Beautiful Collision

I don't know what I'll be doing next year. 

• I might teach another year of sixth grade math at Chavez. 
• I might go to the University of Maryland or Catholic for a year to earn my MSW. 
• I might move back to Georgia to teach secondary math, or work at World Relief with refugees in east Atlanta, or go to Georgia State or UGA for my MSW.
• Or, maybe, I'll move to the Black Sea region of Turkey.

My heart aches for the people of the Black Sea region in northeast Turkey.  I think about Sumer and Mustafa and Memit often.  I want to know how to pray for them so that my heart will match the Lord's heart for this people.  In my dreams I envision a beautiful collision of the workers of the harvest serving and loving boldly in the name of Jesus, and the Lord answering His people's prayers for the nations.

I am a million things lately.

• I am a joyful girl who is in this time truly happy. "My smiles are genuine and my laughter is true." 
• But I am tired a lot because I am busy always - and so I try not to be worried, exhausted, and stressed. 
• At school, my mind rushes every which way for the children need so many things, and it is my job to serve them with structure, consistency, and love.  I teach them math, but I also teach them about life and [I try] to guide them towards making good choices and striving for what really matters in life. Sometimes I just pass out Kleenex because it's cold and flu season, and I supervise detention and issue demerits, and answer questions like, "How you call this?" (You call this "celery").  Other times, I give hugs and assure the children that I will be there when they come back tomorrow morning; the same Ms. Moore will be there ready to welcome them and start their day. 

• My desire is to serve spiritually through intercessory prayer, and through daily missional living.  Rather than scheduling acts of service or sliding into volunteer slots, I want service to be such an integral part of who I am that I am constantly putting brothers and sisters before me.  I want to be part of a Church body that seeks the "one thing" - to know the Lord intimately.  (Ps. 27:4).  I want to be still and rest and get to know Jesus better.  But - sometimes I am overwhelmed with all the peoples, all the families, all the individuals, all the everything everywhere that needs prayer... but I must remember, Jesus is our High Priest; He is the ultimate Intercessor.  I am so glad He is faithful.

• I pray for my family.  I pray for their hearts to be continuously transformed and humbled and grown in their nearness to our Father; I pray for the Holy Spirit to come wash over them like the rushing wind.

Please, listen to Jennifer Knapp's "Faithful to Me"