Tuesday, November 19, 2013

the Love I live for




my poor blog feels so neglected...sorry bloggy.

Week 6: 11.4.13 - 11.8.13

Jake Hamilton was our speaker that week and he changed my life!!!!!!! Jake Hamilton is an amazing preacher and worship leader (he has songs with Jesus Culture no big deal) and spoke about love, the importance of knowing the Bible, divorce, and church reformation. This dude has Revival and Reformation tattooed on his forearms...enough said. I've never heard better preaching in my life! He was so open and honest about every single thing he preached about. He started out with this...

"I really genuinely don't know what I'm doing. Anyone who comes up to you and says they know something about anything is a liar. My proof is simply this: the pharisees and sadducees had more information than anyone else about the coming Messiah and they crucified Him. This is not about having right information, the moment you think you're right God is going to change it. Not because His personality is changing, but because His goal is for you to trust Him, not you."

"Jesus Christ did not die on the cross so that you could go to church, He did not die on the cross so that you could get to heaven, Jesus Christ did not die on the cross so that you could go into the mission field. Yes I said that Jesus Christ did not die so that you could get into heaven, that's actually biblical.'For God so loved the world that He gave His only son so whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have WHAT? Eternal life.' And we've taught everyone eternal life is heaven and that would be a lie because that's not what Jesus says. In John 17 Jesus says 'Now this is eternal life: WHAT? to KNOW God and Christ Jesus whom He has sent.' You get access to God again. Jesus Christ died on the cross so that God could get all up in your business again."
So humbling!!! He broke down 1 Corinthians 13 (love is patient, love is kind, etc.) I think almost everyone knows this scripture, but he broke down each word and what that love truly looks like.
LOVE ....

is patient:
it's just going to take a lot of time to learn how to love and once we accept this, we can get the rest of them.

is kind:
just be nice! what do you want someone else to do to you? go do that for people.

does not envy:
learn how to grow where you're planted and accept what is given to you. Don't tear people down because they have something different from you.

does not boast:
learn how to SHUT UP! we don't know how to listen because we're too busy worrying about what we're going to say next. someone who has really found love doesn't boast about it because they know they did nothing to deserve it.

is not proud:
learn to call out the greatness in others. humans were formed out of dirt according to Genesis, Jesus was born in a manger, and he had no place to rest His head during His ministry. when we are so firm in our identity that we can get down in the dirt just to lift others up like Jesus did then there's freedom.

not rude:
it doesn't mean we are weak if we are gentle and sensitive (MEN and women)

not self-seeking:
it is not dependent on what we get back. it says "i love you" regardless. Jesus isn't saying I love you to get an I love you in return. we will have to say i love you to people who will never say it back.

not easily angered/irritable:
failure is not fatal. keep going!

keeps no record of wrongs:
we keep trying to convince God of our sin when He doesn't remember it, He divinely edits His memory when it comes to our sin. so who are we to remember everyone else's sin? the best news we can share with the world is that God keeps no records of our wrongs, He wants to tell you who you really are.

does not delight in evil:
NO MORE GOSSIP! God wants to share His secrets with us, but He can't if we're telling everyone else's secrets. stop tearing people down and feeding on that.

rejoices with the truth:
if people don't feel loved after you talked to them, you're doing something very wrong. you just have information NOT truth. if our heart is not grieved over someone or somethings brokenness then we do not need to approach that situation with correction.

bears all things:
God didn't and won't quit on us , so we don't need to quit on _______ (fill in the blank)
there are no differences that are irreconcilable. NONE! God redeems E V E R Y T H I N G. God doesn't abandon adulterers, addicts, etc. so we shouldn't either.

always trusts:
wisdom and love have to walk hand in hand. this doesn't mean everyone should receive our full trust, we have to guard our hearts. just have wisdom about situations

always hopes:
there are NO hopeless cases in the Kingdom of God. NO person is too far gone no matter what you've done. look at the apostle Paul.

always endures:
endures is an aggressive verb in it's original greek. conquers fear and demands change. KEEP FIGHTING!! things probably won't happen overnight, it's like a muscle you have to exercise it.

never fails:
love will never allow you to fail. our love should not be dependent on the other person, it should be dependent on our relationship with Jesus which will NEVER FAIL!!!!!!

