oh my, I have not blogged in a long time! I have missed y’all and apologize for not keeping y’all updated as frequently as possible! As some of you know, I have spent the last two weeks in Black Mountain, North Carolina for our domestic ministry. First thing I have to say is how BEAUTIFUL North Carolina was! I have been in Utah and Colorado , so mountains are not new to me but the mountains in NC are something completely different. These mountains were adored with luscious trees, not a speck of ground was visible! The leaves painted a gorgeous canvas with their bright yellow, orange and red hue. If you know me, you know that I LOVE the fall and I have never experienced the fall like this before. Every road we drove down felt like a hidden enchanted location. The trees hung like a canopy over us and the sun shone through the open space! It honestly felt like a piece of heaven on earth!!! In North Carolina we partnered with a college called Excel, which is a small christ centered school where students live on campus year round and only get two designated breaks, allowing them to get a bachelors degree in two years max. Every student and staff serves their community in so many ways and we got the honor in serving alongside them. We got to serve in a variety of ways: black mountain for foster kids, community garden, neighbors, summer camps, excel campus, local churches, students and staff. I got to paint, pull weed, organize, scrub, deep-clean, seal wood, burn wood, water garden, and grow closer with community and Jesus.Amid the unbelievable beauty, I was an all out war with the enemy. I was struggling with a certain feedback a friend had given me and the doubt and ugliness that comes with transforming. The Lord took my heart and molded it to look more and more like Him but the process was HARD! I was pushed to lengths that I have never gone to but I finally understood what Paul meant when he said ” when I am weak, I am strong” In NC, we had some ministry that was felt weird( like picking rocks off the ground or sticks out of the forest) but during the process, I learned that God was doing the same thing in my heart. He was deep cleaning my heart to make more room for him. During tuesday’s sermon; I felt the Spirit to strong and undeniably that I couldn’t utter a single word other than ” thank you” It was such a sweet moment, especially after such a painstaking process of preparing my heart for the Him. I was overwhelmed with joy, peace and contentment in His presence that I NEVER wanted to leave. It was the most edifying thing to have happen to me! A day later, I found out that when you experience a breakthrough with the Holy Spirit, the enemy is not far to tear it down. The enemy drowned me in doubt and disapproval and was close to robbing me from the sweet moment I experienced with the Lord until friends came and spoke life over me. I dove deep into the word as my life-line and man, that stuff is soothing to the soul! I opened Isaiah to do my devotional and the verse ” if you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” ( Is. 7:9). I realized that I have everything I need to fight the enemy! All I need is the powerful name of Jesus. As if that wasn’t good enough, I opened my book and this line was highlighted:
“simply trusting Jesus everyday,
Through my stormy way,
even when my faith is small,
trusting Jesus, that is all”
Standing firm on the foundation of Jesus will get me through anything, all I need to do is simply trust! I said this line every morning so that my soul and spirit were aligned from the get-go. After two weeks of learning and growing, we drove back to Gainesville. We arrived in Gainesville on Saturday night and IMMEDIATELY I could feel the peace of God transcending through me. It was a similar feeling I get when I lay in a lazy river. I continued to be filled as Tim came and taught us today. He taught on the ladder of legalism( SO GOOD). He delivered a message that was directed straight to my heart! Something he said that stuck with me was “shhh..enjoy the creation of the creator.” Sit, stop worrying about doing the right thing! When you spend time with Him, He will do all the work! After lunch, I ran into the woods ( I am working on my fear of the woods so I have been hanging in the woods) to acknowledge Him and to just hang out with him without any worries and distractions. It was so serene, I got to practice using all five sense( my therapist would be SO proud). The brittle grass and bright sun created a picturesque time with God. The tranquillity of His presence silenced the enemy’s talk of fear! I learned that when you sit, He moves. You learn a lot about Him when you stop and listen. I felt like a child just hanging out with my father, giggling and talking. I probably looked crazy to others but I did not care! I am still growing in my faith and fellowship but everyday, His strength renews my soul. I challenge you to be quiet and enjoy because when you do, you will find out that ALL of creation in it’s own way WORSHIP the Lord. No matter what you’re feeling, the earth still gives Him glory The birds sing, the trees sway, the clouds dance and my spirit joins alongside them. I am praying for all of you and miss you! I want to hear about what your quiet time brought! I absolutely love interacting with y’all!!!!!
