So Darn Cool!

So, about a month ago I sent an email that would drastically change the direction of my career, and probably my life. Forever. Whatever the reasons are that lead up to where Rachel and I are today, we are going to China, and there isn't a whole lot that is going to stop us. Someone might say God, to which I would agree, but I am pretty sure He is the one sending us there.

When I think about everything that lead up to us making the decision, there wasn't a lot of thinking or organizing that took place. Everything just kind of fell into place and we just watched God do His think. It was incredible. Every conversation went smoothly, every dollar was in place when we needed it, and that isn't even the half of it. There are events that took place long before Rachel and I even met that are taking part in what God is doing through us today as we prepare for China. God is so darn cool!

Even though everything is going very well, it isn't perfect. Right now some of the hardest things we are dealing with - as to be expected - is not being in the states for certain events. We are going to miss birthdays, graduations, possibly a few weddings, and who knows what else. I guess I didn't realize that going to China also meant leaving everything else. That is the calling though, to leave everything - friends, family and possessions to follow him wherever he leads. So, that is what we are doing.

Today I realized that very concept as I packed my car to make sure I had gotten rid of enough stuff so it would all fit. It does. Though all of it fit in the car, not all of it will fit into two bags on our flight to Shanghai. With only room for two bags each (200lbs total), I am going to have to leave even more with family and friends while I am gone (I hope they take care of my bikes and books). It is hard to decide what to keep and what to leave. Though, I admit is so freeing to be able to move in one car load.

I'll be honest, am not sure how things whole update things is going to work. I don't know how much information we are allowed to share and how wise it would be to share once we get into China. I know that some places are a little rougher than others and we might have to be careful. I don't think our area is one of them, but I haven't been there yet. So, for right now I am taking advantage of my freedoms.

Some things we could use prayer for:

• Wisdom as we decide what to do about the events that we might miss in China
• Rachel as she finishes up all the wedding plans over the summer while also trying to leave the country
• Me, as I say "see you later" to friends, finish up work and the remaining events of the internship
• Our friends in China as they prepare for us - I don't think they know what they are inviting into their country.
• Rachel and I - Neither of us have never been to china or married before, and we are going to try and do both. At the same time!

Blessings from a, soon to be, international pilgrim

Later

English?

There is truly no way I can explain everything that has happened over the last month that placed Rachel and I where we are today. There is even less of a chance that I would be able to articulate how God has moved in every situation so perfectly that Rachel and I are left speechless after each event takes place. With that said, I am going to try and explain the impossible.

As I near the end of my internship it only seems logical that I begin looking for a job. This proved to be much harder than I realized when, after months of looking for a job, nothing came back after or even showed possibility. I knew that God would provide something for us, though at this point fear is setting in. I set out a networking letter to friends and family at any hope of finding a job and getting things in place before the wedding. February, March, and into April - Nothing.

During those months Rachel and I prayed that God would provide the perfect job for us. We prayed that He would lead us to a job that would use of abilities and be something that we would enjoy. The more we thought and prayed, the more we did not want a normal job. Rachel even began to pray for me not to get a nice youth ministry job because it would be too easy for us. Without knowing it, I prayed for the same.

April 12th, I got a unexpected email from a friend, teaching English in China. At this point he is visiting his fiancee's cousin at another English school in China. He mentions that they are looking for English teachers and if I am interested I could contact her for more information. So, after a day to pray and think about it, I did just that. I shot her an email and started us on our way to China.

Over the course of that weekend we exchanged emails over twenty times and tried to figure out of this would even be possible. By Monday we had set up an interview time for Wednesday via Skype. Throughout the course of the week Rachel and I never left a state of shock because this might actually happen (We thought it made sense for our friends to do something like this or other people, but not for Rachel and I). By the time the interview was over we told them we would be willing to take the position if they accepted us.

That following Monday morning Rachel and I received our confirmation email that we had been accepted for the position of English teachers in China!

The weeks that followed after Rachel and I worked out the details, of what it would take and how to make this a reality this coming fall. It was then I realized that we would not only be getting married, but we would also be preparing to leave the country for an indefinite period of time. --Most people get married. Some people leave the country. But you would have to be crazy to do both?! We are so excited!

