Hey all,
I'm finally back in the Boston and loving it! My team had our first outreach since being back on Friday. It was amazing! We were at the park for an hour and a half, and 5 out of the 19 people we talked to gave their lives to Jesus for the first time! Sounds small, but think about it. Some people go their whole lives without ever witnessing such a thing.
As I stand listening to an older man share his story, I am moved to tears. He is telling me how he came to know the Lord just 2 weeks before. He pulls out a flier from the Salvation Army, and shows me the prayer that he reads every morning. A simple prayer asking Jesus to come into his heart. As I go to tell him that he only needs to ask Jesus that once before it happens, something stops me. He proceeds to tell me that whenever he has money, he puts it in the offering. He once put just 2 cents in because that was all he had. One little prayer has changed this man's life forever, and suddenly he wants to do all he can to please Jesus. And this is where it hits me. A man, who I thought had a simple understanding of God, actually understands Him better than I do. So many times we complicate Christianity and make it into rules, but it's really about the heart. This man may not know everything about God, but his heart is there...and that's all that matters.
So this is what I do. Actually, this is just part of my "job" as a missionary with YWAM Boston. And these stories, these moments of revelation and seeing God work firsthand, are what keep me going every day. Do I always feel like approaching strangers and pouring out my heart? Honestly..no. But when I do, I remember why I'm here. I know a great, powerful, loving God who I couldn't live without, and others need to know Him to. And I want those who know Him already, to go even deeper in their relationship with Him. This is why I'm here. For this is what it's all about right? To know God and make Him known.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Memories
LIFE
Oh buddy...so I spent the morning helping my parents and Berta clean the basement. Talk about something I did NOT want to do :) I mean, if you had seen this thing, you would understand..haha! But, I did it, and Jesus helped me. We listened to some worship music too, which somehow always makes everything more bearable.
So anyway, as we were going through the basement, things I saw made memories come flooding back. Berta picked up a bag of what I thought were Christmas ornaments, which got us to thinking about Christmas and how there is always a big dispute as to how the tree should be decorated. Colored lights or all white lights? Matching ornaments or mixed ornaments...oh golly! haha. Then Bert reminded me of our last Christmas. The day had come and gone and the tree was still up after several weeks. People were coming over that day and something had to be done about it. So..us being our crazy selves decided that it would take too long to dissassemble. We instead agreed that it would be best if we carried the tree to the back room and took care of it later. hahaha...bad move. We had to hurry cause our mom was on her way home, so we got on either side of the tree and started to move. Now let me just tell you that a tree, fully decorated, is nowhere near light. We would pick it up, shuffle a few feet, and set it down again. Pick it up, shuffle as few feet and set it down again. Then the trying part...fitting it through a doorway. This is where the grunting came in. "Push it Berta...no wait..lift it up...okay move it to the side..wait wait stop, I have to set it down again."Oh we got it in there eventually, but not without breaking a few bulbs, recieveing a few scratches, and bending the ends of the branches. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone else. Although it did make for some good laughs. That's another thing..it's hard to carry something heavy when you are about to die from laughter. Oh the memories!
So I know this was a very random story, but it was on my mind, so you get to hear about it :)
HEART AND MIND
I don't think I could explain these things if I tried. Never have my heart and mind been in such a whirl! The things that go through them everyday though, are of course about Boston. I know that God has called me to go back, but I am just waiting for Him to release me. So this week I am doing everything I can to fulfill my part. Once I feel I have done that, then the rest will be up to Him.
Waiting is not an easy thing. Most of the other DTS students that were joining staff went back this past Saturday. I didn't think that day would be so hard for me. Emotions would just hit me at random moments. I tried to explain to Berta how I was feeling, but I couldn't. You see, I am so torn. I love my family dearly and my church and my friends. They all mean so much to me. But there are times when I feel almost home-sick for Boston and the people there. It's hard trying to enjoy the time I have here, all the while waiting with anticipation to return to Boston. It would be so easy for me to just go off of my emotion and book a flight right away, but something has me waiting. The tricky thing is not knowing how long. Will it be a week, a month, two months? I don't know yet, and that is hard. But even so, I do believe that it will be soon and I want to be ready.
So...that means I want to get everything done here while I can. If I haven't seen or talked to you since I've been back in MD, I would love to. Just let me know. And if you want to know more, my previous blog explains what I would like to see happen before I leave.
ANOTHER RANDOM STORY :)
So as I mentioned before, I helped to clean our basement this morning. Berta and I were going through old coats and jackets and getting rid of ones that aren't worn anymore. We were folding them up and putting them in trash bags. Well, we had already put 4 or 5 coats in the bag when I suddenly thought that we should probably check the pockets. So I stuck my hand into the one I was holding to find that it was filled. I pulled out some trash, some chapstick, and a used cutip...gross! So I stuck my hand into the other pocket. To my surprise, I pulled out a pack of gum with just one piece taken from it. haha! To those of you that know me well, you will understand this. :) It's funny how God gives us little blessings.
