Let God Dream!

This is one of those songs that brings tears to my eyes almost every time I listen to it...

"So come on, let me dream, let me dream for you

I am strong when you're weak and I'll carry you

So let go of your plan, be caught by my hand

I'll show you what I can do

When I dream for you"

These words are so encouraging, and at the same time so challenging. God has amazing things He wants to do through us, but it requires complete surrender, and a lot of times it is not at all what we expect. He stretches us beyond where we think we can go, and He helps us all along the way. When we truly surrender our entire lives to Him and His purpose for us, that is when He uses us in mighty ways. Surrender is not easy, but He is so worth it! He will call us to do things that are not easy, but He is so worth it! We will be uncomfortable, but life is not about comfort, and He is so worth it! Obedience is difficult when we have different expectations, but He is so worth it! When we are totally in tune with what His desires for our lives are, we come into a deeper relationship with Him that gives joy and peace and courage more than anything in this world could come close to giving. 

I have now been away from home for exactly two weeks, and I have experienced all of this first hand. I have been stretched, I have been uncomfortable, I have been sad, I have been inconvenienced, and it has not been easy, but I wouldn't change my experience because I feel closer to God than I ever have before. He really is filling me up with His joy, peace, and courage. Yes, it has been hard, but He didn't drop me in the middle of Africa and say "Good luck, see you in six months!" No, He has been right by my side every second of every day and He will continue to be there the whole time. He is my support and my strength. He is always there for me to talk to and He is my comfort. I feel His arms around me when I am sad, and I feel His support and excitement when I am happy. Through all the emotions, I have always felt rooted in His joy. 

Today in class, we were introduced to the team of pastors at Watoto Church. Pastor Gary Skinner is the founder and leader of the Watoto Ministries, and he came and spoke to us. He told us his story before he came to Uganda. He told of his experiences after high school/college and how everything he did leading up to moving to Uganda was preparing him for starting the Watoto Ministry. He was encouraging us to open up our hearts to whatever vision and mission God has for our lives. After he finished talking, he and all the other pastors prayed for us and it was so powerful. They prayed for God to begin awakening in us the purposes He has for our lives. It was extremely encouraging to me and it left me with a burning feeling inside of me to do God's will. The only thing I know about what life will look like after Uganda is that I am no longer seeking God's will for just me. ;) I'm so thankful that God has given me Jake to dream with. I know He has an awesome plan for our lives and I can't wait to see what it is! I know He is preparing us both in these months for whatever He has in store. 

So, to conclude, I want to leave you with His powerful word...

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." -Galatians 2:20

If we truly live like this, He can do absolutely anything through us!