Drama, drama, drama
I feel like a teenager again because of all the drama I have had this week. I won’t go into it all here but praise the Lord it’s Friday and I start my new job Monday. One of the things I had to deal with was having an emergency root canal on Wednesday. I went in to have a temporary filling taken care of and the dentist x-rayed it and said I had a massive infection in it because my tooth was cracked and I needed a root canal. I have cracked several of my teeth grinding them at night. Since I don’t insurance yet, it cost me $1500. I tell you, get one thing paid off and something else pops up. For a split second, I thought maybe I shouldn’t go to Africa this year but then I thought that just because our circumstances change, doesn’t mean God’s will has. I will push through it and have faith that I will be able to raise all the funds to go.
Enough complaining though. I am babysitting my 2 nieces and 2 nephews tonight while my brother takes his lovely wife to a bed and breakfast in Lancaster, PA. They have not been away without the kids in the 10 years they have been married so I found them a nice little romantic place and told them I would sleep over and watch the kids so they could go away. It was funny because I thought my brother would argue with me about going and when I asked him, he said ok, he didn’t even think about it. It is going to be awesome for them. Pray for me though! The kids are 9, 7, 5 and 2 1/2. The youngest one is a smart, sassy cookie and she is into everything! She likes to drop things into the toaster and down the toilet. The hard thing is listening to them all talking to me at the same time. I will have to find something fun for us to do. They are all very artsy and talented so I may go to the craft store to get us all a project. I think we will make something for mom and dad.
Offices Closed!
How sad, I don’t even get to go work my last day because the offices are closed due to the ice storm. That means I have to drive down and clean out the rest of my office tomorrow. No Starbucks Friday for me 
My Last Day at Work
I can’t believe that today is the last time I will walk through the doors at church and go up to my office. I have so many mixed emotions. It’s almost surreal, like it’s not really happening. Yesterday I told my Thursday morning Bible study ladies’ that I wouldn’t be teaching the class anymore and I think out of everything, I will miss it the most. I have done it for so long and absolutely love these women and to watch them fall in love with the Lord has been an incredible blessing.
After my Bible study, my team (adult ministries) has devotions and yesterday when I went into the prayer room to join them, they had cake for me and then they all prayed over me. It was an incredible blessing and their prayers confirmed what’s in my heart. I guess after 4 years of listening to my obsession with missions, they all realize it is my heart! It is faith building to hear people tell you they know you will change the world. I say that all the time and I know some people have thought, well that’s prideful statement but with my Lord, I am going to change the world. Isn ‘t that what we are supposed to do?
I am excited about embarking on my new adventure. Although I will be going to work for a Christian owned company, I will have alot more opportunities to share my faith with other people and clients. I was talking to someone at the company last week and she asked me a question that I thought was funny. She said, “you’re one of those evangelistic types, aren’t you?” Well, by golly I guess I am!
I took next week off and I am looking forward to some R & R. I am feeling burned out and need some sabbath time alone with the Lord. I should go away somewhere close like the mountains or something but I don’t even have the energy to plan it!
Well, I guess I need to get ready to go to work. I hope I don’t cry too much today! This will be the last day me and Courtney (aka, foo foo skippy) get to make our “Starbucks Friday” run together. I am sad that this chapter of my life is coming to a close but excited because a new one is beginning.
Africa…again…still…
I am so excited!!! I think I will be going to Uganda, Africa in September and I am about to bounce off the walls! The focus of the trip is to do evangelism in the bush and I can’t wait. Please join me in prayer to make sure this is the one the Lord wants me to go on. I have read alot about Uganda and it breaks my heart to see the devastation there. You can read about it on Invisible Children. Will keep you posted…
God is involved in everything
It never ceases to amaze me how everything we do or don’t do is an act of our will. We make choices, many choices, each and every day. Will I go here or there? Will I do this or that? Will I eat this or that? Will I call so and so or am I too busy? Yada, yada, yada and on it goes. I posted a few days ago about how the choices we make today will affect our future.
I was doing my Bible study this morning and one of the questions asked was, describe a time when you cooperated with God by denying your will and following His. Well, that’s easy for me because most times I feel like I am following my own will so when I do listen to the Lord, things happen and I remember! I have been looking to change careers for awhile now and about 6 or 7 months ago I was interviewing with a large company I used to work at before. I worked there for 15 years and knew that I could go back and make a lot more money. The downside was that I would be working longer hours, nights, weekends and all holidays. The upside would be more money and no debt. We’re talking about a lot more money. Anyone who knows me knows that money is not a motivator for me at all, I know it sounds weird but it’s true. However, I am a missions addict and you can’t travel the world without it! Long story short, I knew the Lord did not want me to go back to this company and after arguing with Him, I relented. (He always wins!)
