Inspiration

The last month has been a whirlwind!  I graduated Spanish school at the end of August and moved into the Zamacolla Church to begin missionary training.  Each week I have a different class; the first week was Sects and Religious Movements and this last week was Biblical Bases of Discipleship.  The first weekend of September we also had a spiritual retreat with my team, cluster parents here in Arequipa and cluster dad for Paraguay.  It was an awesome time to get refocused on why I am here.  My team is working hard in Chachani as we have church services, kids' classes and discipleship classes out there every week.  We have only been working there since the very end of July.  It is amazing to see what the Lord is doing there.  There were 37 people at our first church service last Sunday.  Praise God for what He is doing there! It is a pleasure to be part of His great plan. 
As God does more and more, I see Satan attacking harder and harder.  I think some in the church have this idealistic view of missionaries.  (I know that I did.)  It is absolutely amazing work, but it is 100% difficult work.  For me, the actual classes that I attend are not hard nor the work of planning nor singing songs with kids nor leading lessons.  The hardest part is being on the frontline of the Spiritual Battle.  At home, I was a good Christian person, but did not dedicate the time I dedicate now to bringing people to Christ.  Still, I cannot help but think how different the USA would be if more Christians dedicated their whole lives to serving their God and King.  What would the world look like if we all really took the Great Commision seriously?  At the same time, I know there are many of you who are devout about your walk with the Lord and leading others to Him.  This task, though not easy, is worth it.  Hard times come when we are doing the Lord's work.  We are tempted to be distracted and selfish.  We cannot give into the temptations.  As leaders,even as members of the Body of Christ, "we cannot give, what we do not have (Solano)".  I challenge each one, myself included, to push in deeper with God, to be more obedient and to be focused on Him always!  I want to leave you all today with some quotes that have been encouraging me to continue to grow.

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.  ~Mary Engelbreit When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.  ~Victor Frankl When you are through changing, you are through.  ~Bruce Barton

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."  ~Erma Bombeck
Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.  ~J.R.R. Tolkien
He who excuses himself accuses himself.  ~Gabriel Meurier, Trésor des sentences
Experience is not what happens to a man.  It is what a man does with what happens to him.  ~Aldous Leonard Huxley, Texts and Pretexts, 1932
You do not lead by hitting people over the head.  That's assault, not leadership.  ~Dwight D. Eisenhower
The man who forgives is far stronger than the man who fights.  ~Nathan Croall