Recently I spent a weekend traveling. Now you would think that that is nothing special, but I traveled in seven states in four days. This week has been exhausting to say the least, but those few days were something that I needed.
First, the campus ministering crew drove from Lincoln to Chicago for the Camp Ministries Convention. A three day retreat for Campus Ministries from all the Adventist schools to come together and share ideas and talk about Jesus. They picked the theme of Follower and man, it was just what I needed to hear. As leaders we sometimes get caught up in leading this and leading that, but we need to stop and remember that we are followers first. Followers of Christ.
My second stop was a flight to Spokane where I then drove to Hayden Lake, ID for camp leadership training. It was great to be able to come together and show the other leadership staff my vision for this summer. My vision for this summer is for kids to leave camp knowing Jesus. Plain and simple. Camp will look different this year, but what I have learned through my life is that a different way is good, even if it is a hard way. Look at Jesus' life. It was different in a very hard, but good, way.
The last and final stop was back to Chicago for The One Project. What a blessing that was. To hear so many different speakers talk about what God has placed on their hearts was thought provoking and mind altering.
One speaker in particular stuck out. Her name is Brandy Kirstein. Now you must understand that Brandy came and did a Power Pac at my college and it was rough around the edges to say the least. Not many of the students seemed too fond of her, but wow, she brought the Word at The One Project! She talked about how the church needed unity and how unity was not about what we agreed on but how we disagree on things. How in the end, even though we have our differences we are all working for the same goal and need that unity to accomplish it. Our church really does seem to be hurting for this. (Even Doug Batchelor would believe in women's ordination after hearing this girl!)
All in all, I walked away from this weekend never wanting to leave Chicago and those people, spiritually refreshed and ready, and once again longing to be doing so much more than I am. I learned, I grew, I renewed. God is good.
She is just a girl and she loves blindly and recklessly, even if it consumes her.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
This Heart Was Made For...
Today, when I logged on Facebook I read a post from my friend who is in Cambodia as a student missionary. She was knifed and robbed. It wasn't that she was alone and walking where she shouldn't be, she was with a friend when someone decided they should take matters into their own hands. She is doing okay but will have a nice big scar. I told her that in Heaven, her and Jesus can share their scar stories :)
All of this could not have happened at a better time. (There is never a good time for it, but if there were it was now) I have just recently started to tell my mom about my desires to go overseas and teach, as in, I told her yesterday... She told me to make sure to get my name in at LPS and then I replied with something to the effect of, if I am even in this country teaching. When I first brought it up she seemed okay with it but inside I could tell she was dying. My mom has irrational fears, and I could see them all running though her head at once. She made a few excuses and then gave up until my grandparents came over for the Super Bowl. My mom turned to my grandma and said, "Courtney wants to teach in South Korea." (Which I don't but that's another story...) She then replied with a nice laugh. I brushed it off because this is something that I feel my heart was made for.
Then today, I told my mom this story about my friend in Cambodia. She responded with, "Doesn't this make you want to go overseas even more?" And I told her the honest truth. "Yes." This does not scare me or make me doubt what is heavy on my heart at this time. If anything, that person needs God's love and that is what I want to bring to people all over the world. In class today this verse came up: Acts 14:22, "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said." Immediately, I thought of my friend in Cambodia and what it would be like if I go overseas. We have hard, tough, and very scary times in our lives, but we are built up by them and grow closer to God through them.
I just want to go somewhere where all the people have and need to live on is love. I want to go teach in another country and just love these kids who may not know love. I want to tell them about Jesus. I want to wrap them in my arms and tell them that it will all be okay.
All of this could not have happened at a better time. (There is never a good time for it, but if there were it was now) I have just recently started to tell my mom about my desires to go overseas and teach, as in, I told her yesterday... She told me to make sure to get my name in at LPS and then I replied with something to the effect of, if I am even in this country teaching. When I first brought it up she seemed okay with it but inside I could tell she was dying. My mom has irrational fears, and I could see them all running though her head at once. She made a few excuses and then gave up until my grandparents came over for the Super Bowl. My mom turned to my grandma and said, "Courtney wants to teach in South Korea." (Which I don't but that's another story...) She then replied with a nice laugh. I brushed it off because this is something that I feel my heart was made for.
Then today, I told my mom this story about my friend in Cambodia. She responded with, "Doesn't this make you want to go overseas even more?" And I told her the honest truth. "Yes." This does not scare me or make me doubt what is heavy on my heart at this time. If anything, that person needs God's love and that is what I want to bring to people all over the world. In class today this verse came up: Acts 14:22, "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said." Immediately, I thought of my friend in Cambodia and what it would be like if I go overseas. We have hard, tough, and very scary times in our lives, but we are built up by them and grow closer to God through them.
I just want to go somewhere where all the people have and need to live on is love. I want to go teach in another country and just love these kids who may not know love. I want to tell them about Jesus. I want to wrap them in my arms and tell them that it will all be okay.
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