My adventures: February 2013

God has revolutionized my relationship with him in only one short year. Things that I had thought I would never find freedom from, I have forgotten what it even felt like to be in the bondage of. Fear melts away more and more each day, and I feel as though I could face anything that comes.

I was talking to a student that I disciple the other day, when God was able to use what he has taught me in this last year, to put together something for her she wasn't able to connect before. And as I was speaking to her, I realized... What God has taught me this year, is a truth so deep it needs to be shared.

So here I go...

I have always taken my questions to God. Which job should I take, which guys should I date, where should I live as a missionary, should I marry him, should I go here, should I do that, blah blah blah.
I have always been terrified of the silence that often ensued in my questioning... Did this God care to answer me? Did he care what I did and what I chose? I was always mocked with a short sentence I would feel him say to me over and over again, and it was never the answer to my question.
It usually went something like this, "I love you, abide in me", "Stay connected to me", "stay focused on me", "Rest in me, Charissa"

I mean... talk about disappointing. Here I am on the verge of the biggest decision in my life, and he doesn't even answer my question... Or did he?

For some reason, last year I decided to stop fighting against his gentle whispers of intimacy, and go with it. To trust him no matter what it cost me, and to simply do as he asked me to when I came to him.
I began to put my questions on the back burner, and follow his answers.

What happened turned my world upside down.

It was as if I began to walk toward the sun, and all the fear, worry, anxiety, sin, bitterness, frustration, and even my endless sea of questions, began to melt away. How true it is.... that before his face, questions die away.

It was as if my problems and worries... Even those things that seemed to be important decisions and questions, became so utterly small and insignificant. It was as if my questions died away in the presence of my king.

As I did this more and more, a funny thing began to happen... I began to intuitively know the answers to the questions I had been asking. "Yes, I should go here. No, I shouldn't date that guy, Yes, I should move my life in this direction" Things became very clear without a striving to hear an answer from a God who lived somewhere up in the sky, but rather from within, I felt him answer my questions with a surety I never thought I'd have.

Our father doesn't live outside of us, he has chosen to live inside! And when we draw near to him and stay connected to him... It's almost as if he directs me all day long in the way that I should go.
There is a peace that I live in, a Joy I have found that I had never known existed, and nobody ever talked about.

We go to God to ask these questions because we are trying to control our world, so that we can be happy and have Joy. If we get his answer for our questions, we believe they will make us happiest, cause he will give us the best answer... The only problem with that, is our Joy and Happiness never came from the world anyway...

You see, he was answering a question I didn't even know I was asking... When I was asking him for direction, it was to remain in his will, to make the best decision, SO THAT I could have peace, Joy, and Happiness. My question was really, "How can I have peace, Joy, and Happiness"

And he answered. "stay connected to me," "I love you, abide in me," "rest in me, my love."

Oh, we are such blind children sometimes...

Our Joy cannot come from this world, or our circumstances... We will NOT have peace in this world... Trials come our way ALL the time. I think of the people in the countries that are being tortured for their faith and are imprisoned for it... And yet, they have a peace, Joy, and Happiness that few people in the western world have ever experienced! Why? Because they know the secret...

The secret is... HE is where our Joy comes from. And when we are remaining in him, connected to him, abiding in him, it wouldn't matter WHAT came our way... it couldn't take our peace, it couldn't take our joy.

Jesus promised we would have troubles in this world, and he invited us to remain connected to him so that we would overcome the world, and experience true life.

I hope that you can see what I now see.

Hello from Mexico!

The last couple months have been so busy! But, it has been amazing to walk alongside of the 15 students that we are discipling and to see the Lord reveal to them so many truths.

These students are learning what it means to follow Jesus, and what his heart is for them and for this world.

I have been asked to lead the 15 of them, along with one other staff member, on outreach to Costa Rica and Jamaica in just 5 weeks!!

I am really blessed to be trusted and given this huge responsiblity and blessing of taking the Kingdom of God to other countries, and seeing the Lord work through the students!

The Lord has been teaching me so much about abiding in him in the last few months. It can be so tiring to work in this school. God has shown me the importance of relying on him for my strength, and spending time with him in order to have something to give. I've grown a lot in the last few months, and I am learning to trust and lean on father God in ways I haven't had to before. I know that outreach will challenge me even more in that area as I lead in a way I have not had to lead before.

God is trusting me with more, and it requires more time with him and more of his strength!

I will write more about that in the next blog, I want to explain it more! But, this is just a small update to show you what has been going on, and some pictures for you to see!

This is my small group. Amazing girls! From left to right we have a Norwegian, Canadian, Danish,
and Australian girl! Lots of beautiful faces :)