It's easy to think that this story is about me, since my life is being impacted by every event. But, this story actually has a far greater hero! After all, I would not be doing this if it were not for God sending me, providing for me, and guiding my steps. His plans are the ones I am following and His story is being told through the adventures that await me. The details of travel arrangement, packing the right things in my suitcases, getting my room ready to be a guest room again, and all the other minutiae are just the background for the real story. God is working and we are witnesses of His might!
Christmas morning is over very quickly when you compare it to the anticipation building up to the opening of presents and eating feasts with friends and family. I remember when I was a kid, I would be so excited for Christmas and then I'd be surprised at how quickly the day went. The same could be said for getting a visa. The anticipation is overwhelming--usually right before calling the consulate, because today might be the day. When it is the day, suddenly there's a flurry of emails about tickets, plans for packing, getting last minute things, writing a prayer letter update, and, of course, saying goodbye.
It's easy to think that this story is about me, since my life is being impacted by every event. But, this story actually has a far greater hero! After all, I would not be doing this if it were not for God sending me, providing for me, and guiding my steps. His plans are the ones I am following and His story is being told through the adventures that await me. The details of travel arrangement, packing the right things in my suitcases, getting my room ready to be a guest room again, and all the other minutiae are just the background for the real story. God is working and we are witnesses of His might!
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It didn't sink in at first. Actually, I'm pretty sure I had mental whiplash after the man from the Bulgarian consulate told me that my visa was approved. I was so sure that he would say "Yes, I know who you are, but we have no news" instead of "Yes, your visa was approved and we are mailing your paperwork to you today. Enjoy your stay in Bulgaria."
Y'all. Seriously. Не мога да чакам! Over the last few weeks, I have been burdened to pray for the refugees that are arriving in Bulgaria and other parts of Europe. If simply imagining the horrors they have seen can be overwhelming, to experience it must be be far beyond what we imagine about the pain and terror that these people feel as their homes are no longer safe, their towns are no longer their own, their families may have been torn apart, and unspeakable things have happened to their families and friends. There are so many needs, but how can we meet those needs without God working through us? Oswald Chambers writes, "A missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ just as He was sent by God. The great controlling factor is not the needs of people, but the command of Jesus" (http://utmost.org/classic/what-is-a-missionary-classic/). I need the reminder that our prayers should be that God would meet their needs and our trust is that He will. If Jesus is sending me, the needs of the people will be met according to His plan and glory. My trust is not in anything I can do, but in the fact that God is the one who is working. While the chorus of this song may seem to point to people doing the work, the verses clearly show that it is God working through us. The chorus reflects the obedient attitude of those seeking to obey the command of Jesus. "Follow You" by Leeland Verse 1 You live among the least of these: The weary and the weak. And it would be a tragedy For me to turn away. All my needs You have supplied, When I was dead You gave me life. How could I not give it away so freely? Chorus And I'll... I'll follow You into the homes of the broken, I'll follow You into the world. I'll meet the needs for the poor and the needy, God, I'll follow You into the world. Verse 2 Use my hands, use my feet, To make Your kingdom come. To the corners of the earth Until Your work is done. 'Cause faith without works is dead, And on the cross, Your blood was shed, So how could we not give it away so freely? Chorus And I'll... I'll follow You into the homes of the broken, I'll follow You into the world. Oh, meet the needs for the poor and the needy, God, I'll follow You into the world. Yeah, I'll follow You into the homes of the broken, I'll follow You into the world. Oh, I'll meet the needs for the poor and the needy, God, I'll follow You into the world. Bridge And I give all myself, I give all myself, And I give all myself to You. Oh, and I give all myself, (I give myself) Yes I give all myself, (Lord, I give myself) And I give all myself to You. (I give it all to You) Chorus (Lord I give it all to You) I'll follow You into the homes of the broken, (All to your name) I'll follow You into the world. (I'll follow You) I'll meet the needs for the poor and the needy, God, (Poor and needy, God) I'll follow You into the world. I will follow... I'll follow You into the homes of the broken, I'll follow You into the world. I'll meet the needs for the poor and the needy, God. It has been quite the struggle to accept the fact that I am still waiting for my visa. I've been angry, sad and anxious far more than thankful, joyful and peaceful. God has not stopped working, though, and He is helping me recognize some of His blessings to me. Yesterday was a big day for my family. I was presented to the Ohio Valley Presbytery as an MTW missionary. What a humbling experience to see that God's delaying my departure is also a provision for prayer support and maybe even future partnerships with churches in the Ohio/Kentucky area. My dad got to introduce me and pray for me! Another beautiful blessing from God is that I was here to see my brother take a major step toward becoming a pastor. He has made his desire to serve God known publicly and has officially come under care of the Presbytery. In part, this means that he now has a mentor and is accountable to a body of pastors. It was incredibly special that I could be there to see him take this step. I am so thankful that I could be here to see how God is working in my own family. While my faith falters, God's faithfulness never ends and He is leading me, in spite of my grumpiness that things are not happening when I wan I was reminded this morning that even when I am overwhelmed when I get a glimpse of how great my sin is before God, I am welcomed to His throne because all of my sins are dealt with. The price has been paid by Jesus at the cross, and so I have the freedom to come boldly to God because He loves me. What a wonderful reminder of the grace God freely offers to all who trust Him!
Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace Come boldly to the throne of grace, ye wretched sinners come; And lay your load at Jesus' feet, and plead what he has done. "How can I come?," some soul may say, "I'm lame and cannot walk; My guilt and sin have stopped my mouth; I sigh, but dare not talk." Chorus: He makes the dead to hear his voice; He makes the blind to see; The sinner lost he came to save, and set the prisoner free. Come boldly to the throne of grace, though lost, and blind, and lame; Jehovah is the sinner's Friend, and ever was the same. Poor bankrupt souls, who feel and know the hell of sin within, Come boldly to the throne of grace; the Lord will take you in. (Chorus) When Jesus was on earth, one of the testimonies about Him was "He does all things well." (Mark 7:37) As I've been preparing to go to Bulgaria, I have been reading the book of Acts, which records the first missionary journeys. In the book, it is clear that God continues to do all things well--from establishing churches to sending of missionaries and empowering them to preach the Gospel boldly. While I would love to be writing this in an airport as I wait to board a plane, in God's mercy, I am not traveling today. That may sound odd, since you know how excited and eager I am to go to Bulgaria. But one thing I've learned in the past few months is that even when my plans don't work out the way I was expecting, God's plans always work well. He is clearly at work, and the peace I have stems from His power. He is to be praised for countless reasons, but here are a few that have come to my mind this week:
One of the passages that has been a major motivator in my desire to serve as a missionary is Proverbs 24:11-12. The passage presents a plea for the salvation of those who are dying apart from Jesus and this song captures that idea very well. I love how Mapes uses imagery and allusions to the Bible to appeal to that desire to reach the nations with the good news of the Gospel.
Mandi Mapes "We Will Go" Lonely, lay your little baby crying for her father's arms. Sunlight seems to be fading as the smoke rises from the war. Woman thirsting for water, watching as her life slips away. Men come fallin' on their faces praying to a god who cannot save. So we'll go to the edge of the world, bringing good news to the broken and the poor. There is hope for all who are thirsty to come to the well as you are and drink of His mercy. The devil comes to kill and ruin, but our life is hidden in the Son. So we'll raise our banner 'cause the war's not over, but it's already won. For He came and died to save and rose up from the grave: the King of kings. So we'll raise our voices full of truth and justice and let them ring! Chorus Bridge All who call upon the Lord will be saved (4x) But how can they call when they don't believe, and how will they believe when they've never heard it? How will they hear unless someone tells them and how can they tell them if they're never sent? We will go (2x) Chorus Faith tugs on Fear's hand. "Come on, Fear! It will be glorious!" "But what about--" "Is it bigger than God?" "No, but--" "Then we don't need to worry about it!" "Of course, there's the problem of--" "Is it outside of God's control?" "No, but--" "Is the world going to end if you come with me?" "Only the world as I know it. What if--" Following Jesus is an every day, every moment struggle between fear and faith. We are new creations in old bodies, full of the knowledge of God's intimate love and ever more able to see our sin. We are like the man in Mark 9 who cries out "I do believe; help my unbelief!" By faith, I bought a plane ticket when I still needed 20% of my funds and my visa in process. I had good information that a very large financial gift was in the works and that my visa would be due the last week of September or the first week of October, so my ticket was for October 10. With only two weeks until that date, it was a scary step. I was afraid that I had once again leapt without looking. I tottered between fearing that I messed up and would have to change my ticket and faith that God would provide all I needed in time. God provided the remainder of my financial needs for my first term in Bulgaria in one day! And, his generosity continued to me through many friends who continue to give. My faith grew; my joy in God's provision was clear. Then I called the Bulgarian consulate. "It is not the season. We will call you when we have your visa. You can try calling next week." I freaked out. What did that mean? Did I have to get a license to go visa hunting?! I thought they said I'd have it the last week of September or the first week of October. Where was God? Didn't He want me to leave on October 10th? Why wasn't He providing it for me? The fight for faith is hard. But with God, all things are possible. I believe that He will provide my visa in time for me to leave. Even if He doesn't provide it by the 10th, He will provide it eventually. He is not rejecting me, and He is sending me to Bulgaria, so it will happen. So I fight fear with prayer and see God coming near to me to give me what I need. His grace is fully sufficient. |
Elisabeth CarySharing the love of Christ to make known the hope of Christ in Bulgaria. Archives
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