Every time I update this blog, I feel like time flies by! I can't believe it's already been two weeks since I last updated it. Just a good reminder of how thankful we are to be in Portland- we truly love it here.
Last week, we had a BBQ in Lake Oswego with our Bible study group. We challenged everyone to bring someone. Lake Oswego is a beautiful Lake- we got access to a private park right on the water. It was stunning. Some people who came to our BBQ said even though they live in Lake O, they aren't allowed in that park because you have to live in a certain area. Lake O is a different world! Which is why we are truly praying if that is the area we are supposed to be in.
Besides some trouble with figuring out how to use charcoal for the first time and burning our food, it was a great turn out. A new couple came as well as a man Trevor had met at a coffee shop the week before. We had a lot of fun hanging out and building relationships. We are thankful for the small community in Lake O who meets with us regularly. It has been a blessing to grow with them. After the BBQ, we all went to get ice cream at Salt and Straw- a famous place in Portland with very different flavors (Oprah's favorite from here is Olive Oil Ice cream!). We have been blessed with friends and it's exciting to build relationships with people and meet people who are just as starving for community and relationships as we are. There is something special that happens when believers come together- it's an unseen bond.
This week, Trevor got a call from a couple who somehow got our information and wanted to come to the Bible study on Tuesday at our house in NE. We have no idea how they got our info but said they were going to come. Another man who had not yet come to our study was planning to come too. We were very excited for new people! We invited a couple friends over for dinner before the study too. Last minute, Trevor got a call from all 3 people saying they weren't going to be able to make it. We were a little disappointed. But we knew God was still working and even though it was a bummer. That night, while we were eating dinner with our friends, someone knocked on our door. Everyone just looked up and stared with inquisitive looks. We live in an apartment complex- you need a key to get in and in the 6 months we have been here, no one has ever knocked on our door. Plus, we didn't know of anyone else who was supposed to be coming that night. We opened the door to find a young man who goes to college in Portland. Art (an original member of our core team when we moved up here) had invited him. Long story short- he is from Camarillo and I went to high school with him! Small small world! It was just another reminder of how God is working.
It reminds me of the Christians who were praying for Peter to be set free from prison. They were all in one house praying for Peter's freedom. There's a knock on the door and it's Peter. But the people are too busy praying to go let him in. Here they are praying for something and when it actually happens, they don't even realize it or believe it could happen. It's a good reminder to have an expectation of God answering our prayers.
When things don't pan out the way we we expect, it can be easy to get discouraged or ask God why our efforts seem to be failing. We can blame ourselves or God for a lack of fruit or disappointment. Instead, I believe God us teaching us to trust Him with our actions. To trust that we don't know what the outcome will be even though we think we do. We think if we do A, B and C, then D, E and F will happen. That isn't always the case. Sometimes we don't see the fruit of what God is calling us to do and sometimes we harvest the fruit from someone else's sowing. We simply need to be obedient to what He calls us to do and trust He will do the rest. While we should pray with an expectation of Him working, we have to trust that He ultimately knows what is best.
Please continue to pray for clarity as to what area we are to be in.
Pray for our baby as she is coming in 6 weeks! We are so excited.
Please pray God opens doors for us to meet people here and share the love of Christ with them.
Thank you!
Julie
No comments:
Post a Comment