Sometimes God Has Other Plans

As I have gotten older I have made plans for myself, like where I am going to school, what I want to major in, and so on. But, there are times in my life where God has other plans. In my first post, I said that I was headed to Ethiopia this summer, well, that has changed, I will no longer be going to Ethiopia. I am instead, headed to Sierra Leone, Africa. To better explain the reasoning, here is a copy of the email that I received a few days ago....

Dear Britt,

We have had a late developing situation that has forced me to make some changes in our teams. I am sorry to inform you that due to a serious health issue with another mission trip leader, I have to reassign Holly Duke and Margaret Fischer. Unfortunately, this means that we are going to have to cancel the Ethiopia mission trip.

Reign Ministries is committed to providing the highest quality leadership. Therefore, we only allow Reign Ministries staff to lead teams. Normally I would replace Holly and Margaret with other leaders, but with the additional loss of the original leader, Matt Halseth, we simply do not have anyone with enough training to send to Ethiopia in their place.

Therefore, I am going to ask you to consider switching to another team. We have enough spots open on Sierra Leone if everyone would want to stay in Africa. However, we also have openings on the India, China, EuroQuest, and London mission trips, which are also amazing!

You will receive a call within the next day from either Holly or Margaret. They will answer any questions you have and discuss the team options that are open.

One last word of encouragement: I have led teams for 30 years. As a leader, I grow attached to an area, a people group, and the missionaries/churches I work with. In my career I have had to give up where I was working five times to fill in the leadership on another mission trip...and hardly ever to a location I wanted to go to! And even though my heart was set to work in a specific country (especially my switch from Romania to China) I wouldn't trade the experience. Those switch years were some of the best and most transformational in all my years of leadership. I learned two (among many) things:
Lesson 1 - God is not always so interested in where I go, but that I go.
Lesson 2 - Learning trust and faith comes at a cost. God showed me He wants me to trust and praise Him even when I don't get what I want.

I can't promise you how God will work in your life. But based on what I have experienced of the faithfulness of the Father, if you can trust and praise Him in the midst of change, I believe God will bless you beyond what can expect or believe.

Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns.

Blessings,
Tom Ives
Director of Royal Servants
Reign Ministries

I was contacted by one of the team leaders the same day that I got this email and we talked and I told her that I would email her within the next 24 hours and I would let her know what I would do. So, I spent a large portion of Thursday evening in prayer. I emailed Margaret and I told her that I would like to switch to the Sierra Leone team. My heart is still in Africa and it always has been, for years, it has been for years.

Sometimes God closes one door to open a better one. He has a plan for me this summer and his plan was not for me to go to Ethiopia it was for me to go to Sierra Leone. Sometimes, God has other plans for us, we just have to listen to his calling and his voice.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

The Little Things: Don't worry :)

I teach three and four year old's at my church on Wednesday Nights. I have been teaching them for almost two years now, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Those kids are the sweetest things! Though, I will admit, it defiantly has it's challenges. I prepare a lesson each week to teach them, and there are some weeks were I just grow weary and I want to just not do anything and not go to class that week. That is where I have to rely on Christ to get me through. And after every class, I NEVER regret going. :)  As adults, we tend to over look the little things in life. We get so wrapped up with school, work, families, kids, and so on, and we don't ever take time to just stop and take a look at the little things in life. Watching these kids week to week has reminded me about the little things in life. Seeing them run around on the playground, watching them color, watching them sing, and watching them practice what they learned reminds me of the verse in the Bible that talks about how we are not to worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has its own worries. Those kids remind me of that. They don't worry about what there friends think when they walk into class wearing a Cinderella Dress and cowboy boots, they don't worry if they color outside of the lines on their coloring page, they are just enjoying life and enjoying who they are. We can learn so much from kids. One thing is, little things: don't worry!! Little things sometimes seem to make us either have a really bad day or a really good day. Don't worry if you don't get your hair just right in the mornings, God still loves you! So, just take sometime each day and be thankful for the little things that are in our lives. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

Helping When Others Are In Need

I read a devotion online this morning that I got in my email and It was about this lady who was purchasing an item at one of her local stores. She knew one of the young girls that worked there and the young girl was in need of a ride home and before the girl could ask, the woman said that she could take the girl home. After I read the story and all the other things that were attached to the email, I stopped and thought, how many times in a day do I just think about me? I think about me a lot and I think that it is safe to say that you think a lot about you too. We are only human, it is natural to do that. But as a Christian and being one of God's own, we have a higher calling than that. We are called to help others in need and help those who need our help. Everyone helps someone else in their own way, some are able to give money and others are able to give up of their time. We all help and give to others in need in our own way. Here is my challenge to you today, take a minute and do something for someone else in need. Let's change our focus from a "me" focus to one that is not so focused on ourselves.

Ethiopia, Summer 2012

I would like to share with you an exciting opportunity that I have been given again for this summer.  A few summers ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to serve Christ on the mission field in Europe, this summer God has called me back to the mission field. From June 16-August 4, I, Lord willing, will be going on a mission trip to Ethiopia with Royal Servants.  Royal Servants gives teens and young adults a life-changing experience with God that drives what we know about God from our heads to our hearts.  The idea behind Royal Servants is to expose us to the world’s burning need for a Savior, to equip us to meet that need, and then to send us back home to be actively involved serving their own church.  I will have a chance to share the gospel and be intentionally disciplined in order to grow in my personal walk with God.  Royal Servants will be an experience of a lifetime!             Royal Servants goes to many destinations. Of the destinations, I felt led to go to Ethiopia.  For about seven weeks we will dedicate our lives to serving others.  We will fly in to Ethiopia and we will work alongside local Christians and NGO’s in Addis Ababa and the surrounding communities.  We will be using dramas, dance, and puppets to reach out through public performances, which will draw a crowd and we will be able share our faith in Christ.  We will also be working with the poor and the orphans in an area that desperately needs the hope of the gospel.

            I am so excited to be able to have this opportunity and I can't wait to go!!!! :)