Well, shortly thereafter my name came up at another company I used to work for and they contacted me asking if I was still looking for a new job. It is so amazing that this offer is right up my alley. I will be able to use my administrative gifts and my gift of gab (yes, it is a gift) and be able to be more of a witness to the outside world. I am so excited about this opportunity and had I jumped at the first offer, I would not have received this one.
Waiting on the Lord can seem so hard sometimes, believe me I know. It seems like most of my life is spent waiting on something or for something. I find that if I wait patiently, He will give me the desires of my heart. I trust Him to do what He says He will do and I know that He desires to reward those who earnestly seek Him. It’s not about the reward though, it’s about seeking Him and His will and drawing near to Him. I love my Lord so much and can’t believe how much He loves me.
Back to the Garden
I started a new Bible last week on the Tabernacle so I have been reading in the Old Testament a lot. I love the OT. I remember when I first became a Christian and starting reading the Bible. I would read through Deuteronomy, Leviticus and Numbers and think, what the heck is that all about??? I was always confused by it and then once I was in Bible college, I had to take a course on the OT and absolutely fell in love with it! I still don’t get everything in it, probably never will but it is so cool how the OT points to Jesus.
Anyways, I was reading the account of the garden and trying to put myself there and think of what I would do. This perfect, lovely garden with a fine hunk of a man while God was walking around. Boggles my mind. Complete perfection, yet something in them still wanted more. They had it all. They did not sin because of their circumstances. They made a choice and that one choice forever changed not only their lives but the lives of every single person since. We think that when we sin people won’t see it and it won’t hurt anyone but that is not true. I am still paying for the sins of my fathers from long ago. I wrote a post about Achan and how his sins affected everyone. I love Joshua 24:15 and most Christians can quote it, “Choose this day whom you will serve…” What a reminder that the choice to serve God needs to be made daily. Heck, for me, sometimes it’s hourly, especially once I get on the highway! Making a choice is a deliberate act of the will, it will not happen unless you choose to make it happen. I would like to also say that by not making a choice, you are still making a choice. (Ponder that one!)
Today, I will choose to serve the Lord. I will choose to love the people around me no matter how much they may get on my last nerve. I will choose to have compassion and express the love of Christ. I will choose to focus on the lovely and pure. I will choose to commit my way to the Lord.
My resignation
I turned it in yesterday. I can’t believe it. After 4 years of being on staff at my church, I have resigned. I have a mixture of feelings and emotions that I am not sure I can quite express. I am scared and excited at the same time! It has been an adventure to say the least. When I started working there, I had only been a Christian for about 2 1/2 years. I think back on it and laugh and ask myself, what the heck were they thinking?! They actually wanted this ex addict, recovering alcoholic, codependant Jesus freak working for one of the pastors?? What a ride it has been. I have learned so much about myself and I know I would not be the woman I am today without the last 4 years of working there.
Although I have many mixed feelings, I know it’s time to move on. It’s hard when you are on staff at a mega church because people want to stick a halo on your head. People have so many expectations of what you should look like and act. I am so glad that I don’t fit into any kind of box. I know I have alot of opinions, too many people may say, but God gave me a brain and by golly I am going to use it!
I have accepted a position at a Christian owned company that I used to work for before I took the position at church. I worked for someone at the company and not the company directly so I already know everyone there. When I went in for my interview it was like coming home. I got to see and talk to many old friends. I am looking forward to this new opportunity and am praying that I will able to make and stick to some good boundaries. One of the really cool things is I get to go to a conference in Boca Raton is April! Woohoo! One bad thing is I have to make up some continuing education courses (like 30 hours!) and that along with Bible college may kill me! Please keep me in your prayers.
If you are one of my friends or members from church and you just found out, I am sorry for not being able to share this with you personally. I am sure many emails will go out over the next 2 weeks.
Awana Missions night
I just got home from talking to the Awana kids from church about missions. It was so much fun! There were about 125 kids from kindergarten to 6th grade and it is always a challenge to keep their attention for any length of time! I think they did pretty well considering.
I started off explaining what missions is and what missionaries do and explained that they were all missionaries too. I really wanted them to walk away with a sense that they can change the world and I think I did. I showed them a video of pictures of my trip to Africa and they were pretty awed by it. I am pretty sure most of them never saw the poverty and trash in many of the pictures that was all over the place. When I told the kids that there was no running water or electricity where we went, they were a little bug eyed! They could not believe it. I told them that many of the children only have the clothes on their back and most don’t have shoes. I told them to envision them looking in their closets and dressers at all their clothes and then told them to imagine only having one short or one pair of pants. It was pretty amazing.
