Are We Abiding or Simply Coming?

I have started reading the devotional "Abide in Christ" by Andrew Murphy.  I'm only 2 days in but it is really challenging me.  Andrew asks are we satisfied with simply coming to God, allowing Him to forgive our sins  grant us salvation, and answer our petitions, or are we abiding in Him. There is nothing wrong with that really, but God wants more from us and for us.
To abide means "remain; continue; stay"

I think many times we wake up in the morning, have our prayer times and devotions, and then go about our day.  Thats great, we should have that time with God every day, but we are suppossed to abide in God.  We are to stay with Him, continue our day with Him, and remain near to Him.  I know thats not always easy when there are a million things on our "to do" list.  But I think, "wow, how different would my life be if every moment of the day I was abiding in Him?....if I made a continuous conscience effort to to remain in Him?"
I am not there yet, but that is where I strive to be.  In a place where I am walking in His prescence every moment,where I am always mindful of the fact that He is right next to me.

God doesn't want us to just come to Him, He wants us to abide in Him.  John 15:4 says that when we abide in Him, we bear fruit.  God wants us to experience His pleasures and delight in His goodness. Andrew Murray said "Who would, after seeking the King's palace, be content to stand at the door, when he is invited in to dwell in the King's presence, and share with Him in all the glory of His royal life?"  The King of Kings has invited us to dwell in His presence and share in His glory!!!!  Thats pretty amazing!  Lets RSVP to that invitation with a big fat YES!  I don't want to stand at the door of the palace, I want to live in the palace with my Father the King.  Let us not simply come to Jesus, let us abide in Him and experience the fullness of who He is.

Shoes, Evangelism, Shoes, Translating, Shoes, and a little R&R

February was a BUSY month! Nevertheless it was very exciting!!





kids at the school singing along

 Along with the usual teaching English at My Special Treasure (the girls home we work at) and working with Outlanders (the MK youth group), we had the privallage of working with a team. John and Liz Ramos are AG (Assemblies of God) missionaries here that are building a Bible School for the National Church in a village right outside the city of Quetaltenango. They had a team come from New York and S. Carolina for a week.
Half of their team was construction and the other half was evangelism. Victoria (my roommate) and I worked with the evangelism team as translators. We had such an amazing time. We left on a Thursday afternoon and traveled up to Quetzaltenango, which is the second largest city in Guatemala. We spent the week ministering at schhols as well as doing open air evangelism in the village where the school is being built. It was incredible to see children, teens, and even teachers give their life to the Lord. God is moving and making himself known all throughout this beautiful country. The presence of the Lord was certainly felt while the teams were ministering.  I was so blessed to see hope in the faces of children and teens who, before hearing about Jesus, were in what seemed to them as hopeless situations. I got to pray with some of the girls at the schools and encourage them in our Lord. Not only did I encourage them, but I was refreshed as well.  

praying for students at a high school

translating at a church service



Before the team arrived, they raised over $6000 to buy shoes for the children in the village and the kids in some of the poorer schools. Prior to the teams arrival John Ramos went to a local shoe store and told them he wanted to purchase 400+ shoes. The store said they would go out to the village and the schools and measure each child so they would have the proper size shoe! That was a huge blessing to all of us because it helped keep things controlled and organized when we handed them out. We scheduled 2 days to hand out the shoes. The children, as well as their parents, were so blessed by this act of kindness from the team. Many of the kids came with shoes that had holes and rips in them and to be able to recieve a brand new pair of quality shoes was a huge blessing. In 2 days we gave out more than 400 shoes!

Team with the shoes

We were with the team for a full week before they had to head back to Guatemala City.  Since Victoria and I had a retreat to attend on Friday in yet another part of the country, we decided to hang back instead of making the 4 hour drive back.  On Thursday, we stayed with some friends in Quetzaltenango who are also missionaries and got to hear about the amazing things God is doing in their ministry.

After a full week, on Friday we headed out to Panahachel, a little town right on Lake Atitlan.  Once a year, there is a retreat held for all the missionaries in Guatemala.  It is interdenominational and a time of refreshing.  Needless to say, Victoria and I were looking forward to it!  We had a wonderful time of rest and relaxation, while meeting new friends, and were refreshed by the Spirit of God!

This month, I began Berian Bible School online so please pray for me!!  I am enjoying it and am looking forward to digging deeper into God's word!

Once again, thank you all for your prayers and support!  They are GREATLY appreciated.

Pa Lante y Pal Cielo!
Cece

Support:
Currently, I am about 30% short of my monthly budget....Please pray about how you can partner with me financially either through a one time donation or by becoming a monthly donor.  Thank you!

If you would like to make a donation in my name, you can send a check with Acct. # 2949329 written in the memo and send the check to
Assemblies of God World Missions
1445 North Boonville Ave
Springfield, MO 65802-1894


If you would like to become a monthly contributor please email me for furthur information


For automatic credit card withdrawal you can print off and fill out the form with my account number (2949329) on the website below… then send it to the AGWM address posted above.
http://ag.org/contributorservices_PDF/CRCDAUTH.pdf

Contact Me!!!
Here is my contact information
Email: cro1780@gmail
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=726036343
Skype Name: Cicely Rosario
Home Address:
9A Calle A 8-59 Casa 14 Condominio Las Mercedes
Zona 8 de Mixco, CD San Cristobal
Guatemala, C.A