Living In Grace

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep." (‭Psalm‬ ‭127‬:‭1-2‬)

What if I don't raise my support quickly? What if I'm ill-equipped for the mission field? What if I "mess up" in sharing the gospel? What if I'm not as helpful as I wish to be? What if, what if, what if! It can be so easy for me to ask these questions of myself. It can be easy for me to ask these questions of God. "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere." (‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬) Yes!! Thanks be to Him! It is only because of Him that I am able to do anything! Without Him, I am laboring in vain! It is only because He is leading me "in triumphal procession"! He is leading the way, not me! Oh, thank the Lord I'm not leading the way! Be still my anxious heart. The Sovereign Creator is guiding me, using me as His instrument.

Last week I was yet again blessed to meet and befriend those going into all the world to spread the good news. My heart was so full of joy as we talked, prayed, cried, and shared together. Christ was so evident to me in those people. "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬)  God has certainly begun a good work in the people I met this week, and I am so excited to hear how He continues to use these people to further His kingdom in the coming years.

Some of the highlights of my week included: getting to know and spending time with my small group for the week, many rounds played of Settlers of Catan, hiking to a waterfall in the rain, the abundance of adorable babies, praying together, being able to speak with someone in Japanese, thought-provoking lectures, and enjoying the beautiful scenery all around us. 

My small group at Living in Grace

Thank you so much to those of you who were praying for me and the specific prayer requests I had in my last blog! My car and I both came out in one piece after the drive to and from North Carolina, and God was definitely showing himself to me in new ways throughout the week!

As for support raising, I am excited to say that I am at 4% of my needed $4,500 a month for the three years I will be serving in Japan! (For those who are unaware, I need to have 100% of my budget pledged before I can buy my ticket to Japan.) Now that I have finished all the busy activities of the month of May, I'm excited to be able to focus on support raising! I would greatly appreciate your prayers, especially as I balance between support raising and work. May He be glorified!