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The Wheels on the Struggle Bus Never Go Round and Round: The "Art" of Transparency by Ashley Ruffin

2/7/2018

1 Comment

 
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I am just one week shy of being back stateside for a full month. As I have seen so many familiar faces, I get the very familiar question.... “How was your trip?” There are many reasons this question is a hard one for me. 
#1)  It is scientifically impossible for me to take 4 months of outrageously amazing adventures and experiences and shove it into 3 or 4 sentences.
#2)  Even though I know that question is vastly approaching, I can never truly prepare for the emotions it evokes because everyday of re- entry (the process of coming back into one's home culture), I am “unpacking” and processing a different part of my journey. Who knows what part of my journey I am processing the moment someone asks that beautifully complicated question.
#3).... #1 and #2 are plenty, but alas, I could truly name a dozen, but then I would have to think of another title because then the focus wouldn’t be on defining “Struggle Bus” and why I am currently riding it. But before I can begin my definition, I must set the scene a little more. 
So after the question escapes the lips of said human, whom I love with all my heart, I then fumble through a few sentences of what I have already unpacked and processed to share bits of the goodness of my trip and something that God did that changed me in a powerful way. Then comes the next question that flows out in various forms. “So are you glad to be home?” Or “How are you adjusting to being back home?” Or even still “How’s your heart with coming home after all that God used you to do?”

Now theses are the questions that I am currently still unable to answer at the moment. What I can answer, is that I am truly happy to be “home”. I do love all that Jesus does where I live and in the amazing ministry in which He has placed me. I feel overwhelmed by His Goodness every week because of the people we get to love.  But as far as my heart or how I “feel”, I feel torn. Torn between so many places that words lose meaning if I tried to explain it. Thus enters said “Bus”.

In the places I go, we often turn a phrase that greatly expresses life in ministry. There are days that one weary heart turns to another and simply states, “I am really on the struggle bus today”. Or maybe even the verb tense when the bus just isn’t expressive enough as a noun. “I am Struggle Busing it today!” As a missionary or someone in full time ministry, there is this idea thrown around that we are all transported around by the wind of the Holy Spirit. As true as I wish this were.... it’s a lie from the pit of hell. The truth is sometimes you are indeed onboard the struggle bus, and those wheels are not exactly going round and round. But the Goodness of God IS, the Wind of the Holy Spirit may not sweep in and transport you to your destination. But it for sure will sweep in and blow subtly across your face and neck. Not because He has to, but because He loves you and because He wants to! It’s in those moments that the rickety bus of struggle is chugging along, hitting every pot hole the size of Africa, that I hear His whisper. “At least you’re moving, and you're moving forward!” You see, even in my struggle I am still moving forward. I know that I won’t stay on this means of transportation and as soon as I look to Him, I see His plans for a bus stop. You don’t always get to pick the type of struggle. I didn’t ask that man to bring me his dying child in an African village where hospitals are scarce and witch doctors rule by fear. I can’t force the temple prostitute to stop selling herself for food. I don’t get to choose the struggles I face, but I do have choices. I can choose to sit by the broken window on that bus and let the Holy Spirit speak to me. I can choose to trust in His Goodness and in His truth and get off that bus the FIRST time it stops. Transparency used to feel like a trap, but now I see it as the first stop to getting off that bus and choosing a different mode of transportation. He is so good and so faithful I can’t help but ride with Him, and He loves all of my journey. Even the times when my burden outweighs my desire for forward motion. That’s why, even in that, He has plan. I take His yoke and His load full of promise and purpose and He carries mine... and at times He even carries me.

1 Comment

STEPS by Susan Bozarth

2/6/2018

0 Comments

 
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A basic, central question for humans relates to the 'why' of life.

Most of us have struggles with that question on a personal level asking ourselves questions like... Why am I here? What comes naturally to me? And a real basic question... What would I do if I weren't afraid?

The need to answer the 'why' of life is not satisfied by wealth, fame, or notoriety.  There's something more.  There is something that needs to fill that void in our soul and it can only be satisfied by knowing and doing the purpose and plan God has for our our lives.

