Last night during our final VBS ministry, I realized how far I had come in just one week, and all the credit for that goes to God. After dancing around with a little girl who spoke no English, I realized how much I was enjoying it, and that can only be of God. I remember the first night, standing terrified of interacting with these little kids who spoke no English, knowing that I had a working Spanish vocabulary of eight words. But God pushed me to try to get out of my comfort zone and stop focusing on my own fears. With His help I learned ways to interact with the kids without using words; through high-fives, handshakes, rock-paper-scissors, and sometimes dancing. Last night, dancing with a little girl from Peru, something I would never do out of my own will, I got a glimpse at the joy of living a life freed from myself, and for Someone else.
Jacob Miller
Jacob! Thank you for sharing with us! It is amazing what we will do when we take our eyes off of ourselves and seek the Lord for his direction and guidance. A spiritual revival is happening in our hearts back home because of all of your wonderful blogs! Thank you for encouraging all of us! Love, Mrs. Van Winkle
ReplyDeleteJacob, God has been working in your life for a very long time.. preparing you to serve Him; freely and without fear. I watched you step into that role at VBS and rejoiced as you let go and stepped wholeheartedly into the role of tribe leader. You were a great example to those young boys. It brings such joy to my heart to imagine you dancing with that precious little girl. Be ready to dance with another little girl when you get home... she is missing her big brother! I am praying for you daily. Hey -tell Matt that I missed the picture highlighting you on this post (Rachel's too). That has become something I look forward to with every post! I am loving watching how God is working in everyone's life. It is such an encouragement to everyone back home.
ReplyDeletePatience, Darcy! :) I was having some trouble with the formatting on Rachel and Jacob's posts tonight, but I really love this picture I took of Jacob earlier today. It matches the words of his post perfectly, I think!
DeleteYou know I am not a patient woman! :) Sorry Matt. I love the picture of the police (I am assuming that is the line of them pulling cars over). I absolutely LOVE this picture of Jacob!!!! Thanks Matt! God is so amazing, isn't he?
ReplyDeleteI saw Lexi today in class. She is such a beautiful young lady.. .full of smiles. She was thrilled to share with me about the pink sweater! We are praying all the time for the team. I love every single post. I check it all day long (even though I know I won't see one til late evening). I can NOT wait til hear all that God is doing in everyone's life. What a joy it is to watch from home (though I wish I was there with you!!)
I think it's absolutely awesome how God has taken each member of the team and shown them what they have inside when everything is turned over to Him. Jacob, you're no exception. You are one of the brightest young men I've ever met, yet you kept it contained within. This trip has been so good for you, and I can't wait to see the change! God has very special plans for you, and maybe you are starting to discover them now. We'll keep praying for you and the team.:)
ReplyDelete"I've seen that the more I surrender my petty issues to God, the more I can be used by Him"
ReplyDeleteI'll second that thought. As a matter of fact, ditto that whole first paragraph. Kudos to all of you for letting God lead you where He needs you! :-)
Jacob! I teared up reading your post. It's so obvious how the Lord has been teaching you that He really is the one who gives us everything we have, and how important it is to get over ourselves and make His kingdom the number one priority. Thanks for sharing! I'm praying for you every day!
ReplyDeleteKinsey
Thanks for sharing with us here at home, Jacob! I was blessed by your words, and how genuine you are. God is truly changing hearts and blessing lives through this STEP Peru trip! Looking forward to seeing you all soon, and hearing more about your trip! Praying for you each day! Tell the group HELLO from the Fiecoats!
ReplyDeleteConnie