For those who are weary...

"Be of good cheer, soldier, the battle must soon end;

and that blood-stained banner, when it shall wave so high, and that shout of triumph, when it shall thrill from so many thousand lips, and that grand assembly of heroes, all of them made more than conquerors, and the sight of the King in His beauty, riding in the chariot of His triumph, paved with love for the daughters of Jerusalem, and the acclamations of spirits glorified, and the shouts and paens of cherubims and seraphims—

all these shall make up for all the fightings of today."

Be of good cheer, O you of weary heart.
Take of Him without price,
drink of His infinite grace without limit,
rejoice in His cross without shame.
Find your joy and rest in Christ Jesus.
He is more than enough.

The Lord is my Portion

"The Lord's portion is His people." Deuteronomy 32:9

They are His by conquest. What a battle He had in us before we would be won! How long He laid siege to our hearts! How often He sent us terms of capitulation! but we barred our gates, and fenced our walls against Him. Do we not remember that glorious hour when He carried our hearts by storm? When He placed His cross against the wall, and scaled our ramparts, planting on our strongholds the blood-red flag of His omnipotent mercy? Yes, we are, indeed, the conquered captives of His omnipotent love. Thus chosen, purchased, and subdued, the rights of our divine possessor are inalienable: we rejoice that we never can be our own; and we desire, day by day, to do His will, and to show forth His glory.

Charles Spurgeon

Rest

The benefactor of my soul,
is a worthy one!
Praise to He who gave me life!
Rest, for it is done.

O Rest, my soul, tho' once enslaved.
Rest, for you are free!
All peace to you, for mercy came,
came to rescue thee!

Hymn

O Love that chose, O Love that died,
O Love that sealed and sanctified,
All glory, glory, glory be,
O covenant Triune God, to thee!

In Christ Alone

IN CHRIST ALONE my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand!

My Chains are Gone

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature's night:
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke; the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off : my heart was free:
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

O what grace! How beautiful is God's redemption!

Thank You

Hello my dearest friends and family! I would like to express my gratitude for your prayer and support for me during my time spent in Malawi! I am truly thankful for your support, whether financial or prayerful. I have praised God for the way that He has provided through you. I would not have had the ability to pour our His love in Malawi without you. The work that COTN does in Malawi is wonderful and comprehensive. It is: teaching, parenting, raising orphans, supporting widows, feeding the hungry, nursing the sick, sharing the good news of Christ, rebuilding the broken, and raising up leaders that will inspire transformation in years to come.

And with your support, I have lived in Malawi and poured out the love that God has given me. I saw God do beautiful things, changing hearts, mending the broken, and bringing light to the darkness. I did not do any of that, but rather, it was God who is at work.
I would wonder sometimes if anyone in the village was seeing Christ in me, or feeling His love pour out of me. I would wonder if I was even showing the love and grace that is given to me so freely.
And one day, my friend Blessings (age 12, in the above picture, closest to my left shoulder) told me that he loved me so much! He repeated it again with an earnestness that is incomparable. He did not speak English, and I do not speak Chichewa. So, I know that surely that it was Christ's love that he saw in me, because His Love surpasses all words and understanding. I told Blessings that I loved him too, and "Yesu amakukonda" (which is "Jesus loves you"). Blessings smiled and squeezed my hand. I think he knew that Jesus loved him, and that Jesus loved me, and ultimately, that is why I loved Blessings and he loved me. And that is a beautiful thing.

I would wake up each day and focus on what Jesus commanded me to do:
1. Love God
2. Love others.
God kept His commands simple for me, because I am weak and because those two commands alone demand my life, my all. And that is what I got to do in Malawi. I loved God, because He first loved me. And I loved children who desparately needed a Love that truly satisfies, God's love. I was able to freely give away what God has given me. Namely, His grace, His love, my heart, my soul, and my strength.

So, thank you for supporting God's work in my life and in lives of the children of Malawi. God has changed many lives and God has changed my heart forever, and He has opened my eyes to see Him in a new way. But He is the same God, whether I am in America or Malawi, and this brings me great relief.