A Passport Miracle

Wednesday December 18th, 2019

7:35am - Arrival at the Colorado Passport Agency

Six people were already there waiting when I stepped out of the elevator, but I didn't care, I was prepared to wait the whole day to get my passport renewed if I needed to. Shortly after I arrived, the guard told us the doors would be opening soon and to form a line along the wall in order of when we stepped off the elevator. The doors opened at 8am, which was my "scheduled" appointment. The scheduling is just to be able to get in, but the time ultimately doesn't matter because you have to wait in line to go through security, wait in line to get a number, and finally wait for you number to be called. Many more people trickled in after me before the doors were even open.

8:00am - The Doors Open

The guard begins letting people in one at a time to begin going through security. I go through the doors pretty quickly, eager to get a number and expectant in the Lord. I walk up to the window, show my paperwork, and the kind lady gives me a number. I proceed to sit down and one minute later, my number was called. The employee collects my paperwork and old passport and I pay the fee. She tells me, "the soonest I can have this ready is Friday December 20th at 2:00pm!" Overwhelmed with the Lord's goodness, I tell her, "okay, great, " and I find out all I have to do is come back to pick it up in two days...

8:10am - Down 6 Floors and Out by the Car

By 8:10am, I was back in the car, just in awe. I backed out of the parking space and began driving back home. As I was driving, I was listening to "Way Maker" and "Your Will, Your Way," as tears began to roll down my cheeks. God just worked a miracle! God. Is. Good. God. Is. Faithful. I am so underserving, but so loved by Him. And I just love my Father.

Friday December 20th, 2019

2:00pm - Arrival at the Colorado Passport Agency

I hopped on the elevator just so excited to pick up my new passport. I went through security quickly, waited in line behind a couple of people, and walked up to the window. The employee took my ticket and came back with my old passport and fresh one ready to use for travel!

2:15pm - Down 6 Floors and Out by the Car

Just like that I had my renewed passport! I made sure I applied for the one with more pages this time, so I won't end up the same problem of running out of visa pages before my passport even expires. I just sang in the car to the Lord all the way home.

"You've been faithful through every storm. You'll be faithful forevermore. You have done great things. And I know You will do it again, for Your promise is 'Yes and Amen.' You will do great things. God, You do great things..." - Great Things by Phil Wickham

Thank you to all who have been praying for me! God is good. God really made a way, worked a miracle, and is keeping His promise again. Cambodia here I come!

Your will, Your Way...Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper

This "pray" ring a dear friend gave to me & it reminds me daily to be praying.

Back in the States, just over two months now; the first month and a half was so refreshing, seeing my family for the first time in almost a year and a half and touching base with friends that I wasn’t sure when or if I would see them again. Freezing cold, fallen snow, hopped over to beach towns, long mornings with Jesus and coffee. Pure rest. Thank You, Lord.

During this time of rest, I was also just waiting. Oh yeah…I forgot what that felt like…how much of a “microwave” generation I come from; waiting is hard. As time was getting closer to desired departure dates of my return to Cambodia (oh surprise, in case you didn't know that was happening, but are you really surprised? Haha. (More details of how and where to come.)), I got a little overwhelmed. Nothing was ready for me to go. Once I realized I can move forward in a different direction, I had to wait a little longer. This was just a couple weeks ago at the beginning of December.

One morning I literally woke up with so much stress, just worrying how everything was going to come together. I sat in the living room, looking at my family’s stockings above the fire place and I began to pray. I prayed for them and so many other people and I was flooded with peace. Doing this changed the trajectory of my whole day and the Lord reminded me in that moment to get my eyes off myself.

My family's Christmas stockings above the fireplace.

A few days later I got the go ahead to move forward and within a few days after that I was set up. (Praise the Lord!) Hmm some of this looks familiar – back in 2015 it was once I realized my motives and let go, that God moved and granted my desires. But I’ll talk about that a little later.

Just yesterday I woke up thinking about my passport and wondered (again because I had already wondered this when I first came back to the States...) if I would be able to use it. I became flooded with fear as I opened the internet on my phone to begin researching about passports. I quickly found out that the extra pages I thought I had were not meant for visas. I need to renew my passport. Oh no and I want to leave the end of December.

