Our Crazy Awesome God!

The things God has been doing in my life are crazy!  I am really amazed sometimes at how much I've learned and grown lately!  The way that God brings people into our lives and uses those people to show us things about ourselves that we may not have seen otherwise is pretty awesome!  I love my church and I have just finished going through the membership process.  At the end of the membership classes you have a meeting with the New Members pastor just as sort of a follow up on how the class went for you and where you might fit in for serving etc.  You can tell this pastor is really passionate about getting to know people and helping them become more connected in the church, and helping people find a good fit for them in a place of ministry.  I had my meeting yesterday and was just expecting to maybe get more involved in serving someplace like the nursery or something. Well, God showed up and slapped me in the face (in a good way) again!  This pastor basically told me that they had identified me as someone with potential to be a lifegroup leader of a lifegroup for single ladies.  What?!?!  Me?!? A leader?!?  That was my split second initial reaction and then came the slap in the face...let me rewind a little first.  A couple months ago a girl I've gotten to know at church, Erica, and a handful of other young, single ladies that she had been getting to know all got together for lunch one Sunday after church.  We had a great time of fellowship and getting to know one another a little bit and just had a lot of fun!  After that afternoon of fellowshipping I sort of felt this little nudge and heard a little voice saying "maybe you could start a lifegroup with these girl and be the leader".  But, at the time I sort of blew it off and just thought that at the most maybe I could help out if the leader needed some help or something if that was where this group went.  Ok...fast forward to yesterday...that slap in the face, yeah that was God reminding me of that little nudge and voice I heard so many weeks back.  I knew in that moment that God was doing something and taking me someplace I never thought I'd go!  I have never, in a million years, thought of myself as a leader.  I've always just thought of myself as a follower and someone who likes to blend in with the crowd.  No doubt that over the last few years I've changed and grown and have become much more outgoing than I ever thought I would, but still never would have pictured myself leading a group!  Here I was though, being told by someone that in just the few minutes we had spent together they could tell I was a natural leader.  Then I called my parents yesterday evening and told them about my meeting and they both agreed and were very excited about the prospect of me leading a lifegroup.  Ok God, I get it!!  Obviously You, and other people see something in me I never would have expected!!  And yet again God has shown through the amazing people in my life how He can grow me and lead me places I've never expected or thought possible!  So, here I am starting the process of becoming a lifegroup leader.  Am I a little nervous about it?  Oh my, Yes!  I told the pastor yesterday that I might need a lot of encouragement, guidance, and maybe even some training wheels! Haha!  But, I know that if this is where God is leading me that He will be right there guiding me and holding my hand along the way!  I couldn't ask for anything more than that!

Then there's my Uganda trip!  I am so excited about this trip!  I went to a conference this Saturday that my church hosted called Answer the Call!  It was a conference all about adoption and orphan care!  Woohoo!  Right up my alley!  It was an amazing day worshiping and learning more about what God is doing in the world with orphan care!  I attended a couple break out sessions on fostering and international adoption which were both pretty awesome.  Especially the one on international adoption!  I have been thinking more and more about the possibility of adopting sooner rather than later, and even pursuing it now as a single woman.  It was encouraging to hear there are several opportunities for someone like me to pursue it!  I am trying to be open and just see where God leads me!  The general sessions were really amazing!  Beth Gutenberger of Back to Back Ministries was the speaker and she just shared her heart and love of adoption and orphan care!  One thing she said at the beginning of the day that really stuck with me throughout the rest of the day was that we were ALL there with a heart for orphans and adoption and that this was a "safe place full of people that GET you!"  That was so encouraging to me!  Sometimes I wonder if some of my friends and family think I'm a little crazy or maybe starting to "go off the deep end" a little with my recent consideration of adopting sooner rather than later.  It was so nice to be surrounded by other people who understand my heart and passion for the orphans of this world.  I'm so glad I went to the conference!  Oh and...as a nice little surprise and to show what a small world it is, I got to meet the leaders of my upcoming trip because they just happened to be there too!  It was so fun to meet them and hear about their trip last year a little bit!  It made me even more excited for this trip!!  I just can't wait so love on some amazing kiddos!!

So...in a nutshell...isn't God just CRAZY AWESOME!!  I think so!  No...I know so!!  Cause he's doing some crazy awesome stuff in my life and it's so exciting!!