Divine Appointments.

Every Thursday morning starts with a phone call at 9 a.m. with my support coach and every conversation begins with the same question, "How are things going Laura?" Most weeks have had a pretty similar response. "Well...okay. Not much has happened this week. Support is going pretty slowly." I usually have a few conversations I can tell him about and he'll be encouraging and say that I'm doing great. Inside though, I still feel like I'm falling short and have a difficult time seeing the highlights of the week. Well, this week was completely different. I was anxiously awaiting Phil's phone call and couldn't believe a week I was excited to talk with him, he would dare call me 10 minutes late! He called, I answered, let him ask his question, and then was so excited to share with him what happened this week...

Two weeks ago I went to a doctor's appointment and they told me I needed to do a follow-up appointment for some medicine I take, so I quickly scheduled an appointment for this past Tuesday before I leave town. I went to the appointment and of course the nurse asked me what I was doing next year. I responded with the same thing I say to everyone, "I'm interning with an organization called Campus Crusade for Christ." People usually say, "oh, great" and quickly change the conversation. This woman took me a little off-guard when she said she was familiar with CRU. We began talking and rather quickly realized we were both Christians. I shared my story with her and she shared a little bit of hers with me. Turns out her and her husband were previously on staff with another mission's organization and have gone through the process of raising support too. She could relate to what I am experiencing this summer. My test lasted an hour and fifteen minutes and we talked nearly the whole time. At the end she informed me that if I ever have the test done again, it usually doesn't take that long. She was just so engaged with the conversation that she was going slowly. She asked for a brochure and said that she wants to support me. She felt like the Lord brought us together. Okay...let me recap: A medicine I started taking four years ago brought me to a doctor's appointment two weeks ago where my doctor told me for the first time ever that I need to have a precautionary test done which brought me to a hospital for the first time in my life with a nurse that just happens to be a Christian who had experienced support raising and, without me asking, was moved by the Holy Spirit to join my team. I believe that is called a divine appointment arranged by the Lord. Even if something were to happen and she is not able to support me or if it was a five dollar bill that came in the mail, I still know God used that in my summer to encourage me. I was craving being in the presence of a Christian and someone who could relate to the experience I'm going through. God answered that prayer in such a unique and encouraging way.

After I told Phil that neat story, I surprised by self by still having a list of other things to tell him. I got two more supporters in the past week, one of which I was not expecting or even thinking to contact. I also got two really encouraging messages from friends willing to go above and beyond to help me. And to top it all off, I had a wonderful appointment where I was able to share about CRU and my story but also hear how God was working in this woman's life and moving her to want to share her faith with others too. When I asked her if she would like to partner with me, she said yes and that she had been praying about a way to get involved with sharing the gospel somehow. I was an answer to that prayer for her! Isn't it neat that God had gone ahead of me and prepared someone's heart to hear my story?

Phil graciously listened to my excitement and once again was very encouraging. We finished up our conversation, got off the phone, and I sat on the couch still overwhelmed by the way God worked this past way. I know there are a lot of different reasons to have a coach talk to me once a week but I think I realized how grateful I am that it forces me to look back and recall what God is doing. Obviously my appointment on tuesday was hard to not see the Lord's hand but when I put it all together, everything that happend this week was by His strength and doing--not my own. The second thing I noticed was that for the first time in weeks, I wasn't concerned about what percentage of my support has come in. I still have a loooooong ways to go but I'm just so in awe of God's working that I'm not as phased by it and I think that is how it should be. Not just in this time of support raising, but through all of life. What if I was just so constantly in awe of the Lord that all the things that get me down were of no importance? I think I understand a little more of what it means to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us,² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Summer memories.