Once we understand that this is the way God loves us then we don't want to do anything else other than love Him this way in return and love others this way! If we actually LOVED this way then the world would be radically changed!!!! They would truly know the love of Jesus! Jesus commissioned us to preach the Gospel - well Gospel means "the good news" and what is this good news? THAT EVERYONE IS RADICALLY LOVED BY THEIR FATHER IN HEAVEN AND IS WORTHY AND LOVED ENOUGH TO DIE FOR!! Christianity isn't supposed to be a religion! It truly is relationship. Jesus didn't die so that we would have to live a boring, good life full of dos and donts, constantly striving to be a "good" person, but so that we could be in His unceasing awesome presence living a life of love, surrender, and adventure for Him and for other people! I believe people disagree with or ignore Christianity because they have a distorted view of it due to the church failing and their own preconceptions. No one can deny that this kind of love is bad! Everyone wants to be loved and to know that they were put on this earth for a reason - this is what God is desperately trying to show people through His son Jesus! WE have a purpose, WE were designed the way we were for a reason, WE are created in the image of the perfectly diverse God, WE are supposed to be extremely different and unique because that is what God is like, WE are loved more than we could ever imagine by our Father in heaven whether we believe in Him or not, WE were born to live in freedom and adventure, WE were born to live a life of loving others way more than we love ourselves,
WE were born for love!!!!!
IT IS ALL ABOUT LOVE!
That is the true message of Jesus Christ.


Week 7: 11.11.13. - 11.15.13

faith journey (11.14.13 - 11.15.13)

On Thursday we came into class at 8:00 am and were told we had 15 minutes to go pack one change of clothes, a toothbrush, deodorant, and a bible then had to leave campus until 1:00 pm on Friday. I was put with three of my Philippines team members and we were sent out with NO food, NO money, and NO shelter for that night. Our true goal was to walk by faith, trust God, and love on as many people as possible! My team and I felt called to go to a city on the opposite side of the island called Hilo so we tried to hitch hike there and after nine hours we got there! Throughout the 28 hour journey we prayed for over a dozen people, saw a healing, acquired $120, gave $118 away, got enough food to give away to a number of people, found shelter, and made it back to campus on time! We met some of the coolest people who taught us so much about life! This was the journey of a lifetime - God is so faithful y'all. There's no way any of it was coincidence. The Bible says we will overcome by "the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony" ( Revelation 12:11) and this is my testimony! People can argue about doctrine, historical accuracy, and all that stuff but they can't argue with personal encounters and experiences.





got to volunteer with the Salvation Army for a few hours! 








one of our signs...maybe we were a little too desperate 









hitch hiking again








the Big Island is so pretty :)






Team Philippines update (aka team Philo)

As most of you know the Philippines got hit by the worst storm in recorded history a few weeks ago and the damage was absolutely devastating. My team and I we're originally supposed to be going to Lombok, Indonesia as well, but after hearing about the typhoon we will spending all 3 months in the Philippines. We will be primarily in Manilla and the island of Mindanao. We really want to work in the slums, prisons, children's homes, the sex trafficking industry, and of course do disaster relief so hopefully we can get to some of the other islands. I believe we fly out the 16th of December, but I will keep y'all updated on that. I still need about $2300 by Friday the 22nd of November in order to make this happen so if you're interested in partnering with me and The Lord to get me there, please contact me! emilyelisemontes@yahoo.com 1 (828) 545 - 8672 I'm available whenever!
Most importantly though please keep the Philippines in your prayers and my awesome team as well!










Sunday, September 1, 2013

He who has called us is faithful!

WOW!!!! So I am just still in shock by The Lords faithfulness and provision in my life! As most of you know I began fundraising for this upcoming mission trip in mid June and it had me extremely stressed out and worried. I needed $10,000 in about three months, how impossible does that seem? Well through God's provision and the unbelievable generosity of my friends and family, $10,185 has been conjured up in about 7 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought for sure that I would still be fundraising up until the last deadline in November, but God has just rocked my world and revealed to me that He is sovereign in every aspect and that "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9). While I was in Africa I knew that I would be doing YWAM and one of my favorite songs/prayers at the time was "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the water wherever you would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior." (Oceans by Hillsong). God heard and answered this prayer. I was put in a situation that had me walking on the waters of faith and He took me deeper and to a whole new level of trust and my faith has been made stronger in His presence because of His unceasing presence! How awesome is God!!!!! Thank you to everyone for y'alls encouragement, support, generosity, and prayers!

It's pretty confusing what I will be doing and where I will be these next few months so I'll keep y'all updated on here as well as Facebook (got to love social networks, right?). 

Currently: I am in Fresno, California. I left Asheville August 30th and flew out to Cali because my dad lives here! I will be in California until September 26th. On September 26th I will fly out to Kona, Hawaii to begin my journey with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). 

I haven't seen my dad since I graduated high school in June 2012 so it is awesome to spend time with him and I'm hoping to shadow him at work a little while I'm here as well! (He is a Pediatrician and works in the Intensive Care Unit). 

I am completely in awe with God right now and I hope that my testimony can resinate with you and show you that our God is living and that "He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:24)



"I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations." Psalms 89:1


Sunday, July 28, 2013

Faith

Faith is an interesting thing. It is one of the most upside down concepts. Believe in something that you can't see? Makes no sense until I remember Who I'm believing in.

The Word of God is full of story after story of God calling His people to a certain purpose (usually something that seems astronomical and impossible) and every single time proving faithful and fulfilling His promise. And the coolest part of all: God never does it the same way twice. He had Abraham go on a mountain, tie his son to a log, and prepare to put him over a fire as a burnt offering. Because of Abrahams obedience to this command, The Lord just happened to put a ram in a bush for Abraham to give as an offering instead right in the knick of time. Like what?  Or what about Daniel. Daniel stood firm in his faith to the point where his life was at risk and it landed him into a pretty sticky situation. He was locked in a lions den and left to die. Seems pretty hopeless right? Come morning time when the king who put Daniel in there came to check on him, Daniel was still alive without a single scratch. His explanation? "My God sent His angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions'." (Daniel 6:22). I bet Daniel didn't see that one coming, I certainly didn't. One of the most bizarre is the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho. God told Joshua to have armed men march around the city surrounded by a great wall once each day, for six days. The priests were to carry the ark, blowing trumpets, but the soldiers were to keep silent. Imagine being an onlooker in this situation! You would think these people have lost their minds. Even the soldiers and priest probably called Joshua a weirdo behind his back. On the seventh day, the assembly marched around the walls of Jericho seven times and at Joshua's command, the men gave a great shout, and Jericho's walls fell down flat! The Israelite army rushed in and conquered the city. Once again God took the impossible and flat out crazy and positioned it in a way where only He would get the glory while also showing Himself to be faithful beyond belief. In Daniel 6:17 it was stated that  "A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed.  Daniel as well the other two men were put in do or die situations with something huge at risk if God did not pull through. But HE DID!!!!!!!! 

