New Year, New Students, New Outlook

 May I present to you the Dominican Republic GAP class of 2015!! After collecting all the students, getting them settled and going through a few long days of orientation, having some fun and getting to know them I can truly say that I am excited for this year and to see what God will do!

I'm able to start this year refreshed, renewed, planned up and prayed up!  I am still riding high on God's faithfulness that provided me over 99 partners and the funds needed to start and finish this year.  THAT ALONE shows me that, again, I am exactly where God wants me.

The rest of the GAP staff and I met and planned this year based on the schedule from last year, and although that gives me great confidence and a starting point...I pray that I take this year as it comes, not relying on the outcomes of the past and assuming they will be the same in the future.  I want to make sure that every situation is taken to God, properly handled according to the specific instance, and handled the way the Lord wants.



We had our family in tact by 4pm on August 26, picking up 10 students throughout the course of the day.  We had to take a few trips back and forth, so while Jeff drove back and forth from the airport, I stayed and was able to get some quiet time in...all while enjoying a Caramel Latte! (it was an AMAZING start to the year!!)






The first verse that popped into my reading was Psalm 23:5:

I read it and just sat there.  I reflected on last year.  I reflected on the peace and confidence I have in my heart now all while knowing how uncertain the future is.  I reflected on God's faithfulness in bringing me through last year and how much He had carried me and taught me.  In that instance, while waiting on the last 4 students to arrive I was able to exhale and truly say, like the psalmist "My cup is completely full."  It's a moment I don't know if I had last year.  I should have, absolutely, my cup was full of blessings, of support...but to me now it seems like this line is meant for a peaceful, reflective moment.

COMPLETELY FULL.  And it's here where my outlook this year is changing.

Another verse popped up during my quiet time that day.  Where Psalm 23:5 seemed reflective, Psalm 16:5 is a promise that I'm holding onto.  As a person who is putting her hope in Jesus, in the Living God, He promises to give me STABILITY & PROSPERITY and that He will make my future SECURE.  There's a lot of crazy going on out there.  There's a lot of crazy going on in here...but HE alone gives stability...no matter what our circumstances, no matter what foundations we have built for ourselves the only thing keeping ME stable and secure is God and running to Him daily.

  I'm still learning, still growing...but here, in this verse is GREAT TRUTH.  "Godliness COMBINED with contentment brings GREAT PROFIT."  The combination of the two brings the greatest outcome.  Sometimes we have godliness...sometimes it's out of sheet obedience that I do things, but there is no contentment involved.  Sometimes I'm content, only to realize that I feel that way because I'm doing what I want to do, not what God wants.  But the combination of obedience, of godliness, WITH a humble heart of contentment is where the money lies.  OK...not ACTUAL money...but it's the sweet spot, the best seat in the house, the winning combination.  

I'm grateful that my heart is in this place now....the place where godliness and contentment meet.  I'm in this for another 9 months.  I'm surrounded by genuine believers with a heart tuned towards God.  I'm not alone in this, I have a former GAP student as an intern that I get to do life with on a daily basis, I have relationships with staff and fellow missionaries that are fun & encouraging.  I don't have to shoulder this burden of caring for 12 students alone.

I keep waiting for the heaviness to hit my shoulders, the weight of fatigue, stress and responsibility that I carried all last year...but so far it hasn't come.  And I pray it never comes.  I pray that I can balance life in such a way that the fatigue stays at bay and I can deal with the situations that arise.  

But I praise God for every morning I wake up feeling like my whole self, not just a limited version.

We have a great bunch of students this year, friendships are being forged and some are starting to come out of their shell!  Their hearts are genuine and hungry to learn Spanish and bible. I pray that the circumstances and trials they face will not hinder their growth but cause them to lean on God even more than they ever have.  

Please pray for safety, good health, for continued relationships, and for God to reveal Himself to each and every one of us throughout the year.  Please pray that we can love God first and foremost, then others, then ourselves.  

GAP class of '15: 

Jack C., Amanda C., Maggie C., Corina L., Micah B., Shawn D.

Ashley F., Meghan C., Caroline F., Ciera R., Becca C., Christa D.