I am Blessed

Greetings and Salutations!

This past Wednesday I had a fundraiser at our local Italian restaurant, Avantis, for my missions trip. It was from open to close, included 2 locations, carryout, delivery, and 20% would go towards my trip. I got the results back today and we made over a thousand dollars in sales which puts $214 towards my trip!! Praise God!! What a blessing this was for me personally. Not only the money but also seeing and hearing about all the people who went there for me. It made me feel very loved that everyone was so excited about it and took the time to go there on that specific day. I am Blessed. Thanks to everyone that participated in Avanti's Day!!! You are awesome and amazing!!!

A couple weeks ago was Missions Convention at my church. It was a fantastic week of services with speakers like Huldah Buntain, Michael McNamee, and Dwain Jones. This past Tuesday night I attended An Evening in India where I experienced the culture of India. A very large portion of the church was transformed into India complete with a rickshaw, live musicians, food, clothes, and the Taj Mahal. Huldah Buntain of Calcutta Mercy Ministries was the speaker for the evening. It was an amazing evening. The pictures you see are from the missions conventions week. Photos by Naomi Close:)

Friday night was our Missions Banquet where I participated in something I do best… I was a hostess. God really does find ways to use our talents for Him no matter how unusual they may be:)

Missions Convention has always been a favorite of mine but this year it was even more special to me. This year, instead of telling myself “Oh someday I’ll go there, do this and that” I was able to say, “I’m going to be going there and doing this and that in about 3 months.” God did have to remind me about it a couple times just because I was so caught up in the services. I’m like, “Yeah God! I will go wherever and whenever You want me to go!” and He’s like, “We’ve been through this… You are going… remember?” Hahaha good thing God has a sense of humor. Or I’d be like, “That would be so cool to be a missionary… Oh yeah, I AM a missionary.” I’m sure I account for a good percentage of making God smile because of all the crazy things I do and think:)

Missions Convention was awesome. But I’m kind of glad it’s over just because I’m not sure if it’s healthy to cry so many times in one week. Missions will do that to you. Today in church I was thinking, “Man I sure have been emotional and crying a lot this week at the services… what’s the matter with me?” But God was quick in letting me know that He’s softening my heart. He always seems to be working on my heart in some way and every time it’s changed my life. So I guess it’s okay to be a little emotional concerning missions:)

Huldah Buntain said, “You can’t change the world, but you can change someone’s world.” I don’t know about you, but growing up I’ve always heard people say, “You can change the WORLD! So go out and DO IT!” Well that’s a nice thought and very encouraging but highly unlikely that one person can change the world. Jesus did and pretty sure nobody is going to take that number 1 spot away. Many people have changed parts of the world or it has had an effect through history but not the WHOLE world. Except Jesus that is:) So I may not be able to change the entire world but I CAN change someone’s world. What a wonderful thing!!!

Michael McNamee spoke about compassion and how it’s a sacrifice and that it exists at every level. Praying for compassion for the lost really is a sacrifice. Are you ready to sacrifice? Are you ready to give real compassion?

Counting Blessings

Life has been kind of crazy for the past....... month or two months.... As you can see from the picture above. My family went on vacation the last of July and was gone for just over two weeks. All six of us drove up to the Portland area to visit with family there. It was probably the last time that us kids will have see Grandma Close. We knew that at the time but this became a reality when she went into hospice two days after we left. Here is a picture of us with Grandma Close our last day:

It really was a great family vacation. I loved every minute of it. It was so nice just to be with the fam and relax. We were also able to see family in the Minnesota and Iowa areas, as well as, making the trip all the more fun. We went through like 11 states during the trip. Here are some of my favorite photos of the trip:

I can find something Russian just about everywhere I go. And I did several times on vacation. This was at an outlet mall:)

But yes, vacation was a blessing just because I was able to see how many blessings I HAVE in my life. My immediate family for one. My dad, mom, sister, and two brothers are my best friends. Spending those couple weeks with them was a blast and such a learning experience because they all teach me something everyday.

Another one I recognized on vacation was what a blessing it is to have family (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas, grandpas....) that believe in God. It is always amazing to me to hear about what God is doing in their lives. I have quite a few cousins who have gotten married in the past couple years and I am SO thrilled that they also married believers!! So so so exciting!!

There were many other blessings that I discovered like reading, just looking at Gods wonderful creations, time off from work, a job to go back to, the internet:), cameras, and factory outlet malls. I had such a wonderful time that I really didn't want to think about the blessings of going back home to life and classes starting a few days after getting home. But obviously I had to get over that:)

I actually had a rough time once getting home and starting school because I started not feeling well. I had severe headaches, muscle soreness, sore throat, and a cough that developed. I was exhausted and had to take naps to get through the day, then couldn't sleep at night or had nightmares. By the end of two weeks my symptoms had grown worse and I developed even more, including a deep cough. Two weeks after being in school, I finally broke down (literally) on my way home from work. I walked in the house hungry, bawling, with a fever, and so incredibly sick. My parents almost to me to the emergency room but decided to wait to bring me to my doctor the next day. Even thinking of that night makes me feel sick. I literally thought that I was going to die that night. My throat was so swollen it felt like it would close and then I wouldn't be able to breathe.