I find myself in a semi-relatable situation. The Lord has called me to take another year of of school and do mission work with an organization called YWAM. This is a 6 month mission trip that begins in September and ends in March. Shortly after I returned from Africa at the end of May, it became very real that I would not be returning to school for another year and some how had to raise $10,000 for this trip in about five months. I've sent out letters and have had very few responses, I have three jobs but it's still not cutting it, and I don't have a church I call home which could probably help out a lot. With each passing day the weight of this financial burden seems to drag me down until it's crippling. How on earth am I going to get this money in time? What if God's faithfulness isn't applicable to my life like it is to these people in the bible? What if I messed up along the way and didn't hear God's voice correctly? Or even worse, what if I messed up along the way and drowned out God's desire for my life with my own desire for my life? What happens if I don't get the money in time? The never ending anxious questions and feelings go on and on in my head every day. 


For the first time in my life (and in my year and four month walk with Jesus Christ) I am in a situation where I am one hundred percent walking out in pure faith, fully relying on God's sovereignty, provision, and faithfulness. It is such a large amount of money in such a short time that it is financially IMPOSSIBLE for this money to come in if God does not provide the means for it. If for some reason God is not faithful in my situation, I will fall flat on my face. Although this is a very terrifying idea most of the time, God has revealed to me the beauty of fully relying on Him. The last few days The Lord has really spoken to me and showed me the bigger picture of my situation. If the funds do not come in then it is not His will for me to go to YWAM at this time, simple as that. Although I want to go so badly and have forgone a year of my education for this opportunity, if it is not His will for my life, then I do not want it either. I am serving the God of the universe. He breathes the stars into being, He tells the ocean where to stop, He knew me before I was even born, He knows what I am thinking before it comes out of my mouth. He is all knowing and all powerful. He's got this. Whatever He has planned for me is far greater and better than anything I could ever plan on. Being in the center of God's perfect will sometimes (most of the time, lets be honest) means that I am not always going to get what I want, but I am sure that I will get what I need. When my anxious thoughts consume me, I am learning to find rest in His sovereignty, mercy, love, and faithfulness in my life. As I mentioned earlier, God has a pattern of bringing people into situations where they must fully rely on Him. He usually reveals His sovereignty in a way where only He will get the glory because no human situation could have ever ended up like that without His presence. Some days I rejoice leaning completely on Him because I know that I am serving an able God, but other days I break down and lose it. In these difficult moments, the words of Jesus echo in my head ... "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" (Matthew 8:26). Why am I so afraid? My fear is empty and meaningless, caused by my earthly perspective, not my eternal perspective. When I shrink the size of the God I am serving, my problems become a whole lot bigger. I know this truth, but I will still fall into the lies and that is why I find myself daily at the feet of Jesus with a whole new appreciation for my compassionate and relentless Savior Jesus Christ who "... got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." (Matthew 8:26 continued). 


I ask you to partner with me in this mission. Part of God's provision and plan for our lives involves using other people as a part of His means and expansion of His kingdom. I cannot do this without your help.  Above all else, I ask you to pray with and for me.


  • That I keep my eyes fixed on the true living, faithful, and sovereign God, not on the warped image of Him I create in my head. 
  • That the hearts of the people who received my fundraising letter may be softened and that they feel compelled to give generously to the expansion of God's kingdom. 
  • That opportunities and situations arise that will help me raise more money. 


I need about $9,000 more dollars. I need $4300 by September 26th and the rest by mid November. If you feel compelled to give, the please make checks payable to Emily Montes and send the gift to me at Emily Montes, 6 Crowningway Drive, Asheville, NC 28804. You can also go to the following website https://apply.uofn.edu/OnlineAppDocs/OnlinePayment.cfm and donate safely via credit card. My email address is emilyelisemontes@yahoo.com, my birthday is 02/11/94 and my school name is DTS – Compassion Ablaze starting in September 2013 and you choose either the Tuition or Outreach option. 

I went into very little detail about the work I will be doing during this six months so if you have any questions please feel free to call me at 1-828-545-8672 or email me at the email address listed above. Thanks for your support!!!!! God bless. 


"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." (Matthew 6:33-34)

Friday, June 7, 2013

"So, how was Africa?"

