discoveringdesaray

Last week, in small group, as one of my ladies was praying for another about a very difficult situation she has been facing for months the Lord gave me the image of the tomb of Christ.  My friend lost her job in February and here we are in December and she hasn't found employment yet. She has been discouraged. She has had moments of fear, confusion, and even anxiety. She has been forced to spend months on her knees before the Lord and to trust Him every step of the way. And her faith has been stretched to lengths I'm sure she didn't realize was possible. The Lord has sustained her in multiple ways every step of this journey through the wilderness.  She has come to the end of her unemployment checks. She is single so she is the only source of income. She is facing the possibility of having to move from her home. She doesn't know what is next or how she will get to wherever she is going. She is trusting God all the while with butterflies in her stomach.  As a ...

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet 13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part wit...

While in Cambodia we took a morning tour of the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh-Choueng Ek.  I remember the first time I saw Pastor Sophea, when he was visiting our church in America. He was giving a sermon on a Sunday morning and he shared about the genocide that had taken place in his country.  Some people have studied the Khmer Rouge rule in Cambodia, but I had never heard of it until that Sunday morning. When our last mission team returned from Cambodia two years ago they shared the emotions they experienced as they toured the killing fields and the genocide museum. Many of them were broken before the devastation the people of Cambodia endured and died by.  As I was preparing for our trip, I started researching the history of Cambodia and studied the Khmer Rouge rule, the prison camps and the genocide. Knowing from friends already that this nation and its people are still severely scarred by the horrific events that took place. I'll be honest, as emotional of a person as...

Yesterday I shared with you about my being a details girl and how I usually miss the Big Picture. I expressed my joy and satisfaction over meeting God on whole new levels while in Cambodia.  One of my teachers and someone I look up to as a writer messaged me a paraphrased quote today by Pastor Jack Hayford that said, "there are things I want to say to you that I can only say to you there". This was in reference to an overseas trip the pastor was heading out for when the Lord spoke these words to him.  This quote brought me to what I'd like to share today. Another big picture revelation the Lord gave me while in Cambodia. One that brought immense healing to my wounded mother's heart and a peace I've needed for twelve years.  I'm going to try to give you a brief history:  I've always had "female problems". Even as a teenager I struggled with them. Right after I got married at 21 things went from bad to worse and my doctor starte...

How do I put into words an experience so great that it has transformed my entire existence? How do I describe the indescribable acts of God I witnessed in things as small as crayons and glue sticks over the course of this year leading up to our trip, during the trip and already in the two weeks since returning home? One teammate and friend said she went into this with the question of “Does God look the same in other places?” The answer she received was, “Yes”. I’m sure she is correct in this. The Word states that God is forever the same. My experience was a little different though. I didn't experience  the Lord in Cambodia the same as I have at home. I found I saw Him, really saw Him, for maybe the first time. That sounds a little crazy, right? I've been a believer of Jesus Christ for almost sixteen years now. I've been walking faithfully with the Lord for almost seven years straight. I’m in ministry. I’m a small group leader in my church whose job is to point wome...