Oh buddy...so I spent the morning helping my parents and Berta clean the basement. Talk about something I did NOT want to do :) I mean, if you had seen this thing, you would understand..haha! But, I did it, and Jesus helped me. We listened to some worship music too, which somehow always makes everything more bearable.
So anyway, as we were going through the basement, things I saw made memories come flooding back. Berta picked up a bag of what I thought were Christmas ornaments, which got us to thinking about Christmas and how there is always a big dispute as to how the tree should be decorated. Colored lights or all white lights? Matching ornaments or mixed ornaments...oh golly! haha. Then Bert reminded me of our last Christmas. The day had come and gone and the tree was still up after several weeks. People were coming over that day and something had to be done about it. So..us being our crazy selves decided that it would take too long to dissassemble. We instead agreed that it would be best if we carried the tree to the back room and took care of it later. hahaha...bad move. We had to hurry cause our mom was on her way home, so we got on either side of the tree and started to move. Now let me just tell you that a tree, fully decorated, is nowhere near light. We would pick it up, shuffle a few feet, and set it down again. Pick it up, shuffle as few feet and set it down again. Then the trying part...fitting it through a doorway. This is where the grunting came in. "Push it Berta...no wait..lift it up...okay move it to the side..wait wait stop, I have to set it down again."Oh we got it in there eventually, but not without breaking a few bulbs, recieveing a few scratches, and bending the ends of the branches. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone else. Although it did make for some good laughs. That's another thing..it's hard to carry something heavy when you are about to die from laughter. Oh the memories!
So I know this was a very random story, but it was on my mind, so you get to hear about it :)
HEART AND MIND
I don't think I could explain these things if I tried. Never have my heart and mind been in such a whirl! The things that go through them everyday though, are of course about Boston. I know that God has called me to go back, but I am just waiting for Him to release me. So this week I am doing everything I can to fulfill my part. Once I feel I have done that, then the rest will be up to Him.
Waiting is not an easy thing. Most of the other DTS students that were joining staff went back this past Saturday. I didn't think that day would be so hard for me. Emotions would just hit me at random moments. I tried to explain to Berta how I was feeling, but I couldn't. You see, I am so torn. I love my family dearly and my church and my friends. They all mean so much to me. But there are times when I feel almost home-sick for Boston and the people there. It's hard trying to enjoy the time I have here, all the while waiting with anticipation to return to Boston. It would be so easy for me to just go off of my emotion and book a flight right away, but something has me waiting. The tricky thing is not knowing how long. Will it be a week, a month, two months? I don't know yet, and that is hard. But even so, I do believe that it will be soon and I want to be ready.
So...that means I want to get everything done here while I can. If I haven't seen or talked to you since I've been back in MD, I would love to. Just let me know. And if you want to know more, my previous blog explains what I would like to see happen before I leave.
ANOTHER RANDOM STORY :)
So as I mentioned before, I helped to clean our basement this morning. Berta and I were going through old coats and jackets and getting rid of ones that aren't worn anymore. We were folding them up and putting them in trash bags. Well, we had already put 4 or 5 coats in the bag when I suddenly thought that we should probably check the pockets. So I stuck my hand into the one I was holding to find that it was filled. I pulled out some trash, some chapstick, and a used cutip...gross! So I stuck my hand into the other pocket. To my surprise, I pulled out a pack of gum with just one piece taken from it. haha! To those of you that know me well, you will understand this. :) It's funny how God gives us little blessings.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Forward March!!
I'm on the move! For those of you who've seen or spoken with me recently, I know I have been saying that I do not know exactly when I will be returning to Boston, but I have a feeling it could be very soon. Stepping into the shoes of a full-time missionary is exhilarating and kinda scary at the same time. It is definitely a new step, but one that I am looking forward to.
As a missionary, the thing that excites me most is watching God move. I have spent the past 7 months of my life doing just that, and believe me..there is nothing that compares. I will be on the battlefront fighting for people's lives and rejoicing every time one is saved. Nothing compares to that joy! However, when you are in battle, there most definitely needs to be a prayer covering. Without it, you too have a great chance of getting lost yourself.
So this is what I need. I need you to be that prayer covering for me. I need you to pray for my strength to keep fighting and for an overflow of Jesus' love so that I can give some away. Also, in order to stay on the battlefront, I need your support. I want to work together with you and Jesus to win this war.
If you can be that prayer covering and support for me, I would love to have you on my team. My goal is to have a core group of people, who I can share details with, praying for me, and people praying for the ministry as a whole. I also need financial supporters willing to support me monthly. I will need to raise $1200 a month, so any amount you can give is incredibly helpful. If you can help in any way to keep me on the battlefront, please contact me.
My email is kmartini88@yahoo.com
Or you can post a note on my blog
Or you can let me know through facebook
I also have a group on facebook called "Prayer & Support For Full-time Missionary Katie Martin" (you should check it out!)
You can make checks payable to YWAM Boston, but please don't put my name anywhere on the check. Just send along a note stating who it is for.
If you don't care if they are tax-deductible, you can make them out directly to me.
You can send these to YWAM Boston 23 Emerson St. Newton, MA 02458
May God bless you beyond measure , and may you find your everything in the wonder of who He is!
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