Faith: a journey

Today I dug through my files of unpublished blogs. Sometimes I start to write something, then I get distracted and never get around to finishing. Once in a while I have to wait to download the pictures from my camera. Other times I start on an idea, but I have not fully processed so it waits. This is the blog I started the day before the coup- waiting to finish my thoughts. I look at this and see just how God was preparing me to put my faith to the test.

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For the past few weeks I have encountered messages and verses dealing with the idea of “faith”. Where do I put my faiath? In what do I trust?

As a follower of the almighty creator, my faith is in Him. He is the all-powerful and in control of things on this planet. As I seek Him more, I see how I exhibit my faith in Him.

There are 3 ways I see faith played out.

1. Make the request to God and sit back and wait for him to work.

2. Make the request to God and continue with “normal” life as He works.

3. Make the request to God and take action.

All of these are ways we work in life. There are times where each type of faith is the appropriate response.

1. Make the request to God and sit back and wait for him to work. When I have a wayward friend this is the type of faith I must exhibit. I can counsel the friend, make suggestions, and most of all pray for the person- however only God has to power to bring people to himself. I am to be a worker in that, but there is nothing I can do to bring that person to faith.

2. Make the request to God and continue with “normal” life as he works. When Ed and I first started looking into changing schools, we prayed, discussed and researched options. We knew that there was a “next step” however it was going to take time to have things put into place. We knew God was going to make the connections, yet we couldn't stop life while we were waiting. God led us to our new school in Colombia quickly and the applications and communications happened so soon that we knew God was orchestrating everything.

3. Make the request to God and take action. There are lots of times that immediate action is necessary. When I get sick, I usually take medicine. It’s not that I don't trust God to heal me, but I believe God has given us medicine as a way of working miracles. Or how about heading into the mission field right after college?

None of these are “more right” than the other. All of them are sensible in the situation. The hard thing is knowing which to choose when faced with a decision. How can I show I trust the Lord without taking things into my own hands?

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Three months later I see just how God was going to test my faith. He was going to throw me- as well as my entire support community- through the wringer of political turmoil. The day I wrote this blog, I would have said confidently that Mali was a politically stable country and I was safe. I had faith that God was working in our lives and at our school. This is where He wanted us to be.

A day later I would have not known who or what I could trust.

So quickly did my focus of ministry and my passion for my students get swept away from me. I went from feeling confident and safe to worried and afraid. My faith was to be tested. During this time, I knew in my head that God was working; my heart said other-wise.

I was confused, frustrated and overwhelmed. Why did God send me to Mali during this time to then to rip me away. I still to this day am confident this is what God wanted- but why? And why do I have to be a part of it all.

Now is the time to exercise the faith of way #1- time to have faith and wait. I have faith that God will bring the nation of Mali to Him. I have faith, he will take care of His servants- the missionaries and pastors in Mali- and reward them in heaven. And I have faith that all this was for a reason.

Right now though-there is nothing I can do to make it clearer. I have to continue to lift up Mali in prayer and trust that God is in control. Eventually my heart will understand- maybe not until heaven- but for now my head is going to have to rule. It will remind me how Jesus will never leave me. He loves me. And I am his daughter.

To God be the GLORY forever and ever.

The month of June

We have had 2 Colombia nights which have been great! We made dinner (and served it), shared about Colombia and allowed people to ask questions. We have been making progress towards our support raising goals, which is great! We have one more on July 8th in Corvallis- so stay tuned for more information folks!

Last week we decided it was a good time to go and visit family out of state. We contacted the various family members and mapped out our route: Banks, Bend, Redding, Fresno, Sacramento, Grants Pass then back to Banks. Along the way we were able to stop and see some of the sights (Crater Lake and Mt. Shasta)- we really do live in a beautiful state.

 

After a week on the road we landed in Monmouth for the week and helped out at the local VBS. We were in charge of the Bible story station and spent our mornings shuffling 5 groups of 10ish kids for a 25 minute stories. It was great to be back teaching children and share with them a little of the Bible. I should warn you, these pictures were taken on “moustache day”.

Fundraising!

Our ministry in Bogota counts on God providing us with financial support. Right now we are short of our budgeted needs and we need your help to move us along.

We set of goal of 15 new $25 a month supporters by July 5. This will fill up our tank to allow us to move to Bogota with full funds.

How can you help?

1. Sign up online. teachbeyond.org follow the "donate" link in the upper right-hand corner.

2. Use our support form and mail it to teach beyond.

3. Attend "Colombia night" on June 18 at First Baptist Independence from 6-8pm. There we will give you an opportunity to support us financially- as well as hear more details about our ministry and eat some great food!

Any questions, concerns or just want to know more... email me at sarahtrussell11@gmail.com.

Pen Pals

This year my friend from the States and I came up with an idea to partner our classes as global pen pals. She teaches third and fourth grade at a small Christian school and so did I. At the beginning of the year we took pictures of our school and wrote a welcome letter to her class. In return each of my students received a letter from their new pen pal (via snail mail).

By the end of the year we were able to write back and forth three or four times- with the last of the letters coming right after the coup. I scanned them and sent them to the parents so my students still got them.

Yesterday I was able to make a “live” visit to the class and share with them. I let them know where the pen pal was at this point in time, and were able to answer questions of what life is like in Mali. I even brought African clothes to try on. It was great to share this experience with the students!