Expecting...

     Tomorrow I will get on a bus and head to the airport for the trillionth time this summer. Each time I go I am either picking up a team or dropping off a team...picking up an intern or dropping off an intern. I like going to the airport. It is fun to see the team for the first time and wonder what kind of funny jokes will be made....the memories that will be made....the lives that will be touched....the bonds that will be held together for years. They always come in with a big smile and a million questions. I love it. My prayer for the teams is that they would come EXPECTING. 

      So tomorrow I will go pick up my last team for the summer. They come from Maryland. This team will be different from the others. They are an evangelism team and we will be doing huge crusades at night with our brand new massive stage. So big that it has to be pulled by a semi!Complete with the biggest, baddest, loudest sound system you have ever heard. It will be our first time taking it out and I am stoked. 

This is the DYD of South Dakota presenting us the stage. 

Thank you Speed the Light, South Dakota

So this week I am EXPECTING. EXPECTING many to come, many to hear, and many to respond. EXPECTING to lay our hands on the sick and for God to heal them. EXPECTING to put our arms around the unlovable and for God to show His love.  EXPECTING children to be baptized in the Spirit. EXPECTING to bring the hope. Man, I am pumped. It is like 2 am and I can't sleep because I'm so excited. God is going to do something big this week. So would you pray? Pray for the team. Pray for the people. Pray for the sick. Pray for the hungry. Pray for the gang members. Pray for the kids. Pray for the prostitutes. Pray for the depressed. Pray for  the abused. Pray for the abandoned. Pray for El Salvador. And pray....with an EXPECTANCY.

We will encounter all of these people this week.  

We EXPECT change. 

Answered Prayers

Well...you all know that I'm no Jimmy Hendrix(not sure if that's how you spell it) when it comes to the guitar...however I am left handed and do play a right handed guitar upside down...anyways...anyways..back to the story. So I'm not the best, but boy do I love to play. So I have an incredibly cool, awesome, perfect story to tell you about how my God answered my prayers. So on July 26th I was riding around town trying to get my El Salvador License and was accompanied by one of my new best friends, Susanna Lacy. Susanna is a MAPS Worker and is here in El Salvador working with King's Castle for a year. 

So we are pulling in a parking garage and she looks at me and says....(I'm going to color code this so you can understand)

Susanna-BLUE

Katie-PURPLE

Here we go folks....try to keep up!

"I think God wants me to give you my guitar."

"Wait...what?"

"I think God wants me to give you my guitar."

"Huh?"

At this point I am feeling a little shock, and kind of like..."is this a joke?" See what Susanna didn't know was that everyday I prayed for a guitar. What she didn't know was that every time I had the chance I was looking at any store I could find in this country to buy one. 

"I can't accept that."

"Yes you can, it isn't my guitar, it is the Lord's guitar and He wants you to have it."

SILENCE......By this time we are walking around the grocery store and like all I can do is smile. From ear to ear because I cannot believe this is real. I prayed so hard and for so long for a guitar, not ever expecting that one would be given to me, but that maybe God would let me find a decent one and I would have to drop some money on it. Another factor that played into this whole thing was I am moving to a new house at the end of the month. I just found out that I need to purchase a lot of appliances and things because it is not fully furnished. As soon as I found this out the first thing that came to my mind was, "Great, now I will have no money to buy a guitar." But God. 

Back to the story. 

When I finally settled down, had a little cry in the bathroom of the supermarket, but still grinning ear to ear(my face was sore) Susanna told me the story. 

"Once upon a time there was this guy named Tolu. Tolu loves the Lord so much and is part of the worship team at IHOP(International House of Prayer....not the restaurant!) So, Tolu had this guitar and felt like the Lord was telling him to give the guitar to his friend Felicia. (Felicia just so happens to be the best friend of Susanna.) So, Felicia(who had been praying for a guitar for 3 months) has this nice awesome guitar. Well, the night before I left to come to El Salvador, I being Susanna, remember I'm telling this story, so....back to the night before I left.....I received a gift in the trunk of my car. What is the gift you may ask? A guitar. From Felicia, my best friend. I was excited but didn't really know how to play the guitar but I totally felt like God wanted me to bring it to El Salvador to give it away to someone. So the guitar and I arrive to El Salvador in January and I began to pray about who to give it to."

Susanna and I have known each other for a little over 2 months. Several times she has heard me mention me wanting a guitar but never felt like the Lord wanted to have it....YET! Until this glorious day. The day of July 26, which just so happens to be exactly 3 months of me praying for a guitar. God is so good. I seriously like can't comprehend His love. The song "O How He Loves Us" is constantly playing in my head. Every time I pick up that guitar or see it sitting in its beautiful case I am reminded of His love. I am also so very thankful for people that listen to God. I mean look at the chain of people this guitar went through. I am the fourth person to receive this blessing. I have promised Susanna and the Lord that I will not leave this country with that guitar. Someone else will receive the blessing. So, like this may not seem like a big thing to you but playing the guitar is like my favorite thing to do, while Im not the best by any means I love to sit and play and sing to God. My best quiet times have been with a guitar just worshipping Him. I dare you to just sit in His presence and worship. Maybe you don't play an instrument but that isn't important. Take some time and just chill with Him and tell Him how much you love Him. Because He definitely loves you more than you know. Ahhh I'm like on cloud 9 right now. It's amazing. Don't stop praying.

"So...Susanna....um....like.....what kind of guitar is it?"

"Uhh....I don't know...I don't even know if you are going to like it."

I open the case and this is what I saw.....

A FENDER!!!!!!!!!!

(p.s. like a very amazing guitar.)

Thank you Jesus for caring about all things.

I'm so stoked right now!

                                      

Man God is too good to me.....I can't even explain.

WORD OF THE DAY: BENDITO

LITERAL MEANING: BLESSED