Jesus in My Storms

   
     I received a challenging word at a retreat last weekend. The speaker was talking about trusting God with our futures and surrendering our best made plans to Him. Wow. That spoke straight to this heart. Talk about pertinent for my junior year of high school: the crazy year, the busy year, the year of tests and SATs and ACTs and college visits. This year has been easier in some places than I expected, but it has also been trickier in many places than I could have ever anticipated. Letters from universities filled with degree plans crash over my head like waves...exhilarating until you realize with terror: you are out of control. My heart aches for stability. I want so badly to know the future, to be sure of what's next in my story as if I can send in my check of approval before life takes over.
     But it is in this place I find Jesus. When the waves crash over and I realize I'm no longer in control, I look up and see that He still is. It reminds me of the many stories in the Bible where we find Jesus with His disciples in the middle of different storms at sea. In these various stories, Jesus calms the waves, sleeps through a storm, and walks on water. (Seriously, these are all things He did. Check out Matthew 8:24-27, Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 4:35-41, Mark 6:45-56, Luke 8:22-25, or John 6:16-21 if you don't believe me.)
     Is it possible that in the most tumultuous, storm-like seasons of our lives we can find Jesus? We can see Him in the back of our boat, chilling and waiting for the storm to pass, even as we panic our little human hearts out. If Jesus calmed the waves, slept through a storm, and walked on the water for His disciples and friends in Bible times, why do we believe He won't do the same for us today?
     The funny thing is that when we don't trust and don't surrender our plans to God, we are putting more faith in our own plans, which are based on our own limited view of the circumstance, rather than His plans, crafted from a much fuller view of our lives from heaven. When you think about it, how silly and preposterous is that?
     Jesus is teaching me, slowly but surely, to find Him even in the midst of the storms. Looking back on the various storms I've walked through, I can see that perhaps it is in the storms that I have seen Him most clearly. My prayer is that for this season of life, when the road ahead is uncertain and I have no idea what the years to come will look anything like, I can trust in Him and His perfect plan. Unlike Jesus, I can't see the end of the storm. But He does--yes, He does--and that is a truly beautiful thing.

#OneLittleWord for 2017: Secure

There's something kinda magical about the start of a new year, right? Even though I know that when I woke up this morning, nothing truly changed except the date on my school papers, it's hard to shake the promise of a new year and a new start. This New Year's, I've decided to make my resolution to start blogging more regularly (well not really, but I definitely do want to blog more often!) :) Anyways, I don't usually do resolutions, and this year is no different, but I have decided to join in on picking #OneLittleWord for 2017. Instead of choosing a resolution or new practice to start, I will be focusing and meditating on this word for this new year.

I was really hesitant about choosing a word for this upcoming year (as I already have an extremely hard time making decisions and choosing a single word for my next 365 days seemed way too daunting), but I had some sweet sister friends of mine encourage me to do it (shoutout to the Soul Scripts Sisterhood--go check it out!). I've been mulling over several different words for the past few days, but none really felt right. I was starting to doubt if the Lord was ever gonna bring a word to my mind, but lo and behold, yesterday  morning He finally did: SECURE.

I've been in a season recently with a lot of ups and downs. That's pretty much just like any other season; I guess the difference here is I feel I've maybe hit one of those "dry seasons" people talk about in church. I've found my feelings are more often  determined by my circumstances than by the truth of the love I have in Jesus. This is tough because I know it's not where I want to be and certainly not where the Lord wants me to be. But yesterday, in one of those tough, not-good-feeling moments, I felt Him speak the word "secure" over me. It was like He was saying, "No matter what season you're in, Hope, you will be secure in me."
Oh, what a simple truth that is. So freeing and so true. But sometimes it's so hard to fully accept. I've seen that clearly in my own life and in my lack of understanding of God's unchanging love, my lack of trust in the Creator of the Universe. But again and again He proves me wrong. He shows me it is in His love I can always hope.
Another word I was reminded of that closely ties to secure is STEADFAST. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of steadfast includes the following:
-firmly fixed in place
-immovable
-not subject to change
-firm in belief, determination, or adherence
-loyal
My life is not steadfast, my circumstances are not steadfast, and I, myself, am anything but steadfast. But Jesus...He is. These are all characteristics that describe Him. Isn't that beautiful? Our God never changes--and neither does His love. He is steadfast, no matter what. He is God, no matter what. He is good, no matter what. He loves, no matter what. I want to cling to that this year. I want to trust and believe in my heart that I am secure because He is steadfast.
What will your word be for 2017? I encourage you to pray and listen for what God might have for you. We're less than 24 hours into the new year, and I have already watched the Lord as He is drawing me closer to Him through this one little word.
Praying that Jesus continues to show you more of your security in His steadfast love throughout this year and always.
Job 11:18-"You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety."
What a sweet prophecy for this year. 2017, we're ready for ya because we got Jesus. Bam. :)
Love always,
Hope

More Info On My Mission!

