Remember, Remember

            Tomorrow is the day. The day where, if you are the appropriate age, you may make the choice to go to a designated area and choose someone to lead this country in the next four years of its timeline. Whatever reasons you have to choose this person, not choose the other person, or not to choose to choose either both is completely your choice to make. It is after all your right as an American to choose to make any of these choices, just having a right to do something, doesn't mean you are forced to. And sometimes we do feel forced to do something don't we?

            Where ever we live, there are always factors that cause us to feel forced into something. Maybe you live in an area where you are spread out from everything else, and you are forced to drive to work or school. Perhaps you are forced to walk miles to the nearest grocery store. Forced to have to live with poor housing, poor healthcare, a poor environment. We are forced to deal with the hand we are dealt. Some factors we cannot change though, then again there are some factors that we do have the ability to change.

            With enough people, with enough support the problems of this world COULD be solved. and since they could be solved, shouldn't they AUGHT to be solved? What are WE doing? Are WE carrying the weight we should, or are we just letting someone else carry the baggage? Those leaders that we put into a position to run things, are we not putting the baggage on them? I ask you to prayerfully consider the consequences and/or benefits of putting someone in a position of authority.

            Truthfully these individuals who are running for the office of presidency, they have been traveling here and there urging people to support them and their policies, their promises; they have been urging you do vote for them. It's indeed a game of gaining trust. Perhaps you have heard lies from both sides. Perhaps you haven't. Perhaps some of their plans seem too good to be true, perhaps they sound terrifying and you feel as though that policy could tear this country to shreds even faster. But I ask you to prayerfully consider the consequences and/or benefits of putting someone in a position of authority.
            And after you have made your choice, how are you going to follow up in that person's plan? Will you go along with it, or will you make your own path and try to stay on the sidelines of debate and clashing forces? Are you looking at this next presidential candidate as a person who is just going to bring more money to the nation, or someone who is looking at the human way of living in this country and the world? Truthfully, when one country comes into power, other countries have suffered. It's been truth since the dawn of time. Animals fighting other animals for territory, for survival. Some say "it's the way life is." Some say "it's the law of the strongest survives." But I ask you to prayerfully consider the consequences and/or benefits of putting someone in a position of authority.

            How many people just trying to get food, water, knowledge and shelter to their family have been trampled on by the policies of "dominating" countries or leaders? Have we voted for those leaders? Have we unconsciously helped them? Only to one day realize that we have been deceived? It hurts to be deceived doesn't it? In this case, deceiving us could lead to pain and suffering for hundreds, thousands, millions and billions of people. I ask you to prayerfully consider if you have ALL the facts straight.

            I'm not urging or pleading you not to vote. That is not at all what I am saying. But being in the dark, making a choice could be potentially dangerous. I do however urge you to step forward and start making a difference for the people you live with, live next to, to love your neighbor and your enemy as well. It's not easy, but with ENOUGH PEOPLE, those leaders in seats of power placed there by other people don't seem so large. Pick up the baggage, get the facts straight. I'm urging us all to engage in civil dialogue about what is really going on in this country and the world, and the role you as an individual plays.

Recollections

        I recently passed my first year here in Nome. It's hard to imagine that one whole year has passed since I moved here to be in ministry with the people in Nome. It was a year filled with firsts for not only me, but the people in Nome also.
       From the coast guard cutter helping to bring oil, the coldest January in Nome's recorded history to my first time out on a snow machine and my first time ice fishing. All these stories have had impacts on me while being in communication and building relationships here with the Alaskan Natives and People.
       The people here love the land, and care about their way of subsistence living, they love the quietness of the tundra, and the freedom to explore and be within God's Creation. Surely also, each day is a new adventure.
        I also have grown more in my spiritual understanding of God and His work through the many Bible studies i've partaken here along with the countless conversations i've had with people about what it is like to live in Nome and the social issues the residents of Alaska face.
        Indeed, every person has a complex history and problems do not get solved with just a blink of an eye. I have had to develop the understanding that I may not see tremendous change in my time here, despite my interactions with the Youth Court and the kids and adults of this community. It is one thing to want the change I want to see, but a greater thing to help change the things people of this community want changed.
        As missionaries, no matter what community people are in, it's their job to work with the community to accomplish the change that the community wants to see, but it is also a good idea to help work this change while remaining wise. A dear friend once told me this prayer:

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

      I'm truly thankful that she told me this, because it truly has had an effect on me, God was truly speaking through this person. I have to remind myself everyday that I can't solve the worlds problems with the blink of an eye, things take time, and help also.
       This is where you come in. Truly, God can speak through you, work through you, raise you to heights you've never imagined, if you let Him. God uses all things for Him, and can put really bad things into an equation that will help equal a really good thing (corny math reference, but it works, and I don't even like math).
       Temper service with wisdom
       And always walk in the steps of God.

