Week 24 IBS Joshua 4:7 & Acts 7:51 ~Forgotten~

March 25^th, 2015

Joshua 4:7 “Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

Acts 7:51 “’You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”

            March 23^rd, 2015, I felt burnt out and drained and I let it get to me. I got to the point of complaining about work that I needed to get done, such as finishing our last overview video to IBS. I felt like it was getting in the way of just being in Cambodia. That night, sitting with Kaylee on a bench in the courtyard, something she said was (is) so true… “Don’t let it become a routine.” Just watching some of the youth leave their evening English class and letting it sink in, that’s when the conviction came. The Lord brought to mind all the Scripture I have been reading from Exodus to Numbers. God brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, He saved them; He did so much for them. Yet, while going through the wilderness they complained about the manna, turned to worship a golden calf, and just straight up disobeyed God. They had forgotten… forgotten. They forgot what the Lord did for them and what He took them out of. And that’s when I realized, I had forgotten. Forgotten what this is really all about, God. I let drowsiness turn to sin and my perspective changed, becoming bitter. How could I? …IBS is one of the best things here, God always speaks so deeply and profoundly and I get to share it with you all. The video is completed as of yesterday and I love it; it says so much more than anyone will ever fully understand! And that’s just it, because it is all God. I get to share with the world the work God has allowed me and my teammates to do through Potter’s Field Ministries! I get to do all these things.

            So through surrendering that to the Lord and thanking Him for that conviction, the next morning (yesterday), I read these passages in Joshua 4 and Acts 7. Taking the stones as “a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” God just helped the waters of the Jordan cease so they could cross over to get to Jericho. He told them to take the stones as a memorial. Then reading Acts 7, Stephan was recalling things from Abraham to Solomon and then got to verse 51, “’You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.” He was telling them they forgot…forgot. I couldn’t describe what was going through my mind reading these the morning after God brought that conviction, it was so cool. Their hearts were hardened even more and they stoned Stephan. So through this God showed me to not forget and to have a proper perspective, eyes set on Him. And because of His love and grace, He brings that conviction and reminds us. How incredible is my Lord to remind me, even when I forget? And God asked me, “Brittani, are you going to let your heart harden even more and have the wrong perspective or are you going to change your perspective and do something about it? …Do something about it.

Week 23 IBS Deuteronomy 26:11, 27:9 & Acts 1:8

March 21^st, 2015

Deuteronomy 26:11 “So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.”

Deuteronomy 27:9 “Then Moses and the priest, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, ‘Take heed and listen, O Israel: This day you have become the people of the Lord your God.”

Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’”

            Rejoice. Joy is a topic that I’ve always loved, especially because it’s only God that can bring the true joy. It’s just a matter of always looking to Him and honoring Him in all that you do. Lately it’s been hard to keep the joy, because I have been dwelling so much on emotions of leaving, seeing my class and so many pastors, and soon after that, my family. It’s bittersweet. But that’s where I was in the wrong, emotion…Running this life on emotion will burn you out. And I’ve come to realize that I lost my sight of Him and through that I’ve lost the joy. Every day it’s a surrender of those emotions, because I know that God is bigger and He’s faithful, and it’s all ultimately Him.

            Take heed and listen. That is crucial in your walk with God. God speaks always; He answers, whether it be “yes”, “no”, or “wait. It’s a matter of paying attention, taking note, and having a listening ear. He has the answers, look to Him. Trust Him. Once laying down those emotions, it makes it clearer to see His face and keep your eyes focused on Him. And that is a beautiful thing.

            He has the answers. Verse 7 of Acts chapter 1 says, “And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” We don’t need to know everything. God does, so why worry? He’s in control. He has given us His Holy Spirit to be our guide as verse 8 says and we are to be His witnesses everywhere we go. That’s what I’ve been given and my job is to serve Him.

            Rejoice. Take heed. Listen. He has the answers. Trust Him.

Week 22 IBS Matthew 25:23 & Acts 2:42 ~It’s Only the Beginning~

March 10^th, 2015

 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” –Matthew 25:23

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” –Acts 2:42

          Five months of digging it has been. A five months I would do all over again if it were for moments such as these I am about to share with you. Prayer is a powerful thing and it is the very thing we can do. This digging has not been a physical dig, but a spiritual one. A dig of constantly surrendering to the Lord, praying, and trusting that His will gets accomplished each and every day. It has been five months of pressing in so deep with the relationships God has allowed us to build here. It has been of simply being…a very difficult time indeed, but so growing.

