Diving In...

Seven months ago today I was landing in Basel to visit BFA and see if this might be where the Lord was leading.  The Psalm for that day was Psalm 28 where it says, "My heart trusts in God and I am helped."  Those words brought me such comfort seven months ago and this morning I read the same Psalm while sitting in the Frankfurt airport and stand in awe of what the Lord has done and how He has helped me as I have trusted in Him.  And I am claiming that verse just as much now as I was then.  He has confirmed over and over that this is where He wants me for this year and has given me the courage to walk through the doors that He alone has opened.  And today as I arrive in Germany I can once again testify to the goodness of God.  I am so grateful to all those that are praying and have been praying.  I have been very aware of those prayers this week as I have finalized details, packed up, said goodbyes and landed in Germany.  While leaving home and saying goodbye is never fun He has truly strengthened me and made a way for not only me but my whole family. 

One of the ways that He has confimed this move was in the form of a phone call received twenty minutes before I walked out the door.  It was from Peter and Laurel (fellow BFA missionaries and family friends).  She was calling to tell me that they had changed my housing arrangements and instead of being in a separate town I was going to live two minutes from them and five minutes walking distance from the school.  While it would have worked out to live in another town this was a real love gift to me at that moment in time.  Without a car and with my roommates not coming until later in August it is a real blessing to be so close to the scohol and friends while I get settled in and adjust.  Jesus is so good.  He not only supplies our basic needs but spoils us with His sweet love gifts, sometimes at the moment that we need them most. 

A couple of weeks ago my Dad preached on diving into the full will of God and that is what I have felt like I am doing.  In Pilgrim's Regress, CS Lewis tells the story of John and his conversion.  He describes his conversion as a head first dive off a cliff.  Jesus asks us to dive - head first not feet first - fully trusting in the One who has asked us to dive.  He asks us to dive in head first so we are completely dependent on Him.  What a scary but wonderful place to be.  And He has been faithful - to provide friends to help me load and deliver my bags (as my dad is out of state preaching), to providing a kind ticket agent who was gracious about my extra bags, to giving me an uneventful trip overseas, to Peter and Laurel receiving me on the other side.  He has been good to me.   And while there are moments of being totally overwhelmed at all that is ahead of me I have only to look at all of His goodness and all of His love gifts and know that He will make a way. 

"Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my cry for mercy.  The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." (Psalm 28:6-7)

May He continue to make me brave enough to moment by moment dive into His full and good will.  Thank you for your part in all of this.  I would not be without you and I am humbled by and grateful for your part in my "dive."

Commissioning and Goodbyes

Last Sunday was a special day. I had the privilege of being commissioned at my home church. Not only was I surrounded by people who have loved me and our family for years but I was blessed to have my uncle and cousin from KY there along with two friends from out of state. What a treat! Jesus is very good to me. So many of you have prayed, encouraged and supported me to get me to this moment and to this place and I am thankful. While I am not one that enjoys the attention I am thankful for these moments of commissioning and even of the formality. These moments of ceremony are like the altars that the Israelites were told to build. They give us a point in time that we can look back and testify to God’s goodness and to His faithfulness in our lives. They also can help serve as a reminder of what He has called us to do. So I was thankful for the opportunity to testify to what God has done for me and what I long for Him to do in the coming year. And I was truly humbled to be surrounded by the prayers of so many. What a comfort that is as I leave the familiar for the unknown.

This week has been full of goodbyes. A dear friend hosted a small get together at her house and it was a sweet time to connect with some friends before leaving. The rest of the week has been full of shopping, sorting, packing and weighing. Trying to pack for a year and get my things in as few bags as possible and remain under the 50lb weight limit has proven to be tricky. But while these days of transition are never easy, I have felt loved and prayed for and I have sensed the peace of Jesus as I walk these days. Thank you to each one of you for your part in this new adventure. 

In His good hands...

If you have ever been around our family for any length of time you have probably heard the saying "We are in His hands and they are good hands."  My grandfather started saying it to us years ago and it has become a family motto of sorts.  We say it to each other when the future is uncertain, when life is hard or when we simply need the reminder.  I don't know about you but it really helps me to be reminded of this truth.  By His grace I have willingly and joyfully placed myself in His hands but sometimes it is good to be reminded that regardless of what the world may tell us, regardless of our situation, regardless of how we may feel - we are held by the hands of a loving and good God.

As I step out into the unknown on July 27th, I am excited, nervous and a little overwhelmed.  I am amazed and humbled at Jesus' provision through the sacrificial giving of so many of you.  I am also humbled by the prayers being lifted on my behalf.  I can honestly say that I have truly felt carried these days as I prepare to go.  I cannot thank you enough for that.  What peace, comfort and courage it gives me as I step out into this new adventure with Jesus. 

I feel a real peace that I am right where Jesus wants me and I am so thankful for that but I am also realizing all of the "new-ness" that I am about to face.  A new job, new culture, new language, new apartment, new friends and colleagues.  Change is something that I have experienced quite a bit of in my life yet I have never done it very well.

As I begin the three week countdown until my departure, my grandfather's phrase has been playing over and over in my head.  I am so grateful that Jesus has gone before and is going with me now.  And that He is holding me as I walk through these days of packing, goodbyes, transition and change.  All He asks of me is to trust Him and to keep stepping out in faith believing in Him.  Oswald Chambers has a quote that I love, "I have to learn that the aim in life is God's, not mine...All He asks of me is that I trust Him, and never say - Lord, this gives me such heartache. To talk in that way makes me a clog.  When I stop telling God what I want, He can catch me up for what He wants without let or hindrance.  He can crumple me up or exalt me.  He can do anything He chooses.  He simply asks me to have implicit faith in Himself and in His goodness." (My Utmost for His Highest, November 10)  This is my prayer as I start this new adventure.