Armor Up

For the last few months, I have been completing a study on Ephesians with a friend from home. I’ll admit that it has taken me a little longer than I would have liked to complete this study, but I think its all for a reason. A few weeks ago, I started the last chapter, Ephesians 6, and wouldn’t you know it my church at home is studying Ephesians 6. More over they are studying the Armor of God. I don’t think its a coincidence that my study has taken me this long, and now I can finish it in conjunction with the series from Pine Hills.

I actually happened to be home in Indiana for a few Sundays, and was able to hear a few sermons in person. The one that stuck out the most to me is from Pastor Justin Sommers, The Sandals of Peace.

Justin outlined his sermon in 3 points; Set, Ready, Go.

Set:

– We should be set in a firm foundation, we shouldn’t stand on anything that can be taken from us or shaken.

Ready:

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter5:8

– We can sometimes find ourselves dressed, and not ready. The armor of God is to protect us as we work to expand the Kingdom of God.

Go:

– Justin’s main point here is that we are called to go for the gospel. We aren’t just trying to keep the ground that has been gained for the Kingdom of God, but to continue expanding it.

– The great commissioning calls us to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:19-20)

It’s also important to remember the other pieces of armor, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit. We are told to take up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit. In another sermon from Pastor Mike in the series he reminds us that these pieces are always available to us, but in the moments of testing, we are called to pick them up which means we have to act.

When I hear that we have to act, I relate that to go. Jesus tells us to go in Matthew 28:19-20 to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. We are all called to different places to spread the gospel. I happen to be called to Solid Rock, but you can be called to your office job, teaching position or any place to spread the gospel. We should all be prepared to share an account of the peace that we have.

I’ll let you know how my study finishes, but I feel like I won’t be done with Ephesians soon.

Another thing that has been on my mind recently is my community and who points me back to Jesus. I have to say, Katelyn is a huge person who does this for me in the day to day. We have faced a lot of changes since we have both arrived here in the Dominican, and we are now welcoming new faces to our team. While we are very happy to have new team members, it comes with another shift in how we complete ministry. Katelyn is intentional in seeking the Lord through all our changes, and pointing me to do the same. I’m so thankful that I have had Katelyn by my side these last 6-8 months as we navigated ministry together. Beyond Kate, a lot of my community comes from our ministry assistants, over the last 1.5 years I have built friendships and relationships that have sustained me in some of the hardest times. I’m so thankful for my family here in the Dominican!

July started with a VBS team that also helped continue work at a Church here in San Juan, and then we had a week off. Kate hosted a 4th of July party, it was fun to have all our friends together for an evening! I also attended the gradation for Lucille Rupp with Kate, Lizzie, Brayden. One of my dear friends Emily graduated that day! We welcomed Nick to San Juan, and he is starting to settle in. The girls took the time off and took a trip to Juan Dolio, a beach town on the east coast, to celebrate our dear friend Hilda’s birthday. We spent a day sitting by the pool and taking in the sun, followed by dinner and a surprise birthday cake! This week we have a team from Ohio here to complete VBS and another construction project. We will be hosting teams for the next four weeks with the last two being medical teams.

I have truly enjoyed getting to know Lizzie and Brayden this summer! They have been such an asset to our team in helping carry the load. While I still have a little bit more time with them, I’m already so sad to think they are only here for a short time.

Bianca and I continue to work to organize education that is coming in a few weeks with 911. We also took at trip to Elias Piña and El Cercado to promote our upcoming plastic surgery team. I can’t believe it, but I have reached out to all our medical teams through the end of the year to start planning their trips! I’ve also taken the down time during the day with VBS teams to prepare for our last two medical teams.

I also restarted my Spanish classes, there is still so much to learn.

I plan to meet my family in Florida for a week following the end of our summer teams, and I’m looking forward to having some time with them.

Prayer Request: