Exchange

My mentor, Elisabeth Elliot, once wrote, "This morning I was thinking of a friend who is gravely ill. She is greatly loved by many and has had a unique ministry because of her gifts of friendship and hospitality. Must she suffer?

The answer is yes. For the Lord who loves her suffered and wants her to fellowship with Himself. The joy of thus knowing Him comes not in spite of but because of suffering, just as resurrection comes out of death. I have a Savior because I am a sinner, and beauty is given the child of God in exchange for ashes.

We want to avoid suffering, death, sin, ashes. But we live in a world crushed and broken and torn, a world God Himself visited to redeem. We receive his poured-out life, and being allowed the high privilege of suffering with Him, may then pour ourselves out for others.

How can one's illness help another? By being offered to Him who can transform it into blessing.

"You have been granted the privilege not only of believing in Christ but also of suffering for Him" (Phil 1:29 NEB)."

Transforming Power.

"If God is almighty, there can be no evil so great as to be beyond his power to transform. That transforming power brings light out of darkness, joy out of sorrow, gain out of loss, life out of death.

Sometimes we boggle at the evil in the world and especially in ourselves, feeling that this sin, this tragedy, this offense cannot possibly fit into a pattern for good. Let us remember Joseph's imprisonment, David's sin, Paul's violent persecution of Christians, Peter's denial of his Master. None of it was beyond the power of grace to redeem and turn into something productive. The God who establishes the shoreline for the sea also decides the limits of the great mystery which is evil. He is "the Blessed Controller of all things." God will finally be God, Satan's best efforts notwithstanding."

Finding Jesus, My All in All

The words,"I hear the Savior say, thy strength indeed is small; child of weakness, watch and pray, find in Me thine all in all," have come to mind quite often these past few weeks.

As the month of July is coming close to an end, anxiety begins to creep in.
Lord, will I be able to raise up all the support I need? Will all the money come in? Is this really what You want me to do? Me, Lord, Texas?

I find myself crying in the shower due to long overwhelming days at work and busy evenings; feeling like there's just not enough hours in a day. Repenting of my unloving actions of frustration and disrespect towards those I love the most. Then and there, broken and wet, I hear my Savior say, "child of weakness, watch and pray, find in Me thine all in all."

Overwhelmed by all the things that need to be done (website, fundraiser, handing out support letters, contacting pastors, figuring out living expenses and tuition, packing, moving, road-trip plans, looking at flights for Christmas...not mention all the things I need to worry about at work). The word surrender comes to mind. Utterly surrender everything to Him who is sovereign over everything.

Countless times I find myself in this dilemma, worrying about financial need, and countless times God has proven to me that He is my provider and He owns everything! He knows exactly what I need and when I need it. I've learned to trust Him. Tis' so sweet to trust in Jesus. He provides through His people, He provides through babysitting gigs, He provides through work, He provides through sales, He provides through Zumbathons, He provides in great and mighty ways!

Jehovah Jireh, the LORD will provide. It's amazing to see how just one of His names brings comfort to our weary hearts.

A part of me giggles at the fact that I am not afraid being persecuted or martyred for the sake of the Gospel, but worry about money and I am afraid of lizards, frogs, and wasting my life. I know this burden that God has placed in my heart for unreached and unengaged people groups in the world, and I don't want to waste my life doing nothing about it! I pray that He would send me to the unreached and unengaged people groups to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His glory, my reward.


This week the Lord has been teaching me to rejoice in Him and His glory. In the words of Jonathan Edwards, "God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by it being rejoiced in." I've been overwhelmed with joy that Christ is being known amongst the nations! I look around and see so many missionaries rising up and going out! Taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth! A dear friend of mine, Cristina Danies, is moving to Italy as a missionary to witness to prostitutes and  human trafficked victims. The Lord has been stirring up my friend, Christine Dominguez, to go to El Salvador to reach out to gangs members that need Christ! I've had 3 young girls at my church come to me for advice and have shared with me their heart for Jesus and their desire to go overseas as missionaries. Not to mention countless other brothers and sisters in Christ that are going out, locally and globally, to spread the Good News of Christ Jesus our Lord! Let us never forget out brothers and sisters in Christ that are being persecuted and tortured for the sake of the Gospel. The cost of discipleship...and remembering that Jesus is worth it! All of this brings tears of joy to my soul.

A denial to self, to our social status, to our selfish desires, to our comfort, and picking up our cross and following Jesus! David Brainerd, an American missionary to Native Americans, once said, "It is sweet to be nothing and less than nothing that Christ may be all in all."
I've been learning to find Jesus, my all in all, my everything, and that is something to rejoice in! Less of me and more of Jesus. Like John said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)

Raising Support

Dear Readers,

After graduating high school and moving to Kaptagat, Kenya this past year, I’ve found myself praying and seeking God’s will for my life, his guidance concerning my future. I’ve been asking that He would lavish me with His peace and clarity concerning what this “next step” in my life would be. My thoughts and questions were much like that of every other high school graduate. What college should I attend? What classes should I take? What should I major in?
All I was certain of was the passion and burden the Lord has placed in my heart for the unreached and unengaged people groups in the world. I applied for financial aid for this upcoming semester and began looking into different degrees (overwhelmed and at times crying in front of the computer screen). I was pleading that God would give me clarity and peace.
In April my family and I attended The Gospel Coalition 2013 National Conference in Orlando, FL. During the pre-conference, I reconnected with the author of Reckless Abandon, David Sitton and his wife Tommi.

