Merry Christmas!!

O come all ye faithful;

Joyful and Triumphant. 

O come ye, O come ye 

to Bethlehem. 

Come and behold Him; 

Born the King of Angels. 

O, Come let us adore Him, 

O, Come let us adore Him, 

O, Come let us adore Him, 

Christ the Lord. 

Merry Christmas everyone!! May we adore Jesus this Christmas. I love you all!

Happy Birthday Augestino!

Last Wednesday evening our Burmese friends invited us to a birthday party. They invited us to come celebrate and asked Josh to preach :) When we arrived, we were welcomed into their small apartment and asked to wait as they brought more people. This was a big event for them! There were about 20-30 of us packed in this small apartment, when Lulu asked us to lead their party- they wanted an American party. We went from being guests to a little boy's birthday party to being the hosts in a second! They love to play games so we played Simon says and the hokey pokey (trying to explain that "hokey pokey" doesn't even mean anything in english was hilarious!) Then they asked to sing Christmas songs. We sang Away in a Manger as Lulu interpreted, then we all sang Joy to the World together in both English and Myanmar. Their anticipation for Christmas really put me in the spirit.

Then we finally got to meet the birthday boy. His name is Augetsino and he was turning 2! They brought out his cake and asked us to place the candles. They wanted us to spell Augestino but we decided to just go with an 'A' :) However, Lulu insisted we use all 24 candles to make it. The cake was so hot! Then we all sang Happy Birthday together and laughed and clapped. Their excitement about the smallest things is so fun to be around.

Before we left, Josh shared God's Word with them. We shared Matthew 28:18-20 and he spoke to them about how God has all authority and we find our comfort in that He is always in control and always with us. Some of the Burmese people desire God's Word so strongly. Their hunger for the Truth is such an encouragement to us. They thanked Josh again and again for being bold and sharing with them. And thanked us for coming. If they only understood that we are just as blessed by being with them.

God is expanding the love in my heart for the Burmese community in Nashville. Please continue with me in prayer for them. Many of them need jobs and really need to learn English to operate in America. But more than that, many of them need Jesus. And praise the Lord, He has raised up believers within their own community. Who better to reach the Burmese than another Burmese? The way some of them love life and desire to know God more excites me! It reminds me that I have a great purpose on this earth. We all do. And I pray that we fulfill it. Hope you enjoy the pictures and video!

His Grace is Enough

Well, it's been over a month since I've written. A lot has happened in a month! But, school ruled most of my time the past few weeks. But praise God, I finished Monday!! I believe that the Lord really used my school work to test me and stretch me this semester. And I believe Satan took complete advantage of every opportunity to attack me concerning school. But God's grace alone got me through it. Jesus was my sanity during those last few weeks of the semester. So...to update you on what all has gone on other than college...

We've continued going through Acts, reading The Pursuit of God, and doing our in-depth analysis of the New Testament.
In the past month and a half we were blessed to meet some really special people. Peter Abungu, our contact in Kenya, came to visit. He shared about the ministry the Lord has given him in Kenya and challenged us spiritually. I was so encouraged by Peter's testimony and how strongly I felt the presence of God every time we were around him. (I also fell in love with all things Africa :)
We also met Heather Mercer, who some of you may remember. Heather was imprisoned in Afghanistan in 2001 for sharing her faith. The Lord has given her a heart for Afghan and Iraqi people and has blessed her ministry with them greatly since 2001. We were able to spend time with Heather and her newly wed husband Mohaned, hearing about their lives and praying with them. To hear how God is at work globally is energizing!
We also had a new door open for ministry. World Relief is an organization that empowers the local church to stand for the vulnerable. (worldrelief.org explains in it detail- it's an amazing organization) World Relief helps new refugees assimilate into American culture and become self-sustaining individuals. However, because they receive government funds they are limited as to what the can do for the refugees eternally. But this is where volunteers like us come in! Volunteers help set up apartments for new families and help them move in. They can also "adopt" a family, befriend them, and hopefully be able to share the Gospel with them. We will not be able to adopt our own family until January, but we have been setting up apartments, meeting neighbors of the new families, and praying for them for a few weeks now and the blessing that comes from it is overwhelming. It is such a perfect opportunity to show someone the Love of Jesus Christ.
As for the things we have been involved with for a while..Lulu and our Burmese friends are great! God is truly at work among the Burmese community in Nashville. They hunger and thirst for His righteousness. The connection we have with them is no doubt the supernatural work of God. And First Priority is also going well. I have moved to Overton High School. Brentwood Middle already has a Christian club and was really not showing much interest in another. So, after time in prayer, I moved to Overton with Josh to help start a club there. I see now that God moved me at just the right time- all of our students so far are females so it's good for me as a female to be there. But God has answered our prayer in giving us some believers at Overton who have a strong desire to make Him known on their campus. We cannot meet on campus until it is approved by the principal and we have a teacher sponsor, but we have been meeting at a church and discipling these girls and preparing them to lead the club. God gave us some warriors! They are so excited about being a part of Kingdom work and have even been praying with their teachers. I cannot wait to see what the Lord does at Overton in the next two years.

