Since 2007, I have been on a journey that I had not expected. I traveled to Uganda, Africa on a trip that changed my life. Long story short, circumstances led me to quit my job at my local church and join with a friend of mine to start a non-profit organization that meets the needs of children in Uganda. Now into year 7, we currently take care of over 30 children sending them to school and meeting their daily needs. What I did not expect is what I would learn about my own spiritual journey.
I began to realize that I didn't have my life all together like I thought. Since stepping foot on Ugandan soil, I began to cultivate my relationship with Jesus. The children of Uganda displayed this authentic relationship with Christ that I desired. God's Word began to come alive in ways that I had not experienced before. It caused me to spend more time reading the Word on a daily basis. I found myself giving more time to studying and praying. The peace that passes all understanding began to fill my life in ways that I had never experienced before.
I wish that I would have caught onto that truth earlier on in my life. But at the same time all of this was going on, I began to lead International Service Project teams with the Office of Mobilization at CBU. As I began to pour into the lives of the students, I realized that my task was to pass on what I have learned. It brings me great joy in helping young women deepen their relationship with Jesus!
Born out of that last year was the desire to reconnect with the five teams I have led over the past five years. This represented 42 students. I have seen God move in amazing ways in the lives of these amazing young women. I keep in touch with former team members long after we return home. But this was something new. The idea behind this project was to create a “virtual mission’s trip.” I have seen how investing in a team for 6 months in both training and on the field has made a difference in the lives of students. I began to wonder if I could create a Raining Hope Virtual Mission’s trip as a discipleship program.
We use the devotional, “40 Days with Jesus” by Sarah Young while on the field. It is adapted from “Jesus Calling” by the same author. The key to discovery on our ISP journeys was making sure we each had a devotion time with the Lord before coming to breakfast using the 40 Days with Jesus. We then went around the table and shared a few words as to what the Lord showed us in our quiet time.
So we began a 40 Day journey on Facebook which kept us connected on this virtual trip. Team members from each team met one another via communication and posting on our page. We envisioned that we were on the field together. We shared prayer requests with one another. We rejoiced & encouraged one another. It turned out to be a very exciting and growing time for us all.
After the 40 days were done, we were sad that we didn’t have that daily connection in devotion time. So for 2014, we are walking through the main book, “Jesus Calling.” We are on Day 35 - February 4th. Because the Facebook page is designed for our team members, it is not open to everyone. I am going to use this “Daughter of the King” blog to make the post public for others who may want to join us on our journey. You can purchase the actual devotion in bookstores or as an ebook on Amazon for about $8.
After reading the daily devotion, you can read my post on this blog then post your own thoughts. You are free to just read the blogs and reflect on your own. Sarah Young does such a beautiful job in sharing the heart of Jesus in the way she writes. I am just reflecting in a journal style what I am learning each day as I read this tremendous book! It is a book that is worth every penny!
So join us on this virtual journey! Let’s make it the largest yet! In between posts I will add other blog entries as the Lord leads. We are on Day 35 so I will post them slowly until caught up. I tried to log into my blog in Uganda but the internet was acting up and locked me out! So catch up at your leisure. Soak in what He has for you each day!
Let’s deepen our relationship with Jesus together this year!
mama eydie!
No comments:
Post a Comment