MAY 31st. (journal entry)

Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8
"My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; i shall not be greatly shaken... My soul, wait in silence for God only. For my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. TRUST IN HIM AT ALL TIMES, O people; pour out your hear before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah."


Psalm 62 had been such a sweet scripture for me! A friend of mine suggested I read through it when I was overwhelmed during finals week and since then I go to it quite often!!! It is good for me to be reminded to "wait in silence for God" silence shows a trust in the Lord that is both patient and uncomplaining! And because of the confidence I have in the Lord, I will not be shaken! I think to myself, patient and uncomplaining! It is a hard way to approach a trial especially when my heart wants to be in Guatemala so badly!


And so the plot thickens!!!... When Jenny got the call from American Airlines around four this afternoon, our hearts sank! Our flight for the 2nd (wednesday) got cancelled. We keep reading the news of the now 100+ deaths in Guatemala and find it hard to be sitting here in Dallas not able to do anything. I will admit, it is hard to continue serving here in Dallas with a completely happy outlook. I am thankful for the spirit of the Lord at work in me and pray that He will continue to grow my attitude to be one that is like Christ and thankful to serve wherever I am! 


I am running to James 1 for encouragement today. "Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach , and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind." -consider it pure joy: The human response to trials is not rejoicing and happiness. That is why we MUST make a commitment to face them with joy and gladness! -trials: this word in verb form literally means "to put someone or something to the test" We are being tested! God allows us to experience these trials to prove and increase the strength of our faith. -ask in faith: Prayer has to be offered with a confident trust in our sovereign God. -without any doubting: We cannot ask with a distrust in God! Our belief that He is sovereign goes void if we do not trust in that sovereignty! 


God never ceases to amaze me!!! His provisions for our team are unbelievable! Our plans have changed completely! We are now leaving for Honduras on Wednesday. 


Before I go on I have to just praise my awesome Father! He has been so sweet to give my team and me this time in Dallas! until 10 o'clock tonight, I was really struggling with why God had me here for the past few days. But oh how sweet He is to open my eyes to see His beautiful plan. Before I left home I was so nervous about flying alone. Not because I am afraid to fly but because I was afraid of having to play catch up with my team to get to know them since they would have the hours of traveling together. I allowed all of my insecurities to flood my mind. I was worried they would already have this love for each other and I wouldn't be able to break into the group. When our flights got pushed back to Sunday (May 30th) I was thrilled to find out I was going to be flying with my team! I hadn't prayed specifically to be with my team but for some form of bonding before we were in the hustle and bustle of interning. Five whole days (that's 120 hours) together in Dallas will do it!
Here is where God so graciously revealed a little piece of His plan to me. Wednesday morning at 2:30AM I will be heading to DFW airport ALONE! ALONE! That word that haunted my thoughts days ago now has no hold over me. God is so good! 


So, we will be serving the beautiful children of Nueva Esperanza orphanage in San Pedro Sula Honduras. Isn't God sweet to allow me to travel to the exact place I was supposed to go one year ago? I am overwhelmed by all God has blessed me with! Thank you so much for all of your prayers!!!


"Oh Father, You continue to amaze me with your plans for me. you have taught me so much in such a small amount of time. You have been so sweet to bring me to this time of trials Lord. god I know that it is only because of your goodness and grace that I am able to proclaim boldly Philippians 4:11 "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am!" God I am content! I am satisfied! You are my sufficiency! God I will remember 1 Samuel 7:12 "Thus far the LORD has helped us." you are the one responsible for bringing me to the place I am at. You are my provider. You are there for me in times of faithfulness and rebellion. You help me fight my battles and You provide me with blessings beyond my belief! You are my comforter and my deliverer. You are my Beloved. You are my King. Oh God continue to stretch me! Stretch me as far as you see fit God! Grow me. Reveal Yourself to me in ways like never before! Give me your heart for the Children and people of Honduras. Be with Crista, Christina, Jenny, Anna, Elizabeth, Brittany, Eric and me as we travel on Wednesday. I pray that if it is Your will that we will make it there without complications. Thank You for Your Son and Your grace. I love You and Thank You! Amen" 

not quite there yet.

Today was another trying day in Guatemala and Dallas, Texas. This afternoon while relaxing by the pool our team discovered that a tropical storm had hit Guatemala today. This news altered our plans. The plan is now to leave on Wednesday, Lord willing, for Guatemala. So, until then we are going to go to church tomorrow and then do ministry opportunities in Dallas. 


Today as I had time to just sit and think about the situation at hand, God was so sweet to remind me of 


1 Peter 4:12-13 "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange ting were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation." 


