If you have seen my page before or even if you are new to it you  may have seen my goals. I've posted about my first goal of reaching the $3,800 to be able to go to India. But my second goal I've never talked about. Today I will. 

One thing we will be doing while in India is a lot of walking. Now I don't mind walking and I even enjoy walking and I love to hike. I've heard we will  have to be able to walk at least 7 miles. I know I can do it, especially when it is to do God's work. However I weigh a bit more than I should and I would like to make it a bit easier on me by having less weight to carry around when I go. 

I have started to get on track to lose the weight. I have gotten up to weighing 200lbs so, I would like to weight 150 by the time we leave. I had been walking at least three days a week with a really good friend of mine but once school started it messed me up because I have to be at school early in the day. With the heat here that is the best time to walk. I plan on getting back on track with walking, either in the evenings or something. However there are other things I can do to get healthier and to lose weight.

I am hypoglycemic so, I need to eat at least three meals a day but even better would be to eat a little something every three hours. Well I've always never really eaten. I didn't eat breakfast barely ate lunch but then would eat dinner. To jump start your metabolism you need to eat breakfast but I wouldn't. I also drank tons of soda throughout the day and none or very little water. I guess that is why I gained so much weight. 

Once I stopped drinking soda, on August 8,2012 I learned just how bad my hypoglycemia actually is. With drinking soda I was getting sugar in me, however it was the bad sugar. My body was using all of that bad sugar and it just made me gain weight. When I quit drinking soda I no longer had that sugar intake. I have learned from it that I need to make sure I eat breakfast. I also need to eat lunch and dinner and snack on something healthy during the day. If not I will be shaking like a leaf and feeling very weak. 

So, over the course of the next five months, I will be working on eating healthy and regular meals. I will also be working towards my goal of losing 50lbs. So far I have lost 1, 49 to go. I know I can get there if I apply myself and work at it. Everything that we want takes work and dedication. If it doesn't it really isn't worth it. Things we have to work for are that much more enjoyable. 

Faith that can move mountains. I have a mountain that needs to be overcome. It is bigger than I am that is for sure. I'm sure most would agree that making that much money with no income is a huge mountain to overcome. But I have faith that the finances will be there in time for me to go, actually at least a month before I have to go.

Faith is the confidence, trust or believe in something or someone. Christ tells us in Mark that if we have faith then we can move mountains.

Mark 11:20-15 (NIV): In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, Look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

All I can say is wow, I can move mountains all I need is faith and prayer. Well I got both of those so why worry. Jesus tells us flat out that if we want something to ask for it in prayer. Just pray to God asking for what it is that we want. Then not only pray for it but have faith that it will happen. He also says that we must forgive others and he to will forgive us. You could write three different sermons just from that one passage because there is so much in it.

We are also told to pray without ceasing.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV): Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

So, let me see here we can move mountains through faith and prayer, and we are to pray continuously. So, God wants to hear from us all the time. Did you know you can pray anywhere at anytime. I actually have a conversation with God while on my way to school in the mornings, in the shower, talking to other people (I can carry on two conversations at one time) anywhere, anytime if I feel the need and the stirring in my heart I will talk to God through prayer no matter where I am at or what I am doing. Many call or talk to their parents, siblings, children and/or friends everyday for hours, or even twice a week. But when was the last time you talked to God?

Pray continuously and remember forgiveness is divine. Lets move some mountains!

I posted the three ways you can donate to Mission India 2013 but some may be asking themselves well how much does she really need for this trip. Good question and I actually don't really like talking about finances however it is a huge part of our day to day lives.

First the question is how much: well for the cost of the trip, which includes plane, transportation, accommodations, food, and those just in cases it will be $3,800. Now when I look at that I think there is no way. How am I going to make that much money when I have no income? Plus I still need my passport and shots. Okay just breath. We will be doing fundraisers that will account for some of it but what about the rest? The answer actually came from my 10 year old daughter. She told me don't worry mom you have lots of friends with jars. My heart melted.

For those who aren't really sure what my daughter was talking about and even if you may have an idea I will fill you in.

2 Kings 4:1-7 (NIV): The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves." Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" "Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil." Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side." She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one." But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left."

She had but a little oil that turned into a lot of oil, enough to pay off the debts and to live on. She was able to do this through two things, faith that what the man of God said would work and second because she had the relationship with people around her. Because of this relationship she was able to acquire jars that she could fill with oil. What if she had only known a few people and only got a few jars? She wouldn't of had enough because once the jars ran out so did the oil. If she had known even more people she would of had more jars to fill and the oil would of ran longer until all of them were filled.

Now how does oil in jars refer to my getting to India. I have faith that through those I know my jar will be filled. Faith that can move mountains.

