A Whirlwind of Adventures...

So, yet again I have not updated my blog in weeks.  Maybe one day I will get a better grip on the whole updating every few days or at least every week, haha. 

Anyways, there have been many changes in life during the past few weeks.  I am now living in an orphanage just outside of Quito in a pueblo called Conocoto called the Henry Davis Foundation.  I am teaching English at the school there with my roomie, Kendra, who is a sweet friend from Washington.  We also tutor kids in the afternoon who are struggling with their English.  I am still learning how to balance these new responsibilities with my responsibilities of going to class and studying so that I will make good grades, which has definitely been a challenge but I know the Lord is having me walk through it for a reason.  However, one thing that is not challenging about the situation is loving the children!!  They are such blessings and they definitely hold a piece to my heart.  These children come from homes where most of the parents are still living but either they were unable to provide for the kids or it was a really bad home situation that the kids had to be removed from.  The Lord has already taught me so much through them.  One thing that I am learning is that even though we might all come from different circumstances, cultures, families, we all have the same basic needs.  We need shelter, food, water, and most of all we need to feel loved and be shown affection.  The last need is one that the kids here are desperate for....or their hearts have been hardened because of a lack in this affection.  It is hard to think about coming from a good home when you look at these kids and know their desire to be loved.

Some verses have also taken new meaning after my experiences here...For example Psalm 139:13-16:
13 For you formed my inward parts;


you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

I cried when I read these verses during my time with the Lord one afternoon...because I thought of how the Lord lovingly and carefully wove together each and every single child that lives here and how many of their parents seem to have tossed the meaning of these verses aside.  My heart also hurt because of the fact that many of these kids do not see themselves as magnificent creations of the Creator..they see themselves as unwanted.  And this is a small fraction of a big picture that exists all around the world of people who live as if they are unwanted by family or by society.  Thankfully, the reality is that EVERYONE is wanted...we are all wanted more than we can imagine by the one who knows us best.  And our mission is to make sure that every person is aware of this fact.

Another blessing about living at this particular orphanage is that I can fellowship with two families from my home church, Brook Hills!  The Lord has an amazing way of working all things together for our good...I am amazed every day at the work of His hands!

A few prayer requests:  Please pray for the children here at Henry davis foundation.
Please pray for the house moms that have sacrificed so much to serve these children with ALL of their time.  Pray that the Lord will give them rest and wisdom on how to best raise these children and definitely pray for an immense ammount of love.
Please pray for me as I continue to figure out how to balance my schedule...that I would be wise and not waste the time the Lord has given me here.
May the Lord bless you and keep you and walk through every moment of every day with you.  And may you feel His presence!
Blessings,
Amber =D

A little behind...

So, today I am using some down time to catch everyone up on the activities of the past few weeks.  I had hoped to be a little more disciplined about updating my blog and email updates, but sometimes we can't plan how crazy our schedule will be. 

I am now in Quito, Ecuador.  The city where I will spend the majority of my time as a university student at Pontificia Universidad Catolica.  This past week I had orientation and I am ready to start classes on Monday.  One of the main lessons that the Lord has been teaching me even when just dealing with my university and the way things are run is patience.  It has been a difficult transition coming from a university where EVERYTHING is run like clock work.  Here, I had to go and sit down with someone to register for my classes, where I am used to sitting down at the computer and working my schedule out for myself.  Then, it took three days to actually get everything worked out on the financial side of things.  But the Lord is gracious to teach us when we get frustrated about things like this if we pay attention.

Here is a picture of me on my first day of school at the bus stop: =D

I have also gained an appreciation for public transportation during my time here.  Without the metro bus it would be very costly to get around the city....especially with the amount of traffic that is in this city.

I also want to update you on what has been going on the last few weeks.  One of the biggest highlights that I want to share with you was the opportunity I had a little over a week ago to spend the day with my sponsored child from Compassion, Harol.  I felt so blessed to be able to do all of the activities that we were allowed to do.  First, we went to visit Iguana Park which is a very popular place amongst tourists in Guayaquil.  Then, we spent a few hours playing on every possible playground in Malecon.  After that, we went to a mall to grab some lunch before heading to Harol's house.  I thought I loved this little boy more than imaginable before I met him, but then I realized how wrong I was.  Now I love him even more than that.  He is so precious, and I am thankful for the opportunity God has given me to invest in him.  Before leaving the house, Harol and I played soccer for a little while and then it was time for me to go visit the Compassion center with one of the pastors.  At the Compassion center, I had the opportunity to meet Harol's teacher and see his classroom.  This day has definitely been one of the major highlights of my time here so far, and I hope to go back and visit them again before I come back to the States.

