The Nitty Gritty

This past week has been very challenging. It's kinda where the rubber meets the road so to speak. This coming Thursday is our first big financial due date. All lecture fees are to be paid and each person is to have $2500 down for outreach fees.

Thursday, in class we discussed finances, and how to "do" them as a missionary. These are some very hard walls to break down in the mind of the average American Christian. I believe in hard work and earning my keep, but I'm also learning to take up my "cross" and follow Jesus. I've been tackling some pretty big giants recently. One giant I'm encountering is Worry. In Matthew 6:25-31 Jesus tells His followers to not worry about what to eat, what to drink, and what to wear. Instead He says in verses 32-34 "For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

How much faith do I really have? Do I really believe that God will provide this for me?  I then ask myself this, "Am I here trying to understand and see His kingdom?" YES! Next, "Am I pursuing His righteousness?" YES! So of course He will take care of my basic needs.

It gets better...
Jesus says in Mark 10:29 that if we leave family, possessions, or positions for the sake of Christ and the Gospel that "he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."

Whoa, that's a promise. So here we are, at a school training how to be missionary for life, learning how to hear the voice of GOD, learning how to bring righteousness into our world by ending world hunger, stopping human trafficking, and bringing equality to the workplace, and learning how to be more like Jesus. What an amazing promise! God is going to bless each one of you that is striving towards His Kingdom and Righteous

This financial stiff has a tendency to really stress me out. I LOVE to have everything figured out and know how things are going to work, but that is not the life that the Holy Spirit has asked us to live. Instead, 

He asks us to obey Him and then watch as He gives us EXACTLY what we need for the step we have just taken.

Walking by faith requires us to act first and then see how God gives us the means to see the next part out. I am literally watching as God is giving me life "worksheets" with some seriously challenging problems on them for me to practice on until I get better at releasing my life into HIS hands. So far...it's been...challenging. Ha. BUT HE HAS BEEN SO FAITHFUL!!!

Keep praying for us! We feel each one of your prayers and we would also love to pray for you, so feel free to email me at jfreeman711@gmail.com.

Much love and Aloha!
~Jennifer