Let me ask you a question, who is the authentic or real you?  What is your core motivation? It can be scary to be the real authentic you.  We may be tempted to create a plan and purpose based on people's expectations and approval rather than on the plans and purposes God has for us.

God has invested so much in you, and for all He has put in you, there is only one thing God wants to know. "What will you do with what I gave you?"  It's been said... "Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God."

Finding your destiny in God is an adventure to say the least.  It drives you past the pain of life to the purpose of living.  Finding your destiny is not just about you! You fulfilling your destiny impacts everyone around you.  It's the pebble in the pond effect... the ripples keep moving out.

Psalm 37:23 says that the 'steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord.'

The word 'steps' implies process.  God orders steps.  Destiny is steps not an elevator.  You can stand on the first floor of a building and look up the stairs to the next floor for as long as you want but all the hoping, wishing, praying in the world are not going to get you to that next floor until you take the steps.  We all want to hurry the process but there are no shortcuts, no bypass... just steps!

God does not offer steps as an option, the Lord orders steps.  We get impatient with the process, the steps may seem to go on forever, the steps are lasting too long, I don't want to wait!  God if you have something for me to do just tell me and let's get on with it!  The steps come before reaching destiny.  What you learn as you walk out the steps is what will uphold you when you reach your destiny.

You have to start the process and what your destiny is will be realized...you cannot not fulfill your destiny...but you have to take the steps!



-Susan 

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World Missions Advance
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  • Home
  • About
    • Statement of Faith
    • What We Do
    • Chad Bozarth
    • Susan Bozarth
    • Melody Downey
  • Blog
  • Missionary Directory
  • Associate Missionaries
    • Global Missions >
      • Bryan and Dorie McLemore
      • Comella Nicholes
      • Kayla Cossaboom
      • Makenna McLemore
      • Pam Anderson
      • Willie & Alicia Hernandez (Global Expression)
    • North America >
      • Jim & Tami Essmyer
      • Samuel Sim
    • Caribbean >
      • Curaçao >
        • John and Solange Tranel
      • Jamaica >
        • Jeanette Priestley
    • Central America >
      • El Salvador >
        • Beth Thomson
        • Danny and Gelmarie Montes
        • David Carbajal
        • David & Kathy Knepper
        • Esther’s Heart (El Salvador)
        • Kurt Ackermann & Family
        • Ryan & Melissa Humphrey
    • South America >
      • Brazil >
        • Clayton and Ainne Gonçalves
        • Flavio & Luciana Piassi
      • Colombia >
        • Christopher Loard
    • Europe >
      • Austria >
        • Bill and Ada Wiisanen
        • Cesar and Simone Sotomayor
      • France >
        • Raymond Ontiveros
      • Germany >
        • Gerhard Lewerenz (Refugee Ministry)
      • Poland >
        • Adam and Agnieszka Piątkowski
        • Marek & Marysia Kiewra
        • Michal and Iza Wlodarczyk
        • Piotr Bigus
      • Romania >
        • Samuel Caba
      • Russia >
        • Dana & Tanya Carbone
        • Natalia Schedrivaya
      • Spain >
        • Timothy & Astrid Pitter
    • Africa >
      • Botswana >
        • Jona Pettijohn
      • West Africa >
        • Terry Theall
      • DR Congo and Burundi >
        • Dedani Mwemedi Echasa
      • Nigeria >
        • OASIS Project (Nigeria)
      • Uganda >
        • In Memory of Sheila Wier
    • Asia >
      • India >
        • Christopher Stanley and Salome Bantu
        • Vimal & Hannah Chinnam
      • Philippines >
        • James Dutra
      • Southeast Asia >
        • Sherry (Konczak) & Eric Anderson
    • Oceania >
      • Australia >
        • Tak Siong Lau
    • Inactive Missionaries >
      • Kimberly Hilton
      • Esera & Brittany Tauai
      • Sergio Menjivar
  • Missionary Services
  • Donate
    • World Missions Advance
    • Associate Missionaries
    • Projects/Ministries
    • Donate With Crypto
  • Projects
    • Greater Literacy Foundation
    • Hope Academy
    • Bible School Scholarship Program
    • Cinnamon House Orchard
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • Upcoming Events