Our ESL classes are starting up today! Please please please pray for us! We're way more organized this time, but we honestly don't know what to expect with this next session (the Philadelphia libraries have cut funding for their classes so we may be getting a ton of people...) and one of our lead teachers can no longer help with the class. Thankfully we're recruiting some of the local Bible college students who are going to school for a degree in teaching ESL, so Lord willing that will be a huge help to us! Also our missions director caught a bug and is kind of down for the count today. Please lift us up- we want to share the love of Christ most of all and doesn't 1 Corinthians 13 talk about giving all our goods to feed the poor but if we don't have love than it profits nothing- and it can just be a big ugly noise too! Anyway, I'm learning that LOVE actually flows from God (1 John) and we cannot love truly without Him (and His love is shown in that He gave His Son- so His Love in us should produce gospel sharing!) Anyway...rambling- I need to actually go pray about ESL now so I'll update on how it went later!
God cares about me. God loves me. God sees me. He sees my needs and He also sees my wants (and He doesn't always withhold our wants from us- Sometimes we act like He's out to get us and never wants to give us things we want- but that's not true).
Anyway, I wanted to share my purse story. I wrote the incident here but to recap- Last Sunday (not yesterday, but the Sunday before) I left my purse containing my Bible, journal, and a book, on the back of my car while I was pumping gas, and when I drove off it fell off on the side of Route 1 (but my wallet or cell phone were in my car- thankfully). Anyway, I came home that day and just prayed something along the lines of, "Lord, for some reason you don't want me to have those things right now. Maybe it's to make me rely on you and not the things you showed me in my journal or in that book or even the verses I underlined in my Bible- but to just rely on You. Anyway, I would really like those things back though, so I surrender my bag to you, but I'm asking you to protect it and get it back to me if it's Your will." I also asked Him to just use this for His glory. Anyway, it may seem random and small and a stupid thing to pray for, but it was important to me, and the Lord knew it.
So Thursday night, I'm getting stuff together for our Thursday Night Girl's study at the church and see a number pop up on my phone that I didn't know. I let it go to voicemail and continued collecting my things. Finally, I got a chance to listen to the voicemail- it was from someone from my church. She goes on the explain how this guy that she works with in Southampton had found my purse and was trying to contact me. He tried to message me on facebook but it wasn't working (I must have it blocked from people I don't know), and so he finally said to this woman, Stephanie, "This is a really weird question, but you know everyone at Calvary, do you know a Tiffany Doran?" And yes she did!!!
Anyway, she gets to tell me the whole story over the phone today, apparently, he goes to church over near my house and had to get gas after church- well of course he never goes to that gas station, but today he had to- and as he's merging onto Route 1, he sees a bag on the median with a Bible next to it!!!! He thinks, "it might be someone from my church!" He can't stop because someone is behind him, but has to drive up at least a mile before he can exit and than he COMES ALL THE WAY BACK TO GET MY PURSE!!! Crazy! Anyway, he sees that there is already a car stopped with their flashers on looking through my purse. For some reason, he still decides to try to get the purse and asked the person if they found that purse! The person goes on the say that there is no wallet in it. He then says, i think it might be someone from my church's, do you mind if I take it? Any they give it to him!!!!
So he gave them to Stephanie today at work and I should have it all back tonight!
Isn't that awesome?
The Lord knew I really wanted those things. He caused me to surrender them to Him. I didn't need them. I think that was part of it- realizing I didn't need them, but I wanted them. And admitting that to the Lord. And He cares about my wants and needs and knows if they are something I should have or not and when exactly to give them back to me if He wants me to have them.
Anyway, it was a good reminder today that He is truly a personal God who cares about and loves me. So thankful!!!!
Anyway, I wanted to share my purse story. I wrote the incident here but to recap- Last Sunday (not yesterday, but the Sunday before) I left my purse containing my Bible, journal, and a book, on the back of my car while I was pumping gas, and when I drove off it fell off on the side of Route 1 (but my wallet or cell phone were in my car- thankfully). Anyway, I came home that day and just prayed something along the lines of, "Lord, for some reason you don't want me to have those things right now. Maybe it's to make me rely on you and not the things you showed me in my journal or in that book or even the verses I underlined in my Bible- but to just rely on You. Anyway, I would really like those things back though, so I surrender my bag to you, but I'm asking you to protect it and get it back to me if it's Your will." I also asked Him to just use this for His glory. Anyway, it may seem random and small and a stupid thing to pray for, but it was important to me, and the Lord knew it.
So Thursday night, I'm getting stuff together for our Thursday Night Girl's study at the church and see a number pop up on my phone that I didn't know. I let it go to voicemail and continued collecting my things. Finally, I got a chance to listen to the voicemail- it was from someone from my church. She goes on the explain how this guy that she works with in Southampton had found my purse and was trying to contact me. He tried to message me on facebook but it wasn't working (I must have it blocked from people I don't know), and so he finally said to this woman, Stephanie, "This is a really weird question, but you know everyone at Calvary, do you know a Tiffany Doran?" And yes she did!!!
