everything that God requires of His children, prayer must be done with ALL of our heart, ALL of our soul and ALL of our strength. (Deut. 4:29, Deut. 6:5)
The Prayer life of Jesus
Lest some should think that such prayer is only for the faithless or legalistic, let me remind you that Jesus also gave us an example of this kind of intense and fervent prayer. In Hebrews 5:7, the scriptures tell us that, "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears…" Jesus consistently gave Himself to the practice of agonizing and fervent prayer. Did Jesus weep and pray with such an intense fervency because of a lack of faith or because He was experiencing condemnation? Certainly Jesus had nothing about which to be condemned. Unlike us, He spent hours in prayer every day and never used any of that time to mourn over sin or a lack of faith.
Without question, Jesus prayed as no one else has ever prayed. The fervent prayer life of Jesus was driven by His unlimited vision of ETERNITY. (Prov. 15:11) Jesus was consumed with the sight of multitudes of lost souls, past, present and future, all rushing into the ever growing mouth of HELL. (Is. 5:14) I believe that it was this vision that gripped His heart as He knelt and prayed with broken cries and hot tears streaming down His face. Is there any other kind of prayer consistent with such an overwhelming view of eternity? Our lack of fervent prayer is the direct result of our blindness to the realities of an eternal HEAVEN and an everlasting HELL. Many of us are still motivated far too much by the temporal and sensual realm, the things we can personally see, taste and touch. "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Prov 29:18). Where there is no vision of ETERNITY, there is no prayer for the PERISHING.
Embracing the Broken Heart of Jesus
Prayer opens prison doors and preaching doors. Prayer binds the enemy and opens the heavens. Prayer is the plow that breaks up the fallow ground for the Gospel seed. Prayer ushers in the manifest glory of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Therefore, is there really any such thing as a Christian who genuinely LOVES the souls of men who fails to passionately pray for them? Can anyone truly preach about the world's unreached millions and then fail to fervently pray for them? NO, of course they can't, but I am afraid that's exactly what MANY are doing. Many, out of a false sense of accomplishment are talking and writing and preaching, while never FERVENTLY praying!
Today God the Father will witness the death of every lost man, woman and child as they slip into a burning HELL. He will observe every brutal act of child molestation, incest, murder and rape. Today His heart will be broken and tormented by every vile act of sin that happens on the face of the earth. Yet does He turn His head or hide His eyes? No, He purposely sees it all and WEEPS and grieves.
Today the heartbroken cries of Jesus are echoing throughout the heavens. Have you ever heard that haunting cry? Do you ever embrace the broken heart of Jesus? He longs for His Bride to enter into His BROKENNESS through fervent and loving prayer. The Spirit of God is crying out to each of us today, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore PRAY…" (Matt. 9:37,38)
A new habit
So now that I have started in on this whole blogging experience, it has become somewhat of a stress release/place that I can journal whats going on in the scary little place that is my mind. Its my new little habit! As of now, no one even knows that I have this blog, so its a wonderful place to "hide" Later on I will pass on this blog to friends and they can read all of my craziness, but for now... I am safe! haha :)
I am enjoying all of my snow days from student teaching! It is really strange that I am getting pretty much no experience out of this whole student teaching thing thus far, but the days off and my extra time to get things done makes up for it! I have actually had time to check things off of my to-do list! Amazing! But what I have realized is how much I love tv. It doesnt matter if its a show that is just ridiculous, I will sit for an hour or more and watch the tv. What a waste of precious time that I have here on this Earth. I know that there is sooo much more that I need to be doing, but it has become a habit. :(
Today as I was on the treadmill, I was listening to a sermon by Francis Chan, the author of Crazy Love. The message was entitled something along the lines of "the most important lesson you will ever learn". The whole point is that in order to be true, active Christians, we must study the scripture ON OUR OWN to uncover what God has in store for us! That really hit me like a ton of bricks because I have always just assumed that hearing a sermon every once and a while and just reading a little at a time was good enough. But, how can I learn more about my King, if I am not studying His letters to me? Wow! What a motivation to get in His word and trully study what it is He wants me to learn from it. (Who knew training for a half marathon could bring you closer to God?!)
