C.T. Studd poem

Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
 Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave;
 Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
 Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
 Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ’twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
                                                    by C.T. Studd

I will trust YOU

"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you" Matthew 6:33 gets quoted so quickly so frequently and yet I forget its meaning so much of the time.
Jesus spent a good part of Matthew 6 talking about worry. We worry in such a knee-jerk reaction to the issues of our lives.

No matter what "IT" is, worry is not supposed to be in the mindset of the believer. I find myself caught up in worry here and there with so many unknown factors about moving overseas. There is a fear that I will be boarding the plane to leave when something will come to mind that I have not taken care of yet. And that stresses me out just thinking of something catching me off guard!

Whatever it is-the long flight, the extra baggage fees, the language issues, culture shock, etc...I CAN NOT WORRY about it. That is only going to distance my mind from God and focus on the problem.
I must trust Him. He knows what He's doing; what's going on; what's coming up. He's got it in His hands. That Sunday school song can't be just a song from way back when. "He's got the whole world in his hands" has to be my song of remembering the good things my God has done.

I recently heard a Christian radio station DJ remind their listeners about worry: "Don't stress about it; God's got this"   In the simplicity of that statement, Matthew 6:33 came to mind. Jesus said in another part of that chapter, "Which of you by thinking about it can add one inch to his height?" Jesus knows our ploys in worry; we need to know that there is nothing positive going to come from it.
All a good worry session does is to provide an income for the makers of heartburn and indigestion meds.

"Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIM and HE shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

PFO part 2....and a little more

PreField Orientation (PFO) ended well. It was sad to say goodbye to so many interesting people I'd grown to enjoy being around. I started thinking it would be great if we could all be in the same school or country even. But God has different places for each of us to serve in, and He'll be glorified all the more in our different stories and ministry opportunities. A part of me wants to get to Indonesia, Singapore, Turkey, and China very soon! I'm very excited to hear what God does around the world!

Honestly I didn't know what to expect in going to PFO. I just knew I had to go. :) I feel much more prepared for the things I'll be facing in moving to a new culture. My thinking has changed in terms of what is "normal" and "usual". This summer alone with me living out of a suitcase and hopping from one place to another has made me reevaluate what is normal. My normal is relative to the situation I find myself in.
I'm definitely NOT saying I won't have cultural stress or shock in Korea. I'm sure I will. But I feel like I know how to describe and define what I'm going through in this process of transitions. I find myself crying at the drop of a hat, and then I am irritated at something or other (or person, even!). Both ranges of emotion I have found are normal for dealing with transition and loss.

Someone asked me recently what is a prayer need at this point. Please pray for me in this transition and adjustment. I almost don't ask that you pray I will transition quickly, but that I transition well. Pray that I keep my eyes on my Father through this challenging time. Pray that I remember the truth of His Word during a time when everything around me is different and unfamiliar.

The leadership at my church in Conway (Fellowship Bible) recently had a special prayer service where the body got on their knees for several areas of concern. This was such a uniting time that I left it excited and sad that I would be away from such a sweet body of believers. I love the "bearing one another's burdens" and "rejoicing with those who rejoice" aspect of church life here.  They're family; they love, encourage, challenge, and rebuke one another. I'm so thankful that we share a precious commonality in knowing Jesus. Goodbyes said here are for a time, but heaven is forever.

My stateside days are coming to an end soon-almost in the single digits of days left! I've got some seizing the day to do! 
Adios-until next time~