Wednesday 21 November 12
My CPR class was really getting awesome. All of my students were learning and retaining information so well; they had amazing questions as well. Some of them I wouldn't have been able to answer without my background in life guarding. It is really amazing the way that God prepares us for things!
After my CPR class, I got to talk to my translator about how she had come to know Christ, what her home life was like, and how she had come to be a disciple at Rahab's House. It was incredible just to listen to her story.
We went to the brick factories and then to lunch. We ate pork that had been killed (Yeah, we heard it!) the night before. This was my favorite lunch, but not because of the food, even though the food was incredible. I got to really talk to a couple of the disciples. I heard Saka and Dary's testimonies. Saka is so awesome. Her nickname is Believer and that definitely suits her full well! Dary's testimony is awesome. Her heart is fully for Jesus. It is beautiful to see her passion and love for Him! It is seeping out of her every pore! Her testimony was one of the clearest gospel presentations I have ever heard. She really understood that she was a sinner in need of Christ's blood.
Speaking of Christ's blood, today at Kids' Club we talked about the crucifixion. Here is a general outline of what was said and acted out:
--Jesus praying
Narrator: Jesus had lived a perfect life, free from sin and darkness and full of loving others. But there were still some people who didn't like the things He taught. Jesus knew that the time for His death was coming. He was afraid. But He still trusted God. He prayed for one whole night, and in the morning soldiers came for Him.
--Troops come in and grab Jesus and walk to the other side of the 'stage'.
Narrator: The troops brought Jesus before the leaders of the synagogue, who planned to kill Jesus, even though He hadn't done a thing wrong. The crowd decided to kill Jesus by hanging Him on a cross.
--Jesus stands up on wall with arms out and soldiers "hammer" his hands into the wall
Narrator: Jesus died on the cross. He suffered for you so you don't have to suffer. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Basically, it all boils down to the fact that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death! BUT the FREE GIFT of God is eternal LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord! God loves us SO MUCH that while we were still sinning, He sent His ONE AND ONLY SON to DIE on a cross for US. To pay our wages (death) and give us His (life).
Their questions after this were amazing. One that really stuck out to me, because they were paying super close attention to detail and because it is a pretty deep question, "If Jesus is God, why does He pray to God?"
Kara was our question answerer. PRAISE THE LORD. She did such a great job of this! She described the trinity to the kids as an apple. Apples have seeds, fruit, and skin, but the parts all still make up one apple; well, God has Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but all the parts make up one God! There were other questions too, but that one stuck out the most.
Then, we got to go to the ATC (Agape Training Center) to buy some stuff. The ATC is where rescued girls go to learn skills to provide for themselves. They make t-shirts, necklaces, and bracelets. The bracelets are my favorite! They have so much meaning! I bought about a million to give out to my friends and share with them about what is going on in Cambodia and how much God is showing up!
Then I had aerobics and afterwards literally ran into the van while dripping with sweat so we could go to the hotel and get a two minute shower before a fancy dinner. This night was insane!
We went to a restaurant with the IJM staff members for a community building dinner. We ate food until we were about to explode! This dinner was hard for us, too. We were supposed to really meet people at IJM but we were so exhausted from a week of hard work. We pretty much just ate and tried not to fall asleep!
Verse of the moment: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10 We were clinging to this at this point in the week. We were so weak and tired from lack of sleep and excess of work and heat! God really came through though; we always had more than enough energy to do our work. God makes good on His promises. Every time.
From my prayer journal on this day: "Daddy, thank you for being so strong that you pick me up even when I am too weak to sit up. With You I can stand and run and jump and do aerobics! Without You I am dead on the floor! Thank you for the stories of Paul (1 Cor 1) and how encouraging they have been! Your word can always fill me up when I am dried up and empty!
Thought of the moment: Sometimes I think it is easy to trust God in situations like what was going on that week in Cambodia than it is now in America, because God is all you have over there. In America, sometimes I get stuck in the "I can do it!" mindset and I don't trust God to step in where I can't.
I CHALLENGE YOU to live the rest of your day in complete submission and trust of God! I promise, if you give Him the opportunity to make His name known, He will do it! Pray for your heart and for your faith!
Song of the moment: Beautiful Things // Gungor
Even when it seems impossible, God can and does make beautiful things out of us -- out of the dust of our lives! He is incredible and he is the source of life in our dry bones!
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