Full Acceptance!

I am back in the US! Sorry for he slowness of this posting. It has been a fast and furious month of packing Loren and Karen to move to Chile, unpacking myself here in the US, visiting family and friends (packing and unpacking with some of them...hint Melodi..ha), and so on. It has been wonderful to be back and see those that I love and difficult to be back and miss those that I love in Nicaragua. Still, I am glad to be here because I know that this is where God wants me for right now. I am excited for the semester to start and to meet my new group of college students and to get to catch up with many of you!

1st off I want to say a huge THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been so blessed by God over the last 8 month journey and so many of you have prayed for me, financially supported me, encouraged me, checked in one me, and made me feel loved and cared for. I am humbled and blessed to know you and be loved by you...thank you!


Currently, I am back at A&M teaching all my fun classes once again...YEA! I am also praying over where God wants to use me in the future. For now I am asking about one day at a time. I have a meeting in September with the International Mission Board...so you can be praying for a sensitive heart to the HS for both myself and the IMB representative as to where God is leading.

There is one thing that I am for sure of wherever I am:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1: 15-16)

I amd in full acceptance of this scripture and this is really where God is showing me that I should be spiritually regardless of where I am physically. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners......people like me...messed up in their thinking and in their selfishness...sinners of whom I am the foremost. And I received Christ's mercy for one reason, that I foremost of sinners, might display his perfect patience as an example to those who are to believe!!!

I was not given mercy just for me! God loves the world...every nation, tribe, and tongue. God gave me mercy so that I can in turn share with others about His greatness and glory. That I can tell others about this life I have found that is fuller, richer, and greater than anything I could have desired or accomplished on my own accord.

There is so much more to share and I will as time goes on. I am going to keep up with the blog..yippee!

With a thankful heart,
Rachel

A Beautiful Exhaustion!

So much has happened in the last four weeks that I have put off writing for a few days because I didn't even know where to start. However, there is one thing that keeps coming up. One thing that I do know.

God is working!

"Jesus said to them, My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working." (John 5:17)

Throughout the last few weeks I have been "on" pretty much all the time. I was leading (with lots of help) groups of 40+ people. Also, I had the honor to be a prayer partner for Melodi while she was with the Living Hope team in Haiti. It was so neat to hear about how God is working in Haiti while at the same time being in awe of all that God is doing here in Nicaragua. What is so incredible to me is that while my body and mind were in a state of complete exhaustion, my spirit was in a complete state of awe. Do you know what an amazing God we serve?

I mean seriously think about it for a moment. The God we serve is working...in us, around us, through us (if we let Him) ALL the time and ALL over the world! I think sometimes I get this narrow view of where or how God is working. Well, not the past few weeks. God is drawing people to Himself all around the world. God is doing miracles, changing lives, forgiving, healing, moving mountains!

Each night our large group would get together and talk about all the ways in which we had seen God move that day. Sometimes we would talk for hours about all that we had seen God do. I was so encouraged by listening to others and by giving the glory to God for all He is doing.

I wish I could share it all with you. I wish I could give you eyes to see into me so that I could show you all that God has done. I think that is often what many people think when they get home from a mission trip. How do you explain to the people you love, to those around you, about all you have witnessed? You can't! There is no way they can know....truly know. At the same time, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. Every time someone hears the excitement in my voice, the look of awe in my eye, or the lack of words to express how great my God is they will gain a glimpse into His goodness.

Yes, I have been exhausted. Yes, I have slept on hard surfaces. Yes, I have been hot...dirty....eaten up by mosquitos...sick at my stomach....and so on. And all I can say is....Yes, I am overwhelmed by God's goodness.... My cup overflowth!

What?
That doesn't make sense.
Oh, but it does.

Anyone who has gone out for the sake of the gospel is shaking their head right now. They understand exactly what I am saying. They know that God is working. They know that God allowing us a small glimpse into His goodness is overwhelming.


I am in a state of beautiful exhasution.....my heart is full of praise!

Psalm 148

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens,
Praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all the angels;
Praise him, all the hosts!

Praise him, sun and moon,
Praise him, all you shinning stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

Priase the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulling his word!

Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above the earth and heaven.

