Glass of Water

I would like to introduce you all to the new man in my life. Tu Tuan is 15 months old and he is an orphan in Vietnam. God brought us together in a way that only He can do and it just goes to show how awesome He truly is!

This past weekend was the highlight of my summer. If there was only one reason God kept me here in Dayton for the summer (even though there has clearly been more than one), this weekend was that reason. Our youth group attended "IGNITE", a conference hosted by Precept Ministries for our local youth groups. I had an amazing time with our girls who attended the conference. The whole theme of the classroom sessions was getting dirty for God. Finding out what pleases God and how we can do just that. In our second session one of the verses that we read over was Matthew 10:42 "And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple,truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward." We never even discussed this verse, we just briefly read over it, yet it was stuck in my head for the rest of the day. All I could think about was how before college my biggest goal was to work with orphans in some way. I either wanted to live in the states and do foster care and adoption or work in an orphanage outside the US. Now I had dismissed this idea completely, thinking God had called me into some other form of ministry. I could not get my mind off of helping orphans. Part of me felt bad because I knew I was missing out on some other things being taught during the sessions due to this distraction (not that my ADD mind needs help with getting distracted), in the end this distraction was just what I needed for God to get my priorities back on track.

In our last session, I finally could understand the calling of God. He was saying, "I want you to support a little one. Give him more than a cup of water, give him food, shelter, cloths..."

"Umm... God... That's great and all. But I'm poor! Hello, I have groceries to by, a monthly school bill and other random stuff that pops up. I can't afford any extra expenses." I knew it costs as little as $30 a month to support a child through a ministry like Compassion or Holt International, but I wasn't trusting God enough to supply me with the funds.

"Just trust and obey, Charlee!"

"Yea, okay God. I'll look into it when I get home tonight."

God, having a sense of humor, and knowing I'd conveniently forget, didn't let me wait until I got home. When we were finished with our session I walked past the table of the band, Julian Drive, that was giving a concert in a few hours. I see their merchandise, and then on the other end of the table I see small packets and right away I knew what was in them.

"Alright, alright! I get the picture! I'll support a child."

So I walked over to that end of the table and began looking at the pictures of these children on each different packet. Seeing the faces, the precious faces of children in need, my heart was broken. I was disgusted with my selfishness to think that I could not help these children. After a prayer for God to lead me to the child he wanted me to support, he lead me to precious little Tu Tuan.

I am amazed at how quickly God works. From my previous post of begging God to take back over my journey it took just a few days for him to lead me along to the next step.

If you are interested in supporting a child I encourage you to look into the ministry of Holt International. It is a great ministry and a great way to give a "glass of water" to a little one in need.



Glass of Water

Coldplay

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In a State

Growing up on the road always had its ups and downs. The biggest 'up' was all the amazing things I've seen in my short lifetime. I've spent time in 31 states and 7 countries. I didn't just study geography in school, I experienced it! The one 'down' to all of my childhood adventures was being cooped up in a van the majority of my Thursdays-Saturdays (and even some other days of the week).

Now that I look back on my experiences growing up, I realize that my some of fondest childhood memories were spent in that Forest Green Ford E-350 van. My middle sister, Larissa, and I would make believe all types of life situations and pretend to be living them. I remember playing with my numerous Polly Pockets from city to city. I loved singing along to the radio with Larissa;however, I didn't love when Rush Limbaugh was on... that meant no more singing. I also learned a lot of lessons in that van. Such as "Life isn't always fair" from the fact that my oldest sister, Bethany, ALWAYS had her own bench seat while Larissa and I had to share. I learned how to read a map and calculate travel distance (this also goes under fondest memories of mine). I learned to control my bladder like no body's business. Rule #1: No bathroom breaks! We only stop for food and gas.

We actually had several travel rules that my sisters and I were expected to follow.
The rule that was enforced the most was "Three questions you are not allowed to ask: 'Are we there yet?' 'How much longer?' and 'When are we stopping?'" Instead, we would learn to ask questions such as, "What state are we in?" or "Which mile marker are we at?" With these two questions we would pull out our trusty map and discover for ourselves the distance we had left to travel. As I grew older, I began to have less of a desire to know about our ETA, I just wanted to see where we were on our journey. I developed an appreciation of our adventures not for the destination, but for the journey.

The light bulb has just come on in your brain. "So, THAT'S what her blog title and subtitle is about!" Yes, in my spiritual life I'm back to being that small child again who has the desire to say, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? How much longer?!?" God just gently whispers back "It's not about your destination, it is about your journey." Starting now, I am applying the same rule to my life that my parents applied to our travels. There are three questions I am not allowed to ask God: "Are we there yet?" "How much longer?" and "When are we stopping?" Instead, I am going to continually ask God "What state am I in?" I want for Him to show me where I am on my journey so that I can prepare for the next mile marker. If I'm not in constant check of what state I am in, I will end up completely lost, confused and worried. Oh wait, that is where I am now! Um... God... What state am I in????? Would you please navigate from here on out? Thanks :-)

"...for I have learned, whatever state I am, to be content." Phil. 4:11

In A State

UNKLE

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