PARTY IN HEAVEN!okay, so i'll start from the beginning...
Last weekend was Campus Crusades fall retreat and the theme was No Shame. I wanted to go because it was on the North Shore, i would get to know some amazing brothers and sisters in Christ, and relax a bit from the hectic school stuff. The only reason that i was not excited to go was because of the theme, No Shame. I knew the speaker would just talk about how we should be bold in our faith and share the good news of Jesus Christ with the people around us and maybe even strangers. Evangelism has always scared me to death. It's way to hard. But i went anyways of all the other reasons.
The speaker at the retreat did talk about all the things i thought he would PLUS one more thing, love. He talked about the church of Euphuses (sp?) and how they were doing everything right, but they had lost their first love. We serve because we love and that caused me to question exactly how much i love God right now in my life?
Jesus said to Simon Peter, " Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"yes, Lord," he said, "you know that i love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
Again Jesus said "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes Lord, you know that i love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?"
He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that i love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead yo u where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which peter would glorify God. Then he said to him,
"Follow me!"
John 21: 15-19
that's what i felt like God was saying to me. "If you love me, prove it."
Evangelizing is an area that i have always avoided doing, but no more running. This is the time to suck it up and do what God wants be to do because i love Him. I truly do love Him.
So when i came home from the retreat, tricia, one of the people on staff for Campus Crusades facebooked me and asked if i wanted to go out sharing with her. (sharing = sharing the gospel with random people on campus) i said yes and so we went on Thursday. To tell you the truth, i really wasn't expecting much. We prayed and then set out. The first person we talked to was really nice, but in the end told us "no thank you" We prayed again and i realized that my attitude was all wrong. i was doubting the power of God and limiting Him to my logic. bad natalie. I changed my attitude then and there and set out again onto the mission field. We saw a girl sitting by herself and decided to go up to her and talk to her. She's chinese and just transferred to UH this semester. She was extremely open to us and told us a lot about her life. I started getting excited because throughout her life you could just see the seeds that were planted. After an hour and a half of talking...
SHE ACCEPTED JESUS AS HER PERSONAL LORD AND SAVIOR!wow.
my eyes just watered in tears of joy as she said the prayer.
How amazing is our God.
And on top of that, she wanted to meet up next week at the same time and place to do follow up!
weeee!
God's plans and His timing are still sooooo perfect, even when we're not.
We sometimes have the honor of being used by Him, in the midst of our fears and insecurities.
Thank you Jesus.
