On This Side Of The Ocean

It's been some now since I last wrote here, but I've been thinking through a lot recently and wanted to share some of it. This time last year I was on Czech, probably with bronchitis, getting to better know my team. This year finds me here, stateside thinking quite a bit about my friends and family over there in Czech and throughout Eastern Europe...

Waiting And What It Does
This past Sunday the topic in church was the story of Abraham. Mostly it focused on the day he led Isaac up the mountain but there was a bit shared on the prelude to that story. The part of the story where God comes and speaks to then, Abram, and says "You are to leave this land and go to the land that I will show you, a land where your descendants will live and where I will bless them in order that they might be a blessing to others (my paraphrase)" Up to this point, in the first 75 years of his life, Abram has not had a single kid. He and Sarai (later Sarah) his wife have longed for a child but have found it to not be "in the cards" for them. So for him to hear from God that there would be descendants was HUGE. And then...twenty five years pass by...and they are still childless. I know that there is a lot to be discussed in the story of Abraham leading Isaac up that mountain and that is what was mainly talked about Sunday...but for me, I have a hard time moving past this thought that Abram had to wait TWENTY FIVE years before he saw the fulfillment of this promise. Maybe it's just that I've grown up in this "instant gratification" world where waiting an hour in line for a movie, concert or ride, seems like it's forever...and it's only an hour! I can't stop thinking about what was going on in Abram all those years. "Wait...did I really hear God? Did He really say 'decedents'? Maybe I was just imagining it cuz I wanted it so badly" But amidst those questions there had to be this still small peace/hope/voice in him saying "Yes! Yes God did say that and He will fulfill the promise" And tho Abram didn't wait perfectly he did wait, and in the waiting a lot took place. So, after twenty five years of waiting and then seeing the fulfillment to God's promise, Abram could know, without a doubt somehow, all those years later on that mountain, that God would do what was best. Maybe he'd bring Issac back from the dead, maybe He'd provide another way. Abraham didn't know how, but he knew he had to trust God and he knew God would somehow come through. And later in the new testament Abraham is said to be the father of faith. He is the main example. And I know that Abraham is not the only one who had to wait to see the fulfillment of God's promise or calling to come true. Joseph, Paul, many others including perhaps even Jesus. And I find so much comfort in that, in knowing many have gone before me in this waiting. And we need to wait. Yes, we must have this time of waiting because in the waiting we are matured and refined and we grow more in our faith and trust. I also believe that we learn skills in this time of waiting that will be so valuable and needed whenever we do see the fulfillment. So this is where I find myself returning to and resting at as I wait to return to Czech. I don't know how God will bring me back there, I don't know WHEN God will lead me back there but I believe that one day He will. And until then I'll wait.


Continuing The Adventure
I'm not fully sure yet where I'll be going to school but I do feel that the next step for me will be to get my bachelors degree in secondary education. Given that my passions run deep for youth that are in the junior high and high school age ranges I just strongly believe that getting my education in how to educate this age group is going to be so valuable for me regardless of where I end up at in life. I have not been in school for a while so I'm sure it will be hard but I know that even if it is really hard it will be so worth it.

Thoughts On Prayer
The other day one of my friends put as his status on facebook that it was amazing to wake and know that people back home were praying for him. I myself have felt this truth and blessing recently too. It is amazing that tho I'm here and many of my friends are in Czech, or Arizona, or Idaho, or Korea or Idaho or Texas and other parts of the world we can all find ourselves connected by prayer. So I wonder, when we can see the power, the effectiveness of prayer,why do we still so often fail to pray? Maybe it's just me but I think that I'm not alone in this. I think far too often many of us "forget to pray" because perhaps "we are too busy" but then, when we do pray we see the amazing results and we think again "I will never forget how amazing prayer is" but sooner than later, we do forget again. I am curious to know why this happens. It makes me sad to know all the times I have said I would pray but then I didn't...why do we do that? And I know that I cannot change what I've done, but I don't know how to say I will never again ever forget to pray...I'd really appreciate any insight that you guys might have on this.


Ways to Join The Adventure
*Pray for me to figure out the last few details of where to go to school and for all the paperwork to get in on time and all that goes into applying for school. Also for financial aid for school.

*Pray for what God is continuing to do in CZ this summer. My teammate Sarah from last year is back there for the summer, also my friends Josh, Autumn, Jonathan and Bonnie are leading teams again this summer and my friend Kha from Arizona is on his first summer internship. June is a good month for them to build team relationships and to meet students in schools. Pray for students to be excited for camp and the camps to fill up.

Thanks guys, I love you all!
Emily