This couple were missionaries in remote regions of Papua New Guinea for about 10 years, but after a government problem with visa renewals in 1990, they returned to live in the States and felt God calling them to train the next generation of missionaries to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those hard-to-get-to places where the name of Jesus has never been heard. They founded To Every Tribe Ministries and The Center of Pioneer Church Planting where David currently serves as president. This missionary training program is dedicated to recruiting, training and launching pioneer church planters into the far-flung regions where Christ is still unknown.  
After sharing with David what I was going through in life and seeking for his godly advice, he encouraged me to pray and fill out an application for CPCP.  By the grace of God, I have been accepted into the 2 year program at To Every Tribe’s CPCP (The Center of Pioneer Church Planting). Lord willing, I’ll be moving to Los Fresnos, TX this August!

     I write this letter to inform you of what Christ is doing in my life and to ask you to support me in two ways:

1)Prayer.                                         
This is the most important way you could support this endeavor. Pray for me, that I would be obedient and willing to prepare myself to what is to come. In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest sends out laborers into His harvest.” Above all, pray that His will may be done, His name glorified and magnified, and His glory… to be my reward.

2) Support and Donate.                                                                            
In order to complete this 2 year program, I must raise enough support to cover my tuition and expenses. I rest in knowing my Lord will supply for all my needs, and He will lift up brothers and sisters in Christ who will be willing to donate and partake in this wonderful ministry. If God places the desire in your heart to be a part of my preparation, please go to https://toeverytribe.com/donations/donate.aspx and look for Perez, Nati under "Gift Designation Preference". You can email me to nati.perez@toeverytribe.com if you wish to contribute or if you have any other questions.

Thank you for your love and support.

Sincerely,
Nati Perez

Death is a Gateway to the Palace

6-6-13
Elisabeth Elliot writes,"To be a Christian is to be a subject--subject to a king--that is, to welcome the rule of God in one's life. Jesus Himself became subject to the Father--"Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God" (Heb 10:7 AV). This meant that He had come to this world, not to gain, but to lose; not to get, but to give; not to be served, but to serve; not to obtain bread but to be bread, the Bread of heaven, broken for the life of the world.

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...He humbled Himself" (Phil 2:5-8 AV).

That puts it in very simple terms. If you want to be a Christian, see that your mind is made up as his was: be humble, be subject, be obedient--even to death. It will mean death. Be sure of that. Death to some of your desires and plans at least. Death to yourself. But never forget--Jesus' death was what opened the way for his own exaltation and our everlasting Life. Our death to selfishness is the shining gateway into the glories of the palace of the King. Is it so hard to be his subject? Is the price too high?"

Remember June 5th.

6-3-13

Elisabeth Elliot's Daily Devotional

Title: The Right Clothes


Only certain costumes suit Christians. To be otherwise dressed is inappropriate.

"Put on the garments that suit God's chosen people, his own, his beloved: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience" (Col 3:12 NEB).

"Put on the Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom 13:14 RSV)

"You have all put on Christ as a garment." (Gal 3:27 NEB)

"You must put on the new nature of God's creating." (Eph 4:24 NEB)

"You have discarded the old nature with its deeds and have put on the new nature." (Col 3:10 NEB)

"Put on love." (Col 3:14 RSV)

The clothes we wear are what people see. Only God can look on the heart. The outward signs are important. They reveal something of what is inside. If charity is there, it will become visible outwardly, but if you have no charitable feelings, you can still obey the command. Put it on as simply and consciously as you put on a coat. You choose it; you pick it up; you put it on. This is what you want to wear.

Do you want to dress like a Christian? Put on Christ. The act of honest obedience--the fruit of love for Christ--is your part. Making you Christlike through and through is his part.

A Chance To Die

"To be transformed into the image of Christ I must learn his character, love his obedience to the will of the Father, and begin, step by step, to walk the same pathway. For Christ the pathway of obedience began with emptying Himself. I must begin at the same place.

He "made Himself nothing." (Phil 2:7 NEB)

"You must arm yourselves with a temper of mind like His." (l Pt 4:1 NEB)

"If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must leave self behind." (Mt 16:24 NEB)

What does this mean? Is it mere words? How can one leave self behind, make himself nothing? The answer will not come in a vacuum. If a man or woman honestly wishes to be a follower, the opportunity will present itself. Christ will say, "Here is your chance. Now, in this situation, you must make your choice. Will it be self? Or will you choose Me?"

An older missionary said something to Amy Carmichael when she was a young missionary that stayed with her for life. She had spoken of something which was not to her liking. His reply was, "See in it a chance to die."
Elisabeth Elliot.