Hi friends!

Today I received the link to my personal fundraising account for my mission trip to Guatemala, which means I can officially start raising financial support!  If you'd like to donate to my fund (and make my WEEK!), you can visit this link: https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=partFund&selected=Ambassador&desc=Rebecca%20McGlothlin&appeal_id=MCGLOTHLINHOPE. 

Also, in an effort to hopefully answer some questions some of you have asked me (or have wondered about in your head!), I wanted to make a little informational post with some FAQs. So here goes! (And if you have any more questions that I didn't answer here, please feel free to ask; I would be happy to talk with you more about this!)

Where will you be going? I will be going to Guatemala! Specifically the town of San Pedro. We might spend some time in surrounding cities and go to Antigua one day, but most of our ministry will take place in San Pedro. It is a small community around Lake Atitlan, which is basically a volcanic crater. The area is absolutely beautiful. (Look up pictures and you'll see what I mean!)

Who will you be going with? I will be going with an organization called Ambassadors, the high school department of Adventures in Missions (which is the same company that runs the World Race, if you know what that is!). AIM does mission trips for people of all ages and to places all around the globe. From what I've learned over the past year of knowing about AIM, I can tell you it's an incredible organization.

When will you be going? I will leave June 30 and arrive back July 14. My first three days will be spent at the Adventures in Missions headquarters in Gainesville, Georgia, where my team will have a small training camp to prepare us physically, emotionally, and spiritually for our mission. After training camp, we will fly to Guatemala, spend about ten days serving there, then come back to Georgia for one more night to debrief, and then I'll be back home with plenty of stories to share!

What will you be doing there? While I don't know a ton of specifics yet, I know that most of our work will be outreach to the community. This will probably look like running Vacation Bible Schools, praying for and with others, and working alongside the local church.
One of the biggest practices AIM uses in ministry is "ATL" or "Ask the Lord." Often times, participants on AIM trips will spend time in listening prayer, simply asking God to show them what to do next. This means that we won't always know exactly what to expect on certain days, but that's a beautiful thing! We get to fully listen to, trust, obey, and rely on Jesus for our ministry opportunities.

Will you ever get a chance to contact home? Yes! Depending on our Internet access/availability, I will have at least a few times to contact family at home and (hopefully!) post pictures and blog posts while I'm there! I will do my best to keep y'all updated, as I would love love love to share this adventure with you!

Why did you decide to go on a mission? Short answer: because I truly feel that God has called me "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).  Long answer: about eight months ago, after reading a World Race missionary's blog post, I felt I heard God whisper in my heart, "You're going on a mission." I had been reading and learning about AIM for a while by this time, and I had just found out about Ambassadors. I was hesitant to accept this whisper as a calling, afraid it was my own voice. But as I kept praying and researching and learning about missions in general, the Lord grew my desire and kept assuring me that this what He wanted me to do. I felt His guidance in prayer, as verses (Esther 4:14, which I mentioned above, was one of them, in fact!) came to my mind, I felt His nudge on my heart with every photo of mission work I saw from AIM, and eventually I felt His assurance in the depths of my heart that He indeed was calling me. Through the guidance of the Lord and the encouragement of others, I decided that now was the time I was called to pursue this dream.
Amidst calling me to this mission specifically, the Lord has also done some amazing things just stirring my heart for missions and justice in general. He has shown me through through blogs, stories, photos, videos, people, and countless other outlets His call for His followers to participate in missions, whether that is by supporting those on the mission field or going out as oneself. I believe I am beginning to really understand what His heart for the nations looks like, and it's beautiful. While I am still very unsure about my future, I have begun seeing little ways He might be potentially calling me into missions full time someday, and this trip is also an opportunity to discern that dream.
I am so glad the Lord has been so faithful from the very beginning up till now, guiding my every step. I still can't believe He has called me to this, but I am so thankful!

Why Guatemala? When I first started looking at the options for Ambassador trips, there was something about Guatemala that just stuck out to me. I can't quite put my finger on it, and I know it might sound crazy to say you feel you are called to a country just because of a certain feeling, but I have heard plenty of cases of the Lord gently nudging people and moving their hearts to care for a certain nation, and I believe that might be what He's doing with me for Guatemala.
There were also several other factors that pointed me to Guat, like the distance from home, the cost of the trip, and the fact that I'm semi-familiar with the language and culture, which is always a plus! It felt like a good place to take my first step in missions.
Ultimately, I have felt the Lord tugging my heart to this place. I have learned about the deep, deep need and the immense poverty, but I have also learned about the hope Jesus is providing to my Guatemalan brothers and sisters. It will be my joy and honor to walk alongside them in knowing Him and His love better!

