It is past midnight as I write this. Dirty dishes are piled up in the sink, I forgot to take the trash out yet again, and I feel guilty about having rushed Sofia off to bed without reading her a bedtime story. Another long night lies ahead, and after only a few hours of sleep, it will be time to get up again and head back to work.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed, and as though life is slipping through your fingertips? Yep! Those are the times when self-doubt starts creeping in. Physical exhaustion often leads me to question my identity and purpose, but then, after a few hours in the air, our plane lands in Tbilisi, and I know why I have chosen to continue carrying on this hectic lifestyle. My vision is restored, and I see things very clearly once again.
Standing on Georgian ground, all senses are engaged, and I experience flashbacks of how God called me into the ministry. As I take a deep breath, my strength is replenished, and my peace is restored.
This past August marked my second trip to Tbilisi. The purpose of this trip was to meet with local Christian ministries and international organizations working in Georgia. Our trips are two weeks long, and the first week is intentionally pre-packed with meetings. This year we had hoped to treat the second week as a vacation, and head to the Black Sea, but unfortunately (or fortunately), some meetings got rescheduled into the second week and we ended up staying in Tbilisi the entire time. To be honest, it wasn’t so bad, since I love Tbilisi and it felt great to be back home.
It would take too long to write about our two-week trip in detail, but for certain, the Lord was with us in it all. Ministries we met with, stories we heard, friends we made, appointments I missed, bags that got mixed up—God’s hand was in every detail, large or small. Looking back at the chain of events, I see confirmation over and over again of how intimately involved our Lord is in our day-to-day lives. What an amazing God we serve.
In summary:
- I met several times with the Jesus.Ge ministry, and this group of young professionals continues to amaze me with their love for the Lord, the personal sacrifices they make in serving Jesus.Ge, and their level of maturity and passion for what they do. My husband had often warned me about Georgians, but when he met the Jesus.Ge team, I was pleased to hear him say, “These guys are not typical Georgians.”For example, in Georgia, if you call a 2:00 pm meeting, it would be unusual for anybody to shows up before 2:30 or 3:00, and when they do arrive, they might bring along their grandparents, best friend, or a neighbor. (Perhaps that’s a bit of a stretch, but it has happened before.) Last year, when I met with Jesus.Ge for the first time, these guys held a pre-meeting—an unheard of concept for most Georgians—and every time I have met with them since, everyone is on time, present and prepared. I believe this shows the level of their maturity and commitment.This past August, at our meeting with the Jesus.Ge Board of Directors, we discussed the future direction of their ministry, and SAVE Georgia’s level of involvement, and we re-committed our support of the Jesus.Ge ministry for the near future.
Be on the lookout for some great changes. More details will be revealed in the near future, and, I can’t wait to start sharing testimonies and stories of the impact Jesus.Ge has in Georgia.
- On this trip, I also met with several leaders involved in setting up Christian rehabilitation centers in Georgia. This has been an underserved area of work in the country for many years, and the need is great. We parted without making any commitment of support, but are fervently praying for God’s guidance concerning further involvement. Please join us in praying for these ministries’ work in Georgia. I have a feeling we might be posting more about them in upcoming months.
Stay tuned, or Contact Us, if you would like more information.
Overall, our trip was very productive, and a bit exhausting, but I am reminded yet again of how blessed I am for being called to serve the country of Georgia. Its people have become very dear to my heart.
I look forward to seeing what the year ahead has in store for us, and am eagerly anticipating our next trip to Georgia. Hopefully, one of you will be joining us!
Following are some photos of our meeting with the Jesus.Ge team.
