A NEED FOR RESILIENCE ... Thoughts for the Ethiopian New Year

A New Year begins today in Ethiopia. 

Family and friends will gather to celebrate.  What will the new year bring?

I love that I get a chance to pause and reflect on another year here. A year ending and a new one beginning can give you space for reflection. It's also a time when you can set new goals and plans to do better and be better with life.  Where am I at? Where have I been? Where am I going? Is all aligned with God?

I'm so thankful God saw us through the past year here. It was a time of turmoil and trial, transition and change, loss and gain, sorrow and joy.

I'm still amazed and humbled that God continues to use my life here.  There's no place I'd rather be than where I feel called to be by God, and Ethiopia for me continues to be where that place is.  I'm so grateful!

The past months were busy with work here. I praise God for very successful final summer (rainy season) events with EvaSUE.  The teams I get to work with have inspired me and I'm humbled by their commitment to advance the Kingdom of God by serving students.

My Teammates on EvaSUE's Student Ministry Team...Rekik, Mesi, Fre, Elias, and Fasil

My Teammates on EvaSUE's Staff Care Team... Tsion, Elshu, and Ebenezer

Our EvaSUE Staff

Our National Leadership Summit was a big success at the end of August and early September. I was amazed at the 900 plus students who traveled from all over the country to be together for a week of equipping for the coming school year. Together, we heard challenging teaching on how to be "Faithful Servants of the Kingdom" at this time in history.  Through the book of Jeremiah, we were challenged to stay CONSECRATED to God, to RETURN to Him in humility, and to continue to WAIT for Him as we hope in Him and share Him.  May we be found faithful!

The final day of prayer was deeply impactful as we reflected on all we had learned.

The EvaSUE work teams I led were fantastic!

The Creative Art Team made amazing displays that helped communicate the main themes.  

The Sport Team led mass sport in the mornings to try to give the idea to the student leaders that their interest in sport could be used as a platform for reaching people for Jesus.  At 6:30am, in rain and sun, students came!  

Yohana and I continued to try to collect "stories" and testimonies throughout the week.  There are so many stories to tell from all regions of God's faithfulness through adversity.  

Praise God for all!

 

The EvaSUE Staff Retreat that followed was 2 1/2 days of rest and reflection for the 105 EvaSUE staff members. We enjoyed time at the lakes, worship, and also had devotions, games, a field day, and times of sharing.  We also enjoyed together an early New Year celebration.  I'm so thankful for this team-family and I'm so excited for the work God has for us ahead in the Ethiopian New Year!

In thinking about the new year ahead this past week, the word God keeps bringing to my heart and mind is the word "resilience." 

A guest who came for our National Leadership Summit mentioned this as an already admirable characteristic of our students.  He said despite all they have been through and even the dangers they faced to travel here, they are still standing, seeking God. They are resilient!

I've been thinking about that word for myself and for our students and for us as followers of Jesus and for the Church overall. 

Would people say I'm resilient? That the church is resilient?  What does that even mean?

I like the many definitions and descriptions given for RESILIENCE:

-the capacity to withstand

-the ability to recover quickly from difficulties

-the process and outcome of successfully adapting to challenging life circumstances

-the ability to absorb shock; return to form; maintain strength; not give up

Nelson Mandela had a quote that also reflected this word...

I think most of us would say we've been knocked down by something this past year- season.

Politicians have disappointed.  Global disasters have struck. Churches have fractured.

 

Sickness, loss, betrayal, war, fighting, fatigue ... so many things have hit us and can continue to hit us and cause us to stumble.  Satan is lurking around wanting to keep us down.   If we've been knocked down, have we gotten back up? Or are we still dazed by the hit?  Being held down by the loss, the sorrow, the shame?

Thankfully, it seems the ability to get back up is actually in our DNA as people of God. For we see this in Jesus Himself and in the many people of God throughout Scripture.  They endured, overcame, and didn't give up, and finished what God called them to do and be, despite the hits they took. 

Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again... Proverbs 24:16

Can the same be said of us today as we continue on as people of God? Will this also be our legacy and story?

And there are calls to us throughout the Bible to keep standing, to press on, and to endure, so it must be possible...

The one who stands firm to the end will be saved ... Matthew 24:13

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed ... 2 Corinthians 4:8

Stand firm, let nothing move you ... 1 Corinthians 15:58

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial ... James 1:12

So how can we get resilience?  Learn resilience? How can we absorb shock; return to form; maintain and even gain strength; not lose hope?

God keeps bringing me back to a few key things.

For resilience to come, one big needed thing is FOCUS.

In life, God wants us to focus on Him.  He has all we need! He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is our guide, our leader.  If we focus on Him, He will help us.  He will give us perspective and hope to keep running...

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, keeping our eyes on Jesus... Hebrews 12:1-3

I keep my eyes on the Lord, with Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken ... Psalm 16:8

When we get hit by something, we often lose our focus. We look at what hit us. The storm, the sickness, the debt. We stare at that thing until it stresses us out and overwhelms us.  