17 days I have been home.
17 days I have enjoyed the company of friends and family.
17 days I have eaten every type of food I could dream of.
17 days I have showered for longer than 2 minutes.
17 days I have had sanitary bathroom facilities.
17 days I have spoken American English.
17 days I have not argued in broken french/english with taxi drivers.
17 days I have driven my car on nicely paved roads with speed limits and no honking.
17 days I have gone to bed without dirty feet and sweat stains all over my clothes.
17 days I have slept in the most comfortable and spacious bed ever.
But for 17 days all I have been thinking about is how I would give back every single one of these luxuries and more to be back in my country, Guinea.

Guinea didn't just steal my heart, it ripped it out of my chest, threw some dirt on it, added some French/Susu, mixed it with some rice and sauce, and drenched it in compassion and love. Living in a third world country will seriously screw up living in a first world country for you. The simple, basic, rugged, self - forgetful lifestyle just makes so much more sense than this luxurious, materialistic, self- obsessed lifestyle we can't seem to escape in the western world.
I would do literally anything to walk through the dirty streets on my way to the chaotic Niger Market while avoiding getting hit by taxi drivers and waving at children from across the street. But I'm over 3500 miles away and about $3000 short of this. There is nothing I can do. I'm stuck in my comfy bed with my electricity that always works and a glass of clean cold water that came from the tap in my bathroom.

"So how was Africa?" 

If I had a dollar for how many times I have been asked this question since I've been home, I would have the money to go back. I have had a really hard time answering this question though for some reason.

"It was so good"
"It was a great experience, definitely the best thing I've ever done"
"It was great I miss it so much already"
"It was a life changing experience"

These responses are all awkward and inadequate. How do you summarize five months of your life and try to convey emotions and experiences, especially to people who have never seen poverty on a third world level?

Migna's story:



The first hospital patient I became friends with on the ship. Migna was pregnant and due to lack of health care, her baby was a still born and child birth complications caused her to become ostracized in her village where she worked as a farmer.  She heard about Mercy Ships from a friend who heard about it on the radio. Migna decided to set out on journey with a few thousand Guinea Francs and the hope of being healed. She traveled for about five months from her village to Conakry. She would make money by washing people's clothes on the street. She finally made it to the ship where she saw white people for the first time in her life. She was scheduled to receive a VVF surgery. She had her surgery and for the first few days, there was no more urine leakage. The surgery seemed like a success when all of the sudden urine began to leak more and more until it seemed like the surgery had never even been done. Although it may have seemed like Minga's journey of pure faith and hope was all in vain, she left the ship with the same physical condition she came on with, but with a much different mental condition. Through the love of Jesus Christ shown through her nurses, surgeons, and everyone she came into contact with, Minga had hope for the first time in a very long time and went back to her village a changed woman.

Lazares Orphanage:


Psalm 10:14, "But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless."

I think I have found my calling: to run an orphanage in whatever third world country The Lord calls me to (hopefully Guinea ;)). I am obsessed with orphanages! Lazare's Orphanage is the first and only orphanage I have ever been to, but it was love at first sight. We pull up in our Mercy Ships Land Rover and all these big brown eyes and small hands peak out of the gate as we step out of the car. We walk through the gate off the bumpy red dirt road and at least five children were standing there with their arms reached high towards me. I pick up two, a little boy (David) and a little girl (both about three years old). We sit on the ground as the "tantees" (ladies who work at the orphanage) hand out crackers and water. Shortly after it's bible story time. After a story and arts and crafts, one of the older boys closes us in prayer (said in french, so stinkin cute). While holding sweet David as he plays with his blue balloon, I talk with one of the tantees who is a volunteer from Canada and my age. She told me story after story about each of the kids. A light skinned brand new nameless baby girl who was found abandoned by train tracks probably by her prostitute mom who had sexual relations with a Lebanese mining company man. Children that are half white are looked down on in this culture, primarily because it means they were most likely conceived out of wedlock with a foreign man after the mother sold her body to him. What about the numerous boys who are 13 years old, but still there? They are all HIV/AIDS positive and therefore cannot be adopted. Ever. They will grow up in this orphanage until they are of age and can go get a job and support themselves. Or what about sweet David. Found by a family after his mother abandoned him, however this family used him as a slave to do all the chores around the house. He was found malnourished with scars on his body from beating and burns. He was extremely traumatized by his old lifestyle causing him to never talk or interact with anybody. However, David is being adopted by a couple in California as soon as all of the paperwork is finished. While this orphanage is doing amazing things for the orphaned children of Guinea, there are still thousands more in the country who don't get the opportunity to be cared for and maybe eventually adopted.