Its now 3:43 am and I cant seem to sleep, so for the last hour or so I have been listening to David Nasser speak about the matter of prayer. In his sermon, he had a quote from CS Lewis that was something like "Prayer is the breathe in our spiritual lungs." Breathe and the intake of air is of course necessary for us to survive as humans. Its the same way with prayer in our survival as Christians. We must pray in order to survive (and thrive I believe)!
So... Today's lesson recap: hahaha :)
Prayer and studying the scripture is KEY to becoming more like Christ and walking with Him.... Sounds like something I have heard my whole life... Yet for some reason, I have chosen to not head these words as I should. There's some habits in my life that need to change... now!
ps- I do not usually proof-read my blogs... sorry! :)
I am enjoying all of my snow days from student teaching! It is really strange that I am getting pretty much no experience out of this whole student teaching thing thus far, but the days off and my extra time to get things done makes up for it! I have actually had time to check things off of my to-do list! Amazing! But what I have realized is how much I love tv. It doesnt matter if its a show that is just ridiculous, I will sit for an hour or more and watch the tv. What a waste of precious time that I have here on this Earth. I know that there is sooo much more that I need to be doing, but it has become a habit. :(
Today as I was on the treadmill, I was listening to a sermon by Francis Chan, the author of Crazy Love. The message was entitled something along the lines of "the most important lesson you will ever learn". The whole point is that in order to be true, active Christians, we must study the scripture ON OUR OWN to uncover what God has in store for us! That really hit me like a ton of bricks because I have always just assumed that hearing a sermon every once and a while and just reading a little at a time was good enough. But, how can I learn more about my King, if I am not studying His letters to me? Wow! What a motivation to get in His word and trully study what it is He wants me to learn from it. (Who knew training for a half marathon could bring you closer to God?!)
Its now 3:43 am and I cant seem to sleep, so for the last hour or so I have been listening to David Nasser speak about the matter of prayer. In his sermon, he had a quote from CS Lewis that was something like "Prayer is the breathe in our spiritual lungs." Breathe and the intake of air is of course necessary for us to survive as humans. Its the same way with prayer in our survival as Christians. We must pray in order to survive (and thrive I believe)!
So... Today's lesson recap: hahaha :)
Prayer and studying the scripture is KEY to becoming more like Christ and walking with Him.... Sounds like something I have heard my whole life... Yet for some reason, I have chosen to not head these words as I should. There's some habits in my life that need to change... now!
ps- I do not usually proof-read my blogs... sorry! :)
16 February 2010
Hebrews 11- The FAITH chapter
So Hebrews 11 has been on my heart and mind so much here lately. Usually when I get something weighing this heavy on my heart, I know that God is about to prove it in my life. So... This is me trying to prepare myself! :)
Hebrews 11 is considered the FAITH chapter because the word FAITH is mentioned 28 times in just 40 verse. When I read through this chapter, I cant help but see the word FAITH stick out over and over and over.... Repetition is a way that I learn things... So here it is! Laid out perfectly in Hebrews 11. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel ALL did their stuff by FAITH in Christ. Plus... Those that were tortured and refused to be released. Those that were flogged, chained, put in prison. Those that were stoned, sawed in two, were put to death by sword. Those that went about in sheepskin and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated. Wandered in deserts and mountains, in caves and holes in the ground... They all lived their lives by FAITH. The trusted the ONE True God! And here is what gets me about this whole chapter.... Verse 38 says "THE WORLD WAS NOT WORTHY OF THEM!". Wow! What a testimony of a life sold-out to Christ. These people trully took up their crosses and followed Christ no matter the cost. May this be said of us. May this be said of me! I pray that I live a life that causes God to hurry up and take me home because this sinful world is not worthy of me.... (Those are big words... and I am trying to really grasp them!) But in the mean time, may I be doing all that I can to be obedient to the God who created the whole Universe! May I always be willing to go wherever He calls and flexible to do whatever he tells me to do. I pray that I never grow stagnant in my relationship with Christ and feel that I know more than the one who crafted me. He is the only one who knows exactly what I need to be doing each second of my life.... By FAITH I can walk with Him holding my right hand.... That is Power! That is the love of my sweet Jesus!