Yes, my husband was accepting of me going to India. Like Joseph it took him some time to think on it but he said yes.

To me that is huge!! I had prayed on it and asked God to let his will be done, if he wants me to go to India then have my husband  allow me to go if I'm not to go have him say no. So, my confirmation came, yes I am to go.

This was really huge for me because well I'm very independent and do things my way and if I want to do something  I will. I've been married for 12 years and have tried to be accepting to my husbands decisions and if he says no then to go with it but it is hard and in general I still do my own thing. The problem is that isn't good for a marriage and it isn't what God wants from us.

God tells us in Ephesians 5:22-24 (NIV)-"Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything."

Submit to my husband in everything not just some things but everything. That is some hard stuff to take. But it comes down to this if I can't submit to my husband then how can I submit to God? God tells us to submit to our husbands and if I don't then I'm not submitting to God, so, I submitted. When I talked to my husband about it at first he said no. I was hurt because I really felt that God was calling me to India. However I had also told God that if my husband says no I will submit to his authority and accept his decision. So, I accepted it, I did ask him to wait and make his final decision before the first mission meeting. Not that it would make a difference because once my husbands mind is made up there is no changing it. Knowing this I came to a place of acceptance, I knew the Lord wanted me in India, but with my husband saying no I had to accept it and submit to him, and accept that decision. Once I submitted and prayed about it I had peace with the choice my husband had made. I knew that one day I would go maybe not in 2013 but one day. Then my husband texted me saying I could go. I was so happy that I cried. I guess it takes divine intervention to change my husbands mind. Our relationship has strengthened since I submitted.

Through giving of yourself , you are giving much. As I submitted to my husband and gave up my stubborn independence and let him lead instead of me leading, I also submitted to God. Therefore God then can use me and touched my husband to have him say yes. God had to break me and make me submissive so that he can use me, if I stayed in my own ways God couldn't use me.

God molds us to what he wants us to be, we go through storms and fire to become pure, it hurts and it can be tough but God won't give us more than we can handle. I've told you so far of two storms that I have gone through as God prepares to send me to India. The accepting of God's will and letting him lead me and submitting myself to my husband and to God.

No matter what religion we are or even if you are an Atheist, you have probably heard the story of Christ's birth. But think about it:

In that time a good Jewish girl was to stay a virgin until her wedding night. If she did not she would be stoned to death. Think of a young girl about 16, who is promised to a young man. Now she is a good Jewish girl and knows the laws of her people and follows God's commands. One day she is told by an angel of God that she will give birth to the Messiah. Now she has never been with a man and if she becomes pregnant before she is married she will be stoned to death. She doesn't say no but accepts God's plan for her knowing he will provide. Joseph is expecting to marry a pure, good, Jewish girl. He finds out however that the girl he is promised to is pregnant. By law and Jewish custom he should put her away and have her stoned to death. However through Mary's faith in God's plan her husband/fiancee came around to it and married her. Now yes it took an angel of God speaking to Joseph but he accepted Mary's choice and the will of God. 

Now you may be wondering what does that have to do with me going to India and knowing if God is telling me to go. Well it has everything to do with it. One Sunday Pastor Paul (for those who don't know he is the Pastor of Life Church) did a sermon on missions. At the end of service as is his custom if you had a word from God and needed prayer during the service he would pray for you. This time it was if God is calling you into the mission field. Now I have a tugging to stand and get prayer, but I don't. My thoughts are how can I go? Will my family be accepting of this? God spoke to me through Paul that day. Paul didn't know who it was for but he spoke the words that God told him. I immediately stood up. Tears streaming down my face not knowing how but willing to do what God calls me to do. I was going. I signed up for Mission India and  Mission Malawi that day. I knew I was called to go on one but I wanted to be ready to go anywhere God sent me. 

Last month I was accepted for the Mission India team. Now came the hard part telling my family that I have been called to go. Is it really God's design for me to go, the answer will come from my husband and I know it. If he says yes then I am to go, if he says no then I am not to go, but the hard part is asking him if I can go. I don't want him to say no because I want to go, but it is God's will that I must follow. 

Will my husband be accepting as Joseph was accepting of Mary? 

Blogging, I guess I will give it a try.

Have you ever had that feeling where you just know you have to do something? Earlier this year we had a couple from Come Alive World come to Life Church and talk about the mission work they do in India. My heart just went out to the people in Machilipatnam where they are doing this work. I knew then that I had to go just to let them know how much God can do for them, and how much he loves them. That they aren't outcasts who should be shunned but people who are loved. But how could I do this, how could I go? I have a family and school.....was God really calling me to go?