Sep. 13, 2008 - Wales and Back again!

The trip to the UK. :) Sorry it's so long! and sorry I haven't been on in like 2 months, life has been SO crazy as you can imagin. :)

I began my trip at our Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma Assembly camp, Falls Creek (www.fallscreekok.org). I attended base camp for 2 days at Falls Creek, which really prepared me for the plane ride and all the legalities that I didn’t even think about, as I‘ve never flown before. When we got into London, I and the other people who were stationed in Wales, rode on a bus to Cardiff, Wales, while half of the iWitness team stayed for work in London. When we arrived the first day, we prayer walked, which plowed the field (so to speak) and prepared the area for GOD’s work that would be done there, before and after we were there. Each morning, we read through Acts to begin the day. Everyday, we prayer walked for the first 30 minutes when we got to our stationed area of the city. I was stationed in the Cardiff Bay. We would then start talking to people when we felt the SPIRIT lead us. Otherwise, we were prayer walking. We would do that for about 4 hours and then come together with our Trek group and have simple Church outside. Our Trek group was a smaller team of ten people I worked with throughout the mission trip. Simple Church was where the trek group got together and went over what we read in Acts that day and talked about what happened that day. After Simple Church, we would then go eat and head back to the dorms.

My favorite day there was the hardest. It was raining really hard and it was freezing cold, so when the wind blew it felt like it was going right through you. To me, that day tested all of our faith. We all were getting frustrated about how cold it was and asking ourselves why we were there. But I was excited, it was like GOD was testing our faith and that just made it all worthwhile. I wanted to prove that I couldn’t handle the whole thing by myself but that GOD was there so he could provide me a way to get through the cold and just do the work for HIM. HE provided.
I got really close to this group of 3 local kids who happened to be my age. It was so nice to be around them and it really got deep too. Now, we didn’t bring them to salvation, but we got them one step closer to that point. The rest is up to GOD, which is a very comforting thought. For so long I was worried I’d say or do the wrong thing, but now I realize it all is truly up to GOD. I was just blessed enough to be used.
A simple act that stuck out to me that made me awaken was the fact that when we had simple Church out at the Bay, when we prayed we prayed with our eye’s open which took a few days to get used to because I grew up with the whole, ‘bow your head and close your eyes.’ But we were trying to not draw attention to ourselves but blend in. Coming home was a bit of a shock in a little way, because I was so used to not bowing my head. But in a way doing it here is safe. The word that we used a lot to prayer walk was ‘Oicas,’ which means ‘family,’ that the people there would have someone in there Oicas that could keep them walking in the right direction.

When I came back from Cardiff, I went straight to Falls Creek with my Church youth group, and one night they were talking about how following GOD is not always safe. I had come face to face with that realization while I was in Cardiff. Now I never had a gun to my head or anything, but just finally knowing that persecution is out there makes it more real to me.

The whole Cardiff group reached 6 people, but more happened than that, and all we wanted was GOD‘s will, whatever that is. We prayed over the city and did what GOD told us to do. One week after we left Cardiff, Trip B came in and covered the same place again! It was a huge uplifting thought while we were there! Just knowing that GOD really wasn’t done yet, for HE has been working on this city of Cardiff for a long time, left me in awe. In the 1900’s, there was a huge revival there, but as time went on people let go and just stopped believing in GOD. So most of them have heard the word of GOD, but have hardened their hearts to HIM. I don’t know what GOD has planned for this little city of Cardiff, but I know GOD has a plan.

I learned that the mission field is far more than any one trip to another country, it has to be how I live and work for GOD every day. I will never fully understand why GOD sent me to Wales this year, but He has shown me through this trip that people are in need of salvation everywhere. I am a more confident individual now because of a better understanding of the Holy Spirit working through me. My life as it is exists only because of Christ and His sacrifice. It has been an incredibly busy summer for me, as I have sought every opportunity I can to build relationships close to me and reach out to others for GOD. I will continue learning more about how GOD has called each of us to reach everyone we can for HIS Kingdom, and I appreciate your prayers for my growth in my Christian walk.
One more thing I’d ask of you would be for you to pray for the people there in the United Kingdom, that they would soften their hearts and that God would place someone in there lives that can lead them the rest of the way to CHRIST. I will be staying in touch with the young people I met while in Wales, and will continue to encourage them toward a saving knowledge in Jesus Christ.

