God is always at Work

Hey Everyone,

I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to write again. Man life has really picked up. Good news I graduated from TESOL!! Yay! I’m an official international teacher! Yay! God has been doing so much in my life and I know 못 that is mostly because of you all and your prayers and I cannot thank you enough for all that you all have been doing.

ok So what has God been doing? He has been showering me with so many blessing and so much love it’s crazy!! As all of you may remember I was having some issues feeling isolated and alone. Well God has been helping so much with that. He has been providing wonderful people in my life whom I connect with so easily and so well. God has given me well the wonderful people that I was teaching with in TESOL as well as Amanda *the girl from Florida whom has become my best friend here* then there are three more new teachers; Rea, Christian and Carlee. I am also taking Hapkido which is a type of Korean martial arts and I have been blessed with an American friend there as well, Ben. God has helped me to no longer feel so alone and I know that that feeling will come and go but I’m hoping that it is done for now.

Also I am finally becoming more at peace. I had been worried and stressed and wrapped up in so much and most of it was not right for me to be worried about or what not but now God has given me an overwhelming peace!!! I am just so happy and well peaceful. There really is not other way of expressing it then peaceful. It’s so amazing!! I love it! But I believe that that also has a great deal to where my heart is at. God has really been chasing me and fighting for my heart and I am finally allowing Him to be God there. My heart has always been something that I have always tried to control and not give to God. And because of that I believe, ok, no, I know that I’ve been deeply hurt. But I finally understand what it means and looks like to protect your heart. I finally understand how to allow God to have my heart. He finally has all of my heart and all of my focus and all of every part of me. Now that is not to say that I am perfect. Ha I’m far from it. But it does mean that I’m so much closer to God then I’ve ever been but it is also a different form of closeness. It’s a new kind of closeness. I’ve never experienced this closeness before. I’ve always just known who God was but I’ve never realized that passion He has for me. And I know that He has been trying to share that passion with me but I have not been listening. I’ve only been listening to the lies that satan would say to my heart. Finally I am listening to that voice that God has that enriches the very depths of my soul. It’s amazing!!! Again I’m not perfect but I’m a beautiful work in progress!! One example, Korean culture is very VERY big about looks and being incredibly skinny. And we are not talking about healthy skinny but almost to the point of being anorexic. One would think, that I, being a plus sized person, would feel even worse about myself being here but it is quite the opposite. I’ve finally realized who I am in Christ and where my form of worth comes from, or whom it comes from I should say. And this thought process has restored my heart in many ways. “Change your thoughts and you will change your world.” It’s a quote I have on my computer screen and I read it each day.

Also God has been using me!!! I felt very out of the loop when I first got here. I kind of felt ok now that I’m here what am I supposed to do God. And God was very silent at first. But then I got connected to a Korean church here with a group of friends and they are wonderful and I was beginning to feel like I was more at home but then Tesol ended and I was speaking with the only Korean lady in our class and I felt God impressing upon me to ask her to do a bible study with me. She was all for it and before I knew it I had 2 other girls in this Bible study. We met for the first time the one girl Rachel told us a story. She said that she had been praying for a person to do a language exchange with. She had prayed for someone who was Christian and someone who was nice. One day when she was on the bus praying she finished praying and opened her eyes and I was getting on the bus and I smiled at her. God impressed upon her to ask me. So we had gotten off the bus at KNU ** I was still in Tesol and I was running very late this day** she followed me and then when I got into the elevator she told me she wanted to be my friend and she asked if I would be willing to do a language exchange and I said yes. And then about two weeks later we are sitting together with AnSu and Amanda doing a Bible study. I know that this is a major reason of why I am here, for this and even on a greater scale. I’m beginning to mentor these ladies as well as other people and I am also growing in faith and trust and understand of God. This is a very good thing for me. I also and volunteering where I can. On Sunday I attend a Korean church from 10-1230 and then rush to an English service form 1:30-3 and then an English bible study form 3-4pm. My Bible study is on Saturdays from 11-12 with food in my apartment. We are going over John.

I would greatly enjoy your prayers. My heart is at home with my family a ton of the time. My brother David just got engaged and I hope to be home to celebrate that in August sometime but that will depend upon my work schedule. Our first break is in August so here’s hoping. I am praying for each of My family members as they go through their lives. I would love to have prayers for each of them. They are wonderful, wonderful people and I am deeply blessed by each of them. Also I would ask for prayers over my heart and my life. I am struggling and growing and deepening in the way that God grows me. It’s not been easy by any stretch of the imagination but it’s been amazing and I know that I am meant to be here. I was just talking with my friend Lauren how I’ve seen time and time again in my life how God has set me apart. And how God has touched my life or intervened in some way and has saved me from a worse fate whatever that may be. I know that I am meant to be alive. God is obviously not done with me yet. I know that there is a greater purpose for me. Maybe it’s not to be the next Mother Theresa or Martin Luther King Jr. but maybe it’s to be inspired. Maybe our lives are not to change this world by our own hands but maybe we are meant to inspire those who will. You never know who around you needs God’s love most. We cannot see the hurts, we cannot see the shame always, but it exists at some level in everyone’s lives. And we do not know who will be the next Billy Ghram or the one who is going to cure cancer. We don’t know and we cannot take the chance that the person we are upset at is going to change this world and our words are the cure that they need. And yes, maybe that person will not be someone who changes this world, but you know what is more important? They have Christ in them. They are worth our time and our love and our effort for that reason alone! Would we snub Christ if he upset us? Would you never talk to God because He chose something over you once? Would you cheat on God with someone else? NO! of course not. What makes that person any less special?? O they are not Christian…blah blah blah. They are a human being. They are God’s most precious creation. They are put on this earth JUST as you are to glorify God. And how are they supposed to know that God if we do not show Him!? They can’t! We must look past our prejudices and see people with the eyes of Christ! Then and only then will this world truly be changed for any good. We must see people the way that God sees them we but honor people as if they were Christ Himself. We must live out lives and help those around us so that we are all able to live our lives to the fullness to which Christ has told us that He wants us to have. We must give all we have.

Ok sorry for preaching. Haha you know me. Once I get started talking about God it is hard to stop. But my final words to you this time as this; I love you. God loves you so much more then I would ever love you. God says you are worthy and valued and pure and incredibly special!!! I am praying for each and every one of you! Remember your worth is found in Christ and in Christ alone otherwise you will not be fulfilled at any point and time.

“I will come and shower my blessings on you!!” Hosea 10:12