Seeking to Go Further and Appreciating the Journey

Frost on the leaves

Over the last few weeks I have been in Canada spending time with my family, friends, and supporters. It's been great to travel on short road trips to go visit friends and to have fun when an Aunt and Uncle came up the States for several days. Though riding in the car for several hours isn't always the most comfortable experience, I find it usually makes for wonderful memories when you go with friends and/or family.

A mountain sheep

One of my highlights of being home is having the opportunity to review this last year of my life. I got to spend several days browsing through pictures and reading over notes from both my DTS and SOE. Around this time last year I was arriving in Australia for the first time with one of my fellow DTS students. We were two days late for the school due to some plane trouble, but we were so excited (and I was really nervous) as we pulled up to a small house and met more fellow students as well as the staff of the Whitsunday base. Walking through the door that day I had no idea that the people in that room would become some of my closest friends, and that over the next year God would impact my life in ways that I could have never imagined. I'm so thankful for this past season and I'm so excited to see what's coming next!

Right now I'm in Grand Rapids, Michigan visiting with my oldest brother Chris and his wife Lisa. They have two little children and for the next month I'm going to be baby-sitting and helping around the house. It's a very different lifestyle having two little kids around 24/7, but waking up to hearing your nephew say, "where's Amy?" is completely worth it. The laughter and smiles make up for the late nights and grumpy moments. I'm looking forward to this next month to make memories and face the challenges that come my way.

God has been teaching me a lot about the importance of embracing the moments that we have each day. Sometimes I get so caught up in wondering what is coming next that I don't appreciate my surroundings and the people around me. God keeps reminding me that I need to put my trust in Him with the knowledge that He is going to make everything work out, and it's going to be far better than what I could imagine on my own. I may not ever stop glancing at the horizon, but I'm learning to spend more time focusing on the here and now. For the moment, that means spending time with family and helping out where I'm needed. So bring on the late nights with laughter, tears, and all the colors of fall. I'm learning to appreciate this wild and random journey I call my life!

Blessings!
Amy

Prayer Requests:

- For patience as I continue to seek God
- For the time I spend with family
- Finances
- I'm looking for a phone with a good life span that will work internationally for calls, texts, and some social media
- To continue to glorify God in all that I say and do, as I learn to seek His plans for my life above all else.

Scanning the Horizon

Hello!

A new month seems to suggest a different location for my life, so at the moment I'm back in Kelowna, Canada! The School of Evangelism officially ended on September 26 after five months of exploring effective ways to share the Good News in a cross-cultural setting and learning more about our amazing God. Our eight week outreach in Central Asia was full of challenges, but they were all worthwhile for the growth we experienced, the lives we touched, and the ways we saw God move. If you would like to hear some stories of what I got to be a part of during that time feel free to contact me at amyt.dr@gmail.com, I'd be happy to tell you about all that God did!

The team

Through the SOE God continually revealed to me the importance of finding my strength in Him and learning to have joy in all circumstances. The other day I was looking through some of my notes from the lecture phase and found a prayer that I had written down. I was momentarily stunned and then laughed as I read over the prayer which talked all about learning to find joy in my Heavenly Father every day. God had taken that simple prayer and turned it into a day to day lesson for the rest of my school. He taught me to find my joy and strength in Him, and some days I still need reminders of those lessons. My faith in Jesus Christ combined with my love for people and travel has taken me to several new countries over the last year. I've learned to trust in God for finances, to love the way He loves, to step out in boldness because I serve a God that does the impossible, and to give even when I feel like I have nothing left for God can truly take the bad and make it into good. It has been a wild, crazy, and exciting journey which I wouldn't trade in for anything!

The journey isn't finished yet, it continues even now while I'm back in Canada though it may look a little different. For the next few months I am going to be in North America spending time with family and friends. I'll be mainly here in Kelowna, but during the month of November I plan to be in Michigan with my eldest brother and his growing family. During my time there we'll also have a mini family reunion over American Thanksgiving. I'm also planning to join in a road trip with my dad from Michigan to Canada during which we will be stopping to visit friends and family whom we haven't seen in several years. I'm so excited for these next few months to relax, catch up with friends and family, and seek God for whatever lies ahead. I'm so blessed to have this time and would love to see you and personally share stories of God's love and faithfulness. I hope to host a night within the next few weeks to share about my time in Central Asia, show some photos, and share stories from the last year. I am also looking at finding some work as well as getting plugged into some of the ministries that take place here.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!  With your help I've been able to share the Gospel and see transformation in the lives of those around me as they learn of God's love. It is so amazing to think of all the seeds that have been planted around the world through your prayers, support, encouragement, and through simply reading this blog!

Blessings,
Amy

Prayer Requests:
- To know what ministries I should volunteer with around the city
- To find work
- For the time I spend with family and friends
- Finances
- To continue to glorify God in all that I say and do, as I learn to seek His plans for my life above all else.