Blessings from a pilgrim
Later

The First of Many

This is one of those updates I never thought I would be writing. And if I ever did write it, I had no concept that it would be now.

I am an official college graduate from Baptist Bible College of PA. May 5th Rachel and I walked and received our college degrees! Rachel did walk before me, but only by 25 people or so... I am sure she will rub that in my face for a while. All in good fun of course.

It was kind of strange saying goodbye to people knowing that it might be the last time you ever see them. It was also strange saying "see you later" to Rachel knowing the next time I see her will be when we are getting married (or close to it). It all seems so surreal, like something someone else would do - not me.

Getting together for graduation was well worth it for the pictures alone. So many memories wrapped up in a single moment or expression that would take hours to explain. These are the friendships that changed my life into what it is today. The price of tuition was a little much, but I would gladly pay it again to have the friends that I do.

Here is to four wonderful years with tons of wonderful people. I hope that it won't be the last time we get together, but just the first of many.

Blessings from a graduated pilgrim
Later

Favor of God

I must say, I would have thought that I died based on how much I post on this thing. It feels like I have been at times. Waking up at 2, working 3-7am then again from 9-5pm then back to sleep by 7:30 to wake up again. With that kind of schedule I would rather be dead sometimes - not really.

An update:
By this time next week Rachel and I will have officially graduated from college. I will be on my way back home to finish the last two weeks of my internship, Rachel will be heading home to the summer for the last time as a single woman. Both of us will be in high gear for wedding planning. We will also be working to minimize our belongings to make it easier to move to where God provides a job.

Also during the next week Rachel and I have our last pre-marital meeting, she will have her senior recital, and our parents will meet for the first time. That last one is enough of an event to last me a while. It stresses me out just thinking about it. But it will be good for them to meet and have a chance to get to know each other before their son and daughter get married. It only seems fair.

A few weeks ago Rachel and I began to talk about what we need before we get married. Rachel and I are tight on money, as most college graduates are. I am not worried because I have seen God provide in the past and I know He is able to do it again. Rachel hasn't experienced that yet, and she questioned how God would provide for our needs as we get closer to getting married. "Is He going to send us random checks in the mail with money on them?" was how she thought it might work out. Only a week or so later that very thing happened. She got a check for graduation.

This morning I am sitting in a church sermon about the favor of God - undeserved/unexplained favorable acts from God. I get a message from Rachel commenting about the check she had received. She wanted to know if I remember the amount. I did. She messages back saying she had the wrong decimal place and it was for 10 times as much as we thought at first! Both her and I were blow away at how God provided right in front of us exactly when we needed it. I replied back to Rachel saying, "I knew God had something up his sleeve. He is incredible!" I could hardly believe it, but I don't doubt it. I guess that would be considered the favor of God...

Blessings from a favored pilgrim,
Later

FedEx

So, a few weeks ago I started working at FedEx for a little extra spending money before the wedding and as a back up job. Seeing that I have not landed a full-time job anywhere yet, having this as a back up is kind of nice. It has it's drawbacks for sure, but it is something.

One thing that I am sure a few people have noticed is that I have not really posted since Rachel has gotten back from South Africa. The bigger reason is time is limited now a days. Working 20 hours at FedEx, the internship, planning a wedding, finding a job, they stack up pretty quickly when it comes to taking away my life.

Anyways, a quick update before I head off to work this morning.
As of right now I have a few different jobs that are lining up for after the summer months. Nothing for sure, but they seem promising. As time gets closer and the jobs become more real I will likely fill you in more. As far as wedding planning goes, it is coming along nicely enough. It is hard because Rachel is so busy, but that will change in the next 3 weeks for sure. Because by then we will be graduating from college! Whoa! After that I am praying and trusting that God will provide a temp job for the summer and a full-time one by the wedding. It is all very exciting and scary when I think about it. I have no clue where I will be this time next year...

That is all I really have time for this morning. I hope to get back into this shortly, but right now it is difficult.

