Lord, give me courage!

I'm terrified. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited about what I see God doing in my life and where He is leading me. Yet, at the same time it terrifies me.
Where is it that God is leading and what is it that scares me so much? I'm so glad you asked...
This summer both my job and my home-base will be changing. Yes, I will still be with Barnabas International and, yes, I will still be serving with Mu Kappa, but I will have a new job focus. Starting in July, I will begin building an in-house MK program which will serve the children of other Barnabas members, ages ranging from birth through college. This opportunity gives me such joy and is the culmination of the burden Jesus has put on my heart over the past 8 or 9 months. This job change will also involve a move to Colorado, also occurring this summer (probably Colorado Springs, due to lower rent, but anywhere between there and Denver is possible).
What is it about this that scares me? Well, it isn't so much the move (although moving so far away from my family, especially my older sister and her kids, will be difficult), as it is other circumstances surrounding it.
You see, over the past 2 months I have really felt God leading me to step out in faith with the finances He has provided and to trust Him entirely. On hearing this you may be tempted to think, "Wow, Melissa is so strong. I don't think I could do that..." but, please refrain. That is so far from the truth. I am taking these steps because I can't (and don't want to) turn away from where God is calling me (it resonates so much with who He has made me), but I am still human. I would much rather be going out with a full budget, knowing ahead of time where the funds will be coming from, but that isn't the current situation (my financial support level has actually dropped a bit in the past couple of months). I know from my own past experiences, though, that God can, and does, work miracles (ask me sometime about the part-time job I lived off of for 2 years). This knowledge doesn't erase the fear, though. Especially when a month comes with the "perfect storm" of car repairs (bent wheels rims), taxes (more than 1/7th of my annual income), and car insurance bills due.
All of this is temporary, though, and I know for certain that the LORD is in control and that HE knows what He is doing and how HE will provide.
Will you commit to praying for me in the following six months? So much is happening and I have so many big decisions to make, all the while having to wade through the goodbyes (that I dread) and trying to have good closure for both myself and those that I have worked closely with the past few years. If you are committing to pray, can you please drop me a note to tell me? I know that many of you already do, but it is so encouraging to know. 


In HIS love and care,
Melissa

God is great! I can't believe what I see Him doing!!!

So many people have asked me over the last few weeks about my status with Barnabas International (the mission that Mu Kappa is under) with the deadline coming up (next week) for my finances. My current answer? I still don't know. Please bear with me a bit longer!
That's right. Things are still up in the air. There are a few things in the works and, over the past two weeks especially, I have seen small glimpses into what God is doing in my life and boy am I getting excited!
To put it simply, and not say too much before "final" decisions are made over the next week, my financial status with Barnabas is strong, and if I stay with them, a chunk of my ministry focus will (probably) be changing to serving the needs of the MKs of other Barnabas members (while still working with area college campuses and MKs).
Please continue to pray with me, especially over the next week, as there are going to be a number of meetings discussing and deciding things related to all of this.
God bless you all and I will send out updates as decisions are "finalized".

Lord, You can...so will You?

"Sometime later, Ben-Hadad, king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria. There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey's head sold for a eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels....Elisha said, 'Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of flower will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.'
The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, 'Look, even if the LORD should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?'
'You will see it with your own eyes,' answered Elisha, 'but you will not eat any of it!'...
So the messengers returned and reported to the king. Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So, a seah of flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the LORD had said."
(II Kings 6:24-7:20)

Lord I know that this is a story of how you worked one time, not a promise to do it again. But could you do it this time? Please?

Prayer needed

Please pray for me especially this month. The end of the year is coming all the closer and I really don't feel like I have the energy to try anymore. I know that God can work a miracle in my support, but I am losing hope that He will. There hasn't seemed to be any sort of return for any of the sharing about this ministry with people or churches that I have done this fall. I'm just so tired and I feel like I am losing a part of myself as I see the deadline draw near.
I know that the Lord has a plan and purpose for me, but...

"[LORD] I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24b)

The "end" of my fall travels...okay, not really...

