Learning to Wait

Random Mongolia Fact:
The Mongolian death worm is a fabled worm that is said to be bright red and attack goats and sheep on the outskirts of the herd. There is no scientific evidence proving their existence, but their history is alive and well in Mongolian folklore and family stories. Check it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_death_worm (Sorry, you'll have to copy and paste the URL since the link won't work)

I'm sitting here writing this, I can't help but let a shock of amazement run through my body in the thought of knowing that I will be in Mongolia, a foreign and desolate land, in less then 10 days. I think of the adventure that lies ahead, and I think of all the excitement. This past week I've struggled with the idea of this being a 'glamour' trip, knowing this will be my first time outside the United States in my 21 years of existence. I have battled with all the ideas of grandeur and photo opportunities galor while over seas. I really have been 'wanting' to buy an SLR this last semester so I could capture the 'moments' so-to-speak, but something has been gnawing on my heart about spending nearly $800 for a camera. After praying about it and wondering what the big deal was, God's been revealing my heart's true ambition through this matter. My mind quickly runs to the idea that this is a "trip of a lifetime" and uses this as quite valid excuse to buy a camera. Yet, over the past week, I've listened to an array of sermons from Britt Merrick, Tim Chaddick, Mark Driscol, and Matt Chandler, and the underlying theme of materialism stuck out like a uncut tuft of grass in a freshly mowed lawn. It was subtle enough to be overlooked, yet when light hit it just right, I couldn't miss it. I realized I was being driven by the idea of having a nice new camera, would somehow make this trip even more special. My heart would try to make the excuse, "But Lord, if I get this camera, I can use it to glorify You!" Even now as I type this, it seems so childish! Me, some cocky flash-in-the-pan creation trying to convince God to show me if I should buy a stupid camera? That's when it hit me, like a mad hippopotamus that I was more concerned about what kind of camera I would be using instead of my spiritual preparation. I was so caught up in my debate of the Canon t3i and the Canon 60D that I wasn't even focused on the trip. I was saddened when I saw this, but so thankful that I caught this before I fell into my own greediness. It's been awesome to see little things like my camera ordeal come out in a different light to really see what my heart is really thinking in regards to this trip. I am still battling with excitement of traveling and the reality of knowing that I will be diving head first into the mission field for six solid weeks. Typing this excites me to see what God has been doing and what God is going to do.
I'm praying that these little pieces of selfishness will capsize 100 fold into blessing the people of Mongolia. I am not going over there because of selfish ambition, but as a bondservant to Christ, delivering the message of His goodness. I am so excited to see how we will be used as a team, and where we will be stretched. In reality, the excitement now will probably fade into many other emotions, but I just pray boldness and courage in fighting through the negativity and recognizing the plan the Spirit has in store for us as a team. So please keep our team in your prayers for that!

By the way, if you want to follow two great Bible studies this summer, Matt Chandler is leading a study of Habakkuk and Tim Chaddick is doing a study on the boook of Hosea. These have both been very instrumental in my life over the past few weeks, and I encourage you to look into these podcasts as well!