Another highlight from the past few weeks was the opportunity that we had to go and work in Ventanas for a day with a church that I helped plant two years ago on another mission trip.  The original plan had been to spend a week in Ventanas, but because of me getting sick from something I ate we had to rearrange the plans.  However, I know that this circumstance was not out of the control of the Almighty....He knew the plan perfectly.  Also, I am thankful that a majority of my Guayaquil family was able to go with us to preach the Gospel.  We spent the day talking with people who lived on the same street as the church, people I had shared the Gospel with 2 years ago!  Then, we went out to the new church and we visited with some new believers there.  One of the sweetest moments in Ventanas was when I learned that one of the women who came to know Christ while I was there now can call her mother and her sister her sisters in Christ.  They were down at the river washing their clothes when we found them, and I was able to teach them about the Samaritan woman at the well and we talked about how Jesus has called us to serve all people at all times no matter what their past may be and no matter what we may feel like at the time.  It was a sweet time of fellowship.  I also hope to return here during another weekend to spend more time working the harvest fields alongside them.

So, this is just a small piece of what the Lord has been doing in my time here in Ecuador.  I will try to be more regular about updating so that you can hear more stories! 

Ways that you can intentionally pray for me: 1. Pray that I will continue to adjust to the weather here in Quito and that I will continue learning the city quickly.  2. Pray that I will be able to divide my time well between classes and ministry in order to be the most effective.  3. Pray for me as I adjust to being more alone now than I have been.  I have been blessed to have my friend, Bekah, with me this last month as well as my precious family from Guayaquil, but now I will be on my own for the majority of the days. (Please know that I am fully aware of God's presence with me always and that alone is sufficient, but this is still an adjustment that I have to make.)

Thank you for your prayers and the time you have taken to read what God is doing here. 

With love and blessings,
Amber

The beginning of a new journey

For several years now, I have had an inexstinguishable love in my heart for a country called Ecuador.  The first time I came here I felt as if I could live here forever and be completely content.  Well, after coming here three times on short-term trips to various parts of the country. The idea started to sink into my heart about coming here for a longer period of time.  For a while, I thought this was simply my heart´s desire and not in the will of God, so I began looking at other options for study abroad, a requirement to complete my major at my university.  But every attempt to look at different places failed.  Every single one. So, I gave in and knew that this had to be in the Lord´s plan for things to be like this.  So, here I am. I am sitting in an internet cafe in Guayaquil, Ecuador.  The country that I will call my home for the next five months.  I am so excited about the journey that the Lord has set before me, and I´m amazed at how he has already shown me His sovereignty in the details.

As I left on this journey, I began reading a book by Elizabeth Elliot called In the Shadow of the Almighty.  Elizabeth´s husband, Jim, paid the ultimate price for his faith as he was speared by the Waorani tribe in 1956.  One of the first quotes in the book from Jim has really set the tone for this trip and my attitude.  Jim said ¨He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose¨.  Such a profound statement and one that can be used to truly examine our lives.  Am I living like this?  Am I willing to pay the ultimate price for my faith?  I think this is a question we have to be ready to answer in whatever situation or place we are living in.  The truth of the matter is there are thousands of people right now around the world that are breathing their last breath and stepping into eternity without knowledge of our Lord and Savior!  This is a matter worth dying for.!  Oh, Lord, may we die more to ourselves every day so that you can be more visible in us so that Your mission can be accomplished!!

Already, in the few days that I have been here, I had the opportunity to see two precious girls give their hearts to the Lord and have shared the Gospel with several others as well.  God is SO GOOD!!!

Some prayer requests: Please pray for me as I am adjusting to the culture and to life here.  Please pray that I would keep the posture of a learner.  I am by no means an expert of Ecuadorian culture and I don´t want to pretend to be so.  God doesn´t get the glory when we act that way.  Also, please pray for my family as they adjust to life without me there.  I know it is hard for them and for me. 

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you in every way this week.

