Prayer, Financial, and Ministry Update--Only 28% Left To Go!!!

"My Story For God's Glory"

 ^"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Hello Family and Friends!
I hope you are all having a wonderful Spring so far! 

This past month has been a little extra exciting because I had the opportunity to visit a dear friend of mine that I met last year when I did YWAM.  As I reflect back  on my trip; I had no idea how much I truly needed that time to get out of my usual routine, time to process things with God, be alone with Him in nature, spend time encouraging my friend, meeting new people, and allow Him to fill me as I rest in His presence.  As I was gazing up at all these gigantic and majestic mountains in Colorado, I couldn't help but think: "Wow, God, you are so BIG and I am so small."  It's so easy to get stuck in a bubble; but when God shows you something new, it makes you realize that there is so much more going on around the world that you knew nothing about. 

Seeing these huge mountains also put my problems and worries that I had had at home in their place. As I continue to get closer to my monthly goal the more eager I become to finally depart for Colombia! I am currently at 72%, which means I only need 28% more in monthly donations pledged!! HALLELUJAH!! I was reminded that even though I have absolutely no control over when my finances come in, I know the one who has CONTROL OVER THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. The remaining $488.00 I need  in monthly donations is so minuscule in the grand scheme of things. 

My friend, Becca, and I in Buena Vista, Colorado enjoying God's beautiful creation.

My prayer is that whatever problem or worry you may be facing, that this truth would speak to you: Because of Christ you already have VICTORY over whatever it is you may be facing! God's Word says it so perfectly in Matthew 6:26-30, "Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,  yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?"

This mountain in Colorado can only be a taste of what God's glory could possibly be like.

Specific Prayer Requests:

-My soon to be team member in Colombia, Raquel DeJesus, is back in Bogota'!! She has been on furlough this winter to visit family/friends and to share at churches about ACTION'S ministry in Colombia. Please pray for her as she reunites with the rest of my team and continues to share the Gospel in Bogota'! It's exciting that she will be back because that means that whenever my finances come in I will be living with her and she will be able to "take me under her wing"  as I adjust to life in Bogota'.

-On March 31st there was a huge mudslide in Mocoa, Colombia--Leaving more than 250 dead and hundreds more are still missing. Please pray for the families and aftermath of this great tragedy.

-I have had many opportunities to talk about missions and share the Gospel with my coworkers as well as some of our clients.  Prayer for more divine appointments and that I would be in tune with the Holy Spirit as I work.

-Pre-Praise for the remaining $488.00 that the Lord will bring in in His perfect timing!!!

-Prayer that I willl be patient and remain present while I am still in Minnesota

-This month I find out from a few churches how they feel led to support me. Prayer that they would hear clearly from the Lord and prayer of praise that they would like to partner with the Gospel being shared in Colombia!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my newsletter and actively being an important role in my living out the call that God has for my life!

To God All Praise and Glory,
Megan

For easy online giving and additional information please visit:
https://www.actioninternational.org/missionary/schilling/

All donations are tax-deductible and are accepted with the understanding that Action International Ministries has complete control and administration of their use.

Expectations

Who am I?

Who does the world see me as?

If today was my last, what would I be known for?

What would be my legacy?

Maybe you're like me and have thought about this a time or two. I've come to realize that everyone has some sort of expectation. Whether it be in a work setting, within our family or friend circles, or even just the first impressions we have with random people in our day to day lives. 

If you're in your twenties like me, maybe these statements or questions sound familiar to you:

"Oh wow, you graduated from college a few years ago? You still haven't found a career to settle down into?"

"So, no luck finding a husband yet? My friend's sister's cousin has someone that I could set you up with!"

"I see you're still living with your parents, nice. No desire to find your own place yet?"
"Can I pray clarity over you? I'm sure things will get better soon!"
"You're doing missions alone? Don't you think it would be better if you were doing it with a husband?"

