After my last blog you may have been left wondering if anything GOOD had been happening on my trip.
Why yes, of course!
So, I'm extremely excited about this post! God is SO good & does things on a much bigger scale than I ever could have dreamed. What I consider "amazing" is lame in comparison to what He has in mind. It's fabulous just how great He is!
Amen? Amen!
The week I got sick, I had been at a kids camp. The days before my attack of illness *dun dun duhh* (haha) I got to spend time with some of the most beautiful children.
Why yes, of course!
So, I'm extremely excited about this post! God is SO good & does things on a much bigger scale than I ever could have dreamed. What I consider "amazing" is lame in comparison to what He has in mind. It's fabulous just how great He is!
Amen? Amen!
The week I got sick, I had been at a kids camp. The days before my attack of illness *dun dun duhh* (haha) I got to spend time with some of the most beautiful children.
(-See? I wasn't kiddin'!)
I had the wonderful opportunity to help lead & teach! I taught on something God's been speaking to me a lot about... & that's obedience. So, naturally, I talked about the story of Jonah. I created this huge cardboard fish, (which... most of you know my severe lack of artistic ability!) got some costumes together & did a play with them. They all loved it! So much so that they took & hid the fish & wouldn't tell me where it was. haha. I guess I didn't do too bad of a job on it ;)
Getting to spend time with the kids was a blast. We went to the river & swam... we played hours upon hours of badminton (that sure does have a way of makin' you sore!) & we had a jolly good time, despite the language barrier. That's one thing I love about kids... it doesn't matter if you can't talk to someone.... a game of charades will ensue if necessary! Children have such pure, innocent hearts & they truly are like sponges... soaking up everything you say. Having to leave early was sad... having them run & hold onto you, begging you not to leave, was tough... but I know that I at least went & got to share the truth with them! That alone is enough to put my heart at peace.
The day that I got sick for the second time, I had gone to spend the weekend at an orphanage...but was unable to go due to getting sick, again. I had been sad over the fact that I wasn't able to go & spend time with all of the orphans... but it hadn't even dawned on me until now.
I did get to spend time with the orphans. The people I rode with to the baptism had recently, temporarily, taken in 3 adult orphans & were helping them to become established with jobs & apartments It wasn't quite what I had in mind, going & spending time with young orphans..., but I was able to spend all day with 30+ year old orphans & was able to minister & pour into them! So many times when we think of orphans we think of little children... but we usually forget that those kids grow up & are still orphans... they're still trying to make something of themselves & have the heartache of being parent less & not having a family. Spending time with them made me view things in a new way. You have to be a strong person to have gone through what they had & still desire to do something meaningful. They were like children in adult bodies & they were precious... I'm beyond thankful that God allowed me to meet them.
We all went to a water baptism together & that was a beautiful thing! Even though it was a 4 hour long service & I didn't understand ANYTHING that was said... seeing 10 people dressed in all white, with tears running down their faces being baptised & dedicating their lives to the Lord was something powerful, moving & completely universal. It didn't matter that I didn't know what they were saying... in my heart, I did. I could hear & see, fully, the love they had for God & no language barrier could stop that from being evident. I was moved to tears as each person would be submersed by the water & come up "like new". I will never forget that day... it will forever say with me.
Once I had recovered & was feeling better, I went to a church where they asked me, on the spot, to come up & speak in front of the whole church. I wanted to say no, to stand with feet firmly planted, to remain where I was & just be an observer... but I said yes, I stepped out in faith & spoke. I talked about the race we all run, as believers & unbelievers alike. Everyone is running a race, but as followers of Christ... we run to gain an eternal reward. The LORD is our strength & He helps us to endure all things... by keeping our gaze fixed on Him we are able to run with a purpose & for a worthy cause.
(1st Corinthians 9:24-27)
After speaking, the Pastor told me that I could go outside to help with the children...
little did I know that "helping" would consist of me completely running the children's ministry! Since I had recently prepared the Jonah lesson, I went ahead & taught that. The kids, once again, loved it & had a great time acting & learning. It's a bit nerve-racking being thrown into something like that last minute... but when you trust in God, things have a way of falling into place like they need to!
