A New Adventure [[Saturday, November 19, 2011]]

"Be wise in the way you act...; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." -Col. 4:5-6

The day finally arrived! I was ready for my adventure to Guatemala. The air was crisp when I left Orange City, the wind blowing through the barren trees; winter was on its way. I was smiling, because I knew that I was going back to the place I had fallen in love with two years ago. This time, however, I would be working at a camp for children with disabilities. It's so exciting to see God at work in my life and to see his purpose unfolding in my life. Today, I am ready for this adventure and to follow God into the homes of the broken. My fellow NWC students and I set out for Omaha at 9:00am. Our flight was supposed to leave at 2:05pm that day, and it was a two hour drive to Omaha where we would fly out of. The roads were ice rinks, and we were sliding around curves. It was a good thing we left earlier. We had to pick up a suitcase in Sioux City from a Dordt girl who could no longer go. It took us a long time to find her, which put us back some. We arrived at the interstate where there was an accident and a line up of cars. great. We waited in this line of cars for an hour, and we didn't move once. I watched as the clock ticked by. 11:00am. We were supposed to be at the airport in an hour and we weren't even half way to Omaha. We found out that the Dordt girls who were coming with us, were two cars behind. That was God watching over us. One of the Dordt girl's called a friend who lived in Omaha to get directions. We all were ready to call our families and tell them we would be coming home for Thanksgiving. All I did was pray. God's will would be done no matter what, but if we are going out to do the Lord's work, He will be faithful in getting us there. We pulled into the airport 20 minutes before our flight took off. Thankfully, a Northwestern students parents came along to the airport so they parked our vehicles while we got ready to hop on our flight. We made it....barely. God is good! We boarded that plane that would take us to Guatemala. And....the story only gets better. We were in a small three seat plane. And me and a Dordt girl ended up sitting next to a drunk guy. He wasn't very old, but he kept asking us where we were going and why. He kept telling us to make a difference, one starfish at a time. And then telling us jokes in an Irish accent that ended with "F-ing sheep" He ended up passing out due to the 3 additional beers he ordered on our flight. All I could do was pray for him, and that's how I could make a difference one starfish at a time.

By 10pm we were descending into Guatemala City. It was too dark to see anything, but the city lights sparkled like a sea of diamonds. This is the place I had fallen in love with, and I was back. :) Everything was filled with, "Bienvenidos!" Welcome to the land of color, the heart of the Mayan culture. I couldn't believe I was actually here!

So many things were going through my mind: what if I didn’t know how to act or be myself around these children? How bad were their disabilities? I thought that I would be inadequate for this week, but I quickly learned that God used my inadequacies and fears for His glory and He equipped me to do the work for His Kingdom. The week spent in Guatemala was one of the most rewarding experiences for me.

Guatemala was just as I had remembered it: the sounds of cars weaving in and out of lanes, the sound of whistles, the strong scent of gasoline, horns, the sound of the beautiful Spanish language. I prayed that God would give me the heart of Jesus for these people and that I would have the hands and feet of Jesus. What does the Lord require of me, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with my God? (Mi. 6:8). We were on our way, piled in a van (that was not made for as many people as we fit into it), to Chimaltanago where the camp would take place. It was too dark to know exactly what it looked like, but we entered a courtyard through a gate that had to be unlocked. The NWC girls stayed in a room on the bottom floor (very similar to dorm rooms). I fell asleep to the sounds of people shouting in Spanish, engines revving, wild dogs barking, and occasionally roosters crowing. I am excited for what this week holds.

I pray that the Lord makes Himself more beautiful to me, that my heart would be steadfast in
his word, that it would penetrate my being so that I am the imitation of Christ. [[Josh. 1:8]]

<3 kaycia

Where You Lead, I Will Follow

"For you are my rock and my fortress;and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me;" -Ps. 31:3

