Inspired...

So, last week I had the pleasure of being able to meet up with one of my fellow Mercy Shippers. She will be boarding the ship this week and then I will meet up with her in August. Yay! God has been so good to me throughout this whole process. It was weird, at first when I was trying to decide if God really wanted me to do this I was SOOO nervous and I thought of all the reasons why it was stupid for me to go (family, friends, job, house, etc) but I still had this inkling to go. Finally, once I decided to let go of all my worries and take that leap of faith God gave me peace and comfort about my decision to serve with Mercy Ships.
Anyway, so as I was saying, I met up with my friend and it was great talking with her and hearing all of the training that she did and also about the people that we will be working on the ship with. It was so refreshing to hear the passion and heart that that we had in common for doing missions work. A couple days ago I was able to spend some time with the Ryan/Couture family. As I talked with them about this upcoming trip my 2nd mother, Sharon, stated that she could never do what I am doing. I laughed to myself and then said “but I could never do what you do.” She is a teacher and is unbelievable at what she does and has a passion for shaping the hearts and minds of our youth. Later I thought about this and made me realize once again how omnipotent God is in shaping each and everyone of us for his purpose and according to his design.

Today as I sat in church I noticed a teenage boy in the front row was waving at various people that were sitting around the church. He quickly caught my attention and as I watched on I saw the old scar lines and the rigidity in his arms and hands and instantly knew that this was the boy that the church had been praying about over the past year due to a traumatic head injury during a high school football practice. Being in the medical profession you slowly get to know and form a bond with many of your patients and their families. Head traumas can be some of the most difficult injuries because the person that you once knew will most likely not be that same person when they get ‘better’. But as I watched him and his family it amazed me when I realized that through everything they have been through they had this unshakable faith. At the end of the service the worship team played a song that talked about how “we are weak” but that “God is our strength.” As I sang these words this boy lifted his arms up in the air to praise God for being his strength. I quickly had to stop singing to stop the tears from rolling down my face. I silently prayed at that moment for God to continue to work in this family’s life and also to work in my life so that my strength came only from God.
Recently I have been faced with a lot of situations at work that really make you think a lot about life. Over and over again I have thought about the many different tragedies, illnesses, and heartaches that happen in this world and the one thing that always comforts me is knowing that I am not in control. This concept may seem a little bizarre but when you think about all the things that go on in our lives and the lives of those around us it is comforting to know that we don’t have to worry about those things because God is in control of EVERYTHING!
As I continue to plan for this trip God is continuing to work in my life and showing me that I need to give him control and let him be my strength. This passage comes to mind as I wrap up, Psalm 37: 4-5 says "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart, commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and he will do this."
(sorry so long.. a lot on my mind.. xoxo)