+PeAcE+

Struggles

      Struggle always come to those who are in service, whether they are in the military, peace corp., or active missionary duty. I'm only part of one of these groups, but from what I can gather so far, all three groups have the potential to deal with the same experiences. There are missionaries in countries that are active war zones. Missionaries in countries with an incredibly high poverty rate, missionaries in countries where society is almost at war with itself. Of course there are the struggles that all have to deal with while in service. Other then the struggles that these three different groups of service have in the place they are serving, there is one thing that is the exact same for each group. Life goes on in their hometown without them.
      Since being in Nome, I have dealt with two deaths (one that happened in Nome and one happened back in Virginia), cancer within a member of my family, friends getting engaged, married, having children, coming into their own, kids I used to mentor growing up and going to college after knowing them for nearly a decade, and I've only been able to see most of these events through Facebook.
       We know that it becomes harder and harder to stay afloat the further out to sea we swim. Deep into service, it can become harder seeing time go by back in hometowns and not be there. This may all seem frightening, perhaps sad. However, there is a certain type of grace that comes from being in service.

        I have recently been attached to the "I Am Second" website, actively watching the videos and have already started participating in a Bible Study around this site and the central idea of being "Second". Here is the link:

                                                http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/#

      

            I may have talked about this in a past post, but I want to express it even further, and come clean on certain dreams. It has been a long time standing dream of mine, as I'm sure some of my closest friends can tell you, is to find someone to spend the rest of my life with. If there is anything worldly that I want in this world it's to be a faithful partner to someone, and hopefully even a loving father one day. I've wanted this dream so much, and so badly that for a good long time, it was my only focus. I figured that if I can accomplish this dream, then everything would be fine, I could be perfectly happy, content, and at peace. As I have learned, something else was there for me to clasp onto, and sometimes dreams can get in the way of what really needs to happen.

            There was a time where I was very close to accomplishing this dream, but for whatever reason, it didn't. That hurt for a long time, and then I went to a place where it all changed. During that year I had been reading things from the Bible, Shane Claiborne and Randy Pausch and I found myself in an unfamiliar land, with unfamiliar faces, temperature, smells and lifestyles. No, not Nome, Alaska (yet), it was in Sierra Leone that something really changed in me. For a short time I was experiencing true Love. Not the kind of love that couples share, a love I am still praying on finding one day, it was a Love that I had only been able to grasp particles of since I was a Junior in High School. In the weeks ending 2009 and beginning 2010 I had left my troubles, social situations, burdens and dreams of finding love to venture into the world and truly see where I "should" be. I didn't find love, I found Love. There was something in that Child Rescue Center that spoke out, "sit and stay with me". I was feeling this message from the Children, but behind their eyes there was someone else speaking.

            I realized that at last, He had torn me away from my worldly world. Torn apart parts of my life that I clung onto so dearly, more dearly then He knew I should be. The summer before that trip, He said that "The world will be fed not by the bread of man, but by the Bread of God," but He was also telling me during my time at the Jeremiah Project, Hebrews 12:28 ;

            "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,"

            The city of Bo, when I was there, still had buildings that were in ruin from the civil war that happened a little over a decade before. Life still continued. It may be a hard existence, but life went on. I personally know what it's like to be at war with myself, and the wreckage it can cause, not only to myself, but the people around me. Civil War, if you will. But, I wouldn't trade this experience of a personal Civil War for anything. Some people have told me I think too much, or I'm too hard on myself, but it's all part of the war.

            The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit : They all know how messed up we all are. They knew how messed up I am, and how I'm not perfect and not without sin. After my screw ups, I now know that if I were to let up for a second in this war, if I didn't defend myself they way He would want me to, bombshells would cause wreckage, and that's what I can call Sin.

            The crazy thing is, the message was always there. He was always reaching out, letting me know He was there, trying to point me in the right direction. Sometimes dreams and personal focus can distract a person from hearing the truth, from learning really important lessons of life, and truly growing into something greater than they expected. In a way, I guess it's comforting to know that everyone struggles with this. I'm going to give myself some credit; I opened my heart, I listened, I humbled myself, I really tried to look at the world through the eyes like that of a child (Matthew 18:3). I had to stop always making myself believe that I knew exactly what was good for me, to believe that I KNEW what I had to do, and what would make me successful. Truly, Christ was right, I had no idea.

