an update on the Guatemala team

Our last team meeting was this past Sun. We have since gained one more team member, Daniel. Daniel is currently a college student being discipled by one of our team leaders. Daniel's little sister used to be in my small group back in Jr. high days. Their father recently went to meet the Lord. Clearly, they have lived our team verse for the past few month finding comfort in the Lord. Their family continually exhibit joy despite the changes/challenges they face. We're really glad Daniel decided to join our team. Please continue to pray for their family.

During our meeting, Johnathan, a Spanish guru came to help us practice our Spanish worship songs. Johnathan was one of the team leaders who led the trip last year. With the school winding down, we hope that students will not only finish up school well but also get serious about trip preparation. It's hard to compete for students time these days but we hope to have 2 more team retreats for preparation on our skits and songs.

A couple prayers until next month's meeting are:

• for all of us to really start focusing on trip preparation and make it a priority - get our heads in the game. 
• for the Lord to bring in the remaining fund for this trip. Not all students have huge families/friends base in the US therefore making the fundraising process a bit more challenging. Not to mention the current economic situation does't help at all and our church is not able to subside the cost like the old days.

Blessings.

God is Good

In our small group, we talked about praising God's goodness with outward expressions. Here you go.

So, I'm quite delighted today to have my re-fi closed! What makes me particularly content is seeing God's timing that works everything out itself. 

Since Feb, I had been stressed by things that need to get done, car transaction, tax, and re-fi. With my small group's encouragement, I learned to trust God to take care of everything and deal with it one day at a time. I took a step back, prioritized, and executed.  This month, I got my first bill of car payment. Now that my re-fi is closed, I don't have to pay mortgage until June and can use what would've been my May payment toward paying off my car! Praises, you see! 

Today, I can go celebrate my friend's promotion with a little bit of extra cash flow to dine out! 

Our Comfort Abounds through Christ

Lord willing, I’ll be heading to Guatemala with 10 students from ISM and 2 wonderful leaders, Tom & Tim this summer! Here’s an invitation to you on the journey of faith.

It has always been my desire to see students grow while serving the Lord through summer missions. It was no different planning for this summer, until now. Having gone through and continuing to go through trials of life including losing my grandfather at the end of last year, I can’t re-kindle that fire to serve the Lord overseas. While I was still praying about this trip, I went on our first team retreat last weekend with an attitude of doubt and unwillingness of the heart. On the retreat, students had to come up with a team verse on their own. When I heard 2 Cor. 1 being read out as the team verse, I knew then God was speaking to me.

This trip is more than Doing the Lord’s work. We’re Sharing His stories of faithfulness throughout the generations, including in yours and mine. It’s not about what I can or cannot do nor what I want to do this summer; it’s about how God can use the team and a wretch like me to bring Him glory.

As the apostle Paul said in 2 Cor. 12:10, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Jesus wept.

 "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." ³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. ³⁴And he said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." ³⁵ Jesus wept. (Jn 11)

This is one of the passage that really comforted me. The humanity of Jesus shows that he shares in our sorrow & pain. 

Steroid, Doctor vs God

Last wed, I went to see a podiatrist. The diagnosis was a sprained ankle not properly healed. After missing the 2 month immobility window (obviously the reason I avoided him all summer...), the treatment was to break down the scar tissues with steroid + anti-inflammatory drug.

After the first steroid shot, I was ok the 1^st day having my foot all tapped up but really sore several days after. However, I feel like I'm just fine for the most part this week having been able to walk normally without pain. Today, I visited the Dr. again and he thought I responded to the treatment well, better than average even, which was wonderful news to me. He suggested a 2^nd shot of steroid at the front ligament (partially to speed up the recovery knowing that I'd like to enjoy the outdoors), and another one in the back ligament. As a result, I was limping all day but I didn't mind that much…

Even though I'm in pain right now, I'm not discouraged a bit but somewhat glad. Because I know, the meds that's hurting me now is going to make me well; I'll be able to do what I want to do after the pain judging from the past week's experience. I thought, doesn't God do this to us sometimes, too. He loves us so much that he puts us in the process to get rid of the 'scar tissues' in our lives so that we can be healed. Though the process may be painful, He knows the pain is necessary to bring healing.

Why don't we trust God in the process then? You know, I genuinely believe that my doctor wants me to get better but, when I got worse last week, I had doubts. Today, I gladly let him give me the painful shots because I know it eventually got me better from experience. As we walk with God, He, too, clears our doubles by showing his faithfulness and unfailing love time and time again. So, we learn to trust him more & fully – in the mist of pain, we learn to rejoice in it.

Psalm 18:33, He makes my feet like hinds' feet, And sets me upon my high places.

Philippians 1:19, for I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.

Hebrews 12:6, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his sons.11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

fight

As I was sharing prayer request tonight, something became clear to me about the feeling I have been struggling with or fighting against. One person asked if I’ve come off the spiritual high on the trip. No, I wouldn’t call it a spiritual high because it was a lot easier to be right there with God without worldly distractions- almost like a spiritual vacation or reward. There are so many wonderful things here fighting for my attention that I have to actively fight for my relationship with the bridegroom. My struggle is that it takes so much effort now than before and I guess I didn't like that.

 I have been so used to Jesus pursuing me to have a relationship with him and wooing me into having quality time together. I’m not used to having to fight for the one I love, to be the one fighting for our time together and growing in that intimacy even though I want to.

So, I biblegateway-ed ‘fight for’. Interestingly & Happily, I found out that in the Old Testament, it talks a lot about God fighting for his people; he fights for us or he fights our fights. However, in the New Testament, it talks a lot about fighting the good fight of faith especially in the books of Timothy.

I guess what I have been feeling is not that strange after all. My savior always knows how to bring me back to where I belong…

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