Home-sickness.


That dreadful and haunting word.


I remember telling my parents before I left Idaho that I would not get homesick, but I was very wrong. The first month flew by and the days were filled with learning the Bible, how to live with 11 other students, and settling in. Now that I am settled in, I'm beginning to miss home and my family. It so funny because the things I miss most are small and .... minor. Like I miss my Dad's hugs before bed, seeing my mother cooking breakfast in the kitchen each morning, arguing with my brother, pulling up into the driveway and having my dogs greet me, closing the door to my room and having alone time, and going to church with my parents to worship our God and King. These things seem insignificant but are surprisingly missed.
I am so thankful for cell phones and the internet but it is still hard not having a face-to-face conversation with a family member. God has blessed me INCREDIBLY with an AMAZING roommate and I honestly don't know what I would do with out her... but still the loneliness exists. You would think with all these people surrounding me loneliness would be the last thing on the list, but that's not the case :)
Through all of this I have learned to appreciate my family and to understand how precious those moments are when we're together. I've also learned that God is ALWAYS there for me, no matter what. He has been my steady and constant friend through all of this. No one knows me better than He does :)
I know that I belong here in Sebring Fl. I'm very happy here and love everyone: my classmates, the church family, and all the kids at the schools. I'm so privileged to be here and praise God for His abundant and many blessings!

God did something very amazing this morning. I spoke at Chapel to around a hundred or more kids. I was nervous and uncertain about my speech. What did I have to say? I didn't have a dramatic testimony nor was I a dramatic youth group speaker. We started off Chapel with singing praises to our God and King and after that it was my time to take the stage. Before I got up to speak I prayed for God to show me if this was where He wanted me to be and if He was near. I asked Him to use my mouth to tell His Word, that His Holy Spirit would be in me and stir the hearts of the listeners. I started off my speech by introducing myself and jumped into how I ended up in Sebring, Florida from Moscow, Idaho. I told them how my heart was filled with selfish wants, desires, and plans. And how the mission trip changed my life when I visited a poor dying man. How after singing to him and praying over him he told us he wanted to give us something but he had nothing to give, but that he would be praying for us that the Lord would bless me and show me His mercy and love. I realized then and there that I had so much to give but I had forgotten the Lord. This was how my life was changed. My roots were ripped out of the earth and God planted them in Heaven so that the fruit I produced would be reachable to the hungry. I told them that I have given myself and everything I have to Christ. To Him be the Glory!!!
When I finished and Chapel was over two people came over to me and thanked me for what I had said. All I could say was that it was the Holy Spirit and nothing that I had done or said. I noticed a girl I had never met before... she was talking to the girl beside me. I introduced my self and immediately she pulled me aside and started talking to me. She said, "I enjoyed what you said and halfway through your speech God told me to tell you that He knows you, you're in the right place, that He is going to bring you out of your comfort zone to bring glory to Him, that many people are going to come to Christ through you, and that hardships and troubles are in your future but don't forget that I (God) will always be there." She concluded by saying "I was scared to come over and talk to you because I'm only 13, but every time I resisted something pushed me towards you" I started crying because this was exactly what I had prayed for. He has a huge plan for me and He told me so through a 13 year old girl who I had never met before. God has told me that I do have trials and hardships in my future, but He will be there and get me through all of it. Praise be to God! I learned this morning not to underestimate prayer because God does hear and answer prayer. He is my comforter, my king, and my God. As soon as I gave my whole self up to Him and started living my life to glorify God, He showed me that He is there, right beside me. I cannot explain with words what I felt or what I am feeling. All I want to do is praise God!! I keep my eyes fixed on God on His throne and to see Jesus with open arms saying "you did it, you made it, my good and faithful servant"

In His holy and precious name,
Stacey

I am writing from the wonderful world of humid and hot Florida! Here I am attending Great Commissions Bible Institute. I have been blessed by the Lord and am so honored that He has given me this incredible opportunity. I just wanted to share what has been happening these past three weeks and how God has been changing my life...

God is working wonders and has opened the public school doors for us. We are leading worship in four schools (middle and high) once a week. Our goal is to reach the hurting, abused, hungry, lost, and needing kids in our school systems. So far the kids have welcomed us with open arms and relationships are already forming. Please pray that the Lord would send the young children and teens to us, so we can share God's undying love with them.
One of my classmates, Kayla, and I are working on starting a group called Girl Talk. We would love to use Girl Talk to reach out to the young women in the community. Many of these girls are walking down a road of sin and need encouragement and guidance. Please pray that we would be able to kick off Girl Talk in the next few weeks. Also, that God would send us girls who need our help and Christ in their life. One of the area's I'm personally struggling with is how to communicate to them that God is our Father... because many girls in the public school have little or no father figure in their life... some even have abusive fathers. How can I get across to them that God loves them and has set rules and boundaries for their good and safty, not for an opportunity to control and hurt? I personally need and would appreciate prayer in this area.
The Spirit of God is certainly here surrounding me! My friends and I were at Wal-mart hanging out, just looking at magazines and postcards, when a lady with a small child came up to us and asked if we were Christians and if we attended church. It took us by surprise because none of us had been talking about Christianity or church, much less anything in particular. We were able to hook her up with a church and share our faith. Please pray that this woman would see the need of Christ in her life and that the church would welcome her with open arms!

So far this year has been amazing and God has become so real and personal to me. My life has completely changed and my mindset of ministry has gotten much more grand! My life is completely His! I have learned to not clutch onto worldly things, but to open my hands wide. So when He asks for them I give freely and without hesitation.

Thank you for your prayers! I greatly appreciate them and am praying for you all as well!

In Christ's Holy and Majestic Name!

~Stacey