            It took me a long time to decide to do what I've done. I'm speaking for myself, but I think when it comes down to it, I believe it's not easy at all to leave things you hold as security behind (car, home, parents, friends, well-paying job, markets where you can get whatever you're looking for). It's not easy for anyone. It truly is a leap of faith. I think what Christ really wanted me to do is stop trying to control my life and let Him work. He has worked harder than anyone has for me. And what I do know, is that being here in Nome isn't predestined. It was my free will to open my heart, to completely let Him in, to make the choice to stand THIS close to Him. When people say, "God has a plan" I think maybe they aren't thinking it through completely. If you are interested in digging deeper into this idea, read "Why?" by Adam Hamilton. In this book he says, "What if God, in giving us life, invites us to collaborate in writing the story of our lives?"

            In all this splurge of a blog I've just written, I can say, you know, I'm okay. I may not have the worldly dream I had been planning on right now (though I am still hoping God allows me to change that one day). But I made a plan on doing something with God within a short time frame (from the last fall semester in college to the time I left Northern Virginia), and so far, it's been the best plan ever. I'm so thankful for this part of my life's story, and when I look back on what I lost, I see now that this would never have happened if I didn't open myself up to Him.

Praise the Lord. I Am Second

+PeAcE+

A Delayed Update

         It has been some time since I have updated my blog, for that I am sorry. I am still alive and well and have been very busy in my ministry here in Nome. Let me give you all an update of what has been going on over the past month and a half.
          In the past month and a half I have been working with my new position as the Nome Youth Court Coordinator. I am still working with the XYZ Senior Center and the Boy's and Girl's Club, but the Nome Youth Court (NYC) took up much of my time in the days past. The NYC is a youth run court system within Nome where we handle first offense cases among youth and decide the hours of community service that they must work within a span of time. The thing about this program is that once their hours are finished, it removes the offense from their record and they do not have to enter in said offense on any applications for college or a job in the future. We however do not accept all offenses, some deserve serious attention by the actual court system. The NYC handles cases such as underage drinking, tobacco violations, minor assault charges and some acts of vandalism. The program has some bugs that I hope to work out through the duration of the summer. Speaking of which...
          I can now see the ocean. After months and months of a solid white icy sheet spanning out to the horizon, the ice has been breaking off slowly day by day and the ocean waves are beginning to crash again. The temperature is getting warmer, the snow is melting, birds are returning, and the sun is staying out later (at the moment its about 21 hours of the day). Though I am happy about the weather change, I am not to happy about the daylight being out for so long. It has been messing with my sleep scheduled and I am finding myself more drained day by day. I have resorted to taking naps in between working at XYZ and the B&GC. Naps are new to me, as growing up I never took them. I don't know if this is a sign of being overworked, or if it is a sign of age. I ask for your prayers for a burst of energy.
          However, we have finished our last case for the school year, and the Wednesday Bible School called "Faith Followers" that I was teaching for has ended for the school year. There are less and less things on my plate as the school year comes to an end, and I must say I am a bit glad that this is happening. I feel I am getting a bit more of a break. The thing about being a missionary here, as it is with mostly all of the other missionaries that were part of my commissioning class is that we are all worked very very hard during our times of service. Those young brave souls that are placed all around the world are the bravest and strongest people I have ever met, and I keep them in my thoughts and prayers daily as I ask you to do the same. It's hard leaving everything behind to pursue Christ in places someone has never been, to a place where danger and risk could be much greater. We may not be the American Armed Forces as brave as they are, but this is indeed a different kind of bravery and not to far removed.
             I would like to announce that I have a return trip approaching in only a month and a half to my home town. Many of those reading this are excited for my return, and I am excited as well. I will be arriving in Northern Virginia the morning of June 29th and will be departing back to Nome July 9th. A two week vacation and visit I feel is much needed at this time. I will have many stories to tell, and many pictures and videos to show.
             As a side note, and I don't know if I should be saying this or not, but honesty is an important part of my Christian walk. Indeed this return will be exciting, but for me it is not without a level of caution. I am not the same person I was when I left Northern Virginia, just like every other missionary out there can simply not return to their home town being the same. Many are excited to see me, but I am nervous that I will be looked at greater then I really am. In truth, I am only mortal, flesh and bone, human just like everyone I meet. I am no hero, I am no savior. I am only who Christ has built, a vessel. And for this I would retell a tail.
            
