Halfway through the semester, already?!

Between the ice days in February and spring break in March, this semester has absolutely flown by! For this update, I wanted to share some reflections that have been on my mind and heart.

1. God is working whether I'm there or not.

Something that has been sticking with me about Jesus is that to become human, he accepted limitations. He became a physical being who would be limited by time, space, and energy levels. He had to eat and sleep and rest. He wasn't out healing people and preaching to the masses 24/7. And it seems like he was okay with that. 

Ministry never really ends and that means that I can't (and shouldn't) be present for everything. But the cool thing is that God is working with and without me! He is inviting me into the work he's already started. When I meet someone on campus and they've been looking for a ministry to be a part of, I know God has already been moving in their lives to prompt that desire. Even in just a solid conversation, the Lord went ahead of that. I've talked about this before but this year has been a lot about me accepting my limitations and seeing the reality of God being sovereign and faithful. And me learning not to just rely on myself.

A side effect of this is that ministry is so so fun because I get to be a part of what God is doing without stressing myself out! And I get to learn to trust my teammates, making those friendships even sweeter!

Kailey (purple gloves) and I introduced Darby to kickboxing!

I'm passing on my newly found passion for plants to Hannah.

Katrina and Blue Belle chilling during core.

2. God gets to work in his own timing.

There's a theme here of my impatience :). But this is another idea that's been starting to seep into my heart. Growth isn't often fast and change is a process. My core was talking a couple weeks ago about how hard it can be to wait. We were complaining at first but then we started talking about how that process of waiting can lead us to lean on God more. In that space, God develops a greater intimacy with us.

God does not seem to be in a rush to correct every ignorant thing we think and do. And he’s also not in a rush to give us everything we could ever want to know upfront. He’s serious about willful sin but He is patient with us and reveals things in the timing he sees as best. Which means that this process takes a while and we can’t do much about it. Gosh, I can be so impatient in this area. I want to know upfront how I need to grow and the exact steps I need to take. I would really appreciate it if he'd tell me the best way to help people, thank you. 

But when I trust God's timing, I am free to make mistakes and own up to them. My security must be rooted in the Lord, and not in my own goodness. My goodness is way too shaky for that. I'm so excited to see how this truth will change my ministry.

I hope that whatever the Lord may be teaching you in your season of life, you are encouraged by how sweet our God is. 

A fun night learning to dance!

Aileen and Ernesto got married! Aileen and I were students together and she was in my peer team my first year on staff. I'm such a big fan of this couple!

We had an Olympic themed leader meeting and won gold!

Thank you for reading and wanting to be a part of this ministry, you guys mean the world to me. If there's any way I can be praying for you, don't hesitate to let me know!

Kindly,