Thursday, January 29, 2009

The Miracle of His Perfect Will

WOW! The last 2 months have flown by so fast. I can't believe we will be home in 6 more weeks. It will surely be bittersweet for me--I have fallen in love with my time with God here and these precious people. The bump is getting PRETTY desperate for some american food and a soft bed, however!

This week has been incredible! Brandon has been moving along steadily with the worship workshops. I am pretty sure they are his favorite...although he says that about many things here! He has been training these worship teams to love and serve each other and to become more united as a team in times of worship. This is a very foreign concept to them but it is working. We are already seeing fruit in the services which has been so awesome! 

I was able to share my heart at a cell group last night. We do about 3-4 cell groups a week. Normally I am able to go to 2 due to the late schedule and Brooklyn's bed time. The cell groups are small and VERY intimate. They are held at a church member's house in the village. It's always humbling to walk into the small living room filled with people. Their smiles and their love for God is powerful and nearly leaves me speechless every time! (Posted a vid on my facebook)

I talked to them about the importance of a prayer Life--a time to connect with God, a time to look towards Him in every circumstance, a time to focus on His ability and what He wants you to do with your life. During my time with them, I shared my testimony of what God has done for me on this trip as I gave more time to my prayer life. It seemed fit to share with all of you...

You see coming on this trip was incredibly hard for me. In fact, I was miserable the first 3 weeks. Life here is radically different and seemingly hard. BUT a miracle happened in my life in early January that changed me forever. I was at the end of my rope and knew that I would not make it if I did not snap out of it and start to focus on God's ability in me and not my own. Out of desperation I devoted much more of my time to prayer. This prayer time looked differant each day. Sometimes I would just thank God for all He HAS given me, sometimes I would pray and speak God's Word, sometimes I would pray for friends and family, and sometimes I would pray for this island and these pastors. Either way, I committed myself to have more of 'me and God-time.' I was counting on the promise of Matthew 7:7 to WORK!!

The scripture that says  "He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him" came to life in me. Within days I noticed that I was starting to love my life here. I was finding unspeakable joy, constant peace, compassion and love was filling my heart. I can only explain it as a miracle because it was. The more focus I put on God and His strength the less focused I was on the natural hurdles here. I noticed more and more each day how amazing my life here is and that I should not take a single moment for granted. 

During my time of connecting with God He showed me that our family being here was His PERFECT WILL. He told me that He had called us here and that we were in the right place at the right time. He reminded me of all of the favor that had surrounded this trip: Every bill paid here, every bill paid at home, above and beyond finances, a great hotel room, safety, protection, favor with the hotel staff, favor on the plane, packed services, etc. As soon as I got my eyes off of myself and my eyes on Him, I could finally see clearly that the truth was that everything about this trip was PERFECT. I simply needed to embrace what God was trying to do here!!

There truly is no better place to be than in God's perfect will for your life. Its where joy, peace, and love bubble out and you can't seem to have anything but a smile on your face--no matter what things look like around you! A miracle happened for me in His perfect will. I am so glad I had friends and family who encouraged me in those times to keep my eyes on Him...because it worked, will continue to work, and can do the same for you! 

 I  am humbled and thank God everyday that Brandon braved pursuing his desire to come here. That desire was from God and it has drawn our family into His perfect will where miracles are happening. I am eager to see what more God possibly wants to do here in the 6 weeks remaining and I cant wait to tell all of you, our faithful and supportive friends and family, ALL about it!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello! :)

suddenfire said...

Missy...that is so awesome / praying for you guys each and everyday...woke up last night at 3:00 in the morning praying for the 4 of you not sure why but hey you where on my heart!

Anonymous said...

That is SO awesome! We just had a couple here at our church from Ireland (Paul & Karen Brady).....he talked about prayer and the importance of not just praying head prayers or getting into a "routine" with it. But always making sure that you are Spirit led in your prayer life. What you said you prayed (different things everyday) is SO cool! You were LED by God and your prayers availed much!
SO glad to hear this testimony of yours........it encourages me in my own walk with the Lord. So thanks for posting this! There is NO better place than in the PERFECT WILL of God!
You're story sounds so similar to ours......moving to Arkansas was definitely a step of faith. I had to TOTALLY rely on God, BUT HE is faithful! Now, we LOVE it and KNOW this is exactly where we are supposed to be! Love you and praying for you guys!
You guys need to come and visit again, so the boys and your Brooklyn can play!!! :)

Tace and Carmen said...

Still praying according to your requests; for physical rest; HIS strength to pursue your full agenda; and for HIS continued LIGHT you both are spreading. LOVE those testimonies!!! BLESSINGS ~ T & C

Jessica said...

I am so excited for ya'll! It's so inspiring to hear how you left what was "comfortable" and did what God said..you were obedient! It's awesome to hear the testimonies because of your obedience! Thank-you for sharing!

Gwen said...

Absolutely amazing the transformation that takes place in our life as we implement your scripture. B&M I cannot express how proud of you I am for ALL YOU HAVE done. Your obedience will compel many more to step up and OUT!!! The hurdles won't seem much when you view them in hindsight. I'm already praying for your re-acclimation here at home. Direction for the NEXT steps of your life. You are going to bawl when you leave. They have deposited so MUCH into you that will only be revealed when you leave. I am forever changed - because of YOUR obedience.

mommak said...

God is SO FAITHFUL! I am so thankful! We've been praying for you... Connor is starting to figure out that Brooklyn hasn't been over in a while to play and wants him to "come play wit me" (he LOVES your videos you posted!)
Love you guys and I'm thankful for all that God's doing in and through you all!

MsP said...

Missy--That is so great. It is always amazing to me how God does things for us and in us through some of the hardest things we face. Just when I feel like I'm finally catching on, God's like, oh wait, Here's this really incredibly hard thing you have to go through next. LOL. It comes in different forms as we all know, but I, too, am always amazed at His grace and compassion and ability that accompanies it.

You all are precious to me, and I pray for you often.
Danielle

heatherelle said...

I love you guys! :O)