Resting, and Dreaming.

If you haven't caught on already..I am not the best writer, (spelling, grammar, word choice, ect.) and when I blog..it turns into something like a novel. So hang in there through yet another posting. Last summer was yet another unforgettable summer, but there was some things I had a hard time swallowing. Just another example of God putting me in situations that are out of my comfort zone, and making me trust him instead of people or myself. I was raised to work hard..and to earn what you have. I still think this is a valuable lesson, and one that if the Lord blesses me with children some day I will pass on to them. I am used to working as much as I can and giving my everything into what I'm doing, filling my schedule to the max and making rest the last priority. Last spring I stopped working at Hot off the press the beginning of the summer because it was becoming to much to work all the time, they were slowing way down with scrapbooking orders and didn't need the help as much. I was going to visit family in Canada for two weeks, so I thought this would be a good time to not go into the ware house as often. I work for Golden Valley Farms in the summer time, and this year I was told that I would be able to work in Eastern Oregon for the few weeks before the season started in the valley...So I took off the rest of the summer from Jamba as well. But when I returned from Canada then End of June, the fields were to wet to start work. Working for grass seed farmers means waiting. One day it could be to damp to start work, but the next day its warmer and not as humid so we can get started. So I waited. For about 3-4 weeks. Nothing. I picked up a few shifts here and there at Jamba, but I couldn't commit to a weekly schedule, not knowing what would be happening with the farm. Praise the Lord they are so laid back at Jamba and let me work for them that way. So it was hard to fight stress. I was supposed to have thousands and thousands of dollars in order to move to the Middle East, and I wasn't even working. It was very humbling and a great time to rest in the Lord, and trust that HE will look after the finances and make things happen.

BUT I felt lazy, like I wasn't doing my part. He assured me that being still, and finding time off and resting was what He wanted for me for this season of my life. Once combining started I felt better because I had work, and God was ready to keep teaching me things. Again, we read a lot of books and chatted about them among the crew, I got to know my farmer a lot better, and there were two high school girls on our crew that I got really close with as well. I will never forget when my combine caught on fire on the same day that the bank out wagon full of seed broke and we had to dump the whole thing on the ground in order to fix the problem. I almost hit an idiot while driving my combine through west salem because the truck tried to pass me around a corner. My heart is pounding just thinking about that. But I love that job, Im really going to miss it.

I've had some of the best memories and the best encounters with God from the time in my combine. Who else do you talk to when you have 12 hrs a day by yourself? A big thing that God brought to my attention last summer was His communication through dreams. Since I can remember I have been a dreamer. It is shocking if I sleep through the night without something happening. One sunday this summer we got off work early and I spent the afternoon (like I do every summer during combining season) with my best friend Kristen. Later that night we had two girls over from the youth group for pedicures and movies. Kristen was working on homework while I took the girls down stairs and fell asleep on the couch watching friends. I had a super vivid dream that night. It is long and confusing to explain through this, but basically throughout the dream I felt darkness, and this urgency to be in prayer and to need prayer while I am in the Middle East. I was saying over and over again that the oppression is strong now and it'll be even harder while I'm gone so to be praying for me. There are other things as well, but I woke up cause I spoke something in real life.I don't know what, but it woke me up. I felt weird and I went and shared my dream with Kristen who was still up working on homework. I opened my bible, and the verse I turned to was the Colossians verse that I call "my verse" for being overseas. (colossians 4:2) I couldn't shake the feeling of darkness, and the urgency to pray. I shared that with my mentor and she opened my eyes to the possibility that God could be speaking to me through my dreams. She prayed with me and gave me the number of a lady from our church that is also a dreamer and who would have a lot more knowledge in this area. My eyes were opened to the possibility that God really does talk to us in our dreams. There are so many passages about this in the Old testament of people He approached to in a dream. It is the time when we are the stillest. In our sleep, seeking rest, that is a great time for Him to grab our attention.
  When I met with the lady who is a dreamer and has received many things from the Lord through her dreams, it was a very rich time of prayer and scripture reading. It was a great eye opener. I am still sorting through a lot of dreams and praying through many things..but I know in the Middle East people are having dreams and that is a big way that they are also having their eyes opened to the possibility of something else. (TRUTH). I have had many dreams since then, but only one other one that I woke up sweating and feeling so urgent to pray. That has happened since I've been here and can't go into detail with it online. So please keep praying for us. The oppression is strong here. Pray that while I continue to learn to rest, I will keep hearing from God. And that this will fill me up!