to catch everyone up a little bit..& stray away from the topic of Africa for just a moment... i now live in altus, oklahoma. my dad has been re-stationed here to be the squadron commander of the reserve unit of AAFB (Altus Air Force Base). He has been here since january, while my mom and brother have been in socal finishing up school for the semester. after my short arrival in California (beginning of may), my family received the news of my grandmother passing away. My mama left the next day for the funeral (in Mississippi), while i stayed behind to take care of my brother. She came home after a week of emotional drainage and my weeks in beautiful california began dwindling faster. i began a 21-day fast-definitely not the most convenient time, but what about a fast is convenient. nothing. exactly. actually, when i think about it, the fast couldn't have been at a better time. a time where i was struggling to fight emotions, but hold my composure for my brother's sake. a time that i needed extra preparation for ministry in africa. a time that i needed to remove myself from this world and unveil a more intimate relationship between me and my heavenly father. if any are struggling and needing a boost in your faith, i strongly recommend taking some time to pray and fast, and if you need maybe a little bit of guidance, i read the book Awakening by Stovall. awesome read with great incite to prayer and fasting. be encouraged my friends :)
All in all my stay in Cali was extremely bi-polar. busy, bored, rain, sun, happy, sad... i think the drag of the three weeks being home and anticipating the move made my time in my ex-home a tad bit stressful.
Friday my family began the long drive from temecula, california to altus, oklahoma. the two days of driving were extremely tiring, but we safely made it in Saturday night. Now i must say, Altus is no wine country cali, lol, but you know what its ok! life is constantly changing and how you react will hurt or grow your character. so i have taken an oath to stay positive and embrace my new home in the midwest. transitions, transitions!
again, the time taken to pray and fast brought me through the season of transition. and guess what. its not over! the season of transition will continue as i am getting moments closer to stepping foot into my new new home in Bamako, Mali. WOW! i am so excited! please please, continue to pray for me and the team! take a little bit of your time and check out our blogs. (gloria hull, natali williams, nathaniel garcia, Ariel Ivey and Cami Woodruff).
God is so faithful, i can not say it enough. he takes us through these seasons, and even when we can't see the outcome- he does and all he wants us to do is trust him with that. if we simply trust him, we will show himself true! love his promises.
2 comments:
We are so proud of you, Chelsea. Thanks for the update. We are looking forward to hearing about your adventures in Mali! Love, René
Awesome post! Transitions are tough but the challenge is nothing when the Lord is your focus. As I was reading the Word this morning and came across the verse in Romans 10:14 and thought of ya.. It says: How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without some preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written " How beautiful are the feet of those that bring the good news!"
Stay strong in faith and prayer my friend. You are doing a great thing and I am always praying for you and excited to hear of all that God is doing.
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