Josh, Peter, Mohaned, Heather, me, Monica, and Chris 

Please continue to pray for Trek-X and what all is going on here. Prayer is the force behind our work as Christ followers. Thank you and God bless you!

Our God is Good

What a week! I don't think I can share with you all what all the Lord has done this week. I would be typing for hours. So this will have to suffice.

Let's see.. I'll start with last weekend. Monica, Josh, and I traveled to Birmingham for Secret Church. (if you don't know what this is check it out online- just google it) It's basically a night for believers to gather and join hearts with the persecuted church in other countries. For six to seven hours we went through the Word and spent time in prayer for our brothers and sisters around the world who meet at the risk of their LIVES to read the Word and worship together. We studied about the Body of Christ. I learned what the Bible says about the church (which is pretty far from what America says) and basically just fell more in love with Christ for the way He set everything up. The Body is such a beautiful thing! I can't tell you all about it- but the podcast from the night should be online soon. It's lengthy, but it's well worth it. I won't look at the church the same.

Now for this week..Tuesday, Peter Abungu (our brother from Kenya) came to spend the afternoon with us again. He shared pictures of his wife and two children as well as some of his other family members and fellow believers sharing the love of Jesus with other Africans. Please pray for Peter as he will be away from his family for another 5 weeks (8 weeks total). Our time with Peter was surreal. He encouraged us about PRAYER. He shared that during his time in America he has noticed our lack of prayer. We meet and eat and talk and strategize but rarely do we pray. But prayer is the force behind our work. Jesus Himself took time to pray to the Father; seeking His will. Do we really think we can do God's work without praying over it?? I was so convicted by Peter's words. Our Lord is worthy of our trust. God is power. And I must seek Him constantly, asking in power for Him to reveal Himself and His ways to me. As Peter asked what he could be in prayer for for each of us, the Lord broke my hardened heart. I have been placing such a burden on myself. My school work is a challenge for me- it has been since I got here. I had grown to feel that school was keeping me from doing the work the Lord prepared for me. And I felt ashamed for spending so much time doing school work and not spending more time with people-sharing the gospel of Jesus. As I shared my heart with the group, they (acting as the Body of Christ) encouraged me, reminding me that God is not as concerned with my activities as He is with the attitude of my heart. Each time is necessary for its own work and during this time of my life God is preparing me for what is ahead. School is preparation. And I must learn diligently. God is not condemning me for not being super spiritual. He desires a pure heart for me. Ahh! It was so freeing to give that to the Lord and remember how much He loves me

Tuesday nights we spend time at Chris and Christy White's house. This Tuesday Peter joined us. We ate together and then spent time in prayer. We repented of our sins and asked the Lord to reveal Himself to us and just praised His Name. The presence of the Lord was truly felt in power and truth. We worship a Living God!

