I’ve never been to Tennessee before.Really, I’ve never been that far from Indiana for too long. The thought of “culture shock” was something that frightened me so much… but what can I say? I love it here.
The mountains are beautiful, the rain is cold (along with our showers), and God is present. God is present. He’s in every room, every wall, and in every heart. Sure, I knew God and everything, but this is just way too intense (and no we are not camping). It’s intense in a good way, though.
I’m feeling God just like I did when I first accepted Jesus as my Savior. Crazy isn’t it? I honestly didn’t think I’d feel that God-high ever again. I was completely wrong. How I’ve been going on without this God-high is beyond me; it’s like figuring out that you haven’t been breathing all this time.
The “high” hit me when I volunteered to help the “throw-together” worship team they wanted. We sat down in a room to practice. Colton (please forgive me if that’s not the correct spelling, sir) played his guitar so lovely and I was moved as soon as I heard it. My connection with music turned into not just a desire but a Godly desire. My mouth opened and the words flew out as if he was right there in front of me and I was singing for his entertainment. I didn’t want to the songs to stop.
I must thank Bill and Corey (again forgive me if I spell a name wrong) they’ve already taught me tons. Normally, I have issues with finding time for God because those little demons in my head create reasons for me not to and I fall with them. They showed me how time with Him is extremely important. He is my Father after all and He deserved all my time.
ATL. If you don’t know what that is (like I didn’t until moments ago), it means “Ask The Lord.” Sounds simple, right? Let me tell you, it sounds simple but for me it is a struggle. We must shut out all the thoughts in our minds which is extremely hard for me, but I’m working on it. I love the silent moments when I can hear/feel/see God. It’s beyond amazing! I wish I had learned about all of this years ago.
As a 16 year old, I was more than anxious to help people. I wanted to show them Jesus and grow in Jesus. We went on a prayer walk and that really changed my heart. We prayed and God answered my prayer (for rain) quite quickly.
My group has gotten the privilege of going and working with a lady named Helen. She is the sweetest thing. Her house was…well not worked on in a while. We had a lot to do (to describe it in few words). I thought I’d complain about the heat (by the way, it’s hot here), but it didn’t happen. Something just grew in my heart and I hated having to leave at 5 (or 12) from her house because I wanted to work some more. Something amazing happens to you when you know you’re doing something to praise God.
Something else that’s amazing was how we all (the different teams) bonded during worship. It’s impossible to describe fully on this blog. We sang, we shared, we cried, and we prayed. It’s something that I expected on Friday when we were going to leave… but it happened on Monday (the second night we were there). All the things that happened were so touching and now I feel like we’re one big family. It’s safe to say that I’m going to miss them when I leave Friday.
It all seemed so simple. You know, going on a mission trip, working, praying, meeting people. It isn’t easy but it’s all worth it. God is worth it. He’s worth every piece of wood I paint, every friend I create, every song I sing for him, and every word I write… and he’s still worth more than I could ever do. I can feel him though.
I feel his hand wrapped around me like he’s giving me a big hug and whispering, “Welcome Home.” I never want to leave the comfort of those arms… and I’m glad I’m learning how to keep myself from fading away.
