First Week!

I am so excited to be able to share this process and road with each and every one of you.  The first week of mission school is over, and wow do I have so much to learn!  First of all thank you, thank you, thank you, for your prayers and support thus far.  I cannot tell you how life changing each of you and will be in my life, and in return the lives that I will have the honor to meet and share Gods saving grace.  I want this blog to be a sounding bored. One in which you can hear what your prayer and financial support is doing in this ministry, and as a way for you to comment, encourage, teach, or just say hi! (I need a lot of hi’s by the way ;)).

The first week of school focused in on two of my biggest struggles, silence and finances.  Learning to just sit in silence and solitude and truly hear what God is saying to me. IT IS SO HARD….at first.  Blocking out the 3842934832948 things going on in my head and things I Have to get done is no easy task.  I can joyfully say after just one week, my spiritual life has changed immensely. Prayer followed by listening, is a daily miracle.  Coming to school under supported was a step of faith one in which I have been patiently waiting for the Lord to say “here I am, and all the support you need.” GREAT NEWS PEOPLE, He never left.  Not only that, He blessed this step in providing 50% of the support needed for my ministry. Every day is a step closer.  MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY than that, I have VISION of what exactly the Lord has ahead for me in Guatemala.  Some are still blurry, and I know that once I am there He will show off again with a clear path, daily opening and closing doors. I AM SOOO EXCITED TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Please bare with my grammatical, spelling, rambling errors, it’s a message of passion that I am so desperate for you to read and know about!  Ready, Set, READ!

As you know, I will be primarily working with the children’s home, and with all of those faces I love and miss DEARLY every single day.  During my internship and visit back in March, my heart BROKE for the community of Villa Nueva and outlying communities in the area.  My job at the time was focused on working and helping out with all the many, many tasks that go into raising 50 plus kids, hosting teams, clinics, schools, the list goes on.  My passion is to see each and every child (and adult) that steps foot onto property to truly KNOW the LOVE of Jesus, and for that love to swell up so much in there heart that it overflows into their lives, and the desperate, broken, poor, slum we live in.  I can imagine now, children asking to serve and help out our neighbors.  Simple acts of feeding those (who if lucky) eat once a week, pitching in to build homes, to teach their friends of the life changing/healing hand of Jesus.  Let me make a (poor) attempt to paint a clearer picture of where the kiddos in our home came from. T

They have come from background where some were SOLD (for less than 10 dollars to do who know what), ABUSED, 6 year olds being the head of the house feeding and caring for younger siblings, completely abandoned.  These kids, are already finding healing and a life in JESUS, in turn they will change their communities. They will be the church, they will relate, they will LOVE.  I see myself discipling these children, forming relationships with the community whom live in the most dangerous living conditions one can imagine, teaching classes on health and child and family development (finally using my major!), and eating with a widowed mom of 8.  These are my God given dreams, visions, and hopes for this community that has stolen my heart.  If you have never seen a third world country, its hard to even begin to know what a slum in a third world country is like. But my heart cries out for you to PRAY with me on this vision, to become a part of it. Because my dream is getting even bigger friends! It involves you my friends and family, coming to serve, visit and be a physical part of this.  Forming teams throughout the community of Statesboro (or wherever you are!) to bring your resources, knowledge, or your ability to sit and drink a cup of coffee and be relational. DISCIPLING, DISCIPLING, DISCIPLING! It is time we step up and step out of our comfort. I love how David Platt words this requirement of our walk in his book Radical “My biggest fear, is that I will hear Jesus’ words and walk away, content to settle for less than radical obedience to him.

Many have asked when I will be in Guatemala after the school ends in December.  I finally have an answer!!! Not because I am fully supported (which NLAI requires before purchasing a plane ticket), but because God clearly told me to trust in him for every single need in this journey and always. So January 18,2013 IM GOING TO GUATEMALA!  The funds are the only thing lacking after school is completed, and OUR GOD is BIGGER than lacking 50%.  Even though He doesn’t need to, He has proven that over and over again.

If you are interested in more of this vision, want to come on a team one day, want to support financially, or just want to say hi please e-mail me! Would love an update on YOUR life! Thank you for letting me share this with you, and I cannot wait to see and HEAR what all God does (and I can’t wait to see you down there!)

Many Blessings!

Colleen