Stressed yet again first thing in the morning, I sat in my room and just cried, “I don’t understand. Why, Lord? Just when everything was moving forward.” I listened to two songs: “Way Maker” sung by Leeland and “Your Will, Your Way” by Bryan and Katie Torwalt. Just bawling, I cried, “Lord I need a miracle. You are the Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness…but Your will, Your way. Do whatever You want to. Come move, come reign. Let Your Kingdom invade my heart…”

Calming down in the presence of my Father, I realized a couple things. First, had I not woken up thinking about my passport the way I did, I probably would’ve got denied entry into Cambodia and would’ve had to figure out a way back. I completely believe God put the passport on my heart for me to realize; to protect me, not scare me. Second, why am I going back to Cambodia anyway? Yeah, I want to celebrate the New Year there. Yeah, I want to attend my friend’s wedding there. Yeah, I want to celebrate my birthday there. And well, I need to pay the rent in January there. -All the end of December into early January. But it’s NOT ABOUT ME. I’m not going back to Cambodia for me, I’m going back to Cambodia because God has called me there (I just happened to really love it there) to serve and love on His people.

Surrendering, I came to conclusion, “if I don’t get to bring in the New Year there or attend my friend’s wedding or celebrate my birthday that that’s okay. Lord, just help me figure out how I will do rent, and I know that You’ll bring me back eventually.” Wiping the tears away and just filled with His presence, I opened the Word and one of the chapters I began reading was 1 Samuel 15. Verse 22 reads, “So Samuel said: ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” Hmm looks familiar – again that same thing the Lord taught me back in 2015. (Read my blog from 2015 if you would like to: http://rejoiceindivineromance.blogspot.com/2015/11/obedience-over-sacrifice.html) In reading this, I am just seeing the Lord remind me to go out simply because I love Him and He’s called me, to trust Him with all and know He’s in control.

Afterwards, I began researching ways to get my passport renewed fast. There’s a way! Thank You, Lord! I have an appointment next week to expedite my passport to get it renewed quickly. With this, I need proof of travel in less than 2 weeks, so last night I booked my plane ticket in faith to depart Colorado December 28^th, knowing that if it does not get done in time, He’ll provide the funds to change the ticket or that He can indeed work a miracle and my passport will get renewed before I have to depart. And you know what, I have faith that He will get it renewed in time, because He is the Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness. When I can’t see it, He’s working and He already lined up so much for me to be able to leave the end of December. His past faithfulness requires my present trust.

I write this just smiling, because I thought I already learned all this “letting go” stuff…I tell ya, it’s easy to pick it back up again, but I was so sweetly reminded of this and shown God’s faithfulness yet again so far and I know He’ll do it again with this passport situation. Once you really do let go, God really does move mightily, work miracles, fulfill promises (I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it), and is faithful to complete what He started.

Prey Ta Chap, Kompong Spue, Cambodia.

One Year

It was a year ago the other night that I landed back in Cambodia. God’s promises are yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20 (២ កូរិនថូស ១ : ២០)) I wish I could put into words how amazing God is and the love that He has for me (and for you if you are reading this.) One of my favorite questions to ask people when I interview them about something is, “if you could describe (fill in the blank) in one word, what would it be and why?” So, if I could describe this past year in one word, what would it be and why? It would be easy for me to pick a word like, “love,” “faithful,” “promises,” or “sweet,” because of God’s promises, love, and faithfulness or the sweet family I have here, but I would describe this past year as “learn.”

Although I will always be learning my whole life and I look forward to soaking up more of God’s word, learning about Him more, and how I can grow as a person, I have learned so much this past year that I believe will take me deeper into God’s calling for my life and my walk with Him. I have been learning both spiritual and practical things; what it is to be a leader, to be bold, to speak gently, to slow down, to fear the Lord and not man, how to budget, listening to and speaking the Khmer language, and so much more.

Over this season there have been some trials, but it’s in those valleys that the mountains come forth and honestly where the most growth occurs. God has taken me deeper and shown me the importance of walking with eyes only for Him, to glorify Him, and to not look to the left or right, but to press on toward the upward call. “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” -Psalm 20:7 “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”

-2 Timothy 2:4

This has been the longest I’ve been away from the US in one consecutive time and I haven’t been back in Colorado since June 2018. In the past, I would have a hard time leaving Cambodia because I just didn’t want to leave. I still don’t want to leave because I love my family here and this country so much, but this time it’s not going to be as hard; I know how much I will need this season coming up. I am really looking forward to seeing my family, resting, being able to process things, and see people I haven’t seen in a while. The enemy is definitely trying to attack with fear of not being able to come back. God has taken me through seasons of leaving often, but has brought me back every time (២ កូរិនថូស ១ : ២០); He is faithful, so I will not let Satan in! I’m eager to be rejuvenated and refreshed to come back to Cambodia soon and start a new season. See you shortly family and Colorado! See you later Cambodia!