Just a Simple Shovel

While reading a classmate's blog this evening, I was blessed to be reminded of 1 Corinthians 3:5-9:

5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

My classmate, who leaves for Zambia as a missionary in three days, reflected on this passage, reminding herself and friends that we are simply "shovels" in the hands of God. I love this imagery.

Shovels. In reality, WE do not do accomplish anything. That is, by ourselves. God must pick us up, dust us off, and set us into motion Himself before we can be of any use. I think that many people, especially baby missionaries like myself, can be in danger of getting lost in the problems and spiritual needs of the world, and end up subconsciously forgetting that we are the shovel in the hands of God, not the other way around.

Despite being "nothing" according to Paul, he still surprisingly tells us that we are God's "fellow workers," and that we will be rewarded according to our own labor. This reveals the beautiful love of our Heavenly Father towards us, that He would allow us the great joy of helping Him build His Kingdom.

I am getting more and more excited to be God's shovel in Ecuador soon. I can't wait to watch Him plant seeds of Life in many hearts and watch Him cause growth in the hearts of others (both in Ecuador and in future places). My prayer for myself and all believers tonight is that we would never forget our role as God's "shovels," and that we would always remember what an amazing blessing that simple role truly is.

He Reigns

I have always loved this Newsboys song, but since learning that Shell, Ecuador (where I will be) gets an average of 20 feet of rain per year, I have gained a new appreciation for the line "it's the song of the forgiven, drownin' out the Amazon rain." :) Hallelujah.

The First One

Hey all!
I'm trying to get this blog on a roll now so I'll be comfortable using the site by the time I leave for Ecuador. I leave for my trip really early in the morning on September 12th, TWO MONTHS FROM NOW!! I don't think I could be more excited! :)

I will be in Quito and Shell, Ecuador, for three months taking classes, living with an Ecuadorian family, and working at an orphanage named La Casa de Fe. I wrote about most of the details of the trip in my support letter, so if you didn't get one and would like one, feel free to contact me and I will get you one. The letters also come with pretty sweet prayer request cards (made by my mom) that you can put on your fridge. :) As I continue to update this blog, I will mostly assume that you read my letter or heard me speak at church, that way I won't have to be too redundant.

Well I think that's all for now! Thanks for checking in, and I pray this blog will be a blessing to you as we partner together to bring glory to God!