He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the pople of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!

The man holding the bible is Sergio, a man very dear to my heart. I turned around one day on a hike and saw these 2 men kneeling in the middle of a dirt path on the side of the mountain. They prayed together and this man accepted Jesus as his savior. Sergio saw me and called me over. He said to the man, "I would like for you to meet your new sister in Chirst!" Sergio has been out with the past 7 teams...7 weeks in a row....a beautiful exhaustion!!!!

Ocotal Area!

God is working mightly in the Ocotal area of Nicaragua. We are heading back out with 4 more teams to the same area in the morning. It is a mix of teams from different areas and a mix of ages so be praying for unity within the group.


We are passing out a study guide that one of the IMB missionaries made to go along with a radio program that will air for 12 weeks througout rural areas of Nicaragua. The guide shares the gospel and then also goes through some discipleship. This is great for rural areas that often don't have a church close enough to attend. It is also wonderful for those who can not read. Almost everyone has access to a radio.


Last week we had 2 groups in the Ocotal area and we passed out the study guide in 42 communities. Many people have already called the surrounding churches asking for information because they read the guide and accepted Christ. We had about 25 people accept Jesus just from the days we were passing out the guide!



Pray for us as we go back out. Pray for the Lord to open more hearts to the truth of His word. Pray for wisdom and energy for me and the other leaders as we have been going non-stop. I am so excited to see what the Lord is going to continue to do in this area and I am beyond excited about all that He has already done! Okay, more later... it is 1:00am and I am still not packed. Here are a few pictures from last week. (The first picture is of a couple of young men reading the study guide we had just given them)

An Amazing Week!

I was so blessed by the team this week. It is such a sweet thing to spend time with others who are wanting evermore to be fully surrendered to the gospel. We had such awesome times of bible study, discussion, and encouragement. We went to Nawahwas and Las Canaes to spread the gospel. It was really sweet that one of the team members Jared had gone to Las Canaes a couple of years ago and there was only one believer. Now, the church is growing and the message is being spread. One of the men that walked with us from house to house had only been a believer for 5 months and it was incredible to see his excitement to share the bible with his community. What a sweet time for Jared to be able to come back once again and share the love of Jesus with this community.

I want to tell you about an experience in which God showed me a small glimpse into how He has compassion on us. One very hot afternoon (all days were very hot, it is 100% humity in this community and your clothes are soaked with sweat even if you are just sitting in the shade) we gathered together with the local Nicas for a fun game of baseball. I decided not to play and to spend some time with the locals who where watching the game. I met this sweet little girl!

Isn't she beautiful?

As she came running up to see us I thought to myself "what a pretty little girl." I saw her running towards me and and my heart was filled with joy to have the privlige to get to spend time with her. As she began to warm up to me she would jump on my lap or touch my hands or face. At one point I made her laugh and she threw her head back and giggled with a huge grin.

This is what I saw inside that beautiful little girl's sweet mouth.

My heart grimmaced, it actually ached for her.

Now, this is not an uncommon sight here in Nicaragua. In fact, her teeth are better than some. However, for some reason at that moment my heart hurt for her because of her rotting teeth. Even though these are her baby teeth and new teeth will come in...it is likely they will end up in the same shape as these teeth. Many nicaraguans go through much pain and infection due to the rotting of their teeth. What God later showed me as I had some down time was that this is often how He sees me.

I saw this beautiful sweet child who my made my heart happy coming towards me. As she smiled that big happy grin my heart clinched because I could she the rotting teeth and I knew the pain she would have to endure because of it.

I think that this is maybe a incredibly small glimpse of how God must see me. I am His child, who make His heart happy, running towards Him and yet He can see the sin inside of me that is rotten and wicked and His heart clinches and aches for me because He wants the best for me. He loves me and desires for me to be His, to live in the grace and mercy He has freely given me through the sending of His son Jesus to die on the cross for me. Yet, I often instead choose to live in my rotteness - to pursue my own fleshy desires and to satisfy myself and I grieve Him because He loves me so dearly and has compassion on me. Yet, a time is coming, and will come when there will be no more compassion.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son to condem the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whowever believes in him is not condemened, but whoever does not believe is condemed already, because he has not believed in the name of the Only Son of God. John 3:16-18.

