I received an email from AIM saying that we wouldn't be able to reopen our support accounts. I am just going to set up a separate savings account through my bank. You are more than welcome to contact me here, or whatever way is easiest for you, and we can work out the details. THANKS AGAIN!!!!
Hey there everyone!!! Hope all with well in your lives!
Things have been wonderful and crazy here since being back from the World Race.
Life never seems to slow down, but that makes it all the more interesting,
right?
In the past few years there have been several World Race
teams that have gone out. The number of people going out each year is growing
like crazy!! This year AIM has decided to put on an annual gathering for all
the WR alumni. AIM is expecting about 225 of us to be there! Most of the
coaches from WR teams will be there leading us in some teachings and
discipleship. They are also putting together a worship team made up of people
from a few different squads. This year, the gathering--which they are calling "The
Awakening"--will be in Ville Tecii, Romania! We will be there from
September 22-25th. As of right now, all we are responsible for financially is
the travel to and from--which is pretty amazing! I was looking at airfare this
weekend, and I found some pretty good deals. As of right now, the cheapest
tickets I have found are about $750. I'm not sure how long it will take for the
prices to shoot up. Right now this is a pretty great deal!
I am asking that you pray about how God may be asking you to
help support this amazing opportunity for me to experience. This is going to be
a time of teaching, fellowship, worship, and spiritual growth. I am going to be
in school at this time, but I feel like this is an important thing to be a part
of and something that I feel is worth missing a few days of school for.
So, if you are interested or have any questions you can contact
me on here, facebook, email me or call me.
I think I'm going to have to set up a new WR support
account, but I will let you know the details when I know.
This is my email where you can contact me:
duneganmegan@yahoo.com
In Matthew it says that those that hear and obey the word on
God will be like a house that's built on a rock. No matter what comes their
way-no matter what tragedy strikes-they will stand firm on The Rock! Nothing will
be able to destroy them! Nothing will be able to come against them! We may feel
like we are at the bottom of the pit, and we may feel like it couldn't get any
worse. But, those who stand firm will not be destroyed!!
But those who turn from the Lord and aren't obedient to His
word, will be like a house built on sand. As soon as disaster strikes they will
be knocked down and destroyed! They cannot be saved! The bible says that a man that builds his house on sand is a fool, and
the man that builds his house on the rock is wise!
God never said that as a follower of Him we wouldn't go
through times of tragedy and persecution. If anything, He said we would have to
endure even more (here on Earth) than ones that don't believe and follow him. Because we love
him and live our lives for him, we will be tested beyond our measure. Our faith
and our devotion to Him will surely be tested. Faith is believing in something not yet seen. And, if God is who he says he is, then I have to KNOW that whatever trials come my way, and no matter how hard I fall--He is with me, and will NEVER leave me!! Nothing that has happened in my life so far, and the things that are to come in the future, do not come as a surprise to Him. God knew the things that would try to come against me before I was even a thought on my mother's mind. And, He has a plan for everything--He will not allow me to be destroyed! I may feel knocked down and lost at times, but He is always there...waiting for me to reach up for His help.
So in that, we have to build ourselves on The Rock, Jesus Christ-otherwise
we will NEVER make it!
Hen I think about joy the
first thing that comes to my mind is a child. The joy a child has is so simple
and uncomplicated. They are joyful at the sound of their mother's voice. Or
when they color a picture and get it hung on the refrigerator. Pure and simple
joy. The innocence of children makes me envious.
Now as I have gotten
older, and the reality of life seems to hit harder than it did when I was a
child, I find joy to be something that I have to really work hard at to find.
Not that I'm not happy, because I am. There are plenty of things for me to be
happy about. But, joy? Joy is different. It's more than just an emotion or a
smile on your face. It's the state of your heart, and position of your spirit. It's
like when you hear people finding joy in the most hopeless situations. They are
not happy, but they find joy in their soul and heart. It's almost as if joy and
hope go hand and hand. We have joy in the Lord as well as find hope in the
Lord. I believe that we have joy because
of hope and we have hope because of
joy.
So if joy comes from the
Lord, why does it seem so hard to find sometimes?