Blessings,
Amber

Reflections of an Unforgettable Journey

 As our journey comes to an end here in Ohrid, Macedonia, I can't help but reflect on everything that God has done while we were here.  I had so many wonderful opportunities to meet some of the locals and form, what I hope will be, lasting relationships.  I think I am probably amazed by the fact that so many of these conversations were so incredibly easy and I was able to share part of my story and a little bit about God with some of my new friends.

Yesterday, we had a chance to meet with one of the locals and she was asking us what we thought about boys and being single.  At the start of the conversation, she made the comment that she believed that one must help oneself before he or she can expect God to help.  We listened and at the end kindly said that we understood what she was saying, but that we didn't agree with her.  She then questioned us as to why we did not agree with her which opened the door for a Gospel conversation.  I shared with her that for the longest time I did agree with her and felt like I needed to take care of everything for myself and that if I didn't want to be single for the rest of my life, I needed to take matters into my own hands.  I then moved on to tell her that I know and believe that this is not the case at all, and thank God for that!  I told her that I believe He is faithful and merciful and if there is someone for me, then He will call him and place him in my path at the right moment.  I went on to say that there is a possibility that I may be called to live a life of singleness and I admitted that this would not be easy.  However, I have the comfort in knowing that I have God either way and He is truly the only fulfillment I will ever need in this life.  After hearing this, she sort of pondered and then quickly changed the conversation to the rain that was coming down hard on the lake.  This was discouraging to me, however, I do recognize the fact that I did have a chance to share my faith with her and a little bit about my struggles.  I guess I should take comfort in that she at least heard a little more about God and she did listen, which is more than I can say about some of the locals here.

I guess in closing, I just pray that I would take more away from this city and this amazing opportunity than its natural beauty.  I pray that I would take and use the spiritual growth I have experienced on this trip back to Birmingham for the present and wherever else God calls me to go in the future.  And I pray that God would just put this city and these people in a special place in my heart with the hope that I will never forget them and continue to pray for them, that more of them may come to know Christ and his everlasting love!

~Courtney

As this week in Ohrid, Macedonia comes to an end I am simply amazed at what God is doing here and thankful for the small part that we were able to play in His work.  If we were to measure our accomplishments by the measurements of man, it seems that we would have failed this week because we do not have a large number of souls saved.  However, we do not seek the satisfaction and approval of man, instead we desire the satisfaction and the glory of God!

One of my favorite moments this week was the opportunity we had to meet with one of the local believers here in Ohrid.  She invited us into her home and we were able to take part in discipling her.  The team leader's wife, Mandy taught from John 15 and talked about the necessity of abiding in Christ and continuously pointing others towards the cross and the sacrifice that Christ made for us.  Then, Jennifer, Courtney, and I were able to share our favorite verses with our precious sister and share with her how God was working in our hearts specifically through these verses.  Then, she offered to dress us up in the dress for a traditional Macedonian bride.  It was so precious and fun!  Language was a small barrier in our fellowship, because the love and the laughter that we shared was understood by all.

Praise God for the people that we have met here in Macedonia.  They have forever taken a piece of my heart and I desire so much that they would come to a place of repentance and intimate relationship with Christ.  I have learned much in my time here: about the Lord, about missions, and about myself and in particular the areas where I need to depend on the Lord for my strength.  Even though I am a redeemed sinner, there are parts of me that are wicked and I am thankful that God has revealed those areas to me so that I may grow to be more like Him.

Thank you for your prayers!  They were dearly appreciated.  Please pray as we begin the journey home around 12 AM tonight (5PM for you at home).

These are the Scriptures that have encouraged me the past few days and I would like to share them with you:  2 Thessalonians 2:16-17~ "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope though grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word."

Blessings,
Amber

Pancakes and Monasteries

здраво! (Zdravo) This means hello in Macedonian!

We have hade an amazing few days in Ohrid!  Yesterday we started out our day with a tour of Ohrid with Hannah and Ginna.  We went up to a really old fortess at one of the highest points in the city.  On the way there, we saw an old amphitheater that was turned into a gladiator stadium during the Roman rule.  Then, as we made our way up the hill towards the fortress we were able to tour some ruins that were located just around the fortress, such as the oldest university in Europe that was founded by the patron saint of Ohrid, Saint Clement.  We also had the opportunity to visit the monastery where he was buried.
Then, Hannah and Ginna took us to eat traditional Macedonian food and gelato, it was delicious!  They eat a lot of meat and bread here.

