Praises

I am so glad for it to be a new week. Last week was a tough one for me for a variety of reasons. It was one of those weeks where you just think…it couldn’t get much worse, but then something else would happen that completely threw me off. I think some of it was a result of spiritual warfare. Here are some exciting things that God is doing around me…

I am the coordinator for the Single’s teams at my church. We have small groups called teams where 6-12 people gather regularly. These groups bring the individuals in the church into a community for fellowship, Bible study, prayer, sharing and accountability, social events, and ministry opportunities. I have been excited to be a part of this ministry. When I came, there was a team for singles aged 35+, but it consisted of 2 single adults and a married couple that led the team. That team is currently being led by the two single adults who were a part of that team and now has eight people coming regularly. My team started in January of last year and was set up for singles aged 25-35. We had choppy growth, but then at the beginning of the year, I had a couple people come alongside to help with the ministry. Since that time, we have grown and our team recently multiplied. Our little team spawned a team of single parents, mostly divorced, who are a part of the church. Our first meeting after multiplication was on Sunday. The thing that amazes me about this whole process…we had 12-16 on an average week before multiplication. In the first week afterwards, we had 11 and 8 people attending the two teams. Where did they come from? This ministry has brought a lot of joy to my life. I am so excited to see people in a Bible Study for the first time, asking questions, and reading their Bible at home. Is all this happening because I am a great leader?? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I often feel inadequate in my place of service. Despite my weaknesses, God is working to bring people to know and love himself, I am just a willing person involved in the process.

On Sunday afternoon, I also heard about a church plant that I am praying towards joining. It would be with one of the interns at my church, who is also a student here at the seminary. After graduation, he and his wife are looking at starting an international church in the area – probably Arlington or Frisco. He was asking me about my thesis and we had a great discussion. It is exciting to find people who have the same heart as I do to reach the world through the internationals in our community. He will graduate in December and the church will be planted soon afterwards. The timing is amazing because I also finish in December. I do not know yet if this is the direction that I should go, but I am excited about the possibility and I can’t wait to see what comes next (a lot depends on when and where I find a full-time job)

Speaking of jobs…my dad accepted a job yesterday. He has been looking for a long time and yesterday accepted a position with MDOT in Missouri. It is a small department and far from the corporate world. It will be a lower paying position, but it is close to home and does not include the extra hours and stress that existed in his previous position. This is a great praise!