Dear friends,
I have been gratefully overwhelmed by the abundance of love and knowledge that has been poured out on me this summer. I have lived in a community with thirteen other brothers and sisters, and we have grown, served, and prayed together for the past two months. No amount of my own preparation would have prepared me for this experience; it was only by the provision of the Holy Spirit that I was able to complete this journey. I have experienced growth in so many areas, and have learned several important lessons that have changed my life:
The only way to a full life is full surrender. God's ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).
Jesus is both my Teacher and Lord. At the end of the day, I can walk away from my teacher, but I cannot walk away from my Lord. If there is no Lordship, there can be no true discipleship.
Discipleship is essential. It is essential that we understand the importance of being a disciple, of having community groups, accountability, and challenging one another to be firmly rooted in the Word and to share the Gospel with the world.
I have heart for the nations. From the Old Testament to the New, we see the big story of how God is redeeming His creation to restore it to Himself. He chose us, as unqualified as we think we are, to carry out His plan. "And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'" Mark 16:15. We should pray that God will show us where He wants us to serve, how He wants us to serve, and when He wants us to serve. Going to Ecuador has opened my eyes and filled my heart to the fullest measure, making me feel alive and in the presence of God. To see God moving and planting His church there is one of the greatest privileges of my life. I don’t yet know where God will send me or who I will serve, but he is replacing fear with excitement, knowing that, in some capacity, He has called me to the nations.
God has blessed me with genuine desire. The most exhilarating thing that has happened to me this summer is that the “I should” and “I ought to” mentality is being transformed into the genuine desire of “I want to” and “I delight in” drawing nearer to the Lord. I know that I am not who I can be, but I am not who I was. He has grown me so much, and I pray for continual transformation into the likeness of Jesus.
God delighted in teaching and revealing Himself to me this summer; these are lessons and revelations that I do not want to forget, but that I want to internalize. Steve Thompson, the missionary with whom we worked in Ecuador, exhorted me with the following three components for living what I have learned and discerning God’s will in all things: always be in prayer, be continually in the Word, be an active member of the church. To take these lessons and this passion from this summer back to my home and my campus, I ask God to give me the grace to see every day as an opportunity to make a positive impact for the kingdom.
This summer our team helped with a very unique Bible School. We remodeled a college room at the church. We ministered at the fair. We were Upward basketball coaches. We served and studied the Bible at the Open Door of Hope men's shelter. We served lunch at Victory Baptist. We attended a missions conference. We served and beheld the glory of creation in the jungles and in the
mountains of Ecuador. I have learned a lot about living with others this summer, and the joys and challenges that it brings. I know that this experience has made me a better team player, a better leader, a better listener, and has grown me in patience and in love. I pray that I am a more mature disciple. It is so sweet to be able to live in fellowship with my brothers and sisters, to daily be challenged, and to daily grow deeper in my relationship with Christ. I have been changed and have grown in so many ways, and I know that I will forever remember this summer that was a member of the Acts 1:8 Leadership experience. This is an experience that I wish each and every follower of Christ could have: to be discipled, to serve, to see the world and glorify God for what He has made, to live in community, to share the Gospel, and to be filled to with the fullness of Christ.
This experience is unlike any other, and I am so humbled and thankful to have been a member of the Acts 1:8 East Team. Thank you so much for your prayer and support; I am exceedingly grateful for your faithfulness. I pray that God blesses you for your generosity and kindness in the same way that He lavished His blessings on me and my team.
In Christ,
Sara
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