Ok, this is a lot, I know. But the Lord is doing great things! Today we met at Benny Proffitt's home. (the founder of First Priority). We met there with Benny and Peter and Heather Mercer and her husband Mohaned. You may have heard of Heather. She is a missionary to the Middle East. A few years ago, Heather was arrested and imprisoned in Afghanistan for sharing her faith. She was sentenced to death when the US Army (by the Lord's grace) redeemed her. Heather has since returned to the Middle East, building a "freedom center" to use for ministry there. She has also married a brother in Christ, Mohaned. Heather and Mohaned are in the States raising support and taking care of other logistics. We got to sit and listen to them and hear how the gospel is advancing in Iraq. Her boldness and complete surrender to the Lord was humbling, as was hearing a former Muslim proclaim the love of Jesus.

Josh, Peter, Mohaned, Heather, Me, Monica, and Chris 

I cannot comprehend God's power. His presence in this world is unbelievable and my finite mind can barely grasp it. His love is overwhelming. His mercy and grace are full. He is perfect and eternal. He is a healer and comforter. He does NOT need me, yet He chooses to use me. He has a purpose to fulfill and is letting me come alongside to see if fulfilled. Praise His name! Our God is Good.

"Look among the nations and see; wonder and be astonished. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if I told." Habakkuk 1:5

Sorry for the long windedness :) God Bless You.

Philippians 4:6-7

Hey everyone,
I just got back from a weekend visit in Starkville! I went to get some school things taken care of and visit with friends. The weekend was such a blessing! I was able to share some of the things the Lord has been teaching me and just fellowship with sweet friends that I have missed so much. The school things got taken care of too (which was an answered prayer). Praise God!

I just wanted to update you a little:
Thursday before we headed out of town, Peter Abungu (Mobilizing Students' contact in Kenya) came to our afternoon training. He shared a little bit about himself and what God is doing in Kenya. I enjoyed listening to him so much! His passion and zeal for the Lord is contagious. Peter shared with us some of the ministries he is a part of in Kenya. Please join me in prayer for the Muslim students that will hear the gospel in their schools and for how families react to those who put their faith in the Jesus Christ. Also be in prayer for young girls who are, for the first time, told that they do not have to sell their sex to help support their families. My heart is burdened for these girls. Pray for Peter and his family as they continue to serve our Lord in Africa.

Also on Thursday, we had a "mid-term" for our scripture memorization. We are almost up to 30 verses now! I can't explain to you the power in the Word. I have an awful memory! But as I continue to add verses to my little flip notecard book, it is as if my mind keeps expanding! It is completely the Lord, but the verses just keep getting easier and easier. And my desire for the Word just continues to grow. I am seeing how the Lord allows His Word to come to life by bringing up the verses I am studying during the day. It is a beautiful part of this journey! Thanks to those of you who have been praying for my mind to be able to soak up all my school and to memorize the scripture. He is faithful to answer prayers. I encourage you all to write God's Word on your hearts as well.

Last weekend was our monthly get-away. Our group spent a weekend camping at Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky. The weather was PERFECT and our time was sweet. I was reminded while there that the Lord's presence is always surrounding me. I am ashamed by how often I do not notice Him speaking to me. As I thought about what all my Father has been teaching me, I became overwhelmed with His Goodness. I'm praying for a heart that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

I hope you are all doing well..
John 8:31-32

I recently sent out my second newsletter, for October, which gave a quick rundown of what we've been up to the past month. At the close of the letter, I asked for prayer for Brentwood Middle School as we try to form a First Priority club on the campus. I ask you as well to pray for us to find a time for a parent-student meeting and that the right people will show. Also pray for the lost students at BMS and favor with the faculty there. The second thing I asked for prayer on was for our Burmese friends I have mentioned before. We had not been able to meet with them the past few weeks for various reasons but we prayed against discouragement and that our friendships with them would continue to grow in Jesus' Name. I asked for prayer for God's timing on us meeting again.

