The last month has been quite a whirlwind. Some crazy good things and some not so much. I am going to my final appointment for a root canal this morning, so this will be short. This root canal has been in "the process" for over 6 weeks. One doctor started, then quit three quarters of the way because she couldnt figure it out. Then, the local doctor she sent me to up the street couldn't fix it that day, so i had to wait 2 weeks to see him. Then, I had to go to Santiago with the boys to get the last treatment. At one point, the dentist said it is best to just pull it. I told him (after Trevor yelled through the phone, NO WAY!), that I had never had any pain with the tooth and that pulling it wasn't an option. I actually was against getting a root canal and aren't so sure I ever needed one to begin with. They wanted to cut my jaw open to look at the bone because they couldn't see it in the x-ray. Thankfully, I didn't have to do that either when I got to Santiago. 8-9 x-rays later, he saw the bone and said, "thank goodness we didn't pull that tooth." Ay yi yi.
My real update this morning is to talk about my team in the DR. As many of you know God sent me in March of 2012, the Ostbergs in June '12, and the Plankenhorns in Sept '12. None of us planned this. None of us were close friends before leaving the USA. We didn't talk it out and say, "Hey, the 5 of us would be great as a team doing something crazy like fighting human trafficking in a 3rd world country." Anyone would have picked their closest five to venture onto something like this. Very seldom had I ever even spoken to them on the phone when I lived in the States. I knew Luke the most from working as a leader with him on our host team for a few years. We all churched it together and we went on all the mission trips with Ridgepoint together. We knew each other, but God chose this team. People don't see that part in the D.R. They assume we came up with this plan because we are all from the same church.
So, I got up super early this morning, 6am, to get some work done for FIGHT before my appointment. And, because my new house has lovely large roosters that start their madness at 4am! My daily prayer is for God's will to be for them to die. I really do pray that. Anyway...
I was rereading my old posts the other day and came across this, written a year ago before the Ostbergs got here...April 6, 2012, exactly a month after I touched ground.
"This is the reason for the email…Trafficking sounds too big. Too daunting. I told God that morning and a few nights after that if He can take that cup, please do so and replace it with something else. I want to do it if He wills, but I don’t think we can do anything with this madness. We don’t know anything about it!!! Devil says we cant change crap and I want to believe that jerk a lot of the time!! But we have told God (the 3 of us) over and over again, this will be of YOU. We never want to be man powered, ever. I am jumping ship the second it isn’t Christ centered. We will seek You on what this will look like, who we will join, how we will live if He pulls us all from teaching after this year, etc. We live for You, Lord. YOU WILL PROVIDE FOR YOUR KIDS. We will stand on that."
And, this was written before we even had final word from God as to what it would look like...and I love this part...before we knew God had planned for the Plankenhorns to be a part of His plan in the DR! Love it! Each of us could say we would never pick this team; we don't even know simple things about each other, at least I learn something new daily. BUT God knew He wanted each of us. As I sat down to work this morning, I was thinking about each of our skills, talents, and personalities that God made. Not just made, made for His purpose. Made for a purpose such as this task He has laid before us. It seriously amazes me to watch us work together and how the puzzle actually does FIT perfectly even if we didn't think it could. :)
I am honored to sit in meetings all this week for hours with this team developing this organization that is Holy Spirit led. Constantly this team is quoting scripture and praying through decisions and encouraging each other along the journey He has for us.
We had to be obedient to His request of us to leave JCS. It doesnt make sense to humans. But we followed the Lord to the DR and we will continue to follow Him where He asks. If I want to live outside the will of God, I am moving to the USA and living out the Phyllis plan! Oh, and I had a plan. God is a little late on the 2.5 children and hot husband, like 4 years late on my plan. But, I choose to follow and leave my plans aside because I am in so madly in love with the Lord. His love fills me like nothing else can.
So this is His plan.
When I came to Christ a few years ago, God told me clearly that I do not have plans anymore. His. If I want to do His will, I seek Him first. My love is Him first. My identity is in Him. I do as He asks and leave the rest to Him. First and foremost, even if it doesn't line up with our way of thinking and ways of doing things, the desires of my heart are what He wants me to do to bring Him glory.
