Running Under Clouds

Cloudy days are often the dreariest. The saddest moments in movies are when it's raining and there is dramatic thunder and lightning. But today, I realized that I really love clouds. And this is why...

So often God's presence is symbolized by clouds. When he led Israel through the desert, he chose to represent himself in a cloud during the day.  In Revelation, John talks about seeing and angel wrapped in a cloud with a rainbow above his head. In Exodus God appeared above the tabernacle in a cloud of glory. In 2 Chronicles, the priests couldn't perform their duties because a cloud had filled the temple when God's shekinah glory fell upon it. Yes, clouds block the sun which we love so much, but in turn they provide rest, shade, peace. And they often bring rain too. With rain comes life and refreshment and renewing. Clouds and rain drive us inside too. The days we cozy up and read under a blanket are on the cloudy rainy days. It's like, by sending us clouds and rain, God is reminding us to take time to simply be still. We are active on beautiful days. But on the dreary ones, we like to rest and restore our souls as God gives rest and restoration to the earth.

So I like clouds. It's like a big blanket of God's presence, and that has to be a good thing. 

On this cloudy day, I was given time to really reflect on the Lord's goodness. The earth was quiet and my soul was still, and I was just overwhelmed with his mercies that are new every morning. He is so good. So very good. And as I continue to prepare my heart for this journey that lies ahead of me, I'm kind of hoping for more cloudy days, for more blankets of his presence. And while I sit in awe of his goodness, my heart sings this song...

vimeo.com/73249360

I was blessed to record this song with a few friends, and though we got weary at times of going over the song about 17 times, the more I listened to my own words, I realized that this truly is a desire of my heart: to run after my perfect Lord and Savior and to dwell in His house forevermore, both in eternity and here on earth as it is in heaven. 

So today was a really great cloudy day, and I'm running after my soul's delight while he covers me in his grace.

Thanks, Papa, for blanketing us in your presence.

Visitors and Job Interviews

Well friends, I don't really know how often I will write this fall, but if things of significance happen or I have prayer requests, I will be stickin them up here. So here we go...

Today I mostly have some praises and requests for you.

Praise:

MY PARENTS GET TO VISIT ME! 

A group is coming down from Haven in the beginning of April and my parents are able to go! It hadn't really been considered or even thought about because of the money factor and losing two weeks of work, but God is working things out really really beautifully and they will be able to come. I'm so happy. So so happy. Not only because I will get to see them half way through and have people that I'm close to who will understand, but I'm also really excited to see how God works in and through them. Yay God! So praise him for his provision and faithfulness and the way he always works so perfectly. Mm he is good.

Requests:

-My summer job at the jewelry store is finishing up in the next couple of weeks, so I am in need of a job for the fall. I had an interview today with Little People's Place (a daycare center in Holland) and it went really well. So prayers that God would open up doors and that his will might be done, whatever it is.

-A lot of my friends are leaving this week for college. And I'm sad. So I guess I'm just asking for prayers for contentment and peace and more open doors for service and relationship building.

-A close friend of mine had a bit of a rough day yesterday. Her brother dove in a shallow lake and they thought he broke his neck. They took him to GR and did a seven hour surgery last night, and God is doing really wonderful things and healing him, but there is still a lot of unknowns as far as what recovery will look like for him. We are hopeful and trusting in a healing God, but also uncertain of what the future holds for him. If you would like to learn more, you can read SharaLee's blog here: http://attema.blogspot.com/2013/08/ryan.html

Friends I'm so excited. Though this period of transition with my friends moving away and starting school is weird for me and I feel like I'm missing out a little bit, I'm still really excited and know this is where God wants me. He is a faithful God of provision and he has already just blown me away. Thanks for sharing in this journey. I am so blessed to be surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses to love and support me. You are an important piece of the puzzle. The fact that you reflect a piece of God is so beautiful and so encouraging for me, because I get to see a LOT of what he looks like through the combination of so many people loving and encouraging me. I cherish your prayers. I cherish your support. God is so good my friends. So very good.

Love always,

Gracie

Waiting

The rain is falling, the coffee is brewing, my heart is waiting.

It's been waiting for awhile. 

Six years ago, I learned about Beautiful Gate Orphanage in Lesotho, Africa. I was thirteen and, though I knew very little of what I "wanted to be when I grew up," Beautiful Gate sounded really wonderful. I didn't feel a strong call to it at that time, or maybe it was too big of an idea for my mind to grasp, so I continued on with life, but with that tiny seed of longing planted in my young heart.

Fast forward three years.

I was in Mississippi on a mission trip when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. After thinking very deeply about it, I came to the conclusion that all I really wanted was to serve the Lord and be a mom. I didn't really want to go to college, I didn't really want to lead a "normal" life of success and money and safety, and God reminded me of Beautiful Gate, and my desire to serve there grew. A lot.

Fast forward another three years.

College decisions had to be made. And I didn't want to make them. I thought about all the things I could do, but I didn't have peace with anything except jumping right on in to the mission field. So I thought maybe I would do YWAM, a discipleship training school with bases all over the world. But what I found myself doing was searching for bases as close to Beautiful Gate as possible, in hopes of getting to go there. I thought I would satisfy both sides: the conventional step of going to school after 14 years of it and getting to do missions. But my heart simply yearned to be in Lesotho. Why would I wait to do something I had been wanting to do for so long?

So in the fall of senior year, I made the decision to go to Beautiful Gate. There are countless other moments that led me to this place, and I cannot wait to finally step onto that African soil and be smothered by the kisses of 70 precious children.

I leave in January. Maybe starting a blog five months early is jumping the gun a little bit, but my anxious heart couldn't wait. So this is the beginning of my journey. As the rain dies down and I finish the last sip of coffee, my waiting heart leaps at the thought of the six months I will spend at Beautiful Gate.