'"There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.
Hosea 2: 15.
As school was and to some extent still is emotionally challenging, God has provided other outlets besides the piano. Firstly, I thank God for TFA. He also led me to this church using a dream. I had visited the church before my first year and just couldn't stay. I went back under God's leading and timing. Things had changed. The friendships I have formed there and the support I have from them are certainly streams in the desert. God has also used them to draw out some difficult issues.
Secondly, dance has been a great outlet for me. Most people will think .. hmm a secular activity. It has been a wonderful journey of self-discovery. In fact, I think it led me to the conclusion I was hiding from my true personality. I used to be an extrovert and all of a sudden I became an extreme introvert when the bullying started. Through my interest and discovered ability in dance, I realized the need to break out of my shell. The shell has been thinned out slowly over the years. (My years in Winfield and Wichita helped immensely too. Thursday night cell: you guys were so nice to me... I choke up when I think about the Christmas gift you all sent!) I'm sure I sometimes confound my partners with this dual personality.
Thirdly, I have been taking classes in Chinese history. I have met some wonderful people there too. Another one of my escape plans from the music dept, has opened a door for me. I am planning to go to Beijing, China this fall. I had been very tentative about applying to the program especially since there was no way I could afford it. Trusting that if God wanted me in China, He would pour the funds out.
Joshua 3: 15-16 "Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho."
I was in Wichita when I heard a sermon on this passage. I knew I had to submit my application, I had to get my feet wet and the water will part. I continued to pray for funds and I grumbled.. how on earth am I going to find money for China. Strangers aren't going to give me money! Getting another job or two on the side wouldn't be easy in a college town. Strangely enough the day I prayed for a job and released that worry, I received a phone call at around 9:15pm asking me to accompany a choir.
The following day my parents called to say someone they met on New Year's Eve has decided to sponsor part of my Beijing studies. There was a visiting preacher and I went forward for prayer. The rhema was "you are accepted, accepted, sooo accepted. God give her the courage to proceed with what she is tentative about. Raise her to be the intercessor You've called her to be. God is bringing you many new things this year, lots of new things." January 6 was a traumatic day 4 yrs ago but God turned it around. In the evening service, God allowed me to feel intense anger over that incident. I forgave and let go. I ended up having a great evening with two friends. For the first time, January 6 was a great day!
I also found out the later that my Beijing application has been accepted. I now have around ten piano students so I can save some money for next spring. I have all my funding (and perhaps more). Complete strangers ARE giving me money.
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