How can we help? Any support you can give is SO appreciated! You can give to my mission financially by visiting the link given at the beginning of this post, and I would always, always love your prayers! Please be praying specifically for my team for health, safety, opportunities from the Lord, and that overall His name would be glorified on this mission! And please, please pray for the people of Guatemala. Many of them have been struck by intense poverty, but more importantly, not all of them know about the hope that is found in Jesus. Pray for their hearts and minds to be open to Him and for His blessings to cover all their needs.

If you've read this far, wow, thank you! I seriously cannot tell you how much it means to me even just to have the emotional support and encouragement of friends and family. There's no one else I'd rather do this with, and I hope you know that each of you, even just by caring or reading this post, are joining in on this mission with me.

Lots of love!
Hope

Dad Knows Best, Part Three (and Some Big News!)

  Wow, friends. I honestly did not think I would be writing a part three to this post, but...dad knows best, and my dad in heaven knew better than that! (By the way, if you haven't read Parts One and Two, this would probably make a lot more sense if you did so!) But if you don't want to do that or have already read both posts and just want a quick refresher: here's a long story short...
  Last February, after reading a missionary's blog post, I felt the Lord whisper something crazy and unexpected to me: "You're going a mission." I had always wanted to go on an international mission trip someday, but I didn't expect Him to call me to that until much later in my life, and so I was hesitant to accept this little nudge as something from Him, afraid it might have just been my own voice. I prayed and listened and almost applied for an international mission with the high school Ambassador program of Adventures in Missions, but I ended up deciding to go to a Christian leadership camp instead (this was for multiple reasons, which you can read about in Part One of this post!). I told myself I wouldn't completely throw away the idea of a mission and that if the Lord kept the desire to go even after the camp, I would reconsider going overseas. Honestly, I wasn't expecting Him to guide me back to the mission after the camp, but instead, my desire to go on an international mission only increased. The Lord kept pointing me to signs and whispers from Him that this was what I was meant to do. I told my parents about the calling I felt I was receiving, and they were pretty hesitant to send me to a foreign country. But with the Lord's guidance and provision of peace, they allowed me to apply. And so this brings us to now...About a month ago I began the application process, and on Thursday I received the phone call: I'm officially an Ambassadors participant and will be following Jesus to Guatemala in July of 2017!

  I tell you these things not so much to focus on the event happening here. I tell you all this in hopes of encouraging you, at whatever point you are in your story. Even when the Lord turns your dreams around and takes you on many different journeys just to bring you to one place, He knows what is going to happen in the end. Even if there are tons of plot twists, He knows the end of the story. If your life is looking crazy and going in a thousand different directions, then I might say, "Good!" Because He works mighty things there. He's not finished with you yet, and His plans are bigger and greater than you could ever dream...that goes if He says yes to your dreams, and that goes if He says no and gives you something better (because He always will!). It's just your choice to choose if you're going to say YES to whatever choices He makes for you. The Lord has proven this to me through this wild but amazing little journey He's taken me on, and it is my deepest prayer He makes this truth clear in your own life. 
  I am still in disbelief and shock that I get to do this, that THIS is what God has called me to, and to do it now. It certainly wasn't in the plan--or rather MY plan--after all! But it was in His plan. I see that clearly now; I see how He was working from the very beginning of this dream, and so I am filled with a peace and trust unlike any other I've ever experienced before regarding a decision this big. I have never felt so confident, so assured that this is what I was meant to do, and I know that is a peace that only God can bring. Man, He is so so good!
  I would so appreciate your prayers and support during this time. Please be in prayer for myself, the people of Guatemala, and the other students who will be on my team in July. If you would like to support my mission financially, you can donate via my online fundraising page, which I will post a link to as soon as it's activated.
  I cannot adequately express how incredibly excited I am for this opportunity, and your support means the world to me! The Lord has blessed me abundantly to live out this dream, and I am so, so thankful.
Blessings,
Hope

Guest Posting @ Shell Read Truth!

Hi friends! I am so, so excited to share a little secret I may or may not have been keeping under wraps for the past three weeks...

