Journey of Faith

This week has flown by. Here I am, sitting in a coffee shop, wondering how it got to be that I only have one full week left here in Clarkston. This time next week, I will be cleaning my apartment and packing to leave for debrief on that Monday. I have been slowly attempting to process and put together the things that God has shown me over the past (almost) two months. First, is that He works in the coolest ways ever. Every Tuesday night since we've been here, we have done a Kid's Club, where we do a Bible story, sing songs, and have a craft. Most of the refugee kids speak English, since they start going to school very soon after they arrive in America. However, almost none of their parents speak good enough English for us to communicate well with, which can be pretty discouraging. But what we have learned is that after Kid's club each Tuesday night, many of these kids will go back home and tell their parents the Bible story they learned in their own language. What an amaz...

Lately, God has been teaching me a lesson about finding peace. So often, I feel as though I am asking God to take away whatever hardship or stress that I am dealing with. Now, asking God to provide is not a bad thing, but I think it can be if you are spending too much time begging God that you don't learn to trust in Him and find peace, no matter what the situation. I've been reading through Psalm, and came across Psalm 23. Now, like many of you, I have read this Psalm countless times. However, one verse really stuck out at me. "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." -Ps. 23:5a And I realized something. God may not take away my hard times, but that doesn't mean that He does not want to sit with me and have me relish in His presence. He wants me to stop, right in the midst of the chaos and enjoy Him. I do not need to have a peaceful life in order to have peace; it does not depend on my surroundings. No matter where I am, I can stop and have...

This summer has made me realize so much. Today, as I'm sitting here on the Fourth of July, I realize how blessed I am being an American. Working with refugees has given me an even greater appreciation for how great this country is and how many people even to this day are willing to give all they have in order to make it here. They don't have anything but the clothes of their backs and a dream of a better life in our country. It makes me stop and think of how much easier I have it. I was born here, speak the language, and have just about every opportunity I could think of, and can get it a lot easier than my lovely refugee friends. Yet they do not complain. They are simply grateful to have a chance. What would my life look like if I lived it more like that? Further, how could I use what I have to make their lives better? I just read a book that I would highly recommend, called "More or Less" by Jeff Shinabarger. This book addresses all of the excess we as Americans ...