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!