Ups and Downs

I know many of you have been waiting to hear how I am doing and how it has been these first few weeks I have been in Australia. Thank you for being patient with me as I have been getting adjusted to things here. I can honestly say that these last few weeks have been some of the hardest days I have ever struggled through. The enemy has been in full blown attack since I arrived. I was struck with such great fear and anxiety that I had never felt before and the fears that were already there were amplified. The Lord has had me on the operating table for a few weeks stretching and pulling things out that have been so hard and uncomfortable that I have wanted to throw in the towel several times. I thought I knew brokenness but oh was I wrong! The Lord has taught me a lot in the past few weeks and has really made it hard for me to relay on anything except Him for my strength and comfort. There is so much culture that I have been exposed to and am learning a lot about how each of them work. (Culture shock would probably be an understatement) My mind has been blown pretty much every second of the day and I have to constantly trust that the Lord is going to keep my mind from exploding with so many new and different ways others live. I am very grateful for the freedom and privileges we have in the states that no one else in the world has. My view of the Lord has been expanded in ways I never thought possible and am blown away with how big the Lord is! When I wrote my first blog I ended with we are about to find out how big the Lord is, and now looking back I was not prepared for how big the Lord is and it completely blows my mind! My days are jammed packed and really don’t have much time to rest or sleep and am pretty exhausted by the end of each day. I do have 2 days off which are much needed, but the week is very long. I would appreciate it if you could pray for rest and strength to get through each day that would be appreciated. Thank you for your prayers for homesickness I can feel each one of them. It has gotten better, but it is still a daily struggle. I am so grateful for such an amazing family and friends at home and could not do this without each and every one of you! I found out my outreach locations a bit early which are Tahiti/ Vanuatu, Indonesia/ Papua New Guinea, and Mexico. I am able to choose any of these locations and am praying through which one. Another way you could pray for me is for clarity and confidence in where the Lord wants me to go. This week I am learning about the heart of our father and am anxious to see what I learn. Thank you for all of your prayers and will be talking to you soon!