...another month gone by

So I'm pretty sure I remember on my last post stating that I would never  again go a month without some sort of update. It has been a month.  I am just terrible at sitting down and writing a paragraph here and a paragraph there, in my mind I feel like I am always supposed to have some elaborate tale about an epic battle with the devil and me doing a victory dance with Jesus in the rain underneath the glow of the yellow "Makkas" arches. Perhaps a story about me walking down the strand barefoot; beard blowing gracefully in the wind as I speak truth and life and love over a group of lepers gathered around the rock I stand upon devouring every word I speak; falling more in love with the Lord with every syllable, as I take a lick of pineapple gelato in between each earth-shattering statement. But I don't have these stories, because I haven't done this. this is hard. Its like school for the mission hopefuls. Do you have what it takes? Are you willing to give up? Are you willing to sacrafice everything? Will you die to yourself?
       Every morning I wake up and I give it all to God. I give Him Emily, I give him my mom, my sisters, my nephews, my brother-in-law(s), the Hatfield's. I give Him friends, I give Him dreams and goals and plans that I have developed for myself everyday. I give him plans that I DEVELOPED for MYSELF. Because these have a tendency to crash and burn and fail MISERABLY. So i give these things to Him everyday in faith that He will give me goals and plans and dreams that are from Him. I have been seeing more and more that MY plans and HIS plans aren't entirely different from one another. He wants me to beat up the devil in the McDonalds parking lot, and He wants me to be able to speak truth and life and love to people, and enjoy tasty pineapple gelato. He wants me and my future wife to change this world together, through Him. He wants my mom to be ok...better than ok. He wants my mom to be alive in Him. He wants my sisters to live love and be sucessful in everything they do.  He has HUGE plans for Ezra and Hudson. He wants to take care of my brothers. He will provide for the Hatfields. He wants me to stop trying to take control and let Him do what He has been planning to do this ENTIRE time. SO I GIVE UP.  I have finally submitted to walking in faith and knowing that everything He wants to happen WILL happen, and it would be better for everyone involved if I backed off and let His will unfold and his glory and graciousness surround us. He wants me to fight the devil. So I'm gonna go do that next.
        We leave for two weeks for camping tomorrow morning. We will be in the Australian bush and closer to God than we have ever been, no electronics, no familiarities, no distractions, just Jesus.  Right about time! We will be there for two weeks and then back here for a week, then we will be heading on our mini outreach down south to Brisbane, where I will hopefully get to see th wonderful Amber Joy Smith!!! Afterwards we come back to base for two weeks before heading out to major outreach...and the outreach location is...... Papa New Guinea!! On a medical ship!!!! for six weeks!!!! alot of noodles!!!! and alot of smiles!!!! I am so excited for this outreach, as Im sure you could tell by my semi-sarcastic exclamation points, but I really am. I knew the second I saw this ship that that was Gods will for me, so Im stoked I heard it and everything worked out. Its crazy what happens when we dont get in Gods way! lol Anyways I have to go pack and get ready to head out tomorrow I just didnt want to leave people who are actually reading this rant hanging after last posts cliffhanger... : ) anyways Im off to kill the devil.



P.S. Makkas = McDonalds in Oz....fyi : ).... shalom!