Lately I have found myself
asking, "What makes me have joy? Real, true joy?" Is it the sound of the ocean,
or the feeling I get when I know I'm going to see someone that I love? Even as
I am sitting here writing this, I am asking myself these very questions. I
think that my joy comes from knowing, in my spirit, that no matter what happens
and no matter where I end up in life, I will always have hope. Hope in The One
that has created every single thing about me. I know that even in the seasons
of feeling lost or spiritually dry, there is always Someone tugging at
me-watching and waiting for me to run into His arms again. Never has He left
me-I am the one that seems to leave Him. There have been, and will continue to
be, those seasons in life where I feel completely uncertain of what comes next.
But, I can still find joy in knowing that He knows.
Joy is a choice that I
have to make every day. Am I going to
have joy today in every circumstance? That doesn't mean that I have to feel happy or have a smile on my face.
It simply means that my spirit is positioned to know and accept that God is in
control. It comes with the discipline of being conscious of what is happening
inside of my heart. What is God trying to
teach me today?
The joy of the LORD is my
strength. This encompasses every single thing in our lives. Joy is on a much
larger scale than we can outwardly see, or inwardly feel. It's beyond our human
nature to define. Real joy can only come from the Lord.
About two weeks ago, my sister called me to tell me that one
of her friends had committed suicide. He was around 24 years old. Married for a
few years, and going through a separation with his wife.
Yesterday she called me again to tell me that another one of
her friends committed suicide. She was also the same age and married for a few
years, and was arguing with her husband the night she killed herself.
I only knew of these people just from going to the same
school as them, and from my sister talking about them. I didn't know either of
them very well. Yet, there is this pain in my heart for the people that loved
them very much. A pain I can't quite describe. Maybe it's more guilt than
anything. Guilty at the fact that they felt like this would be the answer. Guilty
that our world is so fallen. Guilty because, something or some one else could
have helped them. Guilty because I know that I walk past people every day that
are hurting in the same way. People that just need someone to reach out to them.
Someone that loves and cares about them. I go through my days thinking only
about me 95% of the time. I am a selfish person. I know that it's not my job to
save everyone, but I know that there are times throughout my days I recognize
the cries of others, and I keep on walking, not even looking back.
With the news of these two very young people taking their
own lives, I have been filled with hurt and deep empathy. I wish there was more
I could do for people feeling so hopeless and lost. I wish I could tell every
single person feeling this way that there is another way to deal with their
hurts. There is a God that loves them deeply, and cares for them more than they
would ever know. He is all they ever need. He IS enough. And, all He wants to
do is love you, unconditionally.
Lord, open my eyes in such a way that I would know when
people are truly hurting. Lead me to show your overwhelming love for them.
Why
is it so hard for me to do the thing that makes me the most happy?
Why? I wish I knew why.
Starting the right tone for my day should be more important
to me than just shoving it off and opening my computer, or doing something as
equally monotone.
I am 100% capable of reading my Bible and writing in my
journal, but I choose to do anything but that.
It's not like it's a disciple to watch t.v. or be on
facebook all day.
So why does it seem like such a discipline to pick up my
Bible and read it?
I can spend hours during the week corresponding with friends
and acquaintances, but can't seem to fit even an hour in to spend time with my
friend, Jesus.
One of my favorite
things to do is spend quality time with people, but how can these relationships
flourish if I don't spend just as much, or more, time with The One that created
me?
I don't deserve His love, but He gives it to me freely.
This is what I read in 'My Utmost for His Highest' today:
"We are not saved to
only be instruments for God, but to be His sons and daughters. He does not turn
us into spiritual agents but into spiritual messengers, and the message must be
part of us. As his disciples, our lives must be a holy example of the reality
of our message."
I've been
home from the Race for almost 8 months now!! I can't believe it! There is no
way that it feels that long already! And, I'm sure that you've noticed, I
haven't written a single blog since then. Lame, I know...
So, what have I been doing??
For about
the first month of being home I was having trouble just "sitting still", so I
did some traveling. I went to Colorado for about a week to visit the Blacks,
and other people from the WR. It was a wonderful trip! I had never been to CO
before, and I loved every second of it. The mountains are gorgeous!! I thought
that this is where I was going to move when I got back from the Race, but oh
how things change. I'll get to that in a bit.
