Keep On Truckn'

Hey guys!

It has been such an incredible week. Again, the Lord is doing so much in my heart, that I can't even begin to explain to you all that He's done. Let me first tell you that I KNOW I'm exactly where I need to be. Walking in God's will gives me that assurance, and I am super excited that He brought me here to New Zealand. I'm learning that walking through life in the Holy Spirit is walking in moment-by-moment surrender to myself. I have learned that God being glorified and God being enjoyed are not not not two separate categories. I have learned that I am nothing--I mess up and I struggle and I fail and I am broken and I am needy, but despite all of my imperfections, God STILL loves me. I don't have to do anything to earn His love, it is never-ending and totally fulfilling. I am prideful and I let that stand in the way of God's reaching all of my heart. But I think that to some extent, pride is the root to all sin. Some people think that money is, but why do we want money? For our PRIDE. So we can appear to others like we have it all together...to have a big house, and nice sunglasses, and the perfect sweater, and those really expensive shoes to "make the outfit." We are so consumed with ourselves, but if we took our eyes off of ourselves and focused solely on the Lord, we would be so much more generous and humble and joy would be so much easier to find.

Back to what I've been doing here. Today my heart was officially broken for the people here in Wellington. It's like, atheism is so prevalent here. No one was raised in church and many have absolutely no idea who Jesus Christ is! It wasn't until my tenth conversation today that it hit me. I am going out to share my heart with these people, and some may accept Christ as their saviors and some may not, but it's not about how many people I see converted. It's about the relationships that I'm being able to build and the seeds that I'm planting in their hearts. It's not my job to grow these people into Christ, that's God's job...I just get to invest in their lives and hopefully spark a curiosity about spirituality that they hadn't previously thought about. I've been learning that being a missionary does not mean that things go perfectly all the time, and to be honest, that's the way that I love it. It's nice to wonder what we're going to be doing one day, but know that whatever is done, is all for the Glory of the Big man upstairs. I can't imagine another time in my life when I felt so at peace. and an awesome quote to live by is:

"P. E. A. C. E.
it does not mean to be in a place
where there is no noise, trouble
or hard work. it means to be in
the midst of those things and still
b e c a l m i n y o u r h e a r t.
<3"

Live with peace in your heart, but not self-sustaining peace; peace withing through the Holy Spirit. I want to just throw out there to you guys too, that many of you reading this may not know God, and let me just say, that it is the most incredible love. Maybe you had a bad relationship with your last boyfriend or girlfriend--God comforts. Maybe your family is messed up--your parents fight or they're divorced or they abuse you--God has His hand on your heart. Maybe you feel like you just aren't pretty enough, you put on make-up, you work out to have the best body, and you buy the nicest clothes, but there's always someone skinnier or prettier or cooler--Find your identity not in the ways of the world, but in Christ Himself. I would love to talk to you about it, not because I want to convert you or push my beliefs on you, but because I LOVE YOU. Yes, you. I love you because Christ has called me to love you.

Yeah, so anyways, I'm bad with tangents :) But seriously, God is so good and even in this country of spiritual death, God's light shines even brighter. I have made some awesome friends--on my team and with the Kiwis!! They are so chill--I can't even express to you how laid back these people are! It's insane. They are so precious to me though. Their lifestyle is great--they walk down the streets at their own pace, they love their time, and their lives. They are always at least 5 minutes late to everything, and they love to listen. They love people, and their accents ROCK! They have these phrases that they use that are sweet as.

Sweet as: cool! awesome!
jandals: sandals
I'm keen: I'm game!
cheers!: thanks!
have a good day!

And there are many more of their slang things that I love, but you'll just have to hear me use them when I get home :) So I guess in a wrap-up, this trip has been more than I could have ever imagined. And while I have those days that I'm just feeling discouraged, it is so comforting to know that God is on my side, and that you all have my back. So thanks, and God Bless you all--you're in my prayers...