Through This Strom

Hello!! I hope everything is going well wherever this blog finds you! I've learned a lot about praising God through the storm the past week, through my own experiences but more so through other's experiences. For me, I was very distracted by various situations at home this past week: a friend having a baby, a relative in the hospital, a friend tearing her ACL, just to list a few. Then my brakes were making noises, and I went to get the car checked out, and the problem turned out to be a lot bigger and more expensive than originally thought. I was so close to tears so many times throughout the day, and thank goodness Leandra was with me, because we could just laugh together, instead of cry, about how terrible our day was going. I had to learn to put those things aside and focus completely on what God has in store for me here. I had to learn that God is in control of those things and I can't do anything about them, even if I was at home. But all those things were so small to me compared to what one of the girls has gone through. Friday morning, Misty found out that two of her friends had been in a car wreck the night before. She prayed about it, and we prayed with her, and she decided to stay. It was a really hard decision for her, but she felt like she needed to be here. Then today, Tuesday, she received a phone call that her best friend was in the hospital with kidney and liver failure. She broke down and sobbed and none of us could understand why Misty was going through all this. Later tonight, she got a phone call that her friend had passed away. She came into the lounge, where we were waiting for a meeting to start, and told us. We immediately encircled her, and she fell to the ground on her knees, sobbing. We laid hands on her and prayed for her, cried with her, and just lifted up prayers to the Lord. But over and over in the prayers it was echoed that God had a plan and knew what was going to happen and that He was bigger than this pain Misty was experiencing. We prayed that God would use this tragedy for some good. As we were praying, I began to see one good thing that was already happen. Through Misty's loss, our team was drawn together. As we prayed together, it was like I could feel the hard feelings melt away, because our disagreements were so small. God has already used Misty's friend's death to bring our team back together. For the first time in over a week, I felt like we were truly unified as one team. Misty is most likely flying home in the morning, if she can find a flight she can afford. She also plans to return to Orlando, once she's spent some time with her friends and family, because she still knows God has a plan for her here. Even tonight, Misty kept saying over and over that she knew that God was going to use this and that it was His timing, even if she hated it. She praised God for the time she was given to spend with her friend and for the life that her friend had lived that had been a witness to so many other people.
We've had a lot of stuff thrown at our team this week, other than the things that happened to Misty and me, but God has been in the midst of it all. I'm learning to trust in God and His plan more than I ever have had to before, and I love that I'm growing in that way.
Continue to keep our team in your prayers. Jonathan arrived last Wednesday and has fit in very well with the team and added a lot to the team dynamics. Another child was led to Christ through Kids Club, and so many relationships are being formed that are leading to great conversations about Christ. It's amazing to see how God is working through us and using us to make His name known.