Finding Joy in Suffering

Well it has been a little bit since the last post but a lot has happened. I can't find words to explain the faithfulness and provision that God has shown me in the past month or so. My life has been changed more in the last week than it has i think this whole year. I am going to tell you a story that is a bit long so bear with me.
About a week ago on Sunday was the first Sunday that I was leading worship in the city location for Jubilee Church. I got up super early with the thought of getting to the church building early to get prepared and pray a bit before I lead the team and the church in worship. So after showering and getting everything ready to go I grabbed my guitar, that is so dear to me, and quietly headed down stairs not trying to wake anyone. On this Sunday morning I got ready faster than I thought and so I thought that is great I will not be in a rush at all. As I stepped outside it was still very dark out and I began walking down the street to the building, which is just about a 7 minute walk. It was a pretty quite morning not many people around and as I passed the front of the church building I had the thought of getting jumped from behind. I didn't think much of it and went to turn the corner to get to the north doors of the church building I saw a man crossing the street and again didn't think anything of it. As I grabbed my wallet, that had my keys on it, I heard running foot steps. The man that was crossing the street ran around the corner and I asked, "Can I help you?" and he with a few choice words said, "Give me your wallet!" And so he grabbed my guitar and wallet and I was left unharmed with no guitar or wallet and I couldn't get into the church build because he had my keys. I couldn't believe that I just got robbed on a Sunday morning at 6:15.
Now through this experience God has been teaching me so much. Today was a day of God pouring his love on me because today the awesome girls on my year team decided we should make a video about April Fools day and I thought it was not that funny. But little did I know they had different plans for the video. At the end of the video they said they had a check for 1 million dollars for a new guitar and I laughed, but then Anna said, "But seriously we do have a check for $1,720.00 for a new guitar." And I stopped playing the guitar and the love of all the people around me flood my soul and then it hit me God is so faithful the first thing I said after I was robbed, "God is SO FAITHFUL!!!" Yeah it sucked to get my guitar stolen but its so much better to know that God has it under control and to know that I am living for something much greater than a guitar. I am living for the King above all kings and I am willing to give to all for Him! I find true joy in that and not in my guitar! Just as it says in Isaiah 41:13

"For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you."

Elijah Stanley: Journey From Child To Man!!!

Hello all! This is my first blog. It is crazy for me to believe that I am actually blogging. Does blogging even have a definition? Just to catch you up on my life, I have been on an FYT in Saint Louis, Missouri for the last six months. If some of you are wondering what FYT is, it is a program through Newfrontiers where you give up a year of your life to serve a church in the Newfrontiers family. So, like I said, for the past six months I have been in Saint Louis being a slave. No, no, I kid. I have been growing spiritually by leaps and bounds. God has taken me from a kid who thought he knew how to lead to a man who still has a lot to learn. I have found that I thought I knew who I was, but really I had no clue. Lately I have found myself in a state of joy because of who God is and how much He has blessed me.

Well I will say that I am also on FYT with three other girls and no guys. DID YOU HEAR ME? NO GUYS! No, I am joking, the girls on my team are some of the greatest, most respectable girls ever. They have showen me what submitting really is. Even though they struggle with it, they still do it. I mean, I would find it hard to submit to a 19 year-old boy, but they do it still.

During my FYT I have been living with the Mowery's. They are the BEST! The kids, Ella who is 4 and Simon who is 2, are so much fun. It is cool being an older brother. Bryan and Rachel are awesome too. Rachel can cook! I think I have gained some weight, but that is completely fine. And Bryan is great at humbling me in everything I do. I mean, I ask God to humble me and Bryan is the guy that does it.

FYT has been great so far and I wake up every day wondering what God is going to do, but it is coming to an end sooner than I want it to. So that makes me think, what shall I do next year? Well...drum roll please...I will be here in THE LOU for another year. The guys here have offered me an intership for another year to be trained up and invested in. It will be an exciting time and I believe God will do some amazing things!

Till next time!

Elijah Thomas Stanley