Then, last night we had pancake night at the coffee house!  The team taught Macedonians how to cook American pancakes!  It was so much fun and a great way to build relationships.  Mandy, the team leader's wife, shared with us during orientation that it is important to share "Gospel chips" with the people here, because with chips you just can't eat one.  This concept became obvious throughout the night as we began to have conversations with the people.  When God was mentioned, it was typical for the conversation to be steered in a different direction.  This is an important concept for all of us to learn.  Sometimes we want to force others to understand and know the whole Gospel all at once, and sometimes God has not brought them to that point yet.  So, it is important that we learn to sew Gospel threads, in other words, speak the Truth in any form possible throughout daily conversation.

Today was a new adventure!  We hiked 10 miles or maybe a little more while you were sleeping (it was about 2AM central time, haha).  One of our Macedonian friends led us on a journey to visit 3 monasteries, but we were only able to visit two of them because we discovered how out of shape we are, some of us anyway....that would be me (Amber).  We hiked way into the mountains and saw the beautiful city of Ohrid.  It was amazing to see the natural beauty and know that our God was the artist of this masterwork.  

So, we still have work to do this evening, but we wanted to update you on the recent happenings here in Ohrid!

Please continue to pray for our conversations with the Macedonians here, pray that God would give them ears to hear and give us wisdom in what to say.  God is good and is at work here..God bless!

Here are some verses we wanted to leave you with:

Luke 9:23-24~ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it"

Here are some other pictures of our adventures yesterday and today:

Greetings from Ohrid!

Greetings from Ohrid!!

We have finally made it to the city of Ohrid after several hours of traveling, and it has truly been a blessing that we have made it this far.  The city is absolutely gorgeous and the people are extremely friendly and hospitable.  While we were walking down a street with several shops, the storekeepers always greeted us and attempted to talk to us.  It was really cool to see how we were still able to semi-carry on a conversation with these people even though we did not necessarily speak the same language.  This is just proof yet again that language is not a barrier for our God.


The work that Hannah and Ginna are doing here is completely different from any other mission trip I have been on before.  Rather than physically doing something for people such as fixing a building or serving in a soup kitchen, they are actually focused on building relationships with people and sharing life with these people.  One particular story they shared with us really stood out to me and it was the fact that Hannah had invited a hitchhiker back to their apartment while walking home one day.  In our American culture, this seems like such an absurd thing to do, especially since Hannah had no idea who this woman was and had never even seen her before.  Yet, they invited this woman in, fed her lunch, and talked with her learning more about her life story.  They found out that she was hitchhiking all the way to Serbia and she had recently lost her husband as well as a family business they were running.  Ginna and Hannah also had the chance to share the gospel with her before she started again on her journey to Serbia.

It's moments like this that Ginna and Hannah are living for at this moment in their lives.  They just take one day at a time and focus on the people that God placed in their lives.  It didn't matter that Hannah had never seen or met this woman before, but she trusted in God and used this wonderful opportunity to share more about Him.  Hearing this story has truly opened my eyes to a different side of missions that I have never seen before on any of my other mission trips, and it only makes me more excited to see what God has planned for the rest of this trip.

We are so thankful for the time that we have shared with them so far and for the encouragement that we have shared.  God's family is a precious thing, there is a love that goes much deeper than any other typical friendship can offer.

We love you guys!  Thank you for your prayers!

Flexibility

If there is one thing that Courtney and I have learned on our journey so far it is to be FLEXIBLE!  We started out our trip at the Birmingham airport at 10 AM yesterday morning thinking that we would be in Ohrid, Macedonia at this point.  Well, God had different plans in mind.  We are currently sitting in Rome, Italy (where we have been sitting since 9:00 AM here or 2:00 AM for you folks at home) awaiting our flight that will take off at 9:30 tonight.  From here, we will meet a colleague of the field partners in Thessaloniki which is where we will spend the night. From the moment that our plane got delayed in Chicago, Courtney and I began to prepare ourselves to miss the flight.  It is not easy for a person like me who is used to running a schedule that is non-stop to have no clue what will happen next and what the next step should be.  When we arrived in Rome, we attempted for 2 hours to contact our field partners to tell them what had happened, but somehow we had the wrong phone numbers.  In short, I talked to a man who only spoke Macedonian and could not understand a word I spoke and when I tried another number there was continuously no answer.  Finally, by the grace of God, a woman who spoke English answered the phone and was able to give me the new phone number to reach our field partners.  To say the least, God has shown me continuously throughout the day that when man makes plans we will continuously fail, but His plan is purposeful and will always carry through.  There was nothing I could do in these situations but to put my trust in God's hands because I know we are where God wants us to be.

