Isaiah 61:1-11
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes, the oil of joy
instead of mourning, and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace you will rejoice
in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
“For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations."
Before graduation I decided to have a concert that would tell my life story through music- not because I had some great story to tell, but because God’s grace and keeping power was something worth sharing. Isaiah 61 became the theme for the night, and has become my theme for every day since then. A whirlwind of things have happened as I have entered college, and I could not even begin to explain the goodness and faithfulness of God in this season. Two months after graduating high school, the door was opened for me to move to Uganda, Africa. I had been searching for some type of internship and every place I looked just didn’t quite fit what I felt like God was calling me to. After spending a week this summer with the Hurley’s, who founded Sufficiency of Scripture Ministries (SOS), I was itching at the opportunity to see this ministry firsthand. I witnessed this family’s massive, overflowing love for their Savior and there was something about it that was so contagious. At the very heart of this ministry and these people is discipleship and a raw desire to do life with people- something far beyond just meeting needs. A ministry that seeks to make Christ known, and empowers the poor through the local church, is something I have longed to work alongside of for a long time. Things began happening, and doors began opening- Revelation 3:8 came to life:
BEHOLD, I have set before you an open door that no one can shut. I know
you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and not denied my name.
Jenn and Damon Cupp recently moved to Uganda with SOS Ministries and were open to having someone come help them out for a little bit.. They have four kids and need help with cooking, school work, and the every day things that are ten times harder and more time consuming in the middle of an African jungle as opposed to an American suburb. After much prayer and watching as God has orchestrated every detail, I am confident that this is where God is calling me to for the next season of my life. January 31st I will leave for Uganda and begin life and ministry with the people of the Kubamitwe village. I am not sure how long I will be there, but at least all of next semester. I will help cook, school four different children, lead Bible studies for young girls in the village, and many other things.. I’m excited to just do life in Africa. My plane ticket is one way- I am going in obedience and I will come home in obedience when that time comes. There are days I can’t contain my excitement.. But there are also days that are full of tears thinking about the family, friends, and students I am leaving behind. I have never met the family I will be living with, but have talked to them lots through email and phone calls. It has helped tremendously to have good family friends that know them well!
God is making my steps secure, and is taking this journey and making something beautiful. And for that, He is the only one worthy of the glory. He knows I am weak, He knows I fail and I fall short. Never is there a single day that I am exempt from that weakness, but every day I am covered by His grace- grace that never fails and never falls short. He has opened this door and placed it before me for such a time as this and no one can shut it. As I journey into this next season of transitioning to Uganda, please be praying for the people I will encounter and the family I will be living with (Jenn and Damon Cupp). Pray that God would hide every part of me behind the cross and that it may be Christ who lives through me.
“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” - Philippians 3:10
In Christ Alone,
Olivia
livvv! this is beautiful. i am so stoked for you
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