Nov 24, 2010
I am back in Texas, Praise the Lord! A lot has happened these past few months, and to sum it all up into one post will be tough, but I do believe it is possible. Hold on tight!
After graduating from the School of Discipleship in July 2010, I stayed in Texas for about a month and a half to help out in training someone else to take my place as Event Manager for the Central and Western regions of the USA; all the while living with a GFA staff family. Right after that, I was on a plane back to Pennsylvania, just in time for the beauty of Autumn on the East coast.
So began my journey in support raising to come back to Texas as staff at GFA. While I was there I didn’t feel like I fit there, because I knew I was called to serve at GFA, I felt like a fish out of water. I was asking God to please help me find some sort of ministry that I could fit into while away from GFA. Then, my mom started talking about a homeless ministry down in Philadelphia that some of the people from my church go to each Sunday. I had heard about this ministry before, but before I could start up with it, a lot of things happened in my life that stopped me from getting involved, and then I headed to GFA for a year. I prayed about it and felt tremendous peace about going, so I tagged along and was blessed tremendously.
Needless to say, God once again proved His faithfulness in providing me with a way to serve Him away from my home here at GFA. God sure is amazing isn’t He?!
Also, I got to help out for a little bit with the Youth Worship team for Youth Group, I love working with youth, so it was neat to see how the Youth Group I came from has grown, and to see the passion of the leaders as they live their lives as examples of godly men and women for the Youth. While I was there, I was given the opportunity to speak with the youth for about 45 minutes. I was planning on only taking up 30 mins max, but God laid so much on my heart to share with them that I just couldn’t stop talking! Which is so unlike me… therefore, I know it had to have been God speaking through me.
All throughout this entire time in PA, God continued to touch people’s hearts and they joined with me in reaching the lost in Asia through prayer and support. In faith, I was praying that God would have my support raised by the end of October so that I could drive down with Katie when she went back to Texas in November.
Slowly, the date was approaching, and I got the call saying that I could come back because I was at 95% of what I needed per month! Praise God! He answered that prayer, down to the exact day! So, one of my friends came, experienced an east coast Autumn for the first time, and we started our trek down to Texas.
It was a rather long drive, but I was so excited, I hardly noticed the long days that went into the trip. I was also sick with something that resembled Bronchitis, but the Lord gave me strength to push through each day. God is good! On our way down, about half way through our first day, my friend and I noticed that the engine light was on in my car. So, we pulled into the nearest gas station/ food place and made a few phone calls and continued on our way trusting the Lord to let us get to Texas safely. We got back and one of the guys checked out my car, and it was only a fluke! Praise God!
The day after we got back, I started my first day back in the GFA officially! Thanks for all that helped make getting me back possible! Praise God for the opportunity we have to make an eternal impact on the lost in Asia!
Wow, I’m surprised this all fit into one post! 😀
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Oct 8, 2010
A Few Of My Favorite Things
(The Mosquito Remix)
Rain on umbrellas,and playing the keyboard;
Afternoon tea-break and praising the Lord;
Family answ’ring the phone when it rings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When mosquitoes bite, when the ant stings,
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don’t feel so bad.
Taking my shoes off outside of the door
Sitting cross-legged on mats on the floor
Seeing a friend from the “Land of Kings”
These are a few of my favorite things.
Wearing punjabis and eating lime pickle
Spending two rupees instead of a nickel
Asian believers beginning to sing
These are a few of my favorite things.
Corie Anna 2010
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Sep 30, 2010
Every single night as we stand in the bathroom brushing our teeth, we see geckos on the bathroom window. There may be one, or two, and sometimes even three.
For some reason, the consistent sight of their underbellies through the glass reminds me of God’s faithfulness.
Not only that, but he uses the delightful sight to help me remain disciplined; the only way I get to see His handiwork is if I floss my teeth every night.
I am thankful that I serve a God who is able to use the silliest things to remind me of His constant presence and provision in my life, and that He has a sense of humor.
😉
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Sep 21, 2010
September 17th-19th I had the opportunity to go camping with the Bales family to the piney woods of East Texas. It was so nice getting a break from the city and getting to enjoy the outdoors. I love camping. It’s refreshing and a wonderful time to get out and spend time with Jesus in the woods. God showed me something on this trip and that was through some visitors we had. They were Walking Sticks. Walking Sticks are like the coolest bugs ever! These cool bugs were all over the place and we sure were entertained by them all weekend. But I started thinking about these bugs and God showed me something about these bugs as I observed their charecter and just how much they do look like sticks. I observed these bugs up close and oh man they looked like little twigs. These bugs would even freeze to make themselves look like a stick or a twig. We’d have fun with them and move one of their legs up and they’d just be stiff and frozen. It’s amazing that they look like sticks and even know to protect themselves by making themselves stiff and looking like a stick.
