Rock-Solid

"The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted." Ps 18:46

At the moment life is a blur. Time seems to speed up and I can barely catch my breath. The Lord is wonderful and worthy to be praised. I stand back in awe at all the opportunities He has given me this week to share about His faithfulness with people.

Thank you for your prayers that God would open doors to share!! They definitely made it to heaven and were answered ;)

KEEP AT IT!!

The scoop:

I was just in San Diego, California to see my friends, touch base, and let everybody know what God's been doing plus what I feel His is leading me into for these next 2 years. It was a mission accomplished. (If you don't know what I'm talking about please refer to: "The Next Chapter(?)" post so you can be updated)

I got to share with so many people I've lost count- I love that, shouting from the rooftops that which He's told me in secret.

I got to share with three home fellowships, a class of 7th graders and address the congregation at HCF on both services!! Not to mention the countless one-on-ones I had... the week ran out before I was able to meet with everyone I wanted to talk to.

It was a beautiful and special time to be able to connect like that with my spiritual family in San Diego.

Prayer Request:

- That God would grow the seeds that were planted this week, encouraging ppl to follow God with their whole heart
- God would restore my physical strength
- Safe flight back east :)
- MORE opportunities to share!!

I love you all :)

One day I'll be a grown-up

or at least so I've been told

But for now, here I am

dreaming of running through flower fields

and galloping half way across the world

hmmm...

The thing is, one never knows

so we might as well try our best now, in the present

So who cares if it doesn't work out?

Do you really want to live with regrets for the rest of your life?

They don't make very good companions....

They are like bratty children

or worse

they laugh at you for eternity, nagging you.... kicking you while you are down

No siree... you can keep all of them to yourself if you really want them

Let me go and fly away... onwards and upwards

beyond the clouds, where all you see is light

I do not want to be tied down to the cares of this world

The worries that choke the life out of many people

The anxiety that causes one to be paralyzed

Let us let go, guys

Let us let go 'of the sin that so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that has been set before us'

Let us let go of this world and become 'other-worldly'

(most churches would call that being 'heavenly minded'.....)

whatever-

let us just transcend into that which we were always fashioned for: live life abundantly

Let me be rid of the stuff that weighs me down

The fears, the insecurities, the what 'ifs' of this life

Let me live with endurance, with boldness

Let me live beyond my expectations

Let me live like nothing else matters but the eternal

(which, by the way, if you didn't know, IS the truth... nothing else matters BUT the eternal)

I want to love with passion

I want to give with sacrifice

I want to be a good friend

I want to be an exceptional daughter

I want to love Him until I dissolve in His presence

I want to see His face

I want to sing His praise

I want to give myself away to Him until there is nothing left in me but that which reflect Him

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" Proverbs 3:5-6

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! :-)