El Presidant's Story:


This little boy. His smile, his run, his voice. I fell in love. His nickname was "El Presidant" because he always had to be in charge of the hospital ward or Hope Center. He is a natural born leader with sass and attitude big enough to intimidate a grown man. When he walked into the room, all eyes were immediately focused on him. He didn't used to be like this, however. El Presidant had Noma. Noma is a flesh eating infection primarily affecting children under the age of six in poverty stricken countries. His Noma caused a hole in his entire left cheek and part of his lip and eye. He went from being a perfectly normal healthy adorable little boy to an ostracized, extremely self conscience, and rejected child. He never left his home and when he walked into a room, he hid his face in embarrassment. He followed behind his family since his friends stopped hanging out with him. This disease that only occurs in third world countries confined El Presidant and prevented him from being the leader and ball of energy he was not only born to be, but entitled to be. Through Jesus Christ and endless hugs, kisses, and words of encouragement of Mercy Shippers, El Presidant has achieved the perfectly fitting nickname. After his third surgery, this is what El Presidant looked like. His fourth and final surgery has him looking almost perfectly "normal". All the glory be to God.

So how was Africa?

It was hard, painfully awakening, dirty, unorganized, hopeless at times, frustrating, poverty stricken, and corrupt ....

But it was also beautiful, amazing, eye opening, hilarious, loving, simple, rural, mango-filled, warm, hopeful, community oriented, and the most amazing blessing I have ever received/experienced.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31: 8-9

Thursday, April 25, 2013

One Month Left in Mercy


So my time here is quickly dwindling away... 25 days until I  am home! I can't believe it's been almost five months.

Some shenanigans we get into at work

My job here on the ship recently changed and now I am working in the Galley (the kitchen). My team and I help prepare almost 1500 meals a day for the crew. The Galley is very loud and chaotic, but oh so  fun! The music is loud, but the people are louder. French, Creole, and English are always being tossed around and the dishes never end. I either have five days off a week or two days so I really love my new schedule. The job is physically demanding as well as mentally demanding at times. The language barriers are difficult to get over sometimes and we are always moving at a fast pace while standing on our feet for nearly eight hours a day.

The concert Friday night
This past weekend I was off of work and tried to pack it as full of activities as possible. On Friday some friends and I went to what would be our local civic center where events are held. There was an international festival going on there with a concert at night. There were about three or four live rather interesting performances including rapping and break dancing. I have made a wonderful group of friends here so no matter where we go or what we do, it's always a blast. Saturday I went up country with a friend and then Sunday I went to a local island to soak up the sun all day.

