Living My Own Sermons

T has asked me to "guest blog" this post, so here goes...

Things I am learning in this process:

1. Our government is far from perfect, but I am learning to appreciate things we take for granted - like seamless transitions from one administration to the next. I've been on the Nepali Times site lately and it seems like the turnover in prime ministers means pretty much everything slows down or stops until the new administration is in place.

2. Ladies first, even in Nepal. We've been a bit perplexed as to why we haven't gotten a referral yet when we were high on the list. By monitoring blogs and news groups, we've deduced that only girls have been referred as of this point.

3. That even if my preaching were to fall on deaf ears, the process of study and preparation every week convicts and prepares me. I've been preaching through the Psalms on Sunday nights, sharing how these poems and prayers teach us how to understand and embrace the ups and downs of our own spiritual journeys. Psalm 40 - "I waited patiently on the Lord..." was probably the most eye-opening. We think of waiting as an inactive process, but the reality is (as that entire chapter shows us) there is a lot going on while we "wait!" There is much that God is doing that we can't and don't see, and there is much that He is shaping in and through us that is fulfilled in His perfect timing. I also find encouragment that in the original language of Psalms (Hebrew) the word for "waiting" is interchangeable with the words "hope" and "trust." So we learn to wait/hope/trust with eager anticipation trusting that God will "incline and hear our cry," at the right moment, just like He did for David.

4. God provides. Just recently we had been praying about what we were going to have to do next in the fundraising process, as the excitement of the referral would lead to the anxiousness of having some large payments due. Last week, out of the blue, we received a call from a donor - a family we have known for a long time. Not only did this friend share that God had led their family to provide the rest of our matching grant, but to provide another "challenge grant" that they would match if we could raise $2500 more! For the first time in this process, we have most of the funds we need before the payment is due. Providing we can raise another $2500, this means that God has already provided the funds for us to be able to remain debt-free through accepting our referral! The next hurdle will be travel expenses, but see #3 - we are now waiting and watching to see how God is going to continue to surprise and amaze us!

I've joked through this process that its really fun to teach and preach on faith, but living it is a whole lot harder. Well, its still a long and challenging journey emotionally, spiritually and financially - but God is growing our hearts and teaching us to trust with every step.

- J