Our God is so powerful. Earlier this week my team of 7 girls led our Bible study. We shared about how praying out loud is extremely powerful and important. How there’s power in our words and we can either speak life or speak death. We talked about the importance of anointing the rooms we walk into. To kick anything out that doesn’t bear fruit, and cast anything out that’s not from Him. At least our team is going to do that in every location we go. We talked about believing God can do what we ask of Him. He can do miracles, and we just need to have faith. We shared about our authority in Christ and how we can partner with the Holy Spirit to exercise that authority. 

We shared with our squad how the Lord told us to pray against night terrors over some of the girls. We went into a time of worship and prayed over one another. Sometime this week we are going to go out again and pray over these spaces, and these kids. Where they eat, pray, sleep, and play. The Lord wants to do a work here, and we are ready and excited to be used by Him. 

The Lord has put it on some of our hearts that he wants to fill people with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I have known for a couple months that a lot of people aren’t, or don’t know a whole lot about it. I also know that God wants to fill people and He wants to empower us for ministry. Me and my friend Jayna have been talking about it and praying about it. I know the Lord wants to do it, and Jayna had a vision of us praying over one another and people receiving. How good is our God. I have been gathering some information to do a teaching on it. We don’t know how or when or where, but we know God wants to work, and He wants to move. 

I also have been in a unique but beautiful spot with the Lord. As some of you may know, I had liked this boy on our trip since day 1. We did pursue each other for a while, until we realized it was a distraction, and our eyes weren’t fully fixed on Jesus. I had gone back and forth so many times, but the Lord kept telling me to trust Him. We had tried to step back from each other many times, but it never seemed to work. It was always 1 step back and then 2 forward. We were both tired of it not working and frustrated with one another. There were many things I knew we both needed to grow in. We had decided late last week to not pursue each other anymore. It was a good decision based on how much we both still need to be disciplined before either of us are ready for a lifelong relationship. 

I know nothing is wasted in the Kingdom, and I am just excited for how God uses it. I have been experiencing peace through the storm because my eyes are on Jesus. That doesn’t mean feelings aren’t there, but a peace that this is the right decision and it’s what God wants. I’ve been trying to respond how Jesus would ~ and that’s to take it to the Father. Having him hold me and take care of me, sending others to process with and pray with. I’ve been thinking a lot about what God originally intended for us, and what He wants to happen now. Me and him were both supposed to go to Africa, and from the worlds’ view they would say that can’t happen anymore. But that’s not what God says. If He still wants us to go, we will go. And I feel overwhelming peace surrounding that because I am acting in obedience to the Father. 

I am leaning on the Lord for strength in new ways this semester. That doesn’t mean it isn’t easy, but honestly, lifting my eyes to Him is the easiest thing I’ve ever done. Despite being tossed among the wind and waves, I am walking on water. These lessons have been so good to learn, even if I have had to learn them the hard way. I have seen a number of people on this trip get to the point where they just want Jesus. The song, “Love Note” by Upper Room has been on repeat for me this week. It talks about how Jesus prepares a table for us, and He just wants to be with us. How He longs to spend time with us and share a meal. He is jealous for us. He has been sad that I have put my attention on anything other than Him, and the second we break eye contact He longs to have it back. One of the hardest lessons I have had to come to terms with, is that we can’t do that for anyone else. No matter how hard we try, we can’t lift anyone else’s eyes up. I have tried to do that with so many people, I have tried to help lift their eyes to Jesus. But what I didn’t realize is that took mine off of Him, and I was sinking. And He really does do anything to chase us down and get us back. 

He removes things in our life that are keeping us from Him. A lot of people, myself included, make excuses because we can have idols and still love the Lord. But the idols are blocking our full view of Jesus. They are impairing our vision. They are causing us to sink, and maybe even drown. There is still hope in Jesus, because He loves us enough to chase us down, and make us lie down in green pastures. But I would encourage you to ask the Lord to make you aware of the idols in your life, and ask Him to remove them. Burn your idols. One of the hardest things is that a lot of times, these idols are good things. They are things that do bring glory to the Lord, that make us rely on Him, and grow our relationship with Him. But they are still impairing our vision, and keeping us from the full view and presence of the King. He can still move and grow us while that’s happening, but let me tell you, that is nowhere near the amount of work He can do when it’s just you and Him. When your one and only goal is Jesus, nothing else in this world matters. Truly you could be put in any single situation; homeless, sick, in poverty, alone - and it wouldn’t matter because the God of the universe has full control. 

So ask yourself, if any of those things were to happen, would you be okay? Would you have peace? When the storms are life altering are you wavering with them or are you walking on the water? Where are your eyes wandering? Are you letting Jesus hold you? Do you want God's plan for your life more than you want Him? 

I was talking to one of our coaches today, Karen Kang. We had a great discussion about these concepts. This morning our group prayed over the orphanage again. At the end we met to discuss and close out in prayer. My prayer is that the Lord begins to burn our idols. That He removes them, and takes them away without us having a say in it. That we may begin to empower each other rather than enable one another. Oftentimes things obstructing our view of Him are good things, so we don’t even think of removing them ourselves. But God is gracious enough to get rid of them, because He cares about our heart more than anything else. He knows it will be to our detriment if we can’t see or hear Him fully. My prayer is that He begins to slowly make us aware and remove the things clogging us up. 

Here and now the Lord has shown us that some things are clogging us up. Some things are creating blockage which is keeping us from hearing God and seeing Him work. My prayer is that He begins to clear the lines and flush them out. That actually happened this week. They had to turn our water off, open the pipes, and flush them out. The thing creating blockage - a tamale leaf. Now why in the world would someone do such a thing? No idea. That is symbolic for what has been happening here. Would you all join me in praying against that? For God to reveal to us and remove the things impairing our view, clogging the lines, and causing chaos. 

Tomorrow, we head to San Cristobal for a week. We are leaving these kids, but we are leaving them in God’s hands. We are partnering with YWAM and staying at their base, and joining their ministry for the week. We do have our final Broken Rib Coffee College capstone presentation tomorrow. There is an adult group here from Canada, and a high school group arriving tomorrow as well. We are doing our presentations in front of all of them. I am sad to leave these kids not knowing if I am going to see them again. But all I can pray for is that God continues to take care of them, provide for them, and water the seeds that have been planted. I know God has big plans for them, and He will provide. I am thankful I had the opportunity to come here, meet them, and love them. Until next time!