Wednesday, November 16, 2011

55 days.

Just wanted to update those who read this on the progress in this trip!

I bought a plane ticket last weekend! Praise God for the way He is making my path straight. I got a great price on the ticket and I leave on Jan. 9th at 5:30pm!

That's in 55 days!!

I need $3254.30 but a better way to put it is that the Lord has, in His sovereignty, provided $6745.70! I am overwhelmed as I look back a few short months ago and the mountain this support seemed to be! God is so faithful and He has proven that through the way he has provided for me!

Continue to join with me in prayer that the rest of my estimated support will come in before I leave. (the sooner the better ;)

I also could use your prayer support as I just found out I need a visa before I go. I am not sure how difficult this process usually is, but just pray that God will continue to make my path straight as I follow Him to Africa!

Short, sweet, informative! Thank you for your prayers dear friends!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Jehovah Jireh

God our provider.

What an encouraging thought. The same God who created the world we live in, who formed us and knew us before time, who offered His son as a living sacrifice, provides all we need!

This fact has been made known in my life recently as I am trying to raise the support I need for Africa. I sent out my support letters and my home church is supporting me, but it has been through my job and random people that God has shown himself lately.

As a waitress I work on commission. If I serve well, I am tipped well. Kind of an unsettling feeling sometimes. The other day I was working and it was extremely slow. Not many people were coming in which meant as waitresses we weren't going to be making much money. At the end of the night, most of the servers had made $25-30, some of them for a whole day's work.

I had made almost $100.

I told my dad this story and said I didn't understand why I had made so much compared to everyone else. He simply spoke this wisdom, " God is blessing you in your job to provide for the plan He has for you" WOW. Why hadn't I thought of that? Why didn't it hit me that God WAS answering my prayers?

Overwhelmed by God's grace, I praise Him for providing even when, in my weakness, I doubt Him.

Short and sweet. I just wanted to share with you how my Savior's faithfulness is being made known in my life in regards to this journey to South Africa!

Praise the Lord, may His will be done!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

He paid my bill

I was at work last night.
It was a particularly long Monday night shift and I was begging in my heart for my Savior to show up in some way. Skeptical that my prayer would be answered, I continued serving food to the many hungry people that came across my path. All along, my heart aching for the gospel. Not in the way that "I needed to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus again", but more in a "desire to have my heart melted by the gospel that saved me from an eternity in hell" kind of way.

It was bothering me that I was able to go day to day without being overwhelmed by the redemption given to me.

It was coming to the close of my evening when I was sat with one last table. A beautiful lady and her teenage daughter. They were very friendly and easy to talk to. I took care of their order and when I brought their salads, the women said this to me...

"Nicole, do you see that couple behind you?"
 (a young couple, most likely right out of high school, with a baby)
"I want to pay for their meal without them knowing, can you help me do that?"

I was shocked and excited all at once. I told her we would make it happen and we did. She took care of their quite expensive dinner bill and also gave a generous tip to their waitress. She told me she didn't want them to know who paid the bill and she and her daughter continued on their road trip home.
I had the privilege to go with the couple's waitress to tell them the news.

I will never forget the look on their faces. The shear gratitude that beamed from their smiles was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

And... that. was. just. dinner.

I think about my Savior and the way He died for me. I remember the fact that he took all my sin, guilt, emotional pain, fears, and shame upon himself so I didn't have to pay the consequences.

Christ paid my bill. What an overwhelming thought.

The gratitude that that couple felt over a paid dinner bill should pale in comparison to the gratitude we as believers feel when we daily remember the cost of our sins and the fact the He paid the bill.



His will be done!

Nicole.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Agape Love, Our Savior's Compassion.

What is love? This was the question that started off Pastor Nathan's sermon today. What is true, unrestrained, agape love? Opening God's Word to 1 John 3:16 provided a wonderful, yet convicting truth. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."  Christ laid down His life for us, taking on all the pain and guilt of the world's sin motivated out of love and grace. AND we ought to also lay down our lives... What does that mean? What does that look like in my life? I wish I could recount the entire message word by word and tell you each moment of conviction I had. Instead, I will summarize my thoughts...but first let me rewind a bit.

Some may be asking, what is the purpose of this blog? Since I was young, the Lord laid on my heart and passion for world missions globally, and recently, locally. After spending a year in Hungary at the Word of Life Bible Institute, the Lord opened a door to South Africa. I will be going into more detail about ministry opportunities etc. throughout this journey. But the main goal of this blog is to bring glory to One who is our "hope of glory" (Col.1:27) Christ. I hope you will pray with me and rejoice with me in the work God does in my life and, by His grace, through my life.

Lord willing, I will be leaving to Africa in January, but the journey of faith starts long before I board that plane.

Since I have been home, the Lord has been fine-tuning the concept of His love. His love should define my life, I know that. But what is love? It's something that I have been wrestling with to understand, only to again come the conclusion that I will NEVER understand it. But before I head to Africa to proclaim boldly the name of Christ, the Lord has been teaching me what it means to lay down my life in love. Sacrificing more than just my time and money, but my desires and "earthly security". Coming to grips with the concept of surrendering my life, not just in the idea of death, but in the day-to-day life. 1 John has been a blessing in this time. God is slowly re-revealing His love to me and I am so grateful for a God of second chances. Read 1 John if you haven't, and re-read it even if you have. Open your heart to what the Lord has for you in His word.

are you with me? I know I have jump around a bit.

I will be posting prayer requests and praises and stories of God's work as I follow His leading through this next year.

His will be done!

Nicole.