Hello all,
Been a while, but wanted to share that I'm really excited because tonight is the first Orphan Awareness and Adoption Meeting at Hosanna! (7pm, room 14 if you want to come!).
I have no idea how many will come, but I'm so excited to meet whoever does come. My heart is so full with God's heart for the Fatherless and I want to meet others with a similar heart. And all of us together can be on this journey where God invites us to participate in what HE is doing to care for orphans!
Tonight I'll share how a year ago, God stirred my heart through the testimony of Katie Davis. And then a few months ago, God gave me a dream with the words See, Ask, Do which has become the vision for what this ministry will do. My prayer and hope and mission is that people in this church community would See God's heart for the fatherless and the need of the orphans both locally and globally. And that this would cause them to Ask the question, "God, what are you calling me to do to care for the orphan?" This is the biggest part- asking the question. And listening for God's answer. And then, to not be still, but to DO what He's called us to do. My desire is that we as a community would come alongside and support individuals in walking out their call... be that fostering or hosting with Safe Families, or adoption, or loving on a family who is adoption, or supporting a child or children's home overseas, or praying... we all have a part to play. I'm excited to ask God as a community what He wants to do through us!
And... I'm leading a Visiting Orphans trip to Ecuador in early 2014 with Hosanna! I get to lead with a wonderful woman of God, Valerie. God laid this trip on her heart and Ecuador specifically before she even knew where we were going. God is so awesome! And I kept feeling resistant to leading, feeling like I didn't have a heart for Ecuador, and not sure I was supposed to go. But God kept leading me right back into the middle of it and finally I realized I just needed to surrender and obey. And I feel such peace in that decision. We'll be sharing this trip with those who come tonight.
Please be praying for the group tonight and for my leadership. I feel so unworthy to be in this position. And in some ways like I don't know what I'm doing. But it's a place where I'm dependent on the Lord. I gave a devotion in the Student Ministries Guatemala meeting last week about asking God for more than you can handle. It's a concept I was pondering a year ago through Katie Davis's writing and preparing for Africa. I feel like I'm in a position of more than I can handle, but God is with me and in HIM, I can handle it. I need Him. We need Him. This is HIS heart, HIS ministry, HIS timing, HIS people. It's all about HIM!