I've been doing a lot of speaking, praise God... He's opened many doors! I've spoken at several women's camps on purity & through giving my testimony/telling the amazing work God's done through my recent relationship with Brandon. After speaking at one of the camps, a lady in attendance asked me if I'd be interested in coming & speaking to some young ladies. I, of course, said yes! We tried our best to communicate & sort through details... but I guess I didn't fully understand because when I went to her house (Where I thought I'd be speaking to about 7 girls) to speak, she loaded us up in her car & we drove to one of the churches her husband preaches at. I ended up speaking to about 40 teens/adults on purity! They also had me lead worship!! Talk about God having a bigger vision than myself! I was amazed that He would give me the chance to share with so many people! That's only one of the many thing's He's done.
After leaving the speaking even Sunday evening... Monica (The Pastor's wife) told me I was going to church with them. I didn't really know what was going on most times... I just did whatever was asked of me. On the way to the OTHER church she tells me that they want me to lead a praise & worship song.. thinking it's be about the same as what I'd just done, I said "okay!" & was thrilled.
Then. We pulled up to a huge church... walked inside... & instead of about 40 people, I found over 400 people! *GULP*
My throat went dry, I'm not gonna lie... I was very nervous... I felt much fear. However, I knew that this was a God thing & He wanted me to be obedient. So, I prayed & prayed & prayed... &&& prayed... stepped up on the stage & began singing "Open the eyes of my heart".
I'm sure it wasn't the most flawless performance... I'm sure I didn't sound perfect... but I was worshipping God. I was singing praise to Him. How can you ever mess up when worshipping the Lord? :)
I went to another children's camp to minister, but that didn't really turn out how I thought it would either. I got there & only 3 people KIND OF spoke English! I couldn't really talk to anyone. But one thing I love is that a smile is understood everywhere. A hug is universal. Love is something that doesn't have to always be spoken... but it can be shown. I was able to show them the love of Christ through playing with them & spending time with them.
One funny thing- They loved my name, for some strange reason!, & would randomly walk around saying "Ty-Lor, Ty-Lor!". Ha! It didn't matter how many times I told them the correct pronunciation... they just never said it right... but I didn't mind, it was cute. ;)
I had planned on staying all week at that camp, but God had a different plan... a much bigger plan!
I was taking a nap during some free time we had at the camp on Tuesday... when I got a call from Monica. I, being asleep & groggy, just woke up, clicked the end button on the phone & went back to sleep. Out of nowhere I randomly woke up & God told me "Call Monica back. You're going to speak." It was as if He literally spoke to me. So, I called her back & sure enough... she wanted me to come speak at a youth camp an hour away from the kids camp I was at. Needing to to talk Gail, I told Monica that I would get back with her but would probably be free on Thursday.... next thing I know, I'm getting a call from Gail saying she'd pick me up in 20 minutes & that I was going to speak... TONIGHT.
I threw my things in my bag, prayed & was on my way.
When I arrived... I was asked to speak & lead some worship. There were about 40 teens there & I was nervous & excited!
I got up & asked the youth to sing to God even though they didn't know the words... but to my surprise... they did know the words! & they sang the songs in English as well! It was amazing being all the way in Romania, singing praise to the Lord in unison!
I then spoke & God completely showed up! He dropped things into my spirit & truly lead the entire session. I didn't get a chance to talk to many people afterwards... but I feel that what needed to be heard, was... & HE was seen throughout everything.
I went Wednesday night to lead a session for several young ladies....& once again, the group was bigger than I thought it'd be! Expecting around 5 or 6 girls... you can imagine my excitement when 12 ladies showed up! I was able to share the story of how Brandon & I entered into a relationship, how God 100% brought me the man of my prayers...& dreams, what exactly "Courtship" is (They'd never even heard of it!) & the amazing blessing that comes with waiting on God to write your love story. The girls were all blessed & filled with many questions... several of the girls actually had their master degrees, so they had very amazing questions, but God fully gave me the right answers!
