I have spent the last few days and weeks preparing for my trip in several ways; packing, printing lesson ideas, getting things in order, saying goodbye to friends and family, etc. Through all of these activities, God has shown me that I am ready. He has prepared my heart, my mind, my spirit. He has been with me every step of the way and shown me His plans. With a joyful heart and an eager mind, I face Tuesday ready to go and do the Lord's work.
Yesterday, looking on Facebook, a great Bible verse caught my eye. It was Deuteronomy 31:6 which says, "So be strong and courageous, do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail nor abandon you." This verse prepares my heart as I begin my journey to India. It gives me the strength and encouragement I need in knowing that God will go ahead of me and prepare the way. An added bonus? He will NEVER leave me. It's as though God placed that verse in front of me on purpose!
Another really special moment during these past few days was my "send off" in church this morning. As I stood in the center of the sanctuary, the pastor and congregation did a responsive reading, blessing my journey. It was an incredible few minutes to say the least. To be surrounded by a room full of people sending their love and prayers my way was breathtaking. It gives me such a peaceful heart to know that I have such a loving support system behind me as I take off for this adventure. After this special blessing, we sang a hymn called "Here I am Lord," whose chorus, as you may or may not know, goes like this:
Here I am Lord
Is it I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go Lord
If you lead me
I will hold your people in my heart.
Yes, Lord. You have chosen me to go and help the beautiful people of Dharmapuri. I will go Lord and I know You will be there to lead me all the way. Here I am Lord!
The next post will be from Semmandakuppam, Tamil Nadu, INDIA!!! Thanks for reading, friends :)