One of the teens that I took with Africa with me this past summer was there and she shared about one of the healings we witnessed and they were really impressed by that! It was cool. We then had a Q & A session and boy was that interesting! Many of the kids were concerned about where we slept and what we ate so I had to tell them we had food and beds. Some of the boys asked if we got to build houses and I told them that I had but not in Africa but I did in Mexico and Peru. You could see the boys’ eyes getting all big at the thought of being able to swing a hammer or play with power tools. What is it with boys and their toys anyways???
Then don’t you know it, someone asked us if we got to see any lions or elephants. My partner told them that we got to go on a safari and that we did watch a lion eat a zebra. Well, it went downhill pretty stinkin’ fast from there. The next several questions were about giraffes, rhinos and the likes. I had to get us focused back on missions but it worked out well. At the end, I asked if they were all ready to move to Africa with me and amazingly enough, about half of them were. I am praying and hoping that I planted seeds and that one day, one of these future missionaries will think back on this night and remember that this is where their hunger for missions began.
At the end of the night, I had all the kids stand. I asked them if they were ready to change the world and we all yelled really loud, I can change the world! Then I told them all that I knew they could change the world but are they going to actually do it. So then we yelled, I will change the world! It was awesome. God is so good to give me such cool opportunitues to share the love of Christ and my heart with so many people. I pray that these little ones go home with such a sense of knowing that God has called each one of them and has a purpose for each of their lives. I am praying that they will pray and get their parents to pray for missionaries all over the world. I am praying that some of them will actually change the world.
My email is worldchanger and I get asked lots of questions about it like do I really think I can change the world? My answer, you bet, not only do I think I can change it, I am changing it. With Jesus leading me and the power of the Holy Spirit, I will change the world. One life at a time. One child at a time.
Braggin’ Rights
Yep, I got ‘em. My 7 year old niece got her report card today and she got straight stinkin’ A’s!! Woohoo! I am so proud of her and not just cause she’s a lot like me! Now I have an excuse to go out and buy her something pink and girlie girl. As a matter of fact, I should let her come and do a sleep over at her favorite auntie’s house. She loves stying with me cause her 3 siblings stay home and when she is with me, she knows it’s all about her! We do manicures and pedicures and play with make up and our hair and have a grand old time just being girls. We call it ”chick time.” One of those times (and I will have to dig up the picture) she had on purple blush on her cheeks, bless her little heart. She told me that her cheeks did not have to be red and I told her she was exactly right! A few years ago, I asked her if she wanted to spend the night and I told her we could just lay around in bed, eat chocolate and watch princess movies all night and she said, and I quote, “Oh Auntie Rachel, that’s a great idea!” She is so much like me it’s scary. She loves to talk, be the center of the attention, loves Africa and orphans, princess stuff, anything pink and of course…chocolate. I swear she is my clone. I love her so much!
Missions
Ah, my favorite subject. I love missions. I am a missions junkie. I can’t get enough of them. Praying about where to go this summer. I thought I was going back to Africa but am now praying about Thailand or Cambodia. I would love to do both. I had a vision last summer while in a worship service during leadership training at Teen Mania headquarters. Not some weird freaky vision so just calm down! We were preparing to go to Africa and on this one night, we were singing a song and one of the lines in it is:
Here I am Lord, it is I Lord? I can hear you calling in the night. I will go Lord, if You lead me. I will hold Your people in my heart.
I cannot even begin to explain the feeling in my heart when we sang this. It was like a crushing weight on my chest. I had my eyes closed and the Lord showed me what appeared to be an old black and white film rolling of pictures of children from all nations. It was like one of those old reel to reel films, not that I am old enough to remember them, I just read about them ;)
Anyways, the picture that is seared in my heart and my mind is of a little girl from Thailand (I think) with one of those hats covering her head. I can’t shake the picture from my mind, it’s like she is calling me. I know exactly how the apostle Paul felt when the man from Macedonia called him in his vision. I know it may sound weird and I assure you I have my weird moments, but I know the Lord is calling me to minister to the nations, especially vulnerable children and orphans. Please, please pray with me that God would reveal His will to me regarding my role in missions. In the next few days, I plan on writing about the sexual trafficking that is going on world-wide. It will be a hard post, but a necessary one. Awareness leads to prayer which leads to change. (Hey, I just made that up!)
I am speaking in a few days to our Awana kids at church about missions so please pray for me that they would go home and have a burden for missions and missionaries. I am going to show them a video from my Africa trip and pray that they would go home changed. What a privilege for me to get to share my passion with these little ones.
Look at these little faces, what’s not to love?! 