As I am packing up my bags for yet a new and exciting adventure that God has planned for me (aka College), I came across so many old things. I like to save and keep a lot of beautiful papers and trinkets that bring back so many lovely memories. It is a bittersweet process of unpacking my life and packing it up for something new. I pulled out old cards, journals, and pictures that told so many stories of beautiful people and times where God used them or those experiences to bring me closer to him. God is SO GOOD! "Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord REJOICE!" -1 Ch. 16:10
 {{REJOICE!}}  Life will always bring changes. When Jesus said "follow me" he never guaranteed it would be easy. In fact, in my 18 years of life, I know without a doubt how evil, and hard this life is and that is why I must live under the influence of the Spirit. College will bring challenges, but I'm ready to follow the Lord wherever He takes me. I've learned that I can plan my way--but it always leads to being humbled--or I could follow the Lord, knowing that his plan is always best even if it means waiting. Even when life gets challenging I am called to REJOICE!
Honestly, going away is very hard for me. I've never enjoyed change. I've always been content to have my groups of friends, my family, and a comfortable home....and my little plans; however, I know that's not how God works. He breaks us from routine to bring us to our knees and to recognize how good He is. I grew up in a neighborhood where the kids were almost all the same age and the majority of us were home schooled. I was very blessed that I had four "moms" and eleven "siblings" to grow up with. Summer days were spent morning to evening with each other. We'd play games and make forts, and take trips to the zoo. All of us (except one family) have stayed on the block for our whole lives. It's something that I will miss greatly.  Though I often wish I could rewind the clocks of time and go back to those days, I know I am called to look ahead, to look to my unfading, beautifully glorious treasure Jesus. For His glory, that is why I am called to walk this earth and called to walk in His ways. Things have happened in my life--I have seen pain. Although it may seem minor sufferings, I see how good God was through it all. If it wasn't for His shaping and molding me through sufferings, I wouldn't have become best friends with my BFF or at least not as good of friends. I wouldn't have learned the meaning of putting my hope in Jesus or what it means to trust Him and I certainly wouldn't be attending the college I am today. God is good! so very good! I have so much yet to learn and though being away from those I love so dearly is hard, God is faithful. He created the makers of facebook, twitter, skype and all those other forms of communication, right? :) I'm excited to see how God's will and plans unfold in my life and I am ready to go wherever He calls me. It's all about having an open heart, loving the Lord with a steadfast love like He first loved me, serving and loving others well, seeking forgiveness, forgiving others no matter how hard, humbling walking hand in hand with my Savior, and living day by day on His life giving words. I have been blessed to know so many beautiful God-Fearing friends and mentors who have walked with, prayed for, and fed me Scripture (sometimes even forced it down my throat when it was difficult to understand God's ways). It is wonderful to have such blessings in my life. I thank God everyday for you. And don't worry, I'm only going to Iowa... it just hit me though that God is good, so good. And it's so exciting to see bits and pieces of His story unfolding in my life.

In His Love,

kay

Beauty from Ashes

Beauty For Ashes

Isaiah 61:3

When life's pathway grows uncertain,
And the winds of doubt blow strong;
When no one seems to understand,
And the night is growing long;
God remembers that I'm human,
He knows my flesh is weak;
When I claim His Spirit's presence,
He gives the comfort that I seek.

He'll give you beauty for ashes,
Joy for your mourning
He will clothe your heavy spirit with His praise
He's the healer of the broken heart,
He sets the captive free;
He plants us in His righteousness,
That, through our suffering, God might be glorified.

When your hopes have turned to ashes,
And your dreams have turned to dust,
When your life is scarred by a painful past
Your think your usefulness is lost;
Bring your ashes to the Saviour
Lay them at His nail-pierced feet,
He'll pick up the shattered ruins,
He will make your life complete.

He'll give you beauty for ashes,
Joy for your mourning
He will clothe your heavy spirit with His praise
He's the healer of the broken heart,
He sets the captive free;
He plants us in His righteousness,
That, through our suffering, God might be glorified.

--Joe Merhalski
1970-2001

 

I've been reading through the book of Isaiah again, and I am amazed at how much God can teach you.  No matter how many times a verse has been read, it always has new meaning. I am in awe of how good my God is. The theme throughout Isaiah is talking about Israel's fall, Israel's captivity in sin. The amazing thing is that Israel is God's people. God chose them, set them apart to be His. He fed them, clothed them, and redeemed them as His children. He redeemed them as His bride, and yet Israel chose to worship the idols of pagans. We wonder why a Just God could allow "innocent" people to go to hell or horrible things to happen in the world. The thing is, God is holy. He is above everything and is to be glorified. He is perfect. Because God is righteous, he demands His people to be righteous. But because of sin, His people go in search of something to eat and something to drink, but do not find anything to satisfy them because they are not running to God who satisfies every need. What I love about Isaiah is that God's people fall terribly into sin, and God lets them be taken into captivity to teach them that He really is the only thing they need in this world. What I most love though, is that God, being gracious and full of steadfast love and mercy, takes his people back, washes them and gives them the hope of a coming Savior. How good God is!

