Back to the grind

Hello friends! I have been back for two weeks now. It amazes me how fast time can go. These last couple weeks have had its ups and downs. I had to say goodbye to some of my best friends. They are now spread throughout the world. Literally. It was like closing one chapter and starting a new one all at the same time. Equally exciting and terrifying, but mostly bittersweet. Goodbyes suck. Theres no way around it. Seeing my family was amazing and helped with the sadness I was feeling. Its funny, community living was not my favorite thing in the world. However, being home and somewhat alone has made me miss it tremendously. I never thought those words would ever come out of my mouth. Thats coming from an introvert. Madness.

Now life is still moving forward and I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself. I quit my job officially at the school district, a week after being home. That was a long time coming. The Lord gently and sweetly nudged that into my heart and after months of praying about it, I pulled the trigger. So I'm virtually jobless at the moment. The weird thing is, I'm not worried or stressed about not finding anything. The only thing I have to hold onto is my faith in Gods provision. The Lord provided me with $10,000 in two months for my lecture phase and outreach. TWO MONTHS! That was something I never thought would happen. I know this sounds crazy to most. I get it. It sounded crazy to me too. It still sounds crazy to me. But He did it. So I trust completely in him and his provision for a job. Not worrying about it is the most freeing feeling I have ever experienced. He's traded my worries and fears with his peace. He has provided babysitting jobs in the meantime to get me by. I am currently in the process of updating my resume and applying for jobs in ministry. After a lot of prayer and conformation, I feel that is where he's leading me. I'm not exactly sure what it looks like yet. My heart is to disciple. I am praying for vision and clarity for what area of ministry to go into.

That pretty much sums up where I'm at right now.


With that said, Ch!na was absolutely incredible. We held English Corners at some University's. We would spend most of our days making friends and inviting them to learn English. That was our ministry. I had one ministry partner and we would lead the English Corner with games, a story and discussion questions. Evangelism is illegal in Ch!na. We had to be careful and use discernment on what to say and when to say it. All of the study topics were geared toward the bible but if we had a spy or something in the group, they wouldn't be able to tell. I will never forget all the joy, laughter and conversations we had as we taught them about the love God has for them. Seeing the way they processed truth -without any walls up or preconceived judgements was a beautiful thing. Explaining what the bible is and how to use it was so humbling. Telling them about Jesus and who he is and watching them grow hungry and curious to learn more. "More Jesus stories," they would say. So we gave them more. I found myself learning as I taught -seeing things from a different perspective almost every single time. Watching the Holy Spirit work through me. There were so many times when they would ask me a question and I didn't have an answer. They are smart. Way smarter than me. Without fail, the Holy Spirit showed up and gave me the words to say. It was a challenge at times, but we grew and learned together.

Theres so much more I could say about it. The Lord did so much. He softened hearts, changed peoples way of thinking, he taught me about grace, love and that pursuing him, no matter the cost, will always be worth it. I made so many great friends. Friends I still talk to and will continue to plant seeds in, encourage and love. My heart is so full.

Here is a 4 minute video of everything we got to do. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3tOoIDg21Bw&feature=youtu.be

Here are a few pictures of my favorite things we did:

English Corner friends

The Great Wall of China

We went to the orphanage every week. And every week, my heart was wrecked for these sweet lives.

Renmin University in Beijing. The Harvard of Ch!na. A communist university where you can major in Marxism or be recruited to join the Ch!nese political party. We shared love with journalists, prosecutors, scientists and active members of the communist party. This was a personal highlight of the trip for me.

I want to thank all of the people that prayed, encouraged, loved and supported me throughout these last six months. You have blessed me more than you'll ever know. 

Prayer:
Please pray for focus, vision and clarity as I look for a job and that I may be lead by the spirit on what to apply for.

Thank you!!

Blessings,
Christy