I have never felt fear so close to me and so real. I felt like I was going to sufficate from the darkeness closing in on me. My fear became almost overwhelming... Until a voice said "So what if you die?"

Silence. "Where will you go if you die? Do you know?"

Well yes, I will go to heaven.

"So what does it matter if you die? Heaven is.... heaven. You will be with your Father God. The best possible place you could ever be. Your troubles will be over. You will be in the arms of your Savior."

And incredible wave of peace washed over me. I didn't have anything to fear. Sickness. Disease. Even death. The fear that holds so many people (if not the world) in its clutches, Father God conquered long ago.

The end of the story with my sickness is that the doctors think it was Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (if I wouldn't have had a fever of 102 I would have laughed when they said the name). I'm pretty sure thats not what I had. In fact, I know its not. So it is a HUGE blessing that I got better because what they gave me probably wouldn't have done the trick. And a few weeks later I finally feel normal. Well, as normal as I get:)

Count your blessings. Not literally (well you can if you really want to), but notice and thank God for those things that you take for granted. Like your health, family, house, Starbucks, and your cell phone. And if you don't know where you will go when you die... or don't have that kind of peace... talk to God about it or me. Not like I'm God or anything but I would love to talk with you.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...

My Ticket to Russia...

A couple weeks ago, I received my passport in the mail. I've always wanted one but never had a reason to have it until now. Now I can take a trip around the world! About that... :)

Some of you have been asking how you can help me in terms of my trip. The two biggest and most important ways is through prayer and financial support.

I need lots of prayer:) Some things that you could pray for is that everything goes smoothly with getting into the university, health, safety, planning, packing, adjusting, school, relationships, and making a difference in Russia. Also for my mom who says she is going to need to see a therapsit. Not really but kind of:)

This whole trip is being paid for by myself and through donations from you. The total cost of the trip is $11,000. If you would like to support me financially, checks can be made out to "AGWM" and sent to 1445 Boonville Ave. Springfield, IL 65802 with the memo: "617005-4" (this is my account number and must appear on the check for me to receive credit). Donations are tax deductable. If you live near me, you could give it to me personally to save a stamp, envelope, and check:) Your donations would be truly truly appreciated. I couldn't do this without your prayer and support!

For when I am weak...

My official prayer card designed by my amazing sister Naomi! It really does look beautiful... I'm so excited! Who knew that I would ever have a prayer card?

I attend a small group called the Nest that has literally changed my life. Some of the most amazing women are a part of it and encourage, and challenge me every week. Right now we are doing a study on Chains and Shackles that have kept us from our full, spiritual potential. Two weeks ago, I led a study on how perfectionism has been a shackle for me over the years. One of the many things we discussed was that it is okay to have imperfections. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "My power is made perfect in weakness." It was so amazing to think of how God can use our Weaknesses (of all things) to show his glory! 2 Corinthians 12:10 says, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." Many times its when God is using our weaknesses that we are able to shine for God the brightest.

It reference to going to Russia... It was such a relief to me (as a slight perfectionist:) to know that God can use my weaknesses as a missionary. At one point when leading the study, I had the revelation that God was using at least 3 of my weaknesses at that very moment! Remembering that feeling still brings a smile to my face:) Letting God use our weaknesses isn't easy. Its hard, uncomfortable, and sometimes embarrassing. But when we do, we can shine even brighter for Him!

The Journey Thus Far

Welcome back to my blog!

As I have mentioned before to many of you, God has been leading me on this journey from the very beginning. I would like to share with about how this trip has come about from the start…

I was 12 years old when our church had two missionary families from Russia come to speak within a few weeks of each other. Because of the different areas that I helped with, I heard them speak in youth Sunday School, children’s church, as well as in the adult services. Hearing the families speak from their heart and tell about the miraculous things happening in Russia filled me with excitement. But also hearing about the very few missionaries there, and the many people who still needed to be reached broke my heart. It was then that my burden for Russia began. It was also then that I knew that I would someday go to Russia and be a part of the spreading of God’s
love for everyone.

For many years, anything having to do with Russia caught my attention. Any mission’s event that I attended I was reminded of my burden for Russia. I talked about Russia a lot and managed to convince some of my best friends that I had been adopted from Russia:) I apologize if you were one of the many victims of that joke.

At one point, I was invited to go on a mission’s trip to Russia, but it fell through early on. I looked into going on other trips to Russia and other countries but it never worked out. I honestly began to get frustrated because I wanted to go on a trip but they always fell through. I eventually began to forget about ever going overseas and focused on my future in Early Childhood Education. Not that I had fallen away from God, I just was focusing on what He wanted for me in the US and not anywhere else.
This brings us to the last week of 2008. I was in Cincinnati for the AG World Missions Summit, a conference solely about reaching the lost around the world. There were workshops, information booths about different ministries, nightly services, meals with a missionary, and rooms that were created to look like different countries. Thousands of college students, as well as, missionaries from around the world attended. An absolutely amazing experience! Honestly, the only two reasons I went was because someone paid for my registration and because my sister forced me:) I KNEW that something was going to happen there and was being quite stubborn about it. But I’m SO glad that God is patient, gives us second chances, AND has a sense of humor! At the conference, my heart was quickly reopened to the people lost around the world, especially Russia.