Thankyou. :)

SolidFaith

Jun. 15, 2008 - To Close to Turn Back now!

My life has been so busy! It's crazy, I have been preparing for the mission trip to Cardiff Wales. About a week ago I started having cold feet about the whole thing. Doubts just started to fill my mind stronger than I have ever felt. But I prayed about it and now I actually feel peaceful about it. Now I'm not saying I'm not scared because... I am. But I feel a lot better about the whole thing. I know GOD called me to do this. I'm not even sure why but I know he does. In any event I'm to close to turn back now. I will be going for 2 day's in training June 28+29 the 30 is when we will fly out to London, and then I will be on a train ride to Cardiff, Wales were I have been stationed along with the rest of them that are going there. I will be returning to Oklahoma, staight to Falls Creek, which is also when my youth group will be there so I'll just be a day and a half late to the camp. :) I'm filled with joy about the whole experence and what will happen.

~an anxious heart

Apr. 7, 2008 - Last Payment!

I sent my last UK mission trip payment Friday!! I'm so excited!

Mar. 20, 2008 - My Mission

I thought I'd write down what led me to where I am now. As in setting up to go to London on a mission trip.

It all began at Fall's Creek 2007. They were talking about how iwitness ministries went to Germany last year. And if you feel GOD is calling you to go to this year's trip to London that you need to listen and such. So they kept talking about it at first I was thinking that's cool. But I'd never go anyway's. But soon I felt the HOLY SPIRIT telling me to look into it. I kept pushing away the feeling. (that didn't last for long. lol. I have learned that the HOLY SPIRIT is persistent) So right then and there I prayed asking GOD that if HE really wants me to look into it, that one of my leaders would talk to me about the trip. So right after that night worship at Falls Creek... I was talking with my friends and our intern asked me.. JUST me if I was interested in this year's mission trip. I told her... "um.. I dono" So she and I looked into it and went to there little meeting.

After Falls Creek, my parent's picked me up and the first thing I said was that I felt GOD calling me to this year's mission trip to London. They were of course taken aback, but they talked to me about it. My mom told me that I needed to find out if GOD really wanted me to go.

Soon after I went to my friend's lake dock with her, on the way there I was looking out the window and was praying to GOD asking HIM to make a coud in the shape of a U. Which would mean HE wanted me to go to the UK. For about 10 minutes I was looking out the window with no sign of what I asked for. I was then telling GOD, "aw, I guess you don't want me to go..." Really I was happy. But... then I saw a U or C shaped cloud. I was in amazement. I then once again second guessed it saying it was a C not a U. When I really knew that it was GOD. :)

I was STILL not sure with what GOD wanted me to do. I did the 10 day challenge that iwitness set up. Falls Creek told us that if we weren't sure if GOD was calling us to go. Do this 10 day challenge and you will know at the end of it. So I did it and at the end of it... I still didn't know. I was mad, mad at myself and GOD for not telling me what to do. So I sat down in my room determined to find the answer. I was in my room for an hour. I was praying hard for GOD to tell me what to do... I then was like DUH GOD speaks through the Bible, so I looked into my Bible looking up words and such. I found a few verses that didn't help at all. I then found the verse

James 1:22-24

"Do not merely listen to the word and decieve yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it ways is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediatly forgets what he looks like."

When I read that I was like... ok. The next verse I found was

Psalm 139:9-10

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

Right then I knew I was going! That whole time my excuse was I couldn't do it because it was on the far side of the sea. And GOD just put my own words against me. lol. Which I needed.

So I set everything up. With my family's help of course. I got accepted to TRIP A September 10, 2007.

I am now DONE with the financial end of it all. Tons of people donated. and I earned some of it, working at the church nursery. :)