Then I went to Florida for about two weeks to
visit my amazing friend, Pam. I had a wonderful time being with her! We had a
lot of time to just relax and be with each other. Then, I ran out of money and had to go home to
face the reality of finding a job. Not always the most exciting thing to have
to do.
Two World Race
weddings, and one more coming up :) these have possibly been the best
things since coming home! It's been a wonderful recharge for my spirit!!
So, what to do until August rolls
around?
I am in
Houston right now living with my sister and her boyfriend. They are both
amazing people. My sister works as an art director for a magazine, and Sedone,
her boyfriend, is an artist. My job while I'm here is to be my sister's
personal assistant helping her with her freelance work. Also, I am helping her
get her website up and running. I will be living with them until the end of
May. Then from May to August I will be working at a summer camp called
TeamEffort. They mainly do community outreach, and a lot of relief effort type
work. I will more than likely be working in Galveston doing hurricane relief. I
am super excited about this!! I really miss working at summer camps, and I miss
being out in the communities. I think it will help scratch the itch that I've
had since I've been home from the Race. I miss so much the going and doing that
comes with the WR.
Then...drum roll please...
Starting in August, I'm going back to school!!!! I know, I know this seems crazy! It came as a surprise to me too, after not being in school for four years, and saying I would never go back! Never say never, right? I am going to be starting classes to get my RN. I hope do be done within 3 years. I think being on the WR furthered my desire to go into nursing. Also, when I got home I was working at a doctor's office, and I LOVED it!! I am definitely excited about going back to school! My ultimate goal for having a nursing degree is to be able to go back to Africa (probably Swazi) to be able to help the people in a more practical way. I want to be able to go into the villages and provide medical attention for people that can't afford it. I am excited to see how God is going to use this time to train me to do the work He has called me to.
I know that these past several months of "sitting
still" have been good. I have learned at lot, and God has been teaching me so much!! It has been very difficult none the less. And this will be what my next few blogs will be about...
This is a video that a woman made about the AIDS epidemic in Nsoko, Africa. This will also give you more of a picture of me and my teams time we spent with Moses and his family!!
where did this year go? how did it happen so fast?
tomorrow i will be flying back into the states, and then two days after that i will be flying to texas to see my family for the first time in 11 months. back to the comforts of home. back to the people that i love very dearly, and have longed to see for so many months. i will be able to see my new neice that was born while i was in cambodia. i will be kissing the faces of both of my sister's beautiful children. i'm sure i will be flooded with tons of emotions all at once; some recognizable and some not. i will be eating all my favortie foods, and trying not to cling to the things that i've been away from all year-starbucks, target, t.v, shopping, my cell phone, my family...trying not to get sucked back into 'the fog'.
i don't know when it will happen, but i know it will. i know that one day-if not many-i will wake up in the morning, and realize that i am not waking up next to the same people i have all year long. i will not be spending every waking hour with my team that i love more than i can put into words. i will not be walking down the streets of some foreign land getting stares as i walk by, and hearing-"it's a white person"-in many different languages. i will now blend in with the rest of all the other white people. i will blend in. i don't want to blend in. i want people to know that i am different. i am set apart. i am Christ on earth. how will they know? i will blend in if i allow myself to. it will be a choice everyday when i wake up. how can i bring life to someone today? how can i be Jesus to them today? i am anticipating many times when i will long for the lifestyle of community living again. i will long to have my teammates (now family) by my side, lifting me up. i will long for someone that gets it the way i do. someone that can relate to the things that i have experienced this year. someone that isn't blinded by our american culture. Lord, bring me people that see past the blinders. i am fearful that eventually i will put them on again, and not be able to see past the darkness. i don't want everything that my eyes have been opened up to this year to fade away. i will long for a little girl to come up to me with her sweet, heartbreaking smile, and torn clothing, asking me for money. i will long to be walking down unfamiliar streets; with people all around me speaking foreign tounges. as my sister heather said last night-after about 3-4 weeks when it would be time for the squad to come together for debrief, i will be sadened to know that we won't be. i have become a part of an amazing family of 26 people. i know that each one of them will be in my life forever. there will be times when i need every single one of them. i love them with all my heart. i wouldn't trade this past year for anything in the world.
