Surrendering... Again.

This past week we had a group from Georgia come to be with us. To create team unity and ¨start our day off ´right´¨ we had morning devotionals. Yesterday´s was about Jonah and how despite his running away from the call God had given him, God sought him out and used him. Although in a different way than Jonah, I have been ¨running away¨from a problem that I have had for the past few years now. That problem was that I couldn´t get past my past.

When I was in high school I got really involved in a Southern Baptist church. That was around the same time that I felt my call to full-time foreign missions and took a step in that direction by going to Swaziland, Africa for one month. So, I was seeking the LORD and learning about new aspects of His character but as I was doing that and sharing it with other people I got shut down (to say the least). Things that I was finding to be true by revelation from the Word and by my own experience were either completely ignored or I was told that they were untrue. Because of that and other things, I was completely devastated and I hardened my heart towards that denomination. And up until now I never surrendered that over to God (which can be a problem if you go to a Southern Baptist university...).

Flash forward to this week: A bus load of Southern Baptists came to Bolivia that we were told to serve and be blessed by. We worked with them and helped them with their VBS-type activities and translated for them, and that entire time God was working in me to relinquish my past (and, to be really honest, I took it out on them). It actually took me until the last day with them before I surrendered my past hurt and anger to God--looking back on the week and the past few years, I wish I would have done that sooner.

Through the week I learned another valuable lesson: It would be really easy for me to say something like, ¨Well, those people that hurt me weren´t Christians.¨ But, I think they were. And it was good to be taught and challenged to see/understand that the Church is filled with people who fall short, but by the grace of God we have been made blameless (notice that that doesn´t mean ¨sinless¨). So, sometimes I´m gonig to be put down by people in the Church, but when that happens I need to immediately surrender that to God (and not wait a few years...).

Grace and peace,
Margaret

*Thanks for baring with me as I tell you about the things God is doing in me this summer. It is really good for me to be able to share this with you and to be encouraged by you.

*Keep in mind that this isn´t all that has been happening! We´ve seen healings and decisions made for Christ! We´ve been encouragers to Christians and non-Christians alike, and I´ve been amazed by the depth of Christ´s love for all people.

I love you guys.