          This past week, God’s faithfulness came forth. We started our first [more] official Bible class for the Feeding Program in Khrang Thnong. We were able to plan out a lesson, worship, and just make it fun and come to life for the kids. It was a beautiful moment. A moment that I will never forget. We couldn’t have done it at any point other than this past week. Other things needed to be in place beforehand and that’s why God’s timing is so amazing. Then, we were able to break bread with the youth boys that live on the church compound with us…with our little brothers. Ones that we’ve grown so close to, that we call “The Lost Boys” and they see us as big sisters. It was a beautiful time of worship, prayer, and communion…two different languages, ONE God. That evening was truly putting to place Acts 2:42.

A few days later we had Bible study with the youth girls…with our little sisters. Ones that we’ve grown so close to as well. A Bible study that has been in the making for at least three months now. It started off with one of the girls asking me to teach her Bible one day after English class. I actually wrote about it when it happened. But after that first moment of me teaching it has been a struggle of getting it going. I learned to just give it over to the Lord and know that if it’s of Him, it will come together in His timing…and it did. After a few hours of cleaning the church with these girls, we came together and read His word. Kaylee lead it and went through Ephesians 1:1-6, verse by verse. The Spirit was so present there, we were all lost for words. We ended our time with sitting in a circle, holding hands, and praying. It was just another moment of two different languages, ONE God.

Really, truly, be faithful over the little things and God will bring forth bigger things for you to take on, through Him. I think we finally hit the treasure after all that digging, it’s a start and it’s only the beginning…

Week 21 IBS - 1 Timothy 1:14-17

March 7^th, 2015

1 Timothy 1:14-17 “And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

            The evening Salt and Light school we get to assist in teaching English to the village children, is now having the teachers do a short Bible lesson once a week with their students. It is a really neat opportunity for all the teachers who are Christian to share God’s light with the community of Khrang Thnong. All of the teachers are Christian, except for one. I have mentioned her before, but I have not ceased to pray for her. Yesterday, I was given the opportunity to share with the students from the word of God. At first I was going to read from John chapter 10 verses 27-30 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.’” But as I prayed more, God lead me to 1 Timothy 1:14-17. I was just crying out to God, desiring to not only have words from Him to speak to the children, but to speak to this wonderful teacher as well. I really wanted to be pointing to Jesus and the cross. When it came time for classes to start, I prayed and then I began to share. It was hard to tell things because of two different languages and translation, so I was slightly discouraged at the end. But after I closed in prayer and sat down watching the kids prepare to take a test, I realized what had just happened doesn’t return void. A Buddhist girl was holding the TRUE Word of God in her hands, His Word was shared, and now it’s in the Lord’s hands and I trust Him. Yesterday was a difficult day because it was the exact mark for one month left here in Cambodia, but in that moment the Lord showed me to press in even deeper. Yes, leaving is going to be hard…probably one of the hardest things I will ever do, but that moment of sharing His word was what God gave me for that day. I want to take what He’s given me today and sprint, go so deep, pour out EVERYTHING the Lord has poured into me, so that all that people are left with is Him…because what it all comes down to is the Lord.

Broken Khmer

My heart literally melted…Yesterday after church, I found Nhel and Srey Leam just sitting in the tuk tuk parked below our balcony, so I went over to talk to them…well talk to them as best as I could with broken Khmer. As the conversation went on, they asked me when I was going back to America. I told them April 6^th and that I would miss them when I go. Nhel said he would miss me too…that’s the first hit to the heart. Then, they asked me if I was coming back. I told them I don’t know and that I’m praying. Srey Leam’s response was, “I will pray for Brittani to come back!” (Of course in Khmer) …and that was the second hit. My heart just hurt…hurt thinking about leaving these wonderful children and people. I love them, I love Cambodia. But I know God is in control. He has those two kiddos in His hands, He has Cambodia in His hands, and He has my future in His hands. What a wonderful life…