In all of my days, all 23 years of them, I have never felt this encouraged, motivated, or loved by so many people. It simply began as a thought, and now YWAM is a reality. This is due in large part to all of you whom I so graciously dedicate my first ever blog! It is because of your support, your willingness to step out and put faith in not what I am doing, but in what God is and will be doing that I am here writing this today. To say the least, I have been overwhelmed and overjoyed by the amount of prayers and support that has been shown. It has been incredibly reassuring and encouraging to read your notes and letters. It has proven to me that God is in complete control and that His ways are higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:9).
The love that has been shown has been, as my sister would put it, exceedingly abundant. It has made me feel truly loved. As we do things that require us to step out in faith and be vulnerable, I believe it is our human nature to wonder what other people think and might do in response. All of you have helped wipe those worries away and taught me to look up and focus on God's love and acceptance rather than that of the flesh. From personal experience, I believe we sometimes forget the support and love we have around us. God places people in our lives for a reason and I encourage you to think of someone today who has supported and loved you in times when you needed a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on.
Thank you. Thank you for believing in me, trusting me, and illustrating God's love to me. This is dedicated to you, for all that you have blessed me with.
I close with a quote from a book I finally finished that is very relevant:
"Love the Lord your God, and love one another. Love one another as He loves. Love with strength and purpose and passion and no matter what comes against you. Don't weaken. Stand against the darkness, and love. That's the way back into Eden. That's the way back to life."
- Francine Rivers
