Happy Thanksgiving

So I leave in exactly one week! I cant believe it. I had a beautiful Thanksgiving with my family, my brother could have acted more like a grown up... but we cant ask for sooo much can we! :-)

Anyways Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family... if you are reading my blog you have been invited here by me because I love and care about you so much and I am so thankful for you in my life. Have a blessed rest of the day with your loved ones!

I think I can, I think I can...

Well with 2 weeks to go and $270 left to raise... I am getting there. But it is not without its fair share of distractions and obstacles. Between recovering from my surgery, struggling to hit any kind of sales numbers in this drought of an economy, finishing up my graduate school paper, and getting home for Thanksgiving, I think He is testing me. :-)
I can make it though! You know what... I am doing everything I can, the rest is up to Him. Yep, thats right. For those of you who don't get the opportunity to go to my church that was our pastors message last week. "Why Worry?" Those who can look in your Bible he is talking about the message in Matthew 6:25-34. Basically translated into... "Hey! These times are tough... we WORRY a lot because of the economy, we are trying to get THAT job, or into the SCHOOL, trying to STAY healthy, or save a relationship, or finish a paper, I could go on and on for all of us... but basically all you can do is give it all you got (the things you worry about). Do whatever YOU can and after that release it all to God up there. Thats all you can do. He cares about you and He cares about me. He will take care of us... its been promised to us!!!" We just need to surrender our worries to Him... WOW! I always heard of SURRENDERING to Jesus... I never thought I could, I guess I never really understood what it meant? See what I thought was that was for the really "Holy" people... the "Jesus Freaks." :-) Well I think most of you would consider me a Jesus Freak right now and... well... I have never felt more empowered in my whole life... call me what you want... but just TRY IT! For one week... everything you worry about... just talk to Him... give it to Him... he can NEVER have enough on His plate. Your days will change and your thoughts and your worries will slowly be relieved.
It may be hard for some of you to pray... I am still learning. It is definitely the hardest part of this relationship with God. I talk to Him like he is my best friend... haha! Which I guess is exactly what He wants... the point is, my thoughts are ALL OVER the place and probably make no sense to anyone else... they barely do to me, but he hears EVERY word we say to Him and he wants to help. Just make the move. I DARE YOU!
Thanks for all your support and prayers. YOU ARE IN MINE! Now... back to that Grad school paper! :-)

PS If you want to hear more about "Why Worry" you can listen to it online. Please don't feel like you have to... It has just spoke a lot to me this week. MOM!!! This is a good one for you! :-) Kidding, kidding! http://www.buckheadchurch.org/messages.

xoxo

Its about Cambodia

Its been a tough week for me... but I have to remember to let it all go... and focus on Him up there and what he is doing in my life!
Take a look:
http://blog.buckheadchurch.org/2008/11/11/its-not-about-buckhead-church-its-about-cambodia/

1/2 way there

My family and friends have given so humbly... I have received $1500 so far from all of you!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND FUNDING of this trip. It really moves me to tears. I cant explain the excitement I have going to the mailbox everyday - I am like a little girl at Christmas times... EXCEPT this is a MILLION times better because this is not just a gift to me - there is a much bigger meaning to all of this... and a lot more little life's that will be touched because of all of you. Thank you so, so, so VERY MUCH! I CANT WAIT!!!!

