Called by the King

The truth is I have no words! I am at such a loss to describe what this day has been.  It's been a simple day, spent with a lovely Indian lady, eating an incredible lunch.  A day driving into the city (Nairobi) and back.  A late afternoon visiting a family the girls and I have prayed for, for many years. The best I can say is that there is nothing in my western life that I can relate to this place.  Kenya is a different world.  In Canada and the USA for that matter, we can easily get a sense of Europe.  Kenya is not like anything we know.  Yes you see British Colonialism but even that is different from the Europe we reflect in North America. It's simply another world here, beautiful - but even in its beauty it is so different.  I am sure the words will soon flow, for now I can simply say I am in awe.

I have always been rather artistically challenged.  But I can remember being 5 years old sitting at the Cut and Paste table in my kindergarten room trying to fashion a gurney out of construction paper and paper towel tubes.  One Christmas several years later my 'big' request was for a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a doctor.  I have no idea where this desire was birthed, I did not come from a line of medical professionals but it was all I wanted.  The great question in my life was what kind of doctor would I be?  A family practitioner, paediatrician, psychiatrist, cardiology or neurologist?  Every academic decision was based on me one day being Dr. Crystal Medland MD.  It was a huge dream and it fuelled me - more than I understood. My world was radically altered in my grade 12 year with the death of my Dad.  It was through those dark days that my faith was birthed.  You can read about if you like in my post The day the wor

In just over two weeks I with embark on an adventure of a lifetime.  I am packing my bags, kissing my family goodbye and heading to Nairobi Kenya.  Placing my feet on African soil has been a long time in the making. I had no idea a few years ago when I entitled this blog Called by the King that this adventure awaited me.  I have been a rather terrible blogger - unsure of myself, struggling to find reason why anyone would want to read my thoughts.  But I have this space, and a life changing journey awaits me, so why not document it here. So if you happen to join me on this adventure, subscribe to my blog, pray for me, pray for my family as I leave them to walk in obedience to our King.

It has been a long while since I sat at my computer and open my blog.  I have often had fleeting thoughts as something would happen that it would make a good blog - then time escapes my grasp and nothing was written. We just Celebrated our 1 year anniversary at our Church!  A year ago I had no clue what saying yes to the Lord's calling would really mean for myself, my family and our church!  It has been an incredible year - full of joy, blessings, days and nights of prayer, and a lot of hard work. Today I know my Lord more intimately that I ever could have a year ago.  I am more confident in what He can and will do than I tell you.  Perhaps more than all else I am more in love with Him than you can imagine and I long to love and serve Him more! Psalm 34:8 says 'taste and see that the LORD is good!' I have taste and it's true! - He is more spectacular than I could ever tell you!!!

If you have read any of my post you are getting the picture that I love the Lord!!  I am crazy about the Bible and I look with anticipation for Him to engage me and change me every day.  I long to be more like Jesus with every breath I take.   And yet the journey is difficult, this week I spent more time praying for patience as a mom than perhaps anything else.  I wake up grumpy, sometimes my heart is not happy.  I battle insecurities, exhaustion,  discouragement and fear like everyone else.  But I want more!!  I want to be more! I heard a portion of a message this past week by Charles Stanley, I don't know the context of what I heard but it struck something deep within my heart.  Dr. Stanley said something along these lines 'The bigger our prayers, the greater we bless God by our faith". This has me wondering, d o I pray with the probable in mind?  Or do I pray to the God to whom nothing is impossible? I confess there have been times my prayers have been limited

In the bible you will find so many different names for God.  Each name describes an attribute of Him.   I am leading a group of women through a Bible Study and in the study the name El Roi has been discussed. El Roi - 'the God that sees me'. The Psalmist writes 'When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the star, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him' Psalm 8:3-4 That is my question, who am I that the creator of heaven and earth sees me?  I marvel every day at all He has done for me and my family. My faith in Him, my surrendering of myself to Him was not done easily or lightly.  I am certain there were many times on my journey to faith that I must have frustrated Him.   I did not grow up in the church, my faith was not past down from generations, I met Him in the dark.  In a time when my world had crumbled. I found Him in a time when I thought I hated Him.  I was blaming Him for my loss, and yet He love m