I have been asked to be one of the contributing writers at my dear friend Ashey's blog, Shell Read Truth! In addition to blogging, Ashley writes encouraging messages on seashells and places them on the beach and in other random locations. So cool, right? I am unspeakably excited for and blessed by this opportunity to write for her and SRT. My first guest post is live today, and you can visit that here. 

I will definitely continue to post here on my personal blog, but now my coming posts will most likely be cross-posted to SRT as well. Through Ashley and SRT, the Lord is continuing to provide more opportunities to share and know His love better, and for that I am so so grateful!

Thank you for sticking with me through this journey with Him, and thank you for reading, whether at Shell Read Truth or Daughter in Faith!

Lots of love,

Hope

P.S. You can follow the SRT movement on social media for more info about posts! @shellreadtruth

And if you're not following my personal blog already, you can visit @daughterinfaith if you're interested!

Three Weeks of Immeasurably More

Wow. Words cannot describe the amazing things God has done in the past month. I have just come off of undoubtedly one of the craziest but also most beautiful adventures of my life. Over the course of three weeks, I attended two camps, crossed through seven different states, and traveled over four thousand miles round trip. Y'all that is absolutely crazy but it is ONLY by the power of God, and I can't wait to get to share with you in this post just a glimpse of some of the awesome things He revealed to me in my time away from home.

I am beyond thankful for these amazing opportunities the Father has placed before me, but I pray that the focus of this post would not be so much about the programs and events themselves but rather the power and love of God shining in them...because oh, has He been present!

My first three weeks of summer started with a bang: I finished school on a Thursday and left the following Sunday afternoon for Kentucky, where I attended a two-week Christian leadership camp called Youth Becoming Leaders (YBL) at Asbury University.

Waiting at the airport for our flight!

God was so present the entire time leading up to camp...even as far back as February, when I first applied for the program. (You can read more about that here and here.) The adventure continued as I faced one of my big(gest) fears: flying. Since my last flying experience (which had severe turbulence and was very traumatizing to me), I had sworn I would avoid travel by air for as long as I could. Clearly, God had different plans! I was very nervous walking into the airport that day, but the Lord was so gracious and calmed my nerves through the sweet smiles and kind words of my friends, and He brought me safely to Lexington by the end of that night.

When I arrived in KY with the three other students from my church, I immediately got to meet some of our counselors, college students/graduates from Asbury, who I grew to love dearly over the next two weeks. Since we had booked our flight for the day before camp officially started, we had to wait for the rest of the YBL students to arrive the next day. I was slightly hesitant about our new community at first, but I quickly became close friends with each of the twenty something students there.

Our WONDERFUL group of YBL students, faculty, and counselors! Words can't describe how much I miss these people.

Our two weeks together were filled with more laughter, tears, growth, games, sunshine, and Jesus than I could ever possibly try to fit into one blog post, but I can safely say that the Holy Spirit was so present and moving. We focused on the story of the Good Samaritan, and I learned more about that scripture and how to truly love others than I ever thought possible. Some of my favorite memories are the many little adventures we had, from hearing/learning from amazing university and seminary faculty to visiting a monastery in Indiana to buying supplies to furnish an entire apartment for a refugee family. Through all of these things, Jesus stretched me and grew more beyond what I could've ever expected or hoped for..and for that and for all the new friendships built at YBL, I am indescribably thankful!

Our little group of four students from my church flew back from YBL late the last night of camp, only to drive twelve hours the next morning for our mission trip to Colorado. It was definitely a whirlwind; I was home for less than eight hours before I had to leave for the next journey...but it was totally worth it. I knew that this was where God had me this summer, and I was just grateful for the opportunity, even if I was sleepily thankful at that!

Going from our group of 30 students at YBL to over 130 on the mission trip was a little overwhelming at first, but I quickly adjusted and the Lord reminded me He was indeed still with me, just as much in Colorado as in Kentucky. Throughout the week, He showed me through the love I received from my adult leaders, other students, and even the people we were serving more of His grace and mercy. Again, He was just sweeping me over with even more of His goodness than I thought existed.

Sunday morning service at Rocky Ford First UMC. The church members told us how excited they were to have all the pews filled!

It was especially cool to get to return to Colorado after having visited there back in March (which you can read about here), and it was awesome to see the hopes He had placed in my heart for this mission even back then be fulfilled over the course of the week. Our student leadership team had felt a real need to bring hope to Rocky Ford, the small town we served in, and the brightened faces of the people there told me we had brought that there, even if just a little bit.

Hugging a local resident at one of our community block parties during the week!

