God is so good!

While I attended Barclay College there were several times when I would have prospective students stay in my dorm with me. It was always a lot of fun and it was a great way to connect with people. Sometimes the girls ended up coming to Barclay, sometimes they didn't. During my last year I had a girl named Elisha stay in my dorm who currently attends Barclay. Throughout the time that she was there visiting we had talked and laughed a lot (I tried to convince her to start the following semester but that didn't happen!)  I also had several great conversations with her dad. Both of them were such a blessing to me. When they left I thought that was the end of ever seeing them again. I was graduating and so Elisha wouldn't be at school while I was there. Last November I had the opportunity to see her again when I went to visit Barclay and randomly her whole family came out to surprise her the same week I was there. Again there were many good, Truth filled conversations that I had. Once again, other than quick conversations through Facebook I thought communication would be slim to none.

Well as I shared in my earlier post, this weekend we stayed in Limon, CO. That is where Elisha is from! We had been talking through Facebook, and I had asked her what church she would recommend for Dorina and I to attend on Sunday morning. I did not know this, but her dad, Bill, is a pastor at a church in Limon called Oasis of Hope. We attended there this morning and it was such a blessing. We felt super welcomed and it was just great to be with the body of Christ and worship together.  After church Pastor Bill, along with his family and several other people went to lunch. It was such a great time of fellowship.

Pastor Bill is someone who every time I have had conversations with him I have felt so filled and have felt closer to understanding even more about God's love.  So much truth was spoken into my life and it was so encouraging. He mentioned that as Dorina and I travel and work for Camfel we are on assignment for God. Simply sharing our life with people it making a difference, and most of the time we can't or won't see it. We talked about how obedience is better than sacrifice and how true that is! We can sacrifice our time, but that doesn't mean much when we are not obedience to the Father! There was so much content and truth that was spoken, but part of it is really hard to verbalize!

One thing that was mentioned was that pursing God, and being passionate about him is so much more important than doing things that "need" done. Obviously this does not mean neglect things that need to be done, but don't save God for later. This really stuck out to me. As we have begun our tour, one thing I have been worried about was how I was going to fill my free time. I know that keeping in contact with people is going to be important for me, but I don't want to spend all my time on Facebook or whatever. I want to make good use of the abundance of time that I have. As I was sitting in my hotel room the other night I was reading my Bible and began praying. I talked with God about how if this year was supposed to be for me to have more time to study his word, to get to know him, and to spend large amounts of time with him, then let it be. I prayed that I would be faithful and diligent in my time, stay awake and alert, and really be present to what the Lord is asking of me. I desire a relationship that is deep with my Heavenly Father. These last few weeks I feel like He has been so present and I know he always has. I think also that I have been in some places where I was finally willing to listen. When we listen our God speaks! His love is overflowing. He loves me, he loves this world, he loves all his children. No ifs, ands or buts about it! God is love. Period.

As I continued to talk with Pastor Bill he referenced some things that we talked about while I was at Barclay. They were addressing some of the desires of my heart. Some things that I want now but I know the timing isn't right. Recently some of these things have come up a lot more. I felt as though God was reminding me that he knows the desires of my heart and he hasn't forgotten abou them. I want to be faithful to the Lord and patient to trust in his timing!

God's love and provision has been so evident in my life. I never want to stop seeing that. God has used Pastor Bill, someone who I have only talked with on three different occasions, to show me so much about God. He didn't only tell me about God, he spoke about my life! I am so grateful for our interactions. There was SO much more that we talked about, but its hard to remember all. I trust that God will bring things to my mind as needed.

The God, who loves us each dearly and offers us eternal life, is majestic and deserves all our praise! As I drive and see new places, awesome scenery, and beautiful sunsets, I am reminded of how creative and lovely our God is every time we get in the car and continue on our journey!  God is soo good!