HEY friends!! I just wanted to pop on here one last time to chat a bit about how transitioning home after Gap Year has been and what God has been teaching me in it.
THANK YOU!!!!
First of all I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you. I have felt so uplifted and loved every step of the way in this crazy journey. I remember support raising last summer and just being completely overwhelmed and shocked at how quickly and joyfully the body of Christ rose up and surrounded me. I will never forget that feeling. It is so amazing to be a part of the Kingdom work and I am so glad you all chose to partake in it. I pray blessings upon each of you and that the joy of the Lord will never leave your side. You generously entrusted your prayers, time, and resources to the Lord and I am forever grateful. God took the gifts you freely gave and ran with them -- expanding them a hundred fold. He has, and is, continuing to do an incredible work in my own heart and all around the world. Praise the Lord.
The transition home:
I have been home for just about 4 weeks now which is so crazy!! Time has definitely flown and God's love has never stopped pursuing me every minute. I am completely overwhelmed with the sweet blessings He has poured out on me. Life has been pretty simple and I have taken extra time to rest. I have enjoyed seeing beautiful faces again, working, going to church, and other regular life activities. There have been so many specific and sweet moments where God has gifted me with such personal and thoughtful blessings. It has been sad to leave the deep community of my team and I have been fighting against trusting my feelings over the Lord. It is easy to get discouraged when I feel spiritually numb and I know that the devil doesn't want me to be content with my life but I know that God is on my side. He goes before me, is with me right now, and always comes behind me. Overall, the transition home has surprisingly been joyful and free which is such a huge answer to prayer. Praise the Lord for His everlasting love!
Here are some pictures of sweet moments I've experienced since being home. On the airplane ride home, my city, unpacking, drawing and creating art, walks with my family, and time in the Word.
What has God been teaching me in this?
It's so awesome that God isn't restricted to one form of communication. Recently, He has been speaking to me in so many different ways. Through conversations with people, time out in nature, art and the ability to create, physical events, and certainly through His Word. The truth of God cries out from every living thing. I pray that God would help us open our eyes to be more aware and in awe of it. I continue to struggle with the idol of achievement and productivity. I am still learning how to just "be." (And probably will continue to struggle to learn this the rest of my life;). God is reminding me that He is not disappointed in me, but in fact, He delights when I just choose to be with Him! He doesn't need me to be doing anything thing for Him, He just wants me to be by His side. It is a daily struggle to surrender my feelings to Him and it has been rather humbling. But I need this pattern of dependence in my life or else I would not draw near naturally because of my own flesh. Being in His presence, sitting under His truth, and pondering His grace is EXACTLY the best place to be.
So what is next for me?
I plan on living at home for a year and attending my local community college where I will finish my Associates in Fine Arts. After that I plan on transferring to App State to join their Fine Art Photography program and finish up the last two years of my undergraduate degree. Please join me in prayer as I leave my hands open in surrender and seek to live a life that is pleasing to God.
Contact info:
If I haven't gotten a chance to see you since I've been home, please reach out and we can meet up to chat! I'd love to know how you all are doing and the different prayer requests you might have.
Here is a reminder of my contact - meganclarke470@gmail.com (email me and we can exchange numbers!)
Prayer requests:
- Pray for more gospel opportunities for evangelism! I have several exciting opportunities coming up so pray that I would say yes to anything God has for me!
- Pray that my heart would continue to be reminded every single day of my identity in Christ.
- I am seeking for a community to be vulnerable in. A place where I can learn from others as well.
That is all for now! I am still mind blown by the fact I had this amazing opportunity to travel the World and share the good news. It was seriously one of the best years of my life and I am so grateful for everything I experienced and learned throughout.
Please don't hesitate to reach out and send me an email. I love you all so very much and I am so incredibly blessed to have an awesome support family like this one.
Megan <3