Hello and salutations! I hope that this e-mail finds you and your family GREAT, and your day going well! I am writing you from my rooftop mattress section from the Citadel Hostel in Jerusalem, Israel. The view is breathtaking! The sun is just beginning to set and there are towers surrounding the hostel on each side that hold bells which ring hourly to call people to worship. This makes sleeping in a little difficult! Graduation from the six month Around the World Discipleship Training School was two days ago. This has been quite an adjustment! I am missing the people who had become my family and curious about the future. Thank you for your faithful prayers, and your continued support! Your encouragement means so much to me.
The team that I traveled with to Southeast Asia and myself have compiled a video. (A special thank you to Sara for her video editing skills, and to everyone else for being intentional about taking photos/video!) This offers a glimpse into the ministry and travel we did while we were in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and India. I hope you get a chance to look at it because we could not have done it without you journeying with us!
The link to the video, uploaded on youtube is: http://youtu.be/w3Nb04Yz6E4
Some of the lectures we had the last few days were given by Joseph Watson. He is a Nashvillian also, and taught us about dreaming while we were in New Zealand. He joined us in Israel to finish our DTS. He spoke about re-entry and continuing in walking out our faith. This was inspiring and I was reminded by Joseph of three lessons (of many!) I have learned during this Discipleship Training School:
1. God loves me (He loves you too!).
2. I can trust God (you can too!).
3. My identity isn’t found in what I do or what I look like, but who I am: daughter (you are a child of God too!)
We graduated on the Mount of Olives on Thursday August 11th. We received our diplomas in the morning on the mountain with a beautiful celebratory dinner in a garden restaurant that evening. There were speeches celebrating graduation, the things God had done in our lives, and one another. Everyone was very clean, smelled great, and looked gorgeous (we dressed up for dinner). On Friday morning we said goodbye to the staff, leaders, and half of the students as they traveled on. We checked out of the hotel that had become home for the last two weeks.
No longer a part of the school, approximately 12 of us graduates are still together. I am so thankful to be traveling with them. Honestly? This has been a difficult transition. My heart hurts saying goodbye, and I had to process the fear I was experiencing about this season change. The money for outreach (travel, hospitality, sleeping, and food) had been raised before we left. Our leaders made our contacts and travel arrangements and budgeted using those funds. Now all these things are my own responsibility. So after crying yesterday, I am prayerfully seeking God’s guidance in all of these areas: travel, finances, sleeping, food, ect. Trusting God as Savior AND Provider AND Leader. This is something that I am walking out, and choosing each day.
Tomorrow we are traveling from Jerusalem back to Tel Aviv to volunteer at ELAV. This is a three day conference for Christian Israeli youth with worship and speakers. I am excited to see what God is up to, and to meet more people from Israel! If you want to check their website out it is:
http://www.elav2011.co.il/en/tour
God has been speaking to me about Matthew 14:22-33: the story of Jesus walking on water, and Peter asking Jesus to invite him to talk on the water too. Jesus invites him saying, “Come.” And Peter steps out. Doesn’t this seem radical? If Peter trusted Jesus enough to WALK ON WATER? How much more easily should it be for us to trust Him with things that don’t defy physics? This makes me think the definition of faith. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1) and Hebrews 11:6a says that without faith it is impossible to please God. This was the passage God gave me before leaving Nashville. I smile to be brought back to these verses. Going to New Zealand was a step closer to Jesus for me. Now? I am stepping out again as I travel and pursue the next step with God.
My faith and relationship with God continue growing. I heard someone say recently, “Faith is spelt: R-I-S-K.” We all need to have our own walking on water experiences with Jesus, right? The wind can be scary: distractions, the unknown, traditions, ect. But when Peter begins to sink because he is distracted by the wind? He calls out and Jesus grabs his hand immediately. If you want to share your walking on water experience with Jesus, I would LOVE to hear about your own experience of trusting God. Or if you have any prayer requests I would love to join you with prayer.
Prayer requests:
Please pray for unswerving focus on the Lord, peace during this time of transition and change, wisdom and God’s guidance.
Multiplication of finances, and God’s provision.
Divine appointments, opportunities to share God’s love.
Please pray for the youth coming from all over Israel for Elav: healing, softening of their hearts, life changing encounters with God and God’s people.
Big hugs, prayers, love, and blessings from Jerusalem!
:o)
Carla
Carla