Monday and Tuesday I worked, but today (Wednesday the 24th) I had the day off so I observed surgery on the ship. I observed three surgeries. The first one was a Maxillofacial surgery (surgery on the face). The patient had a tumor growing up his face instead of protruding out. The tumor consumed his left side of the face including his eye. For the surgery they basically cut his whole left cheek and started sawing/chipping away at the bone that was responsible for this growth. The surgeon used a "saw" to cut this bone like a grid and then proceeded to chip away this bone in small and large fragments. We were all joking in the OR (Operating Room) how this was similar to the way we cut our mangos, except this was a very unripe maybe even fossilized mango. Only on the Africa Mercy does a MaxFax surgery get compared to cutting a mango... I've included a picture below of the way we cut mangos here to clarify. The next surgery I observed was the removal of a thingy I can't remember the name for. It was a large fatty mass on the front of the neck, about the size of a pear. The surgeon carefully cut it out then sealed up the skin! The final surgery I saw was a cleft palate repair done by a MaxFax surgeon named Dr. Gary Parker. Dr. Parker has been with Mercy Ships for more than twenty years. He is the head of the hospital and probably one of the most skilled surgeons out there, yet the most patient, kind, loving, understanding man I have ever come across. He explained to me detail by detail what he was doing while keeping conversation with me such as where I'm from, where I work, and what my name is. This is a man who just radiates Jesus in everything he does. I was extremely blessed to get to watch him work.

In the OR 



















I've officially been accepted to YWAM so from late September to December I will be in Kona, Hawaii and from December to March, I will be placed in any country they wish to place me in to spread The Good News of Jesus Christ! Woooohooo!!




 "Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits  who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles" Psalm 103:1-5

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

A Typical Day

My life in sounds...


    • Drums beating to African worship music  
    •  "Crew, this is the Captain speaking...."
    • Metal pots clanging in the Galley 
    •  Mosques calling people to pray 
    • PSquare 'Chop My Money'   
    •  "Eh, this is Africa" - everyone
    • Chris Tomlin worship music blasting in the Galley 
    •  French...it never stops 
    •  Children yelling "Fote, fote!"
    •  My friend Jeanna yelling "WHAT?!??!"
    •  Ocean waves crashing at Roome Island 
    •  Broken english (How di bodi?) 
    • "Bonsoir, c'est va?" 
    • Laughing children as I attempt to speak Susu (the local language)
    •  My friend Daniel saying "Sollllyy" 
    •  A fĂștbol game on T.V. 
    •  "I'm getting so fat" - everyone on the ship   
    •  My boss singing at the top of his lungs 
    •  Crying children 
    • My extremely loud phone vibrating thus waking me up 

"Again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.'" Hebrews 4:7
 

Friday, February 15, 2013

So many events, so little time!

Wow! So I have had THE BEST WEEK EVER!!!! Monday was my 19th birthday and my friends here onboard went above and beyond anything I deserve or expected! They brought me breakfast in bed and sang Happy Birthday to me then gave me presents and cards they made for me. After that two of my friends, Jeanna and Rafaela, went to the craft market with me where they leather goods are sold and then went to this hotel that lets Mercy Shippers swim for free. After tanning and swimming for a few hours we went back to the ship and showered (yay me! I showered finally). I was eating dinner when some of my friends came and brought me a m&m cake they baked for me! When it's someone's birthday on the ship, it's a tradition to ring this bell and announce whose birthday it is and the whole dining room sings for them, so that's what they did for me! I love my friends so much! They spoil me! After cake, a few of us went to bible study then out to town for a bit. It was such an amazing day and I am truly truly blessed to have such an amazing group of friends here! This birthday was extra special to me because it brought much reflecting of my past birthdays. I can truly testify to the grace of my beautiful and merciful God when I compare where I was and what I was doing on my 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th birthday to what I did and where I was on my 19th birthday.

On Tuesday I went to what I thought was bible study at my local church in Conakry (Amour De Dieu) with my friend Fred, but turns out it is "Revival Week" there. Boy was I in for a treat! The pastor was discussing spiritual warfare. He began part of his three and a half hour sermon with this: "We are not fighting against flesh, but against evil. Tonight, we are exposing the enemy." (paraphrased from Ephesians 6:12). Here are some notes I took from his sermon....


