Give Thanksgiving

 As the holiday season fast approaches, I am reminded that I am not around family however, at the same time, God is reminding me that there are many things to be thankful for. In everything, we are meant to give God thanks and praise Him but too often we get caught up in the hard times and forget about all the good in our lives.

However, in all honesty, right now is a time where I am finding myself caught up in the hard times and forgetting to thank God for what I do have and what He has given me. I have seen God provide and lead me in the right path more times than I even know yet I still seem to overlook His provision, guidance, and what He has given for other things.

Today started out good yet in a blink of an eye, I was reminded that the enemy comes only to kill, steal, and destroy. The enemy wants to take away any joy in our lives and he wants to cause havoc on us. He wants to make us believe in the lies of this world and he wants to distract us from what God is doing and is capable of doing. So rather than focusing on what the enemy is up to, since he is never up to any good, I am going to try to counteract his attacks by giving God thanks for what He has provided and given.

1. I am thankful for God calling me out of education. I had always dreamed of being a teacher yet since I have been in TX and in the schools, I am realizing that maybe teaching in the public school is not what God has gifted me with and given me the passion for. If I had continued ignoring God then I would possibly be miserable right now but instead, I gave into God’s calling and it has become apparent that ministry truly is my passion and what God had intended for me to do. 

     2. I am thankful for God providing and putting people in the right place at the right time. I came to

         TX not knowing where I would be staying but had faith in God that things would work out. In 

         other words, I am thankful that one my supervisors mentioned that they needed a place for me to

         stay when I arrived to TX and that the lady that I am staying with now was at church that Sunday

         and heard the request and offered to have me stay at her place since she usually rents the upstairs 

         to seminary students but didn’t have anyone renting from her at the time the request was made.

      3. I am thankful for the people that I work with and the environment that I work in. It’s not  

          everyday that you get the chance to work with a group of people that all have faith in God and 

          living out the Gospel. Yeah, there may be times that we don’t see eye to eye and there may be 

          tension at times but over all, it’s a blessing to be able to work with great people and for a great 

          cause. Ministry isn’t always easy but you can tell that God is at work in the lives of those I work 

          with and in the ministry that they are doing!

      4. I am very thankful for people that understand and are willing to walk along side you in the call

          that God has given. For me, that call is to be a missionary and also included leaving everything 

          that I knew behind and coming to a place where I knew only 1-3 people.

      5. I am thankful for one of my supervisor and his family for being welcoming and in all honesty,   

          becoming somewhat “family” (Family in Christ). Also, thankful for them extending an invite to  

          be with their family this Thanksgiving season and understanding being a missionary and   

          everything that comes along with that. There's really no right words to say/ describe how 

          thankful I am for them and what they have done for me.

      6. I am thankful for this opportunity to serve with the Dallas Leadership Foundation and with the

          Methodist Church. That I was able to graduate college and enter into full time ministry. I am 

          thankful for the opportunity to serve with others in Dallas and to get to know a wide range of

          people and see what God is doing and wanting to do in Dallas.

There are many things that I may not have mentioned that I am thankful for since there are many things that are too often overlooked and taken for granted. While there are many things to be thankful for, there are also things that interfere and sometimes prevent me from seeing the things that I should be thankful for. In those areas I would ask that you be praying.

1. For my family back home, my 5 year old niece in particular who is in the hospital
2. For patience when things don’t go as I had intended or when I just need patience with others
3. A huge request that has been burdening me some is the financial fund raising. We received a reminder email today about the amount we are supposed to raise by the end of the first year of service and then the end of the second year of service. This is something that has been hard for me since day one. It’s not easy but I know I have to have trust in God and his providing (for more info, go to my blog post titled “the struggle of support” since that’s still exactly where I am at…) It’s a struggle and prayers are appreciated in this area
4. That I get connected with other young adults and continue to grow in my faith and walk with God
5. That I truly discover what God has planned for me during these 2 years of service and truly see what's going on rather than getting caught up in "going through the motions"

Thanks for the prayers and for reading this post! My question for you is, what are you thankful for and what has God given you?! Also, please feel free to leave comments and let me know how I can be praying for you!