Growing Pains...

Group Photo at the retreat!

Hello all! I hope you have all been blessed in this first month of the new year! Just an update on how January has been for me, and What things are going to look like as I head into a bit of a transitional phase.

The beginning of this month was spent on a retreat in a small town a bit north of Marseille with Evolution 13 staff and ministry workers. It was a wonderful time of direction and planning for all of us, and to just do life together. I really enjoyed the time of prayer, worship, and encouragement that we had with each other. It has definitely made me excited about starting ministry!

Poker night on the retreat (just chips, no money of course!)
Ladies against Gents. Notice, the Ladies won. ;)

Which brings me to the title of this week's blog. It's hard just waiting to start ministry. Of course waiting is necessary as I am still learning and trying to grasp the language. It's funny because before I left, waiting and patience was what the Lord was teaching me, and of course I'm not through learning that lesson yet (not that I ever will be necessarily!)! Now I am learning to wait in jumping into ministry. There's so much I want to do, so many I want to encourage, but I can't.... because my language skills just aren't there yet. And for those of you who haven't tried learning a language in another culture let me paint you a little picture: You are an intelligent adult, who is fully capable of forming sentences, thoughts, and having conversations. Now, you are treated like a child, who can't speak, who can't communicate, and have to ask everyone to slow down when they talk to you because you just can't keep up. It's very frustrating. But in that frustration, there is so much learning! It's amazing to me how much God is teaching me through all of this! In my time here I can feel as I continue learning the language, I am also growing closer to Him. This is probably because I am continuously running to Him through my frustrations and difficulties here. But don't get me wrong! I have my moments where I choose to just let frustration turn to anger, throw up my hands, and desperately want to scream. I'm human after all, I'm not perfect! But I know that God has had so much grace for me in this time. I see it when I can understand so much more in French than I could when I got here, or when I actually try to speak in French, and I can do it! It's all a matter of pushing past the barriers, praying for peace (cause it is NERVE WRACKING to try to talk to people in their native language when it isn't your native language!) and grace, and just DOING it! It is a challenge, it isn't like poof! now you speak another language. It's work, and it's hard, but it is incredibly rewarding, especially when in the end, it brings glory to God!

So here is my challenge to you: how is God asking you to step out of your comfort zone? What has He asked you to do that seems completely terrifying to you, so much so that it's crippling? I challenge you to ask Him for peace, for grace, and then DO IT! I know it's hard, and it's scary, and sometimes it's very painful, but guess what? You will grow so much! In the Lord, no matter what age we are, we are always growing in Him. Our walk with Him is not promised to be easy, but count it all joy, because your faith in Him will grow exponentially! Remember in the end it's all about love. Love Him, and through that you will be able to love others, which includes doing the hard stuff! There's a reason they're called growing pains, but oh man, the end result is something so beautiful!

So in conclusion: Take a leap of faith! It might be tough, painful even, but in the end, the reward far outweighs any temporary discomfort. Please continue keeping our team in prayer, and remember that you are loved! God has a lot in store, for me, and for you. Always remember that.

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy