God Speaks!!

I feel closer to the Lord than I ever have. It’s a different closeness though. It isn’t so much an emotional high. It’s more of an intense familiarity of His voice. I’ve always believed that the Lord speaks but never have I heard Him so clearly and not doubted that it was Him. It’s incredible and hard to describe with words. There ahve been times on this trip that He’s spoken to my heart about big, life altering things like my job (who, where, and how He wants me to teach in the fall) or ministry opportunitites here that He is giving me boldness to take advantage of and allow Him to use me in. There have also been times that He’s spoken to my heart about not-so-big things like issues among the villages we’ve visited that He is leading me to lift up in prayer, and truths about each of my teammates that He wanted me to speak over them for encouragement. I feel that I have struggled to hear God’s voice in the past and distinguish between His, my own, and the enemy’s. He has trained me how to listen and recognize His voice just as Jesus said His sheep do in Matthew 10:2-4 “The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for Him, and the sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought out all His own, He goes on ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice.” He has taught me how to listen and recognize when it’s Him and also recognize when it’s Satan speaking lies to me. After years of hearing and believing these lies, Satan will discourage me no more. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Romans 16:20 Joy playing jax with the children using rocks.
 Our translators in Maesot, Prateep and Moses.
The crocodile just a few yards from where we’re sleeping for the next 2 weeks!
 Bai, Dhu, and Mat, three children I met in Pakchong. Bai’s mother was killed a couple months ago and she never knew her dad. Yet, she has the most joy about her. Please pray for her and her family.