A Story of Hope: Mon. June 15

I am now wondering if God was making me wait until after the Emmaus Walk to begin His work with Hope. One of the pilgrims I met was a former drug addict, who was abused by her father, and began living on the streets at the age of 15. I suddenly had a thought while mopping the floor on Sunday - did God want to show me what could happen to Hope if I didn't follow through with this, or if I took it too lightly? So I decided to go down to Piqua today, since Hope's mom didn't call back. I had the address in my head, right down to the apartment number - "D". When I got there (praying all the way down for strength and the right words), the complex had several buildings, each with an apartment "D". I looked for clues, but found nothing that would tell me which apartment "D" was hers. I drove the parking lot twice, hoping maybe she or one of her parents would come outside, but it didn't happen. I was pulling out of the complex parking lot when I saw the mailboxes. I decided to see if the mailboxes might have names on them, so I turned around and came back - no such luck. Something inside told me to keep trying - to exhaust every option, so I drove to my school, hoping someone would be there to let me in so I could look up her address on the computer, but nobody was there. Still not wanting to give up, I drove to Mary Jo's to get the key. Her car was in the driveway, but the key was not where she normally leaves it for us to use, and she didn't answer the door. Now there was nothing else I could think of to do since I did not have my iPod with me, so I went home to look it up there. Her address on the computer was listed as apartment "5". Knowing that each building has a number and each apartment a letter, I surmised it must be "5D". So I will make another trip down, this time armed with what I hope is her complete address.

Some new points I gained from this weekend's Emmaus Walk:

* Sanctifying Grace is RIPE: Restoring, Imparting, Perfecting, and Equipping.

• God's grace restores our spiritual foundation.
• New life, new light, new strength, and a new heart are imparted upon us.
• We are being perfected in the image of God and the likeness of Jesus Christ.
• We are equipped to be the Hands and Feet of Christ in this world. The Holy Spirit equips every person for gifts of ministry, and every gift is needed for His mission.

* Being the Body of Christ means fulfilling His mission in the world.

* I am a Christian leader. This was a major realization for me.

* Clarification of His plans for me can take time. I am experiencing this right now.

* A Christian family has a huge impact on a child. Exactly why I want to involve Hope in our lives!

* He wants every last person on the earth to know Him. This is the mission of every Christian - to spread His word. (Matt. 28:19 "The Great Commission")

* How will they hear, without someone to proclaim God's word? My life is a spiritual story to others.

* Spiritual leaders are there for us. They are attentive to our needs and help us stay centered.

* I am vital to His plan. I have a specific purpose in the Body of Christ.

* God's commitment to us ♥ COVENANT ♥ Our commitment to God

* We cannot do His work alone - it must be lived out in a community, using each others' gifts of ministry.

* God is using my gifts and experiences to affect the lives of others, even when I don't realize it!

Today I realized this physical feeling of my heart wanting to jump out of my chest really feels like God is pulling it - wow, He is applying physical force to convince me to do His work - how cool!