Hello everyone! I am so happy that I finally have a minute to share what the Lord has been doing in my life. 10 days ago we arrived in Gainesville Georgia for training camp, and although we have not left for the mission just yet, God has been on the move. Let me tell you about it!

The Lord has been teaching me a lot in this last season. And I would by lying if I said that within this last week I haven’t doubted that I'm supposed to be on this trip. I miss home, I miss family and friends, I miss AC and a nice bed to sleep in. But in the midst of all of that I truly learned that following the Lord has a cost and I just got a glimpse of that. This is the first time in my walk where I've been called to sacrifice a lot. One “Yes” to the Lord means a hundred no’s that I may have wanted. And confronting that leaves you face to face with this question, “Is he worth it?”. With tears in my eyes right now I say “YES”! It’s not easy but He gave me my life, He saved my life, and now ALL to Him I owe. So yes, he is worth my very life. (“In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” -Revelation‬ ‭5‬:‭12‬)

The Lord was gracious to me in the middle of this week and in the middle of all of the doubt. Long story short, I went camping with 5 buddies 2 months ago and met these really strong believers. When they were praying for all of us, he stopped and gave us all a word he thought the Lord was wanted him to share…and they were all spot on and landed in a really intimate way within each of us. But he told me that I had the heart of David. And I didn’t get that. I asked him a week later what he meant and he simply said that he was just the messenger and he had no idea, but that I would figure it out. Now two months later, I'm in the middle of worship and a leader comes up to me. She tells me that for some reason I reminder her of David… and brought me to 2 Samuel 6:16 which reads, “As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.” She told me that I would learn what true worship was going to look like this year, and what it means to be undignified before the Lord. I smiled ear to ear with Joy that the Lord sees me and rejoiced that I am where he wants me to be.

So in learning what undignified means, I look at the Psalms and the life of David. I’ve noticed it’s not presenting yourself to the Lord in a way that you think he wants, or the proper ‘Christian’ posture to take internally or externally. But it’s bringing it all to him. The real, raw and vulnerable emotions. This means not caring what others think because this is between you and the Lord. So last night I was undignified. Crying out to the Lord desperately. Bringing all the anxieties, all the fears, all the sorrow to him and being honest with where I was as at. I was a complete mess, but I was a mess at the feet of the Lord and there is no better place to be. He is the one works all things together for His good (Romans 8:28), He is the one who is our refuge (Psalm 46), and he is the one who loves us so much that he laid down his life for us (John 15:13). So I take heart in this season, and consider it pure joy knowing that the testing of my faith produces perseverance (James 1).

Before I left I also had 5 people bring me to the story of Abraham and Issac, and through that the Lord told me that my word for the year was going to be sacrifice…oof. That is not what I would have suggested but he is good in all of his ways and i’m just now getting a glimpse of what it looks like to worship the Lord sacrificially. Which when you think about it is really cool since theres some kinds of worship that we can only give on this side of heaven, sacrificial being one of them. So I leave home and all that it holds for me, I leave every comfort and desire of mine, and I say “Yes” to the Lords calling on this next season. Im expectant for him to move in and through me. Galatians 2:20 reads, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Our squad is splitting into 5 teams of 5 and my team is going to be in Wamyuna, Kenya to live with a pastor and his family. Over the next 40 days we will be helping out in this small town in anyway that we can. Our host will have more information for us when we get there tomorrow!

Prayers:

The squad has some illness going around so please pray for health all around. My team will also be in an area where there is malaria, so protection against that. I would also really appreciate some prayer for my mental and spiritual health. Ill keep it real on here, I’m sad to be leaving all of my people back home that I love so much, I'm sad to be leaving comfort, I'm sacred to be going into the unknown with very little, and so many other feelings from one end of the spectrum to the other. So please pray that the Lord is my anchor in all of this. That he in central in every circumstance and every feeling. Also praying that the fruits of the Spirit are so evident in my life for others, but also for me to experience the joy and peace that is only from Him.

Thank you guys, I cant wait for more blog posts about all that the Lord is doing.

I love you, Colby