Hebrews 11 is considered the FAITH chapter because the word FAITH is mentioned 28 times in just 40 verse. When I read through this chapter, I cant help but see the word FAITH stick out over and over and over.... Repetition is a way that I learn things... So here it is! Laid out perfectly in Hebrews 11. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel ALL did their stuff by FAITH in Christ. Plus... Those that were tortured and refused to be released. Those that were flogged, chained, put in prison. Those that were stoned, sawed in two, were put to death by sword. Those that went about in sheepskin and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated. Wandered in deserts and mountains, in caves and holes in the ground... They all lived their lives by FAITH. The trusted the ONE True God! And here is what gets me about this whole chapter.... Verse 38 says "THE WORLD WAS NOT WORTHY OF THEM!". Wow! What a testimony of a life sold-out to Christ. These people trully took up their crosses and followed Christ no matter the cost. May this be said of us. May this be said of me! I pray that I live a life that causes God to hurry up and take me home because this sinful world is not worthy of me.... (Those are big words... and I am trying to really grasp them!) But in the mean time, may I be doing all that I can to be obedient to the God who created the whole Universe! May I always be willing to go wherever He calls and flexible to do whatever he tells me to do. I pray that I never grow stagnant in my relationship with Christ and feel that I know more than the one who crafted me. He is the only one who knows exactly what I need to be doing each second of my life.... By FAITH I can walk with Him holding my right hand.... That is Power! That is the love of my sweet Jesus!
14 February 2010
My thoughts as I crossed the Pacific Ocean on my way back to America- Aug 2009
When we think about North Korea here in America our minds automatically go to nuclear bombs. We automatically think about ourselves and the danger we might be in. I thought the exact same selfish thing before I knew the real story, before I was able to meet people and hear what is truly going on in that country. North Korea is ruled by a dictator names Kim Jon Il and his family. Every home, school or business must have a picture of Kim Jon Il hanging on the wall and everyone must worship this picture or you will be executed or sent to a harsh labor camp. A recent famine has caused many people to starve to death. There is no freedom of any kind. The leading family will not help the people. They only want to brainwash them to believe that all other people groups are wrong and that they are terrorists. But the people are still hungry. They believe that there must be something better. They hear stories of people who have escaped into freedom…. A land of food! Escape is illegal. If they leave and are caught they will be tortured or killed. Still many try it. Escape is not easy. The only way out is to swim across a river, which must be done under the cover of night in order to get passed the snipers who sit ready to shoot anyone they catch. Still many risk it. If they make it into China they must hide in fear of being caught and being returned to North Korea. I heard stories from girls who had made it into China but were victims of human trafficking. In fact, statistics show that 80% of all females (no matter the age!!) are sold into the sex trade. One of my students was a victim of human trafficking at the age of 14. Another at the age of 12. Many boys try their best to find work in order to get food, but if they are caught they will be sent back to face torture in a labor camp. I heard a testimony from a North Korean friend of mine who’s English name is Joe. He said that when he was in high school he was walking home from school and saw a public execution. Three men had been hung on crosses…. Because they had stolen food!! At that point Joe decided to leave North Korea in search of peace. He left without even telling his family. He crossed the river safely into China and found a job as a slave on a rice farm. As a slave he was fed very little, allowed to sleep very little and he even had to brush his masters teeth. He hated life. He was still searching for something more. That’s when he met a missionary in China who helped him get to South Korea. In South Korea he became a student at the school I taught at this summer, and there he met another missionary who led him to Christ!! Joe finally found the peace he had been searching for!! My friend is now preparing to return to North Korea in order to be a missionary and tell his people about the peace that comes with knowing Christ!!
The North Koreans I worked with this summer have story’s that broke my heart, but what hurts even more is to know that people are dying at this very moment without the knowledge of Christ! I had the privilege of living with a sweet girl names Stella for a week this summer. Stella became a Christian one year ago after arriving at the school I taught at this summer. Stella is a girl full of passion!! But she was not always that way. Growing up in North Korea she was very hungry and always felt depressed. Her family would pull bark off of trees and boil it in order to have something in her belly. As time went on there was no bark left on trees. So she went hungry. She felt unloved by anyone. She needed more. She needed to know what else was in the world. She finally made it to South Korea after a long, harsh journey. After learning about Christ at our school, she tried to run from God. She didn’t believe that He loved her because of all the bad things that had happened in her life. After realizing she could not make it on her own, she submitted her life to The Almighty. A year later I sat with her in her bedroom and every night we would read The Bible together and pray for North Korea. The last night I lived with her she asked through broken English for me to pray for her family that was still suffering in North Korea. She asked for me to pray that God would send manna down into North Korea just like He had supplied for the Israelites. WOW! When it was her turn to pray, she was weeping and rocking back and forth. I have never seen anyone pray with such passion. She wasn’t just praying for herself or her family. She was praying for a whole nation!! She was praying that people would receive food so that they could stay alive until they could hear about Christ! I believe that a prayer like that requires a BIG faith!! James 2:5 fits very well. “Listen, my dear brothers: has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised to those who love him?” These students who have come to know Christ in the midst of all have such a BIG faith…. True faith!! Learning to have faith is one of the many lessons God taught me this summer through the North Koreans.