Whoever does not believe in the name of the Only Son of God is condemed already........that was me before I was saved, that was you before you were saved, that IS you if you are not saved. Jesus is the name of the Only Son of God and the bible says that Jesus states:

I am the way, the truth, and the life and NO ONE comes to the Father EXCEPT THROUGH ME. John 14:6

We often don't like to talk about it so bluntly beacuse it seems like such as harsh gospel. Yet that is because we don't see it as it truly is....we all deserve Hell, we are all sinners and in His GOODNESS God has made a way for us to come to Him and be restored through his son Jesus Christ.

As I spent the afternoon with this beautiful little girl my hearts cry was , "please Lord open her heart to the gospel, save!" In your goodness and grace open her heart because my heart aches for her because of her teeth.....wait, rewind....did I just say her teeth?

Yep, it ached for her teeth and the pain it would cause her in the future. Oh, how much more deeply my soul crys out for her real future that will be after this life.

Those who do not know God will suffer the punsihment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord....2 Thessalonians 1:9

Your word says that you are returning and on that day you will judge. Oh, God open our eyes to the truth of the gospel! Let every believer take your word to be truth and share this truth with those around them who are lost and dying to eternal separation from you. Have mercy on us Father and open our eyes to your calling. You have called us to share the message of truth with others!

Please God raise up workers for your kingdom..... so that a little girl in a community that does not even appear on the map of Nicaragua may come to know you and then share you with her sweet little brother

and that he might share ....and on and on!

You can't outgive God!!!

Wow, things are moving fast around here. So much has happened since my last post. Teams are coming in and going out while so much is going on in the middle of their stay. My heart is ever more burdened for the lost. The harvest is ripe and the workers are few. Matthew 9:(36) When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (37)Then He said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. (38)Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."

God is teaching me so much. Big, powerful thoughts...yet so simple. Such as, Do you believe the Bible? No, I mean do you REALLY believe the Bible?

If my answer to that is yes (which it is) then it must change the way that I live. It must change the way I think, act, pray, everything must change. I can't just live comfortably in my house, surrounded by all my stuff, and pretend that the bible and what it says is not impacting. It is impacting! It impacts everything! It impacts eternity!

I could go on and on about thoughts such as these because God is challenging me greatly. He is challenging me in many ways.... one way is through this sermon series/book. I challenge you to check it out! Here is the link to the videos or the book (Radical) which you can buy for around $12.

http://www.brookhills.org/media/series/radical
This is an 8 sermon series called RADICAL. So incredible, so biblical!

More about the series later! I am still processing alot of it myself and would love to process along with you if you have read the book or listened to the series feel free to leave comments.

On another note, God sure can give beyond measure! I never dreamed that through my obedience to God by coming here to Nicaragua that I would be blessed so amazingly. I have been able to see God's creation so clearly and so beautifully. I have been where few people have walked. I have stood on mountain tops and walked along the sea shores. I have prayed in wooden homes tucked in valleys holding the hands of people whose words I don't understand all the while smiling because I know that our Father in heaven hears and understands. I have held children in my arms whose little hands cling to mine and faces beam with smiles that we have come to their homes, homes that few come to visit. Oh, God...who am I that you are mindful of me? Who am I that you would desire to use me? I am in awe of your goodness.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him. (Psalm 8:3-4)

A Few Pictures of Nicaragua!

The church we built in Muy Muy Viejo! (1st church in this area ...God is So Good)

This is about midway through the project.

Beginning stages. We carried that wood for miles on our shoulders.

Getting ready to put the frame up.

Sleeping quarters when out with a team. I atually enjoy sleeping in a hammock.
A few girls hanging out with us at a school.
A boy with his little brother.
This is how they make cheese...gringos can't eat it because it will make them sick.
This is the make-shift shower. I usually go for the creek.
A good mode of transportation during the rainy season!
La Latrina - this is where you do your business...ha!
A typical family home in the mountains.
In the kitchen- cooking area. The stove is made up of dirt, it is pretty awesome.
Girls looking out the window at the funny gringa!

Lay it Down!

