Week Eight

I AM FREE!!!!!

Hey everyone,

Time has been going by so fast. Only three more weeks and I will be leaving for Uganda. However, I am still waiting in excitement to see how God is going to use these last few weeks though.

Thank you all so much for your financial support. I am so thankful for how supportive you all are. It has helped reassure me that this is where I am supposed to be. The final payment for my school is due this week. This payment will cover my ground fees, which is $3,000. This money will go towards medical outreaches, helping in the slums, hosting gospel crusades, prison ministry, as well as housing and transportation while I am in Uganda. I still need $3,000 to cover the rest of my fees for this trip. So if you feel lead to give you can do so through PayPal or sending checks or cash to my home address, if you need my PayPal or address you can email me for specifics.

This past week has been amazing. Honestly, there are not words to describe the transformation that has happened in my life and in those around me. This week the topic was identity. Going into it I knew that it was going to be a big week for me, so I committed to praying for God to prepare my heart and also committed to going all in even if it meant being vulnerable or uncomfortable at times. One thing that has made a huge difference in my life is discovering what it means to have an orphan spirit. When we think that our love from God is based on our obedience and actions, whether that thought is conscious or subconscious, we can develop an orphan spirit which causes us to not be able to receive from anyone whether that be forgiveness, compliments, love, etc. This is something that I have struggled with but never had the words to describe. Because of that, although I was saved by the cross, I never truly accepted the power of the cross and the forgiveness it offered for my past sins or even just my current sins. I was like a prisoner who thought that they had chosen freedom but was actually still living in prison. One of the speakers put it this way, “We can all get caught in the trap of being prisoners that come out of our cells for church on Sunday but then go right back to jail.” In Galatians 5:1 it says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” That is what many of us do without even realizing. Just like we must choose to believe that we are sinners and Jesus paid for our sins, we also must continually be receiving forgiveness. It does not end with just knowing we are forgiven, because forgiveness and freedom are both choices.

We also spent time everyday repenting of sin, receiving forgiveness, rebuking the lies we have believed about ourselves because of those sins, and speaking this truth of who we are. I have spent my whole life being defined by lies. Even though deep down I knew this about myself I did not know how to fight it, but this week allowed me to do just that. I never truly saw how loved, free, powerful, or accepted I was till this week. This week I have found my identity in Christ and I have also found my voice. In the past, I have always been quiet even when I had something to say but not anymore. God gave me my voice and my words for a reason and they have so much power and authority because of who my God is. This week I also began to believe in permanent, real breakthrough/transformation again. I had allowed myself to take any past failures or defeats and use those as evidence that I will never truly change, that the old me will never really go away. Now I genuinely believe in breakthrough. Now I believe that I can change and be made new. This week I chose to step out in boldness and God rewarded that. I am almost a completely different person now than I was at the beginning of this week and that is because of joyful repentance and simple obedience. Everyone around me can see the change that God has done inside of me. My roommates have even said that I am a completely new person. I am living proof of the verse that says the old has passed away, behold the new has come. I am a new creation. I am free. I am completely forgiven and I have finally truly accepted that.

In other news, God has not only been moving in us, he has been moving through us. The caravan park that my team volunteers at has been experiencing so much transformation. More and more people come to eat every week and they are starting to trust us more and really open up and one of the people living there even said she has been seeing a difference in the community. There is also a guy that has not been coming to the dinner but a friend and I have been able to have a few conversations with him at his house. Then yesterday, while we were talking to him, we found out that he is moving out on Monday. So we offered to pray for him and he said we could. After we finished he had the biggest smile on his face and he said thank you. After we said goodbye and we were going back to the dinner he still had the biggest smile and told us to have a great day.

Another story of God’s goodness is from this past Friday. On Friday we did baptisms in the river and while we were baptizing people a garbage man came over and started talking to one of the guys on our school for a while but then left. While he was driving away he felt he had to come back so he did and he ended up getting saved! Then he decided to get baptized right then and there in his work clothes. He came up out of the water with the biggest smile and gave the guy baptizing him the biggest hug. Then we were able to pray for him and welcome him to the family before he had to go back to work. he went and hugged his coworkers then got in his car and I heard him say, “I just got saved,” and he drove away honking the truck horn.

All I have to say is God is good and He is active and working. The power of the cross and forgiveness is real and it transforms people and their lives. So do not be ashamed of the gospel because it really is powerful.

Prayer Points

-          Financial provision for others on my team

-          Peace as we are preparing for outreach

-          The people at the caravan to continue being transformed

-          Open hearts to the gospel in the people we encounter

-          Deepened relationships with the other students and staff here

-          That God will continue growing me and transforming me

-          Boldness to share the gospel and my testimony

This is my favorite spot for devotions

Meet Mads, Curdin, and Tyler. They are three of the most amazing people I have ever met.

 Some of my photos from our outreach team's weekend together

This is Chloe. She is one of the girls from the caravan park.

I love her so much!

This is also from the caravan park.

Sina is on my outreach team. She is amazing!!!

Some of my amazing roommates!

This is Annie. She is hilarious