Peter reminds us that there is an attitude that is expected of we christians when we experience trials and suffering. We should expect it, rejoice in it, evaluate its cause and entrust it to God. 


I want you to know that I am very thankful for the trial God has placed before us and very confident in His perfect sovereign will. Thank you for all of your prayers. They are very appreciated and I cannot wait to share with you how the Lord stretches and grows me over the next few days and the next month. 

not quite there yet...

Hey Guys! This is Anna Lee, Elizabeth's sister. Unfortunately, Elizabeth hasn't made it to Guatemala yet. She is still in Dallas, TX, because a volcano erupted in Pacaya, which is about 15 minutes outside of Guatemala City, and all the flights to Guatemala have been cancelled due to the ash. As of right now, Elizabeth and her team will leave for Guatemala on Sunday. Thankfully, due to the flight cancellations, Elizabeth is now getting to fly with her team (originally she was flying separate from them). She is really grateful it worked out; she loves her team and was really anxious about flying alone.


Continue to pray for Elizabeth and her team. Pray that the ash would settle and they would be able to fly out on Sunday. Pray for the hearts of the entire team, that they would not be shaken by this.


If we get any more updates from Elizabeth, I will pass them on :) Here is a link to a news article about the volcano...


http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hVfsfnDZBzkYw1QhgRYf47ZNu2Lw

it's here!

Oh WOW! It’s finally here. Tomorrow I leave home to spend the next month loving on God’s beautiful treasures in Guatemala. I am anxious and excited and nervous and probably a million other emotions. I cannot wait to share with you everything the Lord teaches me!

I don’t know how much I will be able to use the internet while in Guatemala so here is my plan... I am going to keep a journal. If I am able to have access to the internet, I will post and let you know where I am and maybe what I am doing. Then when I return home I will blog my journals.

Here are some things that you can pray for:

-safe travels: I am traveling by myself to Dallas tomorrow and then to Guatemala on Friday.

-that my nerves would calm and my anxiousness would leave me

-that I would be able to use the Spanish I learned this year and I would pick up the language quickly

-that God would give me the wisdom to know how to react to the sad situations I will face

-that the nerves I have about bonding with my team would escape me

-that the boast of my heart would be in Christ and Christ ALONE!!!!!

I will leave you with a little something Spanish.

how it came about.

I want to share with you how my internship in Guatemala came about. Last year I was supposed to travel to San Pedro Sula, Honduras to love on the orphans there in Nueva Esparenza orphanage. I was in Anaheim, California when I saw on the news that the president of Honduras was exiled from the country. When I arrived back home and found out that my trip had been postponed for a year, I was devastated. The following weeks were very hard for me. I didn’t understand why God would take something away from me that I wanted so badly. I couldn’t understand why He would allow my heart to break. After a time of wrestling with God and Him breaking me, He sweetly showed me that He has a purpose in permitting heartbreak. God broke my heart that I may be shaped into the likeness of Christ, that I may learn to trust Him, that I may learn to obey Him, that I may bear fruit, and that I may reach spiritual maturity. I read Romans 5:3-5 over and over again- “We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured our within our hearts through the Holy Spirit that was given to us.”

So… after a year of growth, I was so excited to finally go on my trip. After emailing the people at Buckner (the organization I am interning for) they asked me if I would want to intern with them for a month, rather than serve in Honduras for a week. Buckner gave me the decision to intern in Peru or Guatemala. I prayed hard over the decision. How do you choose between two places that are in such great need? When I prayed for the people of Peru my heart got filled with excitement and eagerness, but when I prayed for the people of Guatemala my heart broke and I became filled with grief and hurt for their situation. It was with much prayer and fasting that I made the decision to travel to Guatemala this summer.

As May 27^th gets closer I find myself with all different types of emotions. I am so excited to pour every ounce of love I have into the lives of these beautiful children. I am excited to serve and to learn. But… my fears and nervousness seem to be overshadowing my excitement. I am still so confused at why God would choose me for this amazing opportunity. I have not done anything worthy of this blessing. When I find myself getting nervous and anxious, it is Isaiah 41:22- “Do not fear for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” that I am trying to hide in my heart. I have to not only know but I have to believe wholeheartedly that despite my inadequacy, Christ can and will accomplish His plan using me.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” –Joshua 1:9

untitled.

So, it is very safe to say that I have absolutely no clue what I am doing.

I've started this blog to share with those close to me all of the amazing tales I will have during my time in Guatemala. For the first half of my summer, I have been overwhelmingly blessed with the opportunity to serve God's treasures in Guatemala. I cannot wait to share everything I learn with you.