I'm a royal heir, not a slave! -from June 23, 2013

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs –heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”  Romans 8:14-17

I realize I have been feeling more like a slave than a royal heir.  I felt convicted of this mentality when I was meeting with one of my new Mongolian friends for lunch and she said “I read your blog and it sounds like you are having such a hard time here.  I am so sorry, I will help you learn how live here!”  Sheepishly I looked down into my coffee and tried to diffused the situation and tell her about all of the honest reasons why I love living here.  So let me just state for the record: I really do love living here in Mongolia!

I am sorry for my hum-drum attitude in my last few blog posts.  In an effort to be honest about the challenges in my walk with the Lord through this process, I have mistakenly left out the truly wonderful parts of this journey.  God’s Word and His Spirit have been so alive to me in this process.  Even in the hardest moments, I have felt His Presence and his embrace.  Just as a parent would run to a child that was hurt on the playground, I have felt Him run to me and speak so kindly to my hurt heart.

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her, and there I will give her vineyards and make the Valley of Anchor (trouble) a door of hope.  And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth...” Hosea 2:14-15

This morning I felt the Lord explain to me that rather than just a small peon in His game of life that has no rights or say in anything I do, I am a royal heir, a princess that gets to serve with the King of Kings.  You see, a princess has a ton of rights and privileges, but along with those rights and privileges come a responsibility to her kingdom.  I get to be royalty, but I also have a duty to serve my kingdom as an ambassador for the King.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

Be where you’re at. from 7/28/13

July 28^th, 2013 –Sunday afternoon

This past weekend we got to be a part of a 20 year celebration of our church here in Mongolia.  I was amazed at the testimonies of lives changed and the unreached tribes of Mongolians reached with the Gospel of Jesus in all corners of Asia.  And this is just the beginning.  As part of the celebration service, they handed out commemorative coffee mugs with John 3:16 in Mongolian written on it.  This little coffee mug has probably been one of the most significant things I have received so far in our time here.  Let me explain:

When John and I obeyed Jesus and started making plans to move our family here, after our home was miraculously rented and our jobs were notified, I was beginning to get overwhelmed.  We Skyped with an amazing missionary family stationed in the Middle East to pick their brains on how to prepare for such a life change.  With only 5 suitcases for 8 months, my questions revolved mostly around what to pack.  One piece of advice that she gave was to bring things that make your place feel like home, even if they seem impractical.  So because part of our routine every morning is to greet Jesus with a cup of coffee, we wanted to bring our mugs from home.  I brought a Dallas Starbucks coffee mug that I have used every morning for now the past 2 months of living here in Ulan Bator. 

After receiving this new Mongolian mug this weekend, I decided to give it a try for the morning.  And then it hit me: I really am living in Mongolia.  I’m here.  Not back there.  And so while the mug may sound like a melodramatic symbol, I have decided not to use my Dallas mug anymore.  I am determined to be where God has put me; mentally, emotionally & spiritually.    

In this process of being where I am, I go through waves of excitement for the adventure here and longing for comfort back in Dallas.  Sometimes the fear of regret motivates me to press into ministry; but on the good days, I am motivated by the love for God’s people here that He has downloaded into my heart.  I pray that each day God will help me see with spiritual eyes the people in front of me that need to experience his love through me. 

Living with intentionality is a quality and a discipline we all admire. Jesus was the best at this.  He came to earth and in less than 40 years he accomplished more than anyone ever could or ever would.  He healed the sick, made the blind see, conquered death and provided us a way to have a relationship with the Most High God!  He resisted the temptation to run to every problem that demanded him or worry about the future.  He simply lived in constant communication with the Father and obeyed what he was told with joy. 

I hope that in my time here I am able to learn how to live my life with a greater sense of purpose for each day.  This is my prayer not just for my time in Mongolia, but I hope Jesus builds more of his character in me so I too can be propelled with love and live with no regrets.

“…But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:13-14