first day in Europe

In a tiny little hotel room in Poland-first night in Europe. Such an incredible day. Got on a flight in Chicago yesterday, arrived in Helsinki Finland this morning, flew over to Tallinn Estonia and started the three day drive to Montenegro. Today we went through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and are now in Poland. Some of the most beautiful and mysterious countryside I have ever seen-filled with forests, and unique little houses and deep conversations. Got to see the most vibrant rainbow of my life and conquer a fear of being inactive/sedentary for long periods of time by being on planes and in cars from 8 am thursday morning until past midnight tonight. Learning flexibility. Mostly-falling in love with the lord again. Letting him show me his creation, his work of art. Countries are his canvases. Seeing the beauty of Christian community-one of the most marvelous and miraculous things of all time. Spending the first half of a birthday just with God and seeing the sweetness of knowing that he goes before me and with me and after me-surrounding me and keeping me under the shadow of his wings. Reading the words of John Piper on missions and having a whole new lens on the supremacy of God in all things and the fact that the most missional we are is when we are most delighted in God-because He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. Being reminded that for the Christian life is war. In all seriousness. What is at stake is huge-far more than earthly life but eternal life. Souls at stake. Seeing this drive as a time for prayer-a time for preparation to die to self. Knowing that God in His goodness will delight me this trip. He loves to delight me because I am his daughter. But this is not about my delight. It is about his glory. And the war that is being waged and the forces that are trying to stifle that glory in me and in others. Learning to embrace the call to suffer. The privilege it is to suffer for His Name. Learning that the crucial thing-in these next weeks but in all the days of my life is abiding. Jesus said, Abide in me. Apart from me you can do nothing .Oh, how true it is here. There is nothing I can do unless God chooses to do it and would like to use me. He is the vine, we are the branches. And we will be pruned. Always to bear more fruit. And he has more in store for EACH of us than we can ever imagine. I always have the sense of excitement with foreign callings, always feel the pang of jealousy or wistfulness as I hear of the adventures and mission trips and travels of people-and yet these things in themselves are utterly empty. If it is not the Lords it will not last. This means that the opposite is equally true. If it is the Lords, nothing can stop it. If I am the lords and not my own, my life will be meaningful. Wherever that is.
To live is Christ, to die is gain.