              Once there was a man who after going through much study and learning decided to go out into a world and be with himself for a time. On this journey he saw many things, and after seeing them he returned to society understanding more and more of what his role was in the world. I talked to people about what he knew, and people were amazed. So amazed that they looked up to him, followed him, even loved him. One day, this man returned to his home town and talked about all the things he has learned, and people were astonished by his wisdom, and scared. So scared and upset that they took offense to him. Even there he said, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home."

               This man is none other then Christ (Matthew 13:53-58 ; NIV). a man who people, now, say they love, but when faced with truth, people shudder and shun. Indeed Christ and God can change the lives of people, and some people don't like it when people change. Many believe change is bad. That changing from one thing to another is a way of getting more lost. Is this not true with the growing disparities between generations now?
               I would like to, if I may, briefly take a look at the way things are. When Christ died, he said to us "and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32 ; RSV). Here we are some thousands of years later with Christianity as one of the dominant faiths on the planet. There is no saying that THAT fact is not true, because there is no way to say no to history and they way things are, because it is the way it is. True, Christianity has had it's dark patches in history, but every religion has had it's dark patches as well. What we can do, and I advise those who I meet, is for us to not close our minds off to new information. Perhaps we could have heard truth when it was told to us, and we chose not to listen. Perhaps we have shut people out, closed our doors to people. And for those that consider themselves Christian, let me not remind you that we too as Christians had our times when we too were shut out, blotted from society and shunned. There are writings of testaments of Christians being sacrificed to animals during the Roman Rule. Along side of this Christ was shunned and killed by his own people, and in the book of Acts Christians were persecuted for their way of life and beliefs.
              We must open our minds so that truth may enter. We must not yield to what we WANT to believe, but rather seek truth and be set free within the world. And when dealing with conflict and justice I will end with giving a quote I found on the most unsuspecting of things, a gum wrapper. It read:

                                            "Give no decision till both sides thou'st heard."

+PeAcE+

Update

HI ALL!
       It's been awhile since I blogged. So I'll fill you in on what's going on. YES! I'm still alive up here in the far reaches of the world within the winter landscape of Nome, Alaska. Things have been gradually warming up in recent weeks AND the sun is now up by 8 and sets at about 9. So it sort of feels like it was back in Virginia, though walking home from places at 8:30 and it looking like 6:30 is still kind of odd. Oh well, so may it be.
       Iditarod just ended! I saw about 3 mushers including 1st place, 2nd place, and I think 14th. The fun thing is that there are about 60 mush teams competing in the race, 11 have scratched so that's somewhere in the range of about 49 or so mushers that will be coming into Nome, THAT'S A LOT OF DOGS! And the dogs are all neatly gathered about a minute walk from my front door. They were pretty quite during the night which I am happy about, but then again I think my apartment is pretty darn soundproof to the outside. The other thing about the Iditarod is that every time a mush team is on it's way into Nome, they sound the city siren. I can barely hear that from my bedroom, so I haven't really been losing sleep over it. BUT, I now have another cool thing to scratch off my bucket list. I won't find too many people outside of Alaska who can say they've seen and lived by where the Iditarod ends!
       Within my ministry life, I rejoice to say that there are a good number of elementary youths who have really been latching onto Community United Methodist Church's Wednesday Night Bible School called "Faith Followers". These kids have been remembering scriptures and stories from weeks before and it has honestly very much impressed me! I'm very proud of them and thrilled to see that they are indeed growing spiritually somewhat. I've also been very active in prayer, study and attending services for Lent and it has been supporting my spiritual growth. AND I've volunteered for several city and church activities like the NEST Program (which houses and feeds homeless during the winter) and Safety Patrol (Which is where people patrol the city between midnight and 5:30am to make sure no one is about to drive drunk or freezing to death).
        The interesting thing about these things I've been volunteering for, is that sometimes I say just say "yes" without thinking twice about it, which in a way is really filling up my schedule. It is a good thing to keep myself active though, as I need to be to take my mind off other stuff. Being a missionary can be challenging in a new environment because sometimes, it can be really difficult to find a social group of people the missionaries age (or at least that would be a good idea to socialize with on a personal level). The bar life is very popular around here, so it's made things a bit difficult to find people my age to hang out with that doesn't include drinking.
         On another note I will now be taking the position of Coordinator for the Nome Youth Court. This is going to be a little stressful at first since I have very little knowledge of how the court room process actually works (I didn't watch enough Court Room Drama I suppose :P). The Nome Youth Court, if I haven't mentioned it before, is a trail for a youth led by youth, and these are not pretend trials, these are legitimate. They are all carried out before a real judge however, but this court allows the youth to participate in community service to completely clear their record as opposed to making it look bigger then it really is. The Nome Youth Court handles cases like drinking, tobacco violations and minor violence. It's going to be stressful and exciting.
         Anyway, I'm going to try and blog at least once every month just to keep everyone posted.

