South Africa and how YOU can join the journey!

Dear Friends,

Hey! I hope you are having an awesome 2013; I know mine has been a blast this far. God has been teaching me some really cool stuff at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I am studying Christian Ministry, and I plan on furthering my education to become an international missionary.

I surrendered to ministry in 2008, and never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed God would have me here in New Orleans serving and working towards travelling around the world! God really placed a special call on my life during 2010; God called me and placed a love that is completely indescribable for people groups overseas who have never heard of God or what He did for all of us. I began praying that the Lord would guide me on the right path as I pursued Him. My senior year of high school I remember Africa being brought up and myself being curious about the people and culture of Africa; Ever since that moment I realized that God has called me to missions, I have been praying that God would open a door for me to go (specifically to Africa if it was in His will). This prayer continued during my first year of college and on into my second year. There had been a few opportunities for me to go, but God shut those doors because He was preparing me and molding me for the right time and the right opportunity. In November 2012, God opened the right door at the right time and placed a huge burden in my heart for orphans in South Africa. I applied through the International Mission Board (IMB) and I was accepted February 2013!

On July 31^st, I will be leaving for Johannesburg, South Africa, to work with an organization called Door of Hope, which is an orphanage for abandoned babies. Door of Hope has received 1,300 babies since 1999. On average there are at least three babies abandoned every day in Johannesburg, South Africa. These babies are thrown in the trash, flushed down a toilet, deserted, thrown from a building, and even wrapped in plastic bags. Most of the mom’s/parent’s literally cannot afford to take care of themselves much less a baby because of poverty. Door of Hope is saving the lives of these abandoned babies, but they cannot do it by themselves, which is why I am volunteering with them. I will serve alongside with the people there for close to five months. I will be loving on these babies, as well as feeding them, changing them, bathing them, and sharing the love of Christ through my actions and words. I will also be encountering many South Africans as I live there and I will get to know the culture and people. I am so excited to grow in the Lord and continue to love on His people.

Not only do I get to go on an amazing adventure in my life, but you do as well. God has given you a specific task in your life right now and I know He will do great things through you as well. Also you can be a part of my journey as well; you can begin praying for me as the Lord is preparing my heart and my body for this new journey in my life. I would ask that you pray for me that I proclaim the Gospel in a clear way and that every day I portray the love of Christ to every single person I meet. Also pray that God will provide safety over my travelling, and that He will provide financially for my trip. I need to raise at least $7,000. That is quite a challenge, in my book!

You can also be a part of my trip by seeking God’s direction in helping me financially. Would you consider supporting me with $25, $50, or whatever the Lord leads you to give?  I have included a link where you can give online if you would like. You can also go to Regions Bank and deposit money into the account: Hannah B Thompson South Africa Donations. Please make checks payable to Hannah Thompson. Also I am going to need to continuously be saturated in prayer. If you can be a prayer warrior for me, please contact me so that I can know to add you to my list of prayer warriors. Again, thank you for your time and thanks for helping make my opportunity to go a reality!

The Ups and Downs of Life

You know those days, weeks, even months where you just become stagnant in your faith? You have no desire to read the Bible, go to church, or even pray. Well if you don't know those times, just wait they will come. I have currently been in a "dry spell" or a "drought" in life (what I call those times). I just have had no desire to do anything, I even was to the point to where I didn't even want to listen to Christian music. The saddest part was that I didn't even realize I was in this spot until several days ago. Everything just hit me at once and I realized that I was not where I needed to be. At first I felt really ashamed that I had let myself get to this point, and I still am to some degree but  I also remembered that I am a human and I am going to mess up. Prime example of why I cannot live this life by myself, I really, really, really need the Lord! We all go through some really dark times in life and they are all unique and they all have a purpose! I just imagine the 3 days after Christ had been crucified how the disciples must have felt during that time. I'm sure it was a dark time for them. I sort of relate those "dry spells" with this time because they are not forever and once God reveals himself to us in this time we rejoice, just as the disciples did when Jesus arose from the grave!
Over these past few days I have been trying to understand why I got to this point, how I could have prevented it, and what was the purpose of it all? And up until last night I had zero answers for my questions. I was just having some "me" time last night, haha, and I decided to listen to some music. I typed in encouragement and the first song I saw was "Praise Him In Advance" by Marvin Sapp. I had never heard the song before, so I thought why not give it a listen. As I began to listen to the song, I felt like the whole song was about me, for me, and to me! The first verse of the song: "I’ve had my share of ups and downs. Times when there was no one around. God came and spoke these words to me, Praise will confuse the enemy." I never looked at it that way--Praise will confuse the enemy. When Satan is attacking, the best thing to do is just praise Jesus because He WILL bring you through it. I know that I always get so caught up in the world and all that it has to offer, and Satan uses that against me. He tempted Jesus so it is obviously clear that he is going to tempt us as well. I hate these times where there is a drought in life and it just seems like nothing is going right and like God isn't speaking. I also love these times because I have discovered that God has a specific purpose for these seasons in life, and that no matter what at the end of this time I will fall more deeply in love with Him and He will be glorified. It's like after you have just ran or worked out and you are so thirsty that you just want water. Like that is all that will satisfy you, only in life I sometimes seek the wrong thing to fill where Jesus (the Living Water) is supposed to be. Those are the times in life that can seem like everything is perfect until you really just sit back and evaluate your life, and you realize that yeah things are nice but what am I doing to glorify God? I began to look in the Bible and try to find some answers to help myself and whoever else might be in need of some help. I came across many verses, but Isaiah stuck out to me the most.

