Well, as I sit here and reflect upon the 6 days that I have been back from Haiti i am amazed. I still can't get over the amazing time and experience that it was. I loved being in Haiti and I really felt free. Free to show the love of God to everyone I encountered. I loved it. It has actually taken some adjustment to get back into the comforts of life here. I have found myself frustrated numerous times as I observe people in the community and their obsession with STUFF! I have to tell you that it is even a different feeling walking down the street and not seeing piles of garbage. I got so used to seeing that, that it's a good feeling to not see it but honestly sorta weird. This week has been a great week back in the lectures! We have yet another speaker that was here last year in my school that was absolutely my favorite. So I am loving this week, the topic is Giving up our rights. The cost of being a Disciple. It is such a great reminder to myself of what I'm actually called to as a Christ Follower. Now as a missionary I have even more of an understanding of what my life is meant to be. I am not my own person, God has given me the life I live and he requires me to surrender to him in ALL areas of my life. I have spent a lot of time this week in prayer asking God to show me the areas that I still need to surrender to him. I know that until I surrender to His plan and His purpose I'm not fully experiencing Him.

We are having an event tonight called Giving Night. Where it is a time where we spend time asking God if there is anything he wants us to give. Generosity is such an important characteristic in a Christ Followers life and God is constantly asking us to give but how many times do we actually come to God asking if he wants us to give anything? It is a time where we can bless the people here on the base. Last year in my experience I prayed and asked God if there was anything he wanted me to give. He gave me the people in my mind and asked me to give them some money. I asked how much, and with that he said "how much can you give?" I was like hmmmm well $300 and I felt good about that, it was a good chunk of change you know. Then as I prayed the next day I felt God poking at that number asking "Is that all you can give?" I was like umm well maybe I can give $500 but that is a lot!! Then I felt God ask me one last time, "TJ what would be to much for you to give?" At that I was like WOW ok $1000 is the limit, I can't give that much that is too much, that's why I said $500. Then in that moment I felt him say "I want you to give $1000 tonight." I was like ummm ok right!!! Not really I struggled, I looked at my bank account, my bills, and guess what! Nothing added up, I couldn't pay my bills let alone give someone $1000!! As the day progressed I really didn't feel good about that night, I knew God was asking me to do something but I didn't see it possible. That night the only option I had was to write a check for $1000 out of my money I was saving for my upcoming outreach. HALF OF MY TRIP MONEY that in a week I'd be required to pay. I did what was asked and honestly I don't know how it happened but as I wrote the check my heart was SO HAPPY, I was filled with complete Joy. It was honestly AMAZING. I found out that night that the people I had given the money to had just had a conversation a few days before saying they had absolutely no free funds for Christmas. They had 2 daughters and they couldn't provide a Christmas for them that year. My check for $1000 had an attached note to it that I felt God told me to write. It said $500 of this is for YOU, to do with whatever you want and the other $500 if you wish can be used for your ministry fees. BUT YOU MUST LAY ASIDE $500 for yourself and your family! It was Awesome. I didn't receive all my funds for my outreach until 2 days before we left, I was $740.60 short. A team member of mine came to me one afternoon after I had just talked about knowing that i'm suppose to go to Peru and telling me that they had overpaid for DTS in the beginning and wanted to give me the amount they overpaid. She said I'm not sure how much you need but I have $741.00 to give you. I was like, OH WOW!!! God is amazing!

So as we as staff and students ask God what it is we can give I also challenge ya'll to do the same and see if there is anything God might want you to give up and bless someone with! 2 Corinthians 8:12