Wow! What a month. Between when I left home on October 25th and when I got home on Sunday night (November 13th), I drove through Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and then back to Ohio where I was in Mount Vernon for 1 1/2 weeks. I connected up with a number of family, supporters, and MKs (both in school and out). The retreat that we held in Scranton was a success. We ended up with 18 students and the 3 of us leaders. It was on the small side, but we had a great time: plugging into Scriptures through the story of Jonah, praying for the world and each other, and hearing part of the testimony of one of the older MKs (thanks, Sarah!). We also had the perfect snow storm that weekend- waited to start until all of the MKs had arrived, more than 6 inches by free-time on Saturday, and warm enough that it had melted off the roads by Sunday when we all left! (You want to have some fun? Watch college students who have never experienced snow in the U.S. before!)
Before the retreat we were able to spend some time together as a MuKappa staff (minus the 3 new staff) talking about some of what we have dealt with this past year and ideas of where we want to take the organization in the future. We also planned a week in January when we will be meeting for an extended period of time in Wisconsin.
By the time I made it to Mount Vernon that week, I wasn't feeling to well. I went to the health department (thankfully you don't have to be a resident of the county to use it) and found out that I had double ear infections (and possibly a sinus infection). The medication worked right away, but after a couple of days on it, I discovered that I am allergic to amoxicillin, and had some bad side affects to the next antibiotic they put me on.
Over the weekend (which was homecoming) my older sister, Renee, drove over from Indianapolis with her 4 kids, and my younger sis, Christy, and I drove down to spend a couple of nights with them and other friends in Columbus.
Sunday after going to church and eating lunch with Christy, I visited a few more people in Mount Vernon and then drove home. (Oh- about the time I drove into Indy, my car, Stella, went over 159,000 miles- I think we may make it to 160,000 by the end of January!)
Now I am realizing that in a little less than I week I will be leaving for northern Ohio where I will be spending Thanksgiving with my extended family- probably will be around 70 or 80 of us... (My dad returns to the US next Wednesday night after doing a building project in PNG for 3 months!) and then not long after that I will be heading down to North Carolina for Christmas. Where has the year gone???

Paradox...

Discouragement. It is so powerful and crippling. How does a person push through even when everything you try seems to fail? I know, it isn't as bad as all of that, but it sure seems that way in the middle of the difficulties.
Counterbalance that with the gut feeling that I am doing what God wants me to be doing right now, and this burning inside of me to see this work done.
What is God doing? What is He trying to teach me? Do I have the strength to make it through? How is it all going to get done? Is God going to provide me the finances to keep going after December? (I'll admit, I have a hard time seeing how that could happen. I know we serve a God of miracles, but will He choose to work that way this time?) Is there something more I should/could be doing?
I really don't know the answers to any of these questions, but they are my constant companions these days.
Please pray for me that I will have the strength and endurance to push through until the end whenever that may be. (I leave this week for a 3 week trip to Ohio and Pennsylvania...)
In HIS care
Melissa

And the craziness continues...

Well, it has happened. I think I finally, really understand the phrase "meeting myself coming and going."
This has been a really busy past few weeks and my car has seen a lot of miles driving through Ohio and back here to Indy (thankfully "Stella" has been behaving herself).

I have had the fun of visiting some MKs I know on 2 different campuses and meeting a number of new ones. I have also seen one of my campuses take some steps forward in starting their own chapter of Mu Kappa, and had the privilege of speaking for a few minutes to a church in Elyria, Ohio.

Now I am gearing up to leave for a 2 week trip (flying this time- "Stella" will be getting a much earned break!) to Colorado and Phoenix. In Colorado I will be meeting up and hanging out with some MKs and some of my Barnabas co-workers along with some other missionaries that I know in the Denver area. In Arizona, I will be spending a few relaxing days with a good friend who teaches there. (I am really thankful for the travel voucher I was given for being bumped off a flight last year. It makes these flights free!)


Let me know if you want me to come visit you and I'll see what I can do!

Always in HIS care!
Melissa