Surprise!!
I had some unexpected time come my way, and i had an unexpected desire to be a storyteller tonight, so you get another update! wooo! You don't have to wait! (sometimes, when it's late at night and I'm by myself I get hyper, and it's in these moments that I REALLY miss living in a college dorm)
"Everything Moves But You" by Christa Wells
“When I was a child I held to my mother tightly
then I grew taller and left to follow my dreams.
I went after my dreams and some of them brought me delight
but they didn’t bring me everything I hoped they might…
All the things I pursue, well they stay for a season
But everything moves, everything moves.
My towers fall, but you aren’t leaving me.
Everything moves but You.”
“When I was a child I held to my mother tightly
then I grew taller and left to follow my dreams.
I went after my dreams and some of them brought me delight
but they didn’t bring me everything I hoped they might…
All the things I pursue, well they stay for a season
But everything moves, everything moves.
My towers fall, but you aren’t leaving me.
Everything moves but You.”
These lyrics seem so appropriate to all the things that I am processing. I’m so grateful when artists have the ability to convey what my heart has been strumming on its strings. So thank you, Christa Wells, for writing good lyrics that actually mean something. : )
I’ve been in New Zealand for over two months. The honeymoon phase is over, the shock has mostly been worn away by the relentless waves of experience, and I’m getting accustomed to looking Right, Left, Right every time I cross the road. God is using this newly settled time in my heart to teach me some hard things about my own heart while revealing new parts of His own self to me.
While at Easter Camp, God gave me such a beautiful picture of how He works in the small things, and why it is so important to be obedient and faithful in mundane tasks of life…
She was crying, and I was holding her.
I didn’t know what to expect when I started praying over her, but I had felt the nudge from God to step forward and pray over students. Then I saw her and her friends, and I knew why God had told me to go forward.
The speaker at Easter Camp had just asked for those students who wanted more of God, who wanted to be prayed over, who wanted healing and freedom from bondage, to step forward in the small arena and stand right below the stage. It was a small trickle of students at first, maybe ten or twenty. And then, it was like the starving souls of students caught the aroma of the feast being set before them, and they started gathering in the dozens. But it didn’t stop, students KEPT getting up out of their seats and KEPT walking forward. By the time the flow of students stopped, there were about 250 students hungering for more of God; 250 students wanted more food from the banqueting table.
I think the speaker was taken aback. He stuttered, “ummm, if there are any extra youth leaders out there who would be willing to help us pray over these students, now would be a good time to come forward.” I stayed in my chair.
I was not a youth leader this weekend. I was just a volunteer helping Ignite Sport with the recreation events for these 1,000 students.
…Yea, like God was gonna let me use that excuse.
I really felt like I was supposed to go stand in one particular area and pray for students there. So after five minutes of pretending not to hear God’s instructions, I got out of my seat and went down to pray with some students. When I got to the place I was supposed to stand, I saw her.
Bekah.
I have known Bekah for several weeks now. She is one of the students at Naenae College that I’ve worked with through Ignite Sport and our On-Track Program. I had seen her and her three other friends, Dani, Ally, and Rachel earlier that day at camp. I also know Dani and Ally from On-Track. (It was SO cool to meet students that I already knew at camp).
As I was thanking God for my pre-existing relationship with Bekah, I walked towards her and finally said, “May I pray for you?”
She said yes, and so I started praying for her. Not knowing anything about her could have been seen as a handicap as I prayed over her, but it turned into a gift. Instead of searching my mind for something to pray about, I just listened to the Spirit and prayed whatever words and phrases came to mind. I don’t really remember all that I prayed for, but I remember praying that God would open her eyes to see the opportunities at Naenae College. And I prayed for her friendships. And at the end of the prayer I pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. There were tears streaming from her lashes to her chin, so I embraced her again until she was ready to let go.
Then I progressed to Dani,
and Rachel,
and finally Ally.
