“If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
- Matthew 17: 20b
Dear Family and Friends,
By this time next year I will have 10 more stamps on my brand new passport and a Global Cultural Studies minor through the Around-The-World Semester®. ATW is an amazing opportunity to engage the world academically, as well as practically as we serve others by learning alongside them and showing the love of Jesus. As you pray for me this year, I ask that you would pray for God’s provision in my life emotionally, spiritually, and financially.
The hardest challenge for me in preparation for the trip so far has been learning how to be humble in the presence of God. I am quickly learning that God’s ways, timing, and provision are God’s and not mine. To walk humbly with God simply means understanding that it is HIS plans that he will bring to completion and not my own. It is as simple and difficult as that.
I am anticipating the “loving mercy” part of the trip to be the hardest and most rewarding. I know my heart will be broken, for example, as I enter for a short time into the lives of “the poorest of the poor” in India. I know that as I will be poured out, I will learn the meaning of true dependence in God. We are all in need of being filled again but I am looking forward to watching how God will fill me with a daily portion of His compassion, love, and mercy.
Overall, it has been an equally exciting and trial-filled experience to see God reveal the many details of his plans for my life and how they are connected to the service projects I will be participating in this coming fall. For example, it is no accident that God has given me a love for children. In many of the countries we will be visiting, children are considered “the least of these”, especially orphaned children. The pursuit of Justice requires us to see people through the eyes of God. It is my great hope and expectation on this journey to show love to everyone whom we come in contact with, especially the orphans in places like Brazil and South Africa.
I am raising a total of $10,000 (includes airfare, cost of program, etc.) To give a tax deductible donation, please mail your checks to 2433 La Guardia Ct., Imperial, CA 92251. Make your checks payable to: Concordia University Irvine with ATW in the Memo section. |
Follow my journey online for regular updates: www.facebook.com/ATWbyFaith or my blog: abigail.blogs.cui.edu.
In Christ,
Abigail Lozano