I also learned how to love. I learned how to truly love others and Christ by watching my precious orphans. While I was in Korea I actually “adopted” a child. This sweet girls name is Anna Mae. Anna Mae came to South Korea with her real mom in order to find food, but mostly to escape her harsh family like. Anna Mae’s father used to abuse her mentally and physically because she was a girl. This left Anna Mae broken and when she arrived in South Korea she was very malnourished. Now today she is struggling with an eating disorder because she still believes some of the things her father said to her. I’m thankful that I have also struggled with an eating disorder because it really opened doors for me to minister to her. Anna Mae now knows the love of a true father!! Praise God! Another thing about Anna Mae is that she taught me how to love with my whole heart. Anna Mae was the first North Korean that I told that I loved them because I had heard that none of the students would love us because one- we are Americans and two- because they know that we would just leave them. When I told Anna Mae that I loved her she said “me too very very love you!” From that day on the other teachers called her my shadow because she was always right beside me.
I believe that my love for God grew 100% throughout the course of the summer. As I was able to spend time in The Word, I realized that loving God completely was a very important part of my relationship with Christ that I had just left out for too long. Yes of course I knew him, but I don’t believe I was truly in love with Him! The summer was not easy and many trials came, but through it all, my Savior was still my Savior! From days spent weeping over a death by starvation to hearing stories of 13 years olds being raped, my heart was constantly hurting…. Yet in the midst of that, God’s love still remained! I learned through the hard times that I could do nothing but lean on Him!
One of my favorite memories from the summer would have to be listening to my orphans cry out “Abogee!!” (Which means Father) while they were praying. Another would be one day asking a student where he’s going when he dies and him saying “to the top!” Another would be praying with my teammates while we stood looking at North Korea. Another would be having a student ask me if I had a boyfriend because I had a ring on my ring finger. I told her “No. Boyfriend Jesus”. She said “OHH I want boyfriend Jesus!!” And yet another would be having one of our newest students come to know Christ at the English Revival Camp I worked at my last week in Korea. This student came to South Korea after spending a long time working in China. When he first came to our school he actually wanted to go back to China because of all the discrimination he felt in South Korea. At the camp he came forward after the message and asked to be prayed for. Then the speaker told the students that if they wanted to be saved to come forward again, and here comes that same student. Oh I’m so thankful for the blessed opportunity to pray with him each time he came forward. Praise God that this boy now knows a true and everlasting joy and praise God that he can now take this good news back into China!!
This summer was not comfortable… I mean how comfortable can you be when you eat dog, squid, eel, octopus and seaweed on a daily basis? But God proved to me that being broken and uncomfortable was exactly right where I needed to be. That’s where I pray that we get in America. I want to be completely broken so that I have nothing to do except turn to Christ.
God has big plans for North Korea. I pray that God will one day give me the opportunity to go into North Korea and tell the good news but until that day comes, I will be praying. Praying for manna to fall, praying for Kim Jon Il and his family to be saved, and praying that another person will not starve to death before hearing about God!
Please join me!! We must rise together in order to proclaim the saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior to all nations. We have missing family members our there….. Let’s go get them!
