week 5-->character and nature of God.

This week has posed as one of the most instrumental weeks in my time here. It is a bit crazy really, I feel transformed from the inside out. I don’t know where I was this whole time, I guess consumed in the double life, living back home in Michigan and then starting here. I put my wants and needs first, and for the first time I have surrendered everything to God, all I have all I wanted and desired. I fasted for a few days this week and just simply not eating a few meals leaves you exhausted and empty. There are children that live this way every single day. That fight to see tomorrow and when tomorrow comes there will still be no food. We talked about the sex trafficking and child prostitution that we will get the opportunity to work with on outreach. A member of my dts’s dog passed away and she was crying, but she went on further to explain that God placed it on her heart the tears she was crying for her dog; who cries for the millions of kids dying each day. Who cries for the small girls that are not simply playing with dolls and dress up but are being sold as sex slaves? Who cries for the children dying to the HIV aids virus? There hunger and want for food, for a better life, the desire for more, that’s how we should be in terms of our relationship to God. I struggled to not eat for three days, imagine a life without three meals. Imagine a life without love, without joy, without freedom, a life without Jesus. I have a heart for these children, and am willing to do all I can to see God’s love reach them.
God speaks in ways that go unseen, in ways that we never realize the beauty until one day it simply hits us. I was going for a surf one day after class last week and I got completely rocked by a huge wave. The immense power and pull of the water dragged me to a place I didn’t intend, and it was so strong I just flow along helpless. This week was the character and nature of God; the power of the ocean tide reiterated to me that God is powerful. He has the capability to rock our world if we let him, but we try to go our own way, and it normally sends us dragging to a place we never intended and we fall helpless. The wave of life can be simply but we just need to be ready and not be scared to paddle out and take the ride with God; it will be the best surf of your life. It is truly beautiful to see the way God is working in my classmates as well, they inspire me and encourage me to be and grow with God in new ways. I see God in them everyday each of them I know has crossed my path for such an intricate reason and are shaping me into a better person. Prayer is big. It changes things, people. On Wednesday night worship we took time after worship and each of us were given the opportunity to pray out asking God for what we needed, what we desired in order to be closer to him, to break down all that is holding us back. As we spoke, leaders came and prayed over us, in Matthew it says, “When two or more are gathered I will be there...” All forty of us gathered praying out to God, it was honestly so incredible. Once a week my one on one and I go to the sunrise. Every time I leave saying wow, that was the best sunrise I have ever seen. It is so funny, each time it is so different, so unique, so beautiful and perfect. It is so dark when we get there, and suddenly in time light comes and aluminates the entire night sky, and morning arrives. My prayer for this week is that God the light of the world will laminate the darkness that infiltrates many hearts. I pray He comes and shines bright, and awakens everyone.