What a month...

This past month has probably been the largest emotional roller coaster of my life. I don't even like roller coasters. Which means the past month was hard. It may have been hard but it was a good kind of hard. The kind of hard where you come out the other end and you are thankful that it was hard otherwise you would have not learned anything about life and the plans that God has in it. I'm thankful that God allows us to learn amidst hard situations.

You see, this past month was filled with applications, interviews, visits from parents, conversations about my future, many hours in prayer, and many moments of confusion. Oh and a super tough retreat that rocked me to my core.

This month I filled out the first two applications for TEAM. TEAM stands for The Evangelical Alliance Mission. TEAM "partners with the local church to send missionaries and establish reproducing churches among the nations, going where the most people have the most need and proclaiming the gospel in both word and action." With that being said. I'm super excited about the opportunity that God has placed before me to pursue missions in Peru. My hope is to partner with the local Peruvians in Arequipa at El Camino Church to develop a kid's ministry program and train locals so that eventually it will be lead by them. I'm currently on the track to spend 2 years there. However, there is a long process ahead of me before I actually depart for Peru. There are still many interviews and documents that need to be filled out. I'm on track to finish everything by Mid-July, Early-August to have my file reviewed by the Midterm missions board in September. If my file is approved then I will be in contact with current missionaries in Peru to learn more about the culture and needs of Arequipa. This also means that I can attend a week long training in November. At this point will be able to start fundraising. Once I reach the 60-70% range I will attend another training. Then once the 100% is in I will leave for Peru! This whole process could potentially take up to a year and sometimes longer. I would greatly appreciate your prayers through this process as I have been dreaming of going back to Peru since I got back from a short term trip two years ago. It's hard to believe that this dream may become a reality!! If you would like to read more about TEAM and the missions opportunity in Peru click here!

If there is anything I've learned this past month it is that I need to be in constant prayer and in complete trust of what the Holy Spirit is doing in my life. I've seen prayers answered this month in ways I have never seen before. I'm learning that when you put complete trust in Him to direct, you things will happen.

Like I said earlier in this blog. I went on a Women's Retreat with Flatirons. I can't post a ton of details about the retreat here. As some of you reading this will be attending the retreat this fall. What I can say is that the strategy for my life has changed. I have asked for God to help me as I move forward to leave my burden in the past and seek to be the queen, lover, magi, and warrior of the kingdom that the sovereign God has entrusted me with.

On another note, the internship is starting to wind down. It's crazy to think that there are only 2 1/2 months left!! Where did the year go?!?!?! I've been incredibly blessed to have been a part of such an amazing place. Flatirons has become a home away from home for me. I've learned a lot this year about myself and about God and about ministry. Some people asked me if I regretted moving to Colorado because I am no longer going to live here after July 31. My answer. NOT AT ALL!!! This year has helped me to realize that I can survive thrive in an area where I initially did not know anyone. It has helped me to discover myself and what I am capable of without without my Wheaton "bubble" around me. I have loved living in Colorado this past year. I've gained so many new friends and let's be honest those friends have been more like family for me this year. I'm sad to leave them in Colorado as I move forward in this journey of my life but I'm so thankful for them and the support they have offered me.

Please pray that I would be able to be fully present in the last 2 1/2 months of the internship. I've already started to see my focus shift to the future. Pray that I would continue to invest in the friendships and ministries at Flatirons even as my time here comes to an end. (For now that is. Who knows? Maybe I'll end up at Flatirons again in the future.) Pray for me to stay aligned with God's calling in my life and that I would stay focused on him when I want things to go my way.