Availability

Hey everyone! I just wanted to share something the Lord has laid on my heart lately regarding availability.

Psalm 53:2 (NIV) says, "God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God."

The Lord has been speaking to me about how He uses those who make themselves available to him. Look at Mother Teresa. She devoted her entire life to helping the poor. When she first began her ministry she had to resort to begging with the very people she was trying to help in order to survive to continue with the vision and the call she felt the Lord had given her. In her diary she wrote:
"Our Lord wants me to be a free nun covered with the poverty of the cross. Today I learned a good lesson. The poverty of the poor must be so hard for them. While looking for a home I walked and walked till my arms and legs ached. I thought how much they must ache in body and soul, looking for a home, food and health. Then the comfort of Loreto [her former order] came to tempt me. 'You have only to say the word and all that will be yours again,' the Tempter kept on saying ... Of free choice, my God, and out of love for you, I desire to remain and do whatever be your Holy will in my regard. I did not let a single tear come."

She went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and became known worldwide for her efforts to help the poor, orphaned, sick, and dying with a ministry that expanded out of her nation of India into many other nations around the world. All because she made herself available to what the Lord wanted to do in her life.

We all know the story of Oral Roberts. His illness, his healing, and the many trials he has had to face over the years. His availability resulted in the university we attend today. By making himself available to be used by God, thousands of students have gone through ORU to touch the world. Thousands of students have gone on mission trips, like the one we are about to embark on, to touch the world.

What God has been questioning me about as of late is how available have I been making myself to Him. As I have evaluated my own life, especially as I look back at 2007, I can see where my availability has fostered amazing moves of God and where my lack of availability has hindered His work.

The degree of availability that we have to what God is doing and saying is going to determine how effective we will be as a team, as ministers of the Gospel in the nation of Uganda. So I leave you with this question to ponder: HOW AVAILABLE ARE YOU?


Leave your thoughts on this. Let's get a discussion going. What is God saying to you? You guys can also use the discussion board on our Facebook group as well.

- Chris

Welcome to Team Uganda!!!

Hey team!

Let us start by welcoming you to Team Uganda 2008!!!

We are your team leaders (Chris Villalobos & Michelle Grooman), and we are both very excited to be leading you all to Uganda this year. We are so pumped to find out what God has in store for us as a team this year, and we know God is going to do some amazing things in and through each one of you. It's going to be an awesome ride! We look forward to getting to know all of you. If you need anything, just give us a call.

So others may live,

Chris Villalobos & Michelle Grooman

Chris' cell #: 702-769-3665
Michelle's cell #: 918-361-1725