2nd Devo- you're all special and I am so thankful for all of you

I got a special phone call to be here by Joel Tooley (a Youth in Mission rep) and Scott Armstrong. They called me because I am special, because I have a gift no one else can offer, even though I don’t speak much Spanish and even maybe have been frustrated since I’ve been here. I am special.

You’re all special. God called all of you to be in this moment and in the times ahead for a reason. Each and everyone of you in special.

He has called us all here to be the hands and feet of Him where ever we are needed. It’s not by our works, it’s by Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”       

Right now you’re meant to be in this room in Puebla, tomorrow its where ever you’re going to be. Being the hands and feet of Him, He is using you. For me, even if I am frustrated sometimes I have to remember that this is in His plan for me. He prepared this place and time of ministry for me before I even knew Scott was going to call me. You’re all special and I am so thankful and blessed we can all unite and be the hands and feet together.

My prayer for all of us together and apart lies in Ephesians 4:1-6, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”      

Blessings to all!                                                                                                                

I wrote this for a mission conference (I am serving in Mexico for the summer):

Hello my name is Kaitlin Park. I’m from Portland Oregon in The United States of America. I want to start off by sharing with all of you about how I got to be in Mexico in the month of June, just a glimpse/peak of how my relationship with God is growing and what I had to do to get here.

I was so set on serving here in Mexico this summer and I thought it was exactly what God wanted me to do. I was so heart broken when I found out that I couldn’t go to Mexico because bad several things happened with my family and I didn’t have enough money to go for the summer. I have always felt a strong call to Latin America and my heart hurt because I couldn’t go and then I got really mad and angry and sad about not being able to do what I really felt God calling for my life. I wanted to go right then. At the time, I was and have been continuing to study John 15.

Read John 15:1-8

I really just needed to give Him the anger and sadness of not going to Mexico and prune the branches that were not bearing fruit in my life, because I wasn’t growing in God holding onto this frustration. And I finally let go and God gave me an unexplainable Christ like peace about not going to Mexico. I think maybe because I begun to demand to go and do things on my time, God had to remind me that sometimes you need to wait for His timing. I had a wonderful peace about not going to Mexico. Also, I had applied to work at a Christian Bible camp for the summer and didn’t think I was going to get hired and was upset about that too, but when I let it go God gave me peace about that too.

 

2 days later I got a call from Youth in Mission and Scott Armstrong telling me they needed me to be in Mexico for the summer and they would pay my way. I was shocked. At first I thought, WOW! THIS IS WHAT I’M GOING TO DO THIS SUMMER! But I wasn’t very sure and told them I need to pray about it and tell them the next morning. Then an hour later, I got a phone call from the Bible Camp asking me if I still wanted the summer job! I was so surprised. God was blessing me with something I DID NOT deserve. I didn’t understand but yet I was so thankful for what He was doing. At the same time, I still had a peace if I were to not go to either places and stay home for the summer. I prayed about it so much and I felt God saying to me that I should make the decision myself. Because I had given my entire self, all of my frustrations and struggles over to Him, He was telling me that any decision I made would be of Him and He would reign over me in everything I did. That He would be where ever I went, whether that be serving Bible Camp, in Mexico, serving at home in my church.

My friend Steve asked me the perfect question, where I was needed most? Hands down I knew it was Mexico. I knew that Scott Armstrong and Youth in Mission wouldn’t have called if didn’t absolutely need me. I realized that the attitude of my heart had changed from last summer serving in Youth in Mission in Guatemala to this summer. I realized I am more focused on having a servant’s heart this summer and not on how I can benefit and grow in my relationship with God. I continue to focus on this Philippians 2:1-18. I go where He calls and where I am needed. I am still being challenged and stretched in ways I would never have expected while being here and growing in my faith in wonderful ways but I’m so thankful that God has given me this summer. This time to serve Him, His people, to be His love.