final update folks.
June 13, 2011
“experiences come and experiences go, it is what follows the experience that counts.” – oswald smith.
most of you that know me well, know that i love a good story. i love hearing good stories. i attempt to tell good stories. emphasize attempt, heavily. they usually end with some extravagant tale of how i eventually found $5 or saved a family from a burning building, in hopes to lie my way in to appease the person on the receiving end of my long-windedness. i enjoy hearing about other peoples life stories and i try to live an exciting and exhilarating story as well. our stories reflect our passions and our passions reflect our treasures.
on april 13th i had an opportunity to go on an adventure to iquitos peru for 2 months. not really knowing exactly what i would be getting into. everything was a little vague. i just knew with confidence that God is good and that he had called me to trust him that he would meet me exactly where i am. now, 2 months later, as i look back on my journals, flooded with a plethora of emotions, i can say with full certainty that God did in fact do just that. he met me exactly where i was. every step of the way. praise God for not only calling us to trust him by faith, but for equipping us to live by faith. i am not going to get into huge detail about all of what i learned, simply because i would love to share with you in person, phone, skype, etc. also, i am not sure exactly all of what i learned simply because i am sure those effects will begin to manifest themselves in the coming days, weeks, and months.
one thing i do know for sure is that God really did not need me to go to peru. he called me there. he wanted me there. to depend on him every step of the way and trust him that he is receiving all glory through the situations he is placing me in. whether it was conversations with the leadership, conversations and relational building with many different families (who are literally my family now!), goofing around with the young adults, preaching multiple times, leading bible studies, etc…God got the glory and he gave me the joy. as i conversed with a good friend last night about my experience, he really helped me feel the weight of the adventure God had given me to enjoy Him in. the fact that now the relationship between my church and the church in iquitos is now incredibly solid. the fact that i had the opportunity to learn and observe from some incredible Godly leaders (mario, the president of the christian missionary alliance in peru, and angel, the pastor of the church in comas). the fact that i have learned invaluable applicable wisdom that will help me out so much in my future in ministry. i am incredibly humbled by the journey God has given me through this experience.
and now, the adventure continues…i find myself back in nashville, attempting to wrap my head around my trip, knowing that this will take time to process. i am excited to see the fruit gradually reveal itself in my life. i am excited to continue to learn of my insufficiency and strive to find myself engrossed in the sufficiency of Christ. i am excited to continue to learn of my inadequacies and to understand more and more everyday how irrelevant they are in the hands of a God whose resources are unlimited. i am excited to continue to be where i am. i rejoice in the experiences God has blessed me with in my past, knowing they serve a purpose to prepare me for the the future. i am thankful for the many different things God taught me through my journey. i love looking back on each one of them and am moved to worship a faithful God and sovereign creator.
i pray that each one of you would do the same in your own lives. that you would be where you are. that you would enjoy the process of life and not just seek experience for experiences sake. that you would view your life in the lens of eternity. that you would learn from your daily experience knowing that what is produced through them is far more value than the experience itself. thank you very much for your support, prayer, and presence through this journey. i could not say thank you enough and how grateful i am for each of you. if you would like to chat more extensively, please do not hesitate to call me. if we live close, lets set up a time in person. or possibly even skype would be cool. love you all and i will send you one more email in the next week giving you a link to a bunch of pictures.
in christ,
bubba
