Greetings from Peru! I haven’t written a blog in a hot minute, so here I am. With Thanksgiving around the corner, I have taken a step back and looked at my life right now. In this moment, I am sitting in a quaint coffee shop in the oldest part of Cusco. My team is currently remodeling a kitchen for a ministry partner. Carter and Caleb are butchering a sheep for the holiday on Thursday. My life is crazy. God is so good. Yet at times, I miss being with you all at home. Luckily, before I left, my mom gifted me with a journal of letters from you all. I have one for every day and I have been reading one everyday.
This is what I’m thankful for. Not the experiences of my life, but the people who made them experiences. The people who have invested in me. Those who point me to the One who is the Giver of everything. Today I’d like to share some of the letters that have impacted me the most in hope that they will impact you as well.
“Enjoy all of your journeys and adventures for what they are, signs and reminders of the Giver of all these good gifts. Jesus is the purpose, He is the point, He is the joy-giver. Enjoy Him and enjoy life in Him. Philippians 3:7-8”
“Luke 1:13 ‘But the angel said unto him, Fear not Zacharias: for thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.’ God used an angel to communicate with Zacharias, Elizabeth is going to have a son (she wasn’t even pregnant) and he is going to be great (God had a purpose for his life.) Similarly, Jesus was known by God before His birth (Matthew 1:21) and God had a purpose for His life. This tells us that even before we are born God knows us and there is a divine purpose for our lives. When we live for Him our lives accomplish His divine purpose.”
“It has always amazed me that at first it seems that giving ourselves to God is a sacrifice, but He ends up filling all our empty places with joy.”
“The Bible says if we seek Him, we will find Him. In every decision, seek Him and your life won’t be perfect, but it will be blessed. And you will have a friend ‘that sticks closer than a brother.’”
“Sometimes My children hesitate to receive my good gift with open hands, feeling of false guilt creep in, telling them they don’t deserve to be so richly blessed. This is nonsense-thinking because no one deserves anything from Me. My kingdom is not about earning and deserving; it’s about believing and receiving.”
“‘From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.’ -Psalm 61:2 Cling to the One who you can trust wholeheartedly. To the One who knows all. To the One who knows you. It seems scary, but trust Him. Right now. Choose to.”
Thank you all who have invested in me. Your words do not fall on deaf ears. If you would like to help me continue in this journey of growth, please donate towards my fundraising goal. If you plant the seed, even if we don’t see fruit, God will use your obedience for good. You can count the seeds in an apple, but how many apples are in a seed? Give thanks to the One who is the Giver of this grace that is totally unfair. Grace that needs to be praised. Happy Thanksgiving.