Each prayer ended with long embraces and sometimes tears. The prayers felt especially passionate because by the time I was praying over Rachel the music was so loud that I was literally shouting prayers into Rachel’s ear. (I kind of loved shouting TRUTH and GRACE and LOVE into the hearts and ears of these beautiful young women.)
As I left the crowd of students, I went to the side of the arena and began to weep. I was crying without tears; my body was almost paralyzed by God’s faithfulness in building bridges.
Wasn’t it I who had scorned in my heart the work of On-Track just a few weeks ago? As I sat discussing nutrition with the Naenae college girls, wasn’t it I who had cried out to you silently but passionately, “what is the point of this?! I’m not passionate about teaching people new sports, or developing young athletes, or teaching people proper hydration techniques! Why am I sitting here in this classroom for On-Track?! I want to know these girls, I want to pray with these girls, I want to love on them and speak truth to their hearts! But Jesus, I’m not! This feels pointless!”
And as God listened to my questions and watched me shake my fist at Him four weeks ago, he smiled because he knew that those conversations about nutrition would lead to an afternoon of hanging out, which in turn would lead to an evening of crying and praying together, which has led to a decision for the five of us to meet up once the school term has started again.
Two months ago I left home, and I chased my dream of following God to New Zealand. Sometimes, it is not all that I hoped it would be… But then there are moments like the one I had at Easter Camp. Easter Camp was such a valuable reminder that God frequently uses the “pointless” moments to prepare my heart and to build bridges which enable me to walk into “praying for Bekah” moments.
What I’m also realizing about my time in New Zealand is that New Zealand is good. Home is good. What makes either of these places joyful and lively is my willingness to tap into what God is doing and join Him in His work. Places change, people graduate, things get moved around. But God stays the same. He stays with me, and He stays with you.
I encourage you to keep being faithful in moments/conversations/events that seem pointless. Nothing is pointless, nothing is wasted. There is a banquet being held all around you. Will you step forward and notice the feast? Will you find the purpose in the mundane? I’m telling you from experience: it’s the only way to really live.
I’ve been in New Zealand for over two months. The honeymoon phase is over, the shock has mostly been worn away by the relentless waves of experience, and I’m getting accustomed to looking Right, Left, Right every time I cross the road. God is using this newly settled time in my heart to teach me some hard things about my own heart while revealing new parts of His own self to me.
While at Easter Camp, God gave me such a beautiful picture of how He works in the small things, and why it is so important to be obedient and faithful in mundane tasks of life…
She was crying, and I was holding her.
I didn’t know what to expect when I started praying over her, but I had felt the nudge from God to step forward and pray over students. Then I saw her and her friends, and I knew why God had told me to go forward.
The speaker at Easter Camp had just asked for those students who wanted more of God, who wanted to be prayed over, who wanted healing and freedom from bondage, to step forward in the small arena and stand right below the stage. It was a small trickle of students at first, maybe ten or twenty. And then, it was like the starving souls of students caught the aroma of the feast being set before them, and they started gathering in the dozens. But it didn’t stop, students KEPT getting up out of their seats and KEPT walking forward. By the time the flow of students stopped, there were about 250 students hungering for more of God; 250 students wanted more food from the banqueting table.
I think the speaker was taken aback. He stuttered, “ummm, if there are any extra youth leaders out there who would be willing to help us pray over these students, now would be a good time to come forward.” I stayed in my chair.
I was not a youth leader this weekend. I was just a volunteer helping Ignite Sport with the recreation events for these 1,000 students.
…Yea, like God was gonna let me use that excuse.
I really felt like I was supposed to go stand in one particular area and pray for students there. So after five minutes of pretending not to hear God’s instructions, I got out of my seat and went down to pray with some students. When I got to the place I was supposed to stand, I saw her.
Bekah.
I have known Bekah for several weeks now. She is one of the students at Naenae College that I’ve worked with through Ignite Sport and our On-Track Program. I had seen her and her three other friends, Dani, Ally, and Rachel earlier that day at camp. I also know Dani and Ally from On-Track. (It was SO cool to meet students that I already knew at camp).