 “The poor and needy search for water,
    but there is none;
    their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the Lord will answer them;
    I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.  

 I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
    and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
    and the parched ground into springs." Isaiah 41:17-18

I could tell you stories, I could even encourage you with my own words; but friends, Scripture is the BEST thing I can share with you. Nothing in me is good or even good enough to help you or myself with our problems, in our personal life and in life in general. God is truth and He is the creator of everything, so obviously the greatest advice anyone can ever give you is the Word of God. 

Another thing that I discovered, while trying to walk through this season in my life, is that we as the body of Christ need to be more open about these times in life. I know for myself I was really convicted about this. As Christians, we always think that we have to have everything together and that we have to seem like we are "sin-less". Well I am here to tell you that none of us are without sin! We are all imperfect, so let's just go ahead and accept it for what it is! Haha, seriously though. It's time that we start being real with each other, that is the only way we can grow as a body. We need each others help for when times are tough. Also the only way to reach other people is to get real with ourselves and others around us. How can we share what God has done and is doing in our lives with non-believers, if we can't even share with our family in Christ? Also I think that being honest and open allows us to work on the things we struggle with and also shows people who don't know Christ that we are not perfect that it is Christ that is perfect. 

Well guys, thanks for the time you took to read this. I am still a growing Christian so there are many more life lessons I will get to share with you guys! Ha..keep me in your prayers as I continue to follow the Lord and seek His will! I will as well keep you in my prayers, and remember it is ok to go through those dry spells. Just when you think the road has ended, you will discover that God has made a way for you and me! Sometimes the land is very dry and the only thing that can fix that is water. In life sometimes we hit tough times and the only thing that can help us is the Living Water.

"I spread out my hands to you;
    I thirst for you like a parched land." Psalm 143:6

An unworthy sinner saved by Grace,

Hannah Thompson

Learning to raise my white flag.

Surrender: To give over or resign (oneself) to something.
Submit: To yield or SURRENDER (oneself) to the will or authority of another.

These are 2 words that have been on my mind for quite some time. What does it mean to surrender? And is surrender a negative thing? Well by definition surrender means to give up. Most people see giving up as a negative thing, but it depends on what you are GIVING UP and what you are GAINING. When I became a Christian I gave up the ways of the world, but I gained an unfailing love and a heavenly Father who would sacrifice His only son just so I can be with Him. Wow, I gained more than I started with. I always saw surrender as a sign of weakness, but then I have come to learn that sometimes when you surrender it is for the greater good. I am a sinful human being and I can't survive this world on my own. I am in need of someone stronger than myself to help me through this crazy ride-- that would be Jesus. All throughout scripture we see that God is all-knowing and full of wisdom. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6. We as humans fail each other every day, but God is perfect and he will never fail us. We may not get exactly what we want, and that is because God has a plan for our life and he knows exactly what we need and what is best for us in the long-run. To surrender to God is to actually gain eternal life! As a Christian we are called to go and make disciples, but if we want to make disciples we must first be a disciple. How do I become a Disciple? Mark 8:34 "Then he called the crowd to him along with his  disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me"." The key to being a disciple is following Jesus. Striving everyday to be more and more like Him is what makes someone a disciple. It's not about whether you are a leader or not, it is about who you are following. I definitely have followed the wrong things before. I am selfish, and many times I have turned from Christ just because I wanted satisfaction at that moment instead of waiting on His time. I have to wake up everyday and surrender my all to God because of my sinful nature. I am imperfect; so I have to work hard to be like Christ. The road of a Christian is not easy, but in the end it will be well worth the bumpy road. Surrendering is the easy part, in my opinion. It is the next day that it becomes difficult. The moment you surrender to the Lord the devil has already began working against you. At moments after that surrender it feels like the entire world is against you, it is pretty insane! God never promised we would not be tested, and that is truth! "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7. Ah, the Bible always has the answers we need. :) As we submit daily to God, He protects us and doesn't allow us to struggle with anything to big for us. We are stronger than we think; I know this for a fact. If you are born again then the Spirit of the Lord is dwelling in you; therefore, you are pretty stinking strong! 