I stepped out on faith this past month and thought I was going to have a breakdown. Here it has passed and I praise His Name for what He has been doing since we surrendered the jobs. I have a list in my journal of 8 things I told Him that HE HAS TO TAKE CARE OF IF HE is making me quit my job mid year, lose housing, and a salary. I went to the list yesterday and 6 of the 8 now have dates of when He did it. Who needs a couch, one of the things not crossed off!??? Planks gave me a chair and two rockers, totally works for me.
I should cross off the couch and date it.
My real update this morning is to talk about my team in the DR. As many of you know God sent me in March of 2012, the Ostbergs in June '12, and the Plankenhorns in Sept '12. None of us planned this. None of us were close friends before leaving the USA. We didn't talk it out and say, "Hey, the 5 of us would be great as a team doing something crazy like fighting human trafficking in a 3rd world country." Anyone would have picked their closest five to venture onto something like this. Very seldom had I ever even spoken to them on the phone when I lived in the States. I knew Luke the most from working as a leader with him on our host team for a few years. We all churched it together and we went on all the mission trips with Ridgepoint together. We knew each other, but God chose this team. People don't see that part in the D.R. They assume we came up with this plan because we are all from the same church.
So, I got up super early this morning, 6am, to get some work done for FIGHT before my appointment. And, because my new house has lovely large roosters that start their madness at 4am! My daily prayer is for God's will to be for them to die. I really do pray that. Anyway...
I was rereading my old posts the other day and came across this, written a year ago before the Ostbergs got here...April 6, 2012, exactly a month after I touched ground.
"This is the reason for the email…Trafficking sounds too big. Too daunting. I told God that morning and a few nights after that if He can take that cup, please do so and replace it with something else. I want to do it if He wills, but I don’t think we can do anything with this madness. We don’t know anything about it!!! Devil says we cant change crap and I want to believe that jerk a lot of the time!! But we have told God (the 3 of us) over and over again, this will be of YOU. We never want to be man powered, ever. I am jumping ship the second it isn’t Christ centered. We will seek You on what this will look like, who we will join, how we will live if He pulls us all from teaching after this year, etc. We live for You, Lord. YOU WILL PROVIDE FOR YOUR KIDS. We will stand on that."
And, this was written before we even had final word from God as to what it would look like...and I love this part...before we knew God had planned for the Plankenhorns to be a part of His plan in the DR! Love it! Each of us could say we would never pick this team; we don't even know simple things about each other, at least I learn something new daily. BUT God knew He wanted each of us. As I sat down to work this morning, I was thinking about each of our skills, talents, and personalities that God made. Not just made, made for His purpose. Made for a purpose such as this task He has laid before us. It seriously amazes me to watch us work together and how the puzzle actually does FIT perfectly even if we didn't think it could. :)
I am honored to sit in meetings all this week for hours with this team developing this organization that is Holy Spirit led. Constantly this team is quoting scripture and praying through decisions and encouraging each other along the journey He has for us.
We had to be obedient to His request of us to leave JCS. It doesnt make sense to humans. But we followed the Lord to the DR and we will continue to follow Him where He asks. If I want to live outside the will of God, I am moving to the USA and living out the Phyllis plan! Oh, and I had a plan. God is a little late on the 2.5 children and hot husband, like 4 years late on my plan. But, I choose to follow and leave my plans aside because I am in so madly in love with the Lord. His love fills me like nothing else can.
So this is His plan.
When I came to Christ a few years ago, God told me clearly that I do not have plans anymore. His. If I want to do His will, I seek Him first. My love is Him first. My identity is in Him. I do as He asks and leave the rest to Him. First and foremost, even if it doesn't line up with our way of thinking and ways of doing things, the desires of my heart are what He wants me to do to bring Him glory.
I stepped out on faith this past month and thought I was going to have a breakdown. Here it has passed and I praise His Name for what He has been doing since we surrendered the jobs. I have a list in my journal of 8 things I told Him that HE HAS TO TAKE CARE OF IF HE is making me quit my job mid year, lose housing, and a salary. I went to the list yesterday and 6 of the 8 now have dates of when He did it. Who needs a couch, one of the things not crossed off!??? Planks gave me a chair and two rockers, totally works for me.
I should cross off the couch and date it.
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