+PeAcE+

Chris

Culture Shock

                This past week I went through a training session for PRIME For Life. PRIME For Life is an alcohol and Drug education class that seeks to help people find out where they are at in their life in terms of their use. PRIME For Life is NOT a class that is out there to say, “Don’t drink, drinking is bad for you and will always turn you into an alcoholic.” What is REALLY does though is show it’s students statistic and valid research that has been developed and recorded over long periods of time that relate to the party life, alcohol and drug use, advertising and addiction. It’s information was all tremendously fascinating and truly enabled me to see things that I didn’t even think about in the past. PRIME For Life Is presented to people who have gotten into some sort of trouble in the past, but it also to colleges and high schools. After an intense three day training session, I have been officially certified to teach PRIME For Life. The program really captured me because a lot of the same statistics could be linked to spirituality and Christian Practice, but I won’t get into that just now because it’s going to take a great deal of time to do research and study on that subject.

                I realize I haven’t updated quite as frequently I said I would. One, I’ve been super busy, two, things have been repetitive for a short while. These things are now changing. Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of certifications: Food Worker, CPR/FIRST AID, PRIME For Life, and pretty soon I just might pick up a Kitchen Manager Certification also. Alongside of this you may have realized that I haven’t posted any web blogs in awhile. Internet is very expensive here in Nome, and uploading web blogs has become very expensive. I’ve been thinking about doing one web blog maybe every other month or so. That way you all can sort of SEE how I’m doing.

                Other then all this, I want to take a moment to talk about my experience here in Anchorage. I have been living in Nome since September, so it was just spot on five months before I left for this trip. Five months of walking everywhere (with counting the number of times I actually drove on two hands), no traffic lights, no traffic period, no huge shopping centers, tall office buildings, no fast food at every corner, no Starbucks, the list goes on. And staying in a hotel was a bit strange. I mean, I did take one other trip since I was in Nome, but that was to one of the Neighboring Villages, Teller, and that was a place smaller then Nome. Driving was crazy, encountering traffic lights, heavy traffic and roads where the MPH exceeds 40 were enough to get my nerves to bubble like they did whenever I stepped into a car in Northern Virginia. It really hit me how uncomfortable it was going through traffic and how much more relaxed my mind and soul had become while living in Nome.

                After I had gone to the Costco in Anchorage, once I left the shopping center and got back into the Yaris I rented, I realized how taken back I was by walking into a huge store like that. It was as if my mind had forgotten what it was like to be in a huge department store, only after five months! I spent the first 26 years of my life in Northern Virginia, and it only took five months for my mind to almost forget what the feeling was like being in a place so huge where people are running around like crazy people trying to find what they need. From the hotel looking out the window and seeing tall buildings was strange for me for the first time in my life. If this is what it felt like for me, I can’t fathom what it must be like to grow up in a remote Alaskan Village for the majority of a person’s life and make that sudden change to a bigger city or town then the person might be used to. But this brought me close.

                I’m not sure if I touched base on the issue of seclusion that people feel in Alaskan Villages and Cities. It’s different here in Anchorage and further south. It’s different because I noticed that for the first time in five months, I could (if I had brought my passport) have gotten on the road and drove to the Lower 48! The people living in these villages have to deal with the known fact that there is no way out except by plane. The shock of being in a heavily populated area must feel like either freedom from a cage, or frightening because it’s too much, I’m not sure, because I haven’t walked in their shoes for as long as they have.

                It’s an interesting emotion to put into words, but Culture Shock are the only words I can think of. Not sure what this may provide for you, but I ask that you pray for these people who live out in these remote regions of the Earth. These people are self-reliant, independent survivors, and some of the toughest people I’ve ever met.

