Written by a Cafe 1040 Student

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." John 15:4

"God, Am I ready for this?" Abide. "God, How can I make an impact for you here?" Abide. "God, What do you want me to learn while I am here?" Abide. I feel like I am constantly being reminded that God’s ability is not limited by my decisions, good or bad. He is so much bigger than that! And that is so liberating. Sure, these are important questions and I think God does want me to ask those questions, but at the end of the day, if I am spending time with Him and seeking Him first, then that is where I will be most effective. I may make a fool of myself, I might even make a huge mistake, but ultimately it is God that is doing the work in the hearts of everyone I meet. My words and actions save nobody on their own, which is what He does.

 
This has been likely the most tangible lesson and encouragement that I have been leaning into so far. I will be here for three months, which in the grand scheme of things is such a short amount of time. Unless God does something crazy (which is possible), I will only be involved in a small part of someone's story and hopefully relationship with Jesus. I say this has been such a tangible lesson for several reasons. The first is that the language and culture barriers between me and some of the friends I have made here means that even if God uses me to lead someone to himself, I am ill equipped to be the one to train them in righteousness, not to mention I will be leaving in August. The second is that I am getting to water seeds that have already been planted by people before me! I have met locals who know my friends who have been here before and the impact of those relationships is clear. God works in his own special ways and his own timing, but it is so encouraging to know that He is in control and that in Abiding in him and living in obedience, it is "God who gives the growth".