The last 6 summers I have spent lifeguarding. I was a tiny 16 year-old when I first started working. I believe my first day of work my head guard told me to jump in the water if I ever heard gunshots. I never heard any but I witnessed plenty of fights, both physical and verbal. I was often thrown in the middle of fighting to break it up because they knew either two things would happen...the first, no one would hit a tiny white girl and they would leave the pool to fight or second, they would become distracted by a tiny girl even trying to break a fight up and bond over the ridiculousness of it. I can honestly say I think it was by the grace of God that I was ever able to control those situations. Let's face it, I have a soft voice that makes my heart race when I have to scream. Ask anyone who had me as a head guard my 5th summer and they will testify that I had them stand in silence as I built up the courage to yell at the top of my lungs. In a way I think it was more effective because they knew I was upset and had to anxiously anticipate what I was going to say. Or maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better... Regardless, looking back at my summers as a lifeguard, it was only by the strength of God that I was ever an effective guard.

The reason for all of this reminiscing is a visit I took this past week to visit a few friends at their pools. I may not talk to them frequently throughout the year, but when it comes time for summer, I feel like they are who I should be spending my time with everyday! It has been a lot stranger than I expected to not be guarding and being at the pools made me miss it. Which, if you guard, you'll recognize the irony of that statement. When you're working, you pray for rain every day so you can close the pool. And when a patron comes and complains that you won't let their child go in the deep end even though they are practically drowning in the shallow end, you want to ask them to do your job so you can just sit and enjoy the sun. Or how about having people say you are racist for asking them to pull their shorts up? That is just annoying. Outside of the patrons, the pool, the county rules, etc, there is something neat about being part of a group of 200 some lifeguards. The first few pictures are from lifeguard games which were held each summer. The different pools compete against each other in various events for some fun competition. Then there is a picture of water polo, held on Sunday nights for the pools to compete against each other again. And the last picture is my sweet friend, Coogan. This girl never fails to make me laugh and I've learned a lot from her about crew unity. She's got a special talent of making everyone feel part of a team. And since when I saw her, she already knew what I was up to from reading my blog, I thought I would give a little shout-out to her. (You're great Coogs!) So enjoy a very small peak into my past 6 summers. Just a little different from this one...

Beautiful Exchange

While singing at church this past weekend, I noticed the bottom of the page listed scriptural references for the song. After not hearing the song for at least a year, if not longer, I still knew the words from memory but I could not tell you what the scripture said just by seeing the reference. I don't think this is anything new. I've always known that songs are easy to remember and scripture is a little trickier. However, I have never tried to use songs to memorize scripture, although I know it has been suggested to me. (Sometimes I have to hear things a few times before I really get it...typical.) In Ephesians 6:10-18 it talks about the armor of God and we are commanded to "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God." The sword is the only offensive weapon that we are given to fight, the rest of the armor is defensive. Clearly, there is power in knowing God's word and I'm experiencing a whole new level of it even this summer. Raising support is definitely difficult and keeping God's truth running through my mind is the only way to keep my hope grounded in Christ and find the courage and strength I need to continue. So, this week I've started something new. I usually enjoy mixing the Bible, worship music, and some sort of coloring together. Rather than throwing the three together unintentionally, I'm trying to be more intentional with which songs I choose to listen to and what scripture I read and then writing a verse and coloring it. My hope is that it will help me memorize scripture better. For example, one of my favorite songs is Beautiful Exchange by Hillsong. I've heard this song many times and know that it shares the gospel. Well, now I know one simple, yet powerful verse to go along with it. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we may become the righteousness of God." Now that is a beautiful exchange and now when I hear the song, I'll have scripture to go through my mind too.

It's a long video, but everyone needs a little break. Take a few minutes and listen to the song. :)

Friends and a Wedding

Last weekend two friends from summer project in Colorado got married in Madison, WI. Being the only Wisconsin girl, besides the bride, meant I got to play host to some lovely friends! I thought it would seem a little out of place to have them all in my house, but instead it seemed completely normal. It was as if we were all still living in tiny Ute lodge in Bailey, CO and working as a team to make plans and get things done while being incredibly goofy too.

It was so great to have a break from finding ministry partners and to be surrounded by friends who are so encouraging. So after a refreshing break, it's back to work and waiting expectantly to see God work miraculously. Seriously, miraculously...it's the only way this is all coming together.