First Week of FPO

The first week of FPO (Field Personnel Orientation) is over and it has been a whirlwind! The highlight of the week for me was the Personal Retreat. On Thursday, we had 3 1/2 hours set aside just to get alone with God and be consumed with His presence. I began by praying Psalm 51 and asking God to show me areas of my life that need to be cleansed and things that I just needed to give over to Him. The words of that Psalm just washed over me and it was a sweet time of letting go of things and letting God bring me back to where I need to be. Just read these amazing words from verses 10 - 17.
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
God just wants us to come to Him broken and humble and He will fill our hearts with joy and our mouths with praises no matter what the circumstances of our earthly lives. I also read Psalm 67 as a prayer to the Lord. It says, "...May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy..." I am so humbled to think that God has called me to go to Botswana to share His love that the peoples may praise Him. God doesn't need my help to reach the people of Botswana - He could do that all on His own - but I thank Him everyday that He would allow me to go in His name, as His servant to do just that.

The pictures here are ones taken by the lake where I spent part of my time praying during the Personal Retreat. It was such a beautiful day and I'll never understand how anyone who sees such beauty could doubt the existence of the Creator.