Going through the fire

I really didn't know what to expect when we got here. Someone told me I would feel "raw." I now know what that means...I call it the meat grinder! Some days were so intense, you just wanted it to end. I mean, could I cry anymore?! The pain was real and sometimes snuck up on us when we least expected it. But through it all, we feel so blessed to have learned what we did when we did.

I didn't want to get close to the other missionaries at first, after all, we'd only be here for 3 weeks anyway. God showed me that He had different plans, and our friendships grew quickly. I wondered though why I was going through this "pain." I also felt that I needed to spend time being "still" before Him. I sat in the lounge one morning, gazing into the fireplace, and it was as if God whispered, "Do you see the logs?"
"Yes," I answered.
"What do you notice about them?"
"That although they are surrounded by flames, they are not burning (gas fireplace)."

It took a few days, but I slowly became okay with going through the fire if He wanted me to. I knew that He would not let me get burned. I knew that it would be hard, but that he would show me things in the fire that revealed who I really was and what didn't belong. God did show up, He carried me the whole way through. I look forward to what lies ahead. And as I look back, I thank and I praise Him for taking me through the fire. May He receive all the Glory!