this year we had fewer people able to come on board with us. our budget was smaller than in years past, and our group was the smallest it has been in four years. most of our group had never been in a third world country, some had never been out of the states before, and one girl had never even flown on a plane. we were inexperienced, young, and by most people's standards, completely unqualified for the work the Lord had called us to.
but this year, the Lord decided to move in a way unlike any i've ever seen. people's lives were radically changed, and the village of balama will never be the same. the Lord touched the hearts of so many of the students, He moved through the teachers and broke down cultural and spiritual barriers in a way that is unlike anything we had seen before, and we saw the buildings we have been praying to be completed were finally finished.
God has taught me one powerful lesson: He is Lord. He works in His own time, in His own way, through whomever and whatever He wants to move through. He never works on anybody else's schedule. He can't be wooed into moving by good works or talented people, He simply works, unseen by most of us, the power of His Spirit and the work of His Saints building and building, like rain clouds gathering, almost utterly unseen till the last moments before the clouds burst.
i watched the prayers, time, energy, wealth, ministry, and gifts of hundreds of God's people answered with the power of His Spirit in one short week.
the great thing is, He hasn't stopped moving, and even when the change or impact may seem invisible, i know He'll still be moving.
if you're like me and you get exhausted waiting to see the results of your labor for the Lord, don't be. He may show you the fruits of your labor today, tomorrow, a month from now, or years from now. you may never see the harvest of your labor till you see the Kingdom come. but it's not your plan you're attempting to accomplish. it is the Lord's Spirit that makes you able to work, it is the Lord's plan He is accomplishing in His own way, and it is His gift to us to be a part of it. we are never promised the luxury of seeing God's plan unfold, we are only promised that all we do for Him will matter in eternity.
"stand firm, let nothing move you. always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" - 1 corinthians 15:58
praying that you're filled with His Spirit overflowing and know just how much He is changing the world through you! God bless!
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