The Next Chapter(?)

Hello!!

So I know you are all itching to find out what's next now that I am back to the USA.

Well, here it goes....

{Warning: ALL plans shared in this blog are subject to change according to the Master's prerogative... but then again, you already knew that ;) }

I am moving to Florida until the end of January. After that I'm bound back to Southampton, England for two years.

The Story:

As you all know, ever since the Summer of 2009 I always felt the conviction that I was to move back to England but hadn't the clarity as to what part of the country God wanted me at. Well this Summer its been made evident to me that Southampton is the place God wants me to move to. While I was there in October I spoke with the pastor of Calvary Chapel and asked him if there was the possibility to come back, to which he was very open to and gave me a positive response.

Now what? The Immigration laws in England have change since I last lived there- the process is a lot more complicated.

What does that mean? It means that any organization wanting to bring an immigrant over to the country needs to apply and be approved for a special license with the government. It includes, of course a lot of paper work. After this process is finished THEN I can apply to the UK Border Agency for a visa- which also includes a lot of paper work.

So, this next few months I will be gathering the information pertaining to all these processes, applying and praying that everything gets done correctly and speedily.

Prayer Request:

• That I would find all the information I need before applying
• That all application forms would be filled out correctly
• That the applications would be processed speedily
• That all the finances necessary for this venture would come in
• That I would stay focus and encouraged through this whole process
• That God would continue to open doors for me to share His good news :)

Thank you sooooo much for your love and support!!

You are a blessing to my soul, I cherish all of your prayers.

Back to the Future...

Walking around kicking dry leaves under a beautiful blue sky on a crisp Autumn day; that was my afternoon on the last day in England... I love how God cares about the little details of life that make me smile, He is awesome!

I arrived to Washington DC last night. Thank you for your prayers about safe travel.

My time in England was wonderful. I learnt that God is faithful even when we are faithless. When I am tired and feel like I cannot possibly go on, He takes me by the hand and says: 'Come on beautiful, do not be afraid, I am with you, I will see you through. Remember it is not about your strength but about My power being made perfect in your weakness. My GRACE is SUFFICIENT.'

Oh how He loves me!!

I learnt that love's beauty is not about perfection but about forgiveness and acceptance. I learnt, as Elizabeth Elliot wrote once, I have 'chosen the hardest road, but it goes straight to the top'. I learnt that in this world there is nothing more precious than the love of God and that God's heart, the secret place, is the safest place I could ever be. The world may pass away (and indeed it will) but His word remains. The mountains may crumble (and indeed they will) but His promises are sure. The world may be against us (and indeed it will)but greater is He who is in us than he who is the the world ;)

So then, what is the conclusion of the matter?

"Fear God and keep His commandments..." (Eccl 12:13)

FOR

"He cannot deny Himself..." (2 Tim 2:13c)

"...the Lord...He is good!" (Psalm 118:1)

"the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but [His] kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall [His] covenant of peace be removed..." (Isaiah 54:10)

So what then, dear reader?, what shall I encourage you to do? Trust Him! Trust Him with all of your body, mind and soul. Trust Him so much you lose yourself completely in who He is. Trust His guidance, even when the world tells you it is absolutely impossible, even when they say you have lost your mind, love Him and rely on His word...

... it is then, that you will walk on water ;-)

Israel...

Where should I start?...

Israel was great. There were over 1,000 people at the convocation... some from countries I'd never even heard of. My favorite part were the prayer watches with ppl from all over Europe, praying for Israel and our respective countries. We got to see a bit of the land and go to places like the Temple Mount and the Sea of Galilee.

The atmosphere in Jerusalem was obviously tense. It was heartbreaking to see the Jewish people walking around doing all these rituals without understanding and then seeing the young generation scoffing at the older for believing in such things... It was just odd, I wanted to shout and ask them: 'Don't you know who you are?!!'

Cool story though: On the plane on our way from England to Israel a secular Jew sat by me (a secular Jew is a Jew that doesn't follow Judaism). He moved to Israel from Russia 20 years ago, at that time he was about 10 years old. He asked me why I was going to Jerusalem and boy, oh boy, that was the start of a 5 hour conversation about God, how He relates to us, how much he loves us and about Jesus Christ. It was awesome :) I wish I could tell you he made a decision for Christ right there and then but he didn't, so pray for him!! I sensed a lot of his understanding was broadened-both intellectually and in the heart- by our talk but of course, faith comes from God. Pray that God gives him the faith to believe.

Thank you so MUCH for ALL your prayers, they were very effective. Things couldn't have gone more smoothly and we were all so blessed by the unity in the group (no doubt thanks to your prayers).
God bless you!!!!!!!

At the moment....

I have not had a chance to sit down and write a post about what's been going on (but I will, SOON!)

So I just wanted to write a quick note to let you know where I've been and where I'm at...

Arrived from Israel a week and a half ago. Israel was fantastic :)

Been in England since then, at Southampton. Being in Southampton feels so good, like coming back home. It was fresher's week this past week, so the town is buzzing with students again which is great fun. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel.

That's all for now...

Write to you soon! :-)