Without a voice

The past couple of weeks, I've been without a voice, literally and figuratively! A nasty cold/infection hit several of us, making me tired, giving me a persistent cough for more than a week, and very little voice for about five days. I'm feeling much better now; please keep me and the team in your prayers for continued healing now and during outreach!

Figuratively, I've had a hard time putting my finger on where God is leading me and what He's doing in my life. Last school week (Aug 23-27) gave more of a voice to my feelings of helplessness.

Two weeks ago, we studied "Radical Discipleship". I took away two key concepts from this week. The first was a "return to the basics" of Christianity: both the root definition of "radical" AND one that fits our idea of radical = extreme. These basics focus on devotion to 1)Scripture, 2)fellowship, and 3)prayer. The second concept that stuck with me is that God is worthy of 52-card deck devotion...the whole deck! The only way we can meet all the challenges of our day is to give EVERYTHING to Him (our thoughts, decisions, emotions, worries, etc) and let Him give us and others what is needed.

Last week, we concentrated on team building. We started with a Scripture study of all the places the Bible talks about "one another" and what that looks like in reality. I encourage you to do it sometime! Then we focused on affirming all others in our group. Finally, we experienced our base's "Ropes Course" (http://www.ywamsalem.org/ropes/) that helped us focus on team building in SO many ways. My personal challenge became "leadership" and how I respond to it...especially my own leadership abilities. Please join me in prayer, asking God to reveal His desire for me in this and grow into who He wants me to be.

This week, we're learning about Spiritual Warfare and Kingdom Dynamics. I'm loving its simplicity and power...more to come next week about that. The pace all around me (including me!) is picking up as we get close to outreach time ~ I can't believe it's almost here! To get a glimpse of India, please check out my friend's webpage (http://www.harvestindia.in/) when you have a chance--you'll even find some opportunities to serve or support if God lays India on your heart. He and his family pastor in India and have been called to our school for this season.

On a serious note, I want to share my need with you as I prepare to leave the country for two months. God has been SO faithful through you to provide for my financial needs on this journey. I try not to mention the need often, but it's hard for you to know of the need unless I tell you! The amount outstanding is $3000. If God has laid this need on your heart, please see the information to the right about how you can partner with me as I represent Him in India. Praise God, He knows our needs and how to meet them!

So, to sum it up...

Praise:

* Healing! I'm grateful to have a voice and breath back!

* I've been learning SO much about myself and God in the past few weeks. Several significant steps have been made toward recognizing God's specific call for this next season of my life (see above).

* God's providence, emotionally, financially, spiritually, etc. He is faithful, and He is good.

Prayer:

* Clear direction from God during outreach as I prepare for my next step in November and beyond.

* Financial needs to be met for me and my classmates. Please specifically pray for how God will meet the financial needs of my roommate, whose fees must be paid by this Friday in order to join us for outreach.

Blessings to you!

Countdown to India

Thank you for being patient for my next post. The last three weeks have been times of great growth for me and multiple birthday celebrations for team members.

Countdown to India
The countdown is on with just over a month until we leave for India. We plan to leave September 14 and arrive the next day (this will definitely be my longest international flight yet!). Outreach and debriefing will continue for 2 months, ending on November 13. I am seeking God for His will for me following CDTS.

Though I have a lot to learn, here's a little about where we'll be. We will be based in Tiruchirappalli, called Trichy ("Tree-chee") for short, a city of 1.2 million people. India is a Hindu nation, filled with temples and colorful statues. Transportation for foreigners includes taxis, rickshaws, buses and trains. We plan to help in orphanages, teach English, share testimonies, skits, and puppet shows. Preparation for these is already moving many of us beyond our comfort zones (me included!) and God is equipping us for things we did not know we could do.

In the classroom
During the past three weeks, I've re-evaluated my "Truth Box", more deeply felt the Father Heart of God, and pondered "Who is God?". It's nearly impossible to summarize these each in a sentence or less, but I'm going to try and share what touched me most.

* I realized how many untruths/lies I'd let into my Truth Box (another way of saying "beliefs you operate from on a daily basis") and how I need to "take them out" as they're revealed to me and replace them with God's truths = two-way communication with Him SO important!

* Through multiple truths from the Bible and a more relaxed week, God ministered to my heart...I just felt more at peace, getting a clearer glimpse of how much He loves me...no matter what!

* What are my anchors/non-negotiables that I'll weigh everything in life against? - God is good. God is big. God is love. For my dear, over-analytical brain, this brought some clarity as I move forward in more training.

"Life"
Life on base has been full of typical small group and one-on-one meetings, work duty, class, studying, worship, and intercession, but we've also celebrated 4 or more birthdays (yea for surprise parties and princess birthday cakes) and relaxed at the river...marking another feat for me!

For those who don't know, I'm not a huge fan of deep ends, though I'll tolerate them. ;) So when the opportunity came to jump off a 20+ foot bridge, of course I said....YES! It was a lot of fun, though I wouldn't add it to my list of "favorite things to do" just yet. :) Don't worry ~ the water where I jumped is much deeper than it looks, I promise!


Praise
* Continued growth as a team and personally with God
* Unexpected financial contributions last month and faithful giving from others
* Good health! In community life, that's quite a feat!

Prayer points
* God to continue to open my eyes to what He wants to refine in me
* God to help me to know how to love my teammates and those on outreach as He would
* Continued financial providence ~ the remainder of my outreach fees are due August 26 and I do not have that money in hand yet ~ trusting God as He's been so faithful!