God's timing - not mine

May 18, 2006

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!' " (Isaiah 6:8 NIV)

God called, I responded. And it is a good thing my response wasn't based on a particular year or month! Selah

Isam let me know today that our Kenya trip has been pushed back until June or July of 2007. I am really okay with that. Our team had dropped to 3 people and for the work we do over there that would be ineffective to go. The cool thing is that I have been "struggling" all these months to articulate why I am going on this trip but I was able to last week nail that down in my heart. Whew. What relief to have an answer that makes sense to me finally!

The short answer is this:
God is sending me to Kenya as an extension of what he has been doing in my life since I turned 30. I always have said that when I turned 30 I got a new decade and a new life! It's all about obedience to him. The thought of disobeying God scares me more than the thought of the unknown in Kenya! I have my definition of Beth Peninger and it isn't God's defintion at all. My definition doesn't include Kenya. His definition - who he knows me to truly be - does include Kenya.

So now I just "rest" in God for the next year. I allow him to continue to refine me and mold me and change me and renovate me. I'm basically done with all the required preparations for the trip. I get my last shots in September and my passport has been in my possession for months. Since I am more than fully funded for the trip I don't even have to think about that either.

I wonder. What will God do in the next year of my life?