And I probably do.... You probably haven't had the opportunity to read this but it is for you, too.
A stone of rememberance:
Dear Family and Friends, Thursday,
June 07, 2012
In Isaiah 6:8, Isaiah
gets commissioned by the Lord. “And I
heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’
Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’" (ESV).
The Father asks whom shall I send? Originally, when I thought the call
was to India my reply was “Oh Lord send me, send me! I want to go and I want to
go!!! I will go! When can I go to India, Lord? Oh Lord, I’d love to go to
India.” This spring, I realized the
call was (not in a huge loud voice but through quite conversations) to Bolivia
specifically to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, San Ignacio de Velasco and Consuelo.
The call was quiet, peaceful and clear.
The Lord has gradually changed my desires and given me an
opportunity for obedience. Trust me, a
year ago this very American American would have firmly said “no” to the idea of
going anywhere there might be a chance of contracting parasites. What a heart
change done only by the work of the Holy Spirit and the realization that the
Gospel is so much more important than Carolyn getting parasites! The Father’s story is universal and all of
the glory belongs to Him. How blessed
are we who get to share in the pure joy that comes from sharing in the Father’s
joy, joy that comes from telling the nations about Him.
Because of how the
Holy Spirit works cross-culturally, I was able to share this with my new
friends in Consuelo (through my precious interpreter Stephenie). I was able to share with the people of Consuelo
how the Lord has changed my heart. When
I accepted Christ, it was a totally transformation yet not complete. I told them of His call and how He told me to
go share His Gospel with them. How He is
continuing to change my heart so that I obey His commands and thus participate
in spreading the Gospel (the ULTIMATE calling for all believers abroad and at
home.) Additionally, I was able to pray
with this sweet single mom named Celia, Stephenie again translated for me. I have no idea how receptive her heart is or
was towards the Gospel. I do know Celia
is a dearly loved daughter of the Most High God and He wants her to be his
child.
We
were an encouragement to Dana, the South America Missions (SAM) missionary we worked
with in Bolivia, by just being there. Crazy!?!
During our time in Bolivia, we were able to encourage the town of
Consuelo and the two believers there, David and Anna. We loved on them by sharing testimonies, showing
an evangelical movie, blowing bubbles, and jumpstarting a forest
preserve/botanical garden project. David
and Anna hope the preserve and garden will bring economic development to their
town. Ultimately, they hope to develop deeper relationships with the villagers
and share the Gospel with them. By
loving the people we met missionaries, pastors and townspeople alike, we were
able to participate in sharing the universal message of the Gospel. We even got to share the Good News in English
when conversing with a few university students studying English. What a blessing!
My life will never be the same again since I went to Bolivia. I have seen places and experienced events that
changed my perspective and outlook on life.
I have begun to realize what does and doesn’t matter for the kingdom of
God. Furthermore, I have a greater heart for the
nations because I have met their beautiful faces and heard their stories of
transformation. I now have specific names, places and faces to pray for.
The Lord continued and continues to challenge me. Through meeting other SAM missionaries in
Santa Cruz, hearing their stories and the stories of how my friends have been
called overseas. I have been challenged
to examine my heart and my motives for going overseas. Initially, I thought I was going to save
people yet as time drew closer to the trip, I realized I was to go and be an
encouragement to the Nations. God didn’t
need me to do work for him. He has
already been at work there long before I left Charlotte, North Carolina. He wanted my servant’s heart. He longs for my response to His question: “Will you go for a few?” “Yes, Lord, I will go. I will follow your example for your will is
better than life and there is no monetary value on souls whatsoever. The riches of heaven cannot compare with
earthly wealth. I will act as you, the Shepherd,
do and seek the one that was lost, leaving all others behind. I will forsake everything, the opinions and
thoughts of family members and friends, wealth and worldly possessions to obey
your commands.”
The Lord did a great work while we were in Bolivia. It doesn’t matter how many converts we saw or
how many people we encouraged (the numbers are truly astounding and only the
Lord really knows how many hearts were changed). It was
completely worth the price, whatever the earthly cost, for a team of 12
Americans to fly 3,871 miles, ride roughly 288 miles overnight to a small town
and then trek 18 miles over dirt roads in a truck daily to a small village. The price of blisters, sleeplessness and
shower shoes are so minuscule in light of the Gospel. Thanks you Father for all experiences we
encountered on the trip. He deserves all
the glory, honor and praise!
He answered everything we requested prayer for during the
trip was covered and answered!! He
provided the money so we all could go on the trip. Thank you for every single prayer for our
trip! He provided clear beautiful days,
most of the time. Praise the Lord for all of the work he did in the hearts of
our team! The Lord answered in so many
ways. Our team got along and was
unified! We worked together, prayed
together and, in all events from rainstorms to truck rides, encouraged each
other constantly. NOT A SINGLE PERSON
GOT SICK (on the trip) AND NO ONE GOT SERIOUSLY INJURED!!! Such a huge
blessing! Hearts were filled with
gratitude, service and praise. Amidst
the constant awe and wonder of how to communicate across the language barrier,
I heard lots of grateful hearts praise the Lord when communication took place,
especially communication of the Gospel message. What an awesome God we serve!! The JOY of the
Lord is so much bigger than we could ever imagine!!!! Gracias Seῆor, (thank you Lord) my life
will never be the same!!
As they say in Bolivia “Chau!”
Carolyn
This was a great read Carolyn. I miss your smile but so glad your life is following where the Holy Spirit leads.
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