We worked with a local charity yesterday at the Border.
This charity is where people go when they have passed through immigration and are waiting for family members to purchase bus or plane tickets for them. People can stay here up to three days. Often they have not eaten, showered, or even rested⏤or very little⏤for days or weeks.
2020 has been a year none of us expected. I wish I could just blame the pandemic for wrecking my plans, but I'm learning a bigger lesson when my life plans get sideways.
On my journey over the last year and half, there have been many times I had to continuously remind myself of the goodness of God in spite of my circumstances.
Did you know that your nose remembers things? Our sense of smell is closely linked with memory, probably more so than any of our other senses. The smell of freshly cut grass, for example, always brings back memories of my childhood and my endeavor to become a professional soccer player.
GOD IS SO GOOD...Isn’t He? 😁 Since graduation, I had been praying about where God wanted me to go for college. After a few mission trips, God spoke to me about an organization called Youth With a Mission (YWAM). I arrived in January to begin a Discipleship Training School (DTS) here at YWAM Tyler, and it has rocked my world!
I knew miracles happened, but I didn't think one could happen in my life.
A few weeks ago, sitting in the office of my probation officer, we began a conversation much like we do each visit, about current global events/disasters/atrocities, which inevitably leads to the big question, “What really is God’s perspective on it all?”
I remember the way it felt: walking out of the airport into the humid Houston, TX air after flying halfway around the world, heart racing at the excitement of being back in the United States. I remember embracing familiar faces I hadn’t seen in years that were waiting there to pick us up. I remember the car ride from the airport to my cousins’ house. I’d look out the car window in awe. “Look how green it is here!” “Everything is written in English!” “Everyone is wearing shorts!”
The School of Worship has been a blessing in my life. It has been full of moments where I laughed too much, moments where I wanted to go home, and moments that stretched me to become more than what I was. As my SOW comes to a close, I get an awesome opportunity to reflect on what I’ve learned.
With tears in my eyes, I pulled down the door of the Budget rental truck, said goodbye to my apartment, and heard God say to me one more time, “Will you give up all I’ve given you to receive all I have for you?” At 26 years old God was calling me to a Discipleship Training School. I had no idea what to expect other than God was getting ready to stretch me in a way I have never been stretched before. I sold most of my furniture, stored the rest of my belongings, and headed to YWAM Tyler. In faith, I stepped out believing that God is the author of my life and to expect the unexpected from this point on.