For almost every meal at the conference they had what they called “A Meal with a Missionary” where each table had a missionary that you could talk to and hear about their ministry. One day at lunch, I was determined to find a table with a missionary from Russia to talk to. I know now that God lead me to that table, because there is no other possible solution! I found a missionary from Russia and spent the meal listening to her story. At the end of the meal I asked her a few questions (I don’t even remember what they were) and suddenly she said, “I know who you need to talk to” and proceeded to call someone on her cell phone. It was one of the most awkward situations I’ve ever been in. When she got off the phone she told me that I would be meeting another missionary from Russia the following day at the Eurasia information booth. She gave me a first name of the lady I was meeting, her phone number, the other missionary’s phone number, and sent me on my way. I had no idea what was going on.

The next day, I was looking around the Eurasia booth for someone I’d never met to have a conversation that I had no idea what it was going to be about. Fun times (and if you know me, not a situation that I enjoy). After asking around I met a missionary’s wife from Khabarovsk, Russia. She seemed to know exactly what was going on so I just followed her lead hoping that I would catch on sooner or later. She showed me pictures of her family and the children that they ministered to. She talked a lot about a program where college students would come and study in a university while helping them in their ministries. I told her that the program sounded like an awesome opportunity and she pretty much asked me if I was interested. In fact, she asked me in a way that I was, of course, interested. No, no, no, no, I explained, telling her that I was starting my first semester in a few weeks at a community college. NO, I was not interested in living in a dorm (let alone a foreign country dorm) and no I didn’t have my license to teach yet… I haven’t started school yet remember? No, I wasn’t interested, but yet her words and the disappointment on her face tugged at my heart. And I couldn’t figure out why… But I DID know what this meeting had been about NOW… I did ask about short term missions trips (as in weeks) and she wrote down their information for me on a card.

After the convention, I told my family about the awkward situation and the program that the missionary had asked me to become a part of (just to see their reactions). They responded in a positive way about the program in general but not in terms of me. I quickly put the whole thing out of my mind. About a week later my phone rang and I listened to the missionary's wife explain how she thought she had a missed call from me. Here we go again, I thought. Indeed I went through much of the same explaining as before. My sister teased me for awhile after that I had “missionaries calling me.”

In July of 2009 my young adult group held an all night prayer meeting. Pretty early on in the night someone asked if they could pray for me. God spoke right through and into my heart in a way He’d never done before. There were quite a few things that He said but there was one subject that stuck out especially that night (and even worried me). He said, “There are dreams in your heart that people don’t even know about…. I pray that you would start to hear those dreams… People have preconceived ideas of what your dreams are and that’s not the way it should be… Those aren’t the dreams God has for you… Dream God’s dreams for you…” Much of my prayers that night were concerning what that meant and what were God’s dreams for me?

It wasn’t until October of 2009 that the idea literally smacked me in the face that I COULD go to Russia and DO that program. The pieces began to fall together in my mind and I began to PRAY. In January of 2010 I finally e-mailed the missionaries to get some information about the program. I communicated with them and others at AG headquarters and finally I submitted my application in March of 2010.

It is SO AMAZING to know that God holds my world (your world) in His hands! That He is guiding me (you) according to His plan and sometimes we don’t even realize it. As I have this blog, I will be posting verses and other words that God and others have spoken to me concerning this trip.

God is INCREDIBLE! And I stand amazed.
Leah

A Slight Recap

Greetings & Salutations!!!

You are currently reading my first blog EVER and I’m so excited that you are taking the time too!

For those of you who don’t know, I have been accepted to go to Khabarovsk, Russia, as a MAPS missionary. MAPS (Missions Abroad Placement Service) is a program through the Assemblies of God (AG) in which adults can volunteer to assist a missionary for 1-11 months.

I will be leaving for Khabarovsk in January 2011 and staying for six months. I will be attending a university as a Russian language student, living in a dorm and aiding an AG missionary family. Some of the activities that I will be a part of are: working with older orphans that are graduating from the orphanage system, assisting with the Bible Institute, village outreach, events with the local churches, and dinners for the homeless shelter. Being a witness to my fellow students at the university is a big part of what the whole trip is about.

The need IS great for people to come and aid in the sharing of God’s love for everyone. The Russian Far East is about 2/3rds the size of Europe and has only one AG missionary. There are villages of unreached people groups all around and there are presently no organized student ministries in Khabarovsk (a city with three major universities and several colleges).

So this blog is dedicated to my journey as a MAPS before and on the field. I will be posting as much as possible to let you know how things are going and to let you know of specific prayer requests.

God bless!!!
Leah