I started thinking and realized that this proves that there is a God and it proves all of those theories that scientists have come up with to be false…it proves that there is only one true and holy living God whom all men can know through Jesus Christ! To me, something as simple as a stick bug gave evidence that the One True and living God is very much real and who He says He is! How can evolution or a big bang creat a bug that so happens to look like a stick and who knows to defend himself by looking like a stick. Just think about it for a moment. It’s amazing. These creatures amazed me. The only way these creatures could have created to look like a stick was for God to have creatively created it. God wanted variety and He wanted to creat a bug to look like a stick and God even gave him the defense and protection to stiffen up and pretent to be a stick when threatened. Just think about this. God is amazing and this simple bug proves the existance of the God whom we can know. It’s not that we need this bug to prove to us God’s existance ( We just need child-like faith and to simply believe everything God says), but it sure does add to my faith and helps confirm it and reassures me that God loves me and wants to have a personal relationship with each of us.
Anyways this is something God showed me on this camping trip. He always shows me something new when I go camping, even if it’s simply through a Walking Stick bug. Ah! This gives me such great joy in the Lord!
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Sep 20, 2010
So, right now I am raising my support so that I can come back to Gospel For Asia as a staff, and I would like to share with you the amazing day God blessed me with yesterday and from that you can see some of the reasons why I feel God is soooo amazing.
Yesterday I went with one of my friends from my church Calvary Chapel Chester Springs to go meet one of her pastor friends of Calvary Chapel Antioch in Philadelphia. When I got there, I felt like I was amongst family. Their love of Jesus was practically oozing from the walls of that small church. After the service, I was introduced to this homeless guy named Daniel (One of the guys from the Homeless ministry that I’ll share about later), the thing about Daniel is that his marriage is like that of Hosea from the Bible. He adores his wife, but she is being unfaithful. He prays for her daily, but because of this, he is out on the street. Please be praying for him, he is totally on fire for Christ though, and I praise God for that.
After talking with Daniel, I met the pastor of this Calvary chapel, Aaron Campbell. This brother is dedicated to spreading the Gospel of Christ. His message was practically dripping with how all of us are called to spread the Truth, even if we all aren’t called overseas, we are called to our families, our work place, and our community. It was neat talking to this brother and about Gospel for Asia. He wasn’t opposed to me sharing with him and the elders about the need for me to raise support.
After Church, Dana (my friend from church), Jonah (the leader of the homeless ministry) and I took Daniel out for lunch at a Chipotle. It was a great time of fellowship. After eating, we headed over to the park area where a whole bunch of the homeless people in Philly live. Before I share more about what we did there, let me say that this is an answer in prayer. I had been praying about getting involved in a ministry at my church here while I was support raising so that I can still be actively serving God, and evangelizing, while I’m not in the office. My mom then mentioned this Homeless ministry that had started a few years ago by a group of the 20’s-30’s in our congregation. I had always been interested in getting involved, but then God called me to Gospel For Asia and so I left. So when my mom presented to me this opportunity, I prayed about it and decided to try it out. And boy was it an answer to prayer! I was there and I was so blessed by these Homeless guys and God spoke through me, there was no fear because God placed this overwhelming love for these guys that could have only come from Him. And God’s perfect love casts out all fear, and boy is that a true statement!
So we are at this part talking to these guys, three of them Drew, Johnny, and Angel are believers, and mr. Black and Ali were not. So it was an interesting mix. After a few hours talking with them (they gave me the nickname “green-eyes”) we headed over to another church (Tenth Presbyterian Church) with Drew and Johnny (I think that’s his name… I’m really bad with names, but I’m trying to memorize them for the next time I see them). We met up with this guy named John. I got talking to him and then one of his friends Josh, came up and talked with us too. We somehow got on the topic of the south and I brought up that I live in Texas now, and they asked why, so I told them about Gospel For Asia. Well, John knows all about Gospel For Asia and pretty much freaked out he was so excited that I actually worked there! He has read the Revolution in World Missions and the The Road to Reality and loves Bro. KP tremendously! Then he asked about which church I go to down there and I mentioned the Village Church, and he knew about Matt Chandler! How crazy is that?! I’m in the middle of Philly, talking to these two college guys, and they know about Gospel For Asia, and the Village church! So John asked what I was doing up in PA, and I mentioned that I was in the School of Discipleship and that I’m now on staff and then he asked if I was support raising, I of course said yes, and I gave him and Josh my prayer cards.
We chatted for a bit longer, and then Jonah, Paul, Drew, Johnny, and I went out to dinner. During dinner, I was asked about art, and I mentioned that I was studying in Highschool to do something with graphic arts or video stuff, and then Paul and Jonah asked if I would work on illustrating Paul’s children’s book he was working on. I said I’d work on it if I have time before I get back to Gospel For Asia. But I was completely blown out of the water of how providing God is. Seriously.
After dinner, we walked back to the park where Drew and Johnny sleep. We talked for a bit more, and I got to share with Jonah about my trip to India, which was awesome. Then we headed home and got back to my house. But that whole entire time I was so comforted to know that in this season when I am support raising, I am where I need to be. And God’s got my back!
Thanks for bearing with me through this long post! Just wanted to share with you all how amazing God is, and how’s He’s moving all over the world! 😀
-Alley
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