Well.."the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working!" (James 5:16) We got to meet with them Saturday!! I hate that it's Wednesday night and I am just getting around to posting this, but I am just now finding the time. We were still not able to meet in the church, but Lulu said that God showed her that church is not about the building and we were invited to one of the refugee's apartment. The joy they had to meet with us was overwhelming. We sang and worshipped (their Myanmar dialect and our southern slang went beautifully together!) and we played games such as simon says and a spelling game. (My parents were in for a visit so my little brother got to come with us and he led us in the games) We also helped them with some English language tips and taught them phone etiquette. They were so eager to learn! We dove in to God's Word with them as we sat in a circle in the floor. We read about the armor of God in Ephesians 6 and discussed the importance of being armed. We encouraged them to spend time alone with the Lord and reading His Word as well as encouraging them to continue to meet together as the Body and truly be a picture of Acts 2:42. As we closed, Lulu put us in to small groups to discuss struggles we've been facing lately. (Neither of the two in my group felt comfortable speaking English so I did a lot of the talking here!) We ended with a beautiful time of prayer. We all called out to the Lord in our own languages, together with one voice.

To end the night, they cooked for us! We literally felt like we were at a feast. They were overjoyed to serve us. We continued to fellowship with them and took several pictures (of course!) As we left the apartment Lulu and the others waved goodbye to us until we were completely out of their sight. 
We couldn't quit talking about the night when we left. It was so refreshing! Isn't is crazy how we think we need to pay for entertainment or doing something exciting to really fulfill a Saturday night? The greatest satisfaction I felt this weekend was sitting in the floor with some refugees from Myanmar soaking up the Word of God and worshipping Him together. 

Mon Phet That (bananas and sticky rice in seaweed)
Yum! 

Vermicile Soup from the Kyazan' Tribe
So HOT!

        "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them."
                                  Matthew 18:20

              Praise God for sweet time with His children! Thank you for your prayers. 

fall creek falls

Fall Creek Falls 

Once a month we will be taking weekend retreats or getaways. This time is used to reflect and refocus. We will pull away from our busy schedules to reflect on the things the Lord has been teaching us. We will share with one another and just relax and enjoy the Lord. Theses retreats are a time for us to remind ourselves why we are doing what we are doing. It is easy to let Trek-X become academic or informational, but this is far from what Trek-X is supposed to be. It is a Journey with Christ and it is to be experiential. When we take this time away, we ask God to refocus our hearts on Him alone. We're doing what we're doing for His glory- to make Him famous.

These are pictures from our first retreat in September (sorry I'm late on getting them up). We went to Fall Creek Falls a couple of hours out of Nashville. We canoed, hiked to the top of the waterfall, had a picnic, and took some time to reflect and rejuvenate and enjoy God's beautiful creation.

We will be going on our next retreat next weekend. We're going camping! Hope you all are having an amazing week. Much love..

Tomorrow begins our 8th week of Trek-X. I can hardly believe I've been in Nashville for two months. Things are starting to become more normal and relationships are being formed. I'm so excited about what the Lord is going to do in Nashville while we are here. The song "God of This City" comes to my mind..Greater things are yet to come. Our training and discipleship last week was jam-packed. We began an analysis of the Old Testament and also started reading The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. In our morning discipleship time we are still going through the book of Acts. As we search the Word, we continuously see how the Holy Spirit is always present when miracles, healings, etc. take place. This is a good reminder that we must always be full of the Spirit. The latter part of the week we dug in to chapter 10, where the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles. As Peter went around preaching, he understood that the Lord was telling him to show no partiality among people. This reminded me how the Gentiles have been ADOPTED into the Kingdom. This is huge! We were not God's chosen people (Israel was), yet He chose to adopt us as His children. He shows no partiality. Praise God! 

Last week I was led to read a blog written by Katie, a young woman (21 years old) from Brentwood, TN who is dying to live. She has given up her life of wealth and comfort in the U.S. to live in a village in Uganda, Africa. It's a beautiful story. Katie has adopted 14 Ugandan children and gives her life away for the glory of the Father as she nourishes them and teaches them and LOVES them. She is a single woman, only 21 remember, who despite these children's past, despite the color of their skin, despite their filth and desperate need, has taken them in as her very own children and loves them unconditionally. As I sat in tears reading Katie's blog, I was reminded of the Gospel. Just like these precious children, I have been ADOPTED! By grace, through faith, I have been saved. It is not at all my own doing, but a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Despite my past, despite my filthy sin and desperate need, God sent His Son, and Jesus died for me. And He found great joy in doing so. And because of His Love for me, I live. I still can't wrap my mind around how incredibly amazing this is.
Please check out Katie's blog at http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/ and as you read some of the stories, think about the Grace and Love of Jesus Christ.