The North Koreans I worked with this summer have story’s that broke my heart, but what hurts even more is to know that people are dying at this very moment without the knowledge of Christ! I had the privilege of living with a sweet girl names Stella for a week this summer. Stella became a Christian one year ago after arriving at the school I taught at this summer. Stella is a girl full of passion!! But she was not always that way. Growing up in North Korea she was very hungry and always felt depressed. Her family would pull bark off of trees and boil it in order to have something in her belly. As time went on there was no bark left on trees. So she went hungry. She felt unloved by anyone. She needed more. She needed to know what else was in the world. She finally made it to South Korea after a long, harsh journey. After learning about Christ at our school, she tried to run from God. She didn’t believe that He loved her because of all the bad things that had happened in her life. After realizing she could not make it on her own, she submitted her life to The Almighty. A year later I sat with her in her bedroom and every night we would read The Bible together and pray for North Korea. The last night I lived with her she asked through broken English for me to pray for her family that was still suffering in North Korea. She asked for me to pray that God would send manna down into North Korea just like He had supplied for the Israelites. WOW! When it was her turn to pray, she was weeping and rocking back and forth. I have never seen anyone pray with such passion. She wasn’t just praying for herself or her family. She was praying for a whole nation!! She was praying that people would receive food so that they could stay alive until they could hear about Christ! I believe that a prayer like that requires a BIG faith!! James 2:5 fits very well. “Listen, my dear brothers: has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised to those who love him?” These students who have come to know Christ in the midst of all have such a BIG faith…. True faith!! Learning to have faith is one of the many lessons God taught me this summer through the North Koreans.
I also learned how to love. I learned how to truly love others and Christ by watching my precious orphans. While I was in Korea I actually “adopted” a child. This sweet girls name is Anna Mae. Anna Mae came to South Korea with her real mom in order to find food, but mostly to escape her harsh family like. Anna Mae’s father used to abuse her mentally and physically because she was a girl. This left Anna Mae broken and when she arrived in South Korea she was very malnourished. Now today she is struggling with an eating disorder because she still believes some of the things her father said to her. I’m thankful that I have also struggled with an eating disorder because it really opened doors for me to minister to her. Anna Mae now knows the love of a true father!! Praise God! Another thing about Anna Mae is that she taught me how to love with my whole heart. Anna Mae was the first North Korean that I told that I loved them because I had heard that none of the students would love us because one- we are Americans and two- because they know that we would just leave them. When I told Anna Mae that I loved her she said “me too very very love you!” From that day on the other teachers called her my shadow because she was always right beside me.
I believe that my love for God grew 100% throughout the course of the summer. As I was able to spend time in The Word, I realized that loving God completely was a very important part of my relationship with Christ that I had just left out for too long. Yes of course I knew him, but I don’t believe I was truly in love with Him! The summer was not easy and many trials came, but through it all, my Savior was still my Savior! From days spent weeping over a death by starvation to hearing stories of 13 years olds being raped, my heart was constantly hurting…. Yet in the midst of that, God’s love still remained! I learned through the hard times that I could do nothing but lean on Him!
One of my favorite memories from the summer would have to be listening to my orphans cry out “Abogee!!” (Which means Father) while they were praying. Another would be one day asking a student where he’s going when he dies and him saying “to the top!” Another would be praying with my teammates while we stood looking at North Korea. Another would be having a student ask me if I had a boyfriend because I had a ring on my ring finger. I told her “No. Boyfriend Jesus”. She said “OHH I want boyfriend Jesus!!” And yet another would be having one of our newest students come to know Christ at the English Revival Camp I worked at my last week in Korea. This student came to South Korea after spending a long time working in China. When he first came to our school he actually wanted to go back to China because of all the discrimination he felt in South Korea. At the camp he came forward after the message and asked to be prayed for. Then the speaker told the students that if they wanted to be saved to come forward again, and here comes that same student. Oh I’m so thankful for the blessed opportunity to pray with him each time he came forward. Praise God that this boy now knows a true and everlasting joy and praise God that he can now take this good news back into China!!
This summer was not comfortable… I mean how comfortable can you be when you eat dog, squid, eel, octopus and seaweed on a daily basis? But God proved to me that being broken and uncomfortable was exactly right where I needed to be. That’s where I pray that we get in America. I want to be completely broken so that I have nothing to do except turn to Christ.
God has big plans for North Korea. I pray that God will one day give me the opportunity to go into North Korea and tell the good news but until that day comes, I will be praying. Praying for manna to fall, praying for Kim Jon Il and his family to be saved, and praying that another person will not starve to death before hearing about God!
Please join me!! We must rise together in order to proclaim the saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior to all nations. We have missing family members our there….. Let’s go get them!