Yet God reminds us again and again that He is bigger and we need to keep our eyes on Him.

Do not fear, for I am with you. I will strengthen you and help you... Isaiah 41:10

I will keep in perfect peace, he whose mind is stayed on Me ... Isaiah 26:3-4

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.... They will be like a tree planted by the water... It does not fear when heat comes and its leaves are always green, it will have no fear in drought and will always bear fruit ... Jeremiah 17:7-8

Sometimes when we get hit, we focus on the actual wound.  The hurt. We stay victims and stay stuck. We become bitter and lose hope.  God wants us to bring the hurt, the wound, to Him, Lay it there and leave it with Him. He can heal it!

I can mend broken hearts and bind up all wounds ... Psalm 147:3

I will give you a new heart so you can know me ... Ezekiel 36: 26-27

I am making all things new ... Revelations 21:5

Cast all your burdens on the Lord and He will sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved ... Psalm 55:22

You might say...well, I'm not righteous, so this doesn't apply to me.  So I will be moved.  

Well, just remember... none of us are righteous. All sin separates us from God. If you are in Jesus Christ, you stand in His righteousness, not yours. These verses and promises do apply to you! Don't let Satan steal what Jesus died to give you!

For our sake, God made Him to be sin who had no sin, that we might have the righteousness of God ... 

2 Corinthians 5:21

God has been challenging me on this FOCUS idea.... ALL of me needs fixed on Him. My mind, my heart, my body- strength, all of it. All needs fixed on Him, stayed on Him.  It's about consecration.  As people of God, which is what we just studied in Jeremiah through EvaSUE, all of our lives need set apart for God. Our thoughts. Our hearts. What we do and where we go... that's actual and virtual, needs to be for God.  Where is your focus?  Where is mine? Where are you looking? Resilience comes from fixing our gaze .... all of our lives.. on God.  As we look at Him and be with Him ... He then is able to supernaturally fill us with the courage and resilience to keep running ahead. As we move, He restores us, renews us, heals us.  He fills us with His strength and hope, all we need to make it!

One thing needed for resilience is focus.

To keep that focus we need awareness.

God has been reminding me about the need for awareness as I and we run forward. Satan is there. Sin is there. Situations around us are there. God can help us "run a good race" and "fight a good fight." Our punches can be aimed the right way.  Our spiritual warfare can be fought well. Sometimes we fight with wrong weapons. We aim at wrong targets. And we fight what might not even be the issue or real problem.  

Sometimes too, we can disconnect from what's around us.  We don't want to see the pain - in ourselves or in others. So we disconnect. We walk unaware. We choose to be blind. We build walls. We don't deal with the fear or pain or loss. We may spend time on our computers or our phones. We may hide in our work or even in church activity. These are coping mechanisms. We allow ourselves to stay isolated, staying hit and hidden. This is dangerous! God says to get up. To be resilient. To keep going! To be with Him and to be with people. In community, we are stronger. With Him and with others, He helps us deal with with what needs dealt with and as we continue to run on... He heals us and even helps to invite others to run too ...

I don't fight aimlessly ... 1 Corinthians 9: 26-27

Don't give up the meeting together, do it all the more as you see the day approaching... Hebrews 10:25

Confess your sins one to another so you may be healed... James 5:16

Proclaim His name ... make known among the nations what He has done .... Psalm 105:1

I need to stay aware.  We need to stay aware as the people of God.  

Be alert, your enemy, Satan is roaming around looking for someone to devour; be firm in your faith and resist him ...  1 Peter 5:8-9

Be on your guard, stand firm in your faith; be courageous; be strong ... 1 Corinthians 16:13

Be careful how you live, making the most of every opportunity ... Ephesians 5:15-16

Please pray for this new year here in Ethiopia.  The church and people here definitely have been hit again and again. 

But we have the ability to get back up and be resilient and run on.  We have a Savior to share. His joy, His peace and hope to have confidence in!  He is our Strength, our Song, our Deliverer! Our Leader!  

If you're down, let God help you get back up. Fix your eyes on Him. As you do, His strength will fill you. Resilience will come.

Happy New Year Ethiopia- 2016! May God help us run on with courage!

Praises and Prayers

Please pray for today and this week as many rest, reflect and enjoy time with family-friends. May God be remembered and celebrated as we reflect and are thankful for a new year...

Anna... her first Ethiopian New Year

Please keep my family in the USA in prayer. They are greatly loved. Dad, Mom, and new little Lucy; Mike and Noel.

Lucy... She is loved and is too cute

I'm still trying to raise money for the whole year, also for funds to reimburse my account from the summer events. If you feel led to give, you can through my Global Outreach account:

https://www.globaloutreach.org/giving/missionary-details/holly-garrett

It's back to work next week for EvaSUE. Please pray for us as we make the annual plan and run forward.  May God lead us and give us resilience!

Thank you so much for being with me on life's journey!  I'm blessed by each of you!

Blessed Fall Season to You All!