As I've been reflecting over the past three weeks, the Lord keeps bringing this certain Bible passage to mind. I was first reminded of this verse one of my last nights in KY, but He didn't fully reveal it to me until I finally got to my home state just a few days ago. The passage is Ephesians 3:20-21, and every time I look at it, He keeps pointing me to even more of how deeply I can connect these verses to my recent experiences.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” {Ephesians‬ ‭3:20-21‬}

At both YBL and the mission, God kept continuously pouring more grace and more goodness over me. In fact, the theme of this whole summer seems to be more...He can do more than I can ever imagine. Just when I think I've reached all He has to offer, when I'm sure I've reached the threshold of His mercy and learned all there is to know about His love, He is showing me more. And it is big and powerful and even sometimes overwhelming but in the most beautiful way. He is showing this not just in my "big" experiences but the little everyday moments with Him as well, and He's reminding me that every step with Him is like a grand adventure, no matter how little it seems. And it is all only through His power, and it only points back to His power. NOTHING that has happened this summer would be possible without the crazy grace He has lavished on me, and I believe He lavishes that same grace on all of us. When we accept that grace and say yes to Him, we are saying yes to a lifestyle of immeasurably more. He delights to love on His kids, and He has awesome plans for you, if you will just say yes. That is something to celebrate.

My prayer for us is that we would be a people who say yes, that we would choose to trust Him wherever He leads us, knowing confidently He WILL do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. I pray He would swipe away the fears and doubts in our lives, just like He did for me before my flight to Kentucky. I pray He would empower us to serve others and pour into their lives with His love, just like He did for me in Rocky Ford. I pray that He would surround us with His peace, as He has surrounded me this summer. And I pray He would give us the courage to say yes...because He is IMMEASURABLY faithful.

One Week Till Kentucky // Stepping Out of Fear and Into Love

  Y'ALL I HAVE EXACTLY ONE WEEK TILL I LEAVE FOR YOUTH BECOMING LEADERS IN WILMORE, KENTUCKY!!! Someone wanna pinch me?!
  I can't tell you how excited I am. Or how nervous. I can't wait for my time in Kentucky, but I also need to be really real here. I am also very, very afraid.
  There are so many unknowns. So many things I don't know yet and can't control (and let me tell you, this girl likes being in control!). And suddenly, that's all starting to hit me. I've already started monitoring the forecast for every city we'll stop in for our flight (anyone else hate turbulence?), and I've began to recognize the reality that I will be in an entirely different state from my family and twin sister for two full weeks. It's kinda a big deal for me. Also, I haven't even begun to pack, and that is task that is daunting all on its own!
  But as I sit here this Sunday morning and think about each of these fears and concerns, I can't help but be drawn into the Lord's peace. It's like He's tapping me on the shoulder gently and drawing me into His arms, inviting me to step out into the storm with Him, with His grace and power.
  I saw this character of God clearly last night as I struggled to sleep through at least six hours straight of thunderstorms in our area. I already hate thunderstorms, and they never fail to wake me up and make me as terrified as a five-year-old. No joke: I seriously still go sleep on the floor of my parents' bedroom because I get so scared! So last night when the thunder and lightning blew in, my instant reaction was fear and dread. I have received lots of helpful and encouraging advice on coping strategies to stop the panicky feelings I get during bad weather, but it often times doesn't help much because I simply can't calm down. However, last night was kind of different. For the first time since I can remember, I actually felt relatively calm during the storms. The occasional loud clap of thunder would still startle me, but my physical reaction to my anxiety wasn't nearly as strong as it normally is, and I can only attribute that to the work of the Holy Spirit.
  I still don't like thunderstorms, and I still don't look forward to having to face any more fears...but I can do so knowing my God goes with me. In fact, I believe He is calling me out of my fears. Last night, He was having me face my fears. Yes, it was a little scary at times, but He was faithful, so faithful. I stand here to say that I safely lived through that storm like it was no big deal.
  Jesus said: "I came that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." An abundant life meaning full of joy and less full of stress and anxiety. When I think about this, it reminds me that His love came for me to live my life to the full, not to cower at every dangerous possibility. I think that when we accept Jesus's invitation to face our fears, we are truly stepping out of our anxiety and into love. And that is what an abundant life looks like. That is what Jesus is talking about.
  So as I venture into this exciting, somewhat scary season of unknowns and adventures, I pray that I may trust the Lord and accept His invitation into whatever He has for me. And I pray for all of us to continue courageously taking His hand and taking the leap of faith out of fear and into love and abundant life. We have a good God who loves us, cares for us, and will never let us down. Will you choose to trust Him?

Also, if you have any fears that I can be praying for you in facing, please don't hesitate to contact me. I would be honored to pray for you as we journey out of fear and into the love of Jesus Christ.