Best $1.20 investment

I feel like my faith is growing so much stronger. Abbey has been really sick the past week with Bali belly. As I shared in my last blog, the Lord healed my ear and it was a fast result. However, I have been praying for Abbey and my eye and I was realizing that I was getting annoyed that they weren't healed yet. I was like "God you healed my ear right away, can't you just heal my eye and abbeys tummy now?" THEN I realized WOW I am not being patient with the Lord at all. So many times I can remember praying for something and being so impatient with God. I know the Lord will heal our physical problems, but it is not in my timing but Gods timing, for he makes everything perfect in his own time. I believe God healed my ear for that one time for me to remember to have faith in God that even though he may not respond right away it doesn't mean He isn't going to do it. We must pursue continual faith in the Lord in all circumstances.

Today was pretty awesome. Staying in Bali has kind of turned into just a typical day. I was feeling like I was just living here. I was realized that daily we need to remember our mission statement "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," - Matthew 28:19 This is what we are supposed to do daily. Serving God and making disciples. It was so crazy how easily that started to slip away even in a place like Bali. You would think that this would be in your continual conscience. However, it is easy to get in the lifestyle wherever you are at, you forget your focus.

I woke up today praying to God that would keep me focused. I went to Kuta to surf with the kids at the Kuta orphanage. When we were done Abbey and I went to the mini mart to go get some crackers and water. I got these crackers that I was really looking forward to eating when i took a bite of a cracker it was really stale and I found out it was expired. I was so agitated I went to the cashier and complained and it didn't really help much. It was actually really good that Abbey came with me or else I wouldn't have noticed but she explained to me how that was rude and that this cracker proboably took about a year to get here. That the people around saw my character by the way I acted. I started feeling bad but it was so true what she was telling me.

I went to the car and drove with the kids back to the orphanage. On the car ride there I passed out the stale crackers and the kids didn't complain once about what the cracker tasted like. They were just stoked to get anything. Then I was thinking like WOW I am a complainer and that these kids appreciate so much and what they have. God totally showed me this today. Just learning more and more about my surroundings. That we need to be more aware of what we do and how we are portraying ourselves to others.

The ORU team is leaving on Monday, please pray for a safe flight home for them. Also please pray for Abbey and her health as well as my eye it is still infected. Please pray for the safety and protection of the Body of Christ here. Thank you love you all!

Lauren