God's Multiplication

Once upon a time...
...there was a woman who found a 100 dollar bill. She took it to the local police station and asked if anyone had come looking for a missing 100 dollar bill. "Nope, sorry!" the police man said, "If no one comes to claim it in 7 days its yours!" So the woman came back 7 days later to check and see if the missing 100 dollar bill had found its owner. "No one has come to claim it! She is all yours." said the police man. The woman took the 100 dollar bill and said a prayer, "Lord, what would you have me do with this money? Please show me." She then went to the grocery store to get some groceries and up ahead of her in line at the check out counter she noticed a woman who was putting things aside because she didn't have enough money. These items included things like dippers, and home essentials. Quickly the woman pulled out the $100 and gave it to the woman in front of her in line. This woman burst into tears and thanked her over and over again. This is a beautiful example of how God can use us to bring blessings into others lives, but the story isn't over yet. The very next day, the woman found $100 in her purse. She was puzzled. Hadn't she just given $100 to the woman in the grocery store?? "Well Lord," she said, "show me what to do with this $100." That day, God showed her another individual who was desperately in need of money. And can you guess what happened the next morning?? There was another $100 in the woman's purse!! This happened 27 more times! Wow! What a beautiful story of what happens when we place ourselves in God's hands and give our means, talents, and time to Him.

This is a story that my aunt told me, and she heard it from a sermon. I don't know who preached the sermon, and I don't know the woman in the story, so I don't know who to credit for this story. But it hit me in a powerful way and I pray that it did the same for you.

Believing is Trusting

God has been teaching me so much this summer! One of the biggest lessons I have learned this summer is trust. Simple trust in the Creator who cares for us and WANTS to bless us. Have any of you been stressed lately? I just feel like the world is a place where stress too easily controls our lives. I was dealing with a tremendous amount of stress this summer (two jobs, and studying for boards), and it was such a burden. But God has been showing me that being stressed about my life is showing a lack of trust in Him. Ok, so bear with me here as I try to explain this. So, if someone asks, “Do you believe in God?” We respond with, “Yes! I believe in God.” Now, what if believing, is trusting. If someone asked “Do you trust in God?” Could we as readily answer “Yes! I place my trust in God every day!” In order to trust what someone is saying, you need to believe them right? So if you truly believe someone, then you trust them as well, right? So, in these verses, I will be replacing the word believe with trust. This gives a deeper context to these verses and their application in our lives filled with stress.

-  “And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they [trust] me, for all the signs which I have showed among them?” - Numbers 14:11 (God has shown us so many examples of what happens when we willingly place our trust in Him, yet it is still a daily struggle).

- “[Trust] in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established” - 2 Chronicles 20:20 (Prosperity comes not from taking things in our own hands, but from trusting that God will take care of us and multiply our labors so that our needs are met).

- “And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement: of sin, because they [trust] not on me.” - John 16:8-9 (Not trusting God is actually a sin. Not trusting God separates us from Him and the definition of sin is a separation from God. Therefore, stress (unhealthy stress) is actually sin).

- “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst [trust], all things are possible to him that [trusteth].” - Mark 9:23 

I stress way too much in life, and God has been showing me the deep significance of putting my trust in Him, and not stressing. This is encouraging! Because life is so much better because we have a God that we can trust! The stresses that burden those in this world don’t have to hold on to us! Trusting God. If we haven’t built up the trust in Him now, we won’t stand the test at the end. As school starts for some of us, and as others are looking for jobs, and all of us as we live life day to day, remember to Trust God!  John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye [trust] in God....” 