the world race was the hardest, and most challenging year of my life. there were many times when i just wanted to give up and go home. choose the easy way out-or what i thought would be the easy way out. stop trying so hard, and stop pressing in. now looking back, knowing if i would have given up and gone home, i would have been missing out on one of the most amazing years of my life so far. this is just the beginning of what God has planned for me. this isn't it. it has just begun. this has just been a fleeting second compared to this mystery that is called my life. i have no idea what the Lord has in store for my future. why would i want to know? that's part of the fun and mystery of God. it may seem as though i am about to be entering into the chaos of america, and everything that once was in my life. there may be things that are there, waiting to stare me in the face. waiting to pounce. but if i believe that God is who he says He is, then there is nothing to fear, but Him. i have been equipped with the full armor of God! i will put it on every morning when i wake up, and i will be prepared to fight against anything that is waiting to push me off the Solid Rock i stand on. my God is not a god of chaos or confusion, but a God of justice and peace. as i have heard many times this year, i just have to hover above the chaos.
so, i don't know exactly what will be waiting for me when i get home. but i am ready for it. i am not who i was when i left home 11 months ago. i have learned more about uncondtional love, patience, trust, community living, church-in the real sence of the word, the Holy Spirit, sacrifice, dying to myself, picking up my cross daily, serving, family, trials-how they make us stronger, friendship, discipline, integrity, GRACE, and so many other things than i ever have in my entire life. i feel undeserving of this life-changing experience. i am not worthy enough for God to use me in the ways He has, but He has chosen me. for that i am thankful. i know He will continue to use me to bring Kingdom down to earth!
Pam Perry is my friend. She will be my friend for the rest of my life, and for that I am thankful.
We all have those people in our lives that we don't deserve except for the fact that God has given them to us as a gift. Pam is that gift for me. She is an extraordinary friend and sister, and she means the world to me. She is an incredible picture of what grace should look like in a person (I'm not just saying that either,Pammy). She really is one of the very few people in my life that 'does' grace well in every aspect. I have only known her for a little over a year, and what an incredible year it has been. What else could I ask for in the first year of a friendship than to travel the world together? We have been to a million different places and seen so many amazing things together that I never expected to experience with anyone in my life. One, out of many, awesome memories that I have with Pam from this year is going to the Great Wall of China! Being able to live out one of my biggest dreams of hiking The Great Wall, is one of the most amazing blessings God has given to me in my entire life. Not to mention the part when we ate lunch at the top on the wall, underneath some of the ruins, while it was snowing. Being able to experience something as breathtaking as this, and living in that moment with Pam, is more than I could ever have asked for. Absolutely beautiful. This year, on the race together, has been full of unexpected blessings like this. Now, that our time on the road together is coming to a close, I am looking forward to the years to come of even more adventures.
Who is Pammy to me?
she:
makes me laugh.
LOVES to dance.
is truthful and loyal.
has a favorite color, and it's green.
loves and appreciates music more than most people I know- for almost any song that comes on you can ask her what the name is and who sings it, and she'd be able to tell you.
has a heart of compassion for Christ's children.
is extraordinarily beautiful inside, and most definatly outside.
loves the beach.
loves the outdoors.
loves vanilla icecream, but her favorite milkshake is chocolate.
has an incredible appreciation for all of God's creation.
has a unique fascination for animals.
is a great woman of integrity.
is my sweet and loving sister, and I think she is one amazing chick!
Pammy, you are a gift. I love you so much!!! I hope that your birthday is amazing, and this next year is full of blessings! You are an amazing woman of God, and you have been an incredible example to me. I look up to you very much, and I am more than thankful to have you in my life. Thank you for everything you do for me, and the countless times you have been there when I have needed you the most. You are such an encouragement to me in so many ways. You're amazingly beautiful, in every aspect of the word. You make me smile, and my heart happy.
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