#ccbce

Come tomorrow, it will have been a month since I arrived in Cyprus. What, seriously? Yes, seriously.

It feels like I have been here for much longer, yet it also feels like I have only just arrived. Maybe I just live a paradoxical life.

Outreaches via CCBCE A little over a week ago, we had an outreach team come from the last place I called home, Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe. It was so, so nice to have them here, a group of 10 very different individuals with no concrete plan, but a cumulative desire to watch God move. Oh, and move He did. As they were here we (about 15 of us in total) romped about the city of Paphos, meeting the people in our path and singing worship songs wherever we went.

At the harbour.

In the market place.

In an old Greek amphitheater, in a ballet studio, in parks...Yeah, you get the point. Basically wherever we found ourselves to be was an opportunity to praise God, praise Him!

One of the most consistent places we went was the high school right by the church flat. 4 out of 5 days we were there to make connections and to invite students to the concert extravaganza we were throwing at the end of the week. On Monday, we got to talk to and invite 6 people, but Tuesday looked like this:

and that, my friends, is a crowd. We sang and danced and talked to some people. One of the days, one of our guys got to share the gospel with everyone as one of the high school students translated into Greek.

Basically, seeds were planted amongst the city, the church people were encouraged and as for me, it was really great just to be with them all again. To laugh and pray and talk and sing and laugh some more.

There we are! Along with some random guys that were passing through.

Although I have found that it is somehow easier to leave than to be left, I must say that the joy of being reunited with these friends here, even for a short time, supersedes the sadness of farewells.

Oh and let me not forget this detail: in the 8 years that the Mattox family has been here, this was the first outreach team that made it to Paphos. The first! How blessed am I to have been a part of this milestone in ministry here? Very much so indeed.

ΣΙΓΑ ΣΙΓΑ. It means 'slowly, slowly' in English. I learned this Greek phrase when I went to Athens on a 10 day outreach, no knowing that I would be in another Greek speaking land 2 years later.

Island life is much different than city life.The pace is much slower and time is more of a point of reference than a guideline or restriction.

At first, this through me for a loop. It seems that I was accustomed to a mindset that what I do, or how much I do equates to how effective I can be, call it the mass-production mentality. Although it is a good thing to desire that the masses would come to know God (after all, God's desire that ALL might come to repentance), it is oh, so important to remember the individual. Jesus did not see the crowds that flocked to Him, but He saw each person. Quality, my friends. Not quantity.

Love the one in front of you.  Being very family oriented, the culture is very relational, which I love. I remember hearing this as a principle for life and discipleship and by the grace of God, that is exactly what I am doing here, over coffee. Because Cypriots love having coffee, as do I.

More about my 'outs and abouts' next time loved ones. In the mean time, you can be praying.

Pray for... - wisdom. Abby (one of the Mattox daughters) has asked me to do a few sessions on purity with the girls that she does a bible study with. Also, I am going to start going through the book of Esther with Emma (the youngest of the Mattox daughters). This is why I need much wisdom and understanding as I study. - visa stuff

- Holy Spirit. I cannot do anything otherwise.

- fruitful coffee times

- more divine appointments

Intern Ladies//Heroes' Square - Budapest, Hungary

This blog post has definitely been a long time coming, but alas here I am determined to convey to you the reality that is my surreal life.

As some of you know, I have been so privileged to be a part of a 13 month internship at Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe in Vajta, Hungary. During this time I learned so much about leadership, theology, people and myself. More so than I even expected to. Most importantly, I grew in the understanding of who God created me to be and the fact that there is nothing more that I want to do in the world besides make friends out of strangers and introduce them to this same God that I have come to know and love.

My last few months in this village have consisted of much seeking direction for "the next step" of which I am writing.

After I came back from a 10 day outreach in Hamburg, Germany I looked into opportunities for ministry in Ireland. Why? Simply because of the land itself. After taking the tiniest step in that direction, I could tell that was not the open door that I was looking for. So, scratch that.

The next door that I knocked on was the door to Costa Rica. Now, going to Costa Rica to serve there was definitely a lingering idea for about a year and a half maybe. So I pursued that direction as much as I could. I made connections. I had more peace than I could comprehend. I had no doubt that the Lord was with me. In fact, for a majority of the summer, I believed that I was going to Costa Rica and I was stoked. 

Suddenly all communication I had with people in Costa Rica came to a halt. Every other day I was learning of more amazing people that I knew who were moving there to serve.

Meanwhile...back in Vajta, I met a sweet girl who came for the last few weeks of Summer of Service. Abby. Her Dad pastors a Calvary Chapel in Paphos, Cyprus. One day as I made her latte, she told me a bit about the people there and it pricked my heart. So I started to pray.

A week or two later I came to a realization of "What if Costa Rica does not need me right now?" Not in the sense that I, Vanessa Lum would necessarily be "needed" anywhere but this was me recognizing that I might indeed be more useful somewhere else.

After some days of being an emotional girl and crying out to my Heavenly Father, questioning the strength of my faith and remembering how good the God I serve is, my eyes were opened to see the open door in front of me.

Abby's Dad came to Vajta, the three of us sat down and talked about the possibility of me coming to serve with them and...voila. That was that folks. That was the open door I tirelessly sought!

Soon and very soon (like, less than 2 weeks soon) I will be making my way to the island of Cyprus and learn more of God's heart for the people in Paphos.

I have no trouble calling this a step of faith and no doubt that something good will come of this.

A few things I learned along the way:

- You cannot steer a ship unless it is moving. (Seriously though, within a span of 3 or 4 months, my heart went from Germany to Hungary to Ireland to Costa Rica to Cyprus).

- Wait when you are meant to wait, go when you are meant to go.

- Keep searching until you find the door that is open. Once you find that door, keep going through it until it closes.

- Passion is not an emotion. Passion is the steely determination to do what God has set before you.

- Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding and in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

- God knows exactly what he is doing.

& so on and so forth.

I decided to make a "missions blog", for lack of better terms. Sure, maybe it would have been better to have started this a year and a half ago, when I realized that the missionary life just might be the life I am being led to live, but I figure it is better done today than tomorrow.

Right now I am stationed in Vajta, Hungary as an intern at Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe. Come September, my internship will be complete and my sails shall catch wind to go...well, God only knows where.