Writings

My Testimony

Tonight is the commissioning service for our missions team. We're leaving soon for El Salvador. It's customary that each member of the missions team give a testimony to the local church, and also to the church we will be visiting abroad. It's always difficult coming up with a testimony that you want to write down and share with a congregation. I've struggled in the past year a lot with a few things, and I plan to tell about them in my testimony. Hopefully it will serve as an encouragement to those in El Salvador.

English:

Hello, my name is Denny, and I want to tell you about how God is always working in our lives, whether we can see it or not. Despite what we do, though we may go astray, God has plans for us. In the past year I have been convicted regarding how I have gone astray, where I can serve, and where I haven't served that I should be serving, and also regarding my attitude. I have a tendency to busy myself with many things, often things that are not for God's glory. But, God has a way of getting our attention through various circumstances. Just like God used a great fish to set Jonah on the right path, God often brings things into our lives, to lead us toward His will. We may not always like them, but Jesus said we have to first lose our life before we can find it. Through the tough times, we need to be steadfast in prayer, leaning on God because he will bring you through.

God has been getting my attention in the past year. Through busyness and misdirection, I became bitter and at times felt distant from God. I looked back at the greater joy I had at one time and the peace I had exchanged for worry and doubt. Last summer I was paging through my Bible and came upon Proverbs 16:9 which reads "The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps" (NRSV). We can make plans; we can go our own way, but it's not our will but God's that prevails. Don't fight it In all things and through prayer seek always His guidance, and you can't go wrong.

Spanish:

Hola, me llamo Denny, y quiero decirles como Dios siempre trabaja en nuestras vidas. No importa que hagamos ni ir a los caminos malos; Dios tiene proyectos para nosotros.