summer 2008....<3
Have you ever been "THAT person" who had this REALLY, REALLY, REALLY HUGE dream to change the world? and...every single person around you, even your closest friends, thought you were absolutely out of your mind insanely crazy? Well, I can totally relate to you dear friend. This past Wed-Friday at my university, there was an event that took place called the START Conference. It's basically an event that encourages our generation to plant churches all across America and the world...I'll never forget after the conference on Friday morning walking up to the stage area to be prayed over. The speaker invited anyone who needed prayer over a certain vision or dream God had placed on their heart or any request in general. It was actually a funny/deep moment...the humorous side...the dear blessed elderly man who prayed with me thought my name was "ICEY"...and I'm sure you can just picture me standing there as he says "Dear Heavenly Father please bless ICEY..." and I did let a small little smirk rip through the corner of my scandalous smile...it was freakin hilarious...on another note, I'll never forget that moment where I gave my vision of planting a church in Lithuania one soon day to God....It was such a deep, moving, soul shattering moment...I knew that God wanted me to be a European musicianary...but plant a church in Eastern Europe? I was like God?? R U SERIOUS? ME. Aiste? ReALLY? You trust me THAT MUCH? R U sure you chose the right girl Jesus? But Father God, I don't even speak 2 years worth of Russian...God said, "Aiste, the people of Lithuania speak LITHUANIAN....that is their first language, Russian is their 2nd....no excuses now dear blessed daughter" and I'm like "Jesus, my strength within the church would be the music ministry part....I'll gladly be a worship leader, but God who's going to be the pastor, where are all the other people who are essential for a church body going to come from?" He reassured me,"My timing is perfect, trust me, I will bring those people into your life at the right moment" But Jesus, I mean SERIOUSLY, I haven't met a guy that I could marry who would be willing to be a missionary with me in Lithuania, 99% of the guys I've met in my life don't even know where LITHUANIA is!....=P God said, "Well tomorrow at 10:52am as you are walking the streets of NCU you'll run into this guy who is head over heals in LOVE with Lithuanians AND LITHUANIA" ( JUST KIDDING....LOL....I'm still trying to figure that part out...God is still keeping that secret...lol) Excuses.Doubt.Excuses.Doubt.Excuses.Doubt.Excuses.Doubt.Excuses.Doubt. I believe these are the 2 main reasons why we become afraid of the unknown when God blesses us with His vision and dreams that he places on our hearts. We come up with every excuse to get out of it. We doubt that God could actually use us in such great ways....but the TRUTH is....He WANTS to bring those visions and dreams he has placed on our hearts come to pass in His perfect timing. He sees all the days of our precious life. He sees the End. He believes in YOU my dear friend. He knows you have the potential to change the world and leave everyone around you absolutely SPEECHLESS at His amazing hand and work in your life...He wants to prove the IMPOSSIBLE..and show you that it IS POSSIBLE....
Getting back to the church plant in Lithuania, I believe this is going to happen within the next 10 years. After I graduate from North Central University in 4 years, I'm hoping to go straight onto the mission field of Europe and Russia. As of now I'm majoring in Intercultural Studies: TEFL (Teaching English As A Foreign Language) and minoring in Worship Arts. So I'd most likely get an English teaching job somewhere in Europe, and eventually plant a church in some city in Lithuania, most like either Vilnius (Lithuania's capital and largest city) or Kaunas (2nd largest city). I would then start the church's music ministry, and it has always been my dream to have a non-profit organization in which I would open a worship arts music training center. This would basically be a place where anyone in Europe or Russia, or whoever is interested would come and be trained to be their country's next worship arts leader. The main thing would be is that we would accept EVERY musician form whatever walk of musical life they come from...they would still audition, but we would ACCEPT EVERYONE. My personal belief is that EVERY precious child of God who has a passion to glorify God through music, has GREAT POTENTIAL to advance his kingdom through worship arts....We shall see where God takes me with all these HUGE, crazy, literally "out of this world" dreams to change the world...I encourage you my dear friend to seek after God and find out what Crazy AwEsome visions/ dreams that he has placed on your beautiful heart...
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