There is so much that has happened over the last several weeks. We have had a couple of teams and it has all been an amazing and exhausting experience. The last two weeks we built a church in Muy Muy Viejo. It is a mountain town up in the middle of nowhere Nicaragua. It was alot of hard work and yet a beautiful thing all at the same time. We carried wood over a mile on our shoulders. The wood was cut with a chainsaw from huge trees and carried long distance by men and women up to the top of a hill where the church now stands. I want to write more about this church and the people of Muy Muy Viejo and I will later.

What I want to write about now, instead, is a little more difficult but a sweet conviction from the Lord nontheless. You see the last couple of weeks I have been doing ministry and yet I felt off. I couldn't expalin to you why. I just knew my quiet time and prayer time with the Lord wasn't the same. I had been praying about it and wasn't really sure what was going on. The Lord has been showing me over the last couple of days.

What God showed me was that over the last few weeks my focus has been on myself and not on Him. You see several weeks before the last team came in people had been telling me about a 31 year old guy that was coming. They were kindof hinting about he and I. Well I didn't really put alot of thought into it then. But as the days got closer I started thinking well, maybe this is a Godly man who the Lord has put in my path for a reason. It turns out the guy was very sweet but not the guy for me. What I now realize was that as the week went on I started thinking.....Hey God what about me...a family???? I starting thinking about things that sometimes I think girls worry about...lonliness, a protector, physical beauty, comparisons, etc. What God has shown me was for about 8-10 days my thoughts were all about me. My focus was on me and it was a continous spiral of thoughts where the devil could take hold...what if I never marry? Am I pretty? What will I do after this? Where will I live? I had taken my eyes off the Father. I had taken my eyes off the one who is love...the one who is life.

I was listening to a sermon by Ben Stuart from Breakaway. It was one on the Abraham series about the sacrifice of Issac. Ben asked the audience to write down a question. What are you holding on to? What will you not lay down and give to God? I thought to myself, well...nothing. I have given up my home, job, family, etc. Is there anything else God? Then Ben said...are there any hopes, desires, or dreams that you wouldn't lay down before the Lord trusting him as your Lord. Trusting that His will is best?

There was...although I do pray over this from time to time I had never had it fill my thoughts as it did the last 8-10 days. My thoughts were all about me. I had missed opportunites to share with people, to encourage younger women, to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His leading.

I would rather not write this post honestly. I don't even know who will read it or why it would impact anyone other than me. I do know that for some reason tp write it makes me feel weak. I find myself wanting to follow it up by saying I am confident in myself and happy and all that....because I am...but that doesn't mean that negative thoughts don't come and no matter how few, they are destructive. Plus, it is my fullest desire is to lay it all down. My life is no longer mine but belongs to God. I want to serve Him with my life and I trust that whatever His will is for my life is best. I want to serve Him in faith in my singleness or with a family. I want to walk with him keeping my eyes open for what He is leading me to and be in obedience to His will. I have nothing to fear in that. I know truth! I know I can have an inexpressible joy because however He decides to use me will be far better than anything I could ask or imagine. It will be IMMEAURABLY MORE. I know it.

So, I write this. I write it so I don't forget. What is so sweet is that as soon as God showed me my focus was on myself I prayed and asked forgivess and it was gone. "it" being the yuckness of the "what if's?" Instead, I was filled with a joy and excitement of what God will do in me and has done in me. What it has reminded me is that I must Lay it all down each day. What is mine is not really mine but His. If I do have children, they are His and what better place for them to be but in His Hands. So I pray with my hands open before the Lord. Whatever God chooses to fill them with I will not grasp to tightly but keep them open because my life and everything I have is His.

How quickly thoughts can happen. We take our focus off of Him and begin to worry, to think about the future or the past in our own understanding, to wish or want something the world puts before us.

I don't want those things. I want to abide in him and know truth. "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

----A few verses from Before the Throne of God ----
My soul is purchased by his blood, my soul is hid with him on high. One with him I can not die. With Christ my savior and my God.

Why would I want my focus to be on me and on this world when I know truth. I know that it is all about Jesus. His love, His sacrafice for me. My name is graven in His Hands and Written on His Heart. My focus and my desire is for others to know Him... wherever He takes me and whatever I do that is my hope and my desire.