At the beginning of March Travis and I took a group of nine young adults to a conference called Merge. I actually remembered when we were leaving the conference how it was at that same conference a couple years earlier that I heard God speak to me and tell me to write my book. It was also the conference where I felt God tell me that I needed to take a missions trip within the year and I went to Ukraine to work in the orphanages and with the abandoned babies in the hospital. Great things have come out of attending this conference in the past and once again great things happened this year. Instead of sharing what I learnt I thought I would let you know what two of the young adults that attended said about the conference.
“I personally have a past that I am not very proud to say I have. At the Merge conference, I was reminded that my past doesn’t define me and I should not let that be the case. God defines me. God is constantly working in and through me. He knows my past and is writing me a better future. The best is yet to come! I learned that I must make my dreams and hopes for the future bigger than my memories. In order for God to show me the future and work in me, I must refresh my relationship with Him and cut out of my life the things that may not be sin but do not strengthen my relationship Him. God is amazing and once we let Him, He will do amazing thing through us!”
“Merge was an amazing experience as an individual as well as for members of our Mapleview Young Adults group. Nate was a fantastic speaker and motivated me to push my comfort level in my faith. There was a powerful group prayer amongst MYA members on Saturday morning that created a stronger bond amongst us as a group. It is a conference that I have attended in the past and will attend again.”
Two weekends ago I was asked to share my testimony and speak about God being our redeemer and restorer to the senior youth at our church. Right after my message I had a girl share things that were going on in her life and since then many doors have opened to speaking into girls’ lives. I find myself again being surprised at how many girls this month I have met or talked to that have tried to end their lives or are feeling so down that they have those thoughts yet they walk around with a smile on their face and from the outside you would never know it.
Please pray for these girls. Pray that they would understand the true and real hope there is in Christ. Pray that they would not go looking for love somewhere else. I find more and more how girls want someone who cares for them and who will tell them they love them but they don’t realize that the one who cares for them and loves them the most is right there with open arms wanting them to grow closer with Him. They need to understand that even though He may not physically be in front of them He is there.
Our Young Adult study continues to go really well. We continue to learn more on different subjects like philosophy and ethics and we answer questions like who is man and who is God? As well this past Saturday we had a fun social night were we played a bunch of different group games. Twenty people attended and it was a fun night full of lots of laughter.
God is doing great things in my ministry! I have realized this past week once again how thankful I am to be able to have the time to do what I do. No, I do not make as much money as I used to and sometimes that can be hard but…God has been opening up doors this year and though right now I am not able to say anything until things are confirmed I am excited for what is to come. 🙂
I hope you all are doing well. I am praying for those of you who have shared what is going on in your hearts and your lives lately. May He give you wisdom and direction in choices you are making, may He give you the peace where you need it in your life, may He show you that things that you thought weren’t possible are and may He continue to open up doors in your own personal lives.