Humbled

I have been incredibly humbled the past few days. Let me just tell you a few examples...

1) I keep meeting people that know Marilyn and Larry (the head people of LifeBuilders) and they tell me about how Marilyn and Larry just talk so highly of me. They continue to tell me all the great things that are said about me. It brings me tears just to think about the blessing it is to be used the way I am.

2) I have gone 2 weeks in a row to a young adults service at a big suburban church. I have been going with a guy named Matt and he is the only person I know there. Now if you know me, you know how social I am and how I rely a lot on my friends and family for my contentment and happiness. Being in a crowd of 300+ people knowing only 1 person, it becomes lonely very quickly. I'm used to being the one who runs all over greeting people and saying hi to everyone, instead I've been standing quietly waiting to be introduced to his friends. Its a weird feeling, being completely dependent on someone else to meet people.

3) When I am introduced to people at this church, Matt several times would say "she's a pretty big deal" or something like that. Everyone seems to be so impressed that i'm living where I am and that I am doing urban ministry. For me its just life, no second thoughts about it. But it is a good feeling to know that people are impressed with my "way of life." That is what brings the humbleness to my spirit. As soon as I thought, wow "I'm a pretty big deal!"God was like, "Elizabeth, i'm the big deal...never forget that!"

4) I stumbled upon a friend's blog today (Alton's). He is using his blog as a prayer list. Whenever he updates he updates with prayer requests for himself and others. At the bottom of his page he has a list of MISSIONARIES to pray for. My name is listed in that list. When I saw that it brought tears to my eyes. Since I was about 16, I felt God calling me into MISSIONS. Since then God has narrowed my path, ALOT and now i'm pursuing MISSIONS, state-side. It's an honor to be listed as a missionary on Alton's prayer list.

These are just some of the examples from the past week or so. I'm sure there will be many more ways God will humble me. I know I sure need it.

Hope and Faith combined!

Hope Community and Faith Church joined together for the first time on Sunday. They held their services outside in the middle of the street. The service had a lot of worship and "charge" given by both pastors to their congregations. Many people came forward to accept Christ, and God's name was definitely lifted high. I picked up 9 kids in the van, the service got a little long for them. It was close to 2 hours, but I was proud of them, they hung in there. I bought them pizza afterwards to "reward" them. The guy, Matt, that I have been going to the young adults service with came along too. I'm sure this was a great experience for him, the kids started to get rowdy and were fighting with each other on the way home. It was nice to have someone close to my own age come with. I love being with the kids and teens, but its always good to have a peer around too.

Consistency....

The past three years God has been teaching me the importance of consistency in people's lives. I started to learn this lesson when God kept taking me back to Camp Kearney. Each summer my flesh wanted to move on to a different camp, to get out a little further away from home. But God kept taking me back, He helped me realize the returning campers needed to see a familiar face. I have also tried to keep consistency in other lives, this is why I try to stay in close contact with the teens from Canton; like Amy Bash and Bridgid O'Neill. This is a lesson that hasn't been easy for me. I was faced with a reality check this past school year. I was blessed to go to the Philippines with Moody in 2009 and planned on returning in 2010. But God closed that door. I kept hearing God say I wasnt meant to go back, because I couldn't provide the consistency needed in the peoples lives. Now that i'm in Detroit, I'm beginning to wonder about the future. I'm been struggling with the fact that God might keep me in Detroit long term. When I graduate in January He might bring me back. It all goes back to the consistency i've been learning. In urban culture and urban ministry trust doesn't come easy. I have been blessed beyond belief here, because so many people have opened their lives to me. That is not normally how it happens, it takes much more time than 3 weeks. I want to honor that trust. So I have begun praying about whether or not God really wants to bring me back here. It is very scary for me to think about. I would hate to be so far from my family, friends and church family. But if it is God's will, I can't step back and ask questions. So pray with me, will you? Pray that I would seek God's plan and purpose for my future, and not my own fleshly wants and desires. I know that where ever God takes me I will be blessed, I just need to keep this option open.

Variety

Being here at LifeBuilder's I have experienced so much variety when it comes to ministry, specifically urban ministry. I have literally been apart of anything and everything you could imagine. I have attended meetings about getting donations, I have attended planning meeting for events. I have helped with a day camp, (that was very unorganized, by the way), helped with VBS, led bible studies with teen girls, and driven the big van all over Detroit. I have been in contact with parents, and gotten to go into homes where the children are living. It's been an adventure, but I am exhausted. I have been stretched so much already. I'm definitely not living in the "comfort zone" of life anymore. I'm glad though, because in order to see growth I need to step outside of my "comfort zone." I praise God for all of these opportunities. He knew exactly what he was doing when he brought me to Detroit. If I was at a camp which I originally wanted to be my internship, I would not be experiencing all of these different aspects of ministry. Every day and every new experience I believe is preparing me for my future. Who knows, maybe God will bring me back to Detroit in January after I graduate. I know now that I can't put God in a box, and that I need to open to the idea of returning to Detroit. All in God's timing and HIS will.

VBS

There is a church from the suburbs that has been doing a VBS at LifeBuildersfor 3 years. This church went above and beyond anything I could have dreamed of. They created an entire ship deck in the big meeting room, and totally followed the theme "High Seas Adventure" to aT. It was amazing. (Their ship deck definitely put ours to shame, ladies of 6W, lol) It was great having them come serve along side us, and put on this amazing program. It was so interesting having a group of suburbanites come here though. They would arrive and park their cars across the street at the school and have someone sit there "guarding" them the entire time. Theykept asking me if I felt unsafe living here, and so on. I enjoyed interacting with other believers, but was starting to feel a little annoyed. Sometimes, it was almost like they were here out of pity for the kids. But they showed them love and compassion and that is what these kids need. Over all it was a great time, and the gospelmessage was proclaimed!

Let us not forget about what God has provided for us...

Yesterday in church God reminded me that I need to stop focusing so much on the needs of the family down the street that we're trying hard to minister to. Instead, He pointed out to me how this family has a home, shelter over their heads. I need to rejoice over that, because so many are homeless and don't have a place to call home. Praise God for this reminder, it has changed my whole outlook on ministry right now.

Culture Shock!

Last night I went to a huge mega church in a suburb called Troy. I was going to a young adults service, with a guy who has volunteered here at LifeBuilders a few times. We get to the church and it is seriously massive in size. We walk in and the music is blaring, and its pitch black. There were probably 300 people there. Not what I was expecting at all. I guess I must have missed the part of the conversation when he told me there were a few hundred people that attended this service. It was a great service though. We sang for about an hour, which I loved. The message was good, and I hate to sound like a Bible student snob, but it was just kinda surface level. Its hard being a Bible college student to go into a group that is mixed on spiritual maturity like that. But over all I had a good time. I literally felt like I was experiencing culture shock though. You see, where I'm living in Detroit is very poverty stricken, and this area was very very rich. I almost felt uncomfortable being there, because I am so comfortable in the poor neighborhoods. I was able to meet several people, and a few were really friendly and said they would look for me next week. I'm still praying about finding a few people to 'connect' with. I'm not sure if God will bless me with that, and i'm still trying to figure that out. For now I will hopefully continue going to this Sunday night service and see where God leads me.