What the Lord Showed Me Today...

   It has been such a blessing having Emilie home. One thing that has been wonderful to see is her heart for the lost, and how she has grown in her courage to tell others about Jesus. It has been a challenge to me, to be more concerned for peoples souls, and to take any opportunity the Lord gives me to be a witness for Him.
  Emilie had a really good opportunity to witness to a lady at work when they were on break together. This lady's name is Mrs. Ichijo. She listened very well, and happily took the tract Emilie gave her about 'The Life Worth Living'. I knew that I'd have a break with Mrs. Ichijo on Saturday, and so I was praying about that, that I might have the right words to speak because I really wanted to talk to her about the Lord.
  The Lord blessed the opportunity. :) I was able to witness to her about Halloween, the Bible, and even about how the Lord directs our lives and we don't have to go out looking for a husband. It was neat, and the Lord helped me. I was able to give her a tract called 'What is the Bible?' Please pray for her and for the opportunities we continue to have with her.
  Another thing that has been really exciting is that Emilie and Rachel have gone calling on different moms of our English class kids, and the conversations they have had have been SO GOOD! I am going to see if I can persuade one of them to write a blog post about it. They have been to four homes so far, and have gotten to share the whole gospel, and really have some wonderful conversations. It has been the first time to hear the whole gospel for each of these ladies.
  Now I have not really ever done this, going out calling like this. But the excitement of the girls, and seeing how the Lord works, and how he opens doors and blesses when you obey Him even though you might be scared, has made me think that I would like to do it too. Then, last night, Emilie asked me out of the blue if I would like to go with her sometime. She asked me if there was a particular English class Mom I wanted to call on, and as I don't know them very well, I couldn't think of one just then, but I told her I wanted to go with her sometime.
  Once I went to bed, I was just lying there, and couldn't sleep for a while. I was thinking of going calling. The Lord really started to burden my heart for my McDonalds people. I have been able to have some really good opportunities at work, but there is so much they need to hear, and so many who haven't heard at all. My heart felt very heavy, and so I prayed. Sometimes I feel that I don't know how best to share the gospel, and just what I should say, so I asked the Lord that he would teach me as I read my Bible, and that I would learn.
  This morning I prayed again that God would teach me through His word, and that Emilie and I would be able to call on our McDonalds people. My Bible-reading schedule said Acts 18 was where I was to read in the New Testament today. I was reading along, and then all of a sudden, Acts 18:9,10a jumped out at me. I didn't have to try to find something, but it literally seemed to jump off the page and I knew right away that Lord had it there for me. "Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, ..."  I was amazed and overwhelmed! I have been afraid, and sometimes have held my peace. But I DON'T HAVE TO! GOD IS WITH ME! He knows we get afraid, that's why he says 'be not afraid... for I am with thee.' I knew these verses were just for me. I don't know how many times I have read this passage, in my own devotions, church, or in family devotions, but I have never felt so much that God was speaking directly to me! It was so exciting! I am somewhat scared about going calling. I've never really done it. I've gone passing out tracts, and have witnessed to people and told the gospel before, but I've never gone to someone's home with the sole purpose of witnessing to them. But, I have the Lord's promise! He WILL be with me!!! Just the other day, when I was talking to Mrs. Ichijo, she was saying that it is remarkable that a Book that was written so long ago, can still apply to us now. And I told her that it is because it was not just a normal book, and that the words are living. And they really are! It was such a blessing, to have the Lord show me something so clearly! It was like He was giving me a hug and talking with me! I was encouraged so much! Then I was reading on, and came to verse 28. "For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ." This is talking about Apollos, who was on fire for the Lord, and "...he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly." Then, once he learned "he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ." I'm praying, and please pray with us, that we might mightily convince the Japanese, showing by the scriptures that Jesus is Christ!
  These passages were a huge blessing to me this morning, and I hope they will be a blessing to you in some way, but I was really excited, and thought it was just too good to keep to myself.

~Katie~