Hello all! I know it has been over three months since I have posted anything on my blog. That is not to say that life has become dull and boring, and thus leaving me without anything to post. No, the exact opposite has been true for me. My summer has been so full of many activities, and many lessons that the Lord has taught me. I would have to go back and look through my journals to see everything that God has shown me, and everything that has happened this summer. Wow, God has been incredibly amazing, and I find myself more in love with Him each day, and trusting in His power, and His love for me even more. I know more now than I did at the beginning of the summer that God only has the absolute best in mind for me. He has a perfect plan for me.
So speaking of God's perfect plan for me, that brings me to an exciting announcement. The Lord Jesus has opened a door for me to go to Taiwan on a mission trip!! I am going to Taiwan! My lifelong dream, to see the place where my grandparents were missionaries for 40 years, and where my mother grew up! God's timing is so amazing, and I know that His hand has worked out every single detail to make this possible, even when I do not see every detail worked out yet.
(Above) He said to me "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
"Where Lord? Where do you want me to go?" "Wherever I send you, Faith. Walk with me, and I will lead you."
(Below) John 3:16 in Mandarin Chinese. This is where He is sending me for now. To share the message of John 3:16 to the lost people in Taiwan.
I have always had a love for the Chinese people, since I was raised with hints of Chinese cultural influence, my mom having grown up in Taiwan. I grew up eating Chinese food, and since we were young, my mom has tried on many occasions to teach us her first language --- Mandarin Chinese. I have had certain words engrafted into my English, one word, which until I was 18-years-old, I did not know was a Chinese word. It had been so engrafted into my vocabulary, that I used it just like an English word. Aside from this, I have two adopted Chinese aunts/cousins (aunts by adoption to my grandparents, cousins being the children of my grandparents foster son) who have been in my life, and have made me quite accustomed to the Chinese.
So for the last several years, I have had a longing to go to Taiwan, to serve there, just as my grandparents had served. At one time, I considered taking TESOL and going to Taiwan for a year to teach English. But that door just seemed to close when God showed me I was supposed to do college. I had dreamed of maybe this next summer going with my grandparents to Taiwan, if they revisited. I had also thought of the possibilities of going with the ATI program to teach Children's Institute.
This summer, the Lord did a lot in my life, working in my heart, and causing me to gradually surrender each area of my life to Him. One of the things that I had surrendered to Him was my ministry. I did not know what God wanted me to do, but I told Him that if He wanted me to be involved in ministry, then He was going to have to open the doors for me. After I surrendered to God in some major areas of my life, I finally saw God start to open up some doors for me.
The newest door that has been opened is one that fulfills a longing that has been in my heart for years. A couple of weeks ago, I was checking on facebook, and saw that one of my friends from Verity Institute, who is in my graduating class, posted on her facebook wall that she was going to Taiwan. I immediately felt jealousy...I too had that longing in my heart to go. I commented asking what how this opportunity came for her. In a reply, she said that she was going on the Senior Mission trip with Verity. I thought "No way! That is way too awesome!" Verity takes their seniors on a mission trip every year. I will be enrolling in Verity come January to (Lord willing) finish up the last semester of my schooling. So supposedly, I would also be in the "graduating class of 2013". I had a passing thought "How cool would that be if I could go too?" This desire haunted my heart. I wanted so much for this trip to be a possibility for me. Could this desire come true for me?
After a few days, I mentioned to my parents this desire. "Guess where Verity is taking my "graduating class" for their senior mission trip! Taiwan! I really wish I could go...." I kind of left it at that for a while. The more I casually mentioned it to my parents, the more they seemed to like the idea. When I first chose Verity as my school of choice, my dad said that he would love me to go there so I could go on the senior mission trip.
Last Friday, I called Verity, just to see if there was even a possibility that I could go, since I am not officially enrolled yet. I received very encouraging news. Yes, there was a possibility. The very sweet lady on the phone told me to email the president of Verity, who is coordinating the trip and the team, and to present my request to him. That evening, I was ecstatic. The only thing that I could see as a possibility of hindering me from going......was the money. Later that day, I prayed that if it was God's will for me to go, that He would give me full confirmation from my parents.
Last Saturday, our family went out on some errands. The more I talked to my parents, the more in favor they sounded. Especially my mom. I kept saying "if I go to Taiwan..." and then would talk about something with my mother about Taiwan. The more and more I talked about it, the more my desire grew. That night, I could not sleep at all, because that is all I could think about.
Earlier this week, I received confirmation from the Verity team that I was accepted onto the Taiwan team. This made me all the more ecstatic! Yesterday, my dad told me that I was going, and that we would trust that God would provide all the money I need for the trip!! I have had nothing else on my mind, and am so amazed and humbled by the way that God has opened doors for me!!
I have had a longing to go to Taiwan + my "graduating class" is going to Taiwan for their mission trip + my parents being open and excited for me to go = Coincidence? No. This is the very hand of God at work in my life.
I recently read "The Prayer of Jabez" by Bruce Wilkinson. That was life changing for me. I have since prayed Jabez's prayer: "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested." God has indeed enlarged my coast, and His hand is indeed with me. I cannot wait to see what God is going to do through me and the rest of the Taiwan team when we go to Taiwan!!
We are going to Taiwan to conduct Children's Institutes, and reach out to the needy youth in Taiwan. I cannot wait to get there and love on all those little Chinese children, and tell them of Jesus' love for them!! The trip is from January 15th - February 8th. 24 days in Taiwan!!
So for those of you have taken the time to read this very lengthy blog post, I would like to ask you to pray for:
1. The children in Taiwan that the Lord is going to bring into our lives, that God would open their hearts to receiving the Gospel message.
2. The Taiwan team, that God would bless us, enlarge our coast, place His hand upon us, and keep us from evil.
3. That God would prepare our hearts to reach out to those in need.
Personally, I would also appreciate prayer as I study my Mandarin. I took lessons for two years, so I know the basics of pronunciations, and tones. Now it is just a matter of building up my vocabulary. I am hoping to memorize some verses in Chinese, and have already memorized John 3:16 in Chinese. If nothing else though, I hope to be able to tell each child that I come across "Jesus loves you, and I love you." I would also appreciate prayers as I am trying to raise money for my trip. I know God will provide, because He is always faithful in providing for my needs.
All of this reminds me of the verse: "Delight thyself also in the
Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalm 37:4. I have chosen to delight myself in Him, and He has changed the desires of my heart to be His desires for me, and He is now giving me those desires. Praise God from whom all blessing flow!! Have a blessed week!
Because of Jesus' blood,
Faith Christine
Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:10
