God has used my time here in so many incredible ways. He has allowed me to connect with an incredible number of pastors and ministry workers spanning Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. God has developed friendships in my life that are rooted, lasting and incredibly meaningful. He has also used my time to bring me along an amazing spiritual journey personally. There is no way to put into words everything that God has done in only a short time. There is one thing that has characterized my summer overall however.
The theme God has continued to stress in my life this summer is listening. Listening in a few different ways. First of all listening to those Ive been here to share Christ's love with. Although I 'knew' the importance of listening before, I have been challenged to deepen my listening skills when it comes to sharing Christ with people who need Him. (Nobody cares how much you know unless they know how much you care. Thanks Ken) Secondly the importance of listening to those in ministry ahead of me. There has been SO MUCH wisdom dumped on me (for lack of a better expression) this summer. Its pretty humbling to have had the opportunity to sit with men that have been active in service on the Utah field in some cases for longer than I have been alive. To be able to spend time with them, not in a classroom or seminar setting but at their home, experiencing life with them, what an incredible opportunity. I have gained an absolutely invaluable amount of knowledge from these men. And finally (as well as most importantly) the practice to listening to the Holy Spirit. This has been by far the most difficult lesson for me to learn this summer, and I am by no means done learning in this area (this is a lifetime learning course of study). I have however thoroughly enjoyed the adventure of hearing the voice of the Lord and obeying, even when there doesnt seem to be any rhyme or reason behind what the Lord may be leading me to do (like going downstairs to read, sharing certain aspects of my testimony, asking a certain question, making a certain phone call, the list is pretty much endless). If there is one thing that I can take away from this summer (obviously there are millions of things for me to take away) it would be that God loves us down to the tiniest of details. He knows exactly the perfect plan that He has for each and every one of us. And a life lived in obedience to His majestic whispers is a life lived in the fullness of the freedom of Christ.
I hope that made sense...
My last official summer prayer request: that God would provide opportunities for me to spend time with the people who have played an important role in my life this summer here in the Utah valley area. That God would bless my friends with safe travel to and from Utah this upcoming week. And that He would be preparing each of the EMI team members for our ministry this upcoming school year. (And of course anything and everything in-between that I didnt mention)
Thank you all so much for your faithful prayers over the course of this summer. I cant wait to see many of you soon!
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