SM Retreat to Peru

Well I didn't really want to come back from sm retreat. I had a great weekend- meeting awesome people who will be serving as missionaries next year! There's like 80 of us total =) I found out that 6 girls and 2 guys will be traveling with us down to Peru and serving with me at Amor Projects. I'm really excited because they are all really nice and I can't wait to see how God wants to use us.
I shared my testimony this week on how God called me to Peru- it was definitely a God time. God also spoke to me when I spent an hour outside with Him just talking to Him and pouring out my heart. I prayed and asked him to reveal to me the idols in my life as well as my spiritual gifts.

 God told me that my time with Him was not a comprisable thing. I need it every day for an hour! The scary part is, on this retreat it was really hard to spend quiet time with God because of the excitement. I only was able to do it once- and that's when everybody had to do it outside. As the picture above shows, this is what happens sometimes when I listen and talk to God. The mountains, sun, and trees were all around me and in the sky I saw the cross which was super cool. God brought the quote to mind by EGW that says "The life must be like Christ's life--between the mountain and the multitude". Lately I find this quote comforting because as we are called to deny ourselves and this world's sinful ways- we are also told to befriend the people in this world and witness to them by our accepting and loving attitudes. It's a balance because this world is not our home anymore. As I started to talk to God about the idols in my life, this is what He revealed to me. I think it's so cool, and talking to God totally amazes me. Like the fact that God really will talk to us if we take time and listen.
Anyways below you can see the picture of what God showed me were the idols in my life. As I began to recite the ten commandments by memory, what I remembered at least, God revealed to me some of the idols that He has already broken down for me this year: boys, food, family, friends. He also showed me 2 idols He is working to break down: pride and low self-image. Self-image is a big one. I have wrote about God trying to teach me that I am a princess. To be honest, feeling beautiful is something I really struggle with sometimes. As He was revealing these truths to me, I felt something uncomfortable under my stomach and I reached on the ground where I had been laying for 45 minutes and found a round piece of wood (picture below). I realized that my stomach was sore where the wood had been lying- yet I hadn't even realized there was something there or taken the time to remove it. God taught me something about sin and idols in our lives "We don't know how much sin and idols hurt us until we let God reveal them to us." Just as I didn't know the piece of wood was under me and was hurting me, until we ask God to show us, we don't know idols and dreams in our heart that are holding us back from His destiny and will for us. There could be past relationships, lies you were taught while young, broken promises, or small sins that you are clinging too- and you don't realize that every idol, no matter how small, separates you from Christ! He wants to break down these things in our lives! God has shown me how totally amazing He is- by revealing to me idols that have been hidden for so long! He wants to do the same for you. He has the power to heal every wound and overcome any lie the devil has set in you. He desires to free you from all iniquities.