 

I think of my own life and how often I can fall into sin and fall down. But it's in those times that I need God most. It's those times where I see how good and gracious God is, how loving and forgiving. His gift of grace gave me unending joy in Jesus. and through Jesus my ashes have been traded for beauty.

 

When I fall, I must rise again and run the race with endurance because in the end, Jesus is my crown of glory and only His name will be praise. To Christ be the glory forever and ever!

It is Jesus that makes all things BEAUTIFUL

"Welcome to the Wonderful World of Blogging"

haha "welcome to the 21rst Century" where Blogging, Facebooking, Twittering, and texting are all apart of our everyday communication techniques. maybe I did prefer my life as a carefree child when all I knew about was talking face to face with someone and creating my own fun. But the more into this technology stuff I become, the more I realize that it is a gift. It's a gift that we are supposed to use for the glory of God. We can easily tear someone down just by one "status update" and just as easily we can encourage and build one another up. Through this-- through my joy of writing-- I pray with all my heart that God would use me in a pwerful way. That He would speak through me to correct, encourage, and further His kingdom. To God alone be the glory!

So here my journey begins....

Here I will honestly pour out my thoughts, my questions, my story (or rather, God's Story), and things that God places on my heart. God has been unfolding His beautiful plan in my life and He has faithfully been with me through valleys and on the mountain tops. His Story, our story, must be heard and I must faithfully proclaim what the Lord has done in my life and how He made BeAuTy.from.AsHeS

Freedom through a risen Savior

As i was reading my Bible about the different kings who fell because of their their idolatry, I realized how idolatry hold each one of us in chains. It is something we all struggle with and how in our walk with the Lord it is something we have to daily ask Jesus Christ to set us free. As sinful human beings, we like to idolaize things that do not satisfy us.
Anything that we put in place of God is an idol and it hinders us from finding complete satisfaction and joy in our precious Savior.
In Isaiah 55:1-9 God grievously says to his people, "Come to the waters everyone who thirsts because i satisfy. Why do you spend money on things that don't satisfy you? Come to me that your soul might live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you. My love is steadfast; I will glorrify you. seek me while I am near. Forsake your wicked ways and your unrighteous thoughts. Return to me that I may have compassion on you. I will ubundantely pardon. My thoughts and ways are not like yours. As high as the heavens are, so are my ways and thoughts higher than yours." here God points out key things to breaking free from idolatry and the key to finding complete satisfaction in him.
1. God says we need to come to Him. We need to seek after him. And by doing that, we also have to forsake our wicked ways and forsake unrighteousness. This also includes seeking after righteousness. (Hos. 10:12; Mt. 6:33; Pr. 11:19; Pr. 15:9; 2 Tim. 2:20-26)
2. We constantly want to run to things that don't last. Sin looks attractive at first, but leads to destruction. We must take every thought and action captive to obey Christ so we do not fall into the temptation to love things that take the place of God. (2 Cor. 10:3-5; Eph. 6:10-18; Mt. 26:41; 1 Cor. 10:13)
3. God's covenants and promises are always kept. God is faithful, he is Creator, Redeemer, merciful, gracious, kind, compassionate, Judge, Prince of Peace, Immanuel, Healer and everything that an idol cannot fullfill. (Jos. 21:45; Dt. 7:9)
In Is. 44:6-8
"Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let him declare what is to come, and what will happen. Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! is there a God besides me? There is no Rock, I know not any.'"
Here God reminds his people of who he is. That He is first and last and there is no one like Him.
Is. 44:9-20
" All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human...they know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their heart, so that they cannot understand...they feed on ashes; a deluded heart has led them astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, 'is there not a lie in my right hand?'"
Here God warns the people against idolatry and that it won't bring them satisfaction. People who love idols feed on ashes and their deluded hearts have led them astray.
Is. 44:21-22
"Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you; you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me. I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like a midst; return to me, for I have redeemed you."
The Lord reminds his people whose we are! We are his children and we have been redeemed by him! God begs us to return to him because we are his. He begs us to find everything we need IN HIM and in him ALONE.
How many times have we feasted on ashes or been led astray by our deluded hearts? Or how many times have we given up the satisfaction of our Savior for a lie?
"Therefore, beloved, flee from idolatry." -1 Cor. 10:14 because Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." -Jn. 6:35
We were created to find satisfaction in Jesus Christ.