Sunday, November 2, 2008
I'm sitting in my room at my rented house surrounded by boxes...uni notes EVERYWHERE...clothes everywhere.It's stuvac this week and i'm supposed to be studying....on top of that...i have to move house, do all this stuff for mission trip and a hundred other things. Tonight is the last night I will be spending here before I move to my newly built house. I'm supposed to be excited and somewhere deep down I know I am but right now I wish i could just take a holiday to some tropical island resort with people I love and not have to think about anything else.
It's funny how just a week ago i..for wateva reason (i think it was more a result of procrastination) decided to write a testimony about how 2008 has worked out for me and then just a few days later at Bluesky, I was asked to give a 3 minute testimony experiencing the Awe of God in the past year. When I was first asked...my first thought was.."sure I'll talk about missions"..but when I really thought about it..I realised i wasn't being honest with myself and I wasn't being honest with God. God has been doing sooo much more in my life this year but i struggled with the fact that I would have to share such a personal story to such a large group of people. However...as I prayed about it, God began to make it so clear to me that my real testimony had to be told and by telling it...this would be my way of giving Him the glory that He deserves. Even in the couple of minutes leading up to it..I thought I'd make my testimony reeeeallyy general but it was as if God was saying to me "Pris..people need to hear it, don't hold back, just speak from your heart." So I did. Later that night a sister came up to me and said.."Your testimony made me cry....when you were speaking I just thought...that was me...and when you shared about that freedom you experienced i understood."...that meant so much to me. Again today..during missions meeting we asked to go around the circle and give a 1 minute testimony and so I gave the 1 minute version. Something really hit me this weekend...testimonies are so so powerful and you don't realise how powerful your testimony can be until you share it. I'm beginning to realise how God can use everything I have been through to help and encourage others. I'm beginning to understand the concept of keeping something personal but not private. I'm beginning to realise it's only when I truly reveal my heart to others that lives can be touched.
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God once again stirred my heart today. God once again reminded me of how I can use my degree for His kingdom purposes. We were given information on the HIV/AIDS situation in Asia today...and once again my eyes were open to the reality of this crisis. A number..equivalent to one and a half times the population of Australia are dying of AIDS and leaving even more orphaned...90% of these individuals with AIDS are from developing countries. When people in developing countries find out they have AIDS, it's usually in the very late stages when they only have months/weeks to live. I'll be the first to admit...I don't know very much about AIDS and I don't think 4 years of uni is even going to increase my knowledge about AIDS by very much. Something struck me today however. Being diagnosed with HIV doesn't have to mean you're given a one month timeline. With medication..an HIV patient can live a reasonably normal life for many many years to come. Problem is...developing countries don't have access to this type of medication..developed countries do. Is this how it will always be? I have a feeling God is in the process of revealing a lot more of His plans...if 2008 has been a big year..i have a feeling I have experienced nothing yet.
The God who created the heavens and the earth..the God that has created man and blessed him with so much...can't find anyone who will stand in the gap for Him....think about it..
posted @ 2:06 AM
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