~Amber

Oh my goodness, what a journey it has been so far!  Just to go along with what Amber said above, we have been traveling for an extremely long time as of now, and we're not really even close to our final destination.  There have obviously been a lot of bumps along the road, but I know that my God is faithful and that this was already a part of His plan.  I think for me the most challenging thing to grasp is the fact that hardly anyone speaks English.  This afternoon, ordering lunch was an interesting ordeal since we couldn't communicate with words, but somehow we managed.  In the end, I am simply reminded that language will never be a barrier against our God.  Even though we may not be able to share words with these Italians, we can still glorify God by being an example of Christ to them in our relationship with each other and just our general manner.  With this in mind, I am reminded of the verse in Revelations declaring that every nation, tribe, and tongue will glorify God and sing praises to Him.  And that's truly all that matters in the end-being flexible for Him!

Courtney


Ways you can pray for us today:
1. Our flight to Thessaloniki that leaves at 9:30 PM our time (2:30 your time)
2. Pray that our rest would be multiplied so that we have the energy needed for a full day of ministry tomorrow!


Verses to leave you with:
2 Corinthians 4:16-17~ So we do not lose heart.  Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner is being renewed day by day.  For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison

Ohrid, Macedonia

Tomorrow morning, my friend Courtney and I will step out of the US onto a plane headed for Ohrid, Macedonia!  This is a new part of the world for me, but I am super excited to see what the Lord has in store.  We will actually get to fly into Rome and Thessaloniki (Thessalonians ring a bell?) before we reach our destination!

At this point, some of you are probably thinking, why in the world Ohrid, Macedonia?
Well, that is a good question.  Many of us from reading from Scripture would assume that Macedonia is a very reached region, considering the amount of work that Paul and other disciples poured into that region.  However, today the country is considered to have between 0.01% and 2% Evangelicals and the number of professing Christians is above 5%.  This is not as unreached as some parts of the world, but it is a mere shadow of what it could be considering the work and evidence of the Spirit in Scripture.  Sadly, many Macedonians are caught up in the traditions of the Orthodox church and in believing that works are necessary to earn salvation.  This is so contrary to what we know to be true.  We are all sinners and completely incapable of achieving salvation through any work by our own hand.  We desperately need a Savior who can reconstruct the bridge between us and God.  Because of this, God sent His only Son, Jesus to humble Himself by becoming human and dying the most humiliating death on a cross.  His life and death were sufficient to pay the penalty due us for our sins if we repent of our sins and trust in Him.  Therefore, it is urgent that we speak this Truth to the Macedonian people!!

There is another good reason for going and it involves the two beautiful ladies in this picture.  Hannah (left) and Ginna (right) are two friends that have sacrificed two years of their lives to live amongst the Macedonian people in Ohrid.  Courtney and I have had the pleasure of meeting Ginna through our small group.  Last year we shared life together before she started on this journey.  Courtney and I have such an amazing opportunity to join in ministry with Hannah and Ginna and then we have the opportunity to encourage them and uplift them.  When spending an extended period of time on the mission field, it is so important to be encouraged because so much of your time is spent pouring into and investing in others.  We are so excited about getting to spend time with our friends and work alongside one another in order to further the Kingdom of God!!

Here are some ways you can pray for us as we begin this journey:
1. Travel: We will leave midday tomorrow and arrive in Rome just after midday there (8 hour time difference).  Pray that we will be rested when we arrive and so that we can hit the ground running
2. Pray that we will be intentional in every opportunity to share the Gospel and speak Truth into those around us.
3. Pray that we would see at least one person come into a trusting relationship with Christ
4. Most of all, pray that God would be glorified in everything we do

Here are some verses that I would like to leave you with: "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?  And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'  But they have not all obeyed the gospel.  For Isaiah says, ' Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?' So faith comes comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ"  Romans 10:14-17