Blessings,
Later

Joshua - Fear not

I am currently sitting the cafe at church as I type this blog entry. I have roughly 25 days before I walk at graduation, 40 days until I am "officially done" with my internship, 123 days until I get married, and I am sure a whole lot of other things before then too. Oh yeah, moving out on my own, that is about 50-60 days away. That is going to be rough. The first time I have really lived on my own. Hopefully by then I can know where Rachel and I will be staying, because I would rather not have to move twice in one year if I can avoid it.

When I think about everything that is going to be happening over the next 6 months alone it terrifies me. I have never not had some kind of school to do, or had a place to stay. I have no idea how to be a grown up person and live on my own! I am still working on the groceries thing - it is harder than you might think. Then add to all of that the idea of getting married and possibly starting a family!? That is for people who know what is going on, not me! I have no clue how all of this is going to work out or what is going to need to take place for me to support Rachel like I should.

Did I mention that I am terrified? Because I am. Almost to the point that it paralyzes me. Almost.

I had mentioned Joshua yesterday and the principles of Leadership. There is something else about Joshua that I have find great encouragement from. When you think about everything that was resting on his shoulders, it is overwhelming. He had the entire nation of Israel (I think it was roughly a half million people or more) waiting on his command to move forward into the promise land. They look to him as a leader, and as the one who would receive the word of the Lord. Additionally he had his own household to care for and I am sure many other things. His job description isn't one that a lot of people could fill, nor would they want to fill it. He was following after Moses, one of the greatest leaders the world has ever know and a true prophet of God. These were not easy shoes to fill.

I don't know about you, but my list of responsibilities just got a whole lot shorted in comparison to what Joshua had going for him. I think if at any point he tried to rely on his own strength and wisdom he would have surely become overwhelmed with what God was asking of him. If he looked into the promise land and thought about how he was going to rule over the nations, I am sure he would have been terrified, too. They greatly out numbered and out sized them on all accounts, Israel didn't stand a chance in human terms.

All that is "If" he relied on his own strength and if he saw things from a human perspective. But records don't show Joshua thinking according to that frame of mind, he trust in the Lord who delivered them from the world power of the day without even using a sword - Egypt by the way of the Red Sea. Joshua saw the many nations as a small thing for God, something he could easily take care of with or without swords.

When it came to fear and failure, Joshua had neither. He knew that as he followed God, there was no option for failure and no reason to fear. Many others trembled at the sight of those in the promise land, but Joshua trusted in the promise of the Lord who said the He would fight for them and bring them into the land. God would drive out all the other nations and go into the battlefield before Israel. Joshua understood that he could not enter the promise land on his own strength, but it was God alone that brought them into the land. As he and the nation trusted and followed God, the were able to enter the promise land. When they thought they could fight the nations on the own or disobeyed God, things went bad for Israel.

So when you stand back and think about it. Entering the promise land wasn't that difficult at all for the nation Israel. All they had to do was trust in God's promise and obey His commands to serve Him and no foreign gods. God took care of the rest. It is no wonder God told the people time and time again, "Fear not." Because their was really no reason to fear as long as they trusted in God.

When it comes to entering my own "promise land", it could be very terrifying to think about. But the same God that brought Israel into the promise land through Joshua, is the God that will fight for me. I simply have to trust in His promises to care and provide for me, and not serve other "foreign gods" (such as self, money, skills, resources or anything else). That is it. No so terrifying now, is it?

Blessing from a pilgrim that is trying to follow the God who is bigger than his problems.
Later

Joshua - Leadership

I was thinking about Joshua on the ride back from work today and I realized he is a model of leadership. I know that I should have picked this up before, but I just occurred to me that he dealt with the same situation that I am dealing with and was able to allow God to over come it.

Regardless of my situation, the principle is people will not follow their leader if he himself is not willing to go. Though most will follow at if he is willing to go, even more will follow if he is willing to go alone. The last aspect of Joshua's leadership is that he did not even go of his own strength, he trusted God to lead him.

Even though odds were stacked against him and many did not believe it were possible, he trusted God to deliver them into the promise land.

⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

God, I am not strong enough to go into the land that you have promised for me. I cannot fight the enemy on my own strength nor do I have the courage to stand on my own. Lord, I ask that you would lead me into the promise land, fight the enemies before me in my life, and give me the courage to stand under your leadership.

Simply a pilgrim, trying to find his way.
Later