I am so very grateful

As I start receiving support from all of my friends and family I cant help to stop and think about how thankful I am for all of you. I am thankful to the support system around me who are sending their hard earned money and their most sweetest blessings. I am thankful for my family and my little sisters inspiring words - she doesn't know it, but she brings tears to my eyes a lot of the time. I am so grateful for my job and my boss who is so supportive of my dreams. I am thankful for the team of people that I will be traveling to Cambodia with. We are all still getting to know each other, but there is something special in all of us... and every time we meet it becomes more and more obvious that God put us all together for a very special reason.
Today when we met, we talked about Proverbs 16:9 which says "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." This verse is really important to me. I was trying to explain this to my group, but ended up just blabbing and probably confusing them all... haha! Typical of me huh?
Anyways... if you know me well, you know how much I like planning my days out, my weeks out, my months out... Oh who am I fooling I try to plan my whole life out! :-) And I pray to the Lord every morning to help me let go of all of this and give it all go to God. Its one of the hardest things for me to do... let go of control... or what I think is my control... but it is BY FAR THE MOST REWARDING THING YOU COULD DO. Between work, and school, and social life, the little things that you deal with everyday, and in preparing for this trip I pray to God everyday to help me let go and trust him. There is so much I want to do in life and a million places I want to be - but I know NOW that God will use me where he needs me, even if its not particularly where I want to be. And there WILL be obstacles along the way... and like my little sister said, so beyond her years, even when you release all control, there is an evil out there that will try to change your thinking and your faith... but YOU CANT LET IT!!! YOU MUST STAND STRONG!
So if you are reading this and praying is your thing, please keep me in your prayers that I can keep giving it all to God. And if you find yourself in the same place as me and sometimes its hard to give it all to Him... I will be praying for you. When it gets hard or you question God's intentions just remember my favorite Bible verse from when I was a little girl, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean NOT on your OWN understandings. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3: 5-6

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR GENEROSITY, PRAYERS, and SUPPORT! It means the world!!!!

VISA, SHOTS, and PREPARATION

I am filling out my VISA right now for Cambodia and figuring out what shots/vaccines I need to get from my doctor. How exciting! The trip is less than 2 months away!!! I cant believe I am really doing this!!! Especially since after yesterday my mom sent me a warning posted by the US Embassy:

The U.S.Embassy advises U.S. Citizens to avoid large public gatherings and crowded public areas. Land mines and unexploded ordnance are found in rural areas throughout Cambodia, especially in BATTAMBANG!!

Cambodia has a high crime rate, including street crime. Military weapons and explosives are readily available to criminals despite authorities' efforts to collect and destroy such weapons.Armed robberies occur frequently in Phnon Penh. Foreign residents and visitors are among the victims. Victims of armed robberies are reminded not to resist their attackers and to surrender their valuables, since any perceived resistance may be met with physical violence, including lethal force. LOCAL POLICE RARELY INVESTIGATE REPORTS OF CRIME AGAINST TOURISTS!!

Medical Facilities do not even meet international standards, that's real scary should you get sick or worse get the "bird flu." Check with your health insurance before you leave to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and weather it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this ???? i for one am beginning to panic." (THAT WAS WRITTEN BY MY MOM)

The U.S. Embassy is located at No. 1, Street 96 (near Wat Phnom), Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The telephone number is (855-23) 728-000

I guess Uncle Tom and Aunt Karen were right... I am a little nuts... but GOD IS GOOD everyone and so there is no need to worry too much. My team and i... we are in his hands for this 2 weeks when we are over there. I AM SOO EXCITED!!!!

PS: Thanks for EVERYONE who is sending their prayers and support back to me... I most have the MOST gracious FAMILY and FRIENDS!
AMEN!

My letter of support

Dear Friends and Family,

I am so excited to share with you that I will be taking part on the BIGGEST adventure of my life thus far. On December 4^th I will join 9 others from my Church as we venture into the jungles of Cambodia for 10 days. Our destination is a Cambodian orphanage that houses about 40 children. We are going to share Christ’s love for ALL people by giving our time and money as we spend time with the children and throw the orphanage and the community that surrounds a Christmas Party… how cool is that?!?!?! J

I cannot begin to express to you my excitement about this trip. I have always wanted to be a part of a mission trip, but have always hesitated and second guessed myself, for fear of traveling into countries who may not like Americans, meeting people who don’t know Jesus and don’t want to, and just not confident enough in myself, Jesus, or the word of God. In the past I felt like I had so many questions that I could not answer about Christianity. I have come to realize that it is NOT about having all the answers, I probably NEVER will! What it is about is a relationship… A relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… and that, my friends and family, is the single most important aspect of my life today! I have grown into a relationship with Jesus Christ that I never thought was possible. Jesus has control of my life and all I want to do is scream from the rooftop his unconditional love, mercy, and grace that he has for me and for everyone else… no matter WHAT!!!! I was introduced to this relationship by Buckhead Church. When I moved to Atlanta in the summer of 2006, I started attending Buckhead Church… I started going by myself… can you believe that? Something just moved in me that that is where I needed to be. Since then this Church has inspired and challenged me in so many different ways. This is how I stumbled upon a mission trip to Cambodia… well actually I wouldn’t call it stumble upon… I truly believe that it is my time and it is where God wants me to be!!!