Nashville

First Priority Back to School Rally 

Nashville Sounds baseball game 

Just a few of the things we have done in Nashville...
 

English Class with Burmese Refugees

We have also gone to a Celebration of Cultures Festival, visited the Parthenon at Centennial Park, See You at the Pole at various schools, and a lot of other things to involve ourselves in the community. 

Thanks for all of your prayers. I love you all 

Are you Dying to Live??

To explain everything that God has taught me since the beginning of Trek-X would take hours upon hours. My eyes have been opened, my faith has been stretched, my theology has been turned upside down. God is doing INCREDIBLE things! This morning in our Spiritual Discipline time as we read through Acts 9 we talked about how the Lord gives us affirmations. He affirms that what we are doing either is or is not of His will. The affirmations of Trek-X for me have been the times in the past 8 weeks when I have found myself on my face in tears or just staring at the Word. WOW moments. I'm learning what it means to ABIDE in Him (John 15:4-5). I can do nothing good on my own. The things God asks us to do are impossible. Without Him. But when I am abiding in Him there is nothing He cannot do. Matthew 4:19 has brought the question "if I'm not fishing, am I even following?" How much do I have to hate someone not to tell them about eternal Life in Jesus? I have learned that there are two voices that speak to us: the voice of God and the voice of Satan. I must constantly pray for discernment to know the voice of God when I hear it. Satan only speaks fear and condemnation- God speaks love and peace and encouragement.
Lastly I want to share with you how God has opened my eyes to the Kingdom dream. Am I working towards American success and storing treasures up here on earth to eventually DIE and leave behind? Or am I giving away the gifts the Lord has entrusted to me? Am I sharing JESUS with people? Am I being a disciple, a true Christ follower? Am I living to die or DYING TO LIVE??

Newsletter 1

This is kind of a recap of the newsletter I sent out to those who are supporting and praying me through this journey with Christ. It is just an overview of what a week at Trek-X looks like as well as a few of the things we got involved in the first month we were here.

We begin each morning with Spiritual Discipline where we spend time checking our RPMs– reading,  praying, and memorizing. Our time in God’s Word has been rich and deep. We have been challenged this first year to memorize 

100 selected verses as well as a book of the Bible. This will prepare us to give an answer for anyone “who asks for a reason for the hope that is in us” (1 Peter 3:15). We have also been challenged to begin a small group Bible study in our apartment complex. In addition to our daily spiritual disciplines, we meet every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for Core Training where we are going through David Platt’s “How to Study the Bible.” Beginning next week we will also be doing an in-depth study of the Old Testament. Next year we will study the New Testament.   

Also in our first weeks of Trek-X we have been engaged with the student ministry First Priority (much like Fellowship of Christian Athletes.) For the next two years we will be discipling  middle and high school Christian leaders in multiple public schools.  Discipling, in essence, is teaching them what the Lord is teaching us. The students will become prepared to share the Gospel with their peers. In turn, it will prepare us to share Jesus and true discipleship with people groups overseas. My partner and I have been assigned to Brentwood Middle School. BMS is the first middle school that First Priority has gone into in the Nashville area, so it is very exciting to be a part of it. The other Trek-Xers and I  have also built a relationship with two Burmese refugees, Lulu and Mun. They fled to America from their home country Myanmar, seeking refuge from a Civil War. The girls invited us to help teach English to a group of about 15 other Burmese refugees at a church in Brentwood, TN. These classes are a  time of laughing and praying together and teaching  about Biblical truths as well as cultural adjustments. We are truly blessed by their lively spirits. We will be helping with these English classes as much as we are able. Lastly, in this first month I have also began my junior year of college online at Mississippi State.              

Trek-X

Hi friends and family!

I hope you're all doing well. I'll be using this blog to update everyone on all that we are doing in Trek-X: different things that we are learning, ministries we get involved with, people we meet, and pictures of all the things we are doing. This is just another way that you get to be a part of this journey with me. Hope you enjoy it! 

God Bless You. 

Acts 1:8