From Louisville,

"The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad."

Psalm 126:3 (ESV)

God speaks to His people in awesome ways. I understand that the meaning of that word ("awesome") has been cheapened of late due to its overuse and/or misuse. In any case, God's work in the earth is an awesome phenomena. His work inspires true awe and shock in the lives of those who witness it. I decided years ago that I wasn't going to labor towards anything that doesn't involve God's work and that I wanted to know what He is doing with His creation. I didn't fully understand what I was asking for at the time. I partnered with God. God has done awesome things.

How does God speak to His people? I have not developed a formula or method one should abide by in to order to hear God. I have had access to His inspired Word my whole life and never gave it the due attention or respect it deserved until my junior year of high school. I began praying over what I was reading in the Bible and sought council on what it meant. It was after I came into the presence of God with a genuine heart that the scriptures that I had known for 17 years were illuminated and opened up to me in marvelous ways. I received the Holy Spirit and accepted the calling that God has on the lives of His children. His Word has shaped me in immeasurable ways. I understood the weight that His Word held and the absolute power it possesses. It is endless and enduring (see 1 Peter 1:24-25). As I engaged in a relationship with God, I became acquainted with His desires. The process of hearing of God and knowing what He wants came from both a place of absolute dependency on Him and an unwavering trust in who He is. The process is far from over and there is much growth to be had. 

This blog is a result of His voice and it lead me to do His work.

As I sit here in my bed on the eve of Christmas Eve, I am trying to understand how God set this stage. If you are reading this, you are more than likely a friend or family member who is trying to keep tabs on me as I venture to Bangalore, India in 2013. I am so honored and blessed to have such a community of believers that surrounds me and supports me in my impractical and unreasonable endeavors. To look at what I am doing by any secular measuring stick that's exactly what this is: An impractical and unreasonable expedition that is a waste of time and resources. Why would someone leave their family, friends, school and work to go to a country in the name of Jesus Christ that has no interest in Jesus Christ whatsoever? The answer is simple: God told me to go. He wants His creation to know Him.

"And I heard the voice of the LORD saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me.'" 

Isaiah 6:8 (ESV)

I write to you so that you can know what God is doing in Bangalore, India. I have no earthly idea how often I will write or how long the posts I write will be. All I ask is that you pray for me and my roommate who is joining me. I can't speak definitively about what will happen to me between now and May 4th (my return date). The only thing I can promise you is that God will get all the glory and I will be forever changed. 

From Louisville,

R*ch