I have been praying for a year now that God would place a challenge in my life so great that I cannot get through it without fully trusting in Him. When I began praying this, I had realized that I tend to try to get through almost everything in my life independent of trusting God. There have really only been a handful of experiences that forced me to surrender the situation to God because I didn’t have the strength to accomplish them on my own. This fact convicted me because I was not trusting and putting my full faith in God.God has given me the opportunity to serve overseas this summer and I believe it is a direct result of my prayer. I will be serving on a team in a predominantly Muslim country in Southeast Asia. I will be there from June 4 – July 29. Because of the security risks involved, I cannot publicly disclose the country I will be in or the organization I will be going through. This international ministry opportunity has already been a test of my faith and trust in God. First of all, I am trusting God for the financial means through support from family, friends, and my church family. Also, I am praying and faithfully trusting that God is preparing the hearts of the people of Southeast Asia that we will be ministering among. Because there will be communication barriers that we will encounter there, I am learning to trust God for new ways to reach people and share my faith with them without openly declaring the mission of my team. I look forward to the truths that God will continue to teach me while I am working in Southeast Asia this summer, as well as the challenges He will place in my life along the way. That sounds crazy to anticipate challenges, but I know they will arise, and I believe that God is faithful and His promises are true.
Meanwhile, as part of my preparation for this summer, I have committed to work through an intense 40-day devotional “A Call to Die” by David Nasser. It calls for study, fasting, and prayer each day as we dive into what the call to follow Christ really looks like. I have decided to fast from listening to music while driving and spend that time in prayer, which will undeniably be a challenge for me! Today is day 5 of this adventure, but I look forward to all God has to teach me throughout the 40 days. By May 14th (the 40th day) I pray that God will have moved mountains in my life!
