20 random posts : : my greatest challenge

So this is number 5 in my 20 random posts series: my greatest challenge.  I lead such a difficult, persecuted and suffering life, it was hard to narrow it down... Ha!  God is so incredibly good for me.

" far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think"

Ephesians 3:20

I would have to say that my greatest challenge right now would be in being content with where God has me.  As I go through my classes and look for a job, I have to admit, I want to be out of here!  I want to be in India already, teaching kids at an orphanage and ministering to people in true need!  My desire is to be a few years down the road, finished with my degree, on the mission field.  But I guess I'll always struggle with that: once I'm in India, I'll want to get married, and then I'll want children, and then I'll want grandchildren!  I'll always struggle with trusting God's purpose with my placement in the world.

To combat this sort of thing, I usually try to figure out why God has me where I am now, and what I can do here and now that will minister to people.  For example, I think one of the reasons He has me here, going to school and working and living with my family, is so I can grow up and gain some life experience before I just go off on my own.  I mean, I'm only 19--I haven't really done much with my life yet!  I need time to grow in the Lord, to establish myself and solidify my faith, and to just prepare myself for what He'll have for me.

 Sorry for the terrible quality!

In terms of ministering to people here and now, I have my Compassion kids: Djamsel, Majoie, and Cristian.  The three of them are such incredible blessings in my life; everytime I look at their pictures on my wall, I'm just blown away that the Lord of the universe, who created these kids and can speak to them so much better than I can, has allowed me to reach out to them, even if in just some small way.

Overall, in struggling with contentment in God's plan, I just have to remind myself that He is God, I'm not, and He's in control.  I am learning to rest in Him

May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

2 Thessalonians 3:16

I wanted to share some of the music I've been worshipping to lately.  Enjoy!



I found this song a long time ago and just recently discovered it again. It is so beautiful!



I had heard this song before, but I guess they did a new recording of it recently, and I like it a lot more. I know I haven't done an Everyday's Thanksgiving post in ages, but this song reminds me anew of how much I have to be thankful for; 10,000 things to thank Him for shouldn't be difficult, let alone 1000!

20 random posts : : my dream job

This is my number 4 post in my 20 random posts series.  As I mentioned in the last one, number 3 was "talk about how you met your spouse/significant other", so I had to skip that one.  So I guess there'll actually be only 19 of these posts.  Oh well. :)

Anyhow, #4 is "if you could have any dream job, what would it be?"  Let's get to it!

Obviously, if I could have any job in the world, I would want to be rich and carefree and sit around eating bonbons all day.  Ha!  What a waste of time that would be.

My dream job is to be a missionary teacher at an orphanage in India.  For some reason, India has always fascinated me.  I can't really explain it, except that there is a great need for people to get over there and start sharing the gospel.  With over 1.2 billion people, widespread poverty, a crippling caste system, and the largest concentration of Hindus in the world (over 900 million compared to about 70 million Christians), the need is great.  Over 88% of the population in India is still unreached.  And as my desire is to work with children, specifically orphans, India is perfect for me: out of about 400 million children under the age of 15, over 35 million of these are orphans--the largest number of orphans in a single country in the world.

It's kind of overwhelming!  But when I look at those numbers I have to remind myself that the Lord Himself fashioned every one of those 1.2 billion people, and He holds each of them in His hand.

So, my dream job is to serve India in some way, specifically the orphaned children.  And beyond all that, I would like to personally found an orphanage in India at some point in my life so that, by God's grace and strength, I'll be able to meet the needs of more and more children.  Who knows if and when that will happen, but He can do anything!

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

James 1:27

* To learn more, go here!

Burning for a World

Prayer opens a whole planet to a man’s activities. I can as really be touching hearts for God in far away India or China through prayer, as though I were there. Not in as many ways as though there, but as truly. Understand me, I think the highest possible privilege of service is in those far off lands. There the need is greatest, the darkness densest, and the pleading call most eloquently pathetic. And if one may go there—happy man!—if one be privileged to go the honoured place of service he may then use all five outlets direct in the spot where he is.

Yet this is only one spot. But his relationship is as wide as his Master’s and his sympathies should be. A man may be in Africa, but if his heart be in touch with Jesus it will be burning for a world. Prayer puts us into direct dynamic touch with a world.

*excerpt taken from "Quiet Talks On Prayer" by S. D. Gordon, pages 15-16

Everyday's Thanksgiving, Part #4

I'm thankful for:

0061. a new camera

0062. sad music

0063. Bible club!

0064. and teaching my first lesson of the year last week at Bible club

0065. Uttar Pradesh, India

0066. a community college so close to where I live; what a blessing!

0067. concordances

0068. worship practice

0069. going to the movies, and actually coming out un-disappointed by what you just saw!

0070. colourful blogs

0071. English.  I loathe it, but it's teaching me patience.

0072. and for trials, which teach me patience too, as well as trust

0073. Jane Austen

0074. mp3s

0075. cell phones

0076. the word Guggenheim.  I just love saying it.

0077. pink paper clips

0078. rain!

0079. tacks

0080. a hidden stash of candy