Ditto with hope4me...WOW!!! What a story! Still very young at 27; so much has happened to you since the age of 16. My nephew became a missionary at 21. He was never interested in the girlfriend/ wife setting then, but that was only a few years ago. He is so knowledgable in the WOrd of GOD it makes me feel as if I was stagnant at that age. He learned fluent Spanish at his first missionary field in Mexico. You have journeyed far, Friend, and are now one of the many who work vigilantly and diligently for Christ and for souls. It takes a very different kind of spirit to literally take up your cross to follow Christ and forego the things that people of the world covet.... marriage being #1, then the house with the white picket fence and the 2 vehicles and the cat/dog for the icing on the cake. In American society, it's so easy to sail onto the winds of least resistance and slumber into the comfort zone. We find it easier to be Christians when we have all the creature comforts around us. That's what saddens me a little bit about the prevailing views of Christians. In America, there really isn't much to test our faith...whether we really have it or not. In other countries where Christianity is the minority, the enemy doesn't take you out, they take your loved ones out. Still, third world Christians remain in the faith and go underground to continue planting the seed of the gospel and harvesting souls for Christ despite entire families being tortured and murdered in the most inhumane ways. It's like being in the Twilight Zone when you see that some have distress over a boyfriend walking out on them, but in other countries they keep on going for the sake of the Kingdom and for harvesting souls for Christ even knowing that their entire family was killed or being pursued to be slaughtered. I guess it is so paramount in my mind because I have lived in another country for 13 years and CLEARLY see a difference in different cultures of Christianity. It would be funny if it weren't so serious that the country of Africa is praying night and day for the country of America because much of America has denounced Jesus Christ, removed GOD from everything, only go to church when the feel like it, have removed prayer from schools, have allowed young teens to get abortions without parental consent, etc., etc., etc. So the country of Africa prays for the spiritual state of the country of America. Whew! Talk about role reversals! Anyway, I think I said too much. It is an honour to meet you, BHarrison. We will be talking again soon, I am sure.
PROVERBS !!:30..."The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise."