Out of that pit!

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. This is one of my life verses. Last year, I was in a miry pit. I was stuck in the mud. I was feeling useless, missing the place where I had felt useful. Honduras. I didn't think that I could make a difference where I was. Maybe I just didn't want to. I called out to God, saying "Why did you give me this love, this longing for a place that I can't be?" And He listened patiently. Then He taught me. My youth group went on a missions trip to Chicago, and my eyes were opened wide. I met people who were hurting. badly. Homeless, hungry, without the light of Jesus. I heard about modern-day prostitutes living there, chained to a man who 'owned' them for his own pleasure. They had sold their life away, perhaps for money, perhaps for 'love', perhaps because they didn't value their life anymore. There was so much pain in this place, so close to home. I walked in a neighborhood where drug dealers lived. Where children's lives were always threatened. I met a woman, a woman who had grown up in this place. Who had a history full of pain and choices that led her down paths full of more pain and emptiness. She had succumbed to drugs, she was living in housing provided by the government for recovering addicts. And yet, she was making a difference in the lives of those who lived around her. She was spending herself for the kingdom, to help those who might've gone as far down those paths as she did. She shared the story of being shot with a bullet, and her miraculous survival. I was only in Chicago for a weekend, but my life really flipped around then. It was like a push from behind, God telling me that He wasn't satisfied with how I was living my life, telling me He had a lot of work for me to do here before I could go somewhere else to serve Him. He had so many children that needed love and attention, and I could be a part of it. I had the opportunity of praying with a Hispanic woman in Chicago in her own language. I know my grammar was terrible, but my heart was in it. God knew that I had a love for these people, but I wasn't ready yet to go all in. He had a lot to teach me. He was patient with me, preparing me for what He had planned for me. I'm amazed. I'm simply blown away how He put all the pieces in place, in His timing, in His perfect way. He pulled me out of that pit, and He's leading me along a new path. He's making my life a light to those who need it, here in the U.S. and soon in Honduras. And it's nothing I've done, it's all Him!! Thank You Yeshua!

Diez

Can you tell that I'm excited yet? Yeah, I thought it was a little over the top, but I wanted you to see how thrilled I am to be going back to Honduras. And truth be told, these faces don't even show you half of my excitement. When I start thinking about it, I sometimes need a paper bag. Because I freak myself out. I'm really going back, I'm really going back. Some days, it doesn't even seem real. Like, it won't really happen. This is all a dream, or the world is going to end tomorrow so it doesn't really matter. In writing these, I feel really immature. I mean, God has moved so many mountains to get me to this place, both spiritually, financially, and physically. I am not the same person I was a year and a half ago. Then, I told God that I needed to go back. Like THEN. I subconsciously told God that it was MY dream, and that it needed to happen, SOON. It's embarrassing. I won't lie. It's tough to get deep down and honest. I'm the sort of person who values honesty very highly. But it's hard when I admit my own shortcomings, because I want to do everything right. It's not possible. In the time I have been at home, God has broken my trust in human beings. I want to say that He has given me many people that I can trust, and that are there for me every step of this journey, but He has broken the thought within me that people won't fail me. People are human. Broken. Failure-prone. Imperfect. I'm one of them. God has shown me that He is the only one who has been, is, and will be there for me. He has helped me to fall in love with His Word. He pulled me in and enveloped me in His teachings. The Old Testament used to be a pain to me, I really didn't understand it. Now, it thrills me. Learning Hebrew origins and the different practices back then, and the wisdom God had for (and still has for) His people is mind blowing. I love it! When I first went to Honduras, one of the first thoughts in my mind as we rode in the van to La Villa de San Antonio was, "I want to live here." It was the craziest thought I have ever had in my entire life, and no one is saying that it will happen. But my point is, that God put such a deep desire in my heart for a place I had never been to in my entire life. And I had only been there for about a few hours. I wasn't even going to go on this trip. My dad had come up to me one Sunday and told me that I was signed up. I had dealt with anxiety problems. I wasn't planning on going out of the country. God is pretty fun like that. He takes our greatest weaknesses, and turns them into our best qualities, and uses them in the purpose He has planned for us. Pretty incredible, eh? In 10 days I will be headed for Comayagua, Honduras with my father. He is staying for about a week, and will be helping fix up the internet connection at the school where I will be teaching at. Then he is heading back to the U.S. and I will be staying in Honduras for the remainder of my ten months. I can't wait to meet my babies!. When I say babies, I really mean anyone 10 and under in any of my classes that I will be teaching/assisting in. I will probably make the biggest fool out of myself with my terrible speaking skills, and my beginner knowledge of teaching in a classroom setting. But with a lot of prayer and support from my friends and family, I do know that God will give me the wisdom and strength to make a difference for Him in the lives of these beautiful youth. Please keep me in your prayers as I finish packing for my trip and as I head down in TEN days! Iff you would like to support me financially, please make out your check to: LifeChurch along with my name on the memo line. You can bring it on Sunday, or mail it to the church directly: 7001 Haggerty Rd, Canton It is at the corner of Haggerty and Warren. I feel so blessed at this moment, all the praise is due to God!! Psalm 150 1 Praise the Lord.[a] Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

