Intro to my blog
Heyyoo, (WOG – woman of God, POG -Passion fruit Orange Guava juice that is really gooood)
Woah guys this is my first ever blog. This is so cool. *insert blushing emoji with the hand over the mouth* I am about to be very vulnerable, so if you don’t know me well strap in because you’re about to.
Now down to business. We are about 12 days away from September 2nd, 2023 the day I fly out to Georgia to begin training camp & commence the first day of my 11 month mission trip!
Brief reflection on my time in AZ
First, I want to reflect on my time in Phoenix. Four years! (Aug. 2019- Aug. 2023) and Two consistent years (April 2021-Aug 2023) of living out there on my own :’) I am a completely different person than I was when I first moved to PHX, I was shy, reserved, not really funny, I don’t think I knew how to start a conversation. Thankfully, people at GCU gave me a chance to find the person God has created me to be, to come out of my shell & grow as a leader, I would find myself in a couple leadership positions (RA my jr year at GCU & a shiftlead at TG). Phoenix is a city that showed me the true love of God through people, it broke me as well as brought me back together, I can confidently say I was made better through the brokenness, by the grace of God! A city where I found love, shared laughs, shared raw emotion filled moments, went though some of the hardest moments, grew from it, and learned what it truly meant to be an independent young adult. I am so so thankful for the beautiful, hilarious, intelligent, selfless, God-fearing, loving people that God has placed in my life. So here is a shout out to everyone who has been by my side throughout my time in Phoenix; family, friends, friends who felt like family, leaders, leaders who became friends, coworkers, coworkers who became friends, classmates, professors, people who prayed with me and for me, people who caught my tears and sat with me in my brokenness, strangers who smiled at me, strangers that made me smile while I was people watching, etc. Never would I have imagined that my beach loving, California obsessed self would have such a soft spot for desert city like Phoenix, but here we are. I am sad to have left but forever thankful for the time spent out there & relationships built.
All Glory to God!
Most importantly, I want everyone to know that this mission trip is to glorify God. In the past month and a half I have been meditating on the verse 2 Corinthians 5:15 (ESV “and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”) Thank God that I don’t have to live for myself! Thank God for Romans 6 – essentially, as Christians, we are dead to sin and alive to God! Thank you God that I am no longer a slave to sin which separates me from your presence and thank God that the more obedient I am to you the closer I am to experience your presence and feel your true love, peace, and full enjoyment of life with Christ. And again thank God that being Christian certainly does not mean life will automagically (a word one of my old soccer coaches made up) become easier, if anything it is more difficult to deny my flesh and choose the way of Jesus. But through the challenges that we will face as Christians God has declared that he will never leave our side, not only has he declared this but he has proven his faithfulness time and time again throughout the Bible! Thank you God that I will never have to walk alone.
What God has been teaching me
Additionally, in the past week or two through my reading of Mark, God has been showing me how hard hearts, stubbornness, and legalism does not glorify God (Mark 2:16-17, 2:24, 3:1-6, 6:51-52, 8:17-18, etc.) . As I am home, I have found that I struggle with the same thing, a struggle to show my family compassion and the true love of God. God does not delight in hardened hearts, he wants us to be genuine in love and life. He delights in our hearts unveiled and true faith in him. So I ask, that you would pray for my heart to be softened while I am here at home & for God to show me where my heart has become hard towards his people, purpose, etc. .
Closing of the blog
I’m new to this whole blog idea but I think there will be waves of me posting everyday & sharing what God has taught me through his word & sometimes I will probably post once a week. We’ll see haha, but thank you for reading this far & I pray that the Lord would reveal himself and his genuine love to you this week 🙂
Please reach out if you have any prayer requests! There is no prayer too big or too small, God wants our hearts & he wants us to be real with him.
All glory to God almighty that I have been blessed with this beautiful opportunity to experience his love through different cultures and that I get to be the hands and feet of Jesus to show and tell people how much God loves them!