Matt 9:28

Matt 18:6

Mark 11:23-24

Altars of Life

                I have been reading in Genesis for my devotions recently, and I have found so many amazing and beautiful things that I can't help but share them! This particular lesson that I learned was about the importance of building altars in our lives. Abraham wasn't a perfect man. We so often put these Bible characters on pedestals, when in reality they were sinful human beings just like you and me. They did amazing things through God's strength, yet they also made terrible mistakes. Currently, in this story of Abraham, he has just been called by God to leave his homeland and travel to a place where God will show him.
               Genesis 12:6-9 says, "Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'To your offspring I will give this land.' So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel...and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb."
             Notice here that the Lord appeared to Abram with a promise. I am sure that after traveling through land that is filled with Canaanites would be intimidating and confusing for Abraham, but God gave him encouragement and comfort through his promise that someday all this land would belong to Abrahams offspring. This was a time in Abrahams life when he needed to see God, and have a promise to remember, therefore he built an altar. Then as he continued to travel I believe that he got discouraged again, or needed to speak to the Lord to gain strength. Here is says that Abraham called on the name of the Lord and built another altar. Then after being encouraged he moved on.
             As Genesis continues, it recounts how Abraham traveled to Egypt and because he was afraid people would kill him to get to his wife, he told people that Sarah was his sister. We all know this story, and that it didn't end well. Pharaoh took Sarah, but was afflicted with many plagues and soon discovered what Abraham had done. After returning Sarah to Abraham and sending him away, I am sure that Abraham felt very discouraged. He had made a big mistake in his life. He had not asked God whether he should go to Egypt in the first place, and he showed a lack of trust in God by lying to protect himself. Abraham had sinned and needed to reconnect with God. So what did he do?
             Genesis 13:1-4 "So Abram went up from Egypt...into the Negeb...And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning...to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord."
             When you find yourself distant from God, or in a new situation where you don't feel God and you are unsure of his presence, return to the place where you saw him last. Return to the altars that you have built in your past. (Don't forget to build those altars when you do see and feel God in your life!) Call upon the name of the Lord in the way and in the place where you felt his assuring presence. This might mean going to a particular place, or it might mean that you start having your devotions again, or praying more regularly, or maybe you need to talk with someone who has helped you to see Jesus before. Don't give up, but use the ways God has lead you in the past to keep you moving towards him.

"Peace! Be still!"

Wow...So I have not posted on here in WAY too long! Life has kinda taken control of my time! But I feel the Spirit calling and I need to start blogging again. I am sitting here, 11:00 at night, reading for an assignment in my Bible class. The past two weeks have been the worst weeks I have had in a VERY long time. Yet I feel this peace...I am reading in Mark for my Bible class, and I just read about the storm on the sea where Jesus was sleeping and his disciples called out to Him wondering whether He was just going to let them die! And Jesus woke up and command that the waves and wind BE STILL. I have been going through a lot, and I know there are others out there who are going through a lot, my close friends and family are going through a lot, and here is a word of encouragement for YOU. Jesus had an amazing amount of power and authority in commanding that the wind and water be still. Because of Jesus, and through Him, we can have this same power and authority to command the storms in our lives to be still. Not that the wind and water completely disappear, but that we have PEACE while riding the waves and letting the wind move us forward. Jesus rebuked the waves and wind saying, "Peace! Be still!" -Mark 4:39 You can overcome the circumstances that you are going through right now. They do NOT have control of you. Ask Jesus to give you the victory and to command those waves and winds to, "Peace! Be still!"

Blessings in Disguise

"Blessings"

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

And Life Moves on...

Big gecko that lives in my classroom!!  

My kids jumping for joy at their new toy. Play-dough! :) 

 Me

Elijah

This boy makes me laugh everyday! 

Yuji

This boy has the biggest smile!! :)

CeCe

she brought me flowers! was so sweet! 

More pictures!!! :)

The other Student Missionaries and I that decided to go Camping 

 Beautiful Sunset on the Camping trip...

 Sorry this picture is sideways...But it is a little crab that I found out I had been sitting on partway through my devotions...

 Fresh coconut!! Got it myself! (don't tell anyone...but the tree had been knocked down by the storm... ;)

This beautiful place called Nalup where we went camping..

Got my Pohnpei Drivers License! :) Great souvenir! 

We went on outreach this last Sabbath, and did VBS for the kids. 

Learned to play the Ukulele!!! This is my teacher..Trevor :)

Where I went camping two weekends ago...just incredible!

Here Kristi, Kari, and Kami! I posted these especially for you! :) You can see what your big sister is up to. Hope you enjoy them! There will be more soon! Love you!