Angels & Mortals and thensome...

Our DTS class is playing this game called Angels & Mortals – talk about an awesome game that I definitely recommend! Everyone in the class draws a name and you bless that person for a few days (we are doing it from Tuesday evening until Friday afternoon). You aren’t supposed to spend much money (around $5) and your angel is supposed to be a secret. My angel left me a sweet and encouraging note and yesterday morning I received a big fruit basket (with chocolate dip!) at the beginning of class. Then, around 3:00pm, I got two notes labeled 1 & 2. The number one note said to “get all dolled up for a date and be ready at 4:50.” At that point, I could read the second one. Let me pause for a moment to add that it was obviously a girl’s handwriting so, don’t worry Jason, I wasn’t about to go get ready for a date with a guy. My second note said to go to the hall. Around 4:45 someone announces over the loudspeaker that I can’t come to the hall until dinner is announced. When I finally went up there, I was greeted at the door by Stacey, dressed as a maître d' She took my arm and escorted me to the production office where Chelsea (also dressed as a waiter) handed me a beautiful flower. They took me into the office which was filled with flowers, candles and a table set for one. On the table was a letter. This is what it said:

Jenna…
I know you are here expecting to be on a date tonight…but your Prince Charming is on the other side of the world. So, I, your Heavenly Father, wanted to have a special dinner date with you…my precious daughter.
You are so beautiful. Jenna, I have watched you grow up into a beautiful young woman. I was there with you on your first day of school; you were so tiny, so nervous, so precious. I watched you expand your mind learning how to read and write, maximizing the gifts I had given you… you always excelled.
I cheered you on from the side lines as you played soccer…I never missed a game, I still remember the day you scored your first goal.
Jenna…I want you to know at this moment just how much I love you. Thank you for the moments that you spend with me during the day… those early mornings…talking to me. I love hearing your sweet voice.
I want you to know that I’ve always been there Jenna, and I will never Leave you. Every time you cried I was there weeping with you…the moments you felt alone or abandoned I was there.
Jenna… when you walk down the isle, when you have your first child, when you buy your first house…I will be there with you, rejoicing with you and so very proud of you.
So tonight, while you are far from family and friends…May you find yourself at home in my arms…the arms of your Father.
I love you Jenna…My precious little girl…
Dad

How incredibly sweet is that?! I cried for about 20 minutes and then proceeded to have a date with Jesus. It was an awesome date (best I’ve had in about five weeks) and I felt like He was saying that I should go to India for outreach. I was really excited because the past five weeks have pretty much been turmoil as far as my outreach decision goes and today was the D day.

This morning in class, I started second guessing my decision thinking that it was just my will pulling me toward India and that maybe I should go to Micronesia. I felt like I was trying to justify my decision to go to India and that, if it was really of the Lord, I shouldn’t have to justify it. We had a time of ministry where we were supposed to write anything that was keeping us from the fear of the Lord (that has been our topic for the past few days) and take it to the cross at the front of the room. When I went up there, among other things, I pretty much surrendered my desire to go to India. Right after that, the person leading our class said to pray and ask God for a specific word for someone else in the room. Chelsea, my staff small group leader, came directly to me and said that God had just spoken to her and said that He has a specific place that He wants me to go on outreach and that He has been trying to tell me for a while through other people and such and that I had been resistant to it for a while. He said that I was being sent to touch a group of women and one particular woman’s life. The place was India. Talk about confirmation! God is so good! It was just like Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22). I now feel a total peace about it all and there will be no more second guessing.