The people of Cambodia have been through hell. In the late 1970s, when America’s attention was on Vietnam, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge implemented one of the most radical and brutal restructurings of society EVER attempted. Its goal was to turn Cambodia into a peasant dominated society. Within days the entire population of Phnom Penh and towns surrounding, including children, the sick and elderly were forced to march into the countryside and work 12 – 15 hour days as slaves. Disobedience of any sort or a sign of education or religion sought immediate execution. The Khmer Rouge reign lasted from 1975 to 1979 and estimated in anywhere from 2 -3 million deaths. Hundreds of thousands of people were executed in the most grotesque and bloodiest ways, the others died of famine and disease. To the Cambodian people, death seemed more like a relief from the horrors of life. The Khmer Rouge detached Cambodians from the world and the people from their families, food, fields, and their faith!!! And as if they hadn’t done enough harm to the citizens, towards the end of the reign of the Khmer Rouge, they dumped one landmine for every Cambodian citizen left alive in the jungles so the killing would continue even though their power was defeated by the Vietnamese.

It’s been almost 30 years since the Khmer Rouge and although still a 3^rd world country, contemporary Cambodia is well on its way to recovery. However, the nightmares and devastation from the past still haunt the citizens today. As most of the landmines have been destroyed, they are still out there taking lives. There are still large numbers of orphans lost in this country, and for the most part they are sold into the most horrifying sex trade that you could imagine. So this is where I can help!! Buckhead Church and North Point Ministries partnered with New Life Missions about 2 years ago. New Life Missions is a Cambodian Organization that plants Churches and uses them to manage orphanages (more information can be found at http://cambodianewlife.org/ordealhome.php). The orphans are taught the Bible and have been selected from area villages because of their specific needs and potential. They are carefully invested in and educated with the hopes that they will become the next generation of Christian leaders in Cambodian and go on to influence many more people. This is so important because Christians make up less than 1% of the population in Cambodia. The school has a 3 part mission statement: Take care of the children’s immediate needs (food, shelter, and love), educate and train them in marketable skills, and lead them into a growing relationship with God. And this is the exact purpose of our trip! J

There is no doubt in my mind that God turned the page of my bulletin that Sunday night to this opportunity for me. He put this opportunity and the people that will take part on this trip with me in my life for a reason! I intend to make the most of it and after many prayers, as I travel on a 16 hour flight and a 6 hour bus ride, I am going into a place where the living conditions are going to be different than anything I have ever experienced, where the people and children barely speak English. The excitement and honor that I have for this trip is again, truly unexplainable. I am taking an opportunity that most people never get a chance to take in this lifetime and TRY to grasp the part of God’s extraordinary love for people all over the world. And this is where your part comes in. Many of my friends and family have already expressed an interest in this trip and how they can help. What I am asking for is your prayers and support!!! Prayers for these orphans who have lost both of their parents… and perhaps their place in this world. Prayers for my team and me as we travel to the far other side of the world that we may have the ability to share God’s love. A prayer for these orphans, today, tomorrow, and forever that they find a relationship with Jesus Christ and have ability to spread his word in their growing country of Cambodia. And, most importantly, a prayer that we will do a wonderful thing for God and for the children of Cambodia.

In addition to praying for my team and me, if you feel like supporting me financially, I will definitely welcome it! Each member of the team has a goal is to raise $2,500 to cover travel expenses. Since this trip is close to Christmas, I am asking for my friends and family to contribute to this “Cambodian Christmas Mission” instead of any kind of Christmas gifts. Any amount will truly be a gift to me and the children at New Life Orphanage (and your contribution is tax deductible)!! If you would like to give, you can go online and pay by credit card, or if you prefer check payment, I have included a self addressed envelope. All donations must be received by November 9^th, 2008.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my letter and for your support through prayers and giving. I will keep you posted on the preparations I make for this trip and my day to day experience when I am over there serving through my blog: http://natalie-christmasincambodia.blogspot.com/.

I look forward to sharing with each of you what God is doing in Cambodia upon my return! God bless!!!

Gratefully,
Natalie Lawler

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth.”

1 John 3:17-18