Yesterday was the first Africa Team Meeting and it was SO good to be around my Zambia family again! There's just something about being around people that share a God-given passion for the same mission that makes my heart full. I can already tell that the second trip back to Africa is going to be so different than the first...but just as blessed! Sitting in the meeting I kept remembering hearing the stories and seeing the videos for the first time a year ago...I couldn't imagine what it would be like over there or what I would encounter. But now I KNOW! The videos of the villages and orphans are REAL now and I hope I'm able to take more of it in this next time I'm there.
The theme for Camp LIFE this year is "Kingdom" based off of Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 19:14 records Jesus saying, "Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven." For the week that I'm in Zambia, I will get to be God's messenger in letting these orphans know, the Kingdom of God belongs to YOU! You are Prince's and Princess's in God's Royal Family, so hold your head up high no matter what you suffer on this earth! What a powerful message for these neglected, abused and impoverished children. I can't wait. This year, we will teach the kids at camp from Monday-Wed. and all day Thursday will be spent in their villages doing service projects! Hopefully our little Prince's and Princess's will get to show off their humble Royal status as they help fix up and clean homes in the villages. Friday we will take the kids to the brand new Family Life Legacy Center on one of the most gorgeous hilltops in Zambia - check out the video for more details on what God is doing there! http://familylegacy.com/tree-of-life/legacy-center/
Friends and family have again been so great to donate money towards sending me back to Africa and I am so blessed by the giving and by those that want to be a part of reaching these orphans for God's Kingdom. I still need about $1700, so please pray about being a part of this mission trip through giving. https://www.camplifezambia.com/shannon
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
DNOW Recap
This past weekend I was BLESSED to be a part of DNOW Weekend at First Baptist Hurst. I was pumped about the weekend for weeks and this past weekend I felt like a kid on Christmas morning as I got to unwrap the gift of blessings that God had in store for the weekend. I was with an awesome group of 7th grade girls who were sweet, silly, fun, giggly, and ready to grow in the Lord. Saturday morning we had the chance to visit a low-income community in Hurst where we played games, cooked hot dogs and fellowshipped with people that live in the apartments near by. The girls were so bold in going to the apartments to invite people to the event, and then in befriending and talking to strangers. We met the most precious girls from the Sudan while we were there, who happened to be the same age as my 7th graders. :) We spent all afternoon laughing and playing games with them. Back at the church we met for our final small group session. For session 2 I had written out on 18 notecards the Profile of a Lukewarm Christian from Chapter 4 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan (if you haven't read this book...READ IT!) We got through about half of the cards in session 2 which each had written on them an example of what a lukewarm Christian looks like and a bible verse to go along with the topic. When it was time for session 3, the girls immediately asked if we could finish with the lukewarm notecards.
The night before I had talked with a friend of mine who was also leading at the DNOW...he reminded me to let the Holy Spirit work during the weekend and if the youth wanted to talk about something that wasn't on the agenda, to go ahead and let them. The Lord knew I needed to hear this as I am all about sticking to what's already planned!
And so when the girls asked if we could keep talking about what we had discussed in session 2, I remembered my friends words and excitedly said yes! And the Holy Spirit completely took over... They read each card and discussed what it meant to be lukewarm and what it meant to be sold out for Christ. When we finished with all the cards I asked the girls what God was doing in their heart this weekend. Most of them replied that they realized how unimportant worldly things are and how they want to live more for God's kingdom rather than the world. Praise the Lord! And then one of the girls raised her hand and through tear filled eyes told the group that she wasn't sure if she was truly saved and really believed. We prayed as a group and then I sent the rest of the girls to the Robbie Seay concert that was starting. I sat with this precious child of God and asked her why she was crying and what was going on in her heart. She told me with all confidence that the Holy Spirit was working in her and telling her she needs to believe. She could not have been more spot on about the Holy Spirit being at work!! The rest of the time with her, I was a vessel. She explained why she didn't believe and why she doubted God...and then as she began to explain to me the story of Jesus' death and resurrection, she kept going all the way to the part about Doubting Thomas. She said that he had to see the nail scarred hands of Jesus in order to believe, but that she knew that's not always how it's supposed to be. Wow! God opened the door for her to see through her own story that she was like Doubting Thomas. After some more spirit filled talking, this sweet girl prayed the most sincere and profound prayer I've ever witnessed as she accepted Jesus as her Savior.
I sat there with tears streaming down my cheeks as I was rejoicing over what was happening and at the same time feeling so unworthy and undeserving to be a part of it, to be used as God's vessel in that way. To be perfectly honest, I am a really crappy person! I'm so full of faults and my past is so full of sin that God has been gracious enough to redeem and restore me from, despite myself. And for some unknown reason, God chooses to use a crappy person like me to bring glory to Himself. That's unreal.
As if being witness to all of that wasn't enough, I walk in to the Robbie Seay concert and the girls from the Sudan that we had met earlier in the day were sitting right in front of me!!! I hugged them and then sat in awe as the music played and I tried to take in all that God had done. There were SO many times I could have gotten in God's way, but by His perfect grace He worked around my humanness and accomplished great things for His Kingdom.
God, YOU are more than enough. Nothing satisfies me the way your overwhelming love does. YOU are all I need. My heart is so full and in love with You. I want to experience You each day, I want to be a part of bringing You glory for the rest of my life, and as undeserving as I am, I want to be used as Your vessel. Thank you for indescribable humbleness and for overwhelming my heart with Your goodness.
The night before I had talked with a friend of mine who was also leading at the DNOW...he reminded me to let the Holy Spirit work during the weekend and if the youth wanted to talk about something that wasn't on the agenda, to go ahead and let them. The Lord knew I needed to hear this as I am all about sticking to what's already planned!
And so when the girls asked if we could keep talking about what we had discussed in session 2, I remembered my friends words and excitedly said yes! And the Holy Spirit completely took over... They read each card and discussed what it meant to be lukewarm and what it meant to be sold out for Christ. When we finished with all the cards I asked the girls what God was doing in their heart this weekend. Most of them replied that they realized how unimportant worldly things are and how they want to live more for God's kingdom rather than the world. Praise the Lord! And then one of the girls raised her hand and through tear filled eyes told the group that she wasn't sure if she was truly saved and really believed. We prayed as a group and then I sent the rest of the girls to the Robbie Seay concert that was starting. I sat with this precious child of God and asked her why she was crying and what was going on in her heart. She told me with all confidence that the Holy Spirit was working in her and telling her she needs to believe. She could not have been more spot on about the Holy Spirit being at work!! The rest of the time with her, I was a vessel. She explained why she didn't believe and why she doubted God...and then as she began to explain to me the story of Jesus' death and resurrection, she kept going all the way to the part about Doubting Thomas. She said that he had to see the nail scarred hands of Jesus in order to believe, but that she knew that's not always how it's supposed to be. Wow! God opened the door for her to see through her own story that she was like Doubting Thomas. After some more spirit filled talking, this sweet girl prayed the most sincere and profound prayer I've ever witnessed as she accepted Jesus as her Savior.
I sat there with tears streaming down my cheeks as I was rejoicing over what was happening and at the same time feeling so unworthy and undeserving to be a part of it, to be used as God's vessel in that way. To be perfectly honest, I am a really crappy person! I'm so full of faults and my past is so full of sin that God has been gracious enough to redeem and restore me from, despite myself. And for some unknown reason, God chooses to use a crappy person like me to bring glory to Himself. That's unreal.
As if being witness to all of that wasn't enough, I walk in to the Robbie Seay concert and the girls from the Sudan that we had met earlier in the day were sitting right in front of me!!! I hugged them and then sat in awe as the music played and I tried to take in all that God had done. There were SO many times I could have gotten in God's way, but by His perfect grace He worked around my humanness and accomplished great things for His Kingdom.
God, YOU are more than enough. Nothing satisfies me the way your overwhelming love does. YOU are all I need. My heart is so full and in love with You. I want to experience You each day, I want to be a part of bringing You glory for the rest of my life, and as undeserving as I am, I want to be used as Your vessel. Thank you for indescribable humbleness and for overwhelming my heart with Your goodness.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
You Are God Alone
The question I've been convicted by for the past few weeks seems to be popping up in every study I'm doing, every quiet time, and every sermon I hear: Do I love God for who He is or for what He can do for me? The answer to this question is one I've been examining in my own heart and mind for a while. The end of last year brought with it some let down and disappointments, but also revealed the state of my heart and revealed where I needed to let God do some major refinement. It's no secret, I want to get married and have a family! I want to serve on the mission field! And lately, I've been thinking I might even want to go to grad school! I expressed to my mentor and dear friend last week that none of these desires in and of themselves are bad desires at all. I was created to have desires, but what do I do with desires that aren't being fulfilled? What I had been doing - trying to fulfill them myself! - was NOT working. Her sweet and gentle response to me was "Lay it down. Everyday, lay those desires at God's feet and give them back to Him." And so in 2011, that is what I've been attempting to do. Our God is so gracious and good. As a result of giving my God-given desires back to the One who can fulfill them, He has chosen instead to bless me in other ways. I may not have a boyfriend, but I am blessed with so many sisters in Christ that God is using to bring joy and encouragement and laughter to my heart. They make the journey so much sweeter. I have been blessed by God's plans to send me back to Africa. I pray that He would be properly exalted, proclaimed and glorified in Zambia. I have been blessed with an amazing family that I love and treasure. I am blessed to work with so many various ministries at my church leading worship in the praise band, teaching precious 7th grade girls each Sunday, helping with other events at my church as well as participating in Disciple Now Weekends at other churches. God knows what I need, and I pray that my heart loves God for who He is and not for what He can do for me. I pray I would be like the man in Matthew 13:44 who when He found the Kingdom of God, "hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." I pray that in reckless abandonment for the One who fulfills and satisfies not with earthly things, but by who HE IS, that I would be willing to give up everything for more of Him.
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