Rbcstudents Memphis team, ready to roll out!
Well, Summer Missions | Memphis has come and gone and I can hardly believe it! I feel like I spent so much time preparing and planning, that once it finallygot here, I was so ready...but I didn't anticipate it going as quickly as it did. Truth be told, there wasn't much that I actually did anticipate accurately. Despite all the careful planning and creating that our team did--and they did an OUTSTANDING job--many of the details did not go as expected.
As you can imagine, I stressed...not quite to the freak out level, but I did stress. In the midst of things not going right, at least according to Jessie's plan, I had a friend remind me of some invaluable truth. I received a text that said, "God's purposes may not be yours. Be sensitive to that." Initially, I was hacked. I know what God's purposes are, I thought. I've been planning for and praying over this trip for months. Believe me, I know what He wants to do!
But in my very next breath, I felt the calm reassurance of the Truth in my friend's words.
The truth is that I had no idea what God wanted to do in Memphis. And I didn't need to know. I just needed to trust and let go. I had done everything I could have possibly done. It was time to be. The truth is that the Lord accomplished so much more than I could have ever planned or asked for. Even several days after the trip has ended, I'm still trying to process all that He did. In the midst of what seemed to me like chaos, I learned a valuable lesson.
Isaiah 55:8-9 says this:
"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord.
'For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.'"
The Lord really does have it all together. And it's amazing how letting go, or even just loosening my grip (because let's face it: letting go completely isn't always realistic at some points), allows us to see things come together according to His plan, which is always, without fail better than my plans.
Here are a few of the many things the Lord did during our Memphis trip:
*Brought over 60 kids to the summer VBS kick-off at Impact
*Allowed us to see about 20 adults begin a relationship with Him
*Softened our hearts and spoke clearly to several students
*Strengthened relationships among rbcstudents
What have you seen God doing lately? Share with us! We'd love to know!
Here are a few pics from Memphis I thought I'd share. Enjoy! :)
Rbcstudents greeting the VBS kids in style and excitement!
Gettin' our groove on...Cha Cha Slide style :)
Rbcgirls working hard unloading and sorting for the thrift store.
The mighty Rec crew and friends.
Nothing like losing a tooth at VBS! :)
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News!
Romans 10:15
Memphis BBQ: a perfect treat!
Have a great weekend! Don't forget to share your stories with us! Love you!
Wow. I'm overwhelmed with joy at the things you guys did in Memphis. I know that seeds were planted in peoples life and they will soon reap the harvest and God will be given all the glory. I wish with all my heart I would have been able to attend. But after reading this I felt moved to tell you guys the things God did in my life while the Memphis team was gone.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who know me, know that I'm a basketball player. It has been a huge part of my life since I was a little girl. As a got older I started having to juggle church, basketball, school, and eventually work. When you play a highshcool sport, you have to be committed. Going into my freshman year my dream was to be remembered as a great basketball player. So I worked hard all summer long. All that hard worked paid off and I was givin the privillage to play on JV team as a freshman and sit the bench of the varsity team as we stole the Class 5 state championship in 2009. My soph. year I played JV again but also was able to play varsity. My favorite part of last year is that I was asked to pray over the team before each and every game. I loved it.
After the 2010 season ended I knew that the next season was my season to shine. With only 1 senior and 5 juniors I needed to step up and be a leader. After our senior quit and so did 2 other of the juniors I knew i really needed to buckle down. My thoughts soon became flooded with basketball. I had to be preparded for what summer basketball threw at me. I admitt, my walk with God started coming to hault as the basketball season started approaching. I could tell by my actions and my thoughts that God had taken 2nd place in my life. I began becoming too tired at night to pray and frequently read my bible. Not something i'm proud of.
ReplyDeleteSummer school began and I could tell that the Coaches were leaning on me for leadership. I loved the pressure. It made me work harder. But over the past couple months as all this was going on I kept getting signs that were telling me that God had something bigger for my life and He needed my full attention right now. No distractions. On the first day of Wed. night church Nate taught on not wasting your summer on things that don't matter eternally. Yeah it hit me hard and it was a reality check. But in my head I knew I couldn't quit basketball after all the hard work i'd put into it.
It just so happens that I couldn't attend Memphis because that weekend I had a basketball tournament. I was really upset that the dates clashed but I couldn't skip basketball because I felt like the team needed me. During that basketball tournament God really opened my eyes to the big picture of things. I am so hard on myself and it doesn't matter how good i play I could have always done better. After the 2nd day of the tournament ended i came home and sat on my couch in tears. It came to my attention that i no longer had the heart to play basketball anymore. And while the church was out sharing good news I was here getting angry with myself on how I play and getting frustrated. Feelings that i shoudn't have. It hit me in one blow that Basketball is not who I am and i no longer want it to control my life. I want to be known in highshcool as something more than a basketball player. So the next day i told my coach my decison and he supported me 100%. I know that God needes my full attention right now and basketball was just a road block. It's nothing that will last eternally. And i don't know what He has planned for me but i finally am free and he's moving in ways i've never seen before. The devil tries to get to me daily in different ways.. whether it's my friends little comments or me just seeing a basketball.. But i know with all my heart that God is in control and He knows what he's doing. Although i still love to play basketball.. it's just a short period of my life. I'm ready to embark on the Journey God has planned for me. And i'm not worried at all.
"Be strong in the Lord and be of good courag. Sometimes in life there will be trials. But, do not fear I have conqored them all!"
Thanks for your time and I truely want you guys to not waste your summer on little things. Basketball was a big part of my life but without it i'm doing just fine and I know i'm destined to do something greater. God is in control and he can't change you till he has your all. He doesn't want just half. You have to be committed. I'm here if you guys ever need to talk. Thanks for letting me share this with you.
--Be Blessed. And Be a Blessing.
Love, Tori Vaughan
Tor,
ReplyDeleteYou are awesome! I am so so SO excited about what the Lord is doing in and through you. It's not easy to give over things to the Lord, especially the things we hold dearest. In Mark 8:35, Jesus says, "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will find it." You're losing it, my dear, and I couldn't be more proud of you or excited for you! Thanks so much for sharing your story with us.
Love you mucho! Thanks for your leadership. :)
Jess