God Is Sovereign
Hello all, I’m Kiara (for those who don’t know me) and I’m currently two months into a year aboard Logos Hope, a ship which is part of the missions organisation, Operation Mobilisation! To say it has been a rollercoaster thus far would be an understatement. I was initially planning on just to update you all with what has been going on in the past two months but after some thought I thought I’d share instead how I’ve seen God’s sovereignty through it all, which is of a lot more importance than my day to day life!!
Rewinding to this time last year I was in the middle of applying to university, or in other terms, Plan A. In this process I made the big mistake of not thinking about where God wanted me go, decisions that I made were self-focused instead of God focused so He shut doors and at the time I couldn’t understand why… But as cliché as it is, when God shuts a door, He does indeed open a window and for me that was the porthole onto Logos Hope. At a Church visit last week I was asked to share my mission’s testimony and I realised that although at the time I felt pretty lost in upper sixth, not knowing what God had in store for me, I can now say with certainty God was sovereign through it all! I know many of you are now going through a similar process and I’d just like to encourage you to take some time, listen to God and make your plans with Him as those are the only ones that are going to work!
To be honest before coming to the ship I didn’t have a clue what life would look like when I arrived. People would ask what I was going to do and all I could share was the ships aims of sharing knowledge, help and hope. I’ve come to find that this isn’t actually what comes to mind first thing each day, life is a lot more monotonous than that. Five days a week I work in the international café on board, which in busy ports like La Union in El Salvador means you are sometimes more focused on how many ice creams you can make in a minute than sharing Jesus. This isn’t what I had expected the missionary life to be like. Again though, I am reminding myself that God is sovereign through it all, because the majority of the crew remain on the ship each day, cleaning, cooking, working in the engine and on deck, means that others can take part in their connect days. These are days dedicated to ministry work which each crew member gets once a week. On these we really have a chance to reach out to people and I’ve been so blessed by some of these opportunities already!
It is during connect days that I have learnt that God is sovereign most of all as none of them seem to go as plan in fact, it is kind of a running joke onboard the ship of just how unexpected they can become! So far, I have been part of five (the first month I was training off the ship so they only began in October) and none have been as planned, nor have I heard of any that are! For any that know me at all, you will know that this isn’t how I like my life to go, I plan events or trips as much as I possibly can and do all that is in my power to make sure it runs smoothly but God is really teaching me that this is not what he requires of us. Of course, we should put in the effort and be prepared but we must also let Him have control of our days! The one that stands out most to me was what was supposed to be a ‘take it to the streets’ ministry, in which we would walk and talk to people and pray for them when possible. Instead this became a visit to a hospital, which is such an amazing opportunity but one I was not prepared for! I felt so apprehensive before going in, not knowing or having anything planned to do but as always, God was sovereign. I got to go the paediatrics ward and chat with some parents and kids, and even pray with a few, although I felt my efforts where lacking I know God can still use the little we have to give for His kingdom! The other team members I was with also had the honour to share the gospel with some older folk in the hospital and two people gave their lives to Jesus afterwards! God is so good!
I still can’t really believe I’m actually here. There are moments God makes me lost for words, looking out at His creation from the top of a volcano, getting little gifts from visitors and volunteers and even just making friendships with other crew members so easily, all points to Him. Despite my utter lack of skills in Spanish, my laziness in the face of amazing opportunities, God is in control and wants to use me. He is amazing and I really hope this encourages you to think about what you can give to Him!
Prayer Points:
Thank you so much for reading my blabbering if you’ve made it this far. I’d just like to finish with a few prayer points:
* Please pray for strength and good rest as on board I have a major lack of routine due to shifting regularly between morning shift and evening shift!
* Please pray for improvement in my Spanish skills, especially to be able to talk about the gospel, Jesus and my testimony in Spanish! The most important part of this is practice so please pray I find a regular time to do this!
* Finally, please pray for commitment in remaining rooted in God’s word and prayer. There is a big spiritual battle that many feel on board, one that can only be combatted by being close to God so please keep this in your prayers.
If any of you would like to get some more practical and regular updates you can hit me up with your email and I can add you to my newsletter!
Thank you so much for your regular thoughts and prayers, it is such an encouragement especially when times are tough!
In Christ,
Kiara
