Are you willing?

Obedience. What does that mean? Leaving home, family, friends, comforts, luxuries. This past week has been a hard one for me. God is challenging me with this word, and what does it mean to be obedient. What is God asking me to do? Love Him with ALL my heart, ALL my soul, ALL my strength. That means surrendering all MY desires, all my wants, all MY dreams, and change them for His desires, His wants, and His dreams for my life. Giving up friendships - handing over, surrendering friendships to GOD. Placing them in His hands because God is asking me, "Do you love Me more then anything?" "Are you willing to hand over this friendship to ME?"
God is faithful. He is now giving me strength, He is drawing me closer to himself, He is preparing me. So many lessons that God is teaching me. Each day this week God has spoken a word of encouragement to me through my devotional times - God knows me and my needs better then I do. Even though I don't understand everything, I just have to be willing to say, Take this God it is yours, and not go back and pick it up again, but let it rest in His hands!
This week classes at school went a lot better then last week, the students demeanor was a lot different, more respectful, more calm. I could teach, do activities with the students and it was encouraging. Tuesday night I was able to go for a jog and get to know a new friend better, Carolina, then I went to a get together at another girl's house with Lori, to get to know other girls from the church better and it was a great bonding time! We played Hide and Seek tag, and freeze tag, and leap frog type game... It was fun. Wednesday did a children's program for one of the church plants and the lesson spoke to me as I was preparing it, from Exodus 4, about Moses and the burning bush. Moses says, "I do not speak well, I am not eloquent in speech," God replies, "Who is it that made your mouth? I will go with you and help you, give you the words to say." Moses says, "Send someone else." God used that to encourage me that despite my weaknesses, my shyness, God will use me, God wants to use me. I just have to be willing to let God use me to at all times. Get over being self-concsious, allow God to use me to bless other people.!!
Last night, we went to look at, to see a church plant that has been abandonded for 6 months. The town was beautiful, the place of the church over looks a valley, goregous. I began to see great potiential for this church, before we left Lori and I prayed for the church, the people, and the town. I just felt that God is going to do amazing things through this church plant - I'm excited.
OH! Conference. I spent last friday and saturday translating. The Annual conference of Venezuela met Saturday and the Administer was Superintendent David Harvey - I had to translate everything. Those of you who know me, I don't really like church business, politic stuff - let alone knowing the words in English and then translating to Spanish. Besidses that, the conference ran smoothly, I was able to communicate the important stuff to get business taken care of. The Superindent was grateful for my translations, Pastor Casto and others were impressed with my translating.. So I guess it went well.. I still have a ways to go with my Spanish, I just have to be patient and take advantage of every opportunity to speak and translate as I can!

Classes, Campamento, and "this is a . . . . "

Well, as some have you have commented, "Heidi, you haven't updated in a week!" I have not been around and then I have not had internet! Wow, lots of things are going on. The 2nd - 5th of Feburary I was at a camp meeting - 'campamento' for the the smaller churches around Maturin - we went about 3 hours away to another beach - camped in tents, enjoyed the ocean, the breeze, and sharing ONE bathroom for 80 people. Definitely a cultural experience to be a camp there. The evangelist was pentecostal, put a lot of emphasis on speaking in tounges - that was kinda weird for me.. I got to meet a lot of people from the churches I will be working with, and get to know people better!! I was also made very aware of the fact that this is very much a culture of 'looking out for number 1' I know it is human nature to look after your own wants first, I was amazed at every meal people cutting in line, not waiting in line for food, just going to the front and getting food, and like survival of the fitest. Sleeping in a tent, nah didn't bother me, the ocean didn't bother me either - but being dirty ALL the time with dirt, sand, and salt in the air. At the same time, I knew God was working on my heart, in my prespective of things, my attitude, and being able to be grateful for what I have. All of their services they provide a time for "Accion de Gracias" thanksgiving - giving thanks for being alive, everything - Recognizing that everything we have, each breath is a gift from God and we should be grateful for that! God is also working on my heart in other areas - of making friends, choosing the people I hang out with, so that I am around people that edify me, build me up in Christ and my walk with God. More then anything teaching me to rely on Him, and Him alone. Spending more time with him in praying, learning more scriptures, having His promises in my heart and mind when discouragments come, reading more scriptures, being in the word, b/c that is where my source of strength comes from! That here more then ever all my comforts are gone - security, friends, family, language, my house, - adult supervision for 2 -3 weeks Paul, Sue, Erick, Lori are in Caracas working with VISA teams - another venezuelan and I are staying in the house. God showed me by taking way my source of comfort here - the Caripe family - I am not allowed to spend time with them, and they have been my 'family' my security. God is telling me trust in me. I will take care of you. Everything you go to the Caripes for come to me.
I have to thank all of your for you prayers and ask especially more prayers as I am staying in the house with Keila. God answeredy our prayers yesterday all of you who are praying for safety and protection. Keila and I were visiting a friend to get a book and needed to buy groceries b/c there is not food in the house! We stopped at the closest store and looking for groceries and what the store had, we were finishing and I wanted to see shampoos to buy and we were walking toward the back of the store - when I heard a lot of commotion at the registers in front of the store - Keila was like, "Agachate, Agachate!" Get down get down... There is a guy with a gun, get down, hide... she was shaking and I started shaking... We stayed down and hide, praying, and I was praying I hope they didn't see me, b/c I'm american and they think we have money. One of the workers told us, it's okay they are gone. Keila threw all the stuff we had, and was like we are leaving.. I told her no I don't want to leave yet b/c I don't know where the robbers went. If they are outside close and they see me, who knows what can happen. We waiting a couple minutes - and Keila was like, hold the keys in your hand, and walk fast to the car. Nothing happened to us- we were safe but wow. We went to the grocery store at the mall - where this is security gaurds and everything.
At the mall we got ice cream, ran into Percy and his wife, a friend of mine who I had not seen yet. It was awesome to see him and talk to him a little... and buy some of the things we need. Everything here is a process - to buy groceries you have to stop at 3 or 4 different stores b/c government distribution of food, one day the store will have what you need, the next day it wont.. you never know what store will have what food, and when.. Last evening Keila wanted to go to the 'despedida' goodbye service for a missions team that was here building an orphanage... so we went and they asked me to translate!!! It was great practice and good experience b/c I am going to be translating for conference!! It was awesome to share with them and speak english for course! Meeting more people still, getting to know more people better, building more trust and confidence with people here. Gloria a Dios!!