  • The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy and he will go to the ends of the earth to do that. (John 10:10)
  • When you know the God you are serving, you will not be afraid of the enemy. God has power and authority.
  • The devil also has power and authority, but God wins. 
  • Even though we want to see The Lord, Satan will come too. 
  • In the story of Job, the devil came to kill, steal, and destroy, but God prevailed good and faithful.
  • Arm yourself with the armor of God. The belt of truth, breastplate on righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit (The Word of God), and pray on all occasions.  (Ephesians 6:13-18) 

This was the most powerful sermon I've ever heard and I truly felt, saw, and heard God in that three and a half hours! I was doing things I normally would never do such as praying out loud, dancing all along the church pews, and lifting my hands, reaching out to my loving and righteous Father! I saw people get healed from their physical pain in the name of Jesus and people burst out in tears from the surgery Jesus was undergoing on their hearts. I have never felt peace and joy like I did that night. The God I am serving is so beautiful, I am falling head over heels in love with Him. Below are are lyrics to one of my favorite songs that come to mind when I think about what I felt like on Tuesday.

The fullness of Your grace is here with me 
The richness of Your beauty's all I see 
The brightness of Your glory has arrived 
In Your presence God, I'm completely satisfied 

For You I sing I dance 
Rejoice in this divine romance 
Lift my heart and my hands 
To show m love, to show my love 

When we got back to the ship after church, one of my favorite security guards, M.G., who I mentioned in my last blog was working night shift! I went to go have our now routine french/english lesson and somehow we got talking about the Bible and he wanted me to go get one in french so we could read it! I ran up the gangway to our library and conveniently found a french/english Bible! After I taught him some english words he could use in his job, we ended our lesson with scripture from God's Word. We read from Matthew 5:43-46 where Jesus talks about loving your enemies. I left M.G. with the Bible that night hoping and praying that he would read more because for night shift, he basically just sits there and watches for suspicious activity and tries not to fall asleep until seven the next morning. The next night M.G., my cabin mate Emma, and I discussed the culture of Africa. We talked about Muslim and Christianity and I found out M.G. is Muslim. He has been to a christian church before and liked it, but like a lot of 22 year olds, religion is not his primary concern and priority at the moment.

On Thursday me and some friends had the day off of work so we decided to venture to Guinea's biggest market called Medina. We took a bus there and the bus driver was playing 50 Cent (the rapper) and reggae the whole way there! The whole three hours we were there, I don't think I saw any other white people so we stuck out like sore thumbs. This market is massive. Hundreds of people going every direction all at the same time and usually carrying something on their head like water, fabric, food, or other miscellaneous items. We went to the market looking for fabric to make clothes and finally after about an hour of looking, we hit the jack pot. Basically a whole section of a rundown wear house was full of every kind and color of fabric a person could possibly want! We each splurged and bought lots of cool fabric after about an hour and a half of shopping then made our way back to the ship. Walking through this market that takes up what seems like miles and miles of land is annoying, hilarious, scary, and exciting all in one! People tried to pick pocket us, hit on us, sell us the most random stuff, and just try and talk to the fotes (white people, pronounced fo-teas).

I am on call today for work so I can't leave the ship, but there is a ballroom dancing class tonight at 7:00 so I will probably go to that! On Saturday I am going to the women's prison with my lovely roommate and fellow Ashevillian Glenn. Sunday I am going back to my wonderful church for a Sunday full of praise and worship to my Almighty Father!

It is still up in the air, but I feel that The Lord is not calling me back to college at this point in time. I have instead officially applied to spend September 2013 - March 2014 with an organization called YWAM (Youths With A Mission) in Hawaii and I am waiting to hear if I got accepted or not so prayers for that would be awesome!

Also, Mercy Ships will be featured on the television show 60 Minutes this Sunday February 17th so check your local listings for what time it will air! Check out what Jesus and this awesome organization are doing for West Africa!

                                                                     Guinee!!!!

                                         My wonderful friends with me on my birthday!


Me and Balla! 




"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:10-13