7 Weeks

That's how long I have left in Birmingham. Wow.

I received an email yesterday saying that there have been some slight changes to our training dates. Instead of flying out on July 31st, we'll leave on the 26th. We'll stay in Texas after Gateway training ends on the 18th and begin our teacher training from the 19th through 25th. This means I'll leave for Texas on June 15th and remain in Texas until the day we fly to Benin. I had thought that I'd come home on the 19th after training and have about two weeks to say goodbye to family and friends before I flew out on the 31st. Twelve days seems like such a small amount of time, but it's changed the idea of when I am actually leaving from three months to seven weeks from now.

Seven weeks. Seven weeks that I KNOW will fly by.

Amazima Ministries

My aunt sent me a link to a blog a few weeks ago, and I am challenged and encouraged every time I read it. It is written by Katie, a twenty-year-old girl from Brentwood, Tennessee. After graduating high school, Katie flew to Uganda for what she thought would be a temporary mission trip. The Lord had other plans. She has now adopted 13 orphans and oversees Amazima Ministries International, providing over 300 children with food, medical care, school fees, and spiritual encouragement. In her words, "JESUS wrecked my life, shattered it to put back together more beautifully."*

Her blog is located at http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/. There's also a link to Amazima Ministries on the right side of my blog. Check it out, and DONATE if you can.

"This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James 1:28

Disclaimer: The quote taken from Katie's blog was used with permission. All of Katie's stories and photographs are copyrighted, so please do not reproduce any part without obtaining permission from her first.

What about now now?

"He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." Acts 17:26-27

When my small group went to South Africa last summer, we were perplexed by the children's repetition of the word "now." Instead of asking if something could be done "now," they asked if it could be done "now now." Eventually, we figured out that they used a single "now" to mean "soon" and "now now" to mean "immediately."

The Lord has convicted me lately that I have forsaken the "now now." In anticipation of my upcoming time serving with Mercy Ships (Lord willing), I have undoubtedly placed Africa on a pedestal. In Africa, God is going to change me in ways that I could never have imagined. In Africa, I will begin to know His heart. In Africa, I will learn to love like He loves. In Africa...in Africa...in Africa...

But what about now now? He has determined my appointed times and the boundaries of my habitation, and for today, I'm not in Africa. Am I seeking Him? Am I groping for Him? He is not far from me HERE. Pray for me, that I would not forsake Him now now.

One fry short...

Sometimes I really have to wonder how I've survived for the past 28 years. Take today for instance.

As I pulled into a parking space in front of my condo, I felt a wave of anxiety that I had left my keys at work. Searching through my purse, my suspicions were quickly confirmed. I heaved a sigh of aggravation at myself as I reached for the ignition to drive back to work.

Oh wait...

All My Shiny Things

"Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!" (James 5:3)

My small group is studying the book of James, and although it is one of the most studied and quoted books in the New Testament, this verse seemed strangely unfamiliar yesterday. Something about the phrase "it is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure" really resonated with me for some reason.

Perhaps it is because two Saturdays ago my small group hosted a garage sale in support of an orphanage in Zambia. The night before, I had hurriedly rounded up a few old sweaters and other odds and ends from around my house. I think the only time I slowed down enough to reflect on what I was donating was the time I second guessed whether or not I really wanted to get rid of what used to be my favorite brown sweater. I had almost worn it just that night, but after several minutes of shifting and tugging, I came to the upsetting conclusion that it had officially lost its shape. Into the bin of yard sale goods it went.

The next morning, my treasured brown sweater was one of the first items to go. My first inclination was to stop the purchaser. "Wait! That's MINE!" I had only donated a tiny fraction of what I never use or wear, and already I was clinging to my own discards like a toddler parting with a tattered blankie.

I can think of countless other items that never even made it to the yard sale. They sit uselessly in my closet. Just in case. Maybe one day. I'll need them.

"Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten." (James 5:2)

I like my treasure. It's MY treasure.

"You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." (James 5:5)

My brown sweater contributed $3 to orphans without food, clean water, clothing, or shelter, while the rest of my treasures rested comfortably in my oversized closet.

"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!" (James 5:1-3)

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)

*Disclaimer: The book of James convicted me to examine my own heart. In no way do I want to minimize the generosity and unselfishness of my friends. They donated to the garage sale with such thankful excitement that we were able to raise over $300 for the orphanage in Zambia. I am so grateful for friends who challenge me to place my treasure in heaven.