I've been blessed time & time again by how good God is! He never ceases to amaze me!
I've not had the chance to speak to over about 200 people about purity & Jesus. Wow.
I'm now about to leave for another camp where I will be speaking & leading. Please keep me in your prayers as I step out, again, to share the truth.
I pray this has been a blessing, though it's been relatively brief.
I know I'm blessed & encouraged!
:)
-Taylor
p.s. in an attempt to get this posted before I leave for my next camp... I haven't read through it all... I'm posting my rough draft. A writing "no no".... but I'm desperate! So please show grace while reading it in case I've messed up on spelling or have been redundant! Thank you for your kindness :)
Getting to spend time with the kids was a blast. We went to the river & swam... we played hours upon hours of badminton (that sure does have a way of makin' you sore!) & we had a jolly good time, despite the language barrier. That's one thing I love about kids... it doesn't matter if you can't talk to someone.... a game of charades will ensue if necessary! Children have such pure, innocent hearts & they truly are like sponges... soaking up everything you say. Having to leave early was sad... having them run & hold onto you, begging you not to leave, was tough... but I know that I at least went & got to share the truth with them! That alone is enough to put my heart at peace.
The day that I got sick for the second time, I had gone to spend the weekend at an orphanage...but was unable to go due to getting sick, again. I had been sad over the fact that I wasn't able to go & spend time with all of the orphans... but it hadn't even dawned on me until now.
I did get to spend time with the orphans. The people I rode with to the baptism had recently, temporarily, taken in 3 adult orphans & were helping them to become established with jobs & apartments It wasn't quite what I had in mind, going & spending time with young orphans..., but I was able to spend all day with 30+ year old orphans & was able to minister & pour into them! So many times when we think of orphans we think of little children... but we usually forget that those kids grow up & are still orphans... they're still trying to make something of themselves & have the heartache of being parent less & not having a family. Spending time with them made me view things in a new way. You have to be a strong person to have gone through what they had & still desire to do something meaningful. They were like children in adult bodies & they were precious... I'm beyond thankful that God allowed me to meet them.
We all went to a water baptism together & that was a beautiful thing! Even though it was a 4 hour long service & I didn't understand ANYTHING that was said... seeing 10 people dressed in all white, with tears running down their faces being baptised & dedicating their lives to the Lord was something powerful, moving & completely universal. It didn't matter that I didn't know what they were saying... in my heart, I did. I could hear & see, fully, the love they had for God & no language barrier could stop that from being evident. I was moved to tears as each person would be submersed by the water & come up "like new". I will never forget that day... it will forever say with me.
Once I had recovered & was feeling better, I went to a church where they asked me, on the spot, to come up & speak in front of the whole church. I wanted to say no, to stand with feet firmly planted, to remain where I was & just be an observer... but I said yes, I stepped out in faith & spoke. I talked about the race we all run, as believers & unbelievers alike. Everyone is running a race, but as followers of Christ... we run to gain an eternal reward. The LORD is our strength & He helps us to endure all things... by keeping our gaze fixed on Him we are able to run with a purpose & for a worthy cause.
(1st Corinthians 9:24-27)
After speaking, the Pastor told me that I could go outside to help with the children...
little did I know that "helping" would consist of me completely running the children's ministry! Since I had recently prepared the Jonah lesson, I went ahead & taught that. The kids, once again, loved it & had a great time acting & learning. It's a bit nerve-racking being thrown into something like that last minute... but when you trust in God, things have a way of falling into place like they need to!
I've been doing a lot of speaking, praise God... He's opened many doors! I've spoken at several women's camps on purity & through giving my testimony/telling the amazing work God's done through my recent relationship with Brandon. After speaking at one of the camps, a lady in attendance asked me if I'd be interested in coming & speaking to some young ladies. I, of course, said yes! We tried our best to communicate & sort through details... but I guess I didn't fully understand because when I went to her house (Where I thought I'd be speaking to about 7 girls) to speak, she loaded us up in her car & we drove to one of the churches her husband preaches at. I ended up speaking to about 40 teens/adults on purity! They also had me lead worship!! Talk about God having a bigger vision than myself! I was amazed that He would give me the chance to share with so many people! That's only one of the many thing's He's done.