It's all starting to feel more real
Just this last week, I received confirmation that I will be going to spend one year with my sweet Koreans! I received the e-mail early one morning when I was getting ready to go teach my precious Pre-K class, and honestly, I shouted for joy! If you have talked to me in the last month, you have probably heard me request prayer about this matter. I have known that I WANT to go back to Korea, but I still sure what GOD WANTED for me. I knew that in His own perfect timing He would reveal His perfect plan to me, but it's very hard for me to be patient sometimes.... Especially when graduation is just weeks away! I didn't want to be that person that is sitting at graduation and still wondering what in the World I'm going to be doing. This, of course, was just me trying to control a life that belongs to the One who created the whole Universe. He's got it all under control... ALL the time! :)
So the planning for a year in Korea has begun. I will soon be receiving my placement and will be buying my plane ticket and insurance and I have told my family... and I am SO thankful that they trust God and believe that He will talk me wherever He leads me. I am so beyond blessed to have a family that trully supports me with whatever it is I am doing. I will say that telling my grandmother was a completely different experience.... Hardest thing I think I have done in a long time! We started the conversation by talking about The Bachelor ( of course we both agree that Vienna needs to leave!) and then I tried to make a smooth transition into telling her that I will be leaving for a year.... Not smooth! I heard her gasp for air and say "Oh Laura!". I continued telling her that I will be in a safe place that has hospitals and plenty of food (the thing any granny worries about for their babies! :)). I told her that it is only one year and we can manage to do anything for one year! As she began to talk, I could hear the tremble in her voice... The sound that has the power to break any heart! She said "I will not ever say I am happy about this, but I will tell you that I always want you to be happy." Not exactly what I wanted to hear... And that is when I began to cry. I know that this sweet lady loves me with all of her heart, and I am so thankful that she does! It just makes it so hard to know that I am "disappointing" her by not staying in Tennessee and getting a comfortable job and living in a comfortable house close to comfortable people. I love that lady and would never want to do anything against her... But when I feel that going with what she "demands" is going against God... It's time to call it quits! I MUST obey God with all of my being. I am HIS! This life is not my own. I will, until He calls me HOME, work with all I am to strive to glorify God through knowing Him and making Him known to others of ALL nations. I trust Him... with my everything! I want the world to see that... I hope the world sees that.
I'm praying for Manna to fall into North Korea so that the people will not continue to starve... But even more than that... I am praying that God sends workers into that mission field so that the people will not have to go another day without knowing about The Father (Abogee) who loves them and wants to show them true and everlasting joy. My God is BIG enough to do all!
The (uncomfortable) Cost of being His Disciple:
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-- yes, even his own life- he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26-27
So the planning for a year in Korea has begun. I will soon be receiving my placement and will be buying my plane ticket and insurance and I have told my family... and I am SO thankful that they trust God and believe that He will talk me wherever He leads me. I am so beyond blessed to have a family that trully supports me with whatever it is I am doing. I will say that telling my grandmother was a completely different experience.... Hardest thing I think I have done in a long time! We started the conversation by talking about The Bachelor ( of course we both agree that Vienna needs to leave!) and then I tried to make a smooth transition into telling her that I will be leaving for a year.... Not smooth! I heard her gasp for air and say "Oh Laura!". I continued telling her that I will be in a safe place that has hospitals and plenty of food (the thing any granny worries about for their babies! :)). I told her that it is only one year and we can manage to do anything for one year! As she began to talk, I could hear the tremble in her voice... The sound that has the power to break any heart! She said "I will not ever say I am happy about this, but I will tell you that I always want you to be happy." Not exactly what I wanted to hear... And that is when I began to cry. I know that this sweet lady loves me with all of her heart, and I am so thankful that she does! It just makes it so hard to know that I am "disappointing" her by not staying in Tennessee and getting a comfortable job and living in a comfortable house close to comfortable people. I love that lady and would never want to do anything against her... But when I feel that going with what she "demands" is going against God... It's time to call it quits! I MUST obey God with all of my being. I am HIS! This life is not my own. I will, until He calls me HOME, work with all I am to strive to glorify God through knowing Him and making Him known to others of ALL nations. I trust Him... with my everything! I want the world to see that... I hope the world sees that.
I'm praying for Manna to fall into North Korea so that the people will not continue to starve... But even more than that... I am praying that God sends workers into that mission field so that the people will not have to go another day without knowing about The Father (Abogee) who loves them and wants to show them true and everlasting joy. My God is BIG enough to do all!
The (uncomfortable) Cost of being His Disciple:
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-- yes, even his own life- he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26-27
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