many, MANY changes continued...

As I said before, a lot of changes have been taking place on our team. One of the huge changes is losing a team-member. It was during Fall visit that it was decided it was best for Natasha to return to the United States instead of remaining in the Dominican Republic. It will be a big time for transition, so please pray for our team. 

So many things were talked about and changed during Fall visit that I want these changes to be reflected upon and then acted on! You can read Natasha's blog about why she went home here. 

Currently I am in Panama City at a women's conference for Crusade. To be honest I didn't know what to expect before coming here, but now that I am here... it was all worth it. It is a very powerful thing to get women together from all different countries (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Panamá, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Honduras, Uruguay, Trinidad, Dominican Republic (yep..me representing!! whoot whoot lol) etc.... the list continues. It is incredible to get all of these women who work for Campus Crusade for Christ together and talk. About what? The purpose of this meeting was the following: Taking the WHOLE gospel to the WHOLE Earth (which includes women who have been abandoned, mistreated, overlooked, thought of not worthy, and lost in the cracks of many societies, women lost in a machista society, women who haven't been valued by the church). What better way to use women to lift other women up? Women make up more than half of the population. If you win a woman over, she will automatically take it to her house and children. So, during this week we have received training/information concerning this goal, taking the WHOLE gospel to the WHOLE Earth. 

Now, don't think this is some sort of femenist thing. Yes, I am a women and I do enjoy being one :) However, one of the workshops that I participated in was talking about what it looks like for women and men to work together. From the beginning, we were meant to work together, there was never meant to be any kind of competition, rivarly, jealousy...we were meant to work side by side (seriously a new way of looking at it for me, never noticed that it wasn't until after the fall that the woman was put under the man...honestly I need to study this more). My point is, that we are our best unified. Men and women together, working in harmony.

Many things learned...many things reminded of :) It's amazing how a verse you've heard for your whole life, said one more time can all of a sudden mean something more than you ever realized. 

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

   Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone." James 2:14-24

This passage I've read time after time but it was only today that one of the speakers cited "Faith without works, is dead." At that moment, suddenly I understood. I understood that it wasn't just talking about what I always thought it was talking about (that it's not enough to believe in Christ but you should help others) no, all of a sudden I realized why faith was dead without works/deeds. Faith is what happens on the inside, works is what happens on the outside. If my faith in God never flows out of my mind to produce actions taken as I am trusting God, then really am I trusting Him? No. If no action is taken, I am not trusting God. Therefore, I have no faith or my faith is dead. True faith does not remain in the inside of one's mind, but yet is ACTED UPON. 

Alright, good night! It is late :)