As I was thanking God for my pre-existing relationship with Bekah, I walked towards her and finally said, “May I pray for you?”
She said yes, and so I started praying for her. Not knowing anything about her could have been seen as a handicap as I prayed over her, but it turned into a gift. Instead of searching my mind for something to pray about, I just listened to the Spirit and prayed whatever words and phrases came to mind. I don’t really remember all that I prayed for, but I remember praying that God would open her eyes to see the opportunities at Naenae College. And I prayed for her friendships. And at the end of the prayer I pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. There were tears streaming from her lashes to her chin, so I embraced her again until she was ready to let go.
Then I progressed to Dani,
and Rachel,
and finally Ally.
Each prayer ended with long embraces and sometimes tears. The prayers felt especially passionate because by the time I was praying over Rachel the music was so loud that I was literally shouting prayers into Rachel’s ear. (I kind of loved shouting TRUTH and GRACE and LOVE into the hearts and ears of these beautiful young women.)
As I left the crowd of students, I went to the side of the arena and began to weep. I was crying without tears; my body was almost paralyzed by God’s faithfulness in building bridges.
Wasn’t it I who had scorned in my heart the work of On-Track just a few weeks ago? As I sat discussing nutrition with the Naenae college girls, wasn’t it I who had cried out to you silently but passionately, “what is the point of this?! I’m not passionate about teaching people new sports, or developing young athletes, or teaching people proper hydration techniques! Why am I sitting here in this classroom for On-Track?! I want to know these girls, I want to pray with these girls, I want to love on them and speak truth to their hearts! But Jesus, I’m not! This feels pointless!”
And as God listened to my questions and watched me shake my fist at Him four weeks ago, he smiled because he knew that those conversations about nutrition would lead to an afternoon of hanging out, which in turn would lead to an evening of crying and praying together, which has led to a decision for the five of us to meet up once the school term has started again.
Two months ago I left home, and I chased my dream of following God to New Zealand. Sometimes, it is not all that I hoped it would be… But then there are moments like the one I had at Easter Camp. Easter Camp was such a valuable reminder that God frequently uses the “pointless” moments to prepare my heart and to build bridges which enable me to walk into “praying for Bekah” moments.
What I’m also realizing about my time in New Zealand is that New Zealand is good. Home is good. What makes either of these places joyful and lively is my willingness to tap into what God is doing and join Him in His work. Places change, people graduate, things get moved around. But God stays the same. He stays with me, and He stays with you.
I encourage you to keep being faithful in moments/conversations/events that seem pointless. Nothing is pointless, nothing is wasted. There is a banquet being held all around you. Will you step forward and notice the feast? Will you find the purpose in the mundane? I’m telling you from experience: it’s the only way to really live.
I love you all! PuaNani
Prayer Requests:
1. please pray for my budding relationships with my naenae college girls
2. Soccer games start next week, and I feel a little unprepared as a coach. actually, REALLY unprepared. Please pray for my team.
3. My siblings arrive in New Zealand in 32 days! Please pray for their travels to Wellington, and our preparations and planning!
4. Please pray that I continue to look around and see the banquet, the feast, and the Host of the meal.
5. Please pray that I CHOOSE TO PROCESS things that God is showing me/teaching me/telling me.
2. Soccer games start next week, and I feel a little unprepared as a coach. actually, REALLY unprepared. Please pray for my team.
3. My siblings arrive in New Zealand in 32 days! Please pray for their travels to Wellington, and our preparations and planning!
4. Please pray that I continue to look around and see the banquet, the feast, and the Host of the meal.
5. Please pray that I CHOOSE TO PROCESS things that God is showing me/teaching me/telling me.
This is me and the other Ignite interns peeking out of our tent at Easter Camp! Zara, Kiri, Amanda, and David.
No comments:
Post a Comment