Anyway, she gets to tell me the whole story over the phone today, apparently, he goes to church over near my house and had to get gas after church- well of course he never goes to that gas station, but today he had to- and as he's merging onto Route 1, he sees a bag on the median with a Bible next to it!!!! He thinks, "it might be someone from my church!" He can't stop because someone is behind him, but has to drive up at least a mile before he can exit and than he COMES ALL THE WAY BACK TO GET MY PURSE!!! Crazy! Anyway, he sees that there is already a car stopped with their flashers on looking through my purse. For some reason, he still decides to try to get the purse and asked the person if they found that purse! The person goes on the say that there is no wallet in it. He then says, i think it might be someone from my church's, do you mind if I take it? Any they give it to him!!!!
So he gave them to Stephanie today at work and I should have it all back tonight!
Isn't that awesome?
The Lord knew I really wanted those things. He caused me to surrender them to Him. I didn't need them. I think that was part of it- realizing I didn't need them, but I wanted them. And admitting that to the Lord. And He cares about my wants and needs and knows if they are something I should have or not and when exactly to give them back to me if He wants me to have them.
Anyway, it was a good reminder today that He is truly a personal God who cares about and loves me. So thankful!!!!
I mentioned this man about a year ago, you can find his full story at this website:
http://presenttruthmn.com/the-ministry/youcef-nadarkhani/
To sum it up- he's a pastor from Iran who is facing the death sentence for apostasy (changing religions from Islam to Christianity). He's been imprisoned since October 2009. He has a wife and two sons (7 and 9).
He's up for re-examination on the 25th (in Iran, but in America it'll be the 24th).
So would you please pray for our brother tomorrow- Hebrews 13:3 "Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body."
http://presenttruthmn.com/the-ministry/youcef-nadarkhani/
To sum it up- he's a pastor from Iran who is facing the death sentence for apostasy (changing religions from Islam to Christianity). He's been imprisoned since October 2009. He has a wife and two sons (7 and 9).
He's up for re-examination on the 25th (in Iran, but in America it'll be the 24th).
So would you please pray for our brother tomorrow- Hebrews 13:3 "Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body."
anyway Coatesville was awesome- Honestly, I'm in the middle of dyeing my hair, cleaning my house, and doing laundry so I'm probably going to postpone the update till Post-surf camp but I wanted to send out a request for prayer for this weekend.
Surf Camp is Friday till Monday and I think it sounds like I'm counseling like a room of 7 girls-which honestly I'm a little nervous about. The Lord is humbling me- I'm so not able to handle this but He is so able and I'm excited for Him to do wondrous things this weekend. I'm asking for miracles. For Him to move mountains in the lives of these kids- things that they thought they'd never overcome, things that they've been so unable to overcome- that they would allow God to do His work in their life.
I'm praying that I would be sincere- honestly I've been super unfocused this week and I'm hoping to take today (the fam is all down the shore) and seek the Lord and His heart for this weekend.
Pray I would serve these girls and have a heart of compassion.
Pray for great waves.
Pray for safety!
Pray for focus- especially during the studies.
Pray for the Lord to meet us in worship.
Pray for energy! Surf starts at 6 am!!! yikes...
Pray for repentance and for all of us to more fully grasp the love of God for us and our position in Christ.
Pray for Love and unity amongst the staff (even in all of our diversity) and for the Lord to rake out the roots of bitterness amongst the kids and that they would learn to love each other with the Love of Jesus Christ.
Pray my grandmom would be good for my family this weekend (for strength and patience for them as they take care of her)
All right- I'm out
t
Surf Camp is Friday till Monday and I think it sounds like I'm counseling like a room of 7 girls-which honestly I'm a little nervous about. The Lord is humbling me- I'm so not able to handle this but He is so able and I'm excited for Him to do wondrous things this weekend. I'm asking for miracles. For Him to move mountains in the lives of these kids- things that they thought they'd never overcome, things that they've been so unable to overcome- that they would allow God to do His work in their life.
I'm praying that I would be sincere- honestly I've been super unfocused this week and I'm hoping to take today (the fam is all down the shore) and seek the Lord and His heart for this weekend.
Pray I would serve these girls and have a heart of compassion.
Pray for great waves.
Pray for safety!
Pray for focus- especially during the studies.
Pray for the Lord to meet us in worship.
Pray for energy! Surf starts at 6 am!!! yikes...
Pray for repentance and for all of us to more fully grasp the love of God for us and our position in Christ.
Pray for Love and unity amongst the staff (even in all of our diversity) and for the Lord to rake out the roots of bitterness amongst the kids and that they would learn to love each other with the Love of Jesus Christ.
Pray my grandmom would be good for my family this weekend (for strength and patience for them as they take care of her)
All right- I'm out
t