After leaving the speaking even Sunday evening... Monica (The Pastor's wife) told me I was going to church with them. I didn't really know what was going on most times... I just did whatever was asked of me. On the way to the OTHER church she tells me that they want me to lead a praise & worship song.. thinking it's be about the same as what I'd just done, I said "okay!" & was thrilled.
Then. We pulled up to a huge church... walked inside... & instead of about 40 people, I found over 400 people! *GULP*
My throat went dry, I'm not gonna lie... I was very nervous... I felt much fear. However, I knew that this was a God thing & He wanted me to be obedient. So, I prayed & prayed & prayed... &&& prayed... stepped up on the stage & began singing "Open the eyes of my heart".
I'm sure it wasn't the most flawless performance... I'm sure I didn't sound perfect... but I was worshipping God. I was singing praise to Him. How can you ever mess up when worshipping the Lord? :)
I went to another children's camp to minister, but that didn't really turn out how I thought it would either. I got there & only 3 people KIND OF spoke English! I couldn't really talk to anyone. But one thing I love is that a smile is understood everywhere. A hug is universal. Love is something that doesn't have to always be spoken... but it can be shown. I was able to show them the love of Christ through playing with them & spending time with them.
One funny thing- They loved my name, for some strange reason!, & would randomly walk around saying "Ty-Lor, Ty-Lor!". Ha! It didn't matter how many times I told them the correct pronunciation... they just never said it right... but I didn't mind, it was cute. ;)
I had planned on staying all week at that camp, but God had a different plan... a much bigger plan!
I was taking a nap during some free time we had at the camp on Tuesday... when I got a call from Monica. I, being asleep & groggy, just woke up, clicked the end button on the phone & went back to sleep. Out of nowhere I randomly woke up & God told me "Call Monica back. You're going to speak." It was as if He literally spoke to me. So, I called her back & sure enough... she wanted me to come speak at a youth camp an hour away from the kids camp I was at. Needing to to talk Gail, I told Monica that I would get back with her but would probably be free on Thursday.... next thing I know, I'm getting a call from Gail saying she'd pick me up in 20 minutes & that I was going to speak... TONIGHT.
I threw my things in my bag, prayed & was on my way.
When I arrived... I was asked to speak & lead some worship. There were about 40 teens there & I was nervous & excited!
I got up & asked the youth to sing to God even though they didn't know the words... but to my surprise... they did know the words! & they sang the songs in English as well! It was amazing being all the way in Romania, singing praise to the Lord in unison!
I then spoke & God completely showed up! He dropped things into my spirit & truly lead the entire session. I didn't get a chance to talk to many people afterwards... but I feel that what needed to be heard, was... & HE was seen throughout everything.
I went Wednesday night to lead a session for several young ladies....& once again, the group was bigger than I thought it'd be! Expecting around 5 or 6 girls... you can imagine my excitement when 12 ladies showed up! I was able to share the story of how Brandon & I entered into a relationship, how God 100% brought me the man of my prayers...& dreams, what exactly "Courtship" is (They'd never even heard of it!) & the amazing blessing that comes with waiting on God to write your love story. The girls were all blessed & filled with many questions... several of the girls actually had their master degrees, so they had very amazing questions, but God fully gave me the right answers!
I've been blessed time & time again by how good God is! He never ceases to amaze me!
I've not had the chance to speak to over about 200 people about purity & Jesus. Wow.
I'm now about to leave for another camp where I will be speaking & leading. Please keep me in your prayers as I step out, again, to share the truth.
I pray this has been a blessing, though it's been relatively brief.
I know I'm blessed & encouraged!
:)
-Taylor
p.s. in an attempt to get this posted before I leave for my next camp... I haven't read through it all... I'm posting my rough draft. A writing "no no".... but I'm desperate! So please show grace while reading it in case I've messed up on spelling or have been redundant! Thank you for your kindness :)
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