One Step Closer

When I preached at Luther Sem on May 6th, the text was Matthew 6: 24-34.  These last weeks as I have been piecing together my days and months ahead, I have repeatedly had to remind myself to not worry so much... that God does indeed provide for us just as he adorns the flowers of the field and the birds of the air.  
And God does indeed provide!  I had been worried about two weeks in late August in which I will be in Guatemala but had no plans. Between hearing about hijackings, knowing that the first month will have enough culture shock without adding to it other concerns, and not feeling ready to be an intinerent in general, I prefered to have plans. The Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala has graciously offered me a play at the Lutheran Center and connected me with a delegation coming down from... West St. Paul! (Augustana Lutheran Church)
DanaLee Ommen recently emailed a narrative she had written... to many of us in the post-graduation inbetween anxiety in which we want to receive a call. In it she talked about the verse below... a verse that I will return to throughout my next year. 

But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you’, and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?’  God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’  He said further, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “I AM has sent me to you.”’
                                                                                                Exodus 3:13-14

As one of my sem profs has been known to say... "God can use even the dullest tool in the shed."

Peace, Amanda

Counting down to Weeks

Months ago my direction was switched from westward to south as I found out that I received a Graduate Preaching Fellowship to study preaching in Central America for a year. The planning process has had its share of details to work out, but as the take off date (August 2nd) approaches I feel as if this is a call. From my days in the Middle East on TIME years ago, I know that this will change me in ways I cannot imagine... and that is about all that I can expect. (And I hope to learn Spanish as well... being that I know very little at the moment.)