+PeAcE+

A New Years Resolution

                                            "Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."
                                                                        Proverbs 4:23

             This passage can have many meanings. When I first heard it I linked it to a Soldier or perhaps a Knight of some old medieval order. Knights and Soldiers have something in common, as does any other class of person that upholds some order or code, they all wear armor. Police and Soldiers where some sort of body armor to protect them from bullets. Underneath this they wear their BDUs and perhaps some other layers of clothing. Knights have many layers. On top they wear some sort of cloth of a certain color or something that displays the kingdom or empire they swear loyalty to. Underneath that they could wear plate armor which has many pieces all over the body composed of different names. Underneath that they could wear chain mail, and underneath that is some kind of hardened cloth. Then under that they wear their tunic and ect. SO as you can see, they clearly intend to keep themselves well protected from arrows, swords, spears or whatever else may come down upon them trying to tear away flesh and break bones.

             If we would apply this same thought to our faith, what would our faith and loyalty to The Father require to protect ourselves from the evils of the world. Luckily, there is a passage for this. As it was two years ago when I was a staff member and Adult Leader for the St. Stephen's Youth Group participating in The Jeremiah Project (http://www.jeremiahproject.org/) the scripture of the summer had to deal with this kind of protection:

Ephesians 6: 11-18
 

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"

               I love how this version of the scripture is worded. To me in bestows me with a power that I gain from my Father, Master and Teacher. I feel as though these words are being spoken to me as if I was some sort of Knight about to charge into battle against the forces of wickedness. However, for more life practical reasons, I want to focus on what this means for everyday choices that we may encounter.

               Let's think about these two scriptures together and how we can apply these to everyday life, and the paths we choose to walk. In Ephesians the scripture is telling us to walk the path of life with truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, spirit (which is the Word of God) and prayer. With these actions a person WILL grow more in their faith. Is it easy to walk this road with all these taking place all the time? Well, I'm certain you as well as me know the answer to that one... No, it's not!

               Face it, we all slip up and make mistakes, sometimes really small ones and other times really REALLY big ones. I'm not perfect, and even though I may be a missionary for the United Methodist Church and pretty much am supposed to be acting as one of God's fingertips, even I slip up in my Mission work (thank God He knows how much we can screw up! At least it is true, nothing in this world is free except for the Grace of God).

               But think about it, what would life be like IF we DID TRY to uphold all these everyday? Oh my would that be amazing! Being totally perfect in His eyes... That would be truly something. And do not forget:

Luke 15:17

"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."

                                                                                                                             ~Jesus Christ 

                If you are a sinner like me, perhaps this idea of rejoicing warms your heart. NINETY-NINE! That's a WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE! A WHOLE LOT! Now, I'm going to get personal here. Before I left Fairfax County there was a goodbye party held for me. I was deeply moved by how many people showed up to see me before I left for my mission. I prayed and gave such great thanks to God for that experience. And keeping the parable of the lost sheep in mind, and this last verse of the story... I mean, "more rejoicing in HEAVEN"... A party just for me for making this commitment to Him, to follow this path and walk of life... That is enough to bring tears of joy to my eyes. The best part about it is, this can happen for you too.

               This is my new years resolution, to guard my heart. To do this I have to put on that Armor of God I mentioned earlier. Now I have been trying to do this for awhile, but it's hard, but Jesus never said following him would be a piece of cake. There are a lot of things that will be difficult to accept following in this path means, at least for me:

        

        1. I can't date someone who isn't Christian, especially someone who doesn't believe in God. That would only make my faith weaker I think since I have dedicated myself to much to God. Plus I can't imagine God being to happy with me if I were to let someone who didn't believe in Him also have a hand in the workings of my heart. That would be like two opposing forces battling it out.

        

         2. I can't "party" if you understand what kind of "party" I am talking about. Actually, let me restate that, I can't participate in certain social situations. Some social situations I can't be a part of because somehow I believe sin will make it's way into my heart and actions. I know I am a weak creature, which is why I have to rely on God to guide me.

        

         3. I need to be more extroverted. This is hard because I am an introvert (believe it or not). I need to be approaching people more. Engage more with people about God, faith and the wonders it can bring. This is harder for me then you may think because I am not one to get myself into heated debates, arguments, or I shutter to say, "fights".

         I only say these three things because being a Missionary I have to keep one very important scripture in mind, and one of the most important orders given to us by the Lord as He ascended into Heaven:

 "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

                                                                                                            ~Matthew 28:16-20

          This passage is so important that it is also found in Mark 16:14–18, Luke 24:44–49, Acts 1:4–8, and John 20:19–23.
          I urge you to think over these words and walk with me down this beautiful but hard road during the course of this year, and know that the Lord is with us every step of the way.

+PeAcE+