I am still learning how to surrender and submit to God daily. So my prayer, until my next blog, is that as we journey through life we will continue to hold onto the truths the Bible has for us. 

Raising my white flag,
Hannah T.

Testimony

Well I decided to begin blogging, so this is all new to me; however, I am excited to stretch my weak points. I figured that my testimony would be a good place to begin. (So here goes)
I am 19 years old. I was born February 17, 1993 in Amory Mississippi. I am an only child, my  mom has a lot of health problems so it was a miracle she even had me. My mom has Brites disease, which is a kidney disease, and she has to depend on a machine to live because her kidneys do not work. I did not grow up being forced to go to church. in fact my parents did not go very often...my aunt would invite me to come to events such as VBS or church trips and that was about the only time I remember being in church regularly. I got saved when I was 8 years old at Meadowood Baptist Church a local church in Amory. However, even though I got saved I did not regularly attend church. I went to a public school called Hatley High School. I was always a good kid. When i was about 9 or 10 the years are kinda blurry to me...I was sexually abused by my cousin. he was 16. I can remember feeling nasty even though I was young I felt like I had done something wrong or that it was my fault. I didn't tell my parents till I was halfway home (this happened at a family gathering in a town near amory) my dad was so angry..my cousins parents just got on to him, he did not receive the punishment I thought he should have. A week after this happened I was over at my grandmother's (dad's mom) house and I told her what happened, and she got on to me for not defending myself. She told me it was my fault the boy had done the things he did to me. I don't remember much between then and junior high. The summer before high school I lost my great grandfather and then 2 months later I lost my other grandmother (mom's mom). My family and I had been living with my grandmother taking care of her and when she died my mother's older sister kicked us out of the house so we had to relocate and we moved closer to my school. So I faced a lot of change going into high school including the anger and shame i had built up from my abuse. Once we moved closer to town my family and I started going to Meadowood and attending regularly..so I began to pick up in my relationship with Christ. At the time the church did not have a youth minister, but Jennifer Best, who was the associate youth minister  invested time in me and began to mentor me. I began to grow in faith, but I hid my abuse from everyone and pretended it never happened and for the longest time it felt like it hadn't. I didn't feel like it was a part of my life and that if I pretended it never happened then it would just go away. So I continued to shove it in the closet of my past, and went on with my life. In my 10th grade year of high school I felt God calling me into ministry and I answered his call. I went before my church and told them how I felt God was leading me and asked for prayer. I'm sure many people thought I was crazy because I was just 15 years old; even I thought I was a little crazy. Life was going great and everything was good...until my uncle shot himself and I had to go to the funeral home and there is where I had to face my "family". My cousin was not there, but his parents were and they tried hugging me and being all nice like nothing had ever happened, but on the inside I was burning with fury, and I just wanted to be sick at the sight of them. This is where my life began to take a turn; I began to be sad and depressed all the time; always negative and trying to find ways to relieve the pain. I had a lot of nightmares and began hurting myself. Until finally my mom said ENOUGH! You have got to see someone so she took me to my pastor's wife, and I told her what had happened and she began helping me with the healing process. Slowly I began to forgive my cousin for what he did to me. I started praying and asking God to take away my anger, and for me to just give it to Him. I prayed for peace and that I would understand he has a bigger purpose for my life than the pain I experienced, and so my journey began to healing. I thought that it was ok now and that I would be able to move on, but I did not feel like I should share this with anyone because it was embarrassing. I didn't want people to think the same thing my grandmother did. The summer of my 11th grade year, I was at a camp called Super Summer (a leadership camp). Well in my school we had to share our testimony, and to even go to this camp you had to memorize so many verses and you had to stand before your church and tell your testimony. So i had already shared what i thought was all of mine, but not until at this camp, a girl I met stood up in front of my school ( which consisted of 300 people) and told how she had, had sex before marriage and how now since she turned her life over to the lord she was going around speaking on abstinence and the importance of it. Well I began to cry because I knew that I was leaving out a very important part of my testimony that I knew God could use. So I came home from the camp, and I told my youth minister I needed to speak and be honest. So I called every single one of my friends, believers and non-believers to come to my church to hear what I had to say. I stood up in front of them that night and i poured my heart out and told them what had happened to me.My life has not been the same since. I have experienced a lot of pain and hurt in my life, but God has gotten me through everything. My life has been far from easy, and I doubt it will ever be easy but with God on my side I know I will make it through. I am now in college where I attend the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I am still pursuing my call to ministry. As of now I am planning to serve in Africa and just share the love of God with the people groups there. I could keep going, but I think this is all for now.


Blessings,
Hannah T.