Pre Travel Jitters

So you know before a wedding the bride and/or groom might get jitters and start to rethink this whole idea?
Well, I've had a bit of that. I know I'm not making a lifetime commitment in my moving to Wales, just a year long commitment. I've committed to things like dance and other things of that sort for a year. I guess what really hit me today was the full time part of it. I can't just call off on a day when I feel I can't handle things.

This is giving my WHOLE LIFE for a year to God. I've stepped out in faith before for different mission trips, but never putting all of myself into His Hands before. I don't know where the finances are to fund this, I don't know who I'll meet or what I'll encounter, but I know I will be challenged. I will have my faith tested, my morals questioned, and will have to rely on God for my everything. That's hard, when you're not sure how God will provide next months rent.

But I know He will. I know things will be difficult, and that I will probably be pushed way beyond my comfort zone and beyond what I think I'm capable of doing. But I also know that God will be my strength and my provider. I know that by myself I can do nothing, but with Him, I am capable of all things. God will help me rise to the occasion and push the boundaries that I put on myself and Him.

It's really rather hard to find comfort in Someone I can't see or feel, but He's been helping prepare me for that while I'm still at home. I don't know how, but in some hard circumstances I've been faced with already, I've found comfort in singing worship songs and making music to praise Him. It reminds me of Paul the Apostle when he was imprisoned (one time of many) and he and whoever was with him started singing worship songs and then other prisoners joined in and soon an earthquake caused the prison walls to collapse.

Somehow, even when I don't feel like singing, when I start worshiping God and giving Him praise for His goodness, the walls and whatever was oppressing me shatters and God's glory comes out. I pray that His glory will continue to come forth as I continue to follow where He leads.

I know I said it was pre-travel jitters, and I do get a bit nervous about what lies ahead for me, but I know God will take care of me. Even if I question myself, I can never question the goodness and Love of my God. I'm going forward!

Please pray for me in this preparation time, for peace and finances to come through. Also, please pray about giving toward this trip. God works through His people, does He not?

Thank you so much for the support you've shown me already. I know the Family of God's, really is my family.

My Official Support Letter

Hello Everyone!

As some of you know (and have helped with) I went to Ireland last summer on a two week mission trip. It was amazing, but I feel I would be more effective going on a longer mission. I’ve been praying with my family and pastors and we believe that I should go to Wales as an intern. This time I would be gone a year! Which means a lot more in commitment and costs.

I want to thank you again for the support you’ve shown me in the past and I would like to ask for it again on this upcoming adventure.

For the next year I will be working as an intern with a ministry called “ignite”. I will be a part of several of their outreaches. “Re:gen Tremorfa” and “Speak” to name a couple. 

“Re:gen Tremorfa” is a ministry where they run a youth drop-in center in the southern part of Cardiff, Wales. This is one of the most poverty stricken areas in Wales. As a team our primary goal is to develop an authentic, incarnational ministry, to truly love our neighbors as ourselves. From this starting point action and service will pour out which might include youth clubs, detached ministry, sports teams, kids clubs etc.

“Speak” is a conference that “ignite” does to ignite a passion for Christ in young people.  They also have different courses that I will take part in.
They are also looking to find new ways to share Christ and to connect with young people and I’m really looking forward to taking the gifts God’s given me and giving them back to God for His uses.

The overall cost of the internship will be somewhere around $12,000. I know that nothing I do will bring these funds about, but I also know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I’m now asking that you pray about giving to this ministry by supporting me financially, through air-miles, or through prayer.

The date I am hoping to leave will be September 2^nd. All contributions will be appreciated. These funds will help me continue in the ministry throughout the year, so please pray about giving monthly. If you would like to get a receipt for your donation, please make checks out to Heartland Church with a note attached with my name on it. Please don’t put my name in the memo.
The address for Heartland Church is 1025 Vance Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805

I’m really excited about this new opportunity to do ministry. I’m so thankful for all my friends and family who support me in all my endeavors for Christ.

Praise be to God, Who makes all things possible!

Your sister in Christ,

Natasha L. Utz

Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine, according to the resurrection power at work in us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, world without end!”

Faith, Trust, and... Ephesians 3:20

As a child, one of my favorite stories was the story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. In this story, the only way the children could fly was to have "Faith, trust and pixie-dust." 

I was recently thinking of this phrase and realized that being obedient to God involves the first two things needed to fly: Faith and Trust. Now I know that God doesn't go around sprinkling fairy dust onto His followers (most the the time ;), but He does give us another sort of power. God gave us the Holy Spirit to live in us and to guide us. This is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. (Romans 8:11) And with this Spirit "God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine, according to the resurrection power at work in us" Ephesians 3:20. If God can go above and beyond what I can ask or imagine, then why can't I fly?

Though I know God could make me fly if He wanted to, right now He has another mission for me. I'm going to Wales. For a whole year. I'm a bit nervous about it, but I know that God's got me. That's where the trust comes in. 

Now the faith will be a bit more challenging. "Faith without action is dead" James 2:14-26. That means that sometimes you have to take action and leap without seeing beforehand where you'll land. I have no idea where I'm going to land during this adventure, and I don't know where the money will come from to support me. But I'm buying a plane ticket and boarding the plane, having faith and trusting that God will provide for His own work to be done. 

I know that God can do all things, and that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13). So I'm going to take the leap of faith. I'm going to jump and not see where I'm landing. But I will have faith and trust in God, and I know that if He doesn't let me land, He'll sprinkle me with His pixie-dust. So it's in obedience to God that I use these ingredients.....

And fly!