Drink, and I'll water your camels also???????

As I continue to dialogue with God about Amsterdam, I have felt Him speaking to me through various verses. Some in regard to protection from the evil I fear & some in regard to the need.

Below is a summary from my morning "minute devotional" that I received in my email. I read this passage about 4 nights ago during my "God Time" and feel it is no coincidence that today it appeared in my inbox. I am asking God to speak to me, and He is.

So, is God calling me to water the camels? Is the prompting I feel in my heart, in regard to Amsterdam, God's response to the prayers of the missionaries in Amsterdam and their cries for encouragement from GodI have not a clue, but wait expectantly for what God will unveil.
-Caroline

Rebekah - A Servant's Heart
Selections from Genesis 24
"Let the girl to whom I say, ‘Please lower your water jug so that I may drink,' and who responds, ‘Drink, and I'll water your camels also' - let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac.
"Before he had finished speaking, there was Rebekah. Then the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me have a little water from your jug." She replied, "Drink, my lord." She quickly lowered her jug to her hand and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I'll also draw water for your camels until they have had enough to drink."

She had no idea who was approaching her that hot, thirsty afternoon, or that such a chance encounter would change her life forever. But you never know what kind of opportunities will arise when you start with a servant's heart. You know those times when someone seems to pop into your mind out of nowhere? You tell yourself you should give her a call, jot her a note, ask her to lunch. Or maybe it's not a particular person but a ministry area that you continue to sense God drawing you to. Who's to say, as Rebekah discovered, that God isn't prompting you for service out of response to someone's prayers? Try making sure you follow up on those uncanny occurrences. They seem like nothing, but only eternity can measure their significance.

Amsterdam or Bust

Well, there is much to tell about our holidays & how God worked in my heart during Christmas; however I will save that for my next entry when I have photos to include.

So, at the beginning of this year, I asked God that during the course of this year that he would free me from my fears. That the things I fear would not hold be back from living life as he desires me to. I told Him that I am willing to do what it takes and enter into the hard & scary places, trusting that he will provide me freedom on the other side.

In some ways this is hard for me to share, I feel so weak admitting that ”I don’t have it all together.” But do any of us really? We may appear like we do, but we all have something we are dealing with/hiding. As I was talking with a good friend the other day and expressing the importance of bring our struggles to the light that we can better expose and work through things, with others & believing God’s truth, it hit home in my life.

So, I have no idea how God is going to work in my life this year, but it seems that there is something brewing……….. I have the opportunity to go on a mission’s trip to Amsterdam in March. My initial thoughts are of excitement however then the fears of anxiety attacks & my IBS problems overwhelm me. How could I ever go to a foreign country and serve others? But if God calls me how could I not?

While I am not clear at this point if God is calling me to this or not (it has only been 3 days) I am praying about it and seeing some slight openings of doors. For instance 2 of the families over in Amsterdam are people I did ministry with during college. Also, the team that is going over there is a team from my old college, so I will know a handful of people. As well as one of my co-workers and close friends would be part of the trip too, a strong support team. There is also the hope that I may get to minister in my most passionate & gifted areas – ministering to the staff there – caring for them, providing some rest, relief & encouragement.
If you want to learn more about our church in Amsterdam (Zolder 50) check out this link. http://www.amsterdam50.nl/

So, I ask would you please pray these 3 things for me?
1.That in 2006 God would teach me how to live a life not constrained by fear.
2.I would clearly feel His prompting for me to go to Amsterdam or stay here.
3.That I would be obedient to God, despite my fears