2 Weeks

God willing, in exactly two weeks I will be boarding a plane to Honduras. I'm so excited! It is almost more agonizing getting closer to the date, because I am so close and yet so far. Today I talked with the highschool students at my church about my upcoming trip. That was hard. I am really (in my own opinion) TERRIBLE at talking in front of people, especially when they are my own age. God really helped me to speak today, and I hope that He touched at least one person through my simple words. I've been thinking a bit about prejudice lately. This past year, I've had to deal with it a lot more than I wish I would've. The evil one was just chomping at the bit, trying to discourage me and get me off track from God's plans for me. People have judged me and my plans for many different reasons. Some of it has come from the people closest to me, while other times it has come from nearly total strangers. And truth be told, I only recently have been truly giving all my anger resulting from this prejudice unto God. I harbored bitterness towards those who I thought would be there for me, but we negative instead, I was angry at those who hardly even knew me and yet judged me. Then I took a deep breath. Well, actually, God gave me the strength and the wake up call to take a deep breath. I hate when others are angry with me, and I try to make any broken relationship better right away; I have a problem with wanting to please everyone. On the flip side, I may try to forgive someone relatively soon after they hurt me, but I subconsciously store up bitterness inside of me. A little while later, be it minutes, days, etc., if someone else makes me mad, that bitterness wells up inside of me, and I jump back and go "WOAH! I do NOT want that inside of me." It's a really good spiritual check-up. It's hard to look at yourself and pick out things that you and God really have to work on, but it is so rewarding and helpful in the end. It matures you spiritually, and helps you to know what to do next time you encounter the same problem in yourself. Anyways, back on track, God has been teaching me so much about Himself, and even about my own self. He has been showing me that I need to rely on Him, and the people who really support me, my immediate family and close friends, instead of getting angry at, or worrying about the people who are not my 'biggest fans'. He has also taught me that this trip is not about me. Can I say that again. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU DELANEY!! I didn't earn this trip. Any hard work, any acts of service, any Bible reading, any passionate worship of mine, its all to give credit and glory to Him who enables me to run this race. It's not about me, it's not my work, it's the work that God is doing through me. Today we talked about money in church today, about how God is the owner, and we are the stewards, or managers. It is the same with life. God gave it to you, and He could take it away. He owns it, I manage it and utilize it to further His kingdom here on earth, to do His perfect, pre-thought out plan. My point is, if it's not about me, why am I feeling hurt? Why do I care so much about what others think about me and the way that I am living my life? If God is on board, if this is what He has planned for me, then that is all that really, truly matters. A big thank you to my family and friends, who are sticking with me and rejoicing with me over the wonderful things that God is doing in my life and through me in order to build up His family here on this earth. You all are pretty mind blowing. I am super mega blessed! :) Romans 12:2 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Ephesians 6:7-8 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. May God bless you all today and always! !Que Dios los bendiga a ustedes todos, hoy y siempre!

Update

Well, I talked further with one of the directors of the school where I will be teaching, and it seems best that I come a little later to make things run more smoothly, so my new departure date is in 26 days!! :) Very excited, GRACIAS A DIOS!