These are just a few of my favorites. But I'm sure there's many more that could be added to the list. I've had to remind myself from time to time that I'm sure these people really mean well. Most people are coming from a caring place and are just wanting to help. I know I'm probably guilty of doing the same thing.

To be honest though, sometimes I can't help but walk away from a conversation like that and think, "Am I doing something wrong?" I start comparing myself to the people around me and begin to wonder," God, why am I not where those people are at? How come I'm not where I thought I would be?" I begin to realize that I have set expectations on myself as well. Whether I notice it or not, in the back of my mind I kind of have a rough expectation of the order in which my life "should" go. First comes the love, then comes the marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage?

God has really challenged me to reflect in this area. Sometimes we try so hard to fit the mold and expectations of others, or even our own expectations; but in the midst of all that we lose ourselves and wonder who we are. I've come to realize that every day is a constant act of surrender. Loosening our grip on trying to take control and remember who's life it truly is. God created me exactly how He wanted me to be. So why am I trying to change that or floor the gas pedal to get there?

It's exhausting to try to be the person that everyone else(myself included) wants me to be. Now, I'm not saying that we should become lazy and not desire to grow, improve in our weaknesses, and become more like Jesus. That definitely takes time, patience, endurance, and is a good thing. I'm talking more about the surface, materialistic, earthly things that we are trying to change to please others or ourselves.

Each of our stories are different. That's one amazing thing about our Creator! He didn't make us all the same. He made us all unique and special. We maybe won't understand it until later in life or maybe not until we are in Heaven, but God promises that He has an intentional purpose for everything and for each and every one of us. This reminded me of a C.S Lewis quote I once heard:

Do you remember that amazing moment when it finally clicked in your head that you weren't just Megan, or Ben, or Sarah, or Drew? That your life is so much bigger than that? That your identity in Christ is who you TRULY are! Maybe you haven't experienced this moment yet. But I pray that we all have this revelation, not just once, but are reminded of that every day. 

That's something that is so refreshing about having a personal relationship with God. We don't have to pretend. We don't have to be something we are not. We don't have to have all the answers. We don't have to have it all together. He meets us where we are at every single time we approach Him and accepts us exactly the way we are!

God gave me this huge revelation the other day, that I would like to close with. There is only ONE (insert your name here) and God relationship! The things that He is teaching, growing, and challenging you in is not supposed to be the same as those around you. If we were all in the same place in life, our relationship with God would all be the same. Our relationship with Him would not be unique, special, or personal. Our understanding is so limited and simple minded. Sure, on the outside we may see that those around us are getting promotions at work, getting engaged, married, or having kids. From our perspective their life may look "perfect" and like they "have it all together", but I am realizing that during every season of life there will always be things that the Lord is growing and challenging me in. Maybe our friend needs to get a promotion in his or her job to realize that an earthly job title doesn't make them feel better about themselves. Maybe our friend is needing to realize that even though he or she is married, he or she can only be fulfilled by Jesus. It dawned on me: There could be so many behind the scene things that I am unaware of. I could use my time trying to figure out why those around me are "getting what I want", or I could focus on the beautiful things that God is teaching me and showing me presently in my life.

So I would like to encourage you today: Don't compare yourself to those around you. Don't be hard on yourself. Don't expect to have all the answers and have your life all together. Because the truth is no matter where you're at in life, it will always be a challenge. In every stage of our lives we will be tempted to put other things before God. Life is not a destination to perfection. It is a journey. It's an adventure that God wants to personally pursue with you. He wants to continue to show you who are in Him. The people around you DO NOT define who you are. They shouldn't be telling you where you should be in life or who you should be. Allow the Lord to speak all of that to you in HIS PERFECT TIMING.

To God All Praise and Glory,

Megan

Little Did I Know

January 7th will always hold a special place in my heart. A year ago today, I left to embark on an incredible adventure that I will never forget. I remember leaving bright and early, excited to see what the next five months had in store. Five months prior to this day I had quit my job as a hairstylist due to a shoulder injury as well as I had been ignoring God calling me to pursue missions. Looking back, all I can think is, "Man, I was stubborn.". God had continued to put missions on my heart through His Word, church, and through people he had placed in my life. Finally one day I went into my pastor's office and told him,"Pastor Anderson, I don't know when, I don't know where, I don't know how; but I can't ignore God anymore. I have to pursue missions!!" I guess you could say that day was the start of the adventure already. Learning to surrender what I thought I needed/wanted and instead asking God what HE wanted to do with my life. I was so caught up in what I thought was best for me that I realized that I was never giving God the chance to show me HIS BEST.

I'm still learning about this today, but wow, looking back that process of discovering His best and what God wanted was SO BEAUTIFUL. In life, it is so easy to get caught up in : I'm at point A, now I want to be at point B. But often times I forget to stop and appreciate the beauty that happens in the middle of those points. It was fun finding out where God wanted me to go next and not having every step planned out in front of me. The first organization I was drawn to was Action International Ministries, which is currently the organization I am pursuing missions in Colombia through(God is so awesome!!!). At the time I felt like God wasn't saying no, but He was telling me not yet. It definitely confused me because it seemed like a perfect fit. The only thing was that at the time I wasn't ready to commit to full time/long term missions, so because of that God guided me to YWAM(Youth With A Mission) in Kona, Hawaii. God knew that I needed more preparation, shaping, and that I needed Him to prune me more into the woman He intended me to be. My experience in YWAM was exactly that! I had no idea who I was, because before my discipleship training school I was looking for my identity within myself instead of looking to my Creator.

Above: Teaching Bible Class at an orphanage in Thailand
Below: Building relationships with street children in the Philippines

This morning I was paging though my photo album where I had documented my trip to Hawaii, Thailand, and the Philippines and its amazing how all the memories so quickly came flooding back. I still can't believe that that was a whole year ago!! I remember not knowing a single person on campus. I remember my first day of lecture phase, and how I went in thinking that I already knew everything about God because I've known Him my whole life. The word humble smacked me in the face that day to say the least haha. I remember walking away that first day thinking, "Oh my gosh...what am I thinking? I don't know God!! I thought I had Him all figured out, but that just shows how much I still don't know about Him! For the rest of my life I will discover new things about Him that I didn't know before!!". I remember meeting new friends everyday from all around the world. I remember my team becoming my family. I remember feeling so at home in each country(or state) I was in. I remember being stretched in ways I had never been stretched before. I remember prayer having a whole new meaning after we had a week about hearing God's voice. I remember having to rely fully on the Holy Spirit before sharing your testimony or teaching a class. I remember sitting in little huts filled with families where all you could do was smile because neither of you knew each other's language. I remember choreographing my first dance and seeing how the Holy Spirit can move through the movements and lyrics of a song. I remember how hard it was leaving the people you had built relationships with in each country, but also a sense of joy because I know I will see them again in Heaven. I remember going into YWAM thinking, "Okay Lord, I know you want me here for the next five months, but after that I have no idea what to do after. I'll need you to give me a sign or speak really loudly what you want me to do next because I don't have a clue." Little did I know, this mission trip was the start of a new way of life. It wasn't just a mission trip. It was a chapter that revealed to me what God's call was for my life and what my purpose is. I'm still figuring it out. I still don't have all the answers. I still have more stretching and growing to do. I still fight going back to my old habits, of wanting to be in control and to know what's next. I still don't have it all together. I still stumble and make mistakes. But God has made this truth clear to me: No matter where I go. No matter what my earthly job title may be. No matter if I'm single or married. No matter what. My purpose is to live my life as Christ's ambassador. My purpose is to point those around me to Jesus. My purpose is to share the hope of Jesus Christ with the nations. My purpose is to make God known so that He may receive ALL GLORY. But in all of that, realizing that none of it is because of me, it's all because of Jesus, Apart from Him, I can do nothing.

To God All Praise and Glory,

Megan