No matter where I go,
I sense God's existence.
He's above all that I can ever imagine,
His vastness fills the heavens of heaven.
His presence secures me in that
All will be well.
He brightens my world,
Even at the darkest hour.
I close my eyes and feel His power.
God sets my feet on level ground.
God's existence, yes, sustains my existence!
~Rogers N., PA~
I really like that poem (written by an inmate in the Crossroads Bible Institute program), and thought it appropriate in reflecting on this past summer. One thing that I will most take away from this summer is the evidence seen that God exists, He knows all things, and His ways are perfect and higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:8,9).
I say this because the plan was to go to Monterrey, Mexico for the summer to join in helping with groups coming there. However, that was changed when unrest began to be seen in the area and groups were cancelled. So instead, the missionaries went to the Dallas and Dominican Republic sites. And even though I was disappointed, it was for the better. God showed in so many ways that His way for the summer was higher than my way. Let me tell you why.
First, there was some unrest in the area, and although the summer probably would have been fine concerning this, it was wiser to wait and let things settle down and understand the situation better. We plan to continue with groups there again this next summer. Also, it was good for the Monterrey missionaries to help at the Dallas site in order for it to function more smoothly there, and for us to see what opportunities there are there. I think the most exciting thing for me to see there was the work done through the VBS at the church and at several apartment complexes. What an opportunity there is to minister to people within apartment complexes--something I wouldn't have thought of! The last week we did VBS at an apartment near the church we're connected with. There, two girls, referred to (by themselves) as Taylor 1 and Taylor 2, prayed to accept Christ! Praise the Lord for the work He did in Dallas this summer!
Then, there was also the opportunity for myself and another missionary (Jess Heagy) to visit the Dominican Republic site. It was enjoyable to be able to see a new country, meet some new faces, and get some new perspectives. It was a personal learning experience for me, and for Jess it was refreshing to feel like she was on a missions trip again. We both enjoyed a day in a village called Cercadillo, where a missionary is providing work for the women there through sewing. It was very enjoyable to see how TIME works in the D.R., especially to see how they build a chapel in a week, and put it up in a day! That's a way to provide for churches there that really takes experiencing it to fully appreciate it.
Oh, and did I mention that hurricane Alex affected Monterrey so much as to bring major flooding, wiping out major streets? Yeah, that would have been when we had a group. That would have been interesting and I'm quite sure that week would not have been very effective. They say that clean-up will take about six months there.
So you have an overall snapshot of the summer now and I hope that you too can see the evidence of God's existence and the fact that He knows all and cares for us enough to work out things for the better. "His presence secures me in that all will be well." Seeing the evidence of this spurred me on to continue to believe that what God has in store for me is bigger and better than whatever my way may be. Though I may think I understand which way would be best, I have a God that sees all things and will carry out His will